HOW SWEDE IT IS

Stumbled upon this little blast-from-the-past while preparing the current "regular" mix that accompanies it here today. Originally curated by myself and posted on this blog in April of 2010, it somehow seems oh-so-cozily-apropos in this guilded age of "Mama Mia!" madness.

Eat your heart out, Roxette. Do your stuff, Swedish Bikini Team. Wherefore art thou, Swedish Chef (bork! bork! bork!)?

Left-click [HERE] or [HERE] to download the HOW SWEDE IT IS mix.

TRACKLIST ---

01 FELT TIP/love is all
02 DU AR ANGA/kent
03 NEW MOON/sambassadeur
04 THE KIDS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN/the legends
05 WAR ON SOUND/moonbabies
06 SISTER SURROUND/the soundtrack of our lives
07 MONDAY MORNING/the charade
08 ON AND ON/friska viljor
09 COME ON/consequences
10 GHANA MOT ITALIEN/emil jensen
11 STARDUST/irene
12 SWEDEN/the divine comedy
13 SILENT SHOUT/the knife
14 DANCE WITH SOMEBODY/mando diao
15 HAIRLESS YOUTH OF BOSNIA/strip squad
16 DEATH TO THE MARTYRS/the ark
17 TIME LEFT FOR LOVE/shout out louds
18 MAN UNDER THE SUN/the carny
19 REFLECTED/ronderlin
20 STORMY WEATHER/moneybrother
21 CHEMICAL GIRL/the fine arts showcase
22 ANGELS FABLE [demo]/gustav & the seasick sailors
23 HEJ GAMLE MAN/abba

DETEKTIVBYRAN

This is shaping up to be a fairly significant week for American releases (in indie circles, at least), but that particular rollout won't begin rolling out until the morrow....

For now, then, we have three Swedes calling themselves DETEKTIVBYRAN. I have decided to translate that as BYRAN THE DETECTIVE. I have decided that "Byran" is Sweden's answer to "Encyclopedia Brown." Or maybe one of "The Hardy Boys," if there was only one Hardy Boy. (Let's go with Parker Stevenson's "Frank," not Shaun Cassidy's "Joe" -- poor Parker had to endure 13 years of marriage to Kirstie Alley.) (Though he did pocket a cool $6 million in the divorce settlement.) (So suck on that, Shaun Cassidy, you one-time, feathered-haired dreamboat, you!)

Byran the Detective... er... Detektivbyran are all about the instrumentals. RATATAT by-way-of BEIRUT, sorta-kinda. High-tech-gypsy-music-box-accordion-oompa-oompa-dance-Dieter's-monkey-dance!

(Oh, and... one last thing I meant to mention...: One of the guys in the band is named ANDERS FLANDERS. Just thought you'd enjoy knowing that.)

DETEKTIVBYRAN on MySPACE.

From the LP WERMLAND, 2008 >>>
[MP3] "Partyland"
[MP3] "En Annan Typ Av Disco"

From the LP E18, 2008 >>>
[MP3] "Dansbanan"
[MP3] "Lyckans Undulat"

PINTO

Tunesmith extraordinaire ANDREAS MAGNUSSON of PINTO isn't slowing down after releasing last fall's full-length HOOK ME UP. The e-mail accompanying his brand-spankin'-newest single "The Dream is Over" tells us with a wink & a nudge:

"It may remind you a bit of a song sung by an insane girl with multi-colored hair back in the 80's. It is just a coincidence...."

Of course it is, Andreas. But hey, let's just be all classy about it and call it an homage, yes?

PINTO on MySPACE.

[MP3] "The Dream is Over"

BONUS TRACK >>>

[MP3] CYNDI LAUPER/"Time After Time"

PER GESSLE (SON OF A PLUMBER)

Remember ROXETTE? They were the Swedish pop duo who almost single-handedly kept their nation in the international music game between the demise of ABBA and the rise of THE HIVES. (No doubt that's over-simplifying things a bit, but it'll have to suffice; time is short today) (And no, we're not going to mention ACE OF BASE.... Oh crap... I just did....)

Those of you who do remember Roxette probably remember the "girl" (MARIE FREDRIKSSON) more than the "boy" (PER GESSLE). That's entirely understandable, seeing as she was generally the one pushed to the front of the stage and the foreground of the frame for marketing purposes. Also, there's the fact that she tended to sing lead on some of their more "substantial" tracks. Unlike EURYTHMICS, though, Mr. Gessle did take the lead on a number of their hits.

At the moment, Roxette as a recording entity is in limbo -- their dynamic having changed (understandably) after Fredriksson's successful surgery for a brain tumor back in 2002. Since then, both have released albums as solo artists, and both have found some measure of success on the Swedish charts. Today's post shines a little light on Mr. Gessle's side of the ledger....

PER GESSLE on MySPACE.

From the SON OF A PLUMBER self-titled 2-LP, 2005 >>>
[MP3] "Jo-Anna Says"
[MP3] "Hey Mr. DJ (Won't You Play Another Love Song)"

From the PER GESSLE LP EN HANDIG MAN, 2007 >>>
[MP3] "Om jag vetat da (Vad jag vet nu)"

From the PER GESSLE LP MAZARIN, 2003 >>>
[MP3] "Fodelsedag"

BONUS TRACKS >>>

[MP3] ROXETTE/"How Do You Do!"

[MP3] ROXETTE/"She Doesn't Live Here Anymore"

PUNKY'S DILEMMA

Knee-jerk reaction might lead some to suspect that Swedish trio PUNKY'S DILEMMA are named after "a very special episode" of a certain 1980s-era Soleil Moon Frye sitcom. Thankfully, this is not the case (as those with even a passing acquaintance with SIMON AND GARFUNKEL album tracks are already well aware).

This continues in the vein of this morning's mellow entry. Some nice male/female dual vocals. Some nifty strings. The first song's all autumnal & pleasant. The second's all autumnal & (a wee bit) menacing. When a good cult goes bad....

PUNKY'S DILEMMA on MySPACE.

[MP3] "Shooting Stars"

[MP3] "Echelon"

BONUS TRACK >>>

[MP3] SIMON AND GARFUNKEL/"Punky's Dilemma"

PINTO

I've given up trying to figure out how PINTO's ANDREAS MAGNUSSON (supposedly from Gothenburg, but last seen herding sheep and shagging Jake Gyllenhaal in the wilds of Wyoming) (see photo above) is able to write so many solid, seemingly effortless pop songs so incredibly quickly. I mean, anyone can pen a tune, as far as that goes. Take me, at age 8, for instance:

Rocks, rocks, rocks in the bathtub
Rocks, rocks, rocks in the bathtub
Clap your hands with your father's shoe
Prick your mother with a pin
Ooh!

Those "tragic," "heavenly" lines are excerpted from my song "Rocks in the Bathtub," which I composed in the late '70s and mailed out to various artists of the day. I never heard back from KISS or THE CARPENTERS. DEBBY BOONE sent a lovely, inspirational note ("This song is a tragedy. God help you."). MARVIN GAYE expressed interest but ultimately flaked. And IGGY POP mailed me a bucket of human poop. His own. With blood in it. Autographed.

Which brings me back to Pinto and the absurdly prolific Andreas Magnusson. He's just finished a new track and has already slapped it up on his website for any and all to come have their way with it. As always, it is a solid and seemingly effortless pop song. Like I said from the get-go, I've given up trying to figure out how he does it; I just know that he does and that he no doubt will again. I know this in my bones. (The same way I know that Iggy Pop likes corn.)

PINTO on MySPACE.

[MP3] "I Can't Feel My Heart"

BONUS TRACK >>>

[MP3] "Armchair Anthropologist" [from the 2007 LP HOOK ME UP, available from CDON, CD BABY, and KLICKTRACK]

JAY-JAY JOHANSON

Bad morn rising. So I'm going to let the never-ever inaccurate WIKIPEDIA introduce you to today's artist: "JAY-JAY JOHANSON (born 1969) is a Swedish musician and singer-songwriter, best known for his easily recognizable melancolic [sic] vocals and his androgynous looks. His music has been generally considered to integrate the trip-hop genre until he deliberatedly switched his sound to a more electroclash-oriented direction with the 2003 release ANTENNA." 'Twill have to suffice....

(But don't let the "trip-hop" label deter your downloads. That's not a genre I've much trucked in in the past, and this post signals no significant shift in my musical tastes or intentions. Thus, indie-pop will continue to hold sway -- at least until I go through my acid-jazz phase, which is tentatively scheduled for September 2011.)

JAY-JAY JOHANSON on MySPACE.

JAY-JAY JOHANSON continent hopping >>>

Nov 30 2007 8:00P/Minsk/BELARUS
Dec 4 2007 8:00P/FRIBOURG/Le Transformateur/SWITZERLAND
Dec 5 2007 8:00P/BASEL/Das Schiff/SWITZERLAND
Dec 6 2007 8:00P/BERN/I.S.C./SWITZERLAND
Dec 8 2007 8:00P/GUADALAJARA/MEXICO
Dec 13 2007 8:00P/MOSCOW/B1/RUSSIA

From the LP LONG TERM PHYSICAL EFFECTS ARE NOT YET KNOWN, 2007 >>>
[MP3] "Time Will Show Me"
[MP3] "Tell Me When the Party's Over/Prequiem"

From the LP RUSH, 2005 >>>
[MP3] "Mirror Man"

From the LP ANTENNA, 2003 >>>
[MP3] "On the Radio"
[MP3] "Automatic Lover"

From the LP POISON, 2000 >>>
[MP3] "Colder (I Want You No More)"

From the LP TATTOO, 1998 >>>
[MP3] "Friday at Rex"

BONUS TRACK >>>

[MP3] THE TEA SERVANTS/"I Wanna Be Jay Jay Johanson"

SAMBASSADEUR

Swedish pop via Swedish popsters SAMBASSADEUR.... They had the good taste to name themselves after a SERGE GAINSBOURG song. They are "Internet-friendly" aka "Internet-savvy" aka "they know which side their bread is buttered on while not looking a gift-horse in the mouth." They speak twee with a shoegaze chaser. (I mix metaphors with wild, abandon-all-hope-ye-who-enter indiscretion.) Sometimes, their singer is a girl named ANNA. Sometimes, their singer is a boy named DANIEL P., DANIEL T., or JOACHIM. Sometimes, Anna and whichever boy it is that sings sing simultaneously. Simultaneously, they sing the pretty songs they sing prettily. (Okay, enough of this hop-on-Swedish-pop nonsense. I just woke up, but I am already in need of a nap....)

SAMBASSADEUR on MySPACE.

SAMBASSADEUR live >>>

Nov 29 2007 10:00P/John Doe @ Herrgår’n/Linköping
Nov 30 2007 10:00P/Bigmouth @ K6/Karlstad
Dec 1 2007 10:00P/Debaser Medis/Stockholm
Dec 14 2007 10:00P/Bättre än igår @ Trädgårn/Borås
Dec 15 2007 10:00P/Velvet @ V-dala Nation/Uppsala

From the LP MIGRATION, 2007 >>>
[MP3] "That Town"
[MP3] "Migration"

From the EP COASTAL AFFAIRS, 2006 >>>
[MP3] "Kate"
[MP3] "Claudine" [THE BATS cover]

From their self-titled LP, 2005 >>>
[MP3] "New Moon"
[MP3] "Ice & Snow"

BONUS TRACK >>>

[MP3] "La Chanson de Prevert" [SERGE GAINSBOURG cover]

JENS LEKMAN

"I love you... like a friend."

Oh, what a cruel, soul-crushing kiss-off. In my life, I've always been more karmically-inclined to be on the receiving end of that line. But not today. My apologies, JENS LEKMAN, but a hearty handshake is about all I have to offer. Beyond that... you no touchy-touchy me; I no touchy-touchy you.

Which is a shame, really. Because I DO have something of a crush on Mr. Lekman. Those rich, Aqua-Velva vocals. That lonely-hearted, hip-cat stance. Indie-pop that smells of cigarettes & lounge-leather; tastes of morning-after scotch & cigarettes; sounds like SCOTT WALKER (circa the late-'60s) & STEPHIN MERRRITT (circa 69 LOVE SONGS) & the scratch and hiss of cigarette matches struck in dark, humid rooms by lonelyhearts too hip to do anything but cast a cool shadow.

Ah, the bittersweet ennui... I am powerless to resist it. And I am at a loss to explain my rather detached attachment to Jens Lekman. Methinks it is the songwriting. Mesuspects there is not enough there there. An empty box, attractively wrapped. Nothing more, nothing less. No great shame, but no great shakes. My like but not my love. My hand but not my heart.

From the LP NIGHT FALLS OVER KORTEDALA, 2007 >>>
[MP3] "Friday Night at the Drive-In Bingo"

From the LP OH YOU'RE SO SILENT JENS, 2005 >>>
[MP3] "Black Cab"
[MP3] "Rocky Dennis' Farewell Song to the Blind Girl"

From the LP WHEN I SAID I WANTED TO BE YOUR DOG, 2004 >>>
[MP3] "You Are the Light"

FRISKA VILJOR

FRISKA VILJOR are two merry music-makers from the enchanted land of Stockholm-in-Sweden. According to a free-and-convenient online translation service I spent many seconds seeking, their name means "Fresh Wills" in English. This was a disappointment to me. I wanted their name to mean "Frisky Villains." Is that asking so much? (Regardless, "Fresh Wills" is preferable to the translation provided by a rival free-and-convenient service -- "Freshen Want" -- which I believe was actually the title of a popular, Nazi-era breath-mint jingle composed by GUSTAV MAHLER.) (I could be wrong about this, but I don't think so.)

The men of Friska Viljor have pledged to never compose sober. (A noble notion, but somebody needs to tell them that PETE DOHERTY and AMY WINEHOUSE have already blazed that trail, thank you very much.)

Non-Swedes can order Friska Viljor's debut LP, BRAVO!, by clicking [HERE].

FRISKA VILJOR on MySPACE.

FRISKA VILJOR on the road >>>

Nov 12 2007 7:00P/London - Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen/London
Nov 21 2007 9:00P/Amsterdam - Studio Desmet/Amsterdam
Nov 22 2007 9:00P/Groeningen - Vera/Groeningen
Nov 23 2007 9:00P/Utrecht - Ekko/Utrecht
Nov 24 2007 9:00P/Nijmegen - Merleyn/Nijmegen

[MP3] "Four Points"

[MP3] "Gold"

A SMILE AND A RIBBON

Yep, more boy/girl Swedish pop. Too much of a good thing? Bite your tongue. Kiss my grits.

A SMILE AND A RIBBON are REBECCA MEHLMAN and MARTIN LINDQVIST, specializers in "sanguine bubblegum pop" that draws from '50s girl groups and '90s twee. Their debut LP, THE BOY I WISH I NEVER MET, is currently available from SHELFLIFE RECORDS.

A SMILE AND A RIBBON on MySPACE.

[MP3] "A Little Late to Be Polite"

[MP3] "Bobby Pin"

LACROSSE

Stockholm sextet LACROSSE categorize their music as "pop," "indie," and... um... "tropical." Of course, that last one may be nothing more than wishful thinking, what with the Scandinavian winter about to set in and all.

But "pop" and "indie"? You bet your ass. And let's go ahead and add: "Swedish." Oh yes... very, very "Swedish." To take "No More Lovesongs" as one example: a "We Got the Beat"-beat leads us to jangly guitars, sunny, multi-tracked boy/girl vocals, and what sounds like an honest-to-god theremin outro. Slightly kooky? Sure. Utterly charming? You bet your ass.

Lacrosse's album, THIS NEW YEAR WILL BE FOR YOU AND ME, is out this month.

LACROSSE on MySPACE.

LACROSSE across Europe >>>

Nov 9 2007 7:00P/Debaser Medis, plan 2/Stockholm
Dec 6 2007 8:00P/d:quliq/Luxembourg
Dec 7 2007 8:00P/Raststätte/Aachen
Dec 8 2007 8:00P/Swamp/Freiburg
Dec 9 2007 8:00P/Mariaberg/Rorschach
Dec 10 2007 8:00P/Arena/Wien
Dec 11 2007 8:00P/Franzis/Wetzlar
Dec 12 2007 8:00P/Wohnzimmer/Lüneburg
Dec 13 2007 8:00P/Bang Bang Club/Berlin

[MP3] "No More Lovesongs"

[MP3] "Sunshiner"

MANDO DIAO

The good news is: I've been enjoying the hell out of Swedish band MANDO DIAO's album ODE TO OCHRASY -- to the point where I'd begun to pencil it in as a finalist for my Top 10 Albums of 2007. The bad news is: It turns out that the LP was released in Sweden in 2006, thereby making it ineligible for this year's list. Dagnabbit.

The good news is: The enterprising men of Mando Diao have gone ahead and recorded & released a new record -- NEVER SEEN THE LIGHT OF DAY -- for 2007 Top 10 consideration. The bad news is: The 2007 record isn't nearly as good as the 2006 record. Goshdangit.

MANDO DIAO on MySPACE.

[MP3] "Misty Mountains"

[MP3] "Never Seen the Light of Day"

KENT

A couple weeks ago, I started banging the drum for the then-upcoming release of KENT's TILLBAKA TILL SAMTIDEN. At the time, I'd only heard first single "Ingenting," which sounded sufficiently cool to be promising (even if it never quite found that extra gear that might have taken it someplace truly special).

Well, the album officially drops today, and it pains me to report that the whole thing's a bit of a disappointment. One reason for this may be that the new effort simply pales in comparison to most of the Swedish band's previous output. Another may be that it comes hard on the heels of the great Internet IN RAINBOWS rollout, which is relevant for the fact that Kent has -- rightly or wrongly -- often been spoken of in the same breath as RADIOHEAD. Just judging by TILLBAKA's by-the-numbers, programmed drum beats alone, Kent is destined to get the short end of that stick every time.

Far more direct and damning, though, is the fact that the band can't seem to work up energy enough to mount a memorable chorus this time around. By contrast, their 2005 album DU & JAG DODEN had energy to burn and catchy choruses to spare. One can only hope they discover the wonders of caffeine, cocaine, or Oxycontin before commencing work on their next opus. Whatever it takes to give them a kick in the ass. Whatever it takes to bring the magic back.

KENT on MySPACE.

[MP3] "Generation Ex"

[MP3] "Colombus"

THE HIVES

In certain parts of the world, at least, garage-rocking, Swedish neo-punks THE HIVES have a new album out. THE BLACK AND WHITE ALBUM won't be available in the U.S. until November 13.

(Somehow, I find it deeply dispiriting that they've agreed to open for MAROON 5 on a number of American dates....)

THE HIVES on MySPACE.

THE HIVES in the USA >>>

Oct 16 2007 8:00P/Verizon Center [With Maroon 5]/Washington DC
Oct 17 2007 8:00P/The Black Cat [Headline Show]/Washington DC
Oct 18 2007 8:00P/Colonial Center [With Maroon 5]/Columbia, South Carolina
Oct 19 2007 8:00P/Jack Rabbits [Headline Show]/Jacksonville, Florida
Oct 20 2007 8:00P/Bank Atlantic Center [With Maroon 5]/Sunrise, Florida
Oct 21 2007 8:00P/St. Pete Times Forum [With Maroon 5]/St. Petersburg, Florida
Oct 23 2007 8:00P/Amway Arena [With Maroon 5]/Orlando, Florida
Oct 24 2007 8:00P/Gwinett Civic Center [With Maroon 5]/Duluth, Georgia
Oct 25 2007 8:00P/One Eyed Jacks [Headline Show]/New Orleans, Louisiana

From the LP THE BLACK AND WHITE ALBUM, 2007 >>>
[MP3] "It Won't Be Long"
[MP3] "Hey Little World"

From the LP TYRANNOSAURUS HIVES, 2004 >>>
[MP3] "See Through Head"
[MP3] "B is for Brutus"

PINTO

Once upon a time, there was a crazy-ass socialist Swede named ANDREAS MAGNUSSON who dreamed of writing and performing short, great songs under the name PINTO. I first met Andreas at an ABBA concert in 1981 in Jonkoping (or was it 1980 in Linkoping?). Either way, there I was, holding my lighter aloft during an especially poignant performance of "Fernando," when I stepped on a half-empty bottle of Absolut, went ass-over-tea-kettle, and nearly succeeded in singeing Andreas' vintage, autographed (by BJORN but not BENNY; FRIDA but not AGNETHA) ABBA concert T. Fortunately, it turns out that all clothing in Sweden is made from flame-retardant sheep and goats, so no harm, no foul.

After Andreas rather sheepishly helped me back to my feet (turns out, it was HIS half-empty bottle of Absolut I'd stepped on), and after we both basked in ABBA's unforgettable, effervescent, and utterly ingenious encore of "Honey Honey," "Money, Money, Money," and "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!," Andreas invited me back to his place for some kringle and lingonberries. "Jag trivas litet flickas och litet flickas trivas jag!" I exclaimed. (In Swedish: "Yes, by all means, let us transport ourselves now together to that place which you suggest!")

Andreas transported us then together to his apartment (in Swedish: utedass) in Gothenburg (in English: "Land of Goats"). The kringle was delicious. The lingonberries: luscious. We discussed our love of ABBA. We agreed that "Super Trouper" was no "Voulez-Vous." Andreas made a sharp, well-reasoned argument that "Dancing Queen" was, in point of fact, written about John Travolta. I admitted that listening to "Chiquitita" made me cry. Every time. Often for hours. And even though we had only just met that night, I felt secure and comfortable enough in Andreas' presence to ask him if he thought that meant I needed to see a psychiatrist. "No, no, of course not," he said, seeming to think the idea itself insane. But then, after just the right amount of pause, he added: "You need electro-shock!" Can you believe that? Such a kidder! We laughed and laughed.

Eventually, Andreas and I got around to talking about our dreams. I told him the one where I'm naked and falling. I told him the one where I'm wearing clothes and falling. I told him the one where my teeth are falling out and I'm falling -- sometimes naked, sometimes in clothes. Andreas told me that it was his dream to write and perform short, great songs that he would provide free to the public under the name Pinto. I laughed. I thought he was being a kidder. "Pinto?!" I said, nearly choking on a lingonberry. "A Pinto's a cheap American car that blows up when you bump it from behind. Also, it means 'penis' in Portuguese. And 'free to the public'? What the hell are you -- some kind of crazy-ass socialist?" Andreas did not laugh. Instead of laughing, Andreas asked me to leave. I wanted to tell him about the dream where I'm half-naked and have half my teeth and my father suddenly shows up wearing pink slippers and a see-through muu muu, but, instead, he asked me to leave.

That was in 1981 (or 1980). First: the ABBA concert in Jonkoping (or Linkoping). Then: Kringle and lingonberries in Andreas' utedass in the "Land of Goats." In the 26 (or 27) years since, many things have happened -- most of them just plain crazy-ass awful. AIDS. Reagan. Bosnia. Darfur. 9/11. Iraq. O.J. Paris, Lindsay, and Britney. And, of course, worst of all: ABBA broke up. "Chiquitita" still makes me cry. I still dream of falling and my father in see-through muu muus. And I've wasted 26 (or 27) years of my life enduring electro-shock treatments that have done nothing to make me satisfied or sane (but have, in point of fact, had a miraculous effect on my back acne).

Then, just the other day, something caught my eye while I was online. It was something involving a woman, a pygmy, and a pony (and I'm still not sure I understand what it was, exactly, they were trying to accomplish in that rather badly-lit barn). Just a few days after that, though, I came across this:

"September 26 is the official release date for the debut CD from Swedish indie-pop act PINTO. The CD is entitled HOOK ME UP. Pinto was formed in 2006 in Gothenburg, Sweden and consists of ANDREAS MAGNUSSON (with a little help from his friends). Pinto plays catchy guitar pop, mainly influenced by American acts like R.E.M., THE SHINS, and MATTHEW SWEET. Many of the songs on HOOK ME UP were previously released as free web singles. The CD will be available in Scandinavia through DEAD FROG; in Europe through CDON; and in the U.S. through CD BABY."

Can you believe that? He wasn't kidding. His dream came true. Which puts me in mind of that most famous of Swedish sayings: "Min fotter luktar penisen och min penisen luktar fotter." (In English: "May your kringle be crisp; your lingonberries sweet; and your sheep and goats free from flame." Amen to that.)

PINTO on MySPACE.

[MP3] "Armchair Anthropologist"

[MP3] "Hard Inside the Heart"

IRENE

Not to be confused with IDA, IVY, OPERATION IVY, IRENE CARA, or DEXY'S MIDNIGHT RUNNERS' "Come On Eileen," Sweden's IRENE will soon be releasing their second full-length record, LONG GONE SINCE LAST SUMMER.

Already, first single "By Your Side" has become Internet-ubiquitous, and lead singer BOBBY's distinctive, lounge-y croon (comparable, to some extent, to his countryman JENS LEKMAN's) is once again on full display (along with some highly pleasant female harmony vocals).

Irene like to keep their songs on the short side (generally less than two-and-a-half minutes each), so if you don't happen to fall in love with the tracks below, at least you will not have wasted much of your day.

IRENE on MySPACE.

IRENE driving & jetting about >>>

Sep 12 2007 8:00P/Woody West vardagsklubb @ Pustervik (release party!)/Göteborg
Sep 14 2007 8:00P/Klubb Igloo @ Debaser Malmö/Malmö
Sep 22 2007 8:00P/Club Feber/Trollhättan
Oct 5 2007 8:00P/Lost Music Presents @ Brixton Jamm/London
Oct 6 2007 8:00P/Popklubb @ The Dog And Parrot/Newcastle
Oct 18 2007 8:00P/John Doe @ Herrgårn/Linköping
Oct 20 2007 8:00P/Falling And Laughing @ Debaser Medis/Stockholm
Nov 17 2007 8:00P/Klubb Populär @ Storan/Göteborg

From the LP LONG GONE SINCE LAST SUMMER, 2007 >>>
[MP3] "Looking for Love"
[MP3] "September Skies"
[VID] "By Your Side"

From the LP APPLE BAY, 2006 >>>
[MP3] "Stardust"
[MP3] "Only You"

THE ARK

Tuesdays.... Only marginally better than Mondays. So what better day for a bit of "operatic glam rock." By way of Sweden. To lift your spirits. Put some spring in your step. Some swish in your hips.

All courtesy of THE ARK. Over-the-top in all the right ways, by my lights. Which I guess would be "disco" lights, in this case. Fear not the flamboyant. The ghost of FREDDIE MERCURY wills it so. (MIKA, too.)

THE ARK on MySPACE.

THE ARK sashaying this way & that >>>

Jul 5 2007 10:00P/Gatufesten/Sundsvall
Jul 7 2007 8:00P/Ruisrock/Abo
Jul 12 2007 8:00P/Arvikafestivalen/Arvika
Jul 13 2007 8:00P/Sommarrocken/Svedala
Jul 14 2007 8:00P/Tivolirocken/Kristianstad
Jul 14 2007 8:00P/Oskarshamn
Jul 18 2007 8:00P/Ostersjofestivalen/Karlshamn
Jul 20 2007 8:00P/Rottnerosparken/Sunne
Jul 21 2007 8:00P/Fastningen/Varberg
Jul 23 2007 8:00P/Rock Off/Mariehamn

From the LP PRAYER FOR THE WEEKEND, 2007 >>>
[MP3] "Death to the Martyrs"
[MP3] "Absolutely No Decorum"

From the LP STATE OF THE ARK, 2004 >>>
[MP3] "This Poetry is Meant to Do Harm"
[MP3] "Clamour for Glamour"
[VID] "One of Us is Gonna Die Young"

From the LP WE ARE THE ARK, 2000 >>>
[MP3] [VID] "It Takes a Fool to Remain Sane"