Front Page Reviews & AIR

The wonderful country of Sweden is the 3rd largest exporter of music, and the largest per capita by far.  Enjoy this small sampler from the Mule.  Then dig in and find some more.  Many thanks to the Swedes who helped make this guide possible, and thanks for the Glög!  

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

• Best-Selling Swedes/Dancing Queens
• Beloved Swedish Hair Rockers of Yesteryear
• Female Indie Swedes
• Male Indie Swedes
• Biggest Pop Swede
• Swedish Reggae?
• Seminal Swedish Punk Band
• Swedish Jazz
• Best Garage Band of the 2000s
• Best 80s-90s Swedish Duo
• Best Swedish Band Names
• Best Swedish Dylan Cover
• Most Annoying Swedish Song From the 90s
• Random Good Swedish Tunes

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Best-Selling Swedes/Dancing Queens:

ABBA

Active years: 1972-1983

Agnetha, Benny, Bjorn, Anni-Frid.  A perfect allignment of names.  Thank God Bjorn wasn't named Lenny, lest the band be called ABLA. Or worse still, if Anni-Frid had been named Bonny and thus the band called ABBB.  It just wouldn't have had the same golden ring.  And gold is the operative word here: ABBA is the second best selling band of all time (370 million records), behind only the Beatles.  They still sell one or two million a year; at any given moment there are 10,000 people in the world hankering to hear "Voulez-Vous", which is an interesting vantage point from which to consider the human race.  ABBA deserves a good deal of the credit for piquing the world's interest in Swedish music.  They are, in brief, super troupers and dancing queens.  

 

 

Beloved Swedish Hair Rockers of Yesteryear: 

Europe

Active Years: 1979-92, 1999, and (ill-convieved)2003-the present.

Another band that gave Sweden some international cred.  The band moved 20 million records in the 80s, fueled in no small measure by their moster hit: "The Final Countdown".

 

 

 

Female Indie Swedes:

A list by Maja Alderin, who belongs on this list! Listen to Maja's beatiful voice asap.

 

* Zhala

Zhala Rifat got her first grammy when she was 11; it was for singing a poem composed by Klas Widén in the "children's music" category.  Zhala has also been a back up singer for Lykke Li, a singer in a gospel choir in Stockholm, and a solo artist. In 2012 her first single was released!

* Jenny Wilson 

Jenny Wilson is a Swedish artist, songwriter and illustrator. She is hard to categorize: Is it soul, pop, electro or singer songwriter? That's what I love her.

Listen to Jenny: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXj3OLpnrOk

* Soso

Soso makes Chinese electro from her living room right into yours. Recently she gave away her new album "T.T.I.D.S.D.I.E.U.I.C" on Pirate Bay, for free! 

Listen to Soso: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjMMmvd1r-g

* Nina Kinert

Nina has gone from Singer Songwriter to Star Wars Electro pop. And I like both costumes on her. "Not Quite" is from her first album, it's heartbreaking. Then comes the latest album with "Play the World" where I feel like I'm in some sci fi movie from the 80's. 

Listen to Nina: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0HQNbkTVuU&feature=related

*Jennie Abrahamsson 

Jennie has been a guitarist and backup vocalist for a lot of Swedish bands during the years.  The first time I heard her was as a guitarist. Even then she captured me somehow.  And then came the solo-albums. The latest is "Sound Of A Beating Heart".  She has the voice of an angel; she makes me want more, and then she just knocks me out. 

Listen to Jennie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfwkHL1qkT8

* Linnea Olsson 

Linnea toured with Ane Brun as a cello player and back up vocalist. But now she is on her own.  With just her voice and a Cello she creates magic!

Listen to Linnea: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fNUxX-Sagw&feature=related

* Taken By Trees

Taken By Trees is the solo project of Victoria Bergsman, former lead singer for The Concretes. The act's debut album Open Field was released on 18 June 2007. The second album released in 2009 was called "East of Eden": Victoria went to Pakistan and found amateur musicians to play on the album. The same year she also did a cover of Guns n Roses "Sweet Child Of Mine". That's when I fell in love. 

Listen to TBT: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dqVDQ-lF4Q

* Taxi, Taxi!

Twin sisters. Two voices. Double good. 

Listen to Taxi, Taxi!: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnMJYClSfRo&feature=related

* Miss Li

Miss li, or Linda, has a theatre cirkus aura around her. She mixes pop with jazz and cabaret. All she needs is really a piano and her voice. And mabye red lips. 

Listen to Miss Li: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3WMPJQIDNo

* Those Dancing Days

These girls makes me so happy! When they started in 2005 they were just young girls.  Now they are women and oh so charming!  When you see them live you won't be able to sit still. Or not fall in love with all of them. 

Listen to TDD: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uBl4NB2A6c

*IAMAMIWHOAMI/Jonna Lee

IamamIwhoamI is a project that started as a hype. Nobody knew who was behind the song and video which was almost like lady gaga going horror movie. 

The rumour of lady G being behind this was all around.  But actually, Jonna Lee, a girl  from a little tiny village in Sweden was the big secret. I like it a lot. 

You can listen to IAMAMIWHOAMI: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AqU8FvTR3E

* Fever Ray

Fever Ray is the sister part of the swedish electro duo "The Knife". Karin Drejer is her name and this is her solo project. Her voice is the kind of voice you can't mix up with something else. It's unique, and so is her sound and songs. 

Listen to Fever Ray: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWFb5z3kUSQ&feature=relmfu

* Cookies N beans

These three songbirds are as good as Swedish country pop can be. I've seen them live so many times I've stopped counting, and every time they amaze me. It's as if the three voices just melt into each other, but at the same time I hear each one very clearly. These girls just can't be denied. 

Listen to Cookies N Beans here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnEQvEWfaOI&feature=related

*Laleh 

I had Laleh on my last toplist, but she deserves a second spotlight. I've listened to her new album so many times now and love it more every time. "In the comet" is a magical track and I hope Laleh reaches far beyond Sweden's borders. 

Listen to Laleh: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-bxuRKbFLk

*First Aid Kit

Two girls worth all the attention. Even if they've gotten a lot of it lately!  Two sisters, started young and have only gotten better. Country inspired folk pop, harmonies to die for!! 

Listen to First Aid Kit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PC57z-oDPLs

Here's a Spotify list with all the 15 artists! Enjoy!

Top 15 Swedish Female Artists

 

 

Male Indie Swedes: 

*The Tallest Man on Earth

will knock you off your existential perch with gritty folky songwriting--and lyrics to wound and mame for.

***

*Loney, Dear

will trap you in his basement and take you to a great height--songs at once miniature and expansive.

***

*Jose Gonzales (and his band Junip)

will charm the snake handler out of his snake--jazzy suavite. 

***

*Peter, Bjorn and John

will give you some--neo-psychadelia, indie pop

***

*Joel Alme

will suspend your disbelief--serious, big songs.  

 

*Jens Leckman

Will use his one call to requeset a song for you on the radio--guitar-based, synthy pop, with wit and melancholy.

***

*Shout Out Louds

will disarm you with quiet tenderness--indie rockers who can turn it down.

 

 

Biggest POP Swede: 

Robyn

Years active: 1997-present

This catchy swedish soprano has been making the world dance since her 1997 hit: "Do You Know (What it Takes)".  Her latest big hit is "Dancing on My Own" 

 

Note: In addition to producing it own pop music, several Swedish songwriters have penned hits for the likes of Britney, Rihanna, Ke$ha, the Backstreet Boys, etc.  These songwriters include: RedOne (Nadir Khayat), Dinniz Pop, Max Martin, Andreas Carlsson and Jörgen Elofssman.

 

 

Swedish Reggae: 

Peps Persson

Active years: 1966-present

Believe it or not, when Bob Marley said there was “only one white man in the world who has reggae in bloodstream”, he had this Swede in mind: Peps Persson.

***

 

Seminal Swedish Punk Band: 

Ebba Grön

Actvie years: 1977-1983

This political trio (later four-piece) was named after the police code word for Operation Leo, which is a piece of Swedish history worth knowing about. Ebba Gron's most memorable song is the following, and its classic Marxism through and through.  When they pick up the fourth member they discovered neo-Marxism--much more sophisticated--and the music started to suck.      

***

 

Swedish Jazz Maestro:

Lars Gullin

Active years:1947-1976.

The godfather of Swedish Jazz is unquestionably Lars Gullin, or is he? Either way this is Stockhom on the Mississippi.  

 

Here's a few contemporary Swedish Jazz dudes who are eclectic, fusionistic, and interesting:

Jonas Kullhammer

Esbjorn Svensson Trio

Koop

***

 

Best Swedish Garage Band of the 2000s: 

The Hives

Active years: 1993-present

Swooping into these dismal years with a dose of un-self-seriousness. 

***

 

Best Swedish 80s-90s Duo: 

Roxette

Active years: 1986-present

Marie Fredriksson (vocals) and Per Gessle (vocals and guitar) seized the 80s world by the collar with its breakthrough album Look Sharp! (1988).  They went on to sell like 60 million records and score more 19 Top 40 hits, including "It Must Have Been Love".  Nothing says late 80s like "The Look" though. 

***

 

Best Contemporary Swedish (and American) Duo:

Dear Companion

Loren Francis and Maja Alderin will charm your smartwools off.

 ***

 

Best Swedish Band Name: 

Freak Kitchen (a progressive metal band from the 90’s)

Runner Up: Günther and the Sunshine Girls (Other)

Honorable Mention: The Poodles (obviously glam rock)

Runner Up to Honorable Mention: Homy Hogs (post-punk)

***

 

Best Swedish Dylan Cover Song: 

Sophie Zelmani - "Most of the Time"

Active years: 1995-present

Anybody can pull off "Blowin' in the Wind", but "Most of the Time" is a high degree of difficulty song to cover.  Zelmani is equal to it, making this one of the best Dylan covers out there.    

***

 

Most Annoying Swedish Song from the 90’s: 

Cardigans – “Lovefool” (1996)

You will never need to hear this again.  You're welcome.