Badge: If I Could Love, I’d Love This Review
It’s not hard to see how Badge’s album If I Could Love, I’d Love This has made it all the way from Sweden to stereos and headphones in the U.S. Based out of Stockholm, the three-piece Swedish band features founding members Matti Norlin on guitar and Fredrik Haake on drums, with the excellent Gustaf Hielm grooving on bass. The nine-track album takes listeners on a Delta blues journey, passing through moments of folk, a bit of metal, and classic 1970’s rock.
The first track, “Down To Earth,” eases into the band’s heavy blues sound; even with only three members, these guys have a powerful force that will get heads banging. The second track, “Calculated Moves,” has a much faster pace that reflects a Psychobilly influence. “Break Down,” one of the album’s catchiest tracks, comes in strong with seriously bluesy guitar riffs and heavy bass drum beats as Norlin demands: “Give me a pistol, now give me a gun. Join my army, we’ll have some fun.” Any blues fans who haven’t joined the ranks of Badge fans before hearing “Break Down” may definitely be convinced to enlist in that army after this track. The fourth track, “Obey,” has a more menacing rhythm, and “Graveyard Dance” slides through emotions of the downright macabre on our journey through If I Could Love, I’d Love This. “Draw The Curtains” brings back a folky feel and incorporates a slightly eccentric guitar solo that will keep fans guessing as to where the album will take us next. “Break the Circle” opens with a powerful rhythm synchronized by Hielm and Haake that persists throughout. Things get a little trippy with “The First Female Skydiver,” and end on a folky, funky note with the great closing track “Stand.”
All in all, If I Could Love, I’d Love This will be an adventure for any blues fan, making enjoyable and sometimes unexpected pit stops where influences of metal and Psychobilly, southern rock and Led Zeppelin collide. On its transatlantic journey to the US, If I Could Love, I’d Love This will certainly pick up an international fan base for Badge, hopefully imploring them to keep exploring the many intersections of blues rock influence present on this album.
The Review: 7.5/10
Can’t Miss Tracks
– Down To Earth
– Break Down
– Graveyard Dance
– Stand
The Big Hit
– Break Down
Review by Eileen Quaranto
Awesome find!