First Aid Kit

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First Aid Kit

First Aid Kit "The Lion's Roar" album

- Release date : January 2012 -

The Lion's Roar is the second studio album by Swedish folk duo First Aid Kit. It was produced by Mike Mogis and features contributions from Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst and The Felice Brothers. The album was released on January 23, 2012 in the UK via Wichita Recordings, followed by a US release on January 24, 2012 via Redeye Label.

"The Lion's Roar" album tracks and lyrics

"The Lion's Roar" album reviews

Those already familiar with First Aid Kit may be shocked by the portent in the title of their second album, The Lion's Roar. For a duo so built on understatement, it's a statement of its own volition – words which suggest something bigger, bolder, and stronger.

From the reflections of Blue, the influence of the Swedish sisters' dream producer Mike Mogis (best known for his work with Bright Eyes) becomes apparent. Still pared down but clearer, the sweet mimicking between bass and xylophone feel more ominous than decorative.

Johanna and Klara Sodenberg's close harmonies charm unaffectedly, pitched in the mix like the faint voices of songbirds echoing through a woodland scene. And, lyrically, there's a mix of gloom and lilt in the perfect order and proportion; in spite of Conor Oberst's involvement, there's no stagnation, no lack of positivity and certainly no halting moments of impenetrable self-reflection.

The voices gallingly cry "I go from nowhere to nowhere / Searching for the key" on Dance to Another Tune, the most mournful of The Lion's Roar's 10 songs. Written like a series of proverbs, it has the unique gift of being accessible and extravagant. First Aid Kit are now a band rather than a duo, and the gorgeous harmonies benefit from a more serious direction and sometimes sweeping orchestration.

First Aid Kit's journey into the hillbilly backwoods is smoother than their rickety debut album, 2010’s The Big Black & Blue, and comes with the benefit of greater knowledge. This set swells into a full assembly of Americana, peaking at name-dropper Emmylou – the delightful warmth of this song can be attributed to the sisters' affections for the genre, even down to the accents. The lyrics "I'll be your Emmylou and I'll be your June / And you'll be my Gram and your Johnny too," while simple, act as a gently vigorous call-to-arms.

The echo of pedal steel and mariachi horns on King of the World is a far cry from First Aid Kit's cover of Fleet Foxes’ Tiger Mountain Peasant Song, which first appeared on YouTube in 2008. The full band which appears on The Lion's Roar enjoys the rare achievement of being saccharine-free, and serves to highlight the sisters' brilliant captured-on-tape chemistry.

As consolation anthems go, it's difficult to imagine anyone topping this collection in 2012. Sat neatly between Laura Marling's trauma, Alessi's Ark's florid scenes and Joni Mitchell's spot-lit thoughts, First Aid Kit's second album lines them up as the band most likely to cross over into the big time.

*** by Natalie Shaw, BBC Music ***

The second album from the Swedish Soderberg sisters is full to the brim with charm. Recorded in Omaha with Saddle Creek producer Mike Mogis, and featuring a cameo from Conor Oberst, it's a bigger, better record than their debut, rounded out with the confidence of maturity and a smooth, assured indie-country sound. But there's an undertow to its sun-kissed demeanour; listen closely and the lyrics are shot through with darkness and gloom. "Now the pale morning sings of forgotten things…" begins the title track and opener, setting a mournful, nostalgic tone from the off. Even the mostly playful Emmylou, a sweet ode to the grand, destructive love affairs of the country legend, starts on a bleak note of surrender: "Oh the bitter winds are coming in, and I'm already missing the summer." But if the words sound battered by life, the music is filled with it, and The Lion's Roar works because, like their country inspirations, there's a steely toughness to the despair, and their extraordinary harmonies make even the glummest sentiments soar.

*** by Rebecca Nicholson, The Guardian UK ***

Described as the Swedish answer to the Pierces, sisters Johanna and Klara Soderberg, aka First Aid Kit, blend autumnal folk and wistful '60s Americana, and have gathered a pretty illustrious following since their cover version of Fleet Foxes' "Tiger Mountain Peasant Song" became a YouTube hit back in 2008. As well as releasing their debut single through the Knife's Rabid Records label, they have since made Patti Smith cry with their rendition of her 1979 single "Dancing Barefoot," been courted by Jack White, who invited them to appear on two tracks for his Third Man Records' Blue Series, and now find themselves under the guidance of producer Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes) for their second album, The Lion's Roar. It's an impressive turn of events for a duo that hails from a small suburb of Stockholm, but the follow-up to 2010's The Big Black & the Blue reveals why First Aid Kit have attracted so much attention. Juxtaposing the girls' glorious ethereal harmonies with a genuine sense of melancholy, the bittersweet alt-country of "Emmylou," a tribute to the musical partnerships of Ms. Harris and Gram Parsons, and Johnny Cash and June Carter; the twinkling Mama Cass-esque "Blue"; and the lush acoustics of "I Found a Way" are all beautifully heartbreaking. The medieval-tinged opening title track and the infectious handclaps and mariachi horns on "King of the World," the latter of which features guest appearances from Conor Oberst and the Felice Brothers, are convincing forays into rousing nu-folk, while it's impossible not to be charmed by the low-key dreaminess of "In the Hearts of Men" and the campfire singalong of "This Old Routine," both of which bear the hallmarks of the long Scandinavian dark winters. A change of pace toward the midway section is less absorbing, with the intimate balladry of "To a Poet," "Dance to Another Tune," and "New Year's Eve" all drifting into the same slightly bland troubadour territory. But for the most part, The Lion's Roar is a mesmerizing listen that -- alongside recent releases from the likes of the Tallest Man on Earth and Anna Ternheim -- suggests the Swedish folk scene is currently hitting something of a purple patch.

*** by Jon O'Brien, All Music Guide ***