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)

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.

On The Cinnamon

Old Amica – “Old Oaken Pond”

The duo Old Amica have been our guests several times before here on Meadowmusic. Now they are preparing to launch a new album, “Fabula”, on the 26th of March. “Old Oaken Pond” is the first glimpse of the album and beside their own special indie-sound there is a nostalgic vibe in this song, as the song title implies. A bit like if  Hotennany Singers made a comeback and started playing folk indie.

Other People – “Somewhere Far Away” – album

Other People is an alias for the composer Jakob Lindhagen and his solo project. His new album is called “Somewhere Far Away”, an instrumental album focusing on Jakob’s minimalistic piano playing. Every tone seems carefully devised in these melancholic melodies, which sometimes are accompanied by a gentle cello or an ambient pad. The ambience and the melodies make me think of Björn J:son Lindhs “Bilder från en ö” and of music from some of the Swedish TV-drama series.

Up The Hill

Up The Hill is a four man strong band, who so far have released an EP with six tracks.  I can’t come up with a band to compare them with as they sound so special. Both in the way they mix their influences and in the way they build the songs. The soulful vocals is a strong characteristic of the songs, but in the end I feel that the songs still have a strong focus on the instrumental parts, where I hear progressive seventies’ vibes, Dire Straits-guitars, blues and folk indie. Quite dynamic songs which build up a strong groove sometimes. Here are two of them:

On the Cinnamon – “Indecency”

When the songwriter Jonas Lindsköld told me about the band On the Cinnamon’s debut single “Indecency”, he also wrote that they sound like their band name. I scratched my head and started wondering if he was referring to “Cinnamon Girl”, because there are certain Neil Young-vibes in the song: the simple sound, the guitars and the touch of Americana. But no, I found the explanation further down in the mail; the bandname was a direct translation of the Swedish expression “(att vara) på kanelen” (an old Swedish expression saying that someone is a bit drunk). I’m not quite sure how I should interpret this either as the song is a charming, warm and close pop song with a certain sheen of unpolished indie. And it fits quite well with the sunny, early-Spring weather we have here now.

Hurula – “22”

Hurula is releasing another single from his upcoming album ”Vi är människorna våra föräldrar varnade oss för”. It’s called “22”, a punkish pop-melodic track with a great rough sound. I really like the chorus, and it’s the best song I’ve heard from Hurula so far.

Next Stop: Horizon

Linn Öberg – “Vacant Days” – video

I wrote about Linn Öberg last year when she released the wonderful song “Jump“. Now she’s back with the single “Vacant Days”, which sweeps in to my room like a fresh Spring breeze with dreamy singer/songwriter-pop.

Simon Norrsveden – “Bloodsucker Boy” – video

Simon Norrsveden is on his way with his third solo album, to be released on the 12th of March. He’s tempting us with this strong single “Bloodsucker Boy” and a video, unmistakably signed Mats Udd, which doesn’t make the song less strong.

Skrotlunga – “I Lost It All”

I’ve written about Daniel Börjesson before, but then under the name Everett Parker. Now he’s performing as Skrotlunga, here with the debut single “I Lost It All”. As before it’s Americana with dirt under the nails, “Music from the dirt”, as he writes.

Next Stop: Horizon – “Rain On Me”

The duo Next: Stop Horizon, Pär Hagström and Jenny Roos, released the debut album “We Know Exactly Where We Are Going” in 2011. After touring and a sejour in Germany, where Pär Hagström wrote the music to the play “Das kalte Herz”, they are now back with the next album “My Harbour, My Home”, to be released March 14th. Here’s the first single, “Rain On Me”:

Solander

Boufa Boufa – “Until Tomorrow”

The band Boufa Boufa from Hudiksvall are back with a new single, “Until Tomorrow”. A bit different than the last one and feels more like brit pop and some of the sixties this time. Listen here:

Solander – “The Woods Are Gone”

“The Woods Are Gone” is the name of the second single from Solander’s new album “Monochromatic Memories”. I haven’t had the time to listen to the whole record yet, but the beautiful melancholy in this song makes me want to taste some more.

No Coda – “No Ransom”

No Coda, hailing from Sandviken, have released another single, “No Ransom”, a song well up to par with the earlier songs. Good energy in this shoegaze-vibing indie rock. With a hint of punk as well.

The Good Morning Spider

Viktor Rinneby and his The Good Morning Spider are on their way to release the debut album “Outergalactic”, to be released on the 29th of March. At the start of this year a few videos have been released to give us a taste of what’s coming up. Like before, it’s feels somewhat psychadelic in an intriguing and rather unpredictable rock, sung both in Swedish and English, to judge from these songs. Here are two of them: