I love Robyn (as you might have guessed if you’re a regular on here). Video’s great, even though I wasn’t a huge fan of the song when I first heard it but watching this makes me change my mind. Gonna dance like her next time I’m rockin’ the discotheque.
This band isn’t actually new – they’ve been around for a few years now, and have already released a couple of albums in native Sweden. It’s happy soul-pop with a harmless rock edge to it. Check out here.
Swedish housey pop- makes me want to be in the middle of a big dancefloor in Stockholm rubbing with hot Swedes. Check out here.
A little lesson in Swedish… ‘Snart’ which is the title to this lovely track you hear above, means ‘Soon’. ‘Lilla Sällskapet’, the act that are responsible for it, means ‘small society’- although I could be wrong- I’m still very new to the language. You don’t need to speak Swedish to enjoy it though. It’s the kind of music that lifts you up and takes you somewhere lush. Check out here.
Danny Saucedo is already huge in Sweden, and recently came second in this year’s Melodifestivalen which I went to see. He’s finally coming to the UK with this single featuring Freja. The video is very filthy! Check out here.
I love this video for two reasons. First is the song is so catchy and summery it’s impossible for it not to stick in your head the whole day. Secondly the words popping up on the screen are teaching me a bit of Swedish, which is good. Love it. It’s a matter of time before they turn this with English lyrics and release it across Europe. It’s by Eric Amarillo and will be released in Sweden this Monday. It’s almost on loop on Swedish radio these last couple of weeks.
Despite living 10 minutes away from the Shepherds Bush Empire where Lykke Li played tonight, I still managed to get there late enough to only find space to stand on the top tier of this bigger-than-it-seems venue. I wish I came earlier. First I heard of Lykke Li’s music a few years ago I found her a bit scary- just because it was a bit dark and intense for me. But then I saw her live some time ago and saw the vulnerability of her songs and fell in love.
Tonight was mostly stuff from her new record (Wounded Rhymes), and there was some serious attention to detail with the staging of this gig… Very good.
I get asked sometimes how I pick who to feature on this blog. Most of the time I’ll listen to all the music I get without knowing who’s behind the songs, and pick the ones I like the most. Then I’ll find out who they’re by and do a bit of research.
The thing that amazes me the most is that whenever I do this, I end up with one or two songs every time that are outstanding and most likely to be by Swedish acts. That’s why I’ve set up a Swedish Music page on here- they just get it right! This is Shallow Sense. They have a very strong sound, mixing some electro in a Miike Snow (another Swedish talent) style with indie. Check out here.
One’s a huge MC from the UK, the other from Sweden. Both have massive followings and raid the charts in their own countries constantly. Both released albums last year. Both signed to the same label ( I think). Petter and Professor Green.
I don’t care- this box made me yelp. It’s cost me a fortune but you can’t put a price on your passion- no matter how camp it can be. This 6 CD box set has pretty much every Melodifestivalen track since the show was launched in it’s current format in 2002. There’s a book that comes with it. I didn’t get a chance to buy this when I was Stockholm last week (when I went to watch the real thing) so I had to order it via import. Just as well- it’s a massive box. This is definitely gonna keep me out of trouble for a few weeks…
Overflow is the first single from Little Majorette’s upcoming debut album “Rifle Heart” (Sweden Music/Universal Music, April 2011). Check out here.
Teddybears have previously worked with Robyn on ‘Cobrastyle’ from *that* album which shook the pop world crazy side. They’ve collaborated with her again on ‘Cardiac Arrest’- it’s got a cheeky upbeat poppy vibe to it which is just perfect to listen to on one’s birthday! Buy it here.
I went to Stockholm this weekend to watch the Melodifestivalen final, Sweden’s biggest TV show and a dream-come-true for any Eurovision fan. It was also a good excuse to check out Sweden. Stockholm was way bigger than I imagined it to be, and just take a look at the place we stayed in!
Melodifestivalen was at the Ericsson Globe Arena (known for hosting Eurovision in 2000), which is a giant ball shaped venue that is absolutely huge on the inside. The winner of the show goes on to represent Sweden in Eurovision- this year it was this song by Eric Saade:
Pretty spectacular, albeit the lyrics are a bit on the weak side… But judging by the bars and clubs around town, it seemed that this song by Danny Saucedo (which came runner up) was the favourite amongst Swedes:
After the show we went to a Melodifestival party at a club tucked away in a really odd part of the city. One of my favourite songs from this year (which didn’t get through to the final) was this tune by Jenny Silver:
It was heaven. Now back to the real world and new music! More pics on Flickr.
Expertly crafted, lo-fi shoe-gaze from Stockholm. Check out here.
Click here to listen to Lykke Li’s new album, Wounded Rhymes, in full before it’s release next week.
This is a bit huge in Sweden at the moment, and I can totally see why. How do the Swedes get it so right so much of the time!? A rock/pop vibe with a big big sound. Check out here.
