In October The Chrysler released the album “Hands Across the Sea”, which is their fourth album and their first one in six year, though it is the first album I hear with them. The band was started in 2001 by Pelle Lindroth and Anders Rudström, who today form a sextet toghether with the other members Nya Sampan, Martin Sörbom, Peppe Rudström and the productive, especially this year, Henrik von Euler. The record is quite a pleasant acqaintance with a sound that comes with both a retro flavour as well as an indie-roughness from today. Americana and country inspired pop with overall strong, melodic songs is my closest description, and with a variation where I’m reminded of the melancholic sixties as well as Dylan in the seventies. Here are two songs.

The Chrysler on Spotify – on Wimp – on Rara

MANKKU  [mancko] has been laying low when it comes to recordings since his “dogma”-sessions last year and the album “Festen har bara börjat” the year before that. He writes that he’s gathered quite a collection of new songs, which he hopes to start to record this winter. He has had the time, though, to translate and record his own interpretation of The Gun Club’s song “Mother of Earth”; a song he says that has been with him ever since it was released in the beginning of the eighties. And as you can hear below, he’s made something completely of his own with the song, like a kind of bluesy Americana with a backbeat, and an ominous pumping bass synth and bells that’s counting the time (that’s left). An interesting hint (I hope) of what his upcoming recordings will be like.

MANKKU [mancko]’s site – on Facebook – on Spotify – on Wimp

Slim Loris released their second full length album “Future Echoes and Past Replays” in Spring. It’s first of all an Americana-inspired album, but where they pour influences from pop and rock to a varying extent into the mix. In the end it comes out as a shifting, interesting record with everything from earthy, melancholic folk to beautiful country pop to more dramatic pop, most of the time with a basic acoustic vibe to the sound. Here are a couple of songs.

Slim Loris’ site – on Facebook – on Spotify – on Wimp – on Bandcamp

I’m going to kick off the Autumn season today by presenting some more artists I discovered at Roskilde, and then continue with loads of new Swedish music. Here’s a beautiful collection of music of various genres and from different parts of the world:

Jake Bugg

Jake Bugg from England serves some brit pop, but first of all folk rock with a luster of the early sixties; the best I’ve heard in the genre lately. Here are two songs from the latest album, which is available on Soundcloud, among other pages.

Felipe Cordeiro

Lovely mix of brasilian traditions and pop. Playful, rhythmical, melodic..

Dead Can Dance

A comeback from a band that’s been quiet for 16 years. Reverb drenched, beautifully melancholic ambience.

Sohn

Smooth, soft soul and electronica from this Englishman.

Dawanggang

A unique blend of chinese traditions and music from our part of the world, from this band with former punk rocker Song Yuzhe in the front.

Devin Townsend Project

Grand arena rock from Canada that doesn’t hold back in any way.

Ásgeir Trausti

Beautiful Icelandic pop.

Rokia Traoré

African traditions, funk and a wonderful soul-earthy voice from Rokia Traoré, hailing from Mali.

My Bubba

Swedish-Icelandish duo which breathes of  folk, blues and Joni Mitchell.

Calexico

Country rock and mexican horns from thus American duo.

Here’s an interesting singer/songwriter from Stockholm. Linn Öberg is her name, and she has earlier released the debut EP “Parades” and now during Spring a video for the single “Jump”, which you can watch here below. Americana-inspired pop performed with Linn’s special voice, acoustic guitars, vocal harmonies and toms.

Linn Öberg on Facebook – on Spotify – on Wimp –on Soundcloud