Breakups are almost never fun, but they do have a tendency to install in people sudden and undeniable urges to be artistic, ranging from sobbing teen-girl diary entries to inspired and moving, well, art. This fourth effort from Swedish quintet The Fine Arts Showcase, the moniker under which singer and songwriter Gustaf Kjellvander releases his musical output, is a breakup record.

The title holds a reference to methadone (“Dolophine”), but even though Gustaf Kjellvander doesn’t hide his affinity for drugs (they’re stated as an influence on MySpace and mentioned more than once here) there’s no doubt that his chemically enhanced emotions are at the very least mixed when reading his deeply personal lyrics.

When an artist is this self revealing there’s a very, very fine line to walk between imposing a pitiful self-therapy session on the listener and actually making it meaningful – or just mildly interesting – to anyone but the artist. Kjellvander manages to avoid the first and become the latter with painfully elegant lines tackling his breakups with girlfriend Hanna and London, a city that started out a dream come true but ended up feeding his demons.

The music conveying the subject matter helps, too. ‘Dolophine Smile’ is dark in every aspect, however, the songs also delight with a pop immediacy that make the melancholy and despair strangely appealing and something you want to dive in to and dwell on. In other words; this is indeed an inspired Fine Arts Showcase.

Genre: Rock
Who: The Fine Arts Showcase
Album: Dolophine Smile
Label: Adrian Recordings
Year: 2009
Country: Sweden
Language: English
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Recommended tracks:
Friday On My Knees – Lovesick – Dolophine Smile – London, My Town – I’m Sorry – You Knew I Was Trouble From The Start