That I Am You We Are is different from most bands I’ve heard, is clear to me already after a minute or so in the first song “Love Song For the Mob”, from their EP “Masquerade”. An oriental-inspired melody played by transverse flute and accordion turns into something more folkish and  Phoenix and Anahitas voices give the song a somwhat different character.

The five songs on “Masquerade” are quite different from each other, where they vary the instrument set from song to song. They experiment with flutes, piano, accordion, guitars, djembe, trumpet and no set seem to be the same as the other. I can’t help thinking about that I’m listening to a mini musical, where the scene changes from song to song.

It’s different and interesting. You can listen for yourself below to the track “Love Song For the Mob”. On their Myspace page you can find more songs from “Masquerade”.

Love Song For the Mob

The last thing you could say about Sol Skugga, is that she’s predictable. After her album from last year, “Gardenia”, you could maybe expect that she would continue to explore a world of grand electronica, mystique and dark spaces. But no. She enters new musical domains in her third album “Fairytales and Lullabies”.

The folk music is still here in a few tracks, but in more acoustic arrangements. But besides that it’s more about rock, to let loose. From beautiful ballads, to more straight rock tracks to songs where she tests some boundaries. The rough edges are still there, everything is not smoothed down, and it feels mpre personal and intimate.

Listen more on Sol Skugga’s site or on her Myspace page.

Here are two songs from “Fairytales and Lullabies”:

Say It
So Strange

The duon Piroth consists of the sisters Nina and Johanna. They are on their way out with the new album “Safe Haven” and you can listen to and download the first singel from the record here below. And on their Myspace page you can find more songs from the upcoming album.

From what I’ve heard so far from the album, it sounds really interesting, and it’s a change to a fuller sound, compared with their earlier works. Folk music, pop, and classic singer/songwriter together with their two voices becomes a special fragile melancholy that feels unique.

Here’s “Fog Dancers” frrom “Safe Haven” and below you’ll also find a video from their earlier album “Prima Ballerina:

Fog Dancers

Dance Closer (from “Prima Ballerina”):

I’m listening to Sumie and it’s almost impossible to stop. Her low voice somehow gets inside of me and gets all my attention. So soft, so pleasant and with simple melodies that just feel right. It would have been easy to compare Sumie with contemporary singer/songwriters like for example Sophie Zelmani, but my thoughts and feelings go to artists from the past, and often to a young Joni Mitchell.

I think this is really nice to listen to. Try for yourself by listening to the two tracks below, and download if you like. On Sumie’s Myspace page you’ll find more music. And don’t miss watching the beautiful video to “All the Ugly”, created by Yusuke Nagano.

All the Ugly:

All the Ugly
Brushfire

There is something captivating, authentic about Le Days, aka Daniel Hedin, which I can’t explain. The first track I heard with Le Days was “Hotspot”, which gave me a sensation of Conor Oberst meets Manu Chao, fascinating and rhythmic. But after having listened to more songs, it seemed like that he wouldn’t be so easy to catch.

It runs off in totally different directions, from acoustic ballads to more anxiety-loaded works, psychadelia and other stuff. I like it, to enter Daniel’s world of music, some lo-fi, no rules, to see, as he says himself, where it will lead. It’s he and his guitar (and some other instruments), naked and nothing to hide behind. It seems to me that he doesn’t wait for the “perfect” take, but he knows when he has put in the right feeling and shows it for us.

You can listen more to Le Days on Myspace.

Listen to and download three tracks:

Hot Spot
Blood Red Heart
I’ve Got a Masterplay, Playing In My Mind