Amanda Mair is back with another single on Labrador Records. The song follows her debut on the label, “House”, as a danceable track packed with pop hooks. The new track is “Doubt” and it finds Mair continuing her surprising ability to craft a magical pop track filled with a maturity well beyond her young (16) age.

A song like this shows that true artists still exist; prior to Labrador’s discovery of Mair, she had never performed live, had no web presence whatsoever (not even the dated former musical haven of MySpace), and had not sent out recordings to any labels or press folk like yours truly.

Download: “Doubt” by Amanda Mair

Solander is a Swedish folk-pop trio that creates mystically beautiful songs. Their latest is called “Flight” and it is just as pleasant and sad as the band’s prior work (you can hear tracks dating back to 2009′s “Looking For Gold”, which we raved about, on bandcamp). Solander handed “Flight” over to Iris Piers for a video and the result is ethereal and dream-like with amazing color and fantastic footage.

“Flight” is off Solander’s second album, Passing Mt. Satu, available on Tenderversion. The song repeats the phrase “Everyone on this earth dies alone / And so will we” — sad yes, but you can’t help but feel comforted by the sounds this band creates. A banjo, cello and percussion make up the majority. It’s a sound that you won’t want to miss.

Download: “Flight” by Solander

Solander – Flight from A Tenderversion Recording on Vimeo.

Night Falls Over Kortedala was one of my favorite releases of 2007, topped only by Fishboy’s release that year. It’s hard to believe that it’s been four years since that album, and that it’s taken so long for Lekman to follow it with new material. Wait no longer; Lekman is back with a new EP dubbed An Argument With Myself and we have been given the title track to enjoy as a little taste of what’s to come.

Take the sound of the most recent Lekman album and filter it through a little extra production work. Punch up the happiness and replace the heavy orchestral elements with the rapid Brazilian/Western African/Cuban influenced percussion featured in The People’s Record by Club 8, and you’ll have “And Argument With Myself”.

Of course, this style was employed to an extent on “Sipping On The Sweet Nectar” from Night Falls. Thoroughly enjoyable.

The above photo was taken by Fense at a Jens Lekman show in Seattle back in 2007 or thereabouts.

Download: “An Argument With Myself” by Jens Lekman

Listening to Pallers‘ new track “Come Rain, Come Sunshine”, I heard something familiar: the voice of Johan Angergård. To be perfectly honest, I had forgotten about his involvement in the band’s early single, Humdrum. What I do recall from that early single is light electronic dance music with trance-like beats and pop-like hooks. “Come Rain, Come Sunshine” fits that memory perfectly.

Pallers is poised to release their debut LP on Labrador Records later this year. “Come Rain, Come Sunshine” is the first single off the album. Expect to see the single available late July and the full album come late September.

Download: “Come Rain, Come Sunshine” by Pallers

“Under Water” is one of my favorite tracks off Acid House Kings‘ new LP, Music Sounds Better With You, out now on Labrador Records. So it’s exciting to hear the band and label are giving it single status (just released via Labrador on June 28) and a new video!

The video features old family footage and was, according to the vimeo description, “filmed on Super 8 in the 70′s by Kent Angergård and Britt-Marie Angergård.” However, the footage itself was edited and produced by band member Niklas Angergård, who lends his vocals on the song.

Check out the video below and head over to Labrador Records to grab the new single!

Download: “Under Water” by Acid House Kings

Acid House Kings “Under water” from Labrador Records on Vimeo.

Holiday for Strings is a magical band, consisting of three professional chefs, John Eriksson (Peter Bjorn & John), and Pontus Berghe (aka Pony from Thieves Like Us). “Unwilling/Not Able” is most like the latter group, with angular 70s laid-back European disco meets modern Chillwave.

This video was created by Daniel Eskils, who has become known in the music video world thanks to his work for artists like Temper Trap, Caribou and Boys Noize. It features footage from airports, layovers, and a barrage of secretive people-watching.

“Unwilling/Not Able” is off Holiday For Strings’ new digital EP of the same name, available now on bandcamp. My favorite, outside of the original, is the 13-minute extended edit, which you can hear below.

Holiday For Strings – Unwilling/Not Able from Holiday For Strings on Vimeo.

In a video from Fredrik, you know you’re always going to get something a bit different, just like their music. And just like their music, you know it will be a little strange but very good. “Chrome Cavities” continues this pattern, using a play on shadows and color. It features “a vintage British overhead projector, an off-white canvas, scissors, paper, 8 hands and a fishtank full of flammable liquids.” The result is your standard Fredrik genius.

“Chrome Cavities” is off Fredrik’s third LP, Flora, out now on The Kora Records.

Download: “Rites Of Spring” by Fredrik

Amanda Mair is the latest discovery by Swedish label Labrador Records. If you’re like us, you dig pretty much anything that comes from Labrador, and this should be no exception. “House” is part folk-pop, part Euro-dance track. Mair hails from an island outside Stockholm. And get this — she’s only 16!

“House” fits an interesting place between El Perro Del Mar and Saint Etienne, or maybe even an then-and-now clash from The Concretes. The song begins softly with only piano and vocals, ultimately growing into a full and very powerful pop song.

Produced by Philip Ekström (The Mary Onettes, Det Vackra Livet), the song is off Amanda’s upcoming release out June 8.

Download: “House” by Amanda Mair

36.1 minutes. That is the length of the new Fredrik album, Flora. Not bad, especially since the band has put together a video that spans that amount of time and covers the album in its entirety. Brilliant, I say! Flora continues what Fredrik has created on their past two releases – eerie experimental pop music that is other-worldly.

At some point I may have called it haunting, and if I did I must recant. It’s not necessarily haunting music, but it does have a darkness that permeates it, but again not in an unpleasant way. Fredrik’s music has the obscurity of a dream land, a place not quite real but with recognizable landmarks. There’s a consistency to it that is familiar and a strangeness that is foreign.

Imagine diving into your subconscious. It would be familiar, but it wouldn’t be grounded in reality. The laws of physics and time would not apply. Fredrik’s music is of that world, where things change at an awkward pace and the inconsistencies with reality are all but awe-worthy. But it’s not shocking or terrifying or scary. In a way, it’s relaxing and comforting.

There was a really good reason Fredrik’s debut LP, Na Na Ni, was my #1 album of 2008. And while Trilogi was nearly as powerful as that first record, Flora has topped it.

Flora, like the band’s previous two LPs, comes to us via The Kora Records.

Download: “Rites Of Spring” by Fredrik

I have absolutely no clue what Det Vackra Livet means, but I do know that they create some pretty amazing and dark pop music influenced by the early 80s. This is the new project from the folks behind The Mary Onettes, and it’s pretty obvious. The sounds are vastly similar, with exception to the lyrics. Det Vackra Livet comes to us in the band’s native tongue whereas The Mary Onettes dole out their songs in English. Either way, it’s really, really good.

The video features Philip Ekströms of Det Vackra Livet, who directed the video with Hampus Nordenson, and Philip’s brother. We see Philip with a rifle and his brother in the woods beating a drum while wearing some strange fur outfit. Videos like this have great cinematography, which make them very interesting to watch. “Viljan” is no exception; it will likely to maintain your interest for some time. Add the song, and it’s a total winner.

“Viljan” can be found on Det Vackra Livet’s self-titled LP, out soon on Labrador Records.

Download: “Viljan” by Det Vackra Livet

I’m not much one for putting together a news item. I prefer writing features and reviews than pushing out the latest bit of news, but with a few new signings from Sub Pop, I figured I’d do a one-part introductory list, one-part news bit. Yes, in the last week or so, Sub Pop has signed a few new bands. They are as follows: Niki And The Dove, Still Corners, and Memoryhouse. All three write hauntingly beautiful songs, some of which you can hear/see below.

* * * * *

Niki and the Dove – Mother Protect from The Line Of Best Fit on Vimeo.

Niki And The Dove

Sub Pop announced this one last Thursday. Niki And The Dove is a duo (despite three in the video above), Malin Dahlström and Gustaf Karlöf, from Stockholm, Sweden. And if you know me, you know I’m a sucker for Swedish music. The press release states that “their songs are full of magic and light but with an unsettling darkness hidden beneath the surface.” This initially makes me think of The Knife and Wildbirds Peacedrums, but listening to “DJ Ease My Mind” (off the band’s first single) we hear more pop and less eerie beats. But like these artists, Niki And The Dove can be described as dark electronic pop. It’s not necessarily what you’d expect from Sub Pop, but it certainly does follow the label’s signature for signing great acts.

While there is no news yet as to when we can expect this band’s Sub Pop debut, the band will be hitting Seattle’s Crocodile venue on April 6.

Check out “Mother Protector” above, done for The Line Of Best Fit Sessions; the song has an experimental tinge to it that reminds me a bit of experimental psych-pop outfit Celebration. Then listen to “Winterheart” below and visit Niki And The Dove’s website to download “Winterheart” in exchange for an email address.

Listen: “Winterheart” by Niki And The Dove

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Memoryhouse

Of the three new bands on Sub Pop’s roster, Toronto’s Memoryhouse is the one I was familiar with before receiving the news. My introduction to the band came from their cover of My Bloody Valentine’s haunting track “When You Sleep”, and the plan was to post this video of them playing the song. That song caused one YouTube user to comment:

“Once in awhile, there’s a song that makes me lonely because I feel that no one else seems to hear it like I do, but it’s not a bad thing. Part of me wants to talk about it with someone else, but at the same time I want to grasp onto it as if the song was written for me.”

But then I discovered “Lately”, which loops that beautiful melody from Michel Gondry’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, one of my all-time favorite movies. I get that same reaction with this song. And I am extremely excited to hear what this band has in store for Sub Pop; they say it may be ready as early as end-of-year 2011.

Download: “Lately (Troisieme)” by Memoryhouse

* * * * *

Still Corners

Like the previous two bands, Still Corners creates colorful, haunting pop music that is soft and eerily pleasant. Where Niki And The Dove drops in electronic elements and Memoryhouse employs the use of loops, Still Corners’ music is more along the lines of bedroom pop. At least, that’s the impression we get with their song “Wish”, the video for which you can see above. The London-based band includes five members, fronted by the whispery vocals of Tessa Murray. Sub Pop says they’re hoping to have the band’s sophomore release ready by summer. Let’s hope so!

Watch “Wish” above and check out “Endless Summer”, one of Still Corners’ two 2010 singles, below.

The above image is of Still Corners.

Download: “Endless Summer” by Still Corners

I still find it astonishing that the 90s were more than a decade ago. That would also mean that Pillow, this little-known Swedish group, met its demise in the early days of the Internet. Unfortunately, that means there is very little about this band available, and with a name simple and commonplace in terminology — well that makes it even more difficult. What one can gather is that this band existed in the 90s, staring in 1995. They recorded a bit, but most never received an actual release. Until now.

Pillow created light pop in the vein of Swedish pop from the era. It’s lo-fi and just a hint twee, much like their more popular contemporaries from Labrador Records of the era. Their new (and long-overdue) posthumous album is called Learning to Labour, and it features 22 great tracks listed as the “best” from the band’s unreleased material. That’s pretty impressive — let me say it again: 22 songs.

Head over to Jigsaw Records and pick up this album for $5!

Above photo by just.Luc.

Download: “2 Weird Happenings” by Pillow

Download: “This Is The Trick” by Pillow

Download: “Overruled By You” by Pillow

Acid House Kings is back next month with a new album, their first in about six years. As the previous, Sing Along With The Acid House Kings, has been a favorite of mine since its release, their new one is easily my most anticipated album of 2011. Last weekend, I pre-ordered Music Sounds Better With You on vinyl; the anticipation continues. Thankfully, Acid House Kings have given us another song to bide the time. The song is “Would You Say Stop?” and it will be released as the band’s first single off Music Sounds Better With You on March 3.

On “Would You Say Stop?”, we find Julia Lannerheim at the helm on vocals, backed by super upbeat melodies and playful, bouncy percussion. There’s good reason many (myself included) consider AHK Sweden’s number-one pop band.

“Would You Say Stop?” was the song selected by fans to be the first single. The band posted snippets of four songs off Music Sounds Better With You on their website, also including “Under Water” (originally my selection), “I’m In A Chorus Line” and “Waterfall”. All four were delightfully happy tunes and, quite possibly, the most infectious pop heard in quite some time. The band is calling it their finest work, and you can already hear the truth in that statement with “Would You Say Stop?”

Music Sounds Better With You is available for pre-order now from Labrador Records.

Above photo by Henrik Halvarsson.

Download: “Would You Say Stop?” by Acid House King

Death And Vanilla came to my attention early last year after they put out a digital single on Beko Records. What was once a free EP now has a solid release under the newly formed Hands In The Dark Records. Dreamy and psychedelic at its core, Death And Vanilla’s pop also borders on electronic.

The opening notes of “Ghosts In The Machine” hints lightly of U.S. based Cock & Swan; it has a similar surreal, eerie sound to it. This continues in “Godspeed”, a song that dominates with drone-like consistencies in both instrumentals and vocals, a trait also found in “Run Rabbit Run” and throughout the Death And Vanilla.

This 4-song EP is packed with heavy synth and vocals that drown in reverb; Death And Vanilla’s sound is one completely unique and original. You can pick it up digitally from bandcamp or buy one of the super limited (edition of 100) CDs from Hand In The Dark.

Download: “Godspeed” by Death And Vanilla

Hands In The Dark Records [EP, 2010]

1. Ghosts In The Machine
2. Godspeed
3. Run Rabbit Run
4. The Colour Of Space

Not too long ago, I posted a list of great videos and on that list was one for “Shyness” by Thieves Like Us. This is notable not only because Summer Camp‘s “Round The Moon” fits nicely beside that band’s critically acclaimed tune, but also because they sampled the same video footage in the creation of these videos. Summer Camp released their Young EP a few months back on Moshi Moshi and it hints of moody European music from the early 80s with plenty of synth and electronics and depressed vocals.

“I Only Have Eyes For You” is an older song from Summer Camp, who grabs their name from the place the band met at ages 14. You can also find Summer Camp on A Christmas Gift for You comp from Moshi Moshi.

Download: “Round The Moon” by Summer Camp

Download: “I Only Have Eyes For You” by Summer Camp

SUMMER CAMP – Round the Moon from Paddy Power on Vimeo.

When Museum of Bellas Artes covered “Who Do You Love” by Sapphires earlier in the year, the song quickly became a favorite. The band is back with some original tunes, all fitting a relaxed, laid-back electronic sound. It reminds me, at times, of Saint Etienne — but only at times. The band’s new EP is called Days Ahead and it features four excellent tunes, one of which can be seen in video form below.

Days Ahead is out now on Force Majeure Records. For added enjoyment, here’s a non-EP remix of “Days Ahead” by Disco Pistol.

Download: “Days Ahead (Disco Pistol Remix)” by Museum of Bellas Artes

Museum of Bellas Artes – Days Ahead from Force Majeure Records on Vimeo.

Buried deep in my inbox was this video for “I’m So Happy” by The Mare. It’s a super upbeat, wildly fun indie pop song from, yes, another great Swedish band. The video features plenty of dancing, a stuffed giraffe, and great colors. The song’s title is perfect; not only does the band continuously repeat the words I’m so happy, it’s also super infectious. Complacency or foul mood? This song is your antidote.

“I’m So Happy” is the first track off The Mare’s new EP of the same name, available now from Leopard Up A Tree Records.

Swedish fuzzed out dream pop group The Radio Dept. returns with a new EP called Never Follow Suit. Featuring lead title track “Never Follow Suit” continues what the band has been doing of late, melding together traits of dream pop, electro-pop and fuzz pop. “Never Follow Suit” is off the band’s recent LP, Clinging To A Scheme. Both are now available via Labrador Records on iTunes.

The label and band have made the title track available for our collective enjoyment, along with a remix titled “Never Swallow Fruit dub by Pistol Disco.”

Download: “Never Follow Suit” by The Radio Dept.

Download: “Never Swallow Fruit dub by Pistol Disco” by The Radio Dept.

Of Johan Angergård’s three bands, only Acid House Kings stays fixed within its prior works’ roots. This band has always created lovable pop music and that hasn’t changed one bit in their first single in five to six years, “Are We Lovers Or Are We Friends?”

With what sounds like a bass clarinet (or maybe just a regular clarinet – my ears are a bit rusty on some of the more non-traditional woodwind instruments) stealing some of the melody, and a signature indie-pop guitar riff, brother Niklas Angergård takes the vocal lead. Behind him, you’ll hear some light orchestration courtesy Johan and backup vocals by Julia Lannerheim.

Acid House Kings is a band that dominates in their ability to create some of the best indie pop music in the world. Thankfully, this too is a trait Acid House Kings retain in their latest offering.

Download: “Are We Lovers Or Are We Friends?” by Acid House Kings

Consistent in experimentation, exploring the outer reaches of dream pop is Swedish trio Fredrik. On their most recent release, Origami, the band continues what they created with LP Na Na Ni and EP trio Trilogi. They create a sound both wonderful and peaceful, but with an underlying eerie-ness that makes their music unique and refreshing.

Fredrik has always used music to build structure around a fantasy world, and as they continue to give us new material, the dream-lands within their collective minds become slightly more vivid. There’s good reason I consider this band to be one of the best, most original bands around, and you can hear it throughout songs like “White On White.”

Origami, then, continues what Fredrik began with their earlier releases — a recurring dream both darkly beautiful and calmly terrifying, filled with mystery and awe.

Download: “White On White” by Fredrik

The Kora Records [7" Single, 2010]

1. Dance of the Peacock Phantom
2. White on White
3. ABC