Review JONAS LINDBERG & THE OTHER SIDE ‘Miles From Nowhere’

Jonas Lindberg is a Swedish musician and the founder of Jonas Lindberg & The Other Side. The start of this musical undertaking goes back to 2008 when an EP called ‘In Secret Pace’ saw the light of day. The work piece was recorded as an exam-project at the Music Academy in Piteå, Sweden.

After moving to Stockholm, the bass player, songwriter and producer reactivated the project and a next EP hit the shelves in 2013. In 2015, ‘Pathfinder’ was the title of the debut album that gets a successor in February this year. ‘Miles From Nowhere’ is the sophomore longplayer by Jonas Lindberg &The Other Side and as with the earlier releases it is a larger group of guests and musicians that support Lindberg on this album.

The core of the album are the five parts of the ‘Miles From Nowhere’ epic. In total 25 minutes of fine crafted rock music is what fans can expect from this composition. It starts with an overture, kept as an instrumental. It introduces the main theme which creates a common pattern throughout these five parts. The entire song is based on several musical influences, all mirrored in some of the sections. There is the Beatles-inspired ‘Don’ Walk Away’ while ‘I Don’t Know Where You Are’ features some classic rock references with bands like Deep Purple popping up in my mind while listening to it. The calmer ‘Memories’ is built on emotional soundscapes before ‘Miles From Nowhere’ ends this epos in anthemic fashion.

Next to the name-giving masterpiece the album features six more songs which are qualitatively all on the same level. ‘Little Man’ might sticks out a bit. The jam session-based song is built on great melodies and has a certain pop-appeal without ending up at a trivial place. Also, to mention is ‘Summer Queen’, a song that has more of swinging spirit with Jenny Storm’s vocals being the perfect match.

‘Miles From Nowhere’ is an album that shows great musical craftsmanship, attractive melodies and emotional moments that knock at your door. The ones of you that not necessarily look for the mighty riff should check out this album.