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!
Read the second part of the article here --->
The Sound of Independent Sweden [part II]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:
Jens Lekman -
Night Falls Over KortedalaWildbirds and Peacedrums -
The SnakeThe Embassy -
Futile CrimesThe Knife -
Silent ShoutVapnet -
Jag vet hur man väntarHappydeadmen's Silent Sigh City and
Bear Quartet's Human Enough are probably my favourite songs.
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