Music reviews. CD reviews. Critically hip!

The two-man soft indie band from Scandinavia, Jettie, consists of Anders Gränsmark on drums and Clas Bohman with lead vocals and guitar. Their sound is soft and muted and their lyrics are…well, I couldn’t really tell you. I’ve never had as much trouble getting myself to sit down and listen to an album all the way through as I have with Kites for Charity.

I really wanted to give Jettie a chance because at first glance I thought Kites for Charity would be a really cool indie album that I could get into and thus pride myself in knowing about this super trendy ‘underground’ band from Scandinavia. The idea sounded cool enough but unfortunately I really can’t bring myself to forward anyone to their music nor can I name one single track off their album or repeat any lyric. It seriously felt mindless to me.

Now, to be fair, the opening track Start/Stop isn’t a complete flop, the instrumentals are good, it’s almost catchy, and it leaves you with the hope that the rest of Kites for Charity is going to pick up and be great (unfortunately this never happens). Other tracks like The Lay Up and Sovereign of the Seas also keep you on the edge of your seat thinking that the hook is about to come up and the whole song’s going to turn around and be amazing. But after waiting for half the play time for this to happen, you’ll most likely end up fast forwarding to the next song and be faced again with disappointment. To be frank, every track teeters between almost good and just plain boring. It makes you want to reach in your CD player, grab Bohman be the head, give him a good slap and make him speak up and sing with more passion, because this sappy almost-whisper music just really isn’t making the cut. After listening to Kites for Charity there’s a good chance you’ll find yourself unsure of what your own opinion is – It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t good either. It was just… there. In their defense, their instrumentals are on-par with any other successful indie band, Jettie is just lacking a little in vocals. They’re not bad vocals, they just seem to lack heart or feeling and without that, well, it’s just sound – not music. Which like the album itself, is a little depressing.

Jettie is not a completely talent-less band it just feels like their music is lacking a soul or something memorable which maybe they will find over time. But until then, Kites for Charity is best kept in your “chill” play list perhaps for background music while you’re working or for something to lull you to sleep. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Unless you’re really into super soft singing and interested in buying an album with a lot of same-sounding tracks, steer clear of Kites for Charity. I wouldn’t completely write Jettie off just yet though, because this is only their second album and hey, maybe their next attempt will blow us all away. (Though I wouldn’t hold my breath for that one.) In any case, I’d wait until their next album before you drop ten bucks on Kites for Charity.