Marigold

Billy the Zombie Kid – “The Blessing and the Curse” – EP

Billy The Zombie Kid is a band from Borlänge, who released the debut album “The Blessing and the Curse” a couple of months ago. It contains five songs with a melodic, alternative pop/rock spiced up with electronica, well a bit in the direction of The Killers. Here’s the title track “The Blessing and the Curse”:

Marigold – “Allt kommer bli bra”

The next band, Marigold is also from Borlänge. A month ago they released the single “Allt kommer bli bra” and last year the excellent EP “Och så kom regnet”. I can sense a part of The Killers here also, but here more in the direction of synth pop, as a melancholic, a bit eighties-like ambience sweeps into the room. Here’s the latest single together with “City Farewell” from the EP:

Sisilisko – “Waldeinsamkeit” – EP

I wrote about the duo Sisilisko, Albin Boman and Peter Engqvist, in the Autumn. Now they are back with the EP “Waldeinsamkeit”, an EP where their doom-folk music runs further into the dark woods to explore the mystique, nature and darkness. Here’s “The Woods” from the album:

Lerin/Hystad – “Mount Buzhou” – album

On the 25th of April the Swedish/Norwegian duo Simon Torssell Lerin and Bettina Hvidevold Hystad are releasing their debut album “Mount Buzhou”. The album title is taken from the name of a mountain in Chinese mythology, a mountain said to have supported the heavens.

The Chinese tradition also run through the music. In 2010 the duo travelled to Kunming in the south west of China, where over 1000 retired musicians gathered each day to play traditional Chinese music together. During two months they recorded this music, and later blended these recordings with their own instrumental music. Postrock and progressive rock meet Chinese traditions which create a very special atmosphere. Here’s one of the six songs on the album:

Read an interview with Lerin/Hystad on Alltformusik.se (in Swedish)

LCTRISC

Here’s a short post today with a clear electro pop theme.

Saigon House – “Into Your Arms Again”

Here’s the debut single from Saigon House. The band found their inspiration right in Saigon, and in the song you’ll hear recorded sounds from the city.

Tikkle Me – “Genius”

Tikkle Me with the third single from the upcoming album “What Is Real”. Album release April 16th!

LCTRISC – “Gas and Cigarettes”

New single and video from LCTRISC aiming at their debut album “The Fire In the Distant Future”, to be released in May.

Leppen – “Sova”

Finally Leppen with the single “Sova” from the EP “iställetförattprata” (release April 28th). Behind Leppen you find Dan Lepp who earlier played the organ in Grand Tone Music.

The Mondanes

Slow Show – “Nowhere”

A couple of days ago the indiepop duo Slow Show released the energetic and uplifting song “Nowhere”. The song is a remake of an earlier version from 2010, and was recorded together with eight other new songs in August last year.

Natten – “Omen” – EP

I wrote about the quartet Natten in the Autumn. Now they are back with new instrumental night escapades on the new EP “Omen”. With their mix of jazz, electronica and other influences they have carved out their own unique style, their own ambience, which I recognize when I listen. Imaginative and sometimes with a filmic vibe. Listen to the EP here:

The Mondanes – “Silver Spoon (live session)”

The Mondanes is a new quitet hailing from Göteborg. Here they are with the song “Silver Spoon” in a nice Byrds-vibing live session.

Colleagues – “Tears”

The band Colleagues doesn’t exactly pour out songs on the market, even though they have received quite some attention from the two songs they have released so far. “Parent’s House” came out in the Autumn 2012 which was followed by the music video “Visits” a year ago, and now the song “Tears” with an exuberant electro-indiepop.

Ronnie – “Angels”

You may have heard Ronnie Hagstedt before in the house duo The Lab Wizard or as the singer in the hard rock band Optimystical. On the new solo single “Angels” he also shows us that he’s got some soul vibes in his great voice, in a song that feels like classic souldisco in a modern costume.

Erik Borelius and House of Sound

Erik Borelius – “Erik Borelius and House of Sound” – album

“Erik Borelius and House of Sound” is the name of  Erik Borelius’ twelfth album, which was released a couple of days ago. It’s also the name of the band he started three years ago with himself on vocals and acoustic guitar, Pär Hedtjärn on Drums, Jonas Hedlund on electric guitars and Anders Olausson on bass guitar.

On the album they’ve been aiming at the arrangements they play live with as few added tracks as possible. The sound is airy, warm and close. Mostly it feels rather laidback and quite personal in songs where Erik is mixing influences from various directions, from pop, blues, jazz, progressive rock, fusion. Sometimes I get some Dire Straits-vibes but still it feels like it’s the spirit of Al Di Meola which shines through in the strongest way, and which is also allowed to spread it’s wings in a couple of the instrumental tracks and in a song like “What Is It All About?” here below. It’s a band of skilled, tight musicians where of course Eriks’s fantastic and beautiful acoustic guitar gets some well deserved space. Here are two songs:

DNKL – “Battles”

The trio DNKL got plenty of attention on the net from their debut single “Hunt“. Last month they released the follow-up “Battles”, a song where I recognize the large-sounding, soaring electro pop from the debut but which also contain a certain rock vibe.

Bring The Mourning On – “Fading Trail” – video

Bring The Mourning On, hailing from Malmö, are releasing a new album, “Northern Ghost”, on the 4th of April. Here’s the first taste in the shape of a video to the song “Fading Trail”. Naked, beautiful Americana:

Lejonsläktet – “Som om sanden rinner ut” – video

Alexander Eldefors and Volter Hagman grew up together in the small village Undersåker in Jämtland. Later they played together in the band  Rói Höttur, but parted musically, and we’ve heard them here before in projects like The Orange Revival, The Seed Coat and Yellus. Now they are back together again in a new project, Lejonsläktet, which is built upon ideas, melodies and thoughts they have collected over the years. Here’s their first creation, a song that really feels like psychadelia from Jämtland, and which will soon be followed by the debut EP “In och ut”:

Lilla Milo

Dream Curtain – “Unknown Ends”

I’ve written before about William Hamparsomian and his solo project Dream Curtain. Yesterday he finally released the excellent debut album “Unknown Ends”. And it feels good with an entire album  from William, where we get to explore more of his dreamy, hypnotic soundscape, which we recognize some of before. Here it’s also mixed with quite a dose of analogue electro pop with nice melodies, at least in a more obvious way than before. You can listen to and dowload the album on his Bandcamp page.

Faråker – “Sista fajten”

Faråker har just released a new single, “Sista fajten”. It’s pop in his characteristic dialect from Blekinge, but angrier and rawer than ever before. The strongest track I’ve heard so far from Faråker.

Lilla Milo

Lilla Milo is a band that started out in Malmö, but where some of the members are living in Stockholm today. Since they began in 2010 they have released threes singles, a couple of videos and toured around Sweden on clubs and festivals. When I listen I get a lot of soul vibes, a lot of them coming from the singer Cosima Lamberth’s wonderful soulful voice. Here are two of the singles and also a great live recording of the song “Du sa”, a song that hasn’t been released yet.
I’d like to add that the drummer Jonnie Holmberg, from the band, has started a blog about the music scene in Malmö which is worth reading. Recommended if you’re intrested in this, and know how to read Swedish.