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Thirdimension
PROTECT US FROM WHAT WE WANT
(HIDDEN AGENDA/PARASOL)

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This Swedish-rock foursome first issued this album of lush guitar pop on Warner Music Sweden back in 1998; it’s taken more than four years for an American label — the Illinois-based indie Parasol — to give Thirdimension a chance in the States. Singer-songwriter Björn Stegmann’s bold melodies and fragile tenor anchor the band’s atmospheric rock, which varies from the clamorous bluesy guitar and distorted harmonica of "E-Variations" to the spare, acoustic folk pop of "My Time Is Now." The reverb-laden vocals and hard-guitar drone of "If the World Could Only See" suggest a listening diet strong on classic Yardbirds nuggets like "Still I’m Sad" and the fuzz-toned "Shapes of Things." Elsewhere, Thirdimension opt for a bed of strings on the pensive "The Games People Play," and they put a pop sheen on the Hawkwindian space rock of "Until It Breaks," even as Stegmann’s voice maintains a plaintive yet distant vulnerability.

BY NED HAMMAD

Issue Date: January 16 - 23, 2003
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