New season

November is here and the darkness is upon us [the people of Scandinavia]. We set the clocks back an hour and it makes us sleepier than usual.

Here comes a few favorite videos with the theme of the new season.

Ane Brun - Changing of the seasons


First Aid Kit - You're Not Coming Home Tonight


Jens Lekman - Black Cab


Hello Saferide - Arjeplog

Hello Saferide | Arjeplog

When the summer is in full bloom outside my window, its hard to believe that this Hello Saferide video was made in the same country... but its a reminder of whats to come.

Is it just me that find it relaxing to watch Annika in her skiing pants, taking a walk next to the skiing tracks and the pines trees on a sunny and snowy day? Maybe I'm just very Scandinavian :)

You: Oh but Annika what is it about?
HS: It’s about the north of Sweden, about going to the city and missing the countryside, and about going to the countryside and missing the city. It’s about love, and it’s about spooning without one arm getting numb.
You: Oh but Annika will there be a video?
HS: Yes, be patient child. There will be a link for the video in the end of this post.
You: Oh and Annika, where is it filmed?
HS: We filmed it at Vittjåkk. Time spent: 5 minutes. Budget: 0 Skr. I love it.
(From www.hellosaferide.com)

Hello Saferide - Arjeplog


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Find out more about where Hello Saferide is playing live this summer, or download her Spotify playlist at HelloSaferide.com
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PSL

PSL is a Swedish music blog that i read on a regular basis. Its hosted by the national Swedish television [SVT] and the music-veteran Per Sinding Larsen [hmmm, maybe that's where the name of blog comes from?]. Per releases news about music in Swedish, but if you are interested you can always use Google translate and get updated.

By the way, the best part is the special video performances and you don't need a translator for that ;) Check out more here ---> PSL. Here is a few of my favorites!

Hello Saferide - Arjeplog


Moto Boy - What It Was Like To Be With You


Frida Hyvönen + Markus Krunegård - Dirty Dancing


Kristian Anttila - Tio


Laakso - Västerbron


The Soundtrack Of Our Lives - The Passover


Markus Krunegård - Jag Är En Vampyr

Swedish Grammy '09

The Swedish Grammy award of 2009 had some prices for our favorites. These are a few of the winners:

Album of the year:
Anna Ternheim - Leaving On A Mayday

Group of the year:
The Soundtrack Of Our Lives - Communion

Rock Group of the year:
In Flames A Sense Of Purpose

Female artist of the year:
Anna Ternheim - Leaving On A Mayday

Live act of the year:
Robyn

Song of the year:
E.M.D. - Jennie Let Me Love You

Male artist of the year:
Håkan Hellström - För Sent För Edelweiss

Newcomer of the year:
Kleerup - Kleerup

Composer of the year:
Kleerup - Kleerup

Producer of the year:
Kleerup - Kleerup

Lyrics of the year:
Annika Norlin - More Modern Short Stories From Hello Saferide

MTV award, Best video:
They Live By Night - Catching Up.
Regissör: Senay/ Kolacz

Grammy Live Act: Robyn


Grammy Live Act: A Camp


Grammy Live Act: Christian Walz

The Holidays are Here!

For all of you Swedophiles who feel tired of the traditional Celine Dion Christmas songs i have something for you. Oh, no its Christmas! was released by Razzia Records last year and feature many of our favorite artists and their versions of Christmas songs.

Just to name a few: Hello Saferide, Kristofer Åström, The Soundrtack Of Our Lives, Maia Hirasawa, Laakso, Firefox AK, Tiger Lou among others.

Go check it out!

A Night at Storan

Earlier this year Hello Saferide released her second album, produced by indie pop icon Andreas Mattson. I looked forward to it a great deal and was somewhat disappointed when it showed up. It didn't give me that immediate feeling of pleasure in the backbone like i had last time. I have been listening to it, but felt that it was a little bit too slick, a bit over produced maybe. I had heard this before but hoped that the articles was wrong.

So came the night when my friends and me went to see her live at Storan. My expectations were probably kind of low at first, but after a couple of songs i realized that her new songs are great! They just needed a bit of the rough live feeling, the in-between talks, the audience and Annikas energy pouring off the stage into us. And even though the audience was young and loud (in a not always nice way) the love was in the air. Both Andreas Mattson and Andrea Kellerman [Firefox AK] joined her on stage, which gave the songs Long Lost Penpal and Overall an extra dimension.

I understand the pressure she must feel, releasing another album after the first one. Can she be successful once again? I understand why she did something different, but still the same. Its still Modern Short Stories made the Annika-way :)

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Check out Hello Saferides website for more information, also here is a review of the album in Gothenburgs local newspaper.
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Thursday Update

A Thursday update: I got the new Hello Saferide album in my mailbox yesterday and what i heard so far is potentially very good, although different from before. More updates will come on that later, because im still digesting a great live performance from Bon Iver from last night. He is from Wisconsin, so i wont write about it here ;) but you can check it out here if you want.

Otherwise the blog is alive and well, over 300 visitors so far :) Im also grateful for all the comments and recommendations that are being sent to me on my last.fm, i check them out as soon as i can! Just know that i read them all! Also, feel free to comment on the blog, make connections to other Swedish or foreign artists that may be of interest to more people.

Over and out.

My Best Friend

Its Monday morning and im posting this for my best friend, because its her birthday today and this is our song! A song about friendship from the everlasting great Annika.

Its a very good song, so i hope you enjoy this video as much as we do :)

My Best Friend

Another Week Left

My mini-holiday became longer than i thought because of a bad cold. Im confined to the bed or possibly the couch for a few days...

Today i spent some time reading my new Sonic Magazine, one of Swedens music magazines and a great source of new music in every issue. On the cover this month is Annika Norlin (Hello Saferide & Säkert!). She goes back to her roots in the northern parts of Sweden (Östersund), talking about the unexpected success with her Swedish alias Säkert. From the beginning it was meant as a small time project (a paus from Hello Saferide) but ended up being too big. The future for Säkert! is unsure, so for now we enjoy Hello Saferide.

In the review section Hello Saferide gets 8/10 on the scale with the note that this album is different, more produced with a "fuller" sound (produced by indie icon Andreas Mattson from Popsicle). It takes some getting used to, but makes a great album in the end. Sounds promising!

They also reveal the songs on the new album, so here they come: I wonder who is like this one (a favorite of mine, see earlier video post from Brazil), 2008, Overall, Lund, X telling me about the loss of something dear at age 16, Middleclass, Parenting never ends, Anna (se earlier video post), 25 Days, Sancho Panza, Travelling with us, Arjeplog

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I suggest you read more about the new album at the Razzia Records website. Use Google Translate (in the link list) to translate from Swedish to English.
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Press picture / Photographer Mikael K Jansson

New Song: Anna

Im going on a mini-holiday, but before i go i want to share this new song with Hello Saferide! Its a great happy-sad song that reminds me of an ex, but it also has the same name as my best friend :) Watch the video and enjoy! I know that its been said before but... Annika is brilliant!

Btw. The song can you download free on Myspace!

Press picture

Anna

People Are Like Songs

In approximately three weeks Hello Saferides new album "More Modern Short Stories From Hello Saferide" will be released here in Sweden. I wait for it eagerly and have already pre-ordered it. I cant wait!

If you too want to order it, check out Bengas website
(also possible for people outside Sweden).

Until then you can enjoy Hello Saferide in a Volvo commercial and this lovely song about people who are like songs, recorded in an elevator in Brazil last year.

Anna Järvinen & Annika Norlin - För varje hjärtslag

Another one of my Youtube favorites is Anna Järvinen (Granada) & Annika Norlin (Hello Safride & Säkert!) performing a cover of Robyns "For Every Heartbeat" on Swedish television, in Swedish! More about these ladies will surely come in the future.

Lovely, dont you think?

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Read more about Anna Järvinen, Annika Norlin & Robyn
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Maia Hirasawa - Gothenburg

I wake up with images of spring in my hometown this morning :)

Its a sweet video from Maia Hirasawa (Hello Saferides back up singer) who has made a nice album on her own this year. More about this in a later entry. Enjoy!

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Read more about Maia Hirasawa & Hello Saferide
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