Biker BoyThe title track of this EP is a pretty little darling of a song that is steeped in New Order and other bands of that type from the 80s. If you like The Embassy you should definitely seek this song out, I'm sure you won't be disappointed. It's a shame that the other (three) songs on this EP are so dull, if they would have been only nearly as good as "Heart" it could have been a right old party.
- Simon Tagestam
SibiriaThere's been a lot of fantastic music released this year, and two tracks that really kept my passion for great music burning have been Sibiria's "Christian Olsson" and "Ljusdal". The first one is a funny and thought provoking diatribe against a Swedish athlete who's taken his money and moved to Monaco. The latter one is actually one of the absolute most astonishing songs of this year, and it's very brave of Sibiria and Hybris (Sibiria's record label) to exclude this hit from the album. Anyway, this album is entirely sung in Swedish, and I wish I could say that this doesn't matter, but it really does matter, since the lyrics play a very important part on "Norrlands Inland". The record is a lot about how it's like growing up in Norrland, which is the northern parts of Sweden and constitutes of 54% of Sweden's total area but only 13% of its population (who said It's a Trap! isn't informative in a non-musical context!?), i.e. it's a pretty lonely and ultimately boring place to live in (I was born way up north in Sweden so I'm allowed to say this). Also, as far as I know, Sibiria is pretty much the same band as Vapnet, so hopefully they'll deliver another fantastic album under that moniker.
- Simon Tagestam
VapnetThere's been a lot of hype surrounding Vapnet (Swedish for "The Weapon") this year in Sweden. This made me a bit dubious about them when I went to see them play earlier this year (hype usually has this effect on me). After the gig I felt that I was right about mistrusting Vapnet's ability to deliver, but now after I've managed to listen properly to their debut EP, I've come to realize that the hype was actually justified – Vapnet are great. Their melodic twee-like music with cocky outsider lyrics is utterly appealing (there's something of a Christmas atmosphere all over this EP, especially on the last song "Tusen mot en"). I'm not sure why I didn't like them when I saw them at the Hultsfred Festival in June, perhaps I was in the wrong mood, or they might just have done a bad gig. Who knows? Anyhow, I now really want to see these guys play another show.
- Simon Tagestam
El Perro Del MarThis is not an album but a compilation of EPs (+ one unreleased songs), but it feels exactly like an album, and an absolutely amazing album that is! When I first heard El Perro Del Mar, I wasn't sure about her music, but after a couple of weeks living with this album and it sort of turning into a pet, I don't even wish it upon my worse enemy to miss out on her. Her quiet, melodic and folky songs are the perfect soundtrack for summer days in the park, and also summer nights in the dark (doing decent things, of course, I am no advocate of lewdness!). That's the deal with great music, I guess- it suits every occasion.
- Simon Tagestam
