Mårten Lärka is back with a new release, the three-track EP “Trubadelica”. This time he’s joined forces with Josef Zackrisson and together with Petter Parlour they’ve created a production I really like. It’s minimalistic, the songs are clearly defined and the drums are in a way the leading instrument. Or you can describe it like Mårten does: “Three songs told by a troubadour with band”.
Well, let’s celebrate Christmas this year too here on Meadowmusic. And then with some Christmas songs you may not have heard before, at least not in the version you’ll find here.
The tracks we presented last year are of course good for this Christmas too.
Maybe you will find a new Christmas favourite or maybe you will find an artist you want to listen more to.
Behind this bandname hides Petter Hillström, who released his debut album “Hillström & Billy” on the 10th of November. If you are one of those that have started using your old record player again, then this release is perfect for you since the physical release of the album is on vinyl.
“American roots music and British folk with a light twist of modern pop” Petter describes his music. A good description, although in my ears the pop influence is more than a light twist in many songs. I have no problem with that since these songs are really good pop songs, and also quite varying, with nice melodies and sometimes with a retro feeling. This together with the more folk based tracks makes the album very interesting. Below you can listen to a couple of songs.
If you’re in Stockholm tonight, I can recommend a visit to the live club Bara Unplugged where Hillström & Billy will perform together with Mårten Lärka and Kinski.
It would have been easy for me to compare Mårten Lärka to a swedish Bob Dylan. Not so much because of the music but more for the lyrics, where the story of modern society is described with both humour and a sharp edge.
And musically the comparison is not just about the image of a man alone with his guitar, but also about songs like “Hemgång utgång” where Mårten feels like a bluesy Dylan from the seventies. Well, in the end it’s not that simple.
Mårten shows more variation than that, from a troubadour-feeling to something that can be described as Swedish ballad pop for example in the song “Livstidsvicket” to some kind of eighties-Kent in “Fri Luft” (listen to this great track on his Myspace page), to blues and to other styles.
And I feel rather comfortable not to classify an artist like this, but yet sense a whole in Mårten’s vocals and his concern that he has something to tell us.
Video for “Innan natten har gjort kväll” (2005)
The 14th of October Mårten Lärka will release a new album. Listen to two tracks from the new album:
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