ceo – Wonderland

This might give the wrong impression, but Wonderland is fairy tail pop. Not the kind you might expect from a dolly-like figure hailing from Japan, more like the much darker Lewis Carroll version it. ceo constructs something that could pass as radio singles, but listening deeper, or seeing that the first tracks title is “Whorehouse”, there is much more meat to it.

Everything jumps and sounds like prancing through Candyland and yet the lyrics tell you “I´m still lost inside a whorehouse…”, so there is this dark narrative to the euphoria. The following tracks all go the same route: If you´re not listening to the words, all is well and Wonderland plays as one dreamy piece of bliss. But lines like “sacrifice life when you say love” give a much darker context. 

Wonderland is highly enjoyable on both levels and most of the time I listen to it and feel pretty uplifted. For it being a swirl that might come close to an excess of alcohol and drugs, Eric Berglund shows how much of a capable songwriter he is. One of the best comparisons for this record might be an Anime: For the most people it´s just a children´s cartoon. But looking at programs like One Piece or Naruto, people die, there is some musing about love and loss and darkness is still shown in bright colors. This is worth many listens and a tightly knit piece of art. 

Best Track: Mirage, Wonderland

7/10