Ever since he started playing guitar Sven Larsson was listening to a wide variety of Rock music, ranging from British Art Rock bands like Queen, 10 CC, E.L.O. and Genesis to sophisticated American Westcoast acts like Toto and Steely Dan, as well as Hard’n’Heavy icons Van Halen and Iron Maiden. To this day among his favorites is also the influential American songwriter Joni Mitchell. Over the years Sven has become known on the Swedish music scene as a player combining amazing technical skills with feeling and emotion.
His recording career as a guitar player started more than a decade ago, ever since he recorded three studio albums with the critically accaimed Swedish Progressive Rockers Galleon and two with the AOR-Meets-Prog outfit Xinema. His best known work so far can be found on the albums of the Swedish Westcoast AORsters Street Talk. Sven joined main songwriter and keyboarder Fredrik Bergh (Bloodbound) and singer Goran Edman (Madison, Glory, Yngwie Malmsteen) in 2000 for their second album “Transition” and so far he has recorded a total of four albums with them, including one compilation CD.
While his aforementioned bands took a back seat from recording in recent years, Sven started working on his first solo album. The record turned out to become a different musical affair from what he did as a band member and though you will notice some influences from guitar wizards like Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Steve Morse, Eric Johnson and Steve Lukather, “Sunlight And Shadow” is far from being the album of a guitar player, who wants to break free from the boundaries of a band. Sven’s playing is always in the sense of the song and the melody and on eight tracks he proves that he is a good lead vocalist too.
Kicking off with the title track “Sunlight And Shadow”, the album delivers its first Big Point, an ultra catchy Melodic Rocker, reminding of Sven’s work with Street Talk and featuring his colleagues Fredrik Bergh (keyboards) and Christian Johansson (drums) from this very band. “Eagle” is an AOR-laced track, building up slowly towards a mighty radio-ready hookline. With Björn Lodmark (bass) another Street Talk-member contributes to the Westcoast / AOR ballads “This Is Not The Right Time”, “Fly On By”, “It’s Over”, the Rock-song “Bastard” and the Fusion-Rock-instrumental “Candy”. Serving as a contrast to the AOR and Westcoast songs, that dominate this very well produced album, are the hard rockin‘ Fusion-influenced “The Neighbour”, a duet with Thomas Eriksson, who has also taken over the lead vocals on the album’s heaviest track, “I’ll Turn My Back”. “Tube” is a second short guitar-based instrumental, while even more variety is delivered by the Steely Dan joins The Doobie Brothers sound of “Daydreamer”. On his first solo flight Sven Larsson takes us on a journey, which will be enjoyed by everyone looking for excellent musicianship and well written rock songs, with a fine sense for melodies and harmonies.
Words by Gregor Klee – Avenue of Allies Music. See more about Sven Larsson at his MySpace website.
Discography
Bad Mad Man
Avenue of Allies Music 2012
Tracks: Dance The Night Away, Sin City, How Could It Come To This, Bad Mad Man, Forever You & Me, Missing Link, Green Unit (instrumental), Look The Ghost In The Eyes, The House Upon The Hill, Castle Of Mine & Welcome To My Island (instrumental).
Musicians on the Bad Mad Man album: Sven Larsson and others.
Sunlight and Shadow
Avenue of Allies Music 2010
Tracks: Sunlight and Shadow, Eagle, This Is Not The Right Time, Daydreamer, Fly On By, Tube (Instrumental), Bastard, It’s Over, I’ll Turn My Back, The Neighbour & Candy (Instrumental).
Musicians on the Sunlight and Shadow album: Sven Larsson, Thomas Eriksson, Christian Johansson, Lasse Vänngård, Per Lindström, Björn Lodmark, Fredrik Bergh, Sören Karlsson, Pelle Larsson & Stefan Zell.