Here's a new Marcus Söderlund-directed video from Jens Lekman for the title track of his new record "I know what love isn't".

Check out Jens Lekman's new Marcus Söderlund-directed video for the tune "Erica America". Also, Jens will be tour the states alongside Taken By Trees this fall -- dates here.

09/19 - Ruby Lounge, Manchester (UK)
09/20 - Hackney Empire, London (UK)
09/21 - The Haunt, Brighton (UK)
09/23 - Gaité Lyrique, Paris (FRA)
09/24 - La Laiterie, Strasbourg (FRA)
09/25 - Tivoli de Helling, Utrecht (NL)
09/26 - Postbahnhof, Berlin (GER)

"Erica America" is the first sample tune from the upcoming Jens Lekman album "I know what love isn't", just confirmed for release on September 3 in Europe, September 4 in the US via Secretly Canadian/Service.

An audio retrospective of Elefantkvinnan, the 2005-2009 label curated by Viktor Sjöberg (V. Sjöberg New Jazz Ensemble, Jens Lekman) and Gustav Rosengren (Kalligrammofon).

Songs (SWE):
Rytmen i natten - Riddarna
80 vårar - Mattias Alkberg
När nätterna når hamn - Jörgen Kjellgren
Du och Jag - Alf
Stanna klocka stanna - Bob Hund
Next to You - Dante
Museum - Thus: Owls
Redan glömda - Jonathan Johansson
New directions - Jens Lekman
Fish band - Syket

Albums:
The Head And The Heart - The Head And The Heart
Active Child - You are all I see
Big Deal - Lights Out
Bon Iver - Bon Iver, Bon Iver
J Mascis - Several shades of why
Ryan Adams - Ashes and fire
Lanterns On The Lake - Gracious tide take me home
Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Unknown Mortal Orchestra
120 Days - II
John Maus - We must become the pitiless censors of ourselves

Songs:
Big Pink - Stay gold
Friends - I'm his girl
Bon Iver - I can't make you love me / Nick of time
Burial / Four Tet / Thom Yorke - Mirror
Tame Impala - Remember Me
Is Tropical - Zombie
M83 - Wait
Modeselktor / Thom Yorke - Shipwreck
Bombay Bicycle Club - Lights out, words gone
The Joy Formidable - Austere

Videos:

Fish band - Syket

Hej då - Riddarna

Stockholm - Jonathan Johansson

Släpp taget - Alexis Weak

Tody Motmot - Elias Krantz

Looking forward to:

Album releases from: Riddarna, Sailor & I, Existensminimum, Kent.
Like to hear new tunes from: Sonjagon, Ruset, Pascal, Framtiden, Korea Campfire, Dungen, TSOOL, Karl X Johan, Ít's a Bird it's a Plane, Suburban Kids With Biblical Names, Anna von Hausswolff and Dr Alban

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http://www.kvalitat.com/

10/18 - Thekla, Bristol (UK)
10/23 - Nefertiti, Gothenburg (SWE)
10/24 - Koncerthuset, Studio 2, Copenhagen (DK)
10/26 - Odeon Theater, Vienna (AUS)

Look for another NYC gig to be confirmed shortly as well.

09/28 - Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Los Angeles, CA
09/29 - California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA
10/01 - Columbia, Seattle, WA
10/03 - Lincoln Hall, Chicago, IL
10/05 - Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, Washington DC
10/06 - Philadelphia Ethical Society, Philadelphia, PA
10/07 - Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
10/08 - Somerville Armory, Boston, MA
10/09 - Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
10/14 - The Vereniging, Nijmegen (NL)
10/15 - Schumannsaal Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf (GER)
10/17 - Heaven, London (UK)
10/19 - Band on the Wall, Manchester (UK)
10/22 - Södra Teatern, Stockholm (SWE)
10/24 - Jazzhouse, Köpenhamn (DK)
10/27 - Salumeria della Musica, Milano (ITA)
10/29 - Pitchfork Music Festival, Paris (FRA)

01. Jonathan Johansson
02. Anna Järvinen
03. Jens Lekman
04. Acid House Kings
05. Fredrik
06. Holy Ghost!
07. The Radio Dept.
08. Syket
09. Lykke Li
10. Palpitation

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01. Anna Järvinen
02. Jens Lekman
03. Jenny Wilson
04. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
05. Bob Hund
06. Håkan Hellström
07. Peter Bjorn and John
08. Me and My Army
09. Acid House Kings
10. Those Dancing Days

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01. Bob Hund
02. Jens Lekman
03. Lykke Li
04. Håkan Hellström
05. Anna Järvinen
06. Kurt Vile
07. The Bear Quartet
08. The Radio Dept.
09. Austra
10. Rubik

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01. Säkert!
02. The Radio Dept.
03. Familjen
04. The Bear Quartet
05. Loney, dear
06. Håkan Hellström
07. Johnossi
08. Logh
09. The Concretes
10. Jens Lekman

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01. Håkan Hellström
02. Säkert!
03. The Radio Dept.
04. Hello Saferide
05. Familjen
06. Jens Lekman
07. Robyn
08. Laakso
09. Kent
10. Masshysteri

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01. Håkan Hellström - 2 steg från paradise
I like all of Hellström's albums but his previous one had about 3-4 songs that I loved, so I was a but surprised that "2 steg..." turned out to be his best album of his career.

02. Masshysteri - Masshysteri
Pure melodic punk perfection. A darn shame they've split up.

03. Robyn - Body talk
A bit disappointing that all the talk of 3 albums turned out to be 15 new songs in total, but thankfully some of the songs were killer ones!

04. Monty - 2010
A great album that I believe didn't get the attention it deserved. Montt Mardié in Swedish sounded excellent.

05. Johan Heltne - Sara,
This is what Kent would sound if they were still good (plus if they were a bit more into jazz).

06. CEO - White magic
With no new The Tough Alliance we had to do with CEO, which was just fine, just fine.

07. jj - jj n° 3
A lot of people weren't that keen on jj's second album but I really liked it. Shame they're so terrible live though.

08. The Radio Dept. - Clinging to a scheme
Another boring live band, although I don't care as long as they release albums as brilliant as this.

09. Ludwig Bell - Jag har försökt förklara
Some of it a bit too cheesy perhaps, but some of the songs on Bell's album are pure pop masterpieces.

10. Orup - Född i november
The big Swedish comeback of the year? Orup delivered a great personal album, oddly enough with lyrics not written by him.

Fantastic songs in no particular order

Supergruppen - Farsta centrum by night
Ludwig Bell - Silvertejp
Oskar Linnros - Ack, Sundbyberg
Masshysteri - Dom kan inte höra musiken
Robyn - Dancing on my own
Håkan Hellström - Man måste dö några gånger innan man kan leva
Museum of Bella Arts - Who do you love
Säkert! - Dansa, fastän

Best cover of the year:
jj - My life

Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson

Albums (in no particular order, except for "You're a wasteland...""):

"You're a wasteland, honey" Robert Svensson (my album of the year)

"Let this be the last night we care" Alcoholic Faith Mission (my only other 10/10)

"Trilogi" Fredrik

"This wilderlessness" Yamon Yamon

"In never out" Pg.lost

"Conscious castle" Another Nation's National Anthem

"s/t" EP, Night Minutes

"Dada bandits" Rubik

"White mountain" Kiki Pau

"Clinging to a scheme" The Radio Dept.

mp3:
"The sound and the sore" Cut City

Laura Studarus

Jónsi: Go -- Not just my top Scandinavian album, but my top album of the year. Period. There's so much emotion in this one that the first time I heard it (a lo-bit stream over crappy computer speakers) I cried. The fact I also happen to be a noted wimp should in no way stop you from checking this out.

Club 8: The people's record -- Yet another in a long string of reasons why Johan Angergård (Club 8/Legends/Pallers/Acid House Kings) should continue on his quest for world domination. (Or failing that, musical domination.) So many bands lose their way after so many albums -- their attempts to infuse their sound with new elements as convincing as a child's Halloween "scary" costume. And then there's Club 8 -- who has mixed afro/Cuban beats in with their sweet pop, and created a delicious hybrid beast...all without sacrificing an iota of their identity along the way.

Jens Lekman: Sure he didn't put an album out this year, but he played a one-off gig in Los Angeles that had everyone swooning. One of the best performers working today. Full stop.

Ólafur Arnalds: ...And they have escaped the weight of darkness -- Second in emotional resonance only to Go. It can be difficult to write about experimental instrumentals without sounding foolish -- so at the risk of sounding increasingly stupid, this album will recalibrate your perception of beauty.

The Radio Dept.: Clinging to a scheme -- It's about time! Back and better than ever. Welcome.

Casiokids: Topp stemning på lokal bar -- Are these "kids" playing near you? (Given their touring schedule it's a real possibility.) Go! Go! Go! Are you currently at a Casiokids concert? Dance! Dance! Dance!

Seabear: We built a fire -- Another gloriously dreamy album from the Icelandic collective. This is nostalgic chamber pop ready to soundtrack new memories.

Kaskas: In the meanwhile -- Finland's Yo La Tengo blending influences and styles with grace. A side-project that -- if the world is just and good -- will become a full-time gig.

Söder tea: If this were music, it would be a perfect ten. I'm starting to feel like a junkie asking my friends in Sweden to hook me up. No I can't quit any time I want, and of course, I don't have a problem.

Sambassadeur: European -- Classic pop with an orchestral flair. Why these guys haven't caught on stateside is one of life's great mysteries. (Then again, I'm from the country that just nominated Justin Bieber for a Grammy, so what do I know?)

01. Håkan Hellström
02. The Bear Quartet
03. The Radio Dept.
04. The Concretes
05. Säkert!
06. Familjen
07. Britta Persson
08. Christian Kjellvander
09. Jens Lekman
10. Junip

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01. Håkan Hellström
02. Junip
03. The Bear Quartet
04. Säkert!
05. Glasser
06. First Aid Kit
07. Familjen
08. Bob Hund
09. Jens Lekman
10. Robyn

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If Sweden is the land icy cool, retro-tinged gems (or so many of the imports that find success state-side would lead us to believe), then Peter Gunnarsson and Johan Hedberg are out to shatter that illusion. The duo has been releasing deliciously fractured pop under the inscrutable name Suburban Kids with Biblical Names for the last six years -- infusing their meticulously pieced together everything-but-the-kitchen-sink compositions with liberal amounts of joie de vie.

Gunnarsson and Hedberg sat down with It's a Trap! in a Stockholm park to discuss vinyl, listening parties, and, of course, the status of their fifth release.

For a first time listener, how would you describe Suburban Kids With Biblical Names' back-story?

Peter Gunnarsson: We played in another band. We're from the same suburb. So we played in different bands and we sort of had a lot in common -- our taste in music and approach in playing. So we took the two bands and made one band out of it.

Johan Hedberg: Yeah, it was in 2000-2001. We started making music, just me and Peter, just to have fun. We did strange recordings -- it was more of a fun thing, playing for our friends.

Gunnarsson: The bands were instrumental, so we wanted to make songs with vocals and just record instantly, not rehearsing.

Hedberg: That's how it began.

You still have the spontaneity to your recordings, as do your lyrics. What kind of planning goes into that?

Hedberg: I think on the record #3 it was very spontaneous. It's always like that when we record a song. You have an idea and text. And then you get the ideas going when you record it. So on #3, I think it was a lot of just making up the lyrics as we went on. I believe.

Gunnarsson: Yeah.

Hedberg: Something like that. But it's different from song to song. Nowadays, sometimes we write lyrics together. Often before it was only me or Peter who did the lyrics.

Do you often have your vocal delivery compared to Jens Lekman?

Hedberg: In the beginning. But not that much nowadays. We also got a lot of comparisons to The Magnetic Fields.

Do you draw from bands like that?

Gunnarsson: I think when we make songs we try to make the same type of pop song, with a similar structure as their songs. But when I listen to music I tend to listen to a lot of different things. Well, sometimes I listen to Jens Lekman.

You've also got a creative album title theme going. What can you tell us about that?

Hedberg: [laughs] It wasn't anything we planned. We started with #1 so it felt logical to got to #2 and #3, #4... we'll see what happens, if we're going to continue or not. We're not sure.

Or you could skip #5, go straight to #6 and confuse people.

Hedberg: [laughs] Yeah yeah! Or maybe just have a decent title of an album. I don't know. But I like it, with the band name being so long I think it's kinda nice to just have a number after that. It's been now, after so many years, the thing we've done, so it works. I think it's nice to know which record was the first and which one was the second, and then third and fourth.

When you listen back though them can you hear a progression?

Gunnarsson: I think you can hear so many different ideas going on in each song. You can hear influences, different influences in each song. They change.

Hedberg: I think you can hear a lot from the new recordings. On the first EP there's a lot of progression in the way we work, I think. There's much more time spent on the songs now, than from the first album.

And you're working on #5 right now. How's that going?

Hedberg: It's like what we talked about earlier about this spontaneous thing. We start with new songs all the time and we're willing to try out a lot of different ways to go on the songs. So it's going. But it was better when we recorded #3. We took a month off and just recorded every day. Now it's more like once a week, or something like that when we get the time. We have our work and things like that too.

You mentioned putting a lot of spontaneous ideas down. If you had to take a guess, for every song that ends up on an album, how many do you write?

Hedberg: There was one song that ended up on the #4 EP that I think I have like 50 CDs of different versions. Some of them, when I listen to it, I don't understand anything. [laughs] We chopped it up in 3 million pieces and moved around the different parts. There's like 20 different lyrics. So I think it's much more like that with the songs. The songs become different. One song can become five different songs before the final result. But we have a lot of old songs, I don't know how many, but we have a lot of old songs that we haven't done.

Gunnarsson: Yeah, and they tend to disappear, somehow in the computer system.

Hedberg: We've had some computer problems.

Gunnarsson: Always.

Hedberg: So that's very frustrating when you've been recording for a whole day and you're going to save it and it deletes everything you've got.

Gunnarsson: The session of the music program the file is corrupted.

So how long have you been at work on the new album?

Hedberg: It's hard to say because it's not that we've figured out which of all these songs are going to be on the album. So we've been working... I don't know. What do you think?

Gunnarsson: It depends if we're going to have some of the older songs. A couple of years, I think.

Hedberg: For me, the songs for the new album were just before you went to Africa or something. That's when we started on some of the songs that I think might become something.

Gunnarsson: So one year, something like that.

That's right, you took some time off to go to Africa.

Gunnarsson: Yeah, it was during my studying. I studied there. It was fun.

Did you take time off music as well?

Gunnarsson: Yeah, I tried to do some little things there, but not much.

Are you bringing some of the influences back with you?

Gunnarsson: No! [laughs] I don't think it will affect things that much. I heard some good music there, but I don't think you'll be able to hear the influence.

Are there any new sounds or ideas you're trying to bring into the new album?

Gunnarsson: I think it will sound different than before. But it's hard to describe how. In what way.

Hedberg: One idea that I had was to put some strings on, to try out that. We've never done that before. So we'll find some people who are up for it. And are cheap too! But I've played some songs for other people, and they think it sounds different. So that's a good thing.

Does it have a name yet? Or is it just "The String Song"?

Hedberg: I haven't figured out all the names yet, so I don't want to drop anything. Because it will probably be a different name.

I've noticed you have a very specific look to your album artwork. How did that come about?

Hedberg: Most of the photographs are made by Hendrick from Pallers (http://henrikmartensson.se). But not #3, a friend of ours did the photograph for that.

Do you think you'll continue with similar styles and images for the next album?

Hedberg: One thing that we've always had is that we've always been on the front of all the records. That's one thing we'd like to continue -- although I hate the #2 EP where it's just my face. They made all these posters and everywhere we went it was this poster of my face and someone had written something.

Gunnarsson: The common thing was probably a mustache.

Hedberg: I think that's one of our things that I like, It's nice -- although I hate seeing myself -- there's not too many people who do these covers with themselves on the front. I think most of them have something else.

You weren't on the cover of your solo EP were you?

Hedberg: No, not Labrador. But before Labrador, I released it on a CD-R and I was.

So since you're on the cover do you feel like this is definitely a personal expression?

Gunnarsson: Yes, I don't see how you can make music and not make it personal. It's something you express from yourself. It would be really boring if you made music totally objectively. It wouldn't work, I think.

Do you think there's less of an emphasis on commercial success in Sweden than in other countries?

Hedberg: Yeah, we don't have that tradition in Sweden, that you have to have a manager. When we came to the UK, it seemed like you have to be in a band and you have to have a manager and everything is supposed to be a certain way in every venue. I think that's one thing that we don't really have here in Sweden. I don't know anyone who has a manager who is in our position. We're not extremely big pop stars.

Gunnarsson: In the UK we played with small bands. They all had a manager.

Hedberg: It was a strange experience. Here, no one buys records anymore, at all. They all have Spotify. I think that has made it more a laid-back attitude too. You don't have to push out a record that far. You don't have to do a lot of things that you had to do when you promote CDs. I think people are more just recording a song and putting it out there for anyone to hear. I think that's a good thing. When we were releasing our first EP, people were still buying CDs. They were like "wow, it's a new EP."

Gunnarsson: That one came up on a singles chart.

Hedberg: [laughs] Yeah, it was number 30 or something. But now I can't imagine people buying CDs anymore. It's quite sad too because I used to by a lot of records.

Do you see the used record shop culture dying out as well?

Hedberg: Well I'm buying a lot of used vinyl now. I'm into that now. There is a loss though, or when you'd buy CDs and think, "Okay, today is the day when that new one gets released" and you're there. Now you get that culture when you go out looking for used vinyl.

Gunnarsson: Maybe it's people who miss that. Like the older people, like us. We go to the used record shop. And the younger people, they just don't care.

Is that something, if you ever have kids or nieces or nephews, you hope to pass along?

Hedberg: I think CDs in 50 years or so will probably get a new revival. But now, a lot of record shops here in Stockholm are throwing out CDs and just stocking vinyl.

Gunnarsson: It's nice to go somewhere and gather around music. If not in a record shop maybe the library or some kind of place where you go out of your home to listen to music. Maybe they'll start some kind of music centers. Listening parties.

Hedberg: I actually have listening parties with a friend of mine. Drinking beer and taking our vinyl and playing new stuff for each other. That's one thing I miss from a long time ago, when you just sat around and listened to the new record. You don't do that any more.

Will your new album be out on vinyl?

Hedberg: I really hope so.

Interview and photo by Laura Studarus.

01. Säkert!
02. Jens Lekman
03. Robyn
04. Håkan Hellström
05. Shout Out Louds
06. Kent
07. The Concretes
08. Best Coast
09. Efterklang
10. The Radio Dept.

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01. Håkan Hellström
02. Jens Lekman
03. Kent
04. Familjen
05. The Radio Dept.
06. Beach House
07. Oskar Linnros
08. Robyn
09. The Soundtrack of Our Lives
10. CEO

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01. Jens Lekman
02. Kent
03. The Bear Quartet
04. The Radio Dept.
05. Håkan Hellström
06. Familjen
07. The Concretes
08. Robyn
09. Anna Ternheim
10. Tiger Lou

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01. Familjen
02. Kent
03. Håkan Hellström
04. The Concretes
05. CEO
06. Robyn
07. Jens Lekman
08. Jonathan Johansson
09. The Soundtrack of Our Lives
10. The Radio Dept.

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01. Kent
02. Håkan Hellström
03. CEO
04. Robyn
05. The National
06. Familjen
07. Shout Out Louds
08. Bob Hund
09. Jens Lekman
10. Au Revoir Simone

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01. Kent
02. Robyn
03. Familjen
04. Håkan Hellström
05. The National
06. The Radio Dept.
07. Jens Lekman
08. Acid House Kings
09. The Bear Quartet
10. Teenage Fanclub

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01. Robyn
02. Kent
03. The Radio Dept.
04. The Drums
05. Familjen
06. Ratatat
07. Jens Lekman
08. Wild Nothing
09. LCD Soundsystem
10. Bob Hund

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01. Robyn
02. Familjen
03. Oskar Linnros
04. The Drums
05. Jens Lekman
06. Efterklang
07. The National
08. Shout Out Louds
09. Dungen
10. Bob Hund

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01. Rasmus Kellerman
02. The Bear Quartet
03. Familjen
04. Robyn
05. The Radio Dept.
06. Beach House
07. Shout Out Louds
08. Teenage Fanclub
09. The National
10. Jens Lekman

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01. Familjen
02. The Radio Dept.
03. The National
04. Jens Lekman
05. Håkan Hellström
06. Anna von Hausswolff
07. The Bear Quartet
08. Robyn
09. Band of Horses
10. Shout Out Louds

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08/01 - Whelans, Dublin (IRL)
08/03 - Union Chapel, London (UK)
08/04 - Nouveau Casino, Paris (FRA)
08/05 - Paradiso, Amsterdam (NL)
08/07 - Strand, Stockholm (SWE)
08/09 - Vega, Copenhagen (DK)
08/10 - Kunst, Hamburg (GER)
08/11 - Lido, Berlin (GER)
08/13 - Way Out West, Göteborg (SWE)

01. The Mary Onettes
02. The Radio Dept.
03. Familjen
04. Håkan Hellström
05. Jens Lekman
06. Hello Saferide
07. Bob Hund
08. Jonathan Johansson
09. Kent
10. Jónsi

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03/27 - Sabuga, Bandung (IDN)
03/28 - Ritz Carlton Ballroom, Jakarta (IDN)
03/30 - Saguijo (Jens only), Manila (PHL)
03/31 - NBC Tent, Manila (PHL)

01. The Radio Dept.
02. Beach House
03. Sambassadeur
04. Moto Boy
05. Jens Lekman
06. Håkan Hellström
07. Shout Out Louds
08. Jonathan Johansson
09. Yeasayer
10. Club 8

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01. Sambassadeur
02. Shout Out Louds
03. Efterklang
04. Beach House
05. The Radio Dept.
06. Jens Lekman
07. Oh No Ono
08. Yeasayer
09. The Soundtrack of Our Lives
10. El Perro del Mar

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01. Håkan Hellström
02. El Perro del Mar
03. The Bear Quartet
04. jj
05. Jens Lekman
06. Beach House
07. Hot Chip
08. Kent
09. Midlake
10. Yeasayer

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01. Håkan Hellström
02. Jens Lekman
03. Shout Out Louds
04. The Bear Quartet
05. El Perro del Mar
06. The Tough Alliance
07. Girls
08. Anna Ternheim
09. Sambassadeur
10. Kings of Convenience

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01. Local Natives
02. Kent
03. Jens Lekman
04. Hello Saferide
05. Håkan Hellström
06. Shout Out Louds
07. Sambassadeur
08. Bob Hund
09. El Perro del Mar
10. The Soundtrack of Our Lives

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01/25 - Secret show, lower North Island
01/31 - Wunderbar, Lyttelton
01/30 - The Harbourlight, Lyttelton w/Joanna Newsom
01/28 - Toto's Montecristo Room, Auckland

01. Kent
02. Hello Saferide
03. Local Natives
04. Håkan Hellström
05. Jens Lekman
06. Port O'Brien
07. Taken By Trees
08. Efterklang
09. Laakso
10. Phoenix

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01. Kent
02. Mattias Alkberg
03. El Perro del Mar
04. Håkan Hellström
05. Jens Lekman
06. Jonathan Johansson
07. Local Natives
08. Loney, Dear
09. Markus Krunegård
10. Phoenix

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01. Kent
02. Jens Lekman
03. Håkan Hellström
04. Markus Krunegård
05. Hello Saferide
06. Loney, Dear
07. Kings of Convenience
08. Lake Heartbeat
09. The Bear Quartet
10. Bon Iver

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01. Markus Krunegård
02. Jens Lekman
03. Fever Ray
04. Ane Brun
05. Kent
06. The Bear Quartet
07. Håkan Hellström
08. The Tough Alliance
09. Taken By Trees
10. Loney, Dear

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01. The Bear Quartet
02. Taken By Trees
03. Kings of Convenience
04. Håkan Hellström
05. Tiger Lou
06. The Big Pink
07. The Hidden Cameras
08. Jens Lekman
09. Phoenix
10. Kent

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01. Håkan Hellström
02. Jens Lekman
03. Anna Ternheim
04. Fireside
05. The Big Pink
06. Loney, Dear
07. Mew
08. Hello Saferide
09. Bon Iver
10. The xx

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01. Hello Saferide
02. Håkan Hellström
03. Tiger Lou
04. A Camp
05. The Legends
06. Jenny Wilson
07. Jens Lekman
08. Shout Out Louds
09. The Fine Arts Showcase
10. Fleet Foxes

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01. The Radio Dept.
02. Jens Lekman
03. Håkan Hellström
04. El Perro del Mar
05. Phoenix
06. Deportees
07. The Concretes
08. Anna Järvinen
09. Loney, Dear
10. Jonathan Johansson

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01. Loney, Dear
02. The Radio Dept.
03. The Bear Quartet
04. Kleerup
05. Camera Obscura
06. Fever Ray
07. Phoenix
08. Kristofer Åström
09. Hello Saferide
10. Jens Lekman

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01. The Radio Dept.
02. Deportees
03. Loney, Dear
04. Jens Lekman
05. Phoenix
06. Tiger Lou
07. The Bear Quartet
08. Grizzly Bear
09. Passion Pit
10. Kent

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01. Loney, Dear
02. The Fine Arts Showcase
03. Montt Mardié
04. Phoenix
05. The Bear Quartet
06. Frida Hyvönen
07. Detektivbyrån
08. Jens Lekman
09. Hello Saferide
10. Passion Pit

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01. Bob Hund
02. El Perro del Mar
03. Shout Out Louds
04. The Fine Arts Showcase
05. Jenny Wilson
06. Loney, Dear
07. Camera Obscura
08. A Camp
09. Jens Lekman
10. Sally Shapiro

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01. Anna Järvinen
02. Håkan Hellström
03. Camera Obscura
04. Bob Hund
05. Andreas Tilliander
06. Loney, Dear
07. Kent
08. The Fine Arts Showcase
09. Montt Mardié
10. Jens Lekman

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06/20 - tba, Santiago (CL)
06/19 - tba, Buenos Aires (AR)
06/17 - Era Só O Que Faltava, Curitiba (BR)
06/16 - UK Pub, Recife (BR)
06/14 - Santander Cultural, Porto Alegre (BR)
06/13 - Studio SP, Sao Paulo (BR)

01. Loney, Dear
02. A Camp
03. Jens Lekman
04. Bob Hund
05. Maia Hirasawa
06. Jenny Wilson
07. Frida Hyvönen
08. Sahara Hotnights
09. The Hidden Cameras
10. Fever Ray

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05/26 - The Loft, UCSD (Viktor Sjöberg Series), San Diego, CA
05/27 - The Echo, Los Angeles, CA
05/28 - The Echo, Los Angeles, CA
05/29 - Velvet Jones, Santa Barbara, CA
05/30 - SLO Art Center, San Luis Obispo, CA
06/01 - Bottom of the Hill, San Francisco, CA
06/02 - Bottom of the Hill, San Francisco, CA
06/03 - WOW Hall, Eugene, OR
06/04 - Crocodile Café, Seattle, WA
06/05 - Crocodile Café, Seattle, WA
06/06 - Wonder Ballroom, Portland, OR
06/07 - tba, Vancouver, BC

01. Democracy – The Sweptaways and Sir Eric Beyond [Erik Aalto]
02. Sign your name – The Sweptaways and Nina Ramsby [Terence Trent D'Arby]
03. They don't know about us – The Sweptaways and Anders Wendin aka Moneybrother [Kirsty MacColl]
04. Electric – The Sweptaways [Dag Volle, Martin Sandberg, Herbert Crichlow, Leila K]
05. Time of the season – The Sweptaways and Pelle Almqvist (The Hives) [Rod Argent, originally performed by The Zombies]
06. Happiness will be my revenge – The Sweptaways and Jens Lekman [Jens Lekman]
07. I've got your man – The Sweptaways and Robyn [Marion Hall, Richard Martin, Rickardo Ducent, originally performed by Lady Saw]
08. With every heartbeat – The Sweptaways and Simone Rubi (Rubies) [Robin Carlsson, Andreas Kleerup]
09. Vintersaga – The Sweptaways and Uje Brandelius [Ted Ström]
10. The world's greatest – The Sweptaways [R Kelly]
11. Something special – The Sweptaways and Asha Ali [Dolly Parton]
12. Tjörn – The Sweptaways and Björn Olsson [Björn Olsson]

Expect the first single (tbd) in mid-March.

01. Frida Hyvönen
02. A Camp
03. Hello Saferide
04. Morrissey
05. Familjen
06. The Fine Arts Showcase
07. Jens Lekman
08. The Soundtrack of Our Lives
09. Montt Mardié
10. Jonathan Johansson

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01. A Camp
02. Hello Saferide
03. Frida Hyvönen
04. Håkan Hellström
05. Fever Ray
06. Morrissey
07. Anna Ternheim
08. Jens Lekman
09. Kleerup
10. The Fine Arts Showcase

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01. A Camp
02. Frida Hyvönen
03. Fever Ray
04. Håkan Hellström
05. Jens Lekman
06. Anna Ternheim
07. Hello Saferide
08. Loney, Dear
09. Kent
10. Gustaf Spetz

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Old analogue and trashy keyboard enthusiasts Casiokids have been active on the Bergen music scene since 2005. Recently they got signed by British label Moshi Moshi (renowned for discovering acts like Bloc Party, Hot Chip and Kate Nash) and their new single "Grønt lys i alle ledd" became the first Norwegian-language single to get a proper release in the UK. This was a good occasion for It's a Trap! to have a chat with singer/keyboardist Ketil Kinden.

How did you guys meet?

We met in Bergen through the studies and also through the music scene there.

What were you studying?

I was studying art history at the time. We were all playing in more pop-rock oriented bands and wanted to try out an electronic music project. So we started jamming together. In the beginning Casiokids were more collective with a lot of improvised things on stage.

How many members were you at the time?

It varied from three to twelve. A year later we started making more pop-structured songs, still with electronic elements, still with Casio keyboards. Now we are a set group of five.

Is this your full-time occupation?

It is starting to become like that. We were on tour with Of Montreal for two weeks and now we are going for a one-month tour in France. Then we're going to the UK and the US. But we have a lot of other projects combined with Casiokids: workshops in kindergartens, sound installations and DJ jobs. These are all variations of our songs; we use themes and sounds from the songs and we experiment with the live format and how to present music to other people, so we are not only doing rock concerts.

How old are the members of the band?

Anything from 23 to 33.

Where do you get your samples?

Some parts from are from audio books and some parts are from interviews we've done ourselves.

How do you write your songs?

We have our own studio so we work more with the recording part of it and the plan how to do things live afterwards. Different band members have different ideas.

Is it a conscious decision that you sing in Norwegian despite the fact that this might make more difficult your breakthrough to the rest of Europe or elsewhere?

We have also tried singing in French, but we settled on Norwegian because it was more natural for us.

English doesn't come into question?

Not so far. We are happy to be singing in Norwegian. But usually when the setting is right, we have a theatre group, which is called Digitalteater. They help us communicate the themes and the songs to the audience.

How many people are they?

They are four. They have shadow puppets and digital animation live on stage. Our music is based around the beats and it is sort of danceable music and we communicate quite a lot of things apart from the lyrics. And it works pretty well because it is such upbeat music.

So what do your lyrics talk about? Is there a main theme?

There's no main theme really. For instance our single "Grønt lys i alle ledd" is inspired by the feeling that in Bergen everyone is so "over-safe" and they became a bit apathetic. It's about that feeling of having it too well and about the necessity of obstacles.

How come you wanted to write about such a topic? Is it out of personal experience?

No, it's just something I thought about from living in Bergen.

You reject the notion of b-sides. Elaborate.

We had this idea that the record industry has come to the point where you can feel free to experiment with the formats and how you release your music. And we thought about what would suit our music best. Because our music is more immediate, we are going to focus on singles. We have our own studio and we are also releasing the things we record not so long after they've been recorded. Trying to keep the audience at the same pace we're at. There is going to be a singles collection at some later stage.

What do you usually listen to at home?

I am listening to this English folk singer; he's called Vashti Bunyan. I also listen to a lot of Nigerian music. Pop music as well, like Jens Lekman.

How did the deal with Moshi Moshi materialise?

We got first in contact with them during by:Larm last year. Right after that we played in the UK a couple of times. We got along with them. They really liked our music and we liked to share. I think it was just a good match with them.

Finally, why does Bergen has such a vibrant music scene?

We are more inspired by the last generation of up-and-coming Bergen musicians. Well, they are still active, like Kings of Convenience. They inspired a lot of new musicians, they brought a lot of musicians to Bergen. More musicians are coming to Bergen; more creativity coming to Bergen; more audience coming to Bergen.

Words and picture by Vasilis Panagiotopoulos

01. Frida Hyvönen
02. Hello Saferide
03. The Soundtrack of Our Lives
04. The Sound of Arrows
05. Fever Ray
06. David Sandström Overdrive
07. Jens Lekman
08. Moto Boy
09. Håkan Hellström
10. Anna Ternheim

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01. Hello Saferide
02. Frida Hyvönen
03. Jens Lekman
04. Anna Ternheim
05. Tiger Lou
06. Sally Shapiro
07. Håkan Hellström
08. Kristofer Åström
09. Parker Lewis
10. The Tough Alliance

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01. Tiger Lou
02. Frida Hyvönen
03. Anna Ternheim
04. Juvelen
05. Hello Saferide
06. The Radio Dept.
07. Kent
08. Jens Lekman
09. Britta Persson
10. The Legends

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01. Tiger Lou
02. Frida Hyvönen
03. Anna Ternheim
04. Juvelen
05. Hello Saferide
06. The Radio Dept.
07. Kent
08. Jens Lekman
09. Britta Persson
10. The Legends

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11/29 - Ssamzie Spac, Seoul, South Korea
11/30 - Ssamzie Spac, Seoul, South Korea
12/01 - The White Rabbit, Singapore
12/02 - Yugong Yishan, Beijing, China
12/03 - JZ, Hangzhou, China
12/04 - JZ, Shanghai, China
12/06 - tba, Bandung, Indonesia
12/0? - tba, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

01. Frida Hyvönen
02. Tiger Lou
03. Hello Saferide
04. Håkan Hellström
05. Glasvegas
06. Jens Lekman
07. Detektivbyrån
08. The Tough Alliance
09. The Legends
10. Anna Ternheim

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11/01 - Northampton High School Auditorium, Northampton, MA
11/08 - Sadler Center, Williamsburg, VA

Read more about the Northampton show here: http://www.jenslekman.com/records/smalltalk.htm