Winter Took His Life

Around this time of year i get very sick and tired of the winter and the dark and wonders in my melodramatic way if im gonna survive yet another winter. Of course i do, i have a warm house and food, im mostly thinking of the mental aspect of living in darkness 6 months of the year. I wonder if that was on Susanna Brandin's mind when she named her solo project Winter Took His Life?

Susanna comes from a small city outside Göteborg and the first time i heard the buzz about her was in 2006. She started like many others, by sending out home made EPs that was ordered on her website. In 2008 she released her first full length album You know what it's like to be alone and shut down on Bless The Press Records. I bought the album on Klicktrack a few months ago and im convinced that i found a new future singer-songwriter star. Its beautiful and delicate sadness combined. A couple of favorite tracks is Boston and When You Said You Headed Home.

I read somewhere that the only thing standing between her and her success is her somewhat long and strange stage name, but hopefully it wont stop you from taking another look at what she has accomplished :) You can find some of her tracks as free downloads on last.fm but also the whole album for the bargain price of 55 SEK at Klicktrack (4.68 EUR or 5.93 USD)

When You Said You Headed Home [official video]


I stay Inside


The Lonelinest


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Also check out WinterTookHisLife.net and her Myspace for more information.
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The Night without Billie and his dancers

Tonite i should have seen Billie The Vision and The Dancers live, but my friend wasn't feeling well so we stayed home. So here i am, sitting in the dark and think about the past years music experiences and watch live clips of Billie and the gang on Youtube. Here is a couple of great songs in pretty good quality (from Swedish TV).

Ask for More


Summercat


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A lot of Billie The Visions... music is available as free downloads on last.fm and also on their official website.
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Hiphop på svenska: Timbuktu

Jason Diakité aka Timbuktu is one of the big names in Swedish hiphop. Born by American parents he didnt belive that hiphop could be done in Swedish until one day when he tried it on a whim. When he realized that that was what the public wanted he continued and is now a well-known name with a faithful fan base. He has been recording and touring with both Petter and Looptroop over the years (to name a few).

The big breakthrough came with the track Ett brev who was inspired by Michel Moore and his book Stupid White Men. Its a letter to the Swedish Prime Minister of the time, Göran Persson, where he tells him to get a grip and not let Sweden slip and become a mini-USA etc.

Timbuktu has taken the old school American hiphop to a new level by singing on Swedish, or more precisely skånska (a Swedish dialect), but keeping the root of hiphop. To be the voice of every day people and to make the critique towards society and politics visible, and to give air to his own fears and worries of a young man from Malmö. The need of stay true and not be a "sell out" to the "bling-bling-mentality" that has taken over large parts of the hiphop industry in recent years.

If you are a fan of Swedish hiphop, check this out!

Ett Brev


Alla Vill Till Himmelen Men Få Vill Dö


Det Löser Sig


Välj Mig


Press Photo

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For more information check out the official website and Myspace
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Love is All!

Love is All is just what i need to start off my day and get some things done today! The group is based in Gothenburg based, but because of extensive touring in the US, they are already loved by indie-kids "over there".

You cant stay neutral to Josephines voice or the cacophony of sounds coming at you when you put it on. And you know how i love a special voice! Unfortunately i haven't seen them live, but Im pretty sure it would be great :) With a great band name, and energetic songs they remind me of The Hives in the beginning of their career.

Kick off your day with some love too! Check out their great video below!

Ageing Had Never Been His Friend


Front-cover picture from the new album A Hundred Things To Keep Me Up At Night

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To find out more, check out their official website LoveIsAll.se. Also, check out this interview from Pitchfork.
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Interview: Stina Nordenstam

Enjoy one of the few interviews with Stina, for the early days of her career.

Saturdays with Stina Nordenstam

Its a sunny Saturday and all the energy i would hope to have this weekend is nowhere to be found. I listen to Stina Nordenstam, who has been a part of my musical library since the mid-90ties when i was introduced to her. Memories Of a Color still has a magic i cant shake from a time when i was growing up...

Over the years Stina has released a series of album, from sweet delicate songs with jazz influences, to the more darker ones with electronica influenced beats. She even made covers of songs like Love Hurts & Purple Rain and made it to something of her own. Stina has been compared to Björk because of her special voice, strong and delicate at the same time. I don't know much about her since she is very a very private person who doesnt like to talk to the press. She has not been seen or heard from in the public light for a long time. Her last album The World is Saved was released in 2004.

It would be a dream come true to be able to see her live, but its very unlikely that i ever will. Her music is meant for magical, sleepy Saturdays like this one...

Little Star


Everyone Else in The World


Trainsurfing


So Lee


Dynamite


Front cover picture from The World is Saved

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Official website: StinaNordenstam.com and a more unofficial one: StinaNordenstam.net
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