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	THE SOUNDTRACK OF OUR LIVES SWEDISH ROCK INVASION

America may have given birth to rock and roll, but sometimes it takes the fresh fervor of a foreign perspective — like the fierce set the Soundtrack of Our Lives unleashed on a small but enthusiastic crowd at Axis a week ago Wednesday — to remind us how impassioned, rebellious, and enjoyable rock can be. Although the six-piece band’s blistering 90-minute show was actually a bit lower-energy than some of their previous performances, these forerunners of the Swedish rock invasion still demonstrated why they’re among their country’s most exciting musical exports.

As they stormed through most of the material from Origin, Vol. 1 (Reprise), their third full-length, TSOOL turned what on CD is a psychedelic pastiche into something bombastic and transcendent — even with bassist Kalle Gustafsson Jerneholm hunched on an amp as he played through what was reported to be an acute bout of food poisoning. The show opened with "Infra Riot" from the 2002 breakout album Behind the Music (Reprise): stage lights flashed, keyboardist Martin Hederos writhed at his Fender-Rhodes, and singer Ebbot Lundberg, with his thick beard and caftan, roamed the stage like a trickster Nordic king. The arena-rock showmanship, fiery organ trills, barbed guitar riffs, and groovy soul beats drew on a wealth of classic rock influences, and at Axis, the band gave all this a wild punk abandon. The Rhodes flare-ups and the intricate bass line of "Heading for a Breakdown" took on a strident R&B strut as Lundberg beat his tambourine on his chest and guitarist Mattias Barjed windmilled. The flavor was more British Invasion for "Age of No Reply," which opened with heroic riffs that recalled the Who. "Bigtime" blended electro moodiness with prog-rock dramatics.

TSOOL’s sonic eclecticism rises above mere retro plundering, and that puts them in league with the touted Montreal band touring as their opening act. What the Dears lacked in focus, they made up for with diversity as they offered up everything from flute-laced prog-rock jams to sweet Burt Bacharach–style pop numbers. The West Virginia-based quintet American Minor kicked off the night with a set of pure American rock that was a little out of place in this global village.