Wednesday , March 10, 2010
Soundtracks: Awesome Swedish Indie Pop Chanteuses
first row, l-r: Jonna Lee; the cover of Frida Hyvonen's Until Death Comes, which I adore; El Perro del Mar
second row, l-r: Sally Shapiro; Lykke Li
If there's anything about autumn 2009 that I will remember besides the dude(s?) I'm dating and the vast, varied interiors of Columbia University's Butler Library, it's my foray into spiritual Scandinavia. The journey continues this week with a detour into the world of Swedish indie pop. As we all know, the Swedes are responsible for ABBA and Ace of Base, both of whom I actually have a soft spot in my heart for. However, they also have a knack for a particular kind of honey-voiced singer, usually making well-crafted, clever pop music. It's slightly ridiculous to lump these diverse artists into one entry just by virtue of their Sweditude, but you can't deny it -- there's something particularly smart and Swede-y when you hear all these songs together. This entry might be the closest that a blog posting at nogoodforme.com might come to sounding like an episode of "Grey's Anatomy," except the soundtrack for "Grey's" would never feature a song with a lyric about male genitalia or anything remotely Italo-disco. I already hyped a few Swedish musicians like Fever Ray and Little Dragon in another Heavy Rotation, but consider that a warm-up to this mini-Magnum Opus.
FRIDA HYNONEN
"Once I Was A Serene Teenaged Child"
Sometimes my knee-jerk reaction to a girl with a piano is to run and hide 'cause I'm kind of a jerk. But maybe I'm mellowing out as I get older -- I'm more and more intrigued by this minimalist set-up. Frida Hyvönen often gets compared to Laura Nyro for a certain homespun flavor to her piano-playing, not to mention deeply personal songwriting with lyrics that would make a zine girl in the late 90s proud. I was hooked with the first two lines of this song, which I would write out except that I hate to think what kind of evil spammer this would draw to nogoodforme.com. The cover of the record that this song comes from -- Until Death Comes -- is one of my favorite album covers of all time. The whole record itself is fantastic, mostly due to the raw honesty of Frida's worldview, which nails the most slippery aspects of being a girl with intelligence and a certain calm bravery. Feeling confused yet oddly powerful? This is a good song for you.
JONNA LEE
"There Was Me"
I first got turned onto Jonna Lee with her cover of Nitzer Ebb's "Violent Playground." It's the most unlikely of covers, because Nitzer Ebb usually made super-abrasive, brutally punishing industrial music at their peak, and Jonna simply makes really lovely songs that highlight both the fragility and steeliness of her voice. Her latest record, This is Jonna Lee, is stylistically diverse, but there's a sweetness with an undertow of melancholy through it all. This is smart pop for smart girls, similar in vein to Aimee Mann and other songwriters with a knack for elegant understatement and emotional nuance. I like how this song sounds all tough, but the lyrics get more and more vulnerable as they progress. Been there, done that, yes!
EL PERRO DEL MAR
"Change of Heart"
El Perro del Mar is perhaps the most Pitchfork-tastic of this group, but don't hold that against her. This is more of that melancholy pop that the Swedes seem to do so well; the song kind of drifts and sways into a sort of Bjork-y etherealness. It's so pleasant that I forget to do things like pay attention to lyrics and instead get the urge to do my nails or fold my laundry or organize my issues of Lula instead. I don't know why; this song just makes me feel girly-swirly that way, I guess.
SALLY SHAPIRO
"Save Your Love"
Okay, I really, really, really want to know what is in the water in Gothenburg, Sweden, that makes such great dance and electronic music come out of there? Sweet-voiced, but armed with coolly propulsive Italo-disco beats, Sally Shapiro has a warmer, more innocent take on what's usually a decadent kind of sound. I really thought I would OD on too much of this kind of hi-energy sugary sweetness, but it hasn't really happened yet. Instead, I hum along to the chorus of this song in the library, and all the undergrads in their Victoria's Secret PINK sweatpants give me dirty looks. Oh, the travails of public service...
LYKKE LI
"I'm Good, I'm Gone (Black Kids Remix)"
The worst movie I've seen this year was Sorority Row. (Don't judge; we wanted to see a bad movie!) This song was the only good thing I took away from the film, which is otherwise kind of unredeemable no matter how you try to spin it. Apparently Lykke Li also has a song out on the soundtrack for New Moon as well. I try not to hold these things against Lykke Li, who otherwise makes very charming pop songs. Good songs happen to bad movies all the time, after all.
Tags: chanteuses, foxiness, indie pop, spiritually Scandinavian, Sweditude
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Posted by Kat in Soundtracks |
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this is such a pretty post! i saw frida hyvonen on a date once - the date was terrible, but she was lovely.
By Liz
on November 10, 2009 10:00 AM
i, too, love the cover of frida's 1st (?) album!
there's also concretes-era victoria bergsman, cos i guess her solo stuff is more lofi/folk? i don't know anything about genres, really.
By charisma on November 10, 2009 3:28 PM
charisma, thank you so much for the victoria bergsman recommendation! will definitely check that out in due time. and forget genres, who cares!! xo k.
By Kat
on November 10, 2009 7:55 PM
i am not entirely sure how, but i have 2x Frida Hyvonen albums on vinyl. I dont remember buying them, but I am glad they found their way into my collection.
very very under_rated music in my opinion.
By Jon on November 10, 2009 9:10 PM
This is such a good post. I got a lot of info from reading your article. I am glad i went through your post. Thank you for posting and keep up the good work.
By Seo article writing on January 9, 2010 12:28 AM
Nice music tracks ... i like all the tracks....
By billiga webbhotell on January 10, 2010 9:46 AM
I m really impressed with your work. I m glad to have read this article. It was a great way of putting forward your ideas on this subject…… I m relieved to find such good work after going through such pains in searching for the appropriate matter for my project……. Congratulations.
By tax preparer on January 12, 2010 7:39 AM
Wow this is just great. I heard all the audio on this page. they were really good.EL PERRO DEL MAR "Change of Heart" is lovely.
By koi tattoos on January 17, 2010 11:24 PM
LYKKE LI's New moon soundtrack is also very good. I just loved Twilight's soundtrack. Its a beautiful piece of music, its very soothing. "I'm Good, I'm Gone (Black Kids Remix)" this song is also good.
By iphone water damage on January 18, 2010 1:43 AM
It seems to me you are lucky to some extend that you can't remember anything except dates. Dates is a very pleasant way to spend time. Not each girl can say that that is why enjoy it.
By Rapidshare SE on March 8, 2010 7:26 AM