Soil Collectors turn out to be a quite descriptive name of this quartet of free-thinking musicians: Hannah Tolf, Jonathan Albrektson, Isabel Sörling and Martin Öhman. They dig deep down into the musical soil of native cultures around the world. From the inuits of Greenland, Mexican indians or desert nomads they fetch rhytms, voices, myths and tones on which they build something new and unique. Rhytmic rites build up to electronic, grandiose spaces, chanting voices and shouts are mixed with melodic vocal harmonies and ambient soundscapes are coloured by ancient cultures.

It’s music that keeps moving and changing and which is totally unpredictable. I dare to say that their new album “Tah-Tay Leet’ Kah Lah” doesn’t sound like anything else. It’s a fascinating blend of world music, art and pop, which is impossible to categorize. The song here below, the beautiful and powerful “Windbird”, is based on a legend from the inuits of Greenland. It’s the song that comes closest to our expectations of a pop song, but I recommend to listen to the entire album to experience what I’ve tried to describe above.

Soil Collectors on Facebook – on Spotify – on Apple Music

Trauma Trauma is a new project from Frans Carlqvist, whom you may have heard before under the names Pavan or Limonious. The debut album was released last month, an album with an interesting sound which makes me wish for more. On it you’ll find minimalistic electronic tunes in small rooms with rounded corners, resulting in a soft retro vibe. Frans describes it like this: “Electronic soundscapes pulsating with tension and fear. The threat of violence is imminent and has created an emotional base for the work of Trauma Trauma. Music for the hunted people, to recognize and seek solace in.”

Trauma Trauma on Spotify – on Apple Music

The electronica experimentalist and ambient artist Multiface is releasing his second album “Gangsterism” today. It’s an album for you who like to explore the unknown and follow paths which not necessarily always feel comfortable. Multiface defies the common traits and wraps the music in noise filters and distorted environments, like if he took a fistful of sand and threw it into the tape recorder. Patiently listening I get into the music after a while and notice the contrasts in his special soundscapes. He can put you in a cocoon and let the sound from a noisy world seep through the cover, he can let you out into a desolate landscape with hazy outlines or he can let some industry rockers run you over with a steamroller. It’s quite difficult to place it on a music map. Is it art music, ambient, postrock or all at once? It doesn’t matter of course, since the only thing of importance is how you feel about it. Here is a taste of the record:

Multiface on Spotify – on Apple Music

The two siblings Roth, Gustav and Julia, who released the great tune “We Are” in the Autumn, are back with a new single. It’s called “UP2U” and is an electropop track in the same melodic spirit as the the earlier song, but with denser and bigger arrangement.

Roth on Facebook – on Spotify – on Apple Music

Navet released a new single a couple of days ago, “Companions”. It’s got synthpop-vibing verse which slides into a more grand-sounding chorus. There’s an intriguing nerve in the song where they balance between playful melodies and tense drama. They let blipblop-loops and sweeping, melancholic melodies be accompanied by charged, almost fateful string synths and stabbing riffs, which gives the song an ambiguous atmosphere. Listen for yourself here:

Navet on Facebook – on Spotify – on Apple Music