That the songwriting and sound of Ellinor Skagegård & 5th Season is influenced by Joni Mitchell and Carole King is noticed. It’s a nice mix of pop, ballads and folk music where Ellinor’s voice in the front is warm, delicate and with a certain feeling of musical.

In the beginning of this summer they released the 13-track debut album “First Time”, which you can listen to on Spotify. You can also meet Ellinor & 5th Season on Myspace.

Here are a couple of songs from “First Time”:

Why Does a Good Thing Have to End
First Time

It’s easy to smile when you listen to the synth pop collective Vampyramiden’s EP “Tåglånet” (“The train loan”). It’s a tale in five parts about a couple of guys that escapes their boring hometown by “borrowing” a train. Told in a naïve and charming way with bizarre elements. Inevitably I come to think about Torsson in the way they sound, with some party ambience, lofi and synths added.

And it’s Vampyramiden’s ambition to deliver these kinds of stories in this format. They have promised a singel on the same theme in the end of the summer and you can keep track of this at Vampyramiden’s Myspace page.

Here are the two first chapters of “Tåglånet” (in Swedish). The following three is available on their Myspace page where you can also download the EP for free.

En stad och en trollkarl
Vi åker genom Sverige (med tåg)

In 2008 the band Street Fighting Man released their debut singel “Raise It”. And the same summer they entered the studio to record their debut album. And then…nothing.

Until now. The story doesn’t say if they’ve been locked inside the studio since then, but I do know that they have released a new singel from the upcoming album “The Shadow”.

“Learning to Die” is the name of the song, and it’s a great piece. To me it becomes a nice mix of Queen, Supertramp and a big chunk of Bowie in a cool arrangement with beautiful vocals. There is a bonus track also, in quite a different style, so it’ll be very interesting to see later on how the album will sound.

Learning to Die
State of Grace

You can find Street Fighting Man on Myspace or on Facebook (where you also can listen to previews of several songs from the album).

Here’s the video to the debut singel “Raise It”, från 2008:

It’s time to start again after a short summer break. And I begin with Shotgun Language, aka Gustav Berry.

This May he released the single “It Leaves Me Worried”, a song that breathes fifties rock, and earlier this year the album “Nerve”, a collection of songs with the same lo-fi sound, caught on his tape recorder at home, and serves us pop gems, country and fifties rock. A little like if Buddy Holly, Neil Young and John Lennon met in someones home and recorded outtakes for their new album.

All tracks can be heard and downloaded on Shotgun Language’s Bandcamp page. You can also meet Shotgun Language on Myspace.

It Leaves Me Worried

Pearl, earlier member of the electronica band Zeitgeist, calls himself Pearl Fiction going solo. He has released his debut single, “The Ruby Fever”, a song that breathes the eighties and Prince. Joining him on this track is Kitty Jutbring from Kitty and the K.

You can find Pearl Fiction on Myspace

The Ruby Fever

The Ruby Fever: