Life's Too Good by The Sugarcubes
reviewed by: Sean
This is by no means a recent album, but a twentieth anniversary is always cause for celebration. When it comes to Icelandic musical exports, this zany 1988 debut album by The Sugarcubes is a classic. From the explosive opener “Traitor” to the surreal growls of “Take Some Petrol Darling,” the album sounds like your typical late 80’s alternative college rock, complete with dreamy reverb and jangling guitars, except for one key element—the vocals. On Life’s Too Good they're traded between the absurd spoken-word phrasings of Einar Örn Benediktsson and, more forcefully, the vocal stylings of Björk Guðmundsdóttir. Regardless of your opinion about Björk’s notorious post-Sugarcubes swan-wearing antics, there’s no denying the sheer otherworldly power of her voice on this album: she screams, wails, and howls over the songs with a passion that sounds like it could kill you (you have to hear “Birthday”—the single that first garnered international attention—to believe it). Einar and Björk alone would make the album noteworthy, but I think what stands out most about The Sugarcubes, what makes their music continue to sound fresh and new, is their sense of humor. There’s a playful whimsy on this album that’s apparent not just in the music itself but most obviously in the lyrics: “Motorcrash” deliriously details the aftermath of “a dangerous terribly bloody motorcrash,” while “F****ing in Rhythm and Sorrow” is about the spectacle of “a naked person in my flat” who is promptly offered strawberry cake, and “Delicious Demon” is pure exuberance. Part alternative rock, part absurdist poetry, and part primal screeching, at twenty years old Life’s Too Good is a keeper.
play: high