Marmalade Souls: In Stereo

There is no escaping it. From the borrowed arrangements, which figure significantly throughout, to the special thank you to John, Paul, George and Ringo on the sleeve of their full-length debut, the Swedish-based trio Marmalade Souls (formerly known as Marmalade Skies, get it) are inspired Beatles enthusiasts. Similiar in style to the early sounds of groups like the Byrds, or the sadly forgotten Kansas quartet the Blue Things, husband-and-wife songwriting team, Michael (vocals/guitar) and Johanna Klemmé (vocals/harmonica), along with Irish expat Paddy Lawless on drums, have, for the most part, funnelled the “Fab Four’s” Merseybeat through a swirling folk-rock jangle together with close harmonies that, although never shying away from its inspirations, miracously never sounds dated either. With love as the overarching theme, however, it occasionally gets a little too flowery lyrically but when surrounded by melodious pop tunes as good as opener “It Won’t Be Too Long”, the incandescent “Fall Into the Sky” and the sublime, stripped-down ballad “Good Days”, you really don’t care that much.