Swedesplease – The Swedish Music Blog

If you saw the cover art of their single or some of their promotional materials you’d surely guess. Let me just say this paisley and flowers. Alright you guessed it 60′s pop. Groover Records (home of Jeans and Summer and Jeans and Cover compilations) will soon be releasing the full length debut from this Stockholm band. But for now they’re selling two singles: “She’s My Television” and “Sabotage”. “She’s My Television” is the newest one and has just entered the Swedish charts.

I don’t think I should link to that one as it’s brand new and you really ought to buy it but I will link to the b-side. Sabotage, the first single from The Sunshine, is available from the Groover website so I’ll link to that as well. I like their melding of sunny 60′s pop with the harder element of garage rock (and I alway like a good flute solo). Enjoy and buy these both here.

Right click and replace with song title and .mp3
Get Down On Your Knees
Sabotage
Love

I was going to post more Swedish twee (for want of a better word) but I decided to go in a different direction (more like a different dimension). Sweden Japan Foundation are a mystery to me. At first I thought it must be some collaboration between the two country’s experimental artists but have since learned it’s the work of one man – Henrik Johansson).

The band is set to record with Terminal Products in 2005 but for now here’s a couple of mp3′s of “cryptic ambient sounds”. “Atari Gunfighters” is the most dynamic of the bunch – highly recommended.

It Might Be Spaceships But It’s Probably Just A Flashlight
Cars Hit By Animals Falling From A Bridge Far Above
Atari Gunfighters

Besides all of the other trends I’ve noticed in Swedish pop, one very strong undercurrent and in Lola Barbershop’s case an obvious influence is British invasion bands. Lola Barbershop look and sound the part. They’ve put 11 songs online from what must be one recording session, it’d make a nice cd if someone’s listening out there.

I’ll link to two of my favorites but click here to download all 11. If you can’t hear The Beatles at the end of “Tell Me Now” you may have a problem.

Tell Me Now
The Girl In The Record Store

Let’s Be Honeys is the one man band project of Nils Folke Vandemar (ex Diogenes Musicforce, Soft Spread). He recorded all the instruments and vocals himself and of the 13 songs on Songs Before The Summer Holiday some are covers (“Downtown Trains” by Tom Waits and “Goodnite I Almost Died” by Robote Ate Me), some improvised on the spot (“Tell Me To Shut Up”) and the rest originals.

Nils claims not to be influenced by Belle And Sebastian but admits to listening to their records when he can (particularly when going to sleep – don’t we all!). This is so personal and raw and simple that there aren’t too many other influences to site besides almost everything that’s ever been recorded. The tracks on Songs Before The Summer Holiday that I link to below are all recorded as one long mp3. It’s a pretty amazing listen but you need 35 minutes (15 mbs) and a fast connection to download but it’s totally worth it. If this isn’t a blogging sensation and on a thousand ipods by tonight than I haven’t done my job.

I’ll host this myself for reliability:

Right click and save as song title and .mp3

Songs Before A Summer Holiday

Bonus track – An even newer song by Nils written June 8th called “Instant Popsong (Just Add Tears)”. Visit Nils’ site for one additional mp3 “Lionheart Remix”)

Instant Popsong

PS Sometimes it seems like we’re changing the world doesn’t it? Or as Nils sings “we all know pop love might just save the world”…brilliant!

I’m not sure what the music scene is like on the tiny island of Gotland (Sweden) but I’m guessing the band Trucker Cleavage is pretty much at the top of the heap. Gotland is an island off of Sweden and a tourist destination for many, it is home to 57,000 people. Three of them form the band Trucker Cleavage.

The band describes their musical influences as American independent rock like the Pixies, Lemonheads, and REM. I can’t exactly place the sound but I would say more like REM’s lesser known southern rivals like Swimming Pool Q’s, The DB’s and/or Hetch Hetchy. Here’s a couple songs from them. Contact the band (info@truckercleavage.se) to purchase their 2005 ep Sommaren.

Foaming Love
It’s Just Entertainment

From 2004′s ep Vintern

Naked Pink Neck

Is getting some mileage out of the Hives frontman proclaiming them “the new Swedish rock sensation”. Their debut record Extra Fingers is out now and can be purchased through the fine Swedish mailorder company Dotshop.

I have no idea what their name, CDOASS, means. Anyone? Parasol sent me their two song single so I’ll post a non-album track available only on that single. I’ve been listening to a lot of Gang Of Four lately and this song reminds me a little of them with the clear, persistent bassline, angular guitars and repeating choruses. Buy the single here.

Clock Work

The Moonbabies, one of Sweden’s most recent critically acclaimed and successful bands, are about to release their 8 song mini-album in the U.S. War On Sound is a stop gap release after their successful sophomore cd The Orange Billboard and before their upcoming full length followup. The Moonbabies are Ola Frick and Carina Johansson and it’s the interplay and layering of their music and vocals that sets them apart. Also their highly orchestrated perfect pop sound is just what you’d expect from Sweden, isn’t it?

On this release they include two covers (Pink Floyd and Midnight Oil) and the first take of “The Orange Billboard” as well as four new songs. This is not filler and is really an essential release from this group. Here’s a couple of songs from this release (which I just got in the mail today!!). Buy it here from Hidden Agenda/Parasol or if you’re in Europe here.

War On Sound (edit)
The Orange Billboard (first take)

Martin is a new signee for Imperial Recordings and he has just released his debut ep (May 25). Martin McFaul hails from the musical hotbed of Gothenburg (besides Malmo and Stockholm this city seems like the epicenter for the Swedish music revolution). Maybe You and Me is a 4 song ep of mild psychedelia and lo fi strumming. Organ, found sounds (birds chirping etc) and a cheap casio adds to the allure of this newcomers sound.

Oh yeah special guest Martin Hederos and Jukka Rintamaki. Buy from here in Sweden or from Parasol in the states.

Maybe You And Me
A Special Kind Of Person

Sorry for the short post today but I’m sick. The band Hit Harder just emailed me with an mp3 of their first single. The band is made up of two sisters. But I don’t have any other information as there’s no website. However the band does have a manager who can be reached here if you are interested in contacting the band.

Like a female, Swedish version of Erasure or Flock of Seagulls. What do you think?

Faking It Good

Self titled release due out in July in the Us from this Malmo, Sweden based artist. Released on Hidden Agenda in the Us (Distributed by Parasol). Features guests from the bands Soundtrack of Our Lives and Hellacopters. You can buy it here in the US.

This release includes the bands first ep and the new full length record. I haven’t heard the whole thing but I like the groovy sound of “Pole Position”.

Pole Position

Alt-country inspired rock from Motel North. Instrument list includes guitar, banjo, mandolin, organ so you get the idea. Lead singer of the band is Mikael Carlsson who is also in David and The Citizens, The Following Sea, and The Homeland Show. Check out all his various projects here.

Buy some stuff here.

Detour To Happiness
December Revolution

Bjorn Vanner is different in many ways from the protypical band heard on Swedesplease. The most obvious difference is that he sings his music in his native tongue of Swedish. His new record is out now (2005) on Adrian Records. Any help on Bjorns story would be greatly appreciated.

Vad Ska Jag
Stafanstorp

I won’t lie I found out about The Charade directly from the Hello! Surpise! website. This Swedish music guide and mailorder, along with It’s A Trap, is essential reading for me as I prepare these Swedesplease posts.

The story on The Charade is that one member, Mikael Matsson goes all the way back to the start of Swedish indie pop with the band Happydeadmen. He’s signed up two others in 2002 to create The Charade and it’s vocalist Ingala Matsson (his wife) who steals the show on the single “Monday Morning” from the album The Best is Yet To Come available sometime in June 2005. Buy it at the Hello!Surprise webshop now.

Monday Morning