The Swedish rock band Europe released a new album, Bag of Bones, in 2012. I’ve written of my history with Europe in other reviews such as their almost acoustic live webcast in early 2008 and their last released album Last Look at Eden in 2009. They’ve been active since reforming in the early 2000s, but have kept most of their activities on their side of the Atlantic with the occasional show in Asia and South America. Like their last album, Bag of Bones was not even released in the U.S. though the credits state that some of the sound mixing was done at the Cave in Malibu. I wasn’t sure when I would get it and when my wife got it for me for my birthday, I was pleasantly surprised.
Bag of Bones is standard album-length with eleven songs, one of which is a short prelude to the next one. It’s a rock driven album that does not rely on excessive production or overpowering ballads. That’s fine, but sometimes I found myself missing that element. Maybe they’re trying distance themselves from the ‘80s hairband sound, but I don’t think that sound is all bad. The album sleeve is a bit reminiscent of Wings of Tomorrow with old items such as a typewriter, animal skull, peanut shells and some bugs. Inside the booklet each song corresponds to an item such as Riches to Rags on an old cigarette container, Requiem on a pill bottle, Demon Head on the typewriter, and Drink and Smile on a soda can. So the songs are like these old objects, raw, genuine, unpolished and to be taken as they are without sale or spin.
The first song “Riches to Rags” is a loud rocker heavy on guitar and Joey Tempest’s vocals, an apt description for most of the songs. It seems to be a song about being brought down but not necessarily considering that a bad thing. The song is one of the first I’ve heard that’s a collaboration of Tempest and bass player John Levén. The next song, “Not Supposed to Sing the Blues,” is Tempest’s alone and that’s not surprising since the first line includes the year of his birth, 1963. It’s another rocker that seems to be a conversation between a younger Tempest and his elders advising him with the song’s title. In one verse the song seems to reference AC/DC (Back in Black), the Beatles (Let It Be), and Elvis (Heartbreak Hotel). The next song is a faster loud rocker by Tempest and keyboard player Mic Michaeli. “Firebox” is one of my favorite songs since it is so fast and compact, though the lyrics don’t make much sense. It is followed by the album’s more verbose title track, another reflection by Tempest alone. It’s still loud and rocking but not as fast as “Firebox.”
The next song is the only one that Tempest did not write or cowrite, though it’s also a short instrumental. Michaeli has added “Requiem,” a short symphonic interlude. It carries right into the Tempest-penned “My Woman My Friend” a less loud but still rocking love song. The next track is the only collaboration by three: Tempest, Levén, and guitarist John Norum who seems to be less involved in songwriting than on preceding albums. The rocker “Demon Head” references some interesting imagery in its lyrics such as crashing down from galaxies and riding a train until out of track. The lines of the chorus sum up what it’s about, “Some drunken honesty/you are my remedy/for my Demon Head.” I think the next song is supposed to be the most lighthearted, but its rocking beat gives it a slightly serious edge. “Drink and a Smile” is another Tempest-Michaeli collaboration. The tune has a bit of what sounds like a bell or a harmonica. It seems to be about partying, though in its own way.
The next track “Doghouse” is another Tempest credit and similar to “Bag of Bones” it sounds like a griping rocker. It’s not clear from the lyrics who has him in the doghouse. He does mention “my lord.” The next song, “Mercy You Mercy Me” is the only Tempest-Norum collaboration. Another rocker, it seems to be an answer to the previous song saying how “You gotta shake it off/Get back up/Show what you’re made of/make up your own luck.” But it also includes the lines “So we get wasted/To see clearer through the haze.” The last song, “Bring It All Home,” by Tempest and Michaeli, is the only one I would call a ballad. It almost sounds contrived in that it’s the last song on the album and includes lines about “curtain call,” “make our beds,” and “Thank you for coming along.” But it effectively captures the sentiment and even includes some longing for the younger years. Now Europe have a song to end concerts just like Cheap Trick have the song “Hello There” to begin them.
Bag of Bones seems to be Europe doing what they love rather than trying to impress. It seemed a bit homogeneous to me with its loud raw sounding rockers. I guess that’s why they’re bones and not overly “fleshed out” with excessive production and pathos. I’m not sure if it’s any better than their previous several albums since their reformation, but it’s still more “Firebox” than “Doghouse.”
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