While I Wait...

Im enjoying music that cant be related to the Swedish music scene at the moment... [Glasvegas, Last Shadow Puppets, Joan as Police Woman, Okkervil River etc]. But i eagerly wait for Anna Ternheim's new album that will be released in a couple of weeks :)

New Song --> Summer Rain with Anna Ternheim!


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For more news: AnnaTernheim.com
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History of Swedish Pop music [Part 2]

[Do you want to read Part 1 first?, here is the link]

In the first part of the Swedish pop history i told you about the bands that developed from the influences from bands like the Beatles. My parents often speak of these times. Now im going to focus on another time frame, the 80ties and early 90ties. During this time i discovered music myself and started to record tapes from the radio with hits from the charts (it was hard because you always had a little bit of talking in the end of the songs...). When i look back on this time i realize that i was too young fo find music myself, except for the one that was played on the radio, and i was fed with hits from the first boy bands [for example NKOTB]. This is not music that i would listen to today, but there is always the nostalgia factor that makes it enjoyable nontheless.

Many of you knows of Roxette, the duo that had their big breakthrough after being featured with a song in the movie Pretty Woman in the end of the 90ties. What you might not know is that Per Gessle was a big pop icon in Sweden from the early 80ties. With his pop band Gyllende Tider he made many hits that are signifcant to my generation and is still freaquently played on the Swedish dancefloors. Marie Fredriksson also had her own solo career on the side later on. Other important music influences during the early 80ties are of course ABBA and Carola Häggqvist [now simply Carola] who won the Swedish part of The Eurovision Song contest in 1983 with Främling. Since then her career has been going up and down and the her life has been a regular in the Swedish tabloids. Outside Sweden she is mostly known for her religious songs. Other names to be mentioned during this time is the punk-rock band Ebba Grön, the singer-songwriter Ted Gärdestad and Magnus Uggla, who was brilliant in his early years [see video].

Later came artists like Lena Phillipsson, Mauro Scocco, Lili & Sussi who made a great impact on the Swedish pop climate. If you listen to Cat 5 there is a sound of Lili & Susi to be found. There are of course many others, and if you enjoy these i urge you to look up simillar artists on last.fm. Lisa Nilsson and Eva Dahlgren [see video] was successful female singer-songwriters during this period and has probably influenced many of the female vocalists of today.

So even if they sometimes feel hopelessly old... they still influenced me when i was growing up and many of the artists today sat on their rooms with posters of these people on their walls, wishing they could be just like them.

Lisa Nilsson - Himlen Runt Hörnet


Marie Fredriksson - Sparvöga


Lena Phillipsson - Dansa i Neon


Lili & Susi - Oh Mama


Mauro Scocco - Sarah


Ted Gärdestad - Sol, Vind & Vatten


Gyllene Tider - När Vi Två Blir En


Carola - Främling

Detektivbyrån

Where you, just like me, filled up with happiness and bubbely joy inside when you saw the movie about Amelie from Monmartre [Le Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain]? One of the reasons was of course the lovely Amelie, but also the music, it leaped off the screen and into my heart. I literally jumped all the way home from the movie theater.

I get the same feeling when i listen to Detektivbyrån, an instrumental band that we all should give a listen. Perfect music for a rainy day when you dont want to feel low, music to warm your frozen heart. I dont like to put music in genres, but if i would try to describe Detektivbyrån i would call their music experimental-indie-folk-electronica. Stories without words are visualized in my head when i listen, and its easy to get lost in daydreams with this flowing into your ears. The trio comes from Värmland, but now live and work in Gothenburg. They recently released their second album Wermland, available for download at Klicktrack.

Lyckans Undulat


Official Press Picture

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Also check out Detektivbyån.net
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Jens Lekman x 3

Here comes a few of Jens Lekmans videos :) If you are interested there is a lot of live material that can be found on Youtube! Enjoy!

Black Cab


Sipping On The Sweet Nectar


You Are The Light

Jens Lekman

Jens Lekmans sweet-sad-songs has gotten me through a lot of bad days over the years. You probably heard about him already, he is a frequent touring artist and seem to travel all over the world most of the year. You might have read in the magazines that people like Kirsten Dunst are fans, and who can blame her? Jens charm is honest and heart breaking and that is what makes it brilliant.

He is one of those rare artists that are both gifted with lyrics and songs, which became a fact after his third album Night Falls Over Kortedala that was released last year. A shy mans reflections of every day troubles and love problems ventilated through sweet music. His albums just keeps getting better and better. Dont miss the songs Postcard To Nina or Your Arms Around Me.

Jens was born 1981 in Angered [a suburb to Gothenburg] and has frequently been singing about his every day life for every one who wants to listen. For fellow "Göteborgare" there is a charm to hear him sing about places and events that is effecting us every day. For example the illegal cabs [black cab] that is often used in the early morning hours after a night out, or the place he love; Hammarkullen [Hammer Hill]. Last year Jens moved from Kortedala/Hammarkullen to Australia but now his website tells us that he is homeless... we'll see where this wanderer might show up next time. Check out his releases, you dont wanna miss this.

Official Press Pictures

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Also check out his official website JensLekman.Com
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Pretty [Woman] Great

Sunday night in front of the TV flickering between channels... and there it is, the movie with the song that had such a great influence of my youth. Even though its a silly movie, Per Gessle barely can play guitar and they both has the worst hair ever i cant help but love this. Its great. Swedish greatness :)

Dedicate a Song

I have this thing that i do, every day, sometimes many times per day... I dedicate songs to people in my life. No one knows this because i do it silently in my head. Its my secret. Sometimes its long and emotional dedications with reasons and feelings and sometimes its short ones, just because a song reminds me of someone special. I do it on the bus with my ipod, when i do my dishes or at night when im about to sleep. Who do you want to dedicate a song to?

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Today i dedicate this song to Jeroen. You are my light!

You are the light [Jens Lekman cover performed by a guy called Dimitri]