I'm willing to gamble that many readers of this site aren't merely interested in Scandinavian music and that their curiosity extends much further to other cultural exports, be it design, architecture, crime fiction or, as in this particular case, film. Daniel Ekeroth, besides being a prolific musician as well, is the author of the essential genre guidebook "Swedish Death Metal" and is back now with his second tome "Swedish Sensationsfilms" (Bazillion Points), an exploration of Sweden's sexy, deranged, exploitative, violent and sometimes just plain weird cinematic underbelly that existed and thrived from 1951 to 1993. Even if you have little to no interest in seeing many of the films covered, "Swedish Sensationsfilms" is a highly entertaining read not merely due to the lurid subject matter, but to Daniel's engrossingly casual and bluff writing style which manages to be both incredibly insightful and a whole lot of fun. I found myself devouring it quickly from cover to cover and, with my curiosity was greatly piqued, reached out to Daniel and had him answer a few questions via email.

My website is devoted to Scandinavian music and while I certainly have my own reasons, justify to my readers why they should care about "Swedish Sensationsfilms".

Well, first of all I think the book turned out funny as hell -- so you might just read it for some great laughs! Then, in its own twisted way the book can actually give you a pretty good insight of the development of Swedish society during the last 60 years. Also, if you are into Swedish music -- you should get to know a bit about Swedish films as well to enhance your experience! The tone is pretty similar to my book "Swedish Death Metal" I guess, so if you like that you might like this as well.

Even if your interest is strictly within the realm of music, there are some treats in the book as well...some films you really should know about. How about Easy Action being chased my a murderous family, or Åke Eriksson (Wasa Express, Attack) portraying a mentally deranged killer? What's not to like?

Seeing that a few of the movies you cover in the book have still managed to elude you, I can only imagine the extremes you went through to find copies of the movies you actually did manage to find. What's the furthest you went to procure a movie for the book? Were any of them particularly tricky to track down? Are there any "Holy Grails" still out there that you are looking for, in the book or otherwise?

Since I have been a film collector for a very long time, I kind of had all the connections to gather most of the films pretty easy when I started work on "Swedish Sensationsfilms". Back in my heydays as a collector, we did some crazy things to get hold of stuff though. My friends and I swept the world in search of cassettes though, going on trips to Greece, Holland, Italy, Hong Kong, Germany, Czech Republic, Finland and Denmark to try to convince the video stores to sell their stuff to us. And when I collected Italian films, I even moved to Italy to learn the language and search for films. Mad times!

A title like "Månguden" was super-hard to track down though, since it had only been shown on TV once back in the 80's...and nobody seemed to have made a copy. But out of nowhere there was suddenly a DVD release, so the time of miracles has not passed yet. And all the connections in the world couldn't get me lost films like "Frozen Star", "Silent Chase" or "Fränder". If anyone ever comes across a copy of these films, let me know!

A story that might show you the dedication of hard core film collectors is the one of how "Breaking Point" finally surfaced among the inner circle of film collectors. One guy managed to get a video-copy of the theatrical version from someone involved with the film, after some serious begging and nagging. Another guy used some obscure connections to get hold of the censor cuts from the National Board of Censors -- and later the sources were cut together to complete the film. This, my friends, is how hard people worked to see a film back in the days! It is actions like this that saves the greatest art from destruction and oblivion!

Of the many recurring actors that appear in the movies of "Swedish Sensationsfilms", Heinz Hopf sticks out as a particularly fine example, so much so that there's even a Swedish harsh noise duo named after him. What is it about the characters he plays that makes them so memorable? Is there any particular movie of his with a career-defining performance?

I think a lot has to do with his indifferent and grim, yet soulful and beautiful, face. There is just some kind of magic to him. Then, of course, he did play a row of disturbingly sick, twisted and violent characters in a string of classic films. His defining moment is of course his role as the pimp in "Thriller - A Cruel Picture", one of the creepiest characters of all time. He is also great in "Exponerad", a film very similar to "Thriller" but not at all as well known. All such creepy performances aside - Hopf was actually not at all a B-grade actor of low budget exploitation films, but rather a highly respected theatre actor and a favorite of Ingmar Bergman. I just love when the borders between high art and trash is blurred like that.

An interesting thing to note is that Heinz Hopf suddenly became very well known in Sweden after his participation in the very successful TV series "Varuhuset" ("The Mall") in the mid 80's. Worthy of note is that the character he played, the slippery and manipulative CEO Erik Eriksson, is actually pretty similar to the ones of his earlier sensationsfilms.

Another memorable character from the book is director Mats Helge Olsson, Sweden's so-called "only professional director", and an artist that you seem to have an intense love/hate relationship with. What is it about his work that is so simultaneously compelling and revolting? Do you think that any of his films might have been improved by a more skilled filmmaker or is their incompetence simply part of their charm?

His determination just urged him to make films, no matter what! And with shoestring budgets, he created those mad hopeless action films that are just to die for. These films are lacking in every department, but that's what makes them so special. It's like naïve art if you will, a completely unique field of filmmaking that has to be seen to be believed. There is just one Mats Helge, no other director could ever re-create what he did!

You cite "Let the right one in"/"Låt den rätte komma in" as a positive example of current Swedish cinema, but are there any other contemporary films (Swedish or otherwise) that continue the traditions inspired by Swedish Sensationsfilms? Is such a thing even possible in this modern era or were they purely a product of a very specific time and place now long gone?

Well, basically I would say no. Cinema changed a lot in the late 80's, not only in Sweden but all over the world. Suddenly low budget genre films just stopped being produced, and everything was watered down. The madness disappeared, and everything turned slick and boring. The low-budget films of the 1990's and 2000's are self-aware nonsense or total crap. Even directors like Mats Helge Olsson had a distinctive style amidst all his shortcomings.

When you try to make a big budget action film with minimal resources, you can create magic -- when you try to make a cool retro-film, you will create crap.

Lastly, what are you doing musically these days? What's up with the new Iron Lamb album? And what do you have planned next book-wise?

Quite a lot actually:

Iron Lamb – Everything regarding the album "The original sin" is finished now, so it should be out any day. Then we will do some gigs during the summer, and probably tour in the autumn as well as record some 7" singles. Chaos awaits I guess -- we tend to be too much punk for the punks, and to much metal for the metalheads!

Tyrant – After 1,5 years of silence this rusty old black metal band will actually play live on Saturday May 7, at the release party for the Morbid "Year of the Goat" album. We also have some plans to play on Iceland and in Italy, as well as record some new material.

Usurpress – My new death/crust band will soon release a split-album with the Spanish band Galerna. We also will play some festivals during the summer, and are working on new material.

About new books, I have been a bit lazy lately. I have some plans, but instead of working on them I have been putting my writing energy into doing stuff for Sweden Rock Magazine. I hope to start work on my next book in the autumn, and it will probably be about Swedish music again! But first I will go to NYC to promote "Swedish Sensationsfilms" a bit -- and drink a lot of beers while having a great time!

01. TALK 1
02. Waklevören - Attakk
03. Eskatol - Fane av løgner
04. Årabrot - End of the world / Revelations
05. Lögnhalsmottagningen - Positivt tankande
06. TALK 2
07. Grave - Liberation
08. Obliteration - Exterminate
09. Liket Lever - Levande begravd
10. Knugen Faller - Jag vill inte vara med
11. TALK 3
12. Haust - Anti-reproductive
13. Underachiever - Cut a smile
14. Pointless Youth - Damaged head
15. Wolfbrigade - In adrenaline
16. Darkthrone - I am the graves of the 80s
17. TALK 4
18. Nekromantheon - We're rotting
19. Slugathor - The smoke
20. Tyrant - I'll burn that bridge (before you can cross it)
21. TALK 5
22. Bitch Boys - Automobile
23. Mögel - Jag är så rädd
24. Okkultokrati - On mouth of hells
25. Victims - Another way to die
26. Nitad - Stockholmsnatt
27. TALK 6

Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.

This track comes from the band's split 12" with UK crust act Alehammer, released late last year via Agipunk. Tyrant's 4 tracks are all worthy contributions to their discography; as for the flip, the slightly amusing title + cover art is as good as it gets.

01. TALK 1
02. Monument - Feel failure
03. Regulations - To be me
04. Du - Bring down a house
05. Tyrant - Go ahead raise the dead
06. TALK 2
07. Tobias Fröberg - When we go to war
08. Next Life - Anti matter
09. Lo-Fi-Fnk - Marchin' in
10. Boy Omega - Just a boy
11. TALK 3
12. The Bear Quartet - I was a weapon
13. I'm from Barcelona/David Ljung - Silence
14. Thee Gutted String - I've been to town
15. TALK 4
16. Paper - Before that day
17. The Goner - Bright and colossal (risen mind)
18. At the Gates - Suicide nation
19. TALK 5
20. Madrugada - Look away Lucifer

Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.

01. TALK 1
02. Tyrant - The rebirth (reclaim the flame)
03. C.Aarmé - Dustin
04. Pintandwefall - Bird of the birds
05. Ironville - Sweet perfume
06. Dear Euphoria - Tell me
07. TALK 2
08. [ingenting] - Halleluja!
09. Agent Side Grinder - Die to live
10. Pistol Disco - Beat of the tune
11. TALK 3
12. The Bear Quartet - Carry your weight (Strange Maps remix)
13. The Fine Arts Showcase - Looking for your love
14. Wardruna - Dagr
15. TALK 4
16. Björn Kleinhenz - Fårö
17. Samuraj Cities - Spoonful of talk
18. David Åhlén - Stir our hearts
19. TALK 5
20. Elmo - Darkness falls

Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.

10. [ingenting] - Tomhet, idel tomhet (Labrador Records)
A record that is expansive in sound, but still very direct in feeling. [ingenting] aimed for the stars with this one and nailed it.

09. Agent Side Grinder - Irish recording tape/The transatlantic tape project (Enfant Terrible)
Enjoyable as separate entities, though far better when considered as a matched pair. This band has not only mastered the sound of old-school industrial, they can also write great catchy songs (see: "Irish recording tape") and create engrossing abstract soundscapes ("The transatlantic tape project").

08. Pistol Disco - Evergreen (Celebrity Lifestyle)
This group gets better and better with every release and now, with the addition of live drums, they've soared to new heights of brain-roasting awesomeness. Listen LOUD!

07. The Bear Quartet - 89 (Adrian Recordings)
A no-brainer. Still reigning as Sweden's best band.

06. The Fine Arts Showcase - Dolophine smile (Adrian Recordings)
The rawest of breakup records, the grandest of pop. Gustaf Kjellvander's defining moment as an artist (thus far).

05. Wadruna - Runaljod - gap var Ginnunga (Indie Recordings/Fimbulljóð Productions)
Pure pagan beauty, performed in the old ways to appease the old gods. If you don't like this, you're no fan of Scandinavian music.

04. Björn Kleinhenz - B.U.R.M.A./Head held high on fearsome pride (DevilDuck Records/SellOut! Music/Tomt Recordings/Eget Bevåg Grammofon)
Another twofer, except this time I've listened to all these songs on shuffle so many times I can't separate them anymore. 2009 was the year that Björn Kleinhenz dedicated himself to his art 100% and it shows. I always have high expectations for his work, but these two records blew me away.

03. Samuraj Cities - Mixed up record collections (Imperial Recordings)
The music reflects the title; a brazen mix of different sounds and ideas, leading the way for the future of Swedish indierock. Sometimes it's a noisy mess, but that's also what makes it so great.

02. David Åhlén - We sprout in thy soil (Compunctio)
Devotional music is incredibly powerful when performed with such fervent conviction and grace as this. There is a new strain of inspirational music coming out of Sweden right now and its artists are creating some of the most exciting music I've heard in years.

01. Elmo - Once (BD Pop)
Far and away my absolute favorite album of 2009. Elmo takes the melodramatic teen-angst pop of Broder Daniel and ups it to near-farcial levels of hysteria, but they never ever falter. When frontman Magnus Ekelund said that this was the "ultimate Elmo album", he was telling the absolute truth. You can't go up from here.

Honorable mentions

2009 was a very good year for music and there are many worthwhile albums that didn't quite make the cut. Here's 5 more in alphabetical order:
Pintandwefall - Hong Kong, baby! (Supersounds Music)
Thåström - Kärlek är för dom (Universal)
C.Aarmé - World music (Spegel)
Turboweekend - Ghost of a chance (Mermaid Records)
Dear Euphoria - Heal my violence (La Paloma)

Heard too late

These records would've made the list if I had properly heard them at their time of release:
The Scrags - s/t (Alleycat Records)
Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words - Lost in reflection (Fang Bomb/iDEAL Recordings/Release the Bats/When Skies Are Grey)
Tyrant - The rebirth (reclaim the flame) (Listenable Records/Hells Cargo)

Contributor Lists

Simon Tagestam

Albums

01. Samtidigt Som - Flykt, kärlek & broderskap (Luxury)

02. jj - jj n° 2 (Sincerely Yours)

03. Fever Ray – s/t (Rabid)

04. Lorentz & M.Sakarias - Vi mot världen (Epic)

05. Frida Hyvönen – Silence is wild (Licking Fingers)

06. Maskinen – Boys II Men (Pope Records)

07. Taken By Trees – East of Eden (Rough Trade)

08. Körsbärsfettera - Alla ska ha linne (self-released)

09. Sad Day For Puppets - Unknown colors (HaHa Fonogram)

10. Christopher Sander - Hej hå! (Vesper Records)

Songs

01. Montt Mardié – Gloria

02. jj – Are you still in Valda?

03. Anna Järvinen – Äppelöga

04. Samtidigt Som – Tienes mi corazón

06. Maskinen – Pengar

06. Alexis Weak – Disney på is

07. Lorentz & M.Sakarias - Unicorn

08. Christopher Sander - Fattig bonddräng

09. [ingenting] – Halleluja!

10. Makthaverskan - German boy

Arnulf Koehncke

01. Moritz von Oswald Trio - Vertical ascent (Honest Jon's Records)
While technically hardly a Scandinavian album (percussion is handled by Finn Vladislav Delay, electronics and programming by German techno- and dub-mastermind Moritz von Oswald plus modular synths by German Max Loderbauer), I just can't not list this record here. For me, it's this year's equivalent to last year's highlights by Auton or Viktor Sjöberg New Jazz Ensemble: A demanding record that pulls you in with its hypnotic patterns and movements, makes you smile at its more obvious moments, and makes you miss it when you're without the beautiful gatefold vinyl and a record player.

02. Kings of Convenience - Declaration of dependence (Virgin/EMI)
I was looking forward to this album and the accompanying gig this fall. The gig did not disappoint -- like always, Erlend still wants to own the stage while Erik charmingly stresses his storytelling-skills and seems to divide his time between his baby and the gym nowadays. But the album surprised me at first. Judging from the last record, I had expected more sixties pop and less starkness and quietude. But I like how this album is less easily had, doesn't let the listener in as easily, but will grow on you nonetheless.

03. [ingenting] - Tomhet, idel tomhet (Labrador Records)
This records sees [ingenting] exchange the more obvious references in their music for more subtle nods to pop music's giants paired with impressively direct lyrics and straight-to-the-point arrangements. If maturity didn't have such negative connotations, one could call the album just that. And "classic" of course, like 80's indiepop is classic, or Sibiria and Vapnet maybe, though in more cynical ways than this record. It seems only fitting that [ingenting] chose to finally drop those "nothing"-puns from their album titles.

04. Frida Hyvönen - Silence is wild (Licking Fingers)
I've always been unsure about the reference points of year-end lists. Is it calender years or more likely personal years? I'm in favor of personal, so I list this album because to me, despite technically being from 2008, it's really a 2009 record. Somehow, the album's full potential -- its melodies, its power, and most of all, its soul (in the secular, Phil Spector meaning of the word)---had passed me by until I saw Frida and her bandmates play live in Berlin in the spring of 2009. So I'm only making up now for not listing it in 2008.

05. The Whitest Boy Alive - Rules (Bubbles)
A friend of mine once compared TWBA to IKEA. They make highly functional music that's devoid of any ornaments and goes straight to the point. And like IKEA-furniture, TWBA's music works extremely well for its purpose: I've seen them play in a gallery's shopwindow for more than 1000 dancing people gathered in the February-cold street before them, and their songs never fail to fill any indie-dancefloor. I guess I'd rather have IKEA than the "next big thing" from England then.

Singles

01. [ingenting] - Dina händer är fulla av blommor
From the first time I heard this song when [ingenting] performed it on Nyhetsmorgon, I was struck with its directness, the way it seems to speak to every single listener. I really like how non-cynical popmusic can do that sometimes!

02. The Fine Arts Showcase - Friday on my knees
It's great how Gustaf and his bandmates deconstruct this song about two-thirds through, dropping riff and chorus for 120 gloomy seconds of noisy guitar and bass, only to shortly resurrect it all before the end. Who needs radio-oriented hits when we can have this instead?

03. The Radio Dept. - David
Yet another year without an album by The Radio Dept. And still I consider them my favorite Scandinavian band. I'm left hoping the new album will sound more like this single and less like its unfocused b-sides. Still, allowing myself a nostalgic moment, they most probably just won't make another "Lesser matters".

04. The Whitest Boy Alive - 1517
We all need our functional dancefloor-fix from time to time, don't we? Especially when it's this well-done.

05. Kommun - Death of a CEO
I've been looking forward to the Kommun-record ever since the people behind Vapnet and Sibiria announced that, since everyone was making "serious" Swedish records now, they'd make a "non-serious" English record instead. And while I haven't fully connected with the album yet, I can't really escape this deeply political singalong about a businessman's afterlife.

Less obvious non-scandi mentions (besides those Grizzly Bears, Animal Collectives, and Pains of Being Pure at Heart): My friend's sister's project Music for Your Heart, Brooklyn's giddy Uninhabitable Mansions, the new Au Revoir Simone record, that Thom Yorke song on the "New Moon" Soundtrack (less movie, more music), and finally moving to and living in Phnom Penh.

Matt Giordano

01. [ingenting] - Tomhet, idel tomhet (Labrador Records)
It was always going to be difficult to follow up "Mycket väsen för ingenting", and for a while I thought that this one fell short. The one day it clicked, I could not even compare the two. This is another stellar release for the band.

02. The Bear Quartet - 89 (Adrian Recordings)
A triumph, but honestly I did not even expect less. The Bear Quartet have returned in the only way they could -- a bludgeoning, brooding album that closes their decade of output by making the audience reconsider what The Bear Quartet is once again.

03. Markus Krunegård - Prinsen av Peking / Lev som en gris dö som en hund (V2)
I try to imagine what pop music in English would sound like if we had an artist like Markus Krunegård. But then I realize that the industry here is exponentially more vapid, someone like Markus would be swept into the corners of dimly lit rooms, never to see his due.

04. Asha Ali - Hurricane (3NO)
Three years after her magnificent debut, Asha Ali gave us a devastating album of loss and internal strife. This album is so personal and fragile it must have been difficult to release it.

05. The Fine Arts Showcase - Dolophine smile (Adrian Recordings)
Another album of loss, but with a very different approach. Gustaf Kjellvander gives us an outside view of the degradation of his relationship, which is always quite to difficult to do. However, in typical TFAS fashion, he succeeds greatly.

06. Pistol Disco - Evergreen (Celebrity Lifestyle)
Falling into the category of noise and shoegaze, which I've been listening to a lot lately, Pistol Disco reach amongst the highs. Put this record on and just ease your mind, and it will take your imagination places.

07. Kristofer Åström - Sinkadus (Startracks)
A new Kristofer Åström album always yields quality. This time, he has rotated three backing bands on record, and it adds so much to his already well-honed songwriting craft.

08. Jonathan Johansson - En hand i himlen (Hyrbis)
What a way to start a career. Jonathan Johansson created one of the better pure-pop albums of the year.

09. jj - jj n° 2 (Sincerely Yours)
Another very good debut, and another very good pop album. jj borderlines on twee, yet mixes soft beats and great vocals.

10. Montt Mardié - Skaizerkite (Hyrbis)
David Pagmar keeps getting more bombastic with each release. Top-notch songwriting and arranging keeps Montt Mardié fans guessing where he'll take his sound next.

Songs:

01. Peter Bjorn and John - Stay this way

02. Elias and the Wizzkids - Mr. Right Guy

03. Montt Mardié - Bang bang (An echo in Warsaw)

04. Asha Ali - The contract

05. The Bear Quartet - Northern

06. Ingenting - Lång våg

07. Markus Krungegård - Prinsessan av Peking

08. The Fine Arts Showcase - London, my town

09. Kristofer Åström - A song for while I'm away

10. Markus Krunegård - Kär i en borderline

01. Isobel & November - Bones long forgotten
02. TALK 1
03. Lacrosse - We are kids
04. Marions - Wonder lady
05. Existensminimum - Mirrors
06. Pintandwefall - Bird of the birds
07. TALK 2
08. Marit Bergman - Halo
09. The Mobile Homes - I'm phoning a friend, and he says that
10. Dear Euphoria - Heal my violence
11. Susanne Sundfør - Morocco
12. TALK 3
13. Tyrant - Armageddon is here
14. Beem - Ducker
15. Twiggy Frostbite - Thrown in two
16. Kitchen & the Plastic Spoons - Ice cream to god
17. TALK 4
18. Gösta Berlings Saga - Bergslagen

Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.