After a summer break it’s time again to get started with a new season. Even if I’ve been on vacation myself, the music has continued to pour into my mailbox, which meands that I have quite a list of great music to write about in the time to come.

First up is Henning with the single “För blå” (“Too Blue”), a single he released in the beginning of summer. It’s not the first time we write about Henning; we’ve written earlier about Armadillo King, which he called himself when he sang in English. Later he developed that concept into a band, Armadillo Five and then Armadillo, but when he sings in Swedish he’s Henning.

What I like the best with Henning is his vocals, which are just as strong if he sings in English or if he sings in Swedish, which is obvious also in this song. The music has an air of Peter LeMarc, but turns into something different with Hennings voice. You can follow Henning on his site and the music is also available on Spotify.

För blå

Petter Hillström is back with his project Hillström & Billy’s third album, “All the Sprouts Bowed Their Heads”. And again he’s managed to create an album that grows each time I listen. This time it feels more low-voiced and ambient than before. The nice pop melodies are there, but first of all I notice a strong Americana influence like a thread through the album, further emphasized by the strands of banjo and steel guitar.

Listen below to some of the songs. The album is available on Spotify and on Wimp. Visit Hillström & Billy on Facebook.

Chasing Fireflies
Paper of Roses

The circle of friends in the band Mutual Friends has now grown to 6 members and on the new album “A Day In a Jar” they show us what they can accomplis together. If you listened to the earlier album “The Cabin”, which I wrote about before, you will recognize the Americana-vibing style, where the new members add to the arrangements with new instruments. First of all it’s the violin that gives a beautiful, melancholic folk feeling to the songs. Their best album so far I think.

You can listen to their music on Spotify and on Wimp. Follow the band on their site and on Facebook.

The War Is Over
A Day In a Jar

Suspended Sunday is a trio that consists of Kenneth Burman and brother and sister Albin and Lisa Gillgren. On the new album “No Rest For the Weary” they invite us to a relaxing mix of acoustic pop, singer/songwriter and Americana. It’s an enjoyable and well sounding album with beautiful vocal harmonies and skillfully crafted songs, which manage to keep me interested through all songs. All three members have contributed with songs and each one sings lead vocals on their own songs.

About the origins of the band name Kenneth Burman says:

The name comes from that we wanted a name where you get a vibe from the genre and the ambience of the music. Suspended sunday like when you take it easy and rest to soft tones. But there is also a connection to the title track “No rest for the weary” where the meaning is that you do the opposite to what you do on a traditional Sunday, but with no religious context. A dual meaning simply put.

You can listen to the album on Spotify, on Wimp or similar services. Follow the band on Facebook. Here are the first and the last track on “No Rest For the Weary”:

Leave You Behind
The Whale

A year ago I wrote about Tim Pirfält’s solo project Eremitapa. Now he’s back in the band project Tifuos where he sings and writes songs. The band released the album “Heartbreak and Other Things” during Spring, an album that runs from indie-pop to Americana, inspired by first of all Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Bright Eyes and Ryan Adams in a pleasant mix.

Looking at Tim we meet a more self-assured singer with more attitude than the last time, and he also in a way confirms my feeling from before that he will go on and make great music in the time to come. They say that they have tried to catch as much spontaneity as possibly by recording most of the tracks live in the studio, which is quite obvious. The songs sprawls in different directions and breathes creativity. This sprawling is perfectly fine by me, but the variations in song volumes and sound makes it hard to enjoy the album as a whole. There are several pearl for songs, though, that you can listen to, like the one here below, “Greetings From the Poet”.

Listen more on Bandcamp or on Spotify. You can find the band on Facebook.

Greetings From the Poet