One of the benefits of having Spotify is that it's possible to stumble on new music all the time. One of my recent discoveries is the collection of Swedish and Scandinavian artists that performs Leonard Cohen covers. The collection was made to "honor Leonard Cohens 75th birthday and his lifetime achievements" which is great of course :)
Check out the track list [impressive]! 1. Cookies n Beans - First We Take Manhattan 2. Rebecka Törnqvist - Here It Is 3. Moto Boy - If It Be Your Will 4. Jan Malmsjö - Dansa mig till kärlekens slut 5. Ane Brun - Ain´t No Cure For Love 6. Bo Sundström - Everybody Knows 7. Sara Isaksson - Hey That´s No Way To Say Goodbye 8. Lars Halapi - Sisters of Mercy 9. Mikael Wiehe - USA är redo för demokrati (Democracy) 10. Anders Widmark - Hallelujah 11. Eva Dahlgren - Bird On The Wire 12. Vidar & Peter - In My Secret Life 13. Jenny Wilson - The Partisan 14. Olle Ljungström - Chelsea Hotel # 2 15. Sophie Zelmani - Waiting For The Miracle To Come 16. Christel Alsos - Suzanne
Find out more about the album on the website CohenScandinavianReport.com or have a listen on Spotify as soon as possible!
I want to tell you about Billie aka Promise and the monster, you need to check it out. I stumbled on her a couple of years ago when i went to a performance with José Gonzáles. Promise and the monster was the opening act, and i instantly fell in love with her voice.
Apart from the obvious, her amazing music, not much is to be found about her. Billies music has two sides, both light and dark, sensitive and frail. The special voice in combination with great guitar makes it almost dream like at times... I'm hoping she will release a new album soon, i will make sure to tell you. Meanwhile, check out her debut album Transparent Knives from 2007.
Promise and the Monster is available on both Spotify, Klickttrack and iTunes. If you want to learn more about her, check out her Myspace for more information.
This time of year I scan the music magazines and read their year-lists. Everyone is eager to make a list in the spirit of High Fidelity, to summarize yet another great musical year :) So here comes my top 5 list of Swedish albums that stood out from the crowd. At least for me.
For the year 2010 I'm eagerly awaiting the albums of First Aid Kit, Hajen and The Radio Dept. Im also hoping for world peace and the spread of Spotify to the rest of the world, so more people can access great music :)
It's time for some moreInbox News! Three news in my inbox that i think you should check out some more. Three very different videos, but all so great!
Magnus Weideskog - 20 år
Oh, what a lovely pop song! Magnus debut album will be released i January and it was recorded with Josef Zackrisson, Magnus Tingsek and Ken Ring. The video is made by director Mats Udd.
Symfoniorkestern - Tänd eld på dig själv [för det du tror på]
In their own words: A mostly instrumental journey from Gothenburg to the southern parts of Sweden. Five songs about late nights in Slottsskogen, mornings at Hisingen and the haunting feeling of repetition in life. All with a light smell of alcohol. Dreamy symphonic pop music from a collective where everyone who owns an instrument is invited. The video is directed by Pär Fredriksson.
As always, you will find more information on their Myspace!
The Super Orchestra sent me their video for the song No One Deserves a Winter. It's lovely and soothing and beautifully filmed by Adrian Levander / Sektorfilm. The band call it; Innocent yet dirty, pure and growingly erotic.
Find out more about The Super Orchestra on their website or Myspace.
Today I'm fighting the November rain with the latest El Perro Del Mar album, Love is Not Pop. El Perro Del Mar is Sarah Assbring and she has released four albums since 2005. Her breakthrough came with the song Candy from the album Look! It's El Perro Del Mar.
El Perro.. is having great success outside Sweden [especially in the US] with her melancholic lo-fi pop. I find that i have to be in a special mood to appreciate her music, but when the mood strikes me there is nothing like it. Love is Not Pop is a wonderful album, it takes me far away from this rainy city today.
During the autumn El Perro Del Mar released Love is Not Pop in the US and did a tour around the country. If you were lucky you were one of the people who saw her live :)
Keep track of what El Perro Del Mar is up to on her website and on her Myspace. El Perro Del Mar is also available on Spotify.
Good news for all the Billie the Vision and the Dancers fans! The group has started the work on their fifth (!) album since 2004. BtV&tD has been busy touring intensively all year, but is now taking a creative break to be able to create some new material. The album is set to be released in the spring of 2010. Keep your eyes and ears peeled for more info later!
You can download Billie the Vision and the Dancers earlier album on their website [make sure to donate some money] to familiarize yourself if you don't know them from before!
Another boy wonder, Joel Alme, is creating sweet pop from Gothenburg. Joel released his debut album A master of Ceremonies last year, and had a hit with the song The Queen's corner. Mix Håkan Hellström with Broder Daniel and you will get an idea how sweet it can be! Joel's voice is the definition of painful love topped off with strings, and i think it's great :)
Joel is working on his second album, due to be released in the beginning of next year. For you who can't wait, check out the single that he releases in the beginning of December; You will only get it once. Like a true fan of Gothenburg's football team IFK, he wrote the new cheering song for the supporters Änglarna, a song filled with love for the sport and the city!
You can listen to Joel's first album on Spotify and if you are curious about his new single you can check it out on his Myspace!
Joel Alme - The Queen's Corner
Joel Alme - Snart Skiner Poseidon [supporter song for IFK]
Here comes a three new releases that i think you should check out right away if you haven't yet.
Brothers of End - What's Wrong with That From the debut album The End, released in October, a well made slow-drive album.Check out more on their website!
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Melisssa Horn - Lät Du Henne Komma Närmre Melissa is a huge success in Sweden and is doing her first solo tour with her second album Säg Ingenting Till Mig at the moment. Read more about Melissa her her website!
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Kent - Töntarna Kent is back with their 9th album Röd and will probably turn it into a huge success. Find out for yourself! Check out their website for more details.
Pssst! All of these new releases is available at Spotify if you wanna have a listen!
The wave of cover album is still over us, but this time there comes a discovery of a new talented singer with it. Her name is Carolina Wallin Pérez. A friend discovered her and told me to check it out [thanks Erik!]. It's an album with Kent covers.
Carolina is from the beginning a jazz singer and this album is her interpretation of Kent classics. Like so many of us, she has been listening to Kent since the start and made it her challenge to make their songs "her own" on this album.
Pssst! Carolina Wallin Pérez is playing live with my favorite sister-pair in First Aid Kit in the upcoming weeks. Listen to her at Myspace or Spotify.
Have you missed that Asha Ali has released her second album Hurricane? No worries, Asha is everywhere right now. She was one of the artist at the No More Lullabies performance and her song Time is Now is featured in the latest Saab commercial.
I have been wanting to write about Hajen for a while... but i don't know much about her. Hajen aka Amanda Bergman is not very interested in talking about herself. But does it matter? No. The music speaks for it self.
Amanda has been hyped on blogs and music sites for about a year now and in August she made a legendary performance during the Way out West festival in Gothenburg [which im very sorry i missed]. Since then people can't stop talking about her. A new female vocalist, another young hope. And who doesn't want more? She makes wonderful piano ballads and has a voice filled with beautiful whiskey pain.
Her biggest Myspace hit has been the song Scapegoat and now she works on more music that is set to be released before the year has ended. It will an EP of her own and a couple of song for Bröderna Lindgrens second album with songs for children that adults can enjoy too.
EDIT: Now i have figured out why i like this girl so much. It's because she reminds me of Cat Power, but a young Swedish version. Great!
Hajen is touring in Europe this autumn, check out dates on her Myspace. You can also listen to a few of her songs on Spotify and she has three songs as free downloads on last.fm.
Sleepy Sunday after an intense week and i crawl up in the couch and watch this video that a friend of mine told me to check out. Hyped Lykke Li and American Bon Iver in collaboration. Two of my favorites of the past year. Love Lykke Li, love Bon Iver. Enjoy!
The biggest indie band in Sweden, Kent [which isn't that much "indie" anymore] released a new song earlier this week called Töntarna [the geeks]. Kent will always sound like Kent, but these days they sound like a Kent that flirts more than usual with electronic effects. The single is the first one from the new album Röd [Red] that will be released on November 6th [Sweden].
To understand Kent you have to start from the beginning, when they turned big in the mid 90ties. Back then they were young and hungry indie kids with passion. Today its high quality, good, but nothing spectacular. Still i always have a soft spot for Kent. Maybe its youth nostalgia coming over me again? ;)
You can listen to the new song Töntarna on Spotify and buy it at the usual download sites. On October 12th you can buy the single in stores [Sweden].
The season has definitely changed here. Its one of those mornings with dark and heavy clouds hanging in the sky and the cold air sneaks in under the jacket and makes me shiver.
Its a day for Jennie Abrahamson. She is new to me, but oh, she fits this weather perfectly. With her sweet voice she changes my mood and takes me to slightly warmer and lighter place. Another favorite female vocalist in my heart.
Jennie tours Scandinavian at the moment, check out her Myspace to find out more. You can listen to Jennie at Spotify, or buy her music at Klicktrack.
Anna Ternheim has released a new single; Make it on my own. Its available to buy on iTunes music store and to listen to on Anna's Myspace.
By the way, Anna is doing an American fall tour, together with Loney Dear, make sure to check out if they are coming to a city near you. More information can be found on Anna's official website.
Anna Ternheim - My heart still beats for you [Live, Swedish Television]
Last night the national Swedish television network showed the documentary about the legendary Broder Daniel. The film shows the time before their last concert in August 2008. To me it became a mix of nostalgia, both my own [during my youth i was listening to Luke Skywalker in my teenage room] and the bands own. A lot of the movie gives space to the front man Henrik Berggrens thoughts, which is great, but i would have wanted to see more of the other members too.
Still, its a wonderful way to spend a rainy saturday afternoon.
On October 14th, my new favorite female vocalist Melissa Horn is releasing her second album Säg ingenting till mig [Say nothing to me]. Im really looking forward to it and the Sweden tour later this year. See you there?
Pssst! You can listen to the new song Lät du henne komma närmre and check out the tour dates on her Myspace.
Busy times in my part of the world. In less than two weeks Im featured as one of five Photographers in an exhibition here in Gothenburg. I don't have much time to listen to new music before the opening, so i turn to my old favorites when my head is crowded with creative worries.
Although...
If you should listen to something new this week, you should listen to Taken by Trees new album East of Eden that was recorded in Pakistan under adventurous circumstances [read the press release on the official website]. The album has clear eastern influences that we aren't used to take part of in pop music. Taken by Trees [Victoria] is known for her special singing voice in The Concretes and the big hit Young Folks with Peter, Björn and John.
--- Find out more about Taken by Trees on the official website, and listen to the new album at Spotify. ---
Check out the band Nom de Guerre, a energetic Stockholm based pop group that mixes genres on their album Love thy Neighbour. The song Everybody Knows feels inspired by Queens but George [see mini interview below] didn't mention them as one of their influences :) One thing is true, you can find influences from most genres on their album. Check them out and make up your own mind!
When did the band start to make music together, and how did you meet? We met through our shared love of distorted electric bass about ten years ago, and ever since we wanted to form a band based around that wonderfully exhilarating sound. In 2005 we finally got round to forming Nom de Guerre, a band with an intense, close-knit feel, kind of like of a brotherhood, which is why we decided to take the same surname. We stand united against the use of guitars in pop music - our records and gigs are proudly guitar-free but always brimming with lovely fuzzed-up bass.
Which bands are your main influences? I think I can truthfully say our tastes cover just about every genre of music. But I can't think of a single band or artist that all three of us likes!
Do you have any Swedish influences and who might they be? Personally, I [George] am less into Swedish music than Hector and Louis. But I do like a bit of Eggstone and Nationalteatern.
Why do you think Sweden has so many more talented musicians per capita than the rest of the world? Because with the winters being so long, dark and cold here it's no wonder musicians love to hang out in their warm, cosy rehearsal rooms so much. Plus I think the climate makes Swedes rather melancholy, which always makes for good music.
Nom de Guerre - So Long Sister
Nom de Guerre - Slick vs Lame
Press Photo Matilda Rahm
--- Check out their Myspace for more information ---
The man behind the hit Jag är en Vampyr, Markus Krunegård is back with not one, but two new albums on October 14th. The two new albums Prinsen av Peking and Lev som en gris dö som en hund is yet another proof of the ambitious work from the former singer in the band Laakso. Markus has the ability to make great pop songs in three different languages [Swedish, Finnish, English]. In the past Markus has collaborated with other artists like Säkert! [on the song Det kommer bara leda till något ont] and Andreas Kleerup. He also collaborated with the Swedish musical star Peter Jöback in the song Italy vs Helsinki.
Markus Krunegård - Hela livet var ett disco
Markus Krunegård - Jag är en vampyr
Markus Krunegård - Det är ett idogt jobb att driva ungdomen
Markus Krunegård - Italy vs Helsinki
--- Find out more about Markus Krunegård on his Myspace. ---
Music is constantly pouring into my inbox and its sometimes hard to keep up with all the talent in this country. Today's inbox news is a band called Kate and After and comes from Gothenburg. I know a few of the members from back in the days when went to the university and all the university parties :)
Kate and After were finalists in the GP Scen [GP Stage] competition last month with Pop icon Messiah, a songwith distinct Soundtrack of our lives influences. The competition is one of the biggest competition for unsigned bands in the city.
When did the band start to make music together, and how did you meet? The band was formed on Valentines day 2008. Carl [Hammond Organ] and Jonas [Guitar] founded the band and shortly after recruited their old companion Jocke [Drums] from their former band The Milestone Corporation. In October 2008 Magnus [Lead Vocals], who the guys knew from university, joined the band. In mid December the band was finally complete when bass guitar player Kristoffer [Previously in Combat Rock] joined the band. In some way or another all the guys know each other from University.
Which bands are your main influences? Franz Ferdinand, Band of Horses, Arctic Monkeys, Babyshambles, Led Zeppelin, Jakob Hellman, The Soundtrack of our lives, Stone Roses etc.
Why do you think Sweden has so many more talented musicians per capita than the rest of the world? Beautiful women/men, music and booze have throughout time been main objectives for pleasure. The first and last we have plenty of in Sweden, so why not music? Jokes aside, we believe that success breeds success, so the music pioneers of Sweden should have a lot of cred.
Kate and After - Wrong Intentions [live]
Press photo John Sjölander
--- Find more information about the band on their official website and listen to their music at Myspace. ---
The sisters Klara Söderberg, 15, and Johanna Söderberg, 17 is the duo First Aid Kit. And what a duo! Despite the fact that they hate being called sweet - that's just what they are. They are singing sweet folk-pop and you wouldn't guess their early age from their lyrics. They were discovered by Karin Dreijer from The Knife and Fever Ray and that's why their debut EP Drunken Trees is released on her label Rabid Records. The EP was named Drunken Trees after watching Al Gore'sAn Inconvenient Truth that mentions how trees lean and look drunken when the permafrost is melting. Insightful title!
The story of First Aid Kit gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling. I feel proud when two young girls with a lot of creative joy can put together such a great debut EP on their own. It can only go one way from here and that's forward! This is two young women that takes their music seriously, so don't let their sweetness fool you ;-)
As you might tell, Im already a fan of First Aid Kit, and i think you should be too. So check out their music at Spotify, and the videos below, the Fleet Foxes cover is wonderful! And if you like it, buy it!
Pssst! They are doing a UK tour at the moment, make sure to check out the tour dates on their official website.
First Aid Kit - Hard Believer
First Aid Kit - Summer Session no 1: Universal Soldier [Buffy Saint-Marie]
First Aid Kit - Summer Session no 2: Simple Man [Graham Nash]
First Aid Kit - Cover: Fleet Foxes Tiger Mountain Peasant Song
If you are in the mood for something different and experimental this week, you should listen to Wildbirds & Peacedrums. Its been called experimental folk, freak folk, psychedelic and jazz and the reason why is that you never know what's coming next. I feel hints from bands like Cocorosie, Mars Volta and others. Both sweet and hard at the same time [just like their name].
I have a feeling that Wildbirds & Peacedrums work really well as a live band, and that's why they keep on touring successfully over the world. Have you seen them live? Let us know what you thought of it! Also, check out the videos below, the track [and video] My Heart is great!
You can listen to Wildbirds & Peacedrums at Spotify and you can also buy their music at iTunes music store!
Wildbirds & Peacedrums - My Heart
Wildbirds & Peacedrums - There is No Light
Wildbirds & Peacedrums - Doubt/Hope
Press Picture
--- If you want to find out more about Wildbirds & Peacedrums, check out their Myspace. ---
Recently i fell in love with Melissa Horn. Her sweet voice in combination with those sad lyrics of love speaks to the melancholic and romantic part of me that seems to take over my mood on rainy days like this. I think she's wonderful and is amazed that i didn't hear that much about her before. She has talent, and hopefully she will be one of our great female vocalists in the future.
Melissa sound to me like the female version of Lars Winnerbäck, so it seems only natural that she has recorded the duet Som jag hade dig förut with him. She released her debut album Långa Nätter in 2008 and the song by the same name is one of her best known songs. Melissa is also the daughter of the Swedish folk/jazz Maritza Horn.
You can listen to Melissa at Spotify and at Youtube [embedding is disabled...] and buy her music at iTunes music store.
Sofia Karlsson is one of our great female vocalists in Sweden. With folk songs that travels straight to the heart. Its like that familiar and safe feeling of unconditional love and it makes me happy inside to listen to her clear and uncomplicated voice. That's how I want life to feel [instead it feels more like PJ Harvey most of the time...].
With multiple albums under her belt, the latest one Söder om Kärleken earlier this year, she is definitely one of the major names in Swedish folk/singer/song writer music. Sofia was brought up in a musical home in Stockholm and she mentions influences like Cornelis Vreeswijk [One of Sweden most popular fol singers of all time, of Dutch origin] Dolly Parton, Tracy Chapman, Gillian Welch and Monica Zetterlund [Swedish jazz singer].
Its possible to listen to Sofia Karlsson on Myspace and Spotify, but you can also buy her albums on Klicktrack.
The Swedish Stockholm based pop band [ingenting] has been hyped lately. Everyone seems to look forward to their show on the Way Out West festival this week. Straightforward pop performed in Swedish is always enjoyable :) The singles Punkdrömmar and Släpp in Solen has been played frequently on the radio and makes us want more!
The third album Tomhet, idel tomhet is released in September on Labrador Records. The theme [according to the band] is emptiness, life, death and religion. Until then you can enjoy them on Youtube or at the WoW festival in Göteborg [Gothenburg] this weekend.
[ingenting] - Punkdrömmar
[ingenting] - Släpp in Solen
[ingenting] - Dina Händer är Fulla av Blommor [live]
David Coleman is back with the second part of the article about the Swedish music scene [based on location]. Im wondering if its possible to hear the difference between music depending on where its made in Sweden? Check out what David says about that. Oh, and remember to read the second part of The Sound of Independent Sweden!
Is it possible to hear the difference between music depending on where its made in Sweden? For instance, is there a special Gothenburg sound, in your opinion? I think it's difficult for an outsider to hear subtle differences between artists from different regions of Sweden in the same way as I can when listening to British or even American bands. That said, the 'Balearic' electronic pop thing seems to be very specific to Gothenburg. The Tough Alliance, Air France, The Embassy, Boat Club, perhaps even Studio – that's one version of a Gothenburg sound, but then you have bands from the same city like Wildbirds and Peacedrums who are doing something entirely separate.
I think the similarities between artists on specific labels are more noticeable. There's a distinct Labrador sound, for example, and the Sincerely Yours and Service artists seem to be approaching their work in similar ways.
You seem to have a very deep intrest and knowledge about Sweden and Swedish music, [some people call them swedophile's]. Where did your intrest come from? Was it your Swedish girlfriend that made you discover Swedish music? My fiancée, Emma, comes from Halland. We met in October 2000 [in Sheffield] and she introduced me to a few of the more poppy artists [Sahara Hotnights, The Ark, Mando Diao, etc.], while simultaneously subjecting me to some less enjoyable sounds such as "schlager". Ugh.
She's certainly the reason why I've visited Sweden so many times, but if I'm honest I was already interested in Swedish music before we met. The two early triggers were my first 'proper' gig [a pop-punk band called Fungus, who had a deal with Parlophone in the mid-to-late nineties] and an amazing mixtape that I received from a No Ripcord reader called Magdalena, which introduced me to The Bear Quartet, The Soundtrack Of Our Lives and others. I guess the love affair started there and the great music I've discovered subsequently has only served to fuel it further.
Which one is your top 5 list of Swedish musicians/bands [and the favorite album by each artist]? Ah, that's a difficult one. I struggled to narrow the list down to fifty for the feature! Ok, in no particular order:
Marit Bergman is the creator of the official Stockholm Pride song this year. The song Casey hold on is now possible to download for free at the Stockholm Pride website, so take the chance while its possible! Its a classic Marit pop song, a perfect song for Pride :)
Marit has also released the album The Tear Collector recently, its available for download and on Spotify.
Are you in the mood for some Swedish soul inspired by Jazz, Hip Hop and RnB? Then you should take some time and get to know Paul Mac Innes & T.B.O.I. They have been creating music together since 2005 and recently released their second album Paul Mac Innes & T.B.O.I.
Personally i feel that their single Even Though could be a future radio hit, it stays with me all day :) I sent Paul and Björn some questions about their work and you can read their answers below.
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When did you (Paul) and T.B.O.I start to make music together, and how did two you meet? T.B.O.I. (Björn) and I first met when he was sharing a rehearsal room with my singing coach when I was 17. We didn't really get to know each other. It was mostly hi and bye as we finished and he came to rehearse. Then some years later he is asked to join and play saxophone in a Live Hip Hop group that I was a part of.
It is really here we discover we share a similar love and taste in music and we figure we should write together. So we start writing in sometime in 2005.
On the website you list soul, hip hop and gospel as your main influences, is there anything in particular, in these genres, that you recommend the readers of this blog? No Doubt - Donny Hathaway's work. The mans voice is pure soul and the music is beautiful.
I have as long as I remember loved soul music, I used to listen to my dads Stevie Wonder records growing up, and as most people in my age, I could not avoid loving Michael Jackson and Prince music. So those are my first strong soul influences. My love for soul music grew passionate, I could be in the record shops for hours, searching for and listening to new music.
When I found Donny Hathaway in the shelves I was blown away! That was SOUL! I am Influenced by so many, the above mentioned, Marvin, Curtis, Aretha, D'angelo, Maxwell, Bilal, Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill and many, many more. Hip hop and Gospel have also had huge impact on me. T.B.O.I. is inspired by many of the same artists however being a sax player that has spent much of his life in jazz, he brings that influences he mentions the following as strong influences Jim Pepper, Eddie Harris, Miles Davis (all of it but most early 80s), David Sanborn, Michael Brecker, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Wayne Shorter, Pharoah Sanders, Keith Jarrett, Chaka Kahn, Mary J Blige, The Roots, Common, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Faith Evans… so there is also a lot of Jazz influence in our music.
Do you have any Swedish influences and who might they be? I'm sorry to say I don't have many clear Swedish influences. I really used to listen to Per Erik Hallin. He is definitely a soulful man and had a early influence on me.
Why do you think Sweden has so many more talented musicians per capita than the rest of the world? This is a commonly asked question. I think it is that we have great opportunities through our school/culture school. We are offered to learn instruments at an early age. There are also a lot of places for young people to rehearse. I think this has been very healthy for the music.
Paul Mac Innes & T.B.O.I. - Even Though
Press photo by Pamela Cortés Bruna
--- To get more information about Paul Mac Innes & T.B.O.I; check out their Myspace and official website ---
Swedish music is so much more than ABBA, Roxette and Ace of Base! I started this blog when my friends asked me to educated them and write about Swedish music. Im a music nerd living in Gothenburg, Sweden. I listen to music most of my awake hours [and some of the non-awake] and is always intrested in knowing more about it.
If you are like me - stay tuned and find out more about the music that is produced in the cold, small country of the north!
This blog is not connected to any commercial company or organization. My pure interest is in the music and the artist's that creates it. This blog reflects my thoughts and opinions about music and should not be used as the only source of information.
If nothing else is stated I only use press images or screen shots from websites of the artists themselves.
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