foto: My Magnusson

On Valborg 2008 (Walpurgis night, swedish festivity), I went to Brännestad in Skåne, together with my collective “Kärlek-Framför-Allt” (“Love-Before-Everything”). When we arrived we came to a barn were we met a lot of nice people and the collective that lives there and that was behind the party.

A murderous bus as the place to sleep, a robust underground gramophone that picked up sounds from the earth, a bubble machine, a tipi tent and of course chopped wood that later that night would burn in the bonfire, with a fire show and Timothy the clown. Up in the barn there was a big stage where bands like Pulejam would get people going and set the atmosphere. Another dancefloor beneath the stage, with crunchy electronica and an open stage for the perceptional jammer.

Right there on the open stage I met Miranda for the first time. Both of us just as affected by alcohol and ready to improvise together. The girl that threw up in the sauna when everyone else was asleep, was obviously a star.

Time passed and spring turned into summer. I could see her name booked on Malmöfestivalen, Vinylbaren, as a supporting act for Detektivbyrån on Smålands Nation. I managed to miss her on Malmöfestivalen as her concert boat left before the scheduled time, so I had to wait until the gig at Vinylbaren…

With purple walls and a red ceiling, the golden frame surrounds beautifully the canvas filled with artists like Tom Waits, The Stone Roses, Nick Cave and in a few years also Miranda. The place is quite small, more ungracefully narrow. I place myself next to some people that’s drinking the first beer of the evening. It’s only a quarter to eight, so I order a Staropramen, call Pär Berglund and tell him the good news that Nöjesguiden has published an article about our blog Meadowmusic.se. Real soon I am about to listen to the voice that has haunted my head and the song “Polly Pocket”, that runs in repeat ever since.

She arrives on stage together with her beautiful mother on cello, and a bunch of skilled musicians playing accordion, guitars, bass and glockenspiel. She has her arm in plaster and brings Boris, her alter ego mannequin, up on stage. The first tones and Vinylbaren calms down to witness Miranda’s voice and performance.

Amsterdam (live) (Jaques Brel)

Well, she’s not quite anonymous as Tore Johansson has his ears on her and is interested in a collaboration. Miranda has the most beautiful voice of Malmö and can become a Swedish Édit Piaf if she wants to and you wouldn’t believe me if I told you her age…

Polly Pocket
Duet With the Clown
While I Run

Miranda on Myspace

Lollop Rose is a six man band with a slightly unorthodox mix: besides guitar, bass and drums – you also find cello and accordion in the band. This is used to create music that is a blend of various influences but still unmistakeably molded into their own great style.

There is a very close and intimate acoustic feeling throughout and they mix songs that have drive and energy with more mellow songs that have a slight melodramatic touch. I get some folk vibes from the verses that are craftily turned into pop melodic choruses. I have to mention David Gustavsson’s vocals that have a strong expression which provides that little extra to make the songs take off properly.

From what I hear, they are even better live. And in a clip from the club Bara Unplugged, you can see some of their stage presence – as well as finally find out what happens backstage. :-)

Listen and download some songs:

Fred
Nothing
This Is It

Visit Lollop Rose on Myspace to listen more and download songs.

Lollop Rose’s site

It doesn’t happen that often, but when it does I feel great. To listen to a song that hooks me up from the first verse line, and then even better if it comes without a warning. This happened to me the other day as I sat down to listen to “A World to Save” with Golden Kanine, after a tip here on the blog. I was caught instantly by the the melody, the feeling, the style, the voice. And the song, well, it held me there all through and kept me listening. And it is a song without a real chorus and with a trumpet solo (or is it the trombone?) in the middle!

Yes, Golden Kanine is very special, and not only for the strange name :-). When I listen to their first album from 2007, with songs like “7th Sin” and “Absence”, I hear rock with a lot of energy, good melodies, alarming guitars and the special voice and expression of Andreas Olrog, driving and slightly melancholic.

With the two new songs here, “A World to Save” and “Cough” I meet another sound. It’s calmer with an acoustic feeling, and yes, the trombone player Marcus has entered the band.

I really like their former work, but the two last songs has put a spell on me. The band is on their way to record their next album, which is to be released in the end of the year/beginning of next year. I hope you can help me out here by visiting Golden Kanine’s Myspace page and tell them to hurry up, so that we may hear the rest of the songs from the new album.

A World to Save
Cough
7th Sin
Absence

The two brothers Bernövall was bored out on the Uppsala plains. So they started a band, Sleazy Romance. Just like that.

And yes, it turned into something special. As some kind of softer Jesus & Mary Chain. Unruly vocals, beautifully fragile, on top of guitar carpets that fill the entire room, but with nice dynamics in between. And, in all of this, good melodies.

Sleazy Romance is about to record their debut album. It’s planned to be released in the beginning of next year, so, until then, spread the word and the songs below. The track “Emilie Scott” will appear in a new version on the upcoming album.

Listen:

Middleclass Love
Lipstick
Emily Scott

Visit Sleazy Romance on Myspace

Jonna Enckell, singer in Project Hate MCMXCIX, has released her solo debut album “Siren On” under the same name as the title. And she has travelled far from the death metal areas where her band resides.

This is music made of far softer tones. It is a grand, piano-based music, with classical influences and bordering territories where Sarah Brightman has been the queen for quite some time.

Jonna has a very beautiful voice and it is very easy to dream yourself away to the melancholic melodies. I get images of vast landscapes, maybe of green Irish hills or the whipping waves against high cliffs, and I feel that this might as well be the soundtrack to a big epic movie.

Here you have four beautiful pieces to take in, listen to and download:

Purple Heart
The Gift
Salitine
Alarm

Visit Siren On and Jonna on her home page
and on Myspace