Dubious Quip, aka Daniel Rosenholm, makes a splendid comeback with the new album “The Fear”, his first release in 6 years. He is bringing 6 dub-inspired tracks which breathes of laidback grooves and a calm thoughtfulness. There’s a wonderful mix of retro influences, sound experimentation and acoustic tones. He moves effortlessly across various genres from for example the John Lee Hooker-beckoning “Boom Boom Boom”, to the soul vibing “Sunny Weather”, which makes me think of Bill Withers, to the R&B-inspired “Tears of Happiness”.

The title track “The Fear” is the last song and is a piano ballad about the fear of strangers that lurks behind many doors in our society. It’s a sad and painfully beautiful song, but there’s no resignation here, rather a calm decisiveness and a humble peace.
He has declared that all revenue from the record goes to the organisation Save The Children and their work for helping the Syrian refugees. The official release is on Friday but the entire album is available now on Bandcamp.

Dubious Quip’s site – on Facebook – on Spotify – on Apple Music – on Bandcamp

Mårten Lärka serves us another song in French, this time an energic, bluesy tune called  “Robot”. It’s quite captivating , and I’m starting to feel like a robot as I get caught in the smooth, hammering rhythm. In Spring he released the single “Je Suis Un Rocker“, and I wrote then that he would release an album in May, but it’s actually next year, in 2016, when his album  “Alouette” is coming out.

Mårten Lärka’s site – on Facebook – on Spotify – on Apple Music

The band Samling are releasing their third full length album in October. Last week they gave us a first taste in the shape of the single “Varulv” (“Werewolf”), which I thought I should present here. It’s a gorgeous pop track with an odd theme and a wonderful dynamic 70’s sound, an irresistible combination which makes me curious about the rest of the record.

Samling’s site – on Facebook – on Spotify – on Apple Music

Dödens Dal, that is the duo Henrik von Euler and Rickard Jäverling, will release a follow-up to their two earlier albums in the Autumn. The trilogy, which was described as a mourning process from the start, will now come to a conclusion with the record “På Natten, Ovan Molnen”. This week they gave us a first taste, the song “Det som följer”, which may send us a hint of where they are heading with the new album.

We arrive in a grand soundscape with slowly pumping, dark synths. There is some other vibe to it now, though, like if we’re walking with determined steps out of sadness towards something different. This feeling is confirmed in the end of the song when the clouds suddenly disperse, the sunlight cuts through and the major scales beautifully lights up our way. This is accompanied by a faint breeze of nostalgia, like a calm reflection of what’s been, as we’re making our way toward brighter days.

Dödens dal on Facebook – on Spotify – on Wimp

It’s time to bring this page back to life after a summer of idleness. Outside the sun is hotter than ever before this summer, but more and more eager artists in my inbox are shouting for Autumn and movement. Time to pick up my pen then.

I’m starting with Natali Felicia’s new single “Easy Ride”, which this week also was accompanied by a music video. If you remember well, you know that she released her debut single in Spring, “Used to Be”, a slow, beautiful and dreamy pop ballad which was hard to resist. The new song is in the same spirit and comes out like a child of late summer’s nights, from the long nordic sunsets where we dwell in the space between day and night. She’s singing about fears and how she meets them, it’s dark and melancholic, but yet warm and hopeful when she embraces the fears and rocks herself slowly to safety and secure grounds. Maybe it’s the music journey she just begun she’s singing about, and surely she has picked the right subject? Most often it’s our own fears which is in the way of what we truly want to accomplish. The song and the video dress the subject in a wonderful way, and on the sideline I shout: You have nothing to be afraid of, it’s gonna be alright!

Natali Felicia on Tumblr – on Facebook – on Spotify – on Apple Music