Artist: Melody Club
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This week's top 20 Swedish album chart:
01. Thorleifs - Sweet kissin' in the moonlight
02. Caroline Af Ugglas - Så gör jag det igen
03. Promoe - Kråksången
04. Larz Kristerz - Hem till dig
05. The Boppers - Vibrations
06. Veronica Maggio - Och vinnaren är...
07. E.M.D. - A state of mind - deluxe
08. Alcazar - Disco defenders
09. Måns Zelmerlöw - MZW
10. Thåström - Kärlek är för dom
11. Lisa Ekdahl - Give me that slow knowing smile
12. Innocent Rosie - Bad habit romance
13. Melody Club - Goodbye to romance
14. Moneybrother - Real control
15. Malmö Opera Kör & Orkester - Jesus Christ superstar
16. Sofia Karlsson - Söder om kärleken
17. BWO - Big science
18. Bob Hund - Folkmusik för folk som inte kan bete sig som folk
19. Susanne Alfvengren - Bbortom tid och rum - det bästa
20. Shirley Clamp - För den som älskar...en samling
This week's top 20 Swedish album chart:
01. Caroline Af Ugglas - Så gör jag det igen
02. E.M.D. - A state of mind - deluxe
03. Larz Kristerz - Hem till dig
04. Alcazar - Disco defenders
05. The Boppers - Vibrations
06. Veronica Maggio - Och vinnaren är...
07. Lisa Ekdahl - Give me that slow knowing smile
08. Malmö Opera Kör & Orkester - Jesus Christ superstar
09. Måns Zelmerlöw - MZW
10. Kevin Borg - The beginning
11. Thåström - Kärlek är för dom
12. Moneybrother - Real control
13. Maia Hirasawa - GBGvsSTHLM
14. Melody Club - Goodbye to romance
15. Sofia Karlsson - Söder om kärleken
16. BWO - Big science
17. Pauline - Never said I was an angel
18. Miss Li - Dancing the whole way home
19. Magnus Lindberg - Ett eget liv
20. Stiko Per Larsson - Kap farväl
8
For acts like Robyn and Lykke Li, straddling the genres of pop and indie has been the key to critical acclaim and popularity abroad rarely seen by Swedish artists. However, the same balancing act has not worked so well for Melody Club. They're a big name act at home, but are otherwise largely unknown. There are too many guitars for them to catch on with the foreign fans of September or Alcazar, yet they're just not cool enough to attract the indie bloggerati. Sweden may be the go-to place for all your cheesy pop or quirky indie needs, but the focus on those particular genres by most Scandophiles means that some of Sweden's best bands escape their attention.
If you have, by some miracle, heard a Melody Club album before, you'll know exactly what to expect from "Goodbye to romance". Disregarding the current trend to do the opposite, Melody Club have moved away from their original electropop sound and added more guitars and a stronger 1960s influence, but are still unmistakeably Melody Club. The infectious choruses and entertaining lyrics the band are known for are present on every track. After just a few listens, I feel attached to all of them individually and find it difficult to choose a standout. "Oh Candy call me"'s brilliantly catchy riff made it an early favourite, while anthemic recent single "Girls don't always wanna have fun" has been the biggest grower. However, the track that never seems to leave my head is "Where do I belong", a song that would have fit perfectly on my favourite Melody Club album, "Face the music".
While "Goodbye to romance" doesn't quite match up to "Face the music", it's one of my favourite albums of 2009 so far and thoroughly recommended to anyone wishing to broaden their knowledge of the Swedish music scene.
- Jessica Popper
Melody Club has a new website that is surprisingly simple and effective: http://www.melodyclub.com/
Melody Club's new album "Goodbye to romance" is streaming at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/melodyclub
The video for Melody Club's new single "Girls don't always wanna have fun" is now on myspace: http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=55306799
The new Melody Club album "Goodbye to romance" is set for release on April 22.
The new Melody Club single "Girls don't always wanna have fun" is streaming at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/melodyclub
Melody Club will be premiering their new single "Girls don't always wanna have fun" at the upcoming Rockbjörnen awards ceremony on January 22.
9
Nicklas Stenemo's (The Mo, Melody Club) voice, an instrument that functions like a fuller, more masculine translation of Karin Dreijer's vocal style, elevates this fine record, one that would be perfectly capable of garnering strong reviews without Stenemo's captivating utterances, to something well beyond the run-of-the-mill renditions of 80s electronica. Christian Berg's (Yvonne, Strip Music) love of authentic 80s synth sounds combined with Stenemo's pop sensibility and voice converge so fluidly, bringing to mind acts like New Order, but it's merely a reference point. Opener "Ways to dance" is a distinctly Scandinavian electronic pop song: driving, punctuated by oscillating drum fills à la The Knife; "Say it ain't so" relaxes its hold on the throttle, settling into a layered, paced rhythm; and closer "Learn to like it", a mesmerizing, melancholic track, puts on display much of the aptitude demonstrated on the EP: the intricate levels of synths and voices, the pitch-perfect structure of the songs - never meandering, never going on too long, and merging the measured step of "Say it ain't so" with the unhurried, ethereal expanse that is "My girl and I", my personal favorite. Kite have been fine company on long, cold walks home through streets lined with dying leaves, while reading Ellis' "Less Than Zero", and during the final hour before heading out into the city; the fact that Kite can offer so much in four songs gives the thought of a future full length effort enough weight to push me through what looks to be a bitter winter. I just hope it's not too long a wait.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
I don't have time to deal with Facebook myself, but members of the Wonderland Records group over there will get a chance to preview the new Emmon single "Secrets and lies" and all of its b-side remixes (ft. artists such as Jon Axelsson from Melody Club, Dimitrios K and Tomas Andersson) on November 10. Check it: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=35758666947
I doubt the coldwave/industrial revival will ever go mainstream, but I'm enjoying that more and more bands are embracing dark analog synths. Kite is as close as we'll get to a crossover act though, if only because they've experienced some success before with former acts such as Yvonne and Melody Club. At the very least, it gives them a head-start over the competition. Whatever happens though, I'm just glad to hear this kind of music being kept alive and done well, especially with a stripped-down, minimalist approach. It's so easy to overdo it. Now I know "Ways to dance" isn't actually dismal enough to be considered coldwave (wait 'til tomorrow's track for that), but think of it as getting your toes wet. If you dig this (and you should - it's a fantastic pop song above everything else), perhaps you can go darker, more underground, or, at the very least, into the past. When Bruce Springsteen is covering Suicide, it's time you started paying attention.
Kite - Ways to dance
Progress Productions have signed Swedish new-wave/electro duo Kite, the band of Christian Berg (Yvonne, Strip Music) and Nicklas Stenemo (The Mo, Melody Club). Look for a new EP soon.
6
The other day while chatting with my friend about Håkan Hellström, she became frustrated with me when I described the artist as a symbol of Gothenburg, sitting on an icon throne. She laughed when I gave him a simile Halo thing. She contended that we need something in addition than Hellström in this town. The curious coincidence about this; the same day I stumbled on a band that made me say, a new Håkan sound! Is this his little brother that isn't supposed to be like him? (Swedes you get it). No it's not, I am talking about the band Svart, with their EP "Älskade älskade du". These guys are delivering Swedish indiepop, from the generation that grew up with Broder Daniel, Melody Club, The Ark and was influenced by my halo guy above, but also by Bad Cash Quartet and Hello Saferide. A fascinating blend isn't it? And it serves, it serves, it serves! This is as a rowdy popsicle that all of us may want to taste, infinitely, this summer. This EP consists of 5 songs, all good, my favorites is for sure "Elin när hon dansar and Tåget", which makes me think of Per Gessle's "Här kommer alla känslorna på en och samma gång" and Kristian Anttila's "Paul Weller", a great combo. I will bring this EP to the summer evenings with barbecuing and give Svart applause since they are giving us something extra and something original that can be described as Student-life music. Finally, People! We have something more to listen to than "För sent för edelweiss" this summer. This is a sunny-romance, spreading love and delight. 5 songs could be more, I want more! However... my friend told me she likes it. Is this something we asked for? What do you think?
- Therese Buxfäldt
Steso Songs has signed with the label Lyckan and will be releasing her debut EP on May 23. Read more: http://www.lyckankommer.se/
As you will note from that link, Lyckan will also release a new EP from Kite featuring Christian Berg (Yvonne, Strip Music) and Nicklas Stenemo (The Mo, Melody Club) on the same date.
Melody Club
Kite
Svart
