It just hit me how few of the artists I present here on Meadowmusic that actually sing in Swedish. After all, the purpose of the blog is to present new Swedish music, but I guess that’s more or less how it is on the Swedish music scene today. If that’s good or bad I’ll let you decide for yourself.

But when I listen to the indie-soul, sung in Swedish, from År & Dar, as a Swede, I definitely feel closer to the music. There’s nothing in the way and the words find their way inside me directly. This is not about soul from a glamorous scene, it’s soul with rolled upp sleeves, which walks beside me as I travel under the cold and grey November skies. And it feels a little lighter, a little bit warmer.

Adam Pålsson’s voice is made for this. It’s earthbound, unpolished and soulful, and lifts the music to another level. Listen for yourself here below where you’ll find two videos and the song “Vad blir det av oss” (“What becomes of us?), which you can listen to and download.

You can find År & Dar on their Myspace page.

Vad blir det av oss:

Har du tröttnat än:

Vad blir det av oss?

The trio Greta & The One Night Stands has an excellent ability to create those obvious pop melodies that seem to get stuck inside the head. They serve them in a nostalgic synth dress, often with vibes from the eighties. And skirt.

I have to mention the skirt. Greta & The One Night Stands have volunteered to act as changers, and intend to allocate the skirt as something that men could wear, which symbolise their challenge in what’s feminine and what’s masculine.

The band has recently released a new song, “Familiar to Me”, which you can listen to at their Facebook page or their Myspace page.

Here’s two tracks with Greta & The One Night Stands:

Hearts & Bones
I Could Never Learn

Take a part of Electric Light Orchestra from the seventies, some of the playfulness of 10cc, a bit of  Queens’ drama, something from Squeeze and Madness, and mix this once or twice with disco, a lot of power pop and some indie rock, then you might get a notion of what Nom de Guerre’s new album “Love Thy Neighbour” sounds like.

The vibes from all this comes in different songs in different mixes on this excellent album. When you think you got a clue about where they come from, they surprise you again with a new twist in a new song. From, for example, a wilder Madness-inspired and indie rockish “Murder On Demand” over to a disco pop driven “Drama Queen” with a hint of 80’s synth and a couple of tracks later, the soft “Ballad of Harry” with a close, classic ELO sound.

But it all fit together. With a sound that goes through the entire album, including a characteristic fuzz bass, with the drama and an excellent pop melody songwriting.

I hope you like this, and if you do, you can listen more on Nom de Guerre’s Myspace page.

Here’s two songs from “Love Thy Neighbour”:

Everybody Knows
Murder On Demand

Anna Hamilton offers quite a spectra of music. From a dance-influenced, shrewd electronic pop to dramatic songs alone with a piano. She is quite resourceful with the arrangements and has a sense of melody that makes each song grow into something unique.

But first of all I’m fascinated by her voice, a voice that sometimes sounds with sharpness and clarity and sometimes with a Björkian-Morisetteian frailty that catches the atmosphere in the songs. In one track I can hear her let go of all this and release something that makes me sense a great rock voice.

On Anna’s site, you can listen to her music. For those of you who know Swedish she also presents a really nice blog. A blog where you can follow the development of her music and also get to know her, all in a pleasant mix.

Here are two tracks you can listen to and download, with Anna Hamilton:

Umbrella
Dedication to Mr Sandman

In December last year I reviewed The Argument’s “Summer/Winter Nights”; a very interesting album, indie pop, experimental and with a special feeling. This summer this was followed by “Everything Depends”, a 7-track album.

Even if the two albums have some things in common, I think that “Everyhing Depends” feels very different from “Summer/Winter Nights”. This record feels more open and accessible, with more focus on the indie pop part than the experimental parts. I recognise the sound, but it feels dynamic, acoustic than lo-fi. It’s a more uniform album and just like its predecessor the songs are strong with great melodies.

Like before, the entire album is available for free at The Argument’s Bandcamp page. You can also meet the band on Myspace. Here are a couple of tracks from “Everything Depends”:

Nothing Remains
Yet There Is Hope