HOT BOYS – Varma smörgåsar (Silence, 1974)

Swedish vocals

International relevance: ***

Hot Boys were a short-lived Träd, Gräs Och Stenar off-shoot or should I say, it was Thomas Tidholm reuniting with his former band colleagues. Tidholm left the band just before they changed their name from Harvester to Träd, Gräs Och Stenar.

Those expecting a lost Träd, Gräs Och Stenar album should change their bias before approaching it though. ”Varma smörgåsar” is a largely acoustic folk oriented album with none of the jamming his former band is famed for. All for the better of it I'd say, as I often prefer the focus that pre-written material bestow the music. That Tidholm is an often terrible singer with a lacking ear for key doesn't matter, because that's not the point here – the songs themselves are, and the impromptu feel permeating most of them enriches the songs rather than detract from them. Why it works for Tidholm when it doesn't for a few others, I don't know, and it doesn't really matter as long as it works. The album is vital and lively, even in moments of pensive dejection of which there are quite a few: ”Vackerlåten”, ”Ve den stackars pendlaren”, the excellent ”Två blodröda segel” and the even more excellent ”Värmlänningen”.

While this album might not be to everybody's tastes, fans of Thomas Mera Gartz's ”Sånger”, Spilld Mjölk and maybe even Anna Koka Fem Ägg Jag Är Värd I Huset should give this a serious try.

Full album