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Cherry Pop

Title - Songs for William
Artist - Agony Street

For those unaware, a must for fans of Jeff Lynne, Traveling Wilburys, Brian Wilson and any of the post-Beatles pop tunesmiths of rock legend, the second Agony Street album Songs For William was recorded in 1993 yet never released until 2021.

Never before released, yet reissued 30 years later, here it is on CD and download. The second Agony Street, Songs For William is a perfect example from the now late great Swedish pop-rock genius Klas Qvist, here doing his best impression of Beatles-era sounds at its finest.

Featuring Klas writing and playing most of the instruments and harmonizing together with his Agony Street co-founder / vocalist / producer Gudmundur Bragason, Songs For William features one huge pop song after the next and is a must for both pop-rock fans and fans of the music written and recorded by Klas on his 2004 solo work, Carried Away and his three Citizen K albums.

Oh, and two tracks recorded in 2019 were added as tracks 16 & 17, supplanting the original 15-track 1993 album.

1. Another Sleepless Night
2. A Song For William
3. You’re In Love
4. Right Place, Wrong Century
5. A Perfect Day For A Breakup
6. 39 Tank
7. Plastic Revolution
8. Voices From The Other Side
9. The Voices Inside My Head
10. Therapy Hill
11. Be My Wife
12. Believe Me
13. I Bet They Wish
14. I’ve Heard It All Before
15. Looking For Grand Mal
16. Merry Christmas Anyway (single) [Bonus Track]
17. Goodbye Forever (single) [Bonus Track]

The album opens on the buoyant Another Sleepless Night and the Eastern-tinged A Song For William and backs those up with the euphoric You’re In Love, the lushly melodic Right Place, Wrong Century, the mid-tempo A Perfect Day For A Breakup and then we get the Beach Boys-esque, gently rambunctious 39 Tank, the psych-rock of Plastic Revolution and the free-flowing melodies of Voices From The Other Side.

Next up is one of my own personal favorites from this new collection, the foot-tapping sunshine within The Voices Inside My Head which is itself followed by the lush Therapy Hill, the trippy rock of Be My Wife, the jangly guitars of Believe Me, the summer’s breeze of I Bet They Wish, the melodious rhythms within I’ve Heard It All Before, the album closing on the upbeat Looking For Grand Mal; and now also inclusive of the two bonus track singles: Merry Christmas Anyway and Goodbye Forever.

The archival CD of Songs For William is actually the first release of the band’s label Silverton Records. The fact that no Agony Street albums were actually released when they were recorded, yet were stored for posterity, is emphasized by the musical genius that fills these two reissue treasures.

As fascinating as Songs For William, 119 Agony Street (so far only on download) will hopefully come out on CD. Klas Qvist and Gudmundur Bragason made a great team and the sheer exuberance of the first their two Agony Street albums makes for a sonic pop revelation.

These albums were in fact a training ground for the future Klas Qvist, and they also offer a great look at the duo’s group partnership and shared musical perfectionism. Adding in the backing are some of Sweden’s finest session players.

Speaking to the press in 2021, Klas Qvist sounded quite excited about Songs For William and the imminent release of the as of yet still untitled third Agony Street album, which was nearly finished at the time of his tragic sudden death on July 5th, 2021. The final album will be finally released in the Fall of 2022.

Original Purchase Link





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