Last week the Gothenburg band The Berndt released their debut album “GBGBG”. My expectations were rather high before the release, but I wasn’t disappointed. Charming and characteristic is the least I can say about The Berndt’s energic punk-pop-indie.

With their crazy playfulness, catchy sound and of course Emil Lundin’s special voice, this really is a unique band. Emil seems to be able to do whatever he likes with the vocals and it comes out great.

The Berndt is best experienced live, and chances are that you might be able to see them soon, as they now launch their european tour that runs through Sweden, Germany, Austria and Italy.

You can visit The Berndt on their site, on Myspace or on Facebook. On Spotify you can listen to the entire new album “GBGBG”.

Here’s a couple of songs from the album and a video to a remix of “Hurried Feathers”:

Hurried Feathers
Autosave

Hurried Feathers (Wahlström & Valiant remix)

In the Autumn Magnus Weideskog released his debut EP and any day now his first full length album, “Unga hjärtan” (Sony Music), will be available. Magnus has been compared with Ted Gärdestad, which I agree with to some extent, especially cosidering his voice.

One description could be soft pop in Swedish. Delicate lyrics that never get trivial and a production that’s exemplary minimalistic which gives the music an honest and close expression. It’ll be interesting to listen to the new album soon.

You can find Magnus on his site, on Myspace and on Facebook. On Spotify you can listen to the EP and the new singel “Förlåt” from “Unga hjärtan”. Here’s the video and the audio track to “20 år”:

20 år:

20 år

Sidechild is the story about the songs that disappeared in a computer crash, but was born again, reconstructed from sketches and memories. It’s also the tale about the songs that turned out to be the real love children, and that made Pontus go for his side project, his own music. Hence the name Sidechild.

Even though he got a fantastic start in 2007, as an opener for The Magic Numbers on their Swedish tour, it has taken a long time to finish the debut album. But after failed record deals, discontent over productions and songs, he started all over again and finally found his way home again. And like he did it!

“Music For Children” is the name of the debut album that came out of all this, and it will be released in the end of January. And I can really hear that it is a love child; there is a warmth and a feeling right through the record that makes it’s way quite bit into my soul. It’s often about pop and and melodies that really gets to you, and I walk away with a number of new hooks spinning around in my head.

There is a liberating, minimalistic style in the album that I like. It feels like that they have carefully added exactly those instruments that is needed in each track. And yet they succeed to combine classic soul and pop arrangements with more modern vibes, and with variation.

In the end it is Sidechild’s voice that is the strongest part of it all. And it’s very special. The closest I can think of is how Bowie sounded in some songs during the seventies. It’s dramatic, naked, fragile and what makes maybe the most naked songs the best ones. Like “Come On Come On” you can listen to below.

Follow Sidechild on his site and listen to more tracks there.

Nothing Like Love:

Come On Come On
Rescue U

I have just woken up from the Christmas coma, and I felt it was time to present some new music again, here on Meadowmusic. And first up is Jörgen Kjellgren, more known as guitar player and songwriter in the band Oh Laura. I have spent some time listening to Jörgen’s upcoming debut album “Noir Syndrom”, a warm experience in this biting winter cold.

It’s darkly poetic and I like Jörgen’s almost low-voiced way of singing, exploring lyrcs that I can feel. At the same time there’s a warm, mostly acoustic music shroud where Jörgen like a modern troubadour tells us about “guilt, deception, loneliness and lost faith”.

The album will be released in February, and here below you can listen to the first singel from the record, “Han har gjort det igen” as well as the song “Edie Brickell”. You can also watch the video to the song “Han har gjort det igen”, directed by Simon Yemane.

You can meet Jörgen Kjellgren at his Myspace page or his Facebook page.

Han har gjort det igen:

Han har gjort det igen
Edie Brickell

“We All Die” is the name of New Found Land‘s debut album, which was released late spring earlier this year. Initiated by Anna Roxenholt and from the start a duo, the band has grown into a group of sometimes up to 8 musicians.

“We All Die” is a varied album with one foot in a modern indie sound, where the band has been compared to Feist, Loney Dear and Postal Service, and another foot in folk music with a hint of jazz. One thing that definitely stand out with this album is the clear, beautiful melancholy, here below exemplified with the song “All the Nights”, a song that also gives me some Joni Mitchell-vibes.

Listen more on New Found Land’s Myspace page.

All the Nights