It’s long been my opinion that anything Johan Angergård touches magically turns to gold. This belief has stood strong with all his projects, from The Legends to Acid House Kings. Club 8 has consistently come third on that list, but with “Western Hospitality” from the forthcoming The People’s Record, everything is about to change. It’s not that The Boy Who Wouldn’t Stop Dreaming didn’t have merit — it most certainly did. It just wasn’t as powerful as more recent albums by the other two, Over And Over (The Legends, 2009) and Sing Along With… (Acid House Kings, 2006).

“Western Hospitality” is easily my favorite Club 8 song to date. Karolina Komstedt’s airy, smooth vocals have a wisp of cool to them, while Angergård’s jangly guitar shuffle is borderline latin. Add a 60s keyboard sound and back it by erratic African drums and one begins to get the picture as to why I call “Western Hospitality” the band’s best song yet. It’s cool, it moves, it’s undeniably catchy. I may need to rethink my Acid House Kings, The Legends and Club 8 hierarchy. Hear for yourself…

The People’s Record is due out in May on Labrador Records.

Club 8: Western Hospitality [mp3]

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