Danmarck

Danmarck

As a guitarist and songwriter in the band Moll Flanders Rickard Ahlgren wrote some songs that didn’t fit the band. To make something out of these songs he started the solo project Danmarck, where he’s now started to release the first singles, three of them so far. He chose the name  Danmarck as a tribute to his friend Calle, who sadly died in the tragic accident during Pearl Jam’s concert in Roskilde in 2000. Here are two of the songs, with a punky, raw and somewhat garage-sounding and grunge-inspired rock. Love it.

Les Big Byrd – “Back to Bagarmossen”

Les Big Byrd is a band where you’ll find Joakim Åhlund from Teddybears Sthlm and Caesars, and Nino Keller from Caesars among others. They recently released the psychadelia-inspired EP “Back to Bagarmossen”. Here are two of the tracks:

Fou De Toi – “Dreams” -video

Fou De Toi released a video yesterday to their excellent pop song “Dreams”, which I thought was a good idea to show you:

Navelin – “Ofelia”

Navelin is a five members strong band from Göteborg who have just released their debut single “Ofelia”. Dreamy, soaring, beutiful pop with a singer that sounds somewhere in between Nina Persson and Ana Torroja from Mecano. Here are the two songs from the single:

iida

iida – “Hands”

iida, who made such a brilliant debut last year with the single “Life Will Kill You”, is back with a new song. It’s called “Hands”, and a great song it is too. Listen here:

Cmbstn – “My Friend”

Tha band Cmbstn (or Combustion), hailing from Stockholm released the single “My Friend” yesterday, a grand, synth driven pop track. Not bad at all.

Temu – “Jooze! (Pt. 1)”

Temu, singer, dancer, producer and songwriter, grew up in the US but moved to Denmark at the age of 19, and ended up in Sweden where he’s living now. On the new song “Jooze! (Pt. 1)” he brings us back to the eighties in the company of Prince, Rick James, Gap Band and others, well Earth, Wind & Fire comes along too.

Parken – “Double rainbow över Valla Torg”

Parken, or Pelle Lindroth which is his real name, is on his way with a new album, “Tidigt en maj”, to be released in May. Here he serves us a first taste with this great track, “Double rainbow över Valla Torg”:

The Plastic Pals

Mathias Melo – “My Friend the Freedom Fighter”

Mathias Melo is a new musical acqaintance for me, one who has just released his first single, “My Friend the Freedom Fighter”. It’s an inspirational, sunny singer/songwriter pop with a lovely rhythmic acoustic guitar playing, and an interesting voice from Mathias.

Fou De Toi – “Dreams”

Today Fou De Toi release the second single from their collaboration with the producer Ronald Blood. It’s called “Dreams” and is yet another example of their exquisite sense of catchy pop melodies.

The Plastic Pals – “The Final Remedy”

Tomorrow The Plastic Pals release the single “The Final Remedy”. The song is taken from their excellent second album “Turn the Tide”, launched last year. Great groove on this catchy tune which send me vibes of powerpop, new wave and garage rock and a breath of the era around the end of the seventies/the beginning of the eighties.

Simian Ghost – “Echoes Of Songs (For Trish Keenan)”

And here’s another piece of wonderful dreamy indie pop from Simian Ghost in the song “Echoes Of Songs (For Trish Keenan)”. The song is a tribute to Trish Keenan, former singer in  Broadcast, who tragically passed away three years ago.

The band Simone Says, hailing from Göteborg, released their debut album in December: a collection of songs with a smooth jazz-influenced pop, in a style I’m more used to hear from American bands than Swedish. They excel here, though, on a record that grows with each listen, with songs that circle around Camilla Bakke, her piano and her wonderful presence in her vocals, finely varied and coloured with violin and guitars; acoustic as well as electric ones. The seventies feel close and my thoughts go to artists like Carly Simon, Carole King, Billy Joel and to some extent Joni Mitchell. Beautiful melodies and a good variation between the groovy and the delicate on an album that feels as bright as a laidback, sunny sunday morning. Here are a few songs I have an extra soft spot for:

Simone Says’ site – on Facebook – on Spotify – on Soundcloud

We Are Legends

David Josephson – “Drömmaskinen”

David Josephson is a Swedish  singer/songwriter, currently living in Berlin, who with the single “Drömmaskinen” (“The Dream Machine”) takes his first step towards his second full length album. The song, released tomorrow, is a catchy energetic tune whiches breathes of indie pop as well as of classic Swedish pop melodies.

We Are Legends – “Begging For Amnesia”

And now to another catchy track, but more into the electro pop area. It’s the producer duo We Are Legends, based in Göteborg, who have released the single “Begging For Amnesia” with Caroline Ailin behind the microphone. Dance- and radio-friendly, sure, but also with a tasty, seductive arrangement with a great drive. The single comes in ten versions: different mixes, extended version and remixes.

Eluna – “Trädgårdsmästarinnans Tillförlitliga Tillflykt” – EP

Eluna, or Sebastian Josef Karika, is releasing his second EP later this week: “Trädgårdsmästarinnans Tillförlitliga Tillflykt”. It feels like safe refuge for me also as I listen to these four, both ambient and melodically beautiful, creations. It’s easy to get into the garden metaphor when I listen, either by looking through the  window, daydreaming or by getting out, finding a quiet corner in the garden and just admiring som flowers or fruits. It feels bright, calm but still eventful, with the electronic and the organic in symbiosis. Here’s sneak peek at the title track.