Swedish Sampler

I am not of Swedish descent, nor have I ever visited Sweden. I know little more than the bare minimum about Swedish culture, politics, geography, and history. Yet, my love for a handful of Swedish bands has given me an irrational affinity to the country, and sometimes even a vivid sense of what it must be like to live there. It's something that has inexplicably lasted for the past seven years. Hell, I even root for the Swedish national soccer team under most circumstances.

I can't explain it as well as the music can, so... here goes Sweden.

1. Logh - Yellow Lights Mean Slow Down, Not Speed Up


Logh have been one of my top 5 favorite bands for years. They have a way of painting the bitterest of gray landscapes and then surprising you with these subtle flashes of technicolor. This is a band that can not only surprise you with changes of rhythm, melody, and tempo, but with temperature and brightness. I could go on and on about how great and overlooked this band is, but instead I'll just strongly, strongly encourage you to check out all of their albums. Starting with the one this song comes from, Every Time A Bell Rings...

2. David & the Citizens

This is an upbeat, indie pop band that writes the majority of their songs about death, mourning and loss. These songs will get stuck in your head for days, and it's really strange to think about the subject matter when your body wants to dance and sing along. Also check out "Something, Not Sunlight" and "I've Been Floating Upstream Since We Parted" if you ever REALLY want to get your sad on.

3. Shout Out Louds - Very Loud

Had to throw in some fun after all of that death and sadness.

4. Tallest Man On Earth - Love Is All

This song has been haunting me for months. Everything about it is so intimate and personal. As the listener you can just sit and watch this guy go from quiet and reflective into a gravel-throated rage. No matter how many times I hear this I can still be caught off guard by it.

5. International Noise Conspiracy - Capitalism Stole My Virginity

Punk. Rock. If you ever get a chance to see these guys perform, do yourself a big favor. These guys have some crazy-foreign opinions about politics that don't always translate to our home of the brave and free, but no one can say they don't have passion, incredible energy, and a damned quirky sense of humor.

6. The Knife - Got 2 Let U

Love them or hate them, there's no denying a good hook, something the Knife have no shortage of. Behind all of the antics and performance art stuff is an unbelievable pop band. And even further respect - everything this pair puts out is self-produced.

7. Junip - Without You

This is another group that I haven't been able to get enough of lately. If you haven't heard of Junip, this is Jose Gonzalez's (see track 11) band, which put out last fall a record they had been working on for something like seven years. And it's exactly that what you might hope for... everything that is great about Jose's voice and guitar playing, but taken a step further with more rhythm, energy, and layer-y goodness.

8. The Radio Dept. - Pulling Our Weight

Um, this band is really good.

9. Jens Lekman - Black Cab

Jens Lekman is like Sweden's attempt at a Morrissey-David Byrne hybrid.

10. Lykke Li - Tonight (Live)

I'll admit I haven't really heard much Lykke Li. I came across this version of this song when I was digging through other videos and really, really dug it. I'm also on a pretty big Adele/Nicole Atkins kick right now. I'm basically a walking Lilith Fair. What a great voice, though..

11. Jose Gonzalez - Heartbeats (Knife cover)

I know this is a double dose of my homeboy Jose, but I had to jump at an excuse to put this video in. If you haven't seen this.. well... it's a Sony commercial - but give it a fair watch before you start taking points from Gryffindor.

12. Last Days of April - The Days I Recall Being Wonderful

Another one of the great, hopelessly overlooked indie pop bands of the last ten years. This has got to be near the top of the list of the most epically emo songs ever recorded. The loop draws you in, the sadness washes over you, and when you come up for air at the end you can't help but feel the weight of fond memories.


...couldn't resist: