Friska Viljor relased their fourth album “The Beginning of the Beginning of the End” during spring. If I felt that the last album “New Beginnings” was a little more restrained than the previous “Tour de Hearts”, they are pretty much unleashed this time. Armed with horns and a range of instruments, it’s full speed ahead from the start.

It’s party, it’s sing-a-long, it’s dancing in the streets (yes, there’s even waltz), but also space for reflection and variation. Overall a positive album which touches my impression that this is their best album so far.

You can listen more on Spotify or on Soundcloud. You’ll also find them on Facebook. Here’s the starting track “Larionov”:

Larionov

Ninja Crusade, hailing from Malmö, has released the concept album “Peace Through Superior Firepower”, an album with the war in Iraq as a theme:

We wanted to write about something that was important for us, but couldn’t come up with anything from our own lives that felt relevant. In a way you could say that the album is about the emotions of guilt, from us being spoilt by living in a stable industrial country while people in other countries are being killed by someone who says that he’s “liberating them from their chains” (and then calls it “collateral damage”).

About the music Kristoffer Knutsson from Ninja Crusade continues:

Mars Volta and Sigur Rós are two bands that have influenced us the most. The feeling we’d like to convey on a live gig is the same as we felt ourselves, the fist time we saw these bands; the feeling about how one’s concept of music is being expanded. Other bands that inspire us are Khoma and Mono.

In the songwriting we are inspired by many things, as long as it fits in a whole. You should be able to hear “that was a part of a Pink Floyd-vibe”, but it shouldn’t be more than a vibe.

You can download the album if you’d like. Ninja Crusade can be followed on Myspace. Here’s “Sonic Boom”:

Sonic Boom

After 13 years as a guitarist, DiaVandy heard an electro song for the first time, “NY Excuse” with Justice. He was immediately caught, bought a midi-synth, and more or less quit playing the guitar.

He now produces electronica under the name DiaVandy, and in collaborations such as DVMH, together with Malin Gustafsson. He’s working on an album with a political message, to be released in early Fall, a project that’s called “Democracy” which will involve several guest artists.

You can listen more to DiaVandy on Bandcamp or on Myspace.

Cellardoor
Moonbeat

Riff Knives is back with a new EP, “Ape Flip”. And their own mix of  funk, rock and hip hop continues to impress me. It feels like an obvious step forward; like a wine that’s maturing into something exquisite.

To point out something specific that has happened, I feel that the harder gangsta-vibes has been replaced with more rock- and funk warmth, which I think is positive; it feels closer and more “us” than “you”.

They have a special ability of coming up with efficient hooks in guitar riffs, bridges and chorus melodies and to make it all work together with a really nice drive. From that perspective “Put Me On the Ride” is a pleasure to listen to; the song has everything and they even find space for blues harmonicas and a funky guitar solo. “I Miss You (Honestly?)”, which you can listen to here below is another brilliant example.

You can listen to their music on Spotify, Deezer or Grooveshark. You can also find them on their site.

I Miss You (Honestly?)

Behind the name Eremitapa we find Tim Pirfält, 19 years old, hailing from Jönköping. He has recently released the EP “Brev Till En Desillusionerad Vän” (“Letters to a disillusioned friend”). We meet a young man with a guitar, a somewhat uneven production and his search for an expression. And that’s what makes it real and honest too. Like it should be.

It’s mature without being premature, cautious but yet with attitude and he dares to experiment without overdoing it in his search. The EP, entirely in Swedish, is available on Eremitapa’s Bandcamp page. He also has a Facebook page.

En cyniker från början