AMG Review of 39 Minutes of Bliss (In an Otherwise Meaningless World)

Tim Sendra
All Music Guide

The "rock" revival of the early 2000s sent record labels into a tizzy; everyone went looking for their own version of the Hives, the Vines, the Stripes, and so forth. It was a good time to be in a rock band and a good time to be a fan of rock music. Electronica label Astralwerks' entry in the rock sweepstakes was the Caesars, who hail from rock hotbed Sweden and used to be called the Twelve Caesars. They released a record in 1998 for Minty Fresh, and seven of the 12 songs on 39 Minutes of Bliss (In an Otherwise Meaningless World) were also on that disc. They play semimelodic, garage rock-influenced rock with some notable hooks (the chorus of "Crackin' Up," the good cover of the Endd's "Out of My Hands," the blippy organ on the peppy "Jerk It Out").