Ah, Sweden. Apparently, very few musical markets are impervious to Swedish domination. Meshuggah has been dubbed "Metal's New Big Thing," Millencolin has long been at the top of the punk-ska ladder, and Refused, prior to calling it quits, were pretty stunning in their own right. Now Starmarket are asserting themselves in a different domain, one characterized by emotional ebullience, guitars which balance pristine clean- channel sections with the dirtiest of distortions, and tempos which are more groove- oriented than spastic.

That Starmarket are properly equipped to meet the needs of all who appreciate their strain of music is immediately apparent on their freshly imported album, Calendar. "Everybody's Gone" sends guitar melodies, jazz chords, and harmonic screeches bursting forth in a supernova of energetic abandon. Pay special attention to the middle section of "Losing Track" where the guitar chords ring independently of the firmly bound bass and drum accents. The mellow and deeply affecting "You Can't Come" boasts an offbeat ride cymbal pattern which impressively never falls out of step. "Wither" bears a resemblance to fellow Swedish rockers, Fireside, though Starmarket manage to avoid obvious associations to other bands, unlike Fireside who are easily discussed in relation to Quicksand.

Each song on this albeit short offering (just over 32 minutes) supplies a unique flavor to the overall feast. A heavy- hitting rocker like "Hate You Still" is followed by a Replacements- tinged pop song like "Top Floor," and yet it all works. Best of all, the variety maintains the listener's interest throughout (also unlike some of Fireside's work).

Sweden has truly proven to be a prolific breeding ground for many of today's most promising bands. Though Starmarket may not be supreme rulers of their particular genre, they've made a highly satisfying contribution to its offerings. And anyway, world domination takes time...

-Kevin Ruggeri