I'm From Barcelona

Leader Emanuel Lundgren's fascination with magician Harry Houdini was the impetus behind the pop collective's second release. The tangible restraints Houdini lived his life escaping is a dark metaphor for the usually sunny I'm From Barcelona, and any glumness they held back on their debut comes pouring out here. Sullen harmonies hypnotically overtake "Andy" and "Music Killed Me," while Lundgren croons lines like "music almost took my life / I don't give a damn." Even through flickers of glee on "Paper Planes" and "Mingus," there is an underlying melancholy that is both haunting and beautiful.