This is a test of the emergency mp3 blog notification system. This is only a test, don’t freak out. I just added an email subscription box to the right and I’m not sure what exactly it will do. Please sign up though if you’re interested in getting an email notification each time Swedesplease is updated.
Anyway here’s the new video from Swedesplease favorites Pinto.
“Iron And Rust”
I just saw the American independent film Juno and loved it. So much of what I write about this month may be colored by this film. It’s a simple coming of age story that looks at the high school experience from an unusual angle, that of a pregnant teen giving up her baby for adoption. It’s an awkward little film about misfit characters that deserve to feel better about themselves and in the end do so. Everyone’s great in it, from the lead, down to the bit players (Jason Bateman, Jennifer Garner and even Rainn Wilson in a cameo type role).
Oh No Miriam and her music reminds me of the characters in this film and the lofi music from the soundtrack by Kimya Dawson. Oh No Miriam is a one-girl-band from Stockholm who wears her heart on her sleeve and writes lofi indie pop songs that have as their main attribute a healthy dose of unbridled girlish emotion. She replied to my inquiry to write about her songs with humble apologies for both her bad English and for her first song ever written – “Girls At School”. But her English is fine and her first song is equally so, capturing all of life’s mini drama’s and all the myriad pressures from the teen years. It’s a song that couldn’t have been written by an older or more polished musician and it’s a wonder to behold.
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Juno trailer
Stars from the film improv a song about the director (with a reference to “Swedish fish”)
Kimya Dawson’s “So Nice So Smart” from Juno
P.S. You Ain’t No Picasso had a Juno themed post up yesterday, check it out here.
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In completely unrelated news today the new-to-me blog Phase2 just introduced me to the “bangin electro sounds” of 17 year old Swede Alexander Eldefors otherwise known as Yellus. All I can say is wow…bangin!
We’re back from break and rearing to go. There’s already a ton of great new Swedish music I’m excited to be writing about. These two artists are a tremendous way top start 2008.
The LK’s blend of sugary pop and electronic beats rang a bell with me. I guess it shouldn’t have taken a genius to figure out that this new Swedish duo is just The Lovekevins (here, here) re-branded. In fact the US release on Kora Records is actually just a re-release of 2007′s Vs. The Snow. Still, and all, it’s nice for this Swedish band to have a shot in the US.
One of the best songs on the US release is called “Stop Being Perfect” and although I linked to a version of this song back in 2005 this version was not on the 2007 Swedish release. You can hear “Stop Being Perfect” on the band’s MySpace.
Here’s a couple from the Swedish release:
Tamagotchi Freestyle (via Songs I Wish I Had Written;buy Swedish version of new cd here)
Private Life Of A Cat
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The new single from Moto Boy is a perfect compliment to The LK. They share a love of pop inflected with electronic beats (and they share a label as well). Listen to how this song builds and how Oskar’s vocals soar to dangerous heights. This is great stuff to start the new year off with. Songs I Wish I Had Written will be releasing the debut record from Moto Boy on January 16, more info .
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Finally Swedesplease was selected (along with iTunes and Pitchfork) by the Guardian as one of the 20 best places to get music online for free. Pretty cool in and of itself but they also sent a ton of new Swedish music fans my way – welcome!
This is the last of the recycled content here on Swedesplease. Christmas break is nearly over so come Monday we’ll have all new Swedish indie pop to write about. Thanks for sticking around and be sure to come back on Monday.
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Anna Järvinen has a new record out on Hapna. Anna was a member of the great Swedish band Granada. Her solo material deserves more attention than I can give her in this small space (but check out reviews of the new album here). Jag fick feeling has only been out a few weeks in Sweden and is still not available throughout the world, but has already garnered 9 out of 10 or 4 out of 5 or simply the best album of the year by a number of international critics.
Because of the soaring vocals of “Gotgatan” and the incomprehensible (for me) Swedish lyrics I get a sense of the first time I heard the Cranberries or 10,000 Maniacs. Other song on the record have a more organic feel. But this one is as pop as you’ll ever get from Hapna. Enjoy.
Video (.mov file) for Gotgatan
Peace In Our Time is the solo project of a swede named Johan from Uppsala. I’ve written about his music here, here and here. This new song is lofi brilliance and is the title track from the new 9 song ep. From the band name you may expect to hear left wing political rants but at least on this song what you get is a personal plea to from a man to a woman. Not for sex but for a respite and to be left with some “nice and decent thoughts” for a change.
