JOHN ALEXANDER ERICSON SONGS FOR QUIET SOULS ALBUM ROSEGARDEN RELEASES RELEASE: SUMMER, 2004 REVIEW: JULY 27, 2004

Depeche Mode have it. As do Camouflage. And Northern Territories, the low-key pop wonder that released a trio of beautifully emotional albums in the mid and late nineties. Two fantastic vocalists. John Alexander Ericson and Stefan Sääf took turns spilling their guts through equally powerfully fragile vocals, enchanting a world hungry for substance within the alternative genres. They still remain favourites of mine and I will not give up on a reunion just yet. In the meantime, "Songs for Quiet Souls" manages to quench my thirst efficiently.
Alexander was, after all, the main song writer for the Northern Territories and his first ever solo effort resembles the band's last album "Satellite People" quite strongly. However, Ericson, on his own, is even more held back in his musical approach, leaving plenty of room for thought and intricate song plotting. Layers of electronics somewhere in a distant background help build Ericson's acoustic ballad carpentry into monuments of emotionally charged gloom.
"Songs for Quiet Souls", indeed.

NIKLAS FORSBERG