White Magic

More of a mini-album introduction to a promising solo project than a proper long- player, White Magic proves that singer/multi-instrumentalist Eric Berglund doesn’t need the Tough Alliance; the Tough Alliance needs him. Which may be why he told a Swedish paper that the duo was simply a “stepping stone” to where he is now — perched atop big, brassy arrangements that seize the day like a one-way ticket to the sun, from the swooning strings and subtle, windswept synths of “All Around” to the swiftly-drawn swords and subterranean drum pads of “No Mercy.” It’d be easy to call all of this “Swedish indie-pop,” but there’s more at play here than carefully harnessed hooks and massive melodies. As delirious as it sounds on certain songs (“Oh God, Oh Dear” could soundtrack a waltz —not a walk — on the moon and “Love and Do What You Will” is the very definition of being high on life), ceo’s eight-track debut features deep, deliberate arrangements and a very clear idea of what it’s trying to do.That said, we haven’t the slightest idea what the organ-chased choirboy opening of “Den Blomsterid Nu Kommer” is about either.