You are probably wondering about where Dubious Quip is. Yes, I’m talking about the artist who seven years ago gave us the track “Obedient Minds”, a contagious, laidback tune with reggae vibes. After several more songs in the same spirit he disappeared from the spotlight and after the song “Boom Boom Boom” all traces after him stop.
Rumour has it that he got a haircut and a job. And that he changed his name to Daniel Rosenholm. It just happens that an artist with the same name released a new song and music video now in January, “It’s Gonna Be Alright”. Here the urban environment has been replaced with a breath of fresh air and the electronic instruments with acoustic ones. In a melody which makes think about “Autumn Leaves” he soon picks up a sweet backbeat groove we recognize. It’s a minor-drenched comforting song that dives straight into the melancholy, introducing a warm ambience and uplifting rhythms. So I might as well say welcome back to Daniel and hope that he has more tunes underway.
Sweden is not exactly a reggae country to put it mildly. I don’t get too many pitches with reggae, so I was curious when Shelly Ravid wrote about her debut EP “Let Them Know”, which she released in Summer. She has moved to Europe’s reggae capital, though, London, which seems like a wise decision if you want to make it in the genre.
And I think she has every possibility to do that, both as a songwriter and an artist, because this a really good EP. The sound is spacious and modern and has a sweet, distinct rhythm package as the groovy foundation. Here are the political lyrics, the uplifting vibe in the music and she tops it with a sharp attitude in her vocals. Taste two of the tracks here below.
The band Bellaroush, hailing from Göteborg, usually creating music with their own blend of hip hop, reggae and pop, has just released the new single “The Sun Goes Down”, featuring no less than Promoe. And it’s a great song they have created, maybe the best I’ve heard from them, with a dark, charged vibe and a lovely retro-patina over the sound. It certainly sets the expectation bar high for their debut album, which will be released in February. The video is made by Tildeh Hjelm.
First of all I recognise Patrik Arve from Teddybears Sthlm, as a singer and a songwriter, but he has also been involved in a number of other bands and projects like for example Bröderna Lindgren, Girlsmen, Scabby Hyenas and more. One of his latest projects is Swedish Tiger where he sits alone in the director’s chair, but gets help from other musician friends from track to track.
I won’t make any deep comparisons with Teddybear, as I’m hardly an expert on their music, but I do recognise their wonderful mix of styles where musical playfulness is just the start of it. His love for reggae is a kind of foundation, but add also electronica, hip hop, drum’n’bass, pop, indierock and other influences plus a row of contagious melodies and frases, and you will find yourself in a musical amusement park with rides that will take you along in good speed. You’ll find most material on his site or his Soundcloud page: a number of tracks and also a couple of mixtapes. Here are a couple of songs:
Bellaroush is the name of a seven men and women strong band from Göteborg, who in May released their second album, “Free”. Here it’s about reggae and soul in a lovely mix and it feels quite a bit like a nostalgic trip to the seventies. And it’s a succesful journey with an album that radiates warmth, engagement and joy of playing. Listen here below in a couple of songs.
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