When did Sweden become so hip? Formerly known to many primarily for its ample crop of tall, statuesque blondes, or as the namesake of rich cultural delicacies such as Swedish Fish. Now it seems those Thor-loving Scandinavians have begun to carve a new cultural niche by cornering the market on smart, accessible indie-rock. All Abba jokes aside, some of the best new indie-rock music to come out over the past year or so has been produced by Swedes. Acts like Jens Lekman and the Raveonettes (who are actually from Denmark, which is close enough to Sweden for my purposes) did their best to win over hearts and minds of the masses with releases early in '08. Now, following in their footsteps are sincerely buzz-worthy artists like Kykke Li, Kristoffer Ragnstam and Peter, Bjorn & John. As recently as a month ago, I'd have told you that Canada was shaping up to be the Indie-rock mecca for the new millennium, but now it seems our neighbors to the north may have some healthy competition. Don't believe me? Sample some fresh Swede-rock below. It's enough to make Stockholm Syndrome sound like a good thing.
Lykke Li - I'm Good, I'm Gone
Kristoffer Ragnstam - Swing That Tambourine
Peter, Bjorn & John - Inland Empire
(Note: Mp3's removed by per artist request)
Kristoffer Ragnstam - Swing That Tambourine
Peter, Bjorn & John - Inland Empire
(Note: Mp3's removed by per artist request)
1 comment:
kristoffer ragnstam is amazing! the coolest of the cool!
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