Kristoffer Ragnstam

Kristoffer RagnstamDo You Want a Piece of Me (EP) (bluhammock
music; November 2006)

This CD had to make the “Spin of the Day” before my head blew up from listening
to it. Jam-packed with a mix of neo-soul, fast-paced funk, poppy
beats, and strong vocal hooks tending toward the high notes, this
five-song EP, which is available only on iTunes right now, is an
addictive treat. But it might just hurt your teeth for being a tad
too sweet after about the 12th listen. The beats sound sorta like
Beck, and so do some of the vocals, but for the most part, it’s a
pretty original sounding collection.

Kristoffer Ragnstam is a Swedish
drummer-turned-signing/songwriting frontman, whose backing band
The
Electric 4 clearly have some skills at keeping the beats fast
and clean. At times, you’re pretty sure that it’s electronica
coming out of the speakers, but it’s real instrumentation. The
songs range from the ballad-y title track to the dance-pop of “Woke
Up Left Handed” while the lyrics of “Breakfast by the Mattress” and
“Fashion” show Ragnstam’s promise as a songwriter. I’d love to
write more about Ragnstam and his sound, but since he only made an
EP, we’ll keep this review short as well.

We’re sad to have missed Ragnstam’s show at Rocks on November
11, but we hope he returns, and cannot wait for a full album of his
dancefloor ready pop-funk-soul. He can go in many directions, as
this EP shows, so let’s just hope he chooses wisely.