Sweden - Stim

“ABBA with balls”
Love Is All
myspace.com/loveisall8
A five-piece indie-pop band from
Göteborg, Love Is All first hit the scene
in 2004 when they got to make one of
the last Peel Sessions for legendary DJ
John Peel (1939-2004). Love is All is
fronted by singer Josephine Olausson
and is currently on contract with US
independent label What’s Your Rupture?
A Love Is All track is included on
Rough Trade’s prestigious collection
Rough Trade Shops: Indiepop 1.
Lykke Li
myspace.com/lykkeli
The 21-year old from Stockholm who
has been compared to such diverse
artists as Feist, Björk and Alicia Keys.
Lykke Li shares a manager with Shout
Out Louds. Her debut album was recorded
in New York with Björn Yttling
from Peter, Bjorn And John as producer.
In one interview, Lykke Li said
that she “likes all music with feelings,
pain and cock in it”. It’s an attitude that
makes her music what it is.
Maia Hirasawa
myspace.com/maiahirasawa
Japaswedish Maia Hirasawa’s technicolour
pop has been compared to Björk’s
It’s Oh So Quiet and artists like Rufus
Wainwright and Regina Spector. Maia
Hirasawa doesn’t only write, arrange
and produce all her music; on her debut
album she also plays most of the instruments.
As a singer she has just as much
mastery of jazz as she does pop. Has
toured and played with Hello Saferide.
Mando Diao
myspace.com/mandodiao
A garage rock band group from Borlänge
that lists John Lennon and Mohammad
Ali as its chief influences.
Another comparison is early Oasis, not
least when it comes to self-confidence.
At gigs, Mando Diao has been whipping
up a hysteria amongst its young
fans of near-Beetles proportions.
Breakthrough in Japan and Germany.
The singer’s two younger brothers play
in Sugarplum Fairy.
Mapei
myspace.com/mapei
At the end of the 80s, it was Swedish
born Neneh Cherry who personified
the contemporary scene. Today it’s
Mapei, Stockholm’s answer to M.I.A..
Under the heading Influences on her
MySpace page, she lists “Pop politics.
Flippin’ burgers. Characteristic cab
drivers. Apathy. Dungen”. Despite not
having released a record yet, Mapei has
been nominated as Sweden’s best live
performer.
Melody Club
myspace.com/melodyclub
British NME has described Melody
Club as “ABBA with balls”. The group
was handpicked by Kylie Minogue to
support her Greatest Hits tour. The
latest to discover the band’s updated
glam rock is skateboard legend Bam
Margera, who has included them on
his Viva La Bands, Vol 2 anthology
(which also features The Sounds and
In Flames, also from Sweden).
The Perishers
myspace.com/theperishers
Low-key pop combo from Umeå whose
mood-evoking music has been discovered
by many US TV producers. The
Perishers’ songs have featured in Greys
Anatomy, Veronica mars, The O.C.
and One Tree Hill. When the group
toured with Sarah MacLachlan, they
sold up to 600 CDs per evening. Currently
on contract to the US company
Nettwerk.
Peter, Bjorn and John
myspace.com/peterbjornandjohn
The duet Young Folks, with its characteristic
whistling refrain, has been
called “the perfect pop song” and is
one of the 21st century’s most played
songs. NME named it their numbertwo
single of 2006. The song has since
been recorded by Kanye West on a
mix tape and in German and Japanese
cover versions. For the past few years,
the trio has been on a non-stop tour.
Björn Yttling is also one of Sweden’s
most sought-after producers, and has
worked with Taken By Trees, Lykke
Li, Sahara Hotnights, Marit Bergman
and Shout Out Louds. John Eriksson is
one of the country’s most popular percussionists,
and plays in the ensemble
Kroumata. Peter Morén once played in
The Plan, a band that won much critical
acclaim in Sweden.
Promise and the Monster
myspace.com/promiseandthemonster
Behind the name is 19-year old Billie
Lindahl, who, under the heading
Sounds Like on her MySpace page, has
written “nightmares”. Her gothic ballads
recall Mary Shelley’s 19th century
and Stina Nordenstam’s 20th. Promise
And The Monster has supported Jens
Lekman and Mark Kozelek. Her label,
Imperial Recordings, also discovered
José González.
Robyn
myspace.com/robynmyspace
It might seem strange to call a 28-year
old artist a veteran, but Robyn has gone
through several incarnations as an artist.
Her debut album Robyn Is Here, which
she recorded when she was 17, earned
Robyn three Grammies in Sweden and
two Top-10 hits in the USA. Since having
been called the Swedish equivalent
of R&B artists like Brandy and Monica,
Robyn has re-invented herself as something
of a futuristic Kate Bush for the
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