Yeah

Best known to the masses for their 1997 hit single 'You And Me Song', the Swedish popsters return with an excellent collection of pop ditties. Produced by former Cars legend Ric Ocasek, (who's obviously heard Blur's13 album), the fourteen songs on offer indicate no real progression in songwriting terms, but hey, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

From the opening number 'I Love Myself', ('Song 2' anybody?), the band display an effervescence that's often lacking in pop music; this just sounds like fun. The set-up is familiar: pacey, rickety drums and guitars dropping off into hush-hush breaks before re-exploding, and it's been a while since I've heard a band sound so damn enthusiastic; since the Pixies, in fact.

It's not a faultless album. 'Low Enough' veers dangerously close to dirge and the aforementioned 'I Love Myself' evokes images of middle-class Swedes playing at being Nirvana, but the band's command of the medium overcomes such carping. If I hadn't already got my copy of Yeah for free, I'd buy it, and that's a Hot Press hack talkin'.