Jenny Gabrielsson Mare – “Comb the Wicked” album

December 19, 2016 at 6:48 pm

Jenny Gabrielsson Mare

The starting track “Overture” with a chanting, echoing piano, a growing dark atmosphere and a thin string on the verge of snapping immediately sets the ambience. When I listen to Jenny Garbrielsson Mare’s new album “Comb the Wicked” I’m reminded of the dark setting from her duo collaboration with Fredrik Jonasson, White Birches. But even if the electronic effects are important it is overall an organic sound that forms the base in these songs. Organ, piano, bass and percussion build a sparse, suggestive sound in a low tempo while Jenny’s soft vocals soars above it all like a spiritual being.

She wrote the songs while she was staying in Brooklyn two years ago and let the environment inspire the music in various ways. Brooklyn Bridge, Washington Avenue and the hot indian summer meet religious symbols, dark entities and thoughts about guilt in a sometimes almost meditative, nocturnal journey. The closest I can compare with is Nick Cave, but this is very much Jenny’s own sound in songs where she has broken out of the common structures. Here she also gets help from Michael Blair, an instrumentalist who has worked with artists like Tom Waits and Lou Reed, and here has added percussion and drums in a quite varied and well-sounding way, from the marching drums of “Dig Real Deep” to the gospel claps on “Hard Times”. It’s an album that really should be listened to from the beginning to the end, but I’ll give it a try to pick out two songs to taste here below:

Jenny Gabrielsson Mare’s site – on Facebookon Spotifyon Apple Musicon Bandcamp

Gus Ring – “Swim”

December 16, 2016 at 5:22 pm

Gus Ring

You may have encountered Gus Ring in a completely different context before, as a singer in the metal band Siberian. But here he’s all alone with his guitar in music he defines as acoustic dream pop. So far he’s released an album and two EP:s and is heading for a new full length record in April next year. The last EP “In search of the wonderful life” was a great listen and the first taste from the upcoming album, “Swim” here below, promises a lot for the album. Hear for yourself here.

Gus Ring’s site – on Facebookon Spotifyon Apple Musicon Bandcamp

Mindre Modiga Män – “Sommarn kom”

December 14, 2016 at 7:13 pm

Mindre Modiga Män

Mindre Modiga Män is a band from Skellefteå that came into the spotlight in the first half of the 90’s through three albums. The name seemed familiar to me and when I listened I immediately recognized the track “Snälla mamma”, which was a radio hit those days. A couple of decades later the singer and front man of the band, Magnus Löfstedt, got sick in cancer. He fought against the disease for some time and when the grey clouds dispersed for a moment he started writing songs again.

He wrote two songs, “Sommarn kom” and “Bitter och barnslig”, which made his old bandmates pick up their instruments again and record the songs. Unfortunately Magnus never got to record vocals before the disease took the best of him. The band finished the songs, though, as Per Strömbro put himself behind the microphone, and last week they release a single as a tribute to their former singer.

It may seem strange at first glance to release a Summer song in the middle of the winter, but considering the circumstances there could be no better point in time. In the hardest and darkest hour Magnus wrote this uplifting, poetic and beautiful song which pours of lust for life. He leaves behind a large dose of the positive energy that fueled him in life and which can also be heard in the band’s earlier songs. Here’s to you Magnus!

Mindre Modiga Män on Facebookon Spotifyon Apple Music

Ocean – “In Another Place” EP

December 12, 2016 at 6:48 pm

Ocean

The quartet Ocean, hailing from Göteborg, couldn’t have chosen a better name considering their music. Because that’s how it feels. It’s dreamy, meditative and softly melodic, it’s soothing but sometimes also thrillingly grand-sounding, and all the time it’s very much alive. On their debut EP “In Another Place” the band has created a wonderful organic sound which feels like a blend of folk colours from before and indie pop. The three songs are all great tunes, each exploring a different mood, from the peaceful to the dramatic. Listen to two of the tracks here below.

Ocean on Facebookon Spotify

Drew Vision – “Without You”

December 9, 2016 at 6:06 pm

Drew Vision

Johan Hirvi from Panetoz also has a songwriting career going on outside the band, where he calls himself Sowlkid. A couple of years ago he found the american singer Drew Vision on the net and was caught by his voice. They got in contact with each other and eventually this led to a song collaboration. In April this year Johan went to New York and spent a couple of days with Drew in the studio and a few months later, in August, the singer came to Stockholm and recorded five new songs with five different teams.

“Without You” is the first taste of these sessions and it does feel like sweet mix of Swedish electropop vibes and american R&B and soul feelings. Drew’s vocals is really something special, a wonderful open voice which reminds me of John Legend and with a great soul tint. He released his debut album, “The Balance”, earlier this year, an album which has received surprisingly little attention, especially considering how good it is. Hopefully more people will discover Drew’s talents in this new collaboration, in a song which to me seems to have potential to conquer a wide audience. The song is written by Drew Vision, Lisa Desmond, Chris Wahle and Sowlkid.

Drew Vision’s site – on Facebookon Spotifyon Apple Music

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