Shout Out Louds are yet another great Swedish band. Combining the emotion and enthusiasm of indie bands like Ted Leo & the Pharmacists and the Good Life and the lush instrumentation of groups like Saturday Looks Good to Me and the Concretes with sharp-as-pins pop hooks and heart-on-sleeves vocals, the band is like a textbook of what makes indie so exciting in 2005. Their first U.S. single features one of the best tracks (the careening "Very Loud") from their debut album, Howl Howl Gaff Gaff, plus two non-LP songs. "But Then Again No" is a restrained love song with some lovely bells and nice male-female vocal interplay, "Wish I Was Dead Again, Pt. 2" is a stripped down version of a track from the album featuring a clunky drum machine, those bells again and a wonderfully impassioned vocal. A nice taster for the album, this single gives a pretty clear picture of the band and will inspire anyone who hears it to circle the release date of Howl Howl Gaff Gaff on their calendars. ~ Tim Sendra
