Readers will probably know that Of Monsters and Men’s most recent album carried the same title, ‘Fever Dream’. But while that album was a slightly backward step for them in my view, this latest single from Sarah Klang projects her firmly on an upward trajectory. We already know she has a great voice and a mischievous, flirtatious manner about her but there is real quality here.
There is an odd story about how it came about. It seems that she watched the Eddie Murphy movie Beverly Hills Cop while suffering from a fever and subsequently had a fever dream “about a guy I really, really liked and it was all very strange because he was Eddie, but then he was not.” Hm. Just keep taking the pills, Sarah. And stay in bed until you’ve taken a Covid test.
There are strong hints of Americana as usual about the way the song is structured, something both she and her compatriot Ellen Krauss do very well. They ought to get together. Klang & Krauss. Krauss & Klang. It has a ring to it. Strangely though the most attractive feature of this song isn’t so much her vocal, as good as it is, as the rich, deep and atmospheric guitar riff which carries it through to conclusion.
As for the video, well she does churn out some interesting ones. In the last one, which supported the song ‘Canyon’, she spent most of it spread-eagled on a bed, caressing a guitar. This time out it’s a little artier, featuring a couple of characters who look like they could be the kidnappers/assassins in ‘Fargo’. Or is it Ron and Russell Mael? At any rate, with Sarah dressed in thigh-length leather boots it is suggestive enough
She is an intriguing artist for sure and doesn’t fit the self-styled ‘sad-girl’ disposition any longer. The formerly peripatetic Sarah, now based in Gothenburg, which she has made her home, will release her third record, the 12-track ‘VIRGO’, on 7th May (Pangur Records), where Fever Dream is the second track and Canyon the third. It seems she has foregone the classic 60s and 70s sound of the previous two, in favour of a wide range of influences, from 80s pop and 90s R&B to the great Swedish songwriters. Could that mean ABBA? Roxette? Ace of Base? First Aid Kit? We will soon know. She does reveal that, “‘VIRGO’ is more about myself and not so much about breaking up or falling in love. I mean, the songs revolve around three different guys, but I think it’s mainly about ME.”
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