Sweden
Broder Daniel – Broder Daniel (1996)
05/07/10
WIKIPEDIA Broder Daniel (often abbreviated BD) was an alternative rock band from Gothenburg, Sweden. They formed in the late 1980s and then consisted of classmates Henrik Berggren and Daniel Gilbert. The band claims they started playing “to gain social respect” and it was decided early on that emotional expression would be more important to their sound than musical correctness.
Musically, they have been inspired by bands such as The Jesus And Mary Chain, Iggy Pop and The Velvet Underground, relying heavily on distorted guitars and simple arrangements. Their lyrics have mostly centered around existential issues and youth angst.
Broder Daniel was largely regarded as an entitative cornerstone of Swedish alternative music during the 1990s, even though the band has proven to be quite unstable ever since the beginning, with members leaving the band every few years.
My Rate: 6.8/10
Vídeo de “Underground”
Grass Show – Something Smells Good In Stinkville (1996)
30/05/10
ALLMUSIC Never mind the title. Grass-Show’s debut album Something Smells Good in Stinkville is an infectious fusion of stylish Brit-pop, quirky new wave, punchy ’70s power-pop and breezy Euro-pop. The band’s strength is their melodic sensibilities, and while their clever lyrics can come across as smug, the light, frothy hooks and melodies are positively effervescent. [by Stephen Thomas Erlewine]
My Rate: 4.5/10
Vídeo de “Freak Show” (audio only)
The Isolation – The Isolation EP
17/11/09
Waltz For Debbie – Gone And Out
12/10/09
ALLMUSIC Sounding shockingly like mid-’90s St. Etienne, right down to Annica Lundback‘s uncanny vocal and physical similarity to Sarah Cracknell, the Swedish duo Waltz for Debbie is either the last of a dying breed or the first fruits of an indie-dance renaissance. It’s hard to tell which from this first U.S. release, an augmented version (there are two fine new tracks, “I’ll Be King” and “My Angel,” appended to the end) of a Scandinavian album that came out in 2000. Multi-instrumentalist Martin Permer‘s tunes are light and breezy, and the melodic dance tracks mix hyperactive beats with choppy acoustic guitars for a nice hybrid sound that sets the album apart from faceless indie-dancers like Dubstar or Alisha’s Attic. Lundback‘s breathy, cooing voice and the creamy-smooth Philly soul strings that augment tunes like “Go Into Reverse” accent the dreamy feel. Even the speedier tracks, like the bouncily bubblegummy “He Loves Anna,” are as pleasantly insubstantial as either cotton candy or the Spice Girls‘ better moments. Gone and Out probably isn’t an album for the ages, but it sounds great while it’s on, and the atypically succinct length — a dozen under-four-minute songs in just a hair over 40 minutes — means that the relatively samey songs don’t even have time to get boring or repetitive. [by Stewart Mason]
Genre: Swedish Pop / Dance Pop
Based In…: Sweden
Label: Hidden Agenda
Year: 2000
My Rate: 6/10
MySpace
Ray Wonder – Good Music
06/09/09
ALLMUSIC Swedish pop band Ray Wonder formed in Umea in the early ’90s, comprising vocalist/guitarist Henrik Andersson (ex-Komeda), bassist Toft Stade (ex-Shredhead), drummer Per Helin (ex-Puffin), and guitarist Ludvig. It took the group two months to come up with an album’s worth of material; Pele Henricsson (Stade‘s stepfather) offered his studio for use, and the band recorded and mixed their songs in two days. The band contemplated quitting until Helin played the recordings for his friends at North of No South Records. North of No South liked what they heard so much that they released it. That album, Hurray, was released in 1994. Two EPs and a single predated their second full-length, 1996′s Good Music. After another pair of singles, A New Kind of Love, was issued in 2000.
Retro dance music styles, ska, power pop and more surfaces in a high-speed blend on Good Music. The blender is pushed to liquefy and the musical idioms are presented as quickly as they are changed. The band has a half-dozen albums under their belt. Their longevity and dedication shows in their level of achievement. Ray Wonder offers a consistent, double-quick highly practiced delivery along with a fine sense of how much they can get away with. While they hurry us along on the trip, Ray Wonder makes sure melody does not become a straggler left behind. Ray Wonder deserves kudos for satisfying both their desire for speed and their nature as adept pop craftsmen. [by Thomas Schulte]
Genre: Swedish Pop / Powerpop
Based In…: Sweden
Label: North Of No South
Year: 1996
My Rate: 7/10
