In the beginning of the week Jonas Carping released his debut album “All the Time In the World”. Some of the songs we recognise from the earlier EP “Underground” and the single “The Sting”, and I think these two title track are also the strongest on the album. The other songs doesn’t disappoint, though, and it’s an even album with variation between the songs, from being alone with the guitar to a full band with strings, and all the time maintaing the warm and somewhat melancholic ambience on the album.

Jonas Carping’s site – on Facebook – on Spotify – on Bandcamp

The One

Here’s a wonderful album debut, the EP “Someone Special”, from Silent Symphony, aka Charlotta Nilsen. Four songs that differs from each other a bit, but that all have a warm, pleasant acoustic sound, produced and mixed by Gustaf Eklund. With  Charlotta’s unique, lightly jazz-touched voice, the EP makes a really enjoyable experience. In the duet “Someone Special” she also gets help fromViktor Vademark. Next release is in December with the single “Revolution”.

Silent Symphony’s site – on Facebook – on Spotify – on Bandcamp

Someone Special

Today I’m listening to Magnus Bergman’s fourth solo album “Ljusspår”. And I like what I hear, the best I’ve heard from Magnus so far. With flangy sixties’ guitars and a double bass in the frontline he manages to create his own warm sound. A sound with which he can safely wander between the songs and the style variations without losing anyone; from early Direstraits-rock to country rock to folk pop and even some rockabilly doses. And Magnus himself sings with a comfortable, relaxed expression, conveying the theme of the album, which is about the story of a man who finds his way home in life, first of all within himself. A classy album, both when it comes to songwriting and production.

Magnus Bergmans hemsida – på Facebook – på Spotify

Inom mig

Now I get to use the word irresistable again, because that’s what I think that The Bland Band’s music is. So much that it’s impossible to sit still when I listen to their folk pop witch has a wonderful swing to it and beautiful melodies. Listen to “Bigger Than Your Hometown” here below, and you’ll know what I mean.

It’s easy to guess that The Band is a big inspiration, and that was also the origin of their band name as they made a little fun of their predecessors name (blandband = mixtape), even before they were a band. Later when they understood what their name meant in English, the name had already set itself among them and they continued to proudly stick with it.

The four members met when they were traveling, playing music out in the streets. They decided to move together and continue to create music together, and this has now resulted in their debut EP. The track below is the first song on the EP.

The Bland Band’s site – on Facebook – on Spotify – on Soundcloud

Bigger Than Your Hometown

“The Essential” ususally means that someone collects the best songs from earlier album releases. This is not the case with this album, which in fact is Fleet of Clay’s debut album, but fits in the sense that they have collected the best they have recorded during a few years an made an album out of it. And it also fits with respect to the quality of the songs, because it’s an impressive collection of songs.

The album contains 25 songs with music which first of all has it’s roots in the sixties and the beginning of the seventies. Pop, country, folk with vibes from bands like Buffalo Springfield, CSN&Y, Beatles, Kinks and others. It’s a classic production with few overdubs except the main instruments, the vocals and the choirs, and there’s plenty of pleasant guitars and good vocals. It’s a pearl of an album, and the song quality lasts all 25 tracks through, where they varies from classic sixties’ pop to cheeky country to fine-tuned folk pop without losing neither themselves nor the listener. There’s a kind of playful self-convidence on the album, that you would expect from a band that has released three or four albums already.

The men behind Fleet of Clay are the three brothers Knut, Erik and Karl Svanholm. Unfortunately they don’t seem to be that active with the band any longer; Knut is working with his band Lobst and their new album, and that’s as much as I know now. There is a Facebook page, though, and on Spotify you can listen to all songs. Here are two tracks:

Everyone Now
The Mist