Pallers: The Kiss [mp3]
Sweden’s Pallers gave us the critically acclaimed “Humdrum” a year or two ago, and backed the single with a few… Read More »Pallers: The Kiss [mp3]
The Mary Onettes: The Night Before The Funeral [mp3]
Listening to much of The Mary Onettes growing breadth of work, one gets the impression they are surrounded 80s LPs, and that this is where they draw influence. From Echo to The Church, Go Betweens to The Smiths, this band pulls all the right elements to create one of the freshest sounds around today. The latest tune from these Swedes is “The Night Before The Funeral” and it’s right up there with past hits like “Dare” and “Puzzles”. Opening with a heavy guitar strum which soon gives way to chamber-hall stringed instruments, “The Night Before The Funeral” isn’t so much a progression for the band than a tune complementary to their library. With The Mary Onettes’ blend of influences, it’s precisely what you’d want. Read More »The Mary Onettes: The Night Before The Funeral [mp3]
Lykke Li: Possibility [Video]
Lykke Li is hard at work on her follow-up to 2008’s smash hit Youth Novels. “Possibilities” is off the new album, and it fits Li’s softer, more emotive side. And it is this side that I find most appealing. “Possibility” is directed much like a scene from a David Lynch film; Immediately what comes to mind are his works Mulholland Drive and Inland Empire. It has overlapping video, a cleverly shaky camera, and an itchy focus finger. This works well as the song is shrouded in minimalism. Even the song, with its minimal drone-like organs and echoing vocal reverb, fits the reference — so it’s a bit of a surprise to hear that it’s been cast in the highly popular Twilight film New Moon. Read More »Lykke Li: Possibility [Video]
Björn Kleinhenz: The Mountain Pt. 2 [mp3]
Björn Kleinhenz creates pleasant folk-pop with a romantic edge. Like a Swedish version of something by Iron & Wine’s Sam… Read More »Björn Kleinhenz: The Mountain Pt. 2 [mp3]
The Sweet Serenades: Die Young [Video]
The Sweet Serenades are, well, just that; a sweet compilation of all things happy or sad, in mourning or bliss. This Swedish duo look as though they could be pounding lagers amongst muscly, flanneled woodsmen, but damned if they wouldn’t hesitate to break into a beautiful ballad at any moment. “Die Youngâ€, from their amazing album Balcony Cigarettes, is a beautiful track serenading (pun, intended) one of the greatest yet most heartbreaking mistakes human beings can make: the one night stand. With guest vocals from Club 8’s Karolina Komstedt, this tremendous little ditty, recently featured on the for some reason still hit show Grey’s Anatomy, is sure to steal your heart. Or, as these guys portray it, wish it were worn as a giant suit for all to see. Read More »The Sweet Serenades: Die Young [Video]
Tobias Fröberg: When We Go To War [NSFW Video]
Tobias Fröberg mixes folk and pop with the electro side of both genres in his new song “When We Go To War”. The video compliments the song’s electronic elements thanks to outstanding performances by dancers Kage Mulvilai and Azumi Oe. Filmed by Shane Sigler and directed by Petter Ringbom, “When We Go To War” is a classic good versus evil, light versus dark, carnal and savage portrayal of the human spirit and its brute animalistic heritage. Bringing performance art into a music video is an excellent concept that not enough bands use to their advantage. The result is one of the best music videos yet this year. Read More »Tobias Fröberg: When We Go To War [NSFW Video]
Club 8: Western Hospitality [mp3]
It’s long been my opinion that anything Johan Angergård touches magically turns to gold. This belief has stood strong with all his projects, from The Legends to Acid House Kings. Club 8 has consistently come third on that list, but with “Western Hospitality” from the forthcoming The People’s Record, everything is about to change.
Read More »Club 8: Western Hospitality [mp3]Sambassadeur: Stranded [mp3]
My first impression of the first track off Sambassadeur‘s new LP, European, is that the song is easily their finest yet. With an emotive piano intro and outro, orchestral pop sensibilities, and schizophrenic percussion, “Stranded” seems to be a turning point for the band. Sambassadeur has always been a group to flaunt instrumentation, but here it’s never been as clear and forward, from the strings that enter as the introductory piano fades, to the deep clarinet solo just past the midpoint. Read More »Sambassadeur: Stranded [mp3]
The Radio Dept: Heaven’s On Fire [mp3]
Beginning with a sample (bonus points if you can pinpoint that voice) and leading into The Radio Dept.‘s now signature eletro-pop meets fuzzed out, jangle-worthy synth lines, “Heaven’s On Fire” promises great things for the band’s forthcoming record Clinging To A Scheme. It carries on precisely where the band headed post the release of their second LP, Pet Grief; songs like singles “Freddie And The Trojan Horse” and “David”. Read More »The Radio Dept: Heaven’s On Fire [mp3]
And Oh, So Slowly He Turned: By Some Godforsaken Lake Up North [Album Review]
Kristian Svensson crafts some pretty chill pop music, encompassing a space between the drone-heavy, space-friendly reverb and the upbeat-yet-emotional electronic. His latest work as And Oh, So Slowly He Turned is By Some Godforsaken Lake Up North. Packed with lovable lo-fi pop songs (easily recognizable as Swedish) and containing light hints of experimentation, the album opens with a light guitar riff and full-bodied (but mixed down) percussion in “Demensia”. The vocals, like the percussion, are eerie and soft — they fit in the background while the instrumentation takes a more dominating presence. Read More »And Oh, So Slowly He Turned: By Some Godforsaken Lake Up North [Album Review]
