“And I felt like I opened Pandora’s box…” says the voice opening ‘Whorehouse’, the first song on CEO’s second album Wonderland. Prying open Pandora’s box is exactly what it feels like listening to Eric Berglund’s solo project CEO, and much like the accompanying imagery, the album is bursting with kaleidoscopic colour.
Berglund, originally one half of Sweden’s The Tough Alliance, has a way with synth-popping tunes, every moment of his music filled with the promise of lasting elation.Wonderlandis emblematic of CEO’s energy, and if sound were image, this would be vibrant objects blurred by speed.
It’s hard to pinpoint what’s so majestic about CEO – maybe it’s the way Berglund pastes together such a wide variety of samples without a hint of futility, creating a futuristic sound that maintains your undivided attention until the end. Or maybe it is Berglund’s understanding of light and dark ideals, worldly or otherwise, heard particularly on ‘Mirage’. Berglund tells prospective listeners these words of advice: You should listen to Wonderland “in a state where your identity and intellect are on a well needed holiday.”
CEO is definitely a reality palate cleanser andWonderlandis an addictive escape.
4/5 stars
Out now on Modular/Universal.
