It’s been three years since Familjen aka Johan T. Karlsson stormed charts, venues and festivals with especially the title track off his debut album ‘Det Snurrar I Min Skalle’. Here’s the followup, titled ‘Mänskligheten’ (which translates to “the humanity”), and it is a solid second effort still showcasing the Swede’s impressive knack for hooks and beats which are sure to set dance floors alight, while being slightly darker and more cultured in expression and production.

It all kicks off with a salute to his hometown, ‘It Began In Hässleholm’, then brilliantly rocking first single ‘När Planeterna Stannat’ (in the player) really makes your booty move, before he surprises and intrigues with the Middle Eastern album closer sung by Ninsun Poli, ‘Bethnahrin’. Which, according to my research, is one way to spell the Aramaic name for Mesopotamia, which again is widely considered the cradle of civilization.

In between, Poli – who’s co-written ‘Bethnahrin’ and ‘Vinter I April’ – also lends her great voice to the driving ‘Mitt Bästa’, ‘Socker’ offers gritty, rolling funk, while ‘Det Var Jag’, driven forward by a hard post-punk bass line, and somber dreamer ‘Man Ser Det Från Månen’ adds more rock to the electronic mix.

In the press release it’s stated that, while listening to ‘Mänskligheten’ “you might actually get something that tells you something about humanity.” I dunno if that’s the case for me, but it does tell me that Familjen is one intelligent pop-smith, who hopefully won’t wait another three years to serve us more.

Genre: Pop/Electronica
Who: Familjen
Album: Mänskligheten
Label: Hybris/Adrian Recordings
Year: 2010
Country: Sweden
Language: Swedish
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Recommended tracks:
När Planeterna Stannat – Mitt Bästa – Socker – Det Var Jag – Man Ser Det Från Månen