If only Americans could concentrate on more than one artist at a time I think Miss Li could be a crossover star in the states. But as it is it seems we only have room for one piano playing indie rock star chic. Miss Li is force to be reckoned with in Sweden and Europe. She headlines the larger fesitvals and her live show is full of energy. Like Movits! Miss Li could be one of the breakout Swedish artists of SXSW 2010.
Her official showcase takes place Saturday, March 20 at 8:00 PM Victorian Room at The Driskill.
Over the next month or so I’ll be previewing the Swedish acts of note to play SXSW in Austin. Movits! are one of the more high profile Swedish bands since their appearance last year on Colbert. I expect them to make a stir at SXSW in part because besides scoping out talent most of the folks at SXSW are there to party and I can’t imagine a better band to party to than the funk/hip-hop/big band sound of Movits!
Here’s the info on their official shocase but hopefully they’ll be playing around a bunch more:
I’ve been gone for about 10 days from Swedesplease. Honestly been having difficulty finding music that I want to post, or rather that I feel compelled to post. These two new songs from Ossian Ekenger fit the bill. The first is an odd take on The Beatles song “There’s A Place” and the second is a song about his troubled brother Ivan. I’ve written about Ossian before here and here.
I mentioned Tim Schmidt the other day in my post about Jenny Bjorkqvist and also back in May 2008. His debut solo record Slower Things is now finally available. It’s out now on the German label Analogsoul and can be purchased through iTunes or AMAZON here and here.
This song is a bonus track not on the album. Like the album title suggests these songs are meant to be enjoyed at a leisurely pace. Whether it’s just Tim and his acoustic guitar like on “Brighton Beach” or with a little more acompaniement like on “One Of Them Branches” the songs always unfold with quiet calm.
I literally just got an email from Symfoniorkestern announcing a new ep about a minute ago. Since I had neglected Swedesplease for most of the day today I ran downstairs to my desktop (the laptop upstairs is too wonky for such an important post) and started typing. What to say is the question? In the past I have compared them to Detektivbyrän and listening to track 3 – “Del 3″ – makes me think I was definitely on to something. But whereas Detektivbyrän are a one trick pony (an excellent one at that); Symfoniorkestern have more range – they add odd chanting vocals, bits of dissonance and some lovely harmonies.
There are 5 songs on the ep and each one is a revelation. They range in tempo and style from the pop flavored title track to the electronic undertones of “Elektron Kukéso” to the near cathartic frenzied/ominous synth sounds of “Del 3″. The new ep, Tänd eld på dig själv (för det du tror på), is available here for free in its awesome, spellbinding entirety. The band has spent a year and a half recording this ep, I only wish I could somehow give this review the same amount of care. I hope you download these tracks and enjoy them.
It’s been a couple of years (here) since my last post about the Swedish indie folk artist Old Lost John. Not much has changed. On the new record Faceless he still sings in a hushed and pained voice. Instrumentation remains quietly somber, a mix of traditional folk and maybe something a little more modern.
Order the new record directly from Old Lost John here.
Erik de Vahl’s new record is being described as “the straightest pop-songs I’ve ever done but also some more experimental pieces”. You can hear both influences on the single song “Running”. It’s got a Memphis slow jam feel with instrumentation that reminds me of a classic Ann Peebles track, but meanwhile it’s layered in such a way with so many found sounds and samples that it does sound truly experimental.
Erik de Vahl is distributing this new record (it’s a double mini cdr) himself. Follow this link to listen to some samples and order the record for 80SEK/11EUR. Here’s “Running” from the new record.
Here’s a song from Taxi Taxi’s upcoming debut LP that hasn’t made the rounds of yet. I wrote about Taxi Taxi way back when and at the time was intrigued by all the angles (twins, very young, unusual harmonies – did I say gorgeous?) as well as being impressed by their music.
I had hoped that their sound would grow and change over time, but instead it’s stayed rather simple, if now it’s somewhat adorned. Perhaps I was hoping for too much from them. Here’s “Ripest Fruit” off of Still Standing At Your Back Door (Rumracket, Sept. 21).
I think Elias and the Wizzkids is one of the most underrated indie bands in Sweden. If you can get past the slightly accented English you’ll find a pop band that plays sunny, catchy music.
“Mr Right Guy” is an upbeat song about the perfect guy – possibly Elias himself. Not sure if it’s ironic or on the up and up. Either way it’s incredibly catchy with an almost Caribbean infectiousness. Riyl Montt Maride, Billie the Vision and Dancers, and I’m From Barcelona.
I don’t know if there’s a term for the sound of Chuck Morgan. The last post I did on this Gothenberg based troubadour tried to peg him as “romantic indie pop”. His new song, “The Best Of You”, continues that sound but adds even more electronic beeps and blips to the mix. So how about “romantica” for music that mixes emotion with electronics, love with bytes and feelings with 1’s and 0’s?
I don’t know about you but I love this kind of stuff. And Chuck Morgan needs a little love, so please, if you have a music blog, a twitter account, a facebook page, a tumbler, or a myspace please write about Chuck Morgan (feel free to steal my bandwidth and repost the link to his new song “The Best Of You”). Help out a truly “indie” artist and this truly “indie” blog and spread the word.
I find that the music released by netlabels is generally more touch than go. The exception to that rule may be the small netlabel based in Gothenberg called Frukt Records. I’ve loved many of their releases and I think I can say the same for the new record from Frederick Stähl. It’s called Universally Personal and is best summed up by this description from Fredrik:
“Mixing a bit of catchyness with a bit of subtleness. Pop with a splash of electronica. The bitter with a large chunk of sweet.”
and
“It’s filled to the brim with heartfelt, yet catchy tunes, straightforward, but always with a twist.”
Here’s the song “Biblical Parenting” which does all of the above and a bit more (sampling):
One way I think about which songs should be included on Swedesplease is to ask myself if they would be a welcome addition to my iPod. If the songs I write about were to pop up on shuffle, would they intrigue me enough to keep me from skipping over them or better yet track them down? If the answer to those questions is yes than IU’m happy to write about them on Swedesplease. The songs of Ossian Ekenger have found and will continue to find a place on the iPod shuffle of my heart. They are interesting, mysterious, soothing, and odd little lofi masterpieces.
It’s been almost a year since the first and only mention of Ossian Ekenger on the internet courtesy of Swedesplease, so it’s as good a time as any for a followup. Here are two new songs from this Gothenburg based pop upstart.
I’m going to write about Val Venosta til they drag me kicking and screaming from my keyboard. The band creates electronic dance music that always has a solid beat and usually adds just the right amount of processed vocals, robotic sound effects, and sci-fi samples. They just sent me this new song exclusively for Swedesplease readers. Enjoy!
Here, by the wonder that is Twitter, is a bonus track and a new song from Robert Svensson. No Method Records is the best place for new and old Svensson.
I’m loving the emotional vocal delivery and the line “I was architecture and you were the wrecking ball”.
I can count on one hand the number of Swedish R&B bands I’ve written about. I’m sure there are plenty out there, but how many are doing their own material and not simply aping the Motown bands of the 60’s?
Oh Oh! is one. The band is small by R&B standards but still includes between 6-8 musicians. Helena Lundström is the lead singer and it’s her voice along with the strident arrangements that propels these songs forward.
Bakers At Dawn occasionally forwards me their new songs. I try never to let the opportunity to write about their music pass by (here, here, here). I like that Bakers at Dawn are continually adding to and refining their sound. Unlike other bands that I write who polish their pop until it shimmers and sparkles, Bakers at Dawn have a rough hewed experimental pop sound that may be more satisfying in the long run. It’d be much too simplistic to just write this off to regional influences, but their certainly does seem to be a Malmö sound developing and its not your typical Swedish pop thang.
Chris Auster is a tough swede to get a handle because he presents himself more as a prototypical American singer songwriter (Ron Sexsmith, Brett Dennen, etc) than a suave Scandinavian (Jens Lekman, Jonathon Johansson). Perhaps that’s because he’s spent time in the states as well as having influences that range from Townes Van Zandt to The Fleshtones to Bettye Lavette.
“Riverboat Gambler” is from his new debut recording Again and Again. Chris provided some context for the song below in his email to me:
It’s about an old drunken homeless guy down at pike place market in Seattle. I used to play in streets there, and this guy always came up to me and talked about all kinds of life philosophies, the world today, and economic problems, and how I should be doin’ something more useful with my life than playing music on the streets. it was a funny experience.
hence I came up with the refrain:
You better find a way boy, for success and better pay boy.
You better find a way boy, for that’s the world today. That’s the world today!
The Forest & The Trees is a new project from Joel and Linnea Eden. For a duo they create a nice orchestral folk sound. The song “Mother” has a rich, earthy sound that’s complimented nicely by Linnea’s ethereal vocals. The band’s MySpace bio is simple…
“Hi, we are The Forest & The Trees. We play music. “
but their music is anything but with influences that range from Sufjan Stevens to Stina Nordenstam to The Cocteau Twins (and David Bowie!). The band’s next show is April 26 at Lava, Kulturhuet in Stockholm. Here’s “Mother”:
At least a couple people (not in the band) enjoyed my Stereo Arcadepost last week. I promised (threatened) to share one more song from the band so here it is.
On “Monday Morning” we get a nice mix of angular guitars, anthem-like vocals, and that wonderful swede-accented English.
Swedesplease was the first daily mp3 blog devoted to Swedish music. It's gone on to be recognized by Swedish Public Radio, Swedish press, The London Times, The Guardian, The Chicago Tribune and on and on. If Swedesplease has a slant or plays favorites it's a mostly due to an insatiable love of Swedish indie pop, electronica and twee. Most songs posted are free and legal courtesy of the artists and labels. If for some reason you think a song should come down please email me at cbonnell (at) gmail.com.
