Pretentious Long-Winded Sophomore Album Title>>

Wow, way back when I was proclaiming good ol' Whale as the "next big thing that never happened" my pretentious ass never even realized those crazy Swedes actually released a second album just three years later. With the delicious Cia Berg again at the helm (talk about the pioneer of the "hottie nerd" revolution, no?), Whale's second slab of wax delivers in just that way late 90's alternative rock did. Of course comparisons can be made with nearly every female-helmed band at the time (Breeders, Garbage, Veruca Salt, etc) but Whale owns a weirdly Euro Pop sensibility that most bands this side of the pond lacked (or at least lacked at the time). The band eschews a rocking "Hobo Babe" anthem on this record for a lot more depth and darkness; a bunch of slow, heavy-lyric ballads mixed in with lots of manic trip-hop. Not quite the party album as their debut (unless you are still holding raves in your basement) but a lot more satisfying a listen. The epic "Go Where You're Feeling Free" cannot help but bring shades of "Happy Colored Marbles" or some similar bigger-than-its-britches mini-epic. Solid stuff that still sounds as good 20 years later. Enjoy.

Deliver The Juice

Silly Swedes

Another 'check minus' in the long line of duds which prove I shouldn't be anywhere near a corporate music A&R rep comes 1995's We Care by Swedish power group Whale. Man, when I first saw the video for "Hobo Humpin' Slobo Babe" on The Box I thought it was the second fucking coming. Actually that's what I did each time I dropped 3 bucks a phone call to see cutie lead singer Cia Berg bounce around on a blanket, suck a lollypop and stare around the set like she's stoned out of her mind. In Doc Martens no less! I obviously had some weird brace fetish thing going on at the time but whatever - she was fucking hot. And actually still kinda is today according to Google Images. But regardless, I really thought Whale was the 'next big thing'. Fuck Ace Of Base, fuck Weezer, fuck Blues Traveller - who'd gonna know those names in five years? Whale was the future, or at least that's what I tried to convince my three friends at the time. In total disregard of what history has sadly shown, I stick by their We Care album and man, it still fucking kicks today! Not only the aforementioned "Hobo" but "Pay For Me", "Happy In You" and the amazing "That's Where It's At" - probably the best non grind- or black-metal song to ever come out of Sweden. And since I was most likely the only guy in north Jersey to also grab their mini-CD Pay For Me way back then (which has a great cover of Prince's "Darling Nikki") I uploaded that as well. Like fellow unheralded rap-rockers Quarishi, Whale eventually faded into obscurity on this side of the pond except to dorks like me who still fantasize that Cia is what every mail-order bride looks like. If they would ever respond to my emails. Enjoy.

Velvet Svine

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