Magnus Fagernäs has quite some experience from the music biz.  After being member in bands like Pinballs, Bombi Bitt et al, he handled the drumsticks in Dead Scouts, Traste Lindéns kvintett, Perssons Pack and Atomic Swing. One day he tired of it all and left the stage to focus on other things.

10 years later he was persuaded to join the band Little Red Snapper, he regained his passion for music and started to write songs. The result was a debut album as a solo artist under the name Mankku [mancko]. The album was released last month and is called “Festen har bara börjat” (“The party has just begun”).

It’s an album that grows each time I listen and the more I give it attention. And this is also the case with Mankkus bright, dramatic vocals that little by little put new layers of meaning to the stories. I like the arrangements which are tastefully “less is more”-produced, and gives an extra fateful and mellow feeling to the ambience.

It’s a varied album where he blends pop, rock, country and folk. In a way it feels in the end like something born out of the deep nordic woods, in the stories, in the blackness and in the folk sounds that shine through. Well, I’d love to party on with Mankku [mancko].

You can listen to the album on Spotify and you can find Mankku on his site and on Facebook. Here’s “Väskan” (“The bag”):

Väskan

Kim Strannes new album “Ett Arv” is undoubtely the strongest album I’ve heard from Kim Stranne so far. It feels like he’s lifted the entire production to something more intimate, naked, unique and more beautiful than ever before.

At the same time I hear a sharpness and a roughness in his voice that demands more attention than before and that makes him stand out. A strong album you can listen to on Spotify. Visit his site and his Facebook page.

Ett Arv

I wrote about Old Amica in the beginning of the year. They have recorded a couple of new songs they want us to enjoy during summer, and you can download these below. They continue to develop their concept of nordic ambience, singer/songwriter and electronica, and I love it.

You’ll also find a video below to the wonderful song “Operation Table”, taken from their EP, a video made from clips from fans and listeners in a collaborative effort.
You’ll find Old Amica on their site.

Ocean Beach
In the Trees

Lovisa Lindström is a singer/songwriter who released her debut EP “Something’s Been Missing” some months ago. She says her biggest inspiration has been Annika Norlin from Säkert, Hello Saferide. You could maybe notice this if you dig deep, but I think that she shows her very own voice in these recordings.

The arrangements are beautiful, yet not unique, but in combination with really nice melodies and quite characteristic vocals; clear, with a bit of frailty and some folk vibes; she manages to stand out and cut through walls.

You can listen more on her Reverbnation page. Here’s “Not Going Back”:

Not Going Back

I wrote about Daniel Hedin and his solo project Le Days a couple of years ago. Now he’s finally released his debut album “Dead People On Tape”.

The Cd’s booklet doesn’t contain the lyrics to the 16 songs. Instead we see photos of unknowns, mug shots seemingly from the beginning of the last century. It’s through the eyes of these people Daniel looks when he creates this music, picturing how the world may have looked for these, I imagine, tragic life stories.

With a voice and an expression that reminds a little of Conor Oberst, he paints a dark, tragic, dreary world. It becomes very strong and emotional and surprisingly dynamic in this minimalistic production. An impressive and credible album.

You can listen to “Dead People on Tape” on Bandcamp and on his site he shows the images of these dead people. You can also find Le Days on Facebook.

As Long As You Win