Another Nation’s National Anthem, hailing from Stockholm was formed already in 2002 and this spring they released their first official singel, “Save Them From Sorrow”, containing three tracks.
They get their Influences from the nineties alternative grand pop and rock scene, shoegaze and post-rock, and also from contemporary bands like The Arcade Fire, Explosions In the Sky and The National.
Last week Chris Michols Band released their first official album, “Scar Trek”. Two years ago Chris Michols solo released the album “The Long Road”, only digitally, which was downloaded more than 100 000 times on different sites. Parts of that album was later released officially on the EP Fade In in 2009.
The new album continues where the former albums left us, with singer/songwriter with a postgrunge feeling, strong melodies and of course Chris special voice in the foreground. But it contains much more than this. The melodies are there, the hooks, and the postgrunge vibes too, but these vibes have left more and more space for other influences, like folk music, the sixties and indie rock, which is all nicely blended with the rest.
If you’re already a fan you will recognize Chris Michols, but at the same time experience a more varied, strong album. Listen more on Chris Michols Band’s site. Here are two tracks from “Scar Trek”:
Today we have a new coworker here on Meadow Music, Morten Frisch. He presents himself like this:
“The first album I ever owned was Extra vol 1. I got the CD for free when I developed photos from my very own disposable camera after a family vacation in France in 1998. The album contains hits like “Öppna din dörr”, Tommy Nilsson and “It’s Raining Men”, Weather Girls. A lot of things have happened since, but my strong interest for music remains. I’m studying now and reading the fantastic book Punken Please Kill Me by Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain for the third time.” He starts with a presentation of Crying Day Care Choir: Crying Day Care Choir consists almost exclusively of members from the indie folk band Monde Yeux. On CDCC’s Myspace page you can read the story about four friends escaping Stockholm for the south of Sweden after an eye opening trip to Argentina.
And it’s hard not to draw paralells to the music. Monde Yeux is still in Stockholm while CDCC have taken off their shoes and socks and is playing happy indie-folk music on a southern moor, a late summer’s eve.
I fell directly for the song “July”, and it’s hard not to fall in love with the nice folk-pop arrangement they have created. With guitars and ukulele they create a happy sing-along feeling which stick in my mind.
It’s time to start again after a short summer break. And I begin with Shotgun Language, aka Gustav Berry.
This May he released the single “It Leaves Me Worried”, a song that breathes fifties rock, and earlier this year the album “Nerve”, a collection of songs with the same lo-fi sound, caught on his tape recorder at home, and serves us pop gems, country and fifties rock. A little like if Buddy Holly, Neil Young and John Lennon met in someones home and recorded outtakes for their new album.
In May Degrees released the EP “Pt III”, and also the predecessors, accordingly named “Pt II” and “Pt I”, was made available on the net.
Basically it’s about a warm, melodious electronica; synth pop with some strokes of indie with messy guitars. Degrees consists of the duo Mikael Jacobson and Rickard Folke, both hailing from the deep forests around Tranås, where they formed Degrees in 2008.
Obliq, which we wrote about a little more than a year ago, have made a series of live studio recordings, from both earlier songs as well as new ones. They filmed the sessions and plan to release a video every month.
Here are “We Come From the Stars”, featuring Annelie, to listen to and download. And below, the latest video, “The Loneliest Figure”. Go to Obliq’s Youtube channel to follow them.
My Closest Friend, hailing from Göteborg, released a singel in the end of May, “Air”. They offer two songs with rather different character. “Air” with a heavy post-grunge rock feeling and “Real Time”, lighter with some country vibes in it. I can’t help thinking of R.E.M. as I listen, maybe to some extent because of the vocals.
It will be interesting to see what My Closest Friend will come up with next. You’ll find the band on Myspace and on Facebook. Here are the songs:
In November I wrote about The Open Up and Bleeds. Their debut album is now recorded and ready for launch, but so far there’s no date set for the release.
Of course you get a better view of a band when you can listen to an entire album, but it’s a little hard anyway to catch The Open Up and Bleeds. Makes it even more interesting for me, as I’m served a lot of variation from dirty, messy rock with a heavy drive in high speed, to slower, more tense and dark songs.
I’ve been praising Youth and Student Travelbefore, and their two earlier EP:s. Now they have released a new one, with the short name “YAST 3″ and I just keep enjoying this band. Partly they change clothes in this EP, as every EP has it’s own sound. This one a little more rough, denser and more grand, but still a beautiful indie. A new thing is also that two of the songs are in Swedish. Here are two tracks:
Already the title of Chicagojazzen’s new album “Misantropi för nybörjare” (”Misanthropy for beginners”) challenges and plants questions. And the music lives up to this challenge. It’s instrumental, experimental, lo-fi, but basically beautiful creations with contagious melody hooks and rhythms.
It feels like someone has taken a perfectly carved statue with perfect lines, and in an artistic pathos used axe, hammer and saw on it, to make it more real. Or maybe just to challenge, or expose something. Listen here below in a couple of tracks and in a live recording by SVT.
Visit Chicagojazzen on Myspace.
It’s been a while since I wrote aboutHari and Aino here on Meadowmusic. Now they’re finally back with a new EP, “All That Remains”. If you’ve heard and liked them before, you won’t get disappointed now; it’s about good, light, pop songs that make you happy. I can feel that it trips along even lighter now; a little less of Blondie and a little more of Belle & Sebastian.
You can meet Hari and Aino on their site where you can listen to most of their recordings, and also on Spotify. Here’s a song from the EP (plus a video) to tempt your ears with:
The Faux Noise tell us that they get their inspiration from the early seventies and the music scene around Andy Warhol. And I can understand that, even though The Faux Noise’ music doesnt’ feel retro, rather like a contemporary interpretation.
The feeling I get from this is that I am in a river delta, where sound is flowing in from many directions, occasionally it’s raining, and in the middle of all this chaos I find a strong raft that safely brings me out to the sea, accompanied by beautiful melodies. Thrilling and interesting.
On their Soundcloud page you can listen to their music and also to a bunch of interesting remixes of their songs. You can also visit The Faux Noise on their site. Here is “Save Me” and the video to “I Can’t Stop Breaking You Down”:
Heart-Sick Groans put a smile to many faces a little more than a year ago, also here on Meadowmusic. Now they are here again with the EP “Gentlemen, If You Ain’t Right, Get Right!”, and this at a time that fits the music even better. Cause it feels vernal, maybe even summerish from their nice and special folk-indie.
You can listen to and download the EP on their Bandcamp page. Here are a couple of songs:
Per Sahlström, who is a member of The Cortina Collective, released his album “Cross the Line” earlier this year. On his Bandcamp page you can listen to all 16 tracks from “Cross the Line”, of his multi-influenced mellow pop with indie-lofi-vibes.
Daniel Jönsson started to work with his project Danish Daycare already in 2005, but the following years were occupied with his involvement in Emerald Park, as a keyboard player and guitarist. But last year he spent the time necessary to complete the production of the album “A Story of Hurt”, which was released in the late autumn of 2009.
I can find references to indie bands of the nineties and the 00-ties, but above all I get a lot of eighties feelings from this record. Well, in the sound and the ambience in itself and from bands like The Cure, The Church and New Order. I get reminded of Alan Parsons Project in the grand ballad “Never Change Never Fade”, Pet Shop Boys take a peek in “Red Dead Flowers” and U2 in “She Said a Lot”. It’s a varied album with a changing degree of electronica- and guitar background, with an overall atmosphere containing a certain amount of darkness, and an album that grows with each listen.
You can meet Danish Daycare on Myspace and on his Bandcamp page, where you can listen to the entire album “A Story of Hurt”. If you’re in Malmö on the 6th of May, you have the opportunity to see them live at Kick-Start.
Here are two songs from “A Story to Hurt” to listen to and to download:
Today it’s all about “Heaven’s On Fire”. No, not Kiss, but The Radio Dept. It’s the name of their new singel that was released a little more than a week ago. The song is also included on their upcoming album “Clinging To a Scheme” scheduled to be released on the 21st of April.
It’s rather fascinating to listen to Fredrik Jonasson & the Hoarse Horses. Their third EP “Kolme” was released in January this year and contains their own special pop/rock brewage, catchy and melodic, raw edges and a sound where I can hear some New Wave, Pulp, Bowie, Stone Roses and much more. I really like Fredrik’s voice which is very characteristic and fits perfectly with the rather raw sound. On this third EP they have moved away from the electronica background, which was the base before, to a more guitar-based sound.
You can find Fredrik Jonasson & the Hoarse Horses’ headquarters on their site. You can also visit their Bandcamp page to listen to “Kolme” and the earlier releases. Here are two songs from “Kolme”:
The Stockholm band Good Morning June sounds surprisingly mature for being so young (the members are 19 years old). With a mellow indie pop that reminds me somewhat of Radiohead, they are now underway with the release of their debut EP. It’s said to be released on the 20th of April.
Bored Man Overboard is a young band that started out in 2007 in the high school cafeteria. Despite this they have accomplished a lot since then. A record deal with the german label Hazelwood, some EP:s, a European tour and they are now working with their first full length album.
The base is a dark alternative rock, but what makes it interesting is that they have, among the seven members, both string and horn players, which makes a little different mix. This creates a nice contrast between the hard and the soft, between dark rock and folk vibes and variation between the songs.
You can find Bored Man Overboard on Myspace. Here you can listen to the title track from the latest EP “Sinner Song”, which was released last fall.
Here’s a song from Little Big Adventure, “Happiest Times”, taken from “The Hateful Eye EP”. The video maker Varelsen has also made a special video for the song.
Today I’ll show you some music from Yamon Yamons debut album, “Wilderlessness”, which was released in January this year. They present their indie pop, where the airy massive guitars and the nice guitar melodies are in focus. Here below you can listen to two songs from the singel “The Darker Place”, which was released in conjunction with the album.
I was impressed by the Norrköping band Class of Kill’em High. With songs that make me feel like I’m somewhere in the borderland between Foo Fighters and The Strokes, they make their own thing out of this and serves a nice variation with a lot of fantasy.
From exuberating, dirty indie-rock’n'roll in “Ultima Hombre” to melodic tunes in a garage-indie gown, to the suggestive, ambient “Lemondrop”. Dynamic songs also, that use Markus Pallof’s cool voice to the fullest.
Class of Kill’em High was formed already in 2003, but split upp the year after. In 2009 they reformed in this new outfit. You can find Class of Kill’em High on Myspace. Here are a couple of tracks:
Since Our First Guitar is a band that grew out of friendship in the early teens. Step by step the band and their music was formed, and finally in 2008 they decided to make a serious effort. With that said, they locked themselves up in their studio, located in a barn outside of Lund, Sweden, to create the first album.
This debut album, “Sound of Trees”, was released in the end of 2009 and you can listen to a couple songs here below.
It’s a rather soft indierock where they have created a very nice sound atmosphere to be inside. Pleasant, is word that comes to my mind. Listen here see if you agree with me. You can find more of Since Our First Guitar on Myspace.
Yes I Am, which I wrote about in December has released a new EP, “Alarm”. You can listen and download the songs on their Bandcamp page. Here’s “Let You Out”:
Kate and After participated with a song in our Christmas special in December and I thought it was time to listen to more tracks from the band. Below you can find two songs to listen to and download.
I think that Kate and After radiates a joy of playing and an energy that is contagious. It’s about indie pop, but there is a feeling in the sound; some of it because of the hammon organ; that gives me a lot of retro vibes. I also have to mention Magnus Lindquists vocals and his expression that send out that extra which makes Kate and After stand out.
The Idle Hands started out some years ago, but it was not until 2008 that they got their current formation. During 2009 they released the album “Dark Rooms” and in the end of last year the singel “Hearts”.
They present a very nice mix of guitar driven indie rock and the grand pop that bands like Coldplay stands for. Listen for yourself here below to the singel “Hearts” and the title track from the album “Dark Rooms”.
Last week the Gothenburg band The Berndt released their debut album “GBGBG”. My expectations were rather high before the release, but I wasn’t disappointed. Charming and characteristic is the least I can say about The Berndt’s energic punk-pop-indie.
With their crazy playfulness, catchy sound and of course Emil Lundin’s special voice, this really is a unique band. Emil seems to be able to do whatever he likes with the vocals and it comes out great.
The Berndt is best experienced live, and chances are that you might be able to see them soon, as they now launch their european tour that runs through Sweden, Germany, Austria and Italy.
“We All Die” is the name of New Found Land’s debut album, which was released late spring earlier this year. Initiated by Anna Roxenholt and from the start a duo, the band has grown into a group of sometimes up to 8 musicians.
“We All Die” is a varied album with one foot in a modern indie sound, where the band has been compared to Feist, Loney Dear and Postal Service, and another foot in folk music with a hint of jazz. One thing that definitely stand out with this album is the clear, beautiful melancholy, here below exemplified with the song “All the Nights”, a song that also gives me some Joni Mitchell-vibes.
Well, let’s celebrate Christmas this year too here on Meadowmusic. And then with some Christmas songs you may not have heard before, at least not in the version you’ll find here.
The tracks we presented last year are of course good for this Christmas too.
Maybe you will find a new Christmas favourite or maybe you will find an artist you want to listen more to.
Listen to new swedish music and download mp3-files. (right-click link to download)
Do you like what you hear? Then tell others about it! Add links about the artist on communities and other websites, write about it on your blog site and tell your friends.
We would be grateful if you linked to this site.
All songs you find here on this page have been approved for publication by the the artists.
Another Nation’s National Anthem, hailing from Stockholm was formed already in 2002 and this spring they released their first official singel, “Save Them From Sorrow”, containing three tracks.
Last week Chris Michols Band released their first official album, “Scar Trek”. Two years ago Chris Michols solo released 
It’s time to start again after a short summer break. And I begin with Shotgun Language, aka Gustav Berry.
In May Degrees released the EP “Pt III”, and also the predecessors, accordingly named “Pt II” and “Pt I”, was made available on the net.
My Closest Friend, hailing from Göteborg, released a singel in the end of May, “Air”. They offer two songs with rather different character. “Air” with a heavy post-grunge rock feeling and “Real Time”, lighter with some country vibes in it. I can’t help thinking of 
In November I wrote 
I’ve been praising Youth and Student Travel 
Already the title of Chicagojazzen’s new album “Misantropi för nybörjare” (”Misanthropy for beginners”) challenges and plants questions. And the music lives up to this challenge. It’s instrumental, experimental, lo-fi, but basically beautiful creations with contagious melody hooks and rhythms.
It’s been a while since 
The Faux Noise tell us that they get their inspiration from the early seventies and the music scene around Andy Warhol. And I can understand that, even though The Faux Noise’ music doesnt’ feel retro, rather like a contemporary interpretation.
Per Sahlström, who is a member of 
Daniel Jönsson started to work with his project Danish Daycare already in 2005, but the following years were occupied with his involvement in 
It’s rather fascinating to listen to Fredrik Jonasson & the Hoarse Horses. Their third EP “Kolme” was released in January this year and contains their own special pop/rock brewage, catchy and melodic, raw edges and a sound where I can hear some New Wave, Pulp, Bowie, Stone Roses and much more. I really like Fredrik’s voice which is very characteristic and fits perfectly with the rather raw sound. On this third EP they have moved away from the electronica background, which was the base before, to a more guitar-based sound.
The Stockholm band Good Morning June sounds surprisingly mature for being so young (the members are 19 years old). With a mellow indie pop that reminds me somewhat of Radiohead, they are now underway with the release of their debut EP. It’s said to be released on the 20th of April.
Bored Man Overboard is a young band that started out in 2007 in the high school cafeteria. Despite this they have accomplished a lot since then. A record deal with the german label Hazelwood, some EP:s, a European tour and they are now working with their first full length album.
Today I’ll show you some music from Yamon Yamons debut album, “Wilderlessness”, which was released in January this year. They present their indie pop, where the airy massive guitars and the nice guitar melodies are in focus. Here below you can listen to two songs from the singel “The Darker Place”, which was released in conjunction with the album.
I was impressed by the Norrköping band Class of Kill’em High. With songs that make me feel like I’m somewhere in the borderland between 
Since Our First Guitar is a band that grew out of friendship in the early teens. Step by step the band and their music was formed, and finally in 2008 they decided to make a serious effort. With that said, they locked themselves up in their studio, located in a barn outside of Lund, Sweden, to create the first album.
Kate and After participated with a song in our 
The Idle Hands started out some years ago, but it was not until 2008 that they got their current formation. During 2009 they released the album “Dark Rooms” and in the end of last year the singel “Hearts”.
Last week the Gothenburg band The Berndt released their debut album “GBGBG”. My expectations were rather high before the release, but I wasn’t disappointed. Charming and characteristic is the least I can say about The Berndt’s energic punk-pop-indie.
If you liked 
“We All Die” is the name of New Found Land’s debut album, which was released late spring earlier this year. Initiated by Anna Roxenholt and from the start a duo, the band has grown into a group of sometimes up to 8 musicians.
