May 4, 2010: Ace Of Base

Artist: Ace Of Base
Album: The Sign
Year: 1993

Oh, the nineties. Specifically, in Sweden. Ace Of Base is one of those bands that are a benchmark in a counter-culture irony. Just as Rick Astley's 1987 hit gained new popularity in the new millennium, even Ace of Base has managed to resurface with a reunion and sold-out US tour. Really.

With that said, "The Sign" doesn't deserve the snubbing and backlash that has made it so laughed at by a culture relentlessly making fun of nineties music. Ace Of Base isn't anything more than it is - Swedish dance-pop. The singing is not direct, but well used, and every song features a synth pulsing on the off-beat. The melodies on opener hit "All That She Wants" are actually pretty intuitive. No need to explain "The Sign", but even that song has more depth than you remember. Most of the album drags on, though, and only has four or five legitimately good songs. With that said, it's hard not to listen to the album and not feel dirty. Because, I mean, it's Ace of Base. It's just not something you are supposed to enjoy. It's a guilty pleasure that Johnny Cochran couldn't get off the hook. And trust me, give some of these songs a spin and you ain't getting rid of the hooks either.

Hear it for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjJwqDa1QVI

Well, that's over. Going to go take eighteen showers so I can feel clean again. Tomorrow, we listen to Laura's pick, Thrice's "The Artist In The Ambulance". I am probably not going to like it, but hey. We'll see tomorrow.