Swedish indiepop act The Charade will release their third album "Keeping up appearances" on November 18 via Skipping Stones Records. Download the title track here: http://www.skippingstonesrecords.com/the_charade/samples//kpa/The_Charade-Keeping_Up_Appearances.mp3

Top 10s for 2006: Staff picks

MP3: The Charade - September

Today's mp3 is a guestpost from contributor Nancy Baym:

This one may be a little post season now, but I've been listening to it for 3 months and still have to hit repeat every time it ends. The Charade's "September" from their recent record "A real life drama" is an upbeat pop song with great autumnal atmosphere, beautiful vocals, and a keyboard hook so catchy it ought to be illegal. The first day I listened to it I was literally kept up at night by the keyboard riff cycling through an unending loop in my brain. Yet I still love it. So listen at your own risk.

The Charade - September

It's been awhile, but here's some new reviews for you: [click here]
Artists covered this time around include The Charade, Lemonator, Maria Lithell, Red Moon, The Second Band, Viktor Sjöberg, Tigerbombs and the four-way split "If we were oceans" featuring Kristofer Åström, Racingpaperplanes, Boy Omega and Two Times the Trauma.

The Charade
A real life drama
Skipping Stones Records

The Charade have lineage in a number of well regarded Swedish bands of days past, including Happy Deadmen and Red Sleeping Beauty, so they can at least make some claim to innovating this kind of supertwee relaxed music that brings to mind big fluffy clouds, sunny days, cotton candy, and prozac. Like Club 8, Acid House Kings, or Sambassadeur, they have gorgeous etherial female vocals with some male backgrounds (and occassional leads). The Charade also throw in a lot of background harmonies reminiscent of girl groups of the 60s. If that much fluff weren't enough, they've got happy optimistic lyrics about things going right. There's not a trace of darkness to be found. Were there not so many songs that are catchy, pretty, or both, it'd be excruciating. Instead it's a fine gentle pop record with some strong highlights mixed with mediocre filler.s
- Nancy Baym

Splendid reviews The Charade: http://www.splendidmagazine.com/review.html?reviewid=11259562221396942

Chromewaves reviews The Charade: http://www.chromewaves.net/?itemid=1918

US-based label Skipping Stones Records has announced that they will be releasing the debut album "The Best is Yet to Come" from Swedish pop act The Charade on June 7. The group features guitarist Magnus Karlsson who also played in Happydeadmen. considered to be one of Sweden's founding indiepop acts back in 1988. More info: http://www.skippingstonesrecords.com/