When a new track or upcoming release is announced noting the master duo Fredrik and Lindefelt, be it their original project The LK (or known earlier as The Lovekevins) or the full group simply named Fredrik, the question is not whether they will deliver, it’s how much. Na Na Ni, to prove a point, was my #1 album of 2008. They return now with the upcoming sophomore release, Trilogi, once again to be released on The Kora Records.

If there were any doubt that this band were the purveyors of some of the greatest works in pop music today, let it be dispelled now. “Locked In The Basement” equals the tops from Na Na Ni, like “Black Fur” and “Evil and I”. As a matter of fact, it has the ability to surpass many of them with the test of time.

What makes Fredrik such a powerful artist? It’s part passion, part experimentation, and a massive quantity of harmony. Their music is synonymous with the soothing calm of waves that crash gently upon a rocky beach, of wind that breathes softly upon wheat fields, of the tranquility found in the early morning after a fresh snowfall. It is synonymous with beauty.

Fredrik: Locked In The Basement [mp3]

I get needs, you know? Sometimes I just need an ice cold microbrew. Sometimes, after a long and stressful day, I need to drink a glass or two of red wine (generally a cab-sauv or a cab-merlot) while listening to old jazz on vinyl. But there’s one thing I need more than all: to discover the catchiest pop music available. Enter The Lovekevins, a delightfully upbeat pop group from Sweden.

Their Max Léon EP is cased in a cardboard gate-fold slip with cover art from 1939 by Teo Lindau. Made up of Ola Lindefelt on vocals, drums, and stamps, and Fredrik Hultin on backup vocals, guitar, piano and Cornet. The title track begins with a shuffle in the percussion and a whistled tune atop a subtle bass-line and guitar strums. As the whistle fades, piano takes over. It’s soft and laid-back, as opposed to its follow-up, “Soviet.se”, which has a much quicker pace and relies much more on a jangly guitar, hand claps, and backup vocal tones. “Soviet.se” is joyous and has the ability to move feet and get audiences clapping along.

“The Big Nono” was a quick favorite of mine, from the undecipherable intro lyrics to the backup bop bop vocals to the catchy rhythm guitar chords. A flute and trumpet mix things up with a brief, out-of-tune solo in the middle of the song. Though the final track, “Blame the English”, is the only song by The Lovekevins to produce a single from Max Léon, each song is single-worthy in its own right. The EP version of “Blame the English” is also an alternate version from the single—it was recorded live at the Sporadic Live Internet Radio Broadcast “House of Kevins.”

The Lovekevins are a band that I listen to on a regular basis and, when they fall out of my rotation, they generally make a glorious return within a few month—and the process of re-discovering songs can be just as sweet as that first listen, no matter how many times they’ve been “re-discovered.” It is a trait I have come to associate with their label, Songs I Wish I Had Written.

This review was originally published December 29, 2006 on the old version of FensePost. The Lovekevins have since shortened their name to The LK. The duo is also responsible for the number one FensePost album of 2008 by Fredrik.

The Lovekevins: Soviet.se [mp3]

The Lovekevins: The Big Nono [mp3]

Songs I Wish I Had Written [CDEP, 2005]

1. Max Léon
2. Soviet.se
3. The Big Nono
4. Blame the English