I like that I don’t have any ads on Swedesplease or Songs:Illinois. It frees me up to post whatever I want. I never have to fear about losing readers or not attracting enough. In fact for the past several years I’ve run this site more on the belief that driving people away with the most obscure Swedish music may be the best service I can provide.

I say this not because the music of Musette is offensive (it’s not) but because unlike a lot “blog rock” it doesn’t try to reel you in in the first 5 seconds with a catchy beat or hook. Musette and his brethren are making thoughtful, minimalist, experimental music. The debut release by Musette is Datum and comes out Feb. 24 on the new label Tona Serenad. The songs on Datum all arise out of specific events and experiences from days gone by. Below is “May 24″.

24 Maj

Fuglesang

I’m going to follow up on my previous post about the group Symfoniorkestern (the only one ever for the band) with yet another post about this Symphonic Orchestra. How’s that for obscure Swedish orchestral indie pop?

Here’s the band’s eclectic list of influences courtesy of their Myspace page:

beethoven & debussy & chopin & bach & pachelbel & the brilliant green & kaji hideki & shiina ringo & pizzicato five & cornelius & kent & sergio mendes & broder daniel & lars winnerbäck & takeshi kobayashi & vapnet & sibiria & hospitalet & fiona apple & judy and mary & frank sinatra & the beatles & david bowie & tv-resistori & malice mizer & schytts & joe hisaishi & nobou uematsu.

And here’s the new song followed by the video. Enjoy.

Reprise

And the cool handmade animated video for “Reprise”

Symfoniorkestern – Reprise

Sticking with yesterdays theme of experimental electronic music from Sweden, here are a couple short vignettes from Smulton. Check out how the organic (kalimba) or odd percussion sounds mix with the electronic.

Velociped
god morgan
Ending

I haven’t written about Swedish drone for awhile. But with the new It’s a Trap netlabel release of the collaboration between Tobias Hellkvist and Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words called “White/Grey/Black” it seems as good a time as any to revisit this genre. The swedes may known as the main producers of drone (that honor may go to the German’s) but they nonetheless are fairly proficient and accomplished.

“Whire/Grey/Black” is a 57mb file divided into three parts. I’m listening as I type and so far in movement one there is an undercurrent of doom and industrial effects. I wonder how this theme will progress through the next two movements. Give me 30 minutes and I’ll get back to you.

The funny thing is 5 years ago something like this would be import only at Target at a price of about $25. No you can get the whole thing, artwork and all at It’s A Trap here.

White/Grey/Black

P.S. and btw I’m now halfway through the track and the tension and the impending doom is building…

What do Bela Lugosi, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and Alice Coltrane have in common? Not much I wouldn’t think but they are all listed as influences of the Malmo based group Death and Vanilla. This is the only song up on the band’s Myspace page but it’s a pretty good indication of what the band is capable of, as well as being an amalgamation of all their other influences (Nico, VU, Suicide, Current 93 and Sun Ra).

Run Rabbit Run

I like the fact that I can write about whatever the hell I want to on Swedesplease (assuming it’s Swedish) and I like the fact that I can do it twice if I want to. So here are two more songs or really vignettes from Petit Soleil and a video that is exactly what you’d expect from such a mysterious creature.

Per The Walking Russian
Russin Sng

Le petit soleil from Thuva-Lisa sven on Vimeo.

There’s a new covers project for a relatively obscure Swedish band punk called Förmögenhet. I don’t know the where, how or what fors but it does feature a nice group of Swedish artists including Ass, Gentle Touch, The LK and Mexicos.

Here’s a couple songs from this upcoming release on the label Diskret Förlag. The three bands here take a more experimental approah to Förmögenhat’s typically fast and loud hardcore punk.

Tummen Up – Lassus
Lurad igen – Tar…feathers
Är det nån som är snål så är det du! – When Hell Freezes Over

Happiness. has an upcoming Split LP with Tar…feathers on Adagio. It’ll be limited edition 600 lp run of pink and green vinyl. Here’s a song from the lp called “Look At That Rabbit Go”.

Look At That Rabbit Go

Video for “Look At That Rabbit Go”