Oh! Custer - States

Oh! Custer has been described as a "two man social project producing sounds easily mistaken for songs." It is the brainchild of a couple of dudes from Sweden named Josef & Esbjörn and it's a beautiful amalgamation of shoegaze and 80's mope rock. The difference is that their music makes me happier than those genre's would suggest. The songs are actually quite simple, with chorus's that are incredibly easy to memorize and sing along to. The album also plays as one continuous piece, not in a progressive rock sort of way, but the individual songs are held together by sounds of nature and white noise. This is interesting because, although the idea sounds pretentious, the execution of such comes across otherwise. If there is one complaint, it is that the songs all start to sound the same after a while. However, the eleven songs clock in at just over half an hour, which keeps things from sounding monotonous. This is a gratifying little release, with lush, lo-fi arrangements and sonorous melodies designed strictly to entertain. I highly recommend the songs 'Post,' 'Keep It Coming,' and 'Your Name.'

Like the other releases on Series Two Records, the best way to order this one is by sending 13 USD paypal to seriestworecords [at] gmail [dot] com. I beleive that this has a limited release of 200 copies, so be one of the chosen few. It's worth it.

Download: Keep It Coming mp3 / Spoiler mp3
Myspace: Oh! Custer

Robert Church and the Holy Community - Le Rouge

Well, yesterday I ignored the signs and warnings and ended up getting some sort of weird and wacky flu that lasted approximately 10 hours and then subsided. Sadly that was just enough time for me to miss last night's Steve Earle show. And from what I hear it was beyond unbelievable. That makes me sad. But life goes on and I figured while I'm here, I'll tell you a bit about one of the artists that I've been listening to lately.

The excellent CD-R label Series Two Records sent a whole whack of releases from their roster, and they all display that lo-fi Swedish indie sound that I enjoy so. There are several really good ones, and a couple that I didn't enjoy as much but I thought the first one that I would blog about is Robert Church and the Holy Community.

The band was formed in 2006 by Joel & Rickard, who wrote and recorded all the music. Anders and Tobbe round out the rest of the band, and I think that they're another band that is impossible not to enjoy if you're a fan of good quality pop music, especially the perfect pop provided by our Swedish friends. Right from the get-go, the CD reels you in with a very catchy musical hook, that reminds me of a sweeter version of Sebadoh styled 90's college rock. I also highly recommend them to fans of Belle and Sebastian and Teenage Fanclub. Songs like "Mr. Silent" and "Tale Of A King" are great, the former showing a slightly aggressive side while the latter is much more passive, both working to great effect. The CD contains 16 songs and at 43 minutes, it still flies by nice and quickly.

The best way to purchase a copy of 'Le Rouge' is by e-mailing Series Two Records at seriestworecords [at] gmail [dot] com. I challenge you to sample the mp3's below and tell me you don't want it. Go ahead, try it!

Download: Sunday Love mp3 / Steve mp3 / Train To Asia mp3
Myspace: Robert Church and the Holy Community
Videos: 'Awakening' live at Indie Tracks on youtube

Friska Viljor - Bravo!

Once upon a time, there were a couple of young men from Sweden named Daniel Johansson and Joakim Sveningsson. One night, both men found themselves in a very similar situation. They had both had their hearts crushed by their respective girlfriends. Depressed, they decided that they would do what many young men do in that situation, namely, drink lots. While drinking lots, they both stumbled into a studio and started miraculously crafting pop songs. The result was Friska Viljor, and to the surprise of many (and probably themselves,) the songs turned out really good. From that day on, the duo worked hard mastering the art of writing clever songs while drinking lots and the result is their superb debut, entitled Bravo!

This CD sat in the "to listen to..." section of my iTunes for quite a long time, and now I'm sorry that I waited so long. I think it's brilliant. This last year assured me that, apparently I like everything from Sweden, and these guys can be added to that ever growing list. The album makes the leap from minimalist acoustic numbers, to enthusiastic hook filled dance numbers with incredible ease. It is an unadulterated delectation from start to finish. The album opens with the "Shotgun Sister" and the lyrics, "See I've been trying to live this life with no success because I will die." Those lyrics should be depressing, but this album makes me smile. I can't help it. It feels a bit like Loney, Dear meets Bishop Allen, except with an incredibly stronger accent. "I Gave My Life" is another great number, delightfully psycho in its delivery, as it starts slowly and jumps and waltzes into some crazy hyperactive baroque pop-like singalong. What I particularly like is the way that this band has adopted an art that all of my favorite artists possess. That is namely the art of setting depressing lyrics to happy , jumpy music. A great example of this is "We Are Happy Now (la la la)" which is simply "Shotgun Sister" with a happier arrangement. However, the song stands so well on it's own, that it took me a few listens before I even realized it was the same song. One other standout that I would like to mention, is the beautifully executed "Goldfish" which has large stadium Bic lighter wielding phenomenon written all over it. If there is any justice, these guys will definitely be around long enough to reach the level of success that would allow me to see that last comment become a reality.

You can hear their music on myspace. Definitely worth checking out.
You can purchase Bravo! here. Highly recommended.

Loney, Dear - Loney, Noir

As much as I love the Canadian music scene, I have to admit that the Swedes are definitely giving us a run for our proverbial money. In the last year or two, I have been exposed to acts such as Jens Lekman, Peter Bjorn And John, El Perro Del Mar, I’m From Barcelona, Suburban Kids With Biblical Names, as well as several others. I don’t know what the kids are eating over there but the quality of music coming from that part of the planet is staggering. I finally got around to purchasing “Loney, Noir,” the latest release by the one-man Swedish spectacle Emil Svanängen, otherwise known as Loney, Dear. Like all of the artists mentioned earlier, Loney, Dear is another purveyor of perfect pop music. The album gets better with every song, and it’s remarkable that a recording that is this animated is the brainchild of only one man. The songs are upbuilding and content, focusing on all things positive. That in itself is different that usual indie pop fare. The songs race along at a rapid clik, keeping the listener enthralled and enthused. I’ll lay off the song-by-song review this time since it’s already been done at length throughout happy blogland, but if you’ve been on the lookout for your good mood, it is sure to be found in the sweet falsetto of Emil Svanängen.

Download:
I Am John mp3

Loney, Dear on myspace
Purchase Loney, Noir at Amazon.ca

El Perro Del Mar

Admittedly, I’m a little late jumping on this bandwagon but I’ve recently fallen hard for the music of El Perro Del Mar. Her music is sort of like a time warp into mid-60’s French pop…erm…only it’s not in French. El Perro Del Mar is actually Swedish chanteuse Sarah Assbring, and her self-titled debut is melancholic, sad and beautiful. She’s incorporated all of the techniques used on those 60’s records…handclaps, harmonic doo-wops, chiming guitar…but there’s also a slight electro-pop feel to this CD that keeps it sounding relatively modern. Apparently, Sarah is not a happy girl. It’s amazing how she can make lines like “There’s a party going on” sound so depressing. And you’re probably already familiar with “God Knows” which is an incredibly upbeat sounding song, although the lyrics suggest otherwise. “God knows I’ve been taking a lot without giving back” is just the type of self-evaluation that cascades throughout all of her lyrics. However, while this may not be a very encouraging album, it’s not simply a collection of mopers either. Instead of expressing endless “woe-is-me” sentiments, her music is done in a style that lets you know that she’s hurtin’ but she’s making the best of it. You can’t help but sorta feel for the girl.

El Perro Del Mar is going to be at The Mod Club on March 5.

Downloads:
God Knows (You’ve Got To Give To Get) mp3
Party mp3

El Perro Del Mar’s myspace.
Purchase the self-titled CD here.
And check out the animated video for “God Knows” over on youtube.
Photo is courtesy of Johanna Hedborg.

I'm From Barcelona - We're From Barcelona (Post)

I’m From Barcelona is a 25 piece musical project out of Sweden, compiled by Emanuel Lundgren. The music is so insanely happy and saccharine that it’ll give a health nut a toothache, but I can’t help smiling when I watch this video.

You can visit the I’m From Barcelona myspace here.
You can purchase their full-length debut, “Let Me Introduce My Friends” here.

If the video doesn't appear above, you can watch it here.