Sweden's Suburban Kids with Biblical Names has a brand new EP droppin' early February! After near 3 years, Peter Gunnarson and Johan Hedberg are finally taking on the next evolution of their synthy pop style. The new single, 1999, quickly tells you that they have an ability to stay consistent with their unique sound but still make it fresh with variety. I love when they throw in what seems to be random sounds but they work perfectly with the track. EP #4 is really just a tease for heir upcoming alum later this year. 2009 has so much to offer! Pre-order the EP here.

1999

Labels: indie, swedish, synthetic

This is a total random thought I had today but I realized how sucky it is when a crappy band has a really good name. Feel Me? Okay now to the music. One of my early on favorites was an artist named Jonna Lee and what do you know? She has a brand new EP rollin' out called This War and needless to say after giving it a listen I am ultra excited for her! It's 5 sweet indie pop songs that gets you really into the Scandinavian music scene (it's huge). There's even a beautiful song with guest Ed Harcourt called And You Love. Get it via Klicktrack for less than 5 bucks and while you're there, check out More modern short stories from..., Hello Saferide's sophomore!
Also she'll be touring a little in Sweden...oh yea...that's right...we live in Russia. =(

The new stuff!
The Light

Old but oh so good stuff!
Out Of My Mind
DC Sleeps Alone Tonight (Postal Service Cover)

And of course the dope new video!

Labels: indie, swedish

The Stockholm duo, Psychic Stunts, have a new EP called 101 Pick Up Lines which in fact are a small handful of songs that refer to pickup lines! I wanted to specifically tell you about their catchy synth pop single Speaker's Block. In finalizing the song, they had a release show of sorts where everyone got to participate in singing the chorus for the recording. Check out the video here. You can get the songs here and we got two below for you.

Speaker's Block
Last Bottle, Lost Battle

Labels: Pop, swedish, synthetic

As I slowly waltz up to the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles around eight, I sense the muggy heat of the day finally drifting up, up and away, and I smile as I see the marquee above the theatre boast in big black letters, “Lykke Li, El Perro Del Mar”.

The theatre is only beginning to fill up a handful of people at a time, as the crooning voice of the opening performer, Anna Ternheim, drifts into the outside crowd. I quickly make my way in, so as not to miss it, for I am immediately feeling myself being put under a spell by the soothing velvet flow of her voice. It reminds me of Cat Power’s older works with a hint of Jesca Hoop’s extended soothing harmonization. Standing alone on the stage, accompanied by her acoustic guitar and the rise and fall of prerecorded violin noises, she seems to capture the crowd into complete silence. The background beats dropped with a slowed down hint of Portishead-like influence.

Soonafter, Lykke Li is on stage, all clad in black, baggy 90’s pants suit and blouse, with a cacophany of gold around her neck. Bells, a peace sign, thick chain, and gold kazoo all hang off of her neck and shake around as she leads the audience into her first song, “Time Flies”. She holds in her hands a tiny tonky-sounding piano and her voice resonates in flowing echoes across the intimate El Rey atmosphere. Then her four piece band joins her with some acoustic guitar, keyboards, and slightly muffled yet strong drum background beats. Her hair is tucked into the back of her blouse and covers the sides of her face, yet when she starts singing “Dance, Dance, Dance”, she breaks out into an almost bird-like dance and the hair flies out with an explosion of movement and light and puts the audience in awe. Throughout this band’s performance, there are sounds of cowbell, tambourines being hit with drum sticks, an ample amount of kazoo solos, as well as beautiful background vocal harmonies of multiplied voices.



Being from Stockholm, Sweden, Lykke Li and her band bring a sound that doesn’t ring a familiar bell of generic repetition, but breathss a fresh perspective of making simple music with a new approach. For instance, in the song “Dance, Dance, Dance”, the only background to Lykke’s voice is drumsticks being hit on the rim of the toms and a one-stringed base line on the acoustic guitar. Yet this song makes you want to sway your hips and dance dance dance in all its’ simplicity. In the song “Little Bit”, there is a wooden xylophone-like background accompanied by a cowbell and quietly swooping, extended harmonized flute and organ noises.



El Perro Del Mar comes onstage to join Lykke Li on one of her songs, and so does Lykke Li, later on El Perro’s last song. The two bands seem very closely tied together and bring a sense of intimacy to the show and the audience’s experience of the music, for it just intertwines and goes on and on. Finally, when it is officially El Perro’s turn, the audience explodes with yells and claps as she walks forth, just her and her acoustic guitar, sporting a long, golden blouse, a miniskirt and black tights, no shoes. She opens with “Party”, a seemingly ironic title for a song of such poignant and heart-gripping lyrics and melody in minor notes. She brings a nearly eerie sound as she whistles along with her guitar. As she moves into her second song, “Dog”, the keyboardist (who also accompanied Lykke Li) joins her as well as another keyboardist, a drummer and another guitarist. She, like Lykke, uses Hare Krishna-looking bells to accompany her lyrics, which again, brought simplicity, yet fullness to her music. Her slightly strained and fragile voice carries sorrow, yet hopeful aspirations at the same time. Despite this, the cheery accompaniment, seemingly from a different era, brings a beautiful juxtaposition of despair in the world, yet ability to find the happy side to it as well. She asks the audience, “Are you happy with the world right now?”, as most people mumble yes and no, she continues, “I get moments where I am happy with the world but it’s in a naïve type of way”. Then she goes on to sing “Glory to the World” and take us again, into a whole different world of sound.

All in all, this was a night that swept me away into different eras, emotions, and countries all at the same time, all within a time span of a couple hours.
Review by Green Russian

Labels: indie, Shows, swedish

Lykke Li is only 22 years old! Okay these days the youngens easily take the stage but still very cool. This young Swede has officially made her indie contributions with her new debut Youth Novels to the ever growing mega massive scene in Sweden. I dono what kind of connections she had to have to get Bjorn Yttling and Lasse Marten to produce her debut but mad props for it. She's sure to get huge! I think her voice commands a good amount of presence on this album. It's a somewhat soulful, indie mushgush pop, and some synth with playful lyrics to say the least. I particularly am diggin' Breaking It Up...does that kids choir sound like the one from D.A.N.C.E ? Does anyone else think that or am I taking crazy pills? I smell mash-up! Get these tracks!

Time Flies
Breaking It Up
Tonight

Get Youth Novels here.
More to listen here.

Labels: indie, Pop, swedish

Swede Sarah Assbring has become up & coming fairly quickly since her early '04 EP Baby, I've been in a bad place. After a couple more successful EPs, El Perro Del Mar is releasing From The Valley To The Stars in a couple weeks via Sweden's Licking Fingers! Sarah recorded the album in her own studio in Gothenburg! EPDM has some sweet pop melodies as well as gentle piano keys with less vocals as they are not necessary to get the full effect. Her music is like a soundtrack to my dreams. With the success of opening for some really great artists, Sarah has really made a case for herself as a musician. She's touring now so defintely go check her out!

How Did We Forget?
Somebody's Baby

apropos, what is with Nesquik's new ad campaign with billboards that read "Come To Your Happy Place"? I'm not trying to be negative, I'm being positively confused. Also, is blogging deadly?

Labels: indie, swedish

This 5 piece is a direct continuity of Sweden's awesome music scene, but these guys have actually been around for a while. Read all about it here. The Bombhappies have recently released Ok ok ok ok ok ok ok off of the Garden Recordings label and it's nothing short of a rad album! These guys are definitely indie but don't let that fool you; they keep the rock comin' heavy! It's a more mature sound then your typical pop. They display a well balanced mix of the rock I liked in the 90s and the faster indie I dig now. You'll know exactly what I mean. You can get that album here.

Goodbye To A Friend
Don't You Try
And At Belle Bed Inn, I Told You

Also check out this rad cover art of the new album.
Happy Friday x2!!

Labels: indie, Rock, swedish

Kent is a well-known rock band through out Scandinavia and probably the most popular in Sweden and yet most of you have never heard of them! We heard a little bit about them in the late '90s and now they have just released their 7th studio album, Tillbaka till samtiden which in English means Back to the Contemporary. They've been together under several different band names including my favorite, Coca-Cola Kids, which sounds to me like a '50s boy band.

I'm told that this album has a bit more electro sound in it and it's evident with all the electronic intros. They came over to the U.S. with their English translated songs in the late '90s but pretty much failed to catch the U.S. wave. Maybe it was too early or the sound didn't work out. Oh well, they do got that new album out and we got some tracks for you! You can get the album off of iTunes here.

Vy Från Ett Luftslott
Ingenting

Labels: indie, Pop, swedish

It's ultra quiet here in the studio, definitely Friday.  It's also freezing in here! You know when you go to a movie theater during the afternoon, you come out and it's super bright outside?  I sorta get that feeling when I'm in my cold office and then I step outside afterwork and it's nice and warm.  Know what I mean? But anyways I'm excited for the weekend!

Labels: acoustic, Music, swedish