In November I presented Gocart System here on Meadowmusic. You could then get a taste of their upcoming EP. Now they have finished their debut EP “Always Been the Same”, and I’m happy to tell you that they wanted to release the EP here on Meadowmusic!

Below you can download and listen to the entire EP “Always Been the Same” full with their imaginative, playful pop music. If you liked the songs before, I’m certain that you won’t be disappointed now.

Meet Gocart System on Myspace.

Always Been the Same (EP):

1. Always Been the Same
2. Silver Guitar
3. Radio-Controlled Car
4. 20 Dollars (feat. Linnéa Olsson)
5. One Day

Album front cover

Some of the members of Second Hand Rumours got together with some friends and started Oh My!. In the end of last year, they locked the doors to the studio  and recorded 5 tracks during 20 hours. You can listen to two of these here.

And this is something very different from Second Hand Rumours. Here they give us a more basic, close sound, some garage, raw guitars and really nice pop melodies. A little brit pop and a really cool voice in Johan Åkerström.

You can listen to more tracks on Oh My!’s Myspace page. In March they will hit the studio again and my guess is that it won’t take long after that, before we can listen to the new tracks.

I, I Did
Scary Conversation

“A Ted Gärdestad on drugs that has listened to much on Beach Boys and Beatles.” Gustav Spetz describes his music. A funny and rather fitting description I think. Gustaf is the former singer, songwriter and piano player of Eskju Divine, a band which he has now left to try on his own.

And he makes his debut with the new album “Good Night Mr Spetz” (Imperial Recordings). For you who, like me, like classic pop songwriting, this is sweet as candy. With the piano as a base he builds a bright and uplifting album, often often grand, but sometimes more subtle. The melody hooks are right there in the choruses and the licks, just like they should. A really interesting album, which is definitely worth checking out if you like classic pop with some indie feeling in it.

Gustav is now on tour with in Sweden together with Jonathan Johansson and the next gig is tomorrow at Debaser in Malmö. And in May he will countinue his tour on the other side of the world, in Japan.

Listen more to Gustav Spetz on Myspace. On Smartassradio you’ll also find a radio interview with Gustaf.

You and Me:

Burn It, Crush It Smash It
Dewdrop (with Gabrielle Frödén)

Manne is the first guest blogger here at Meadowmusic.se. Normally he writes about music on his own blog: Mannolitos Musikblogg. (in Swedish)

The Federales is one of those bands that makes me wonder. Why can’t I find their CD in the record store? Well of course, it must be sold out. Why do they play at Fight Club and ACE instead of Circus in Stockholm? Well, it must be that they prefer clubs before bigger scenes.

My answers to these questions, though, are quite incorrect. The Federales consists of 5 girls that still go to high school, and they prioritise school. They are not in a hurry with breaking through. They will eventually break through. With all certainty. The Federales is that good. And it’s not without pride when I write that they are from Sweden, from Västerås to be exact.

The Federales play a catchy and fascinating indie rock, in the style of the rock bands that flourished in the fifties, the sixties and the seventies. But it doesn’t feel outdated, on the contrary, it feels new and fresh.  Julia’s wonderful vocals is a big part of this along with great musicians. I’d like to say what my nice friend Lovisa said citing John: “It’s what all cool cats listen to and it’s what all cool younger cats will listen to when they get older looking for great music. Jag vill säga som min fina vän Lovisa sade när hon citerade John: “Det är vad alla coola katter lyssnar på och det är vad alla coola yngre katter kommer lyssna på när de blir äldre och ska se sig om efter bra musik. The music of Sweden is saved!”

I got to talk with Hanna and Lois from The Federales, and among other things we talked about what music they listen to and how it feels to be nominated for Rockbjörnen! Read the interview on my site: Mannolitos Musikblogg. (in Swedish)

Visit The Federales on MySpace to listen more.

Two songs with the Federales::

You Are
Warhead

(This post was translated from the original post in Swedish)

Somteimes it’s hard to explain why you are atttracted to a certain song or a certain artist. Sure, there’s always these direct melodies and/or lyrics that cut through your heart from the first moment, but I believe they are quite few for most of us. Many times I just get a hunch of what I will like. And then when I listen again it’s most often true, because it’s something that makes me feel good, makes me wake up, feel something special or something that I can I identify myself with, something that I want to hear more of.

When I and others then write about it it’s almost always a reconstruction after the event (I think), where I try to motivate in words what it was that caught me. And many times I find the seeds to why it did and then also try to relate to you what it is that I have listened to.

And sometimes, when it doesn’t work, when the words on why and how are not there, it’s really nothing strange, since we’re not rational beings. Like with Tractor Pulling People. Something caught me the moment I heard them, and after having listened to them many times, they still feel just right for me.

I like indie rock, but I can’t say that I know the genre very well, so I’ll skip the references this time. It feels close and direct, it feels genuine and… well it feels really good.

You can listen for yourself here to their latest EP “Sketches of Dark”. For the moment they have a pause in their songwriting, but you can listen to more songs at Tractor Pulling People’s Myspace page.

June Above Par
Midtempo Approach
Grace Under Pressure