MP3: Mattias Alkberg - Visst vet du att jag skiter i allt

Mattias Alkberg pitched his new album "Nerverna" to me as "selling ice to the Eskimos," saying that he would love to play this kind of rockabilly/roots rock'n'roll here in America. Not that I'd know, most of the old-time rock I hear tends to be shitty cover bands or other unbearable, "-billy" suffixed genre crap listened to by greasers and their China-doll girlfriends. Does "real" true-blue American rock'n'roll still exist? I can think of a few names I guess, but I'd never doubt that we'd be overtaken by foreign talent, much in the same way that modern jazz is dominated by Europe. Similarly, that's where you gotta go if you want to see where these styles are appreciated. Of course, Mattias is never one to play it straight, so while it might appear all hunky-dory on the surface, he's always throwing a wrench into the works. That is his way, it is a distinct part of his appeal whether solo or with his other band The Bear Quartet. Witness: "Visst vet du att jag skiter i allt" ("Surely, you know that I don't care at all"), a remake of Weezer's "Buddy Holly" in 3/4 time with new lyrics på Svenska. An extremely bold move, but Mattias pulls it off, shame that it took me many, many listens to figure out where I knew the melody from.

Mattias Alkberg - Visst vet du att jag skiter i allt