Elevener
When Kaleidoscopes Collide
2008, AOR Heaven/Border Music
Rating: 2/5
Elevener was founded by two friends Bergquist and Brodén during 2005. The duo has previously played in various acts. Bergquist played keyboard on the Hammerfall album CRIMSON THUNDER and on the debut with Stefan Elmgren’s Full Strike. During 2002 he joined the Swedish act M.ill.ion as song writer and keyboardist. Brodén travelled at the same time back on forth to USA and came back as a soul/funk guitarist.
The guys met up at the beginning of 2000 and realized that they wanted to do something together. The started to write material in 2005 for a project they called Elevener and now are the debut album finally here. The duo plays AOR and their music is nice, laid back, and very harmless. It is so harmless it gets boring. Nothing happens. The music is sugar coated and this is clearly not an album that appeals to me. Singer Bergquist is a great singer with a voice that really fits this kind of music and the keyboard parts are soft and nice. The second member of the duo Brodén lies pretty low down in the mix with his guitar play and needless to say it is keyboards that are in focus on WHEN KALEIDOSCOPES COLLIDE.
Think Journey during the 70’s, Toto, Foreigner and Survivor you have Elevener’s primary influences. WHEN KALEIDOSCOPES COLLIDE is a harmless album that didn’t fit into my Cd-player but it might appeal to fans of this kind of music. I do take my hat off for the nice production that feels perfect. The producer has taken the 70’s and 80’s melodic rock/AOR soundpicture and updated it to the 21st century. This is too mellow for me.
Killer tracks are “This Heart Of Mine”, “Say If You Want”, “Shooting Star” and “Could It Be You”.
Johan Bergquist – lead vocals, bass, keyboards
Andreas Brodén – guitar, drums
More info about the band
www.myspace.com/elevenelevenagain
Label
www.aorheaven.com
www.border.se
Tracklist
This Heart Of Mine
Say If You Want
Shooting Star
I Still Remember
A Thousand Girls
All I Did
Her Eyes
All Of My Life
Walking Without You
Could It Be You
There She Goes
