There was a time when guitar-driven pop and darkly atmospheric rock were the exclusive property of the English-speaking world. But Kent proves Sweden has been raising its own generation of guitar devotees. Following the trail blazed by the Cardigans and the Wannadies, Kent's fourth album (their second in English) melds R.E.M.-like soul searching with Smashing Pumpkins alt-rock snarl and elements of Radiohead at their most vulnerable and tormented. Singer Joakim Berg sounds like a direct descendant of Radiohead's Thom Yorke and Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan. But what makes the likes of "Kevlar Soul," "Heavenly Junkies," and "Stay With Me" so potent is Kent's appreciation of the power of good tunes, and Hagnesta Hill has more than its share of those. --Dan Gennoe