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Agony Street: Songs For William
 If you are a fan of The Beach Boys, The Hollies, The Beatles, or just dig ‘60s pop music, here is a disc for you. The band is Agony Street, consisting of duo Klas Qvist (lead and background vocals, keyboards, acoustic and electric guitars, bass) and Gudmundur Bragason (lead and background vocals, percussion, drum programming, production). The band formed in the early ‘90s, and this, there second album titled Songs For William was originally recorded in 1993-94 but was not released on CD until 2020. There first album titled 119 Agony Street has not yet seen the light of day.
I first became familiar with Klas Qvist a few years ago, thanks to our good friend Robert Silverstein at mwe3.com, and reviewed a couple Citizen k albums (klas’ alter-ego), which were indeed excellent.
It was very sad news to hear of Klas’ passing on July 1, 2021. According to the press release Klas was very happy with the release of Songs For William, and I have to wholeheartedly concur. If you are into psychedelic influenced pop music, you will find plenty to enjoy like the first track “Another Sleepless Night” with its infectious acoustic guitar and lead vocals. It is pure pop music with an old school edge. “A Song For William” brings back the Beatles with its psychedelic guitar licks and catchy lead vocals. “You’re In Love” is pure sunshine pop, think the 1960s, and the jangly guitars in “Right Place, Wrong Century” certainly took me back a few decades. The backing vocals in “A Perfect Day For A Break Up” are near perfect, and really, the entire disc weaves earworm after earworm, and the melodies had me humming right along.
This isn’t challenging, nor ground breaking, and it isn’t supposed to be. Songs For William is a batch of feel good pop songs, easy to embrace, just like the bygone era they were influenced by. Best listened to on a warm summer day.
A Silverton Records release.
Track Listing:
1. Another Sleepless Night
2. A Song For William
3. You’re In Love
4. Right Place, Wrong Century
5. A Perfect Day For A Breakup
6. 39’ Tank
7. Plastic Revolution
8. Voices From The Other Side
9. The Voices Inside My Head
10. Therapy Hill
11. Be My Wife
12. Believe Me
13. I Bet They Wish
14. I’ve Heard It All Before
15. Looking For Grand Mal
Bonus Tracks:
16. Merry Christmas Anyway (single)
17. Goodbye Forever (single)
Added: January 31st 2023
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score: 
Related Link: Not Available
Hits: 753
Language: english
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| » SoT Staff Roundtable Reviews: |
Agony Street: Songs For William
Posted by Michael Popke, SoT Staff Writer on 2023-02-01 03:25:09
My Score:
Despite the CD naysayers, the format is still thriving -- especially for archival releases like Agony Street’s Songs For William. Recorded in 1993 by a pair of Swedish pop-rock multi-instrumentalists and vocalists who knew their way around ooo-la-las, handclaps, harmonies and melodies, the album was then (for reasons unknown to this reviewer) shelved. But thanks to Silverton Records, the world can hear Songs For William on shiny CD for the first time, complete with two bonus tracks from 2019. All of the musical comparisons my fellow SoT-er Jon Neudorf makes above ring true, and to that list I’d add Electric Light Orchestra, The Kinks and some solo material from former Beatles. If you need a reminder of how power pop can be a glorious revelation, how a crisp melody can brighten your day and how we at SoT might never have heard a single note of Agony Street were it not for the trusty CD format, listen to this album.
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Agony Street: Songs For William
Posted by Robert S. Silverstein on 2022-11-09 05:09:23
My Score:
I am sure Klas Qvist would have been happy to see this review of the second Agony Street album by Jon Neudorf. I feel Gudmundur was a kind of svengali for Klas in their early musicianship. I never used to play up the fact that Klas and Gudmundur Bragason were both born blind, as in blind from birth. I can't think of another blind pop partnership that has reached these musical heights ever. I hope SoT will review the upcoming third and final Agony Street album called "Italian Whiskey" and I should have copies in December.
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