Top 10s for 2009: It's a Trap!

Melody Club
Goodbye to romance
Epic

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