Here’s an amazing little video by Sweden’s Little Big Adventure. True to the band’s name, “Happiest Times” features a man on a journey in the more unconventional of senses. What makes this a good video is the near eerie way it progresses, with time sped up and a good concept: the character moves forward on his stomach with flowers and a briefcase, a wanderer roaming the countryside. Read More »Little Big Adventure: Happiest Times [Video]
Sweden is no stranger to pop, as you well know by now if you’re a regular here. But they also have a dance side, as proved by artists like Unarmed Enemies and Le Sport. And these artists know a good cover. Le Sport dons a Pet Shop Boys sound frequently, while Unarmed Enemies does a mean rendition of The Go Betweens’ “Going Blind”. Museum Of Bellas Artes remake the Sapphires 1964 soulful pop hit “Who Do You Love”. Read More »Museum Of Bellas Artes: Who Do You Love [Video]
With an orchestral intro fit for Camera Obscura, Sambassadeur‘s “Days” sees the band returning to their roots and expanding their inclusion of strings. With “Days”, Sambassadeur hands over yet another great pop song and their best vocal hook since “Between The Lines”. Buried in a 70s folk-pop influence and including an upbeat shuffle in the percussion, Sambassadeur is sure to please fans of Belle & Sebastian and fellow Swedes and label-mates Acid House Kings.
Read More »Sambassadeur: Days [mp3] Thanks to a recent post by Swedesplease, the premier US blog focused entirely on Swedish artists, I’ve discovered a new… Read More »Bakers At Dawn: After The War [Video]
The Hartmans have a history of creating garage pop that spans the genre from the jangle-ridden acoustic to the unbearably… Read More »The Hartmans [Feature]
Hanging on the wall in my living room are six album covers and the one closest to my leather rocking chair – where I write the majority of the items I post on FensePost – is Starlet‘s Stay On My Side from 1999. Songs like “At Least In My Heart” and “In The Disco” were the soundtrack to my summer of 2006, along with the title track off When The Sun Falls On My Feet, their 2002 follow-up. The latest news is that the Starlet crew is back after what, in my opinion, has been a far-too-long hiatus. Read More »Sweden’s Starlet Recording A New Album
On “Orange Is Green”, Sweden’s Mono Stereo mixes psychedelic pop with shoegaze for a truly epic sound; it even dabbles a little in prog. The black-and-white mixed with color fit for early music videos is a mixed throwback of influences, from 60s and 70s pop to the mid 90s indie rock shoegaze. Mono Stereo’s ability to create monumental pop heights spiraling with sound allow songs like “Orange Is Green” to genuinely shine. And, as “Orange Is Green” can off their debut EP, out next month, they’re doing it early. My guess is that we can expect great things from these guys. Let’s hope they keep it up. Read More »Mono Stereo: Orange Is Green [Video]
Swedish folk musician turned Denver resident, Elin Palmer varies her song-craft between orchestration and experimentation. Her songs mesh the two arenas of folk, often dabbling in a fairly sizable amount of pop as well. Palmer’s brilliance is partly due to her mystic voice — the Swedish accent is truly what does it. But wherever the unique instrumentation dominates, sheer brilliance ensues. Read More »Elin Palmer: Postcard [Album Review]
Longtime fans of Sweden’s pop music scene will recognize the Club 8 name as belonging to one of Labrador Record‘s most appreciated artists. The duo of Johan AngergÃ¥rd and Karolina Komstedt have been making music under the moniker since the mid 90s, and have released six full-length LPs. What sets this new album apart, however, is that AngergÃ¥rd will not produce it — and that’s a first for the band. Instead, Jari Haapalainen (Peter Bjorn & John, Camera Obscura, The Concretes) will be the producer. Read More »Club 8 Slated to Release New Album Next Spring
Robert Church & The Holy Community‘s music has always been filled with the fuzzy DIY sounds familiar to the Swedish artists favoring lo-fi, and their latest in “Skinny Rabbit” is no different. The song and video are both simple. With an emphasis on synth and bass, and a mopey but catchy vocal melody, “Skinny Rabbit” is one of Robert Church’s most promising songs to date. The video is all DIY, minimal and simplistic with cutouts of the band members and a few varying backgrounds. Read More »Robert Church & The Holy Community: Skinny Rabbit [Video]
