Fourteen tracks of the finest jangly pop music this side of the 60s...and from the other side of the Atlantic (Sweden)! Think of classic pop bands like the Byrds, the Beatles, the Association, the Beach Boys, the Cyrkle and the Hollies and add some more recent influences like the late, great Time Lodgers. Jangly, chiming and ringing Rickenbacker 12-string riffs are interwoven into many of the songs, and the last three tracks give a nod to the circa 1967 Byrds sound that featured the emergence of David Crosby’s and Chris Hillman’s song arrangement skills. I mentioned the track "Everything That She Believed" several months ago, and this song remains a very strong candidate for "Song of the Year". I am indebted to the Rainbow Quartz label for sending me a promo copy of this terrific disc. From my perspective, pop music just doesn’t get any better than this! Long may you run, Sirs Leif, Lasse, Bjorn, Jonas and Palle!

In the early 1970s, pop-rock geniuses the Hollies hired Mikael Rickfors, a Swedish singer, as their lead singer. While the relationship did not last very long, this little bit of trivia is certainly worth mentioning when discussing Year of the Rhinos, the debut from Sweden's latest jingle-jangle pop band, The Rhinos. Though I've never heard any of the Hollies ' recordings with Rickfors, I can't help wondering if it sounded anything like The Rhinos. It's certainly worth mentioning, though, because The Rhinos are a wonderfully retro-based band, with some really lovely harmonies, and yes, they are very reminiscent of bands such as the Hollies and the Byrds.

The album kicks off with "Stop the Time," a strong little number which is also the album's weakest moment. From there, it only gets better; the lovely guitar lick of "Dream Diary" picks things up right quick-like, and the pace is never let down, nor is the template ever really altered. The Rhinos are just a bunch of fellows who have a sweet tooth for 60s folk-rock, and they're doing their best to carry the torch. Luckily, with killer numbers like "Greedy Girl" and "Everything To Me," they not only carry the torch, they prove themselves of making a sound that they can call their own. At times, though, they blend a more modern sound, and sound an awful lot like bands we love like The Posies, Jellyfish and on "I Don't Want to Be Alone Tonight," even the Cars! It's a combination of killer harmonies and that lovely guitar jangle that makes Year of the Rhinos fun, and I'd be curious to hear them in a live setting, because I have this feeling that they're a really impressive live act.

While it's true that Year of the Rhinos is not the most original-sounding record, but The Rhinos make such a lovely racket that you really don't mind. After all, I'd rather listen to a band who have really good harmonies and melodies and are somewhat unoriginal than I would to a band that's original yet completely devoid of harmonies and melodies and things that pretty songs are made of. Wouldn't you?

"The Swedes are more and more taking part in every musical style and even taking the lead in some, for example "Death Metal" and "Progressive Rock". It's sixties rock with a flavour of psychedelia we are talking about when it comes to "The Rhinos". Without saying too much, the band is in the forefront amongst bands that are inspired by the sound of the sixties and you have to admit that you get caught. The Byrds, Roger McGuinns group, is probably the band that immediately pops up in one's head. The band combines all the basic ingredients, characteristic guitar sounds and good singing. Even if you get an impression that the musicians in some places have more to give, fact is that the four members are very competent players."

Replace David Crosby and Gene Clark with Peter Buck and Michael Stipe and you have The Rhinos. If there is such thing as good derivative, this is it. There is no doubt who this Swedish band adores and aspires to be. From the 12-string Rickenbacker on the jacket to the McGuinn-like riffs, this is all about The Byrds - but they do it so well and put just enough of their own roots spin on it to make it a must-have for Byrds fans. It is sweetly addictive jangle pop with 3 and 4 part harmonies that have been all too rare since the late ‘60s. Harmonies and pop melodies reminiscent of The Grassroots, but the jangle and the 12 string Rickenbacker are pure Byrds. A throwback? Yes. A throwaway? No way Jose! Year of The Rhinos skips dinner and goes straight for a double helping of dessert. Beautiful, just not innovative or irreverent enough to be relevant.