Another Successful Comeback? How 'Swede' It Is

Shelflife Records has done it again. Not only did the label manage to bring indie-pop sensations Brideshead back from the dead after two decades away, they helped release their best album, 'Never Grow Up,' just last year. That reclamation project was always going to be tough to top, but Shelflife has once more mined the golden age of German label Marsh-Marigold to resurrect a band that hasn't had a long player since 1997, and the results are just as rewarding.

Red Sleeping Beauty (yes, named after the song by McCarthy!) has been releasing singles through Shelflife for almost a year now. So, we already knew the Swedes could still produce lovely electronic pop, but when you hear all of these songs together on the new album, 'Kristina,' you realize that, like the aforementioned Brideshead, they have actually gotten better with age.

The album is named for fellow band mate Kristina Borg. She has been seriously ill but still managed to sing on a handful of the new songs. Her health has improved, and we are promised more involvement on the next album. In the meantime, Kristina proved to be quite a muse for Niklas Angergård and Mikael Matsson. You're going to hear quite a few of your favorite '80s synth bands in these songs, like OMD (check out "Always"), but there are more contemporary touches, too. If you like the quieter side of Club 8 and are a sucker for vintage synthesizers and drum machines, you're gonna want this one. 'Kristina' hits the shelves June 17. As for Shelflife, keep those Marsh-Marigold bands coming.

"Always"


"Mi Amor"


"Tell Me More"


"If You Want Affection"