"One of the most interesting things about the Tough Alliance is the Swedish duo's relationship to optimism. TTA don't make songs about being happy; they make songs about wanting to be happy. They're as troubled as anyone else, but in line with the effervescent nature of their music, they simply refuse to wallow in bad feelings. When on 2007's A New Chance, Eric Berglund pleaded, "don't you die yet" and pointed out that "there's something else... something bright and pure that you've never felt before," it wasn't naïve positivity. This was a guy struggling with fear and depression and trying his damndest to stay hopeful. 　　 　　When we talked to Berglund recently about his solo project ceo, it sounded like he may have found some peace. "[I have] a profound sense of belonging that will always stay with me no matter what happens... a feeling that I only dreamt of until a while ago", he said. So if TTA records were about holding on to hope no matter the cost, then the first ceo album, White Magic, is about achieving lasting contentment. Berglund says as much in the track "Oh God Oh Dear": "I finally touched life and it was all so clear." 　　 　　That emotional clarity matches the album's sharp songcraft. As ever, Berglund's music has a remarkable sense of melody, and White Magic has the same tidy precision that initially set TTA apart. There's an understanding of hooks and pop structure here that almost seems only available to the Swedish. The record isn't completely made up of the pulsing electro-pop that you'd expect-- there are some lush orchestral pieces sprinkled in-- but each track is put together carefully with a keen sense of how the pieces fit together. To take one example, "Illuminata" is one of the more overtly danceable numbers on the record, and it's as big a pop song as anything by Phoenix, Vampire Weekend, or any other hook-friendly indie band out there. 　　 　　Berglund also gets how melody fits into club music. Since we first came to know him and TTA, there's been a big uptick in the number of groups having a go at the sort of gentle Mediterranean disco often described as "Balearic." But Berglund and his Sincerely Yours crew understand this sound on another plane. Alongside friend and labelmate Kendal Johannson, who helped record the LP, he seamlessly marries the Balearic style with pop. Lead single "Come With Me" is a clinic on how to do this, constructing a blinding surface sheen that allows the song to function underneath. But there's also darker, less buoyant stuff here: opener "All Around" is loose and string-driven and the sinister title track has an almost Depeche Mode vibe. 　　 　　The range of moods reinforces the record's overall theme-- it's mostly upbeat, but there are traces of doubt and longing that suggest Berglund has a ways to go before feeling truly at ease. It's easy to connect with the emotional side of the album since everyone can identify with wanting to be happier. But that's only half the appeal. It's also totally possible to ignore all that and just lose yourself in the effortlessness of these songs. At just eight tracks in fewer than 30 minutes, White Magic is tantalizingly short, and Sincerely Yours' notorious secrecy makes it hard to say if there will ever be a follow-up. One-off or not, though, it's pretty obvious that ceo is the real deal." 　　 　　— Joe Colly, June 30, 2010. Pitchfork Best New Music