I think it’s safe to say that all the writers here at AWmusic are huge fans of Miike Snow and of Lykke Li. These musically talented Swedes are pretty amazing on their own. We didn’t expect anything less than perfection from this match made in heaven musical collaboration. “Black Tin Box” is the third track to be released from Miike Snow’s forthcoming LP, Happy For You. The album is set for a March 27th release date.
Miike Snow won’t stop teasing. Only within days after unveiling new single “Paddling Out”, the Swedish supergroup has now unleashed the third new track from upcoming album “Happy To You”. The Lykke-Li-featuring “Black Tin Box” sounds like the best of both worlds: pretty synths from the band and Lykke’s love for boisterous drums. It’s probably my favorite out of the three we heard so far, from what’s shaping to be a great second album.
STREAM: Miike Snow – Black Tin Box (feat. Lykke Li)
It occurred to me the other day that it’s been a while since I heard from Maia Hirasawa. After all, she’s responsible for one of the finest, catchiest indie pop songs ever made. So I decided to do some catching up and to my surprise, not only had the lovely Swedish/Japanese singer/songwriter relocated to Japan, she also released a new album over there last year! Her self-titled Japan-only album is a collection of new songs in English and Japanese, as well as assorted tracks from her second album and Swedish EP. The lead single “It Doesn’t Stop” also serves as a sort of introduction to the land of rising sun, and it’s classic Maia at her best – robust, bright and sprightly. The song’s bursting with life and sheer joy that it couldn’t fail to bring a stupid grin on my face. Most of all, it took me right back to 2007, when I first discovered the super talented female roster of Swede lavel Razzia Records, including Maia among Hello Saferide, Firefox AK, and Jonna Lee. Those were the days…
View the sailor-themed video for the song below – you will really dig this if you’re a fan of Regina Spektor or commercial-friendly Feist. For good measure, I’ll throw in her harp-laden cover of Ne-Yo’s “Because Of You”. As you can tell by the choice, it’s a quite old one but still sounds fantastic.
The video for Firefok AK‘s new single “Color The Trees” is out, and it is awesome! Once again Andrea Kellerman and her husband Rasmus (Tiger Lou) joined forces, but this time they got to burst out some pretty cool dance moves on surrealist CGI landscapes. This marks the third time they collaborated, which appears to be a once-in-an-album thing. “Color The Trees” is definitely one of her best songs to date, a very catchy, uptempo tune of the quality melancholic Swede electro-pop calibre, with a distinctly wintry feel. The Bjorn-Yttling-produced track springs from her third album of the same name released last year in Sweden. The album has a tentative release date on February 6 in UK, and hopefully, a Stateside release will soon follow. In the meantime, check out the great video below and download a bonus remix.
So it’s that jolly time of the year when new original festive songs are in demand again. Up-and-coming Swedish duo Serenades has stepped up to the challenge by releasing a holiday-themed song as their first single. However, “Come Home” is not so much about Christmas itself, but rather a lament about the non-festivity of a one-man holiday. And they sugarcoat the depressing sentiment with lovely sun-kissed melodies that Swedes can seemingly do in their sleep. Serenades’ music falls in the same subgenre of chill, tropical, Instagrammed ’80s pop that The Tough Alliance and Gypsy & The Cat also frequent. While their sound’s not entirely original, it’s done beautifully, and there’s enough room for another band in that niche. Curiously, they are signed to Cherrytree Records, Lady Gaga’s label, so undoubtedly we’ll be hearing a lot more from them in 2012. Watch/stream “Come Home” right below.
STREAM: Serenades – Come Home
A 4-track EP is out now, including a remix by Bjorn Yttling of Peter, Bjorn and John.
The Good Natured have been on the verge of breaking through for quite some time now, and this week, they are back with not just one, but TWO brand new tunes. After premiering the video their collaboration with Swedish DJ Adrian Lux “Alive” a couple days, the previously Popforwarded band has now unleashed what’s possibly the best thing they’ve put their name to. I assure you that I’m not just tossing out hyperbole when I say that their new single “Video Voyeur” is INSANELY BRILLIANT.
Produced by Patrik Berger (Robyn, Tove Styrke, Those Dancing Days), it is pop at its finest. An adrenaline rush in song form, it embodies a tapestry of vocals and hooks after hooks, and then suddenly breathes out at the middle eight for a cascade of Kraftwerk-ian synths before one last big chorus. Clocking in just 3 minutes and 19 seconds, it is an slightly exhausting but thrilling listen. It’s maximalist pop with an unconventional structure, done properly with sharp energy. I simply can’t get enough of it.
The band has now skillfully carved a trademark sound: dark and intense electro goth pop, with a modern spin on ’80s influences instead of just plain mimicry. Watch the fairly straightforward peformance video below, and see if you agree with me.
To make it even better, the band is giving the track away as a free download! Amazing.
And here is their dance collab with Adrian Lux, “Alive”. Sarah McIntosh’s voice certainly gives some bite to what might be just another generic rave-pop tune without her.
STREAM: Adrian Lux ft. The Good Natured – Alive
2012 shall be an exciting year for The Good Natured. Watch them closely.
