CHRISSIE HYNDE
''STOCKHOLM''
JUNE 9 2014
37:50
1 /You or No One/3:40
2 /Dark Sunglasses/3:05
3 /Like in the Movies/3:16
Chrissie Hynde / Joakim Ahlund
4 /Down the Wrong Way/3:37
5 /You're the One/2:50
6 /A Plan Too Far/3:13
7 /In a Miracle/3:59
8 /House of Cards/3:51
9 /Tourniquet (Cynthia Ann)/2:41
10 /Sweet Nuthin'/3:00
11 /Adding the Blue/4:38
Chrissie Hynde / Joakim Åhlund
Tracks By Chrissie Hynde & Björn Yttling, Except 3, 11
Joakim Åhlund /Guitar, Producer, Vocals (Background)
Petter Axelsson /Viola
Zacharias Blad /Vocals (Background)
Mattias Boström /Guitar (Electric)
Ulf Engström /Bass, Vocals (Background)
John Eriksson /Drums, Percussion
Andreas Forsman /Violin
Niklas Gabrielsson /Drums
Chrissie Hynde /Vocals
Nino Keller /Bass, Vocals (Background)
Cony Lindgren /Violin
John McEnroe /Guitar (Electric)
Andreas Pettersson /Guitar (Steel)
Leo Svensson /Cello
Neil Young /Guitar (Electric)
Björn Yttling /Bass (Electric), Celeste, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Mellotron, Organ, Percussion, Piano, Producer, Synthesizer
Review
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine (AllMusic)
Some 35 years after the Pretenders' debut, Chrissie Hynde steps out on her own with 2014's Stockholm. Its title is not a reference to the infamous "Stockholm syndrome" but rather an allusion to her chief collaborator on the project, Björn Yttling, of the Swedish pop band Peter Bjorn and John. He's the most prominent collaborator Hynde has had in a while -- she collaborated with then-lover JP Jones on the 2010 album Fidelity! and spent most of 2002's Loose Screw writing with long-term latter-day Pretenders guitarist Adam Seymour -- but collaborators tend to fade into the background with Hynde, just like how distinctions between a band and solo performances blur with her, too. Hynde is that powerful of a presence and she remains so on Stockholm, although it is by many measures one of the lightest records she's ever made. Some of this is certainly due to Yttling, who encourages Hynde to indulge in pop inclinations she's hinted at but never explored, but it's also true she's in a fairly sunny state of mind, never dwelling on either mortality or heartbreak. This suits the glistening production, which employs several mildly modernistic techniques -- there are electronic rhythms, suggested synthesizers, sly effects, and a general bright openness that feels fresh -- and helps accentuate her sprightlier melodies, whether it's the Spector-esque spangle of "You or No One," the echoing nocturnal vistas of "A Plan Too Far," or the heady rush of "Dark Sunglasses," the cut here that comes closest to sounding like vintage Pretenders. Even if Stockholm rarely suggests either the muscle or roar of the Pretenders, it never once doesn't feel like the work of Chrissie Hynde; sonically and aesthetically, it feels like the next logical chapter after 2008's Break Up the Concrete and 2010's Fidelity! And, as it is a Chrissie Hynde project, it is a little inconsistent, sometimes sagging on ballads or dragging its feet at mid-tempos, but there are several strong additions to her canon and the overall feel is appealing and, thanks to her unexpected collaborator, fresher than expected.
Biography
by Greg Prato (AllMusic)
Since the late '70s, singer/guitarist/songwriter Chrissie Hynde has been the leader of one of rock's most widely beloved bands, the Pretenders. Born on September 7, 1951 in Akron, OH, Hynde was turned on to rock the same way zillions of others did in the '60s -- via such British invasion bands as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Who, and the Kinks. After attending Kent State University in the early '70s (where she witnessed first hand the tragic Kent State Killings of 1970) and forming one of her first rock bands (with future members of Devo), Hynde became enamored with such proto-punk bands as the Stooges and the Velvet Underground. Fed up with the U.S. music scene, Hynde bought a one way ticket to London, England, where she became a rock critic. But more importantly, she found what she was looking for musically -- Great Britain was in the middle of a musical revolution, "punk rock."
Hynde became friendly with such up and coming punk rockers as the Sex Pistols and the Clash (Hynde almost formed a group with members of the latter band), and its back-to-basics approach inspired her to form her own punk outfit. By the late '70s, Hynde had accomplished her goal, as the original Pretenders lineup was in place -- Hynde on vocals/guitar, bassist Pete Farndon, guitarist James Honeyman-Scott, and drummer Martin Chambers. Due to Hynde's vast rock & roll knowledge, the Pretenders were much more than just a punk band -- they were never afraid to let other styles seep into their own sound, making their 1980 self-titled debut one of rock's greatest all-time classics. Despite worldwide success and a hit sophomore album (1981's Pretenders II), tragedy was lurking around the corner -- both Scott and Farndon died from drug overdoses less than a year apart from each other.
The Pretenders carried on despite the career-threatening misfortune, and scored another big hit with 1984's Learning to Crawl. Despite numerous lineup changes ever since, Hynde has kept the Pretenders going -- issuing solid albums and continuing to be a must-see live act to this day. She has also never been afraid to voice her opinions concerning some causes and topics she believes strongly about, such as PETA and ending animal cruelty.
OFFICIAL SITE
''STOCKHOLM''
JUNE 9 2014
37:50
1 /You or No One/3:40
2 /Dark Sunglasses/3:05
3 /Like in the Movies/3:16
Chrissie Hynde / Joakim Ahlund
4 /Down the Wrong Way/3:37
5 /You're the One/2:50
6 /A Plan Too Far/3:13
7 /In a Miracle/3:59
8 /House of Cards/3:51
9 /Tourniquet (Cynthia Ann)/2:41
10 /Sweet Nuthin'/3:00
11 /Adding the Blue/4:38
Chrissie Hynde / Joakim Åhlund
Tracks By Chrissie Hynde & Björn Yttling, Except 3, 11
Joakim Åhlund /Guitar, Producer, Vocals (Background)
Petter Axelsson /Viola
Zacharias Blad /Vocals (Background)
Mattias Boström /Guitar (Electric)
Ulf Engström /Bass, Vocals (Background)
John Eriksson /Drums, Percussion
Andreas Forsman /Violin
Niklas Gabrielsson /Drums
Chrissie Hynde /Vocals
Nino Keller /Bass, Vocals (Background)
Cony Lindgren /Violin
John McEnroe /Guitar (Electric)
Andreas Pettersson /Guitar (Steel)
Leo Svensson /Cello
Neil Young /Guitar (Electric)
Björn Yttling /Bass (Electric), Celeste, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Mellotron, Organ, Percussion, Piano, Producer, Synthesizer
Review
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine (AllMusic)
Some 35 years after the Pretenders' debut, Chrissie Hynde steps out on her own with 2014's Stockholm. Its title is not a reference to the infamous "Stockholm syndrome" but rather an allusion to her chief collaborator on the project, Björn Yttling, of the Swedish pop band Peter Bjorn and John. He's the most prominent collaborator Hynde has had in a while -- she collaborated with then-lover JP Jones on the 2010 album Fidelity! and spent most of 2002's Loose Screw writing with long-term latter-day Pretenders guitarist Adam Seymour -- but collaborators tend to fade into the background with Hynde, just like how distinctions between a band and solo performances blur with her, too. Hynde is that powerful of a presence and she remains so on Stockholm, although it is by many measures one of the lightest records she's ever made. Some of this is certainly due to Yttling, who encourages Hynde to indulge in pop inclinations she's hinted at but never explored, but it's also true she's in a fairly sunny state of mind, never dwelling on either mortality or heartbreak. This suits the glistening production, which employs several mildly modernistic techniques -- there are electronic rhythms, suggested synthesizers, sly effects, and a general bright openness that feels fresh -- and helps accentuate her sprightlier melodies, whether it's the Spector-esque spangle of "You or No One," the echoing nocturnal vistas of "A Plan Too Far," or the heady rush of "Dark Sunglasses," the cut here that comes closest to sounding like vintage Pretenders. Even if Stockholm rarely suggests either the muscle or roar of the Pretenders, it never once doesn't feel like the work of Chrissie Hynde; sonically and aesthetically, it feels like the next logical chapter after 2008's Break Up the Concrete and 2010's Fidelity! And, as it is a Chrissie Hynde project, it is a little inconsistent, sometimes sagging on ballads or dragging its feet at mid-tempos, but there are several strong additions to her canon and the overall feel is appealing and, thanks to her unexpected collaborator, fresher than expected.
Biography
by Greg Prato (AllMusic)
Since the late '70s, singer/guitarist/songwriter Chrissie Hynde has been the leader of one of rock's most widely beloved bands, the Pretenders. Born on September 7, 1951 in Akron, OH, Hynde was turned on to rock the same way zillions of others did in the '60s -- via such British invasion bands as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Who, and the Kinks. After attending Kent State University in the early '70s (where she witnessed first hand the tragic Kent State Killings of 1970) and forming one of her first rock bands (with future members of Devo), Hynde became enamored with such proto-punk bands as the Stooges and the Velvet Underground. Fed up with the U.S. music scene, Hynde bought a one way ticket to London, England, where she became a rock critic. But more importantly, she found what she was looking for musically -- Great Britain was in the middle of a musical revolution, "punk rock."
Hynde became friendly with such up and coming punk rockers as the Sex Pistols and the Clash (Hynde almost formed a group with members of the latter band), and its back-to-basics approach inspired her to form her own punk outfit. By the late '70s, Hynde had accomplished her goal, as the original Pretenders lineup was in place -- Hynde on vocals/guitar, bassist Pete Farndon, guitarist James Honeyman-Scott, and drummer Martin Chambers. Due to Hynde's vast rock & roll knowledge, the Pretenders were much more than just a punk band -- they were never afraid to let other styles seep into their own sound, making their 1980 self-titled debut one of rock's greatest all-time classics. Despite worldwide success and a hit sophomore album (1981's Pretenders II), tragedy was lurking around the corner -- both Scott and Farndon died from drug overdoses less than a year apart from each other.
The Pretenders carried on despite the career-threatening misfortune, and scored another big hit with 1984's Learning to Crawl. Despite numerous lineup changes ever since, Hynde has kept the Pretenders going -- issuing solid albums and continuing to be a must-see live act to this day. She has also never been afraid to voice her opinions concerning some causes and topics she believes strongly about, such as PETA and ending animal cruelty.
OFFICIAL SITE