Waltz for Debbie - Gone and Out

Sounding shockingly like mid-'90s St. Etienne, right down to Annica Lundback's uncanny vocal and physical similarity to Sarah Cracknell, the Swedish duo Waltz For Debbie is either the last of a dying breed or the first fruits of an indie-dance renaissance. It's hard to tell which from this first U.S. release, an augmented version (there are two fine new tracks, "I'll Be King" and "My Angel," appended to the end) of a Scandinavian album that came out in 2000. Multi-instrumentalist Martin Permer's tunes are light and breezy, and the melodic dance tracks mix hyperactive beats with choppy acoustic guitars for a nice hybrid sound that sets the album apart from faceless indie-dancers like Dubstar or Alisha's Attic. Read More