Various Artists
Whispers from the forest, screams from the mountains
The Wire
I know it probably seems odd to review a free comp with limited availability (it was primarily distributed to subscribers of UK mag The Wire with copies of the December issue), but when you consider how well this collection captures the most exciting aspects of Sweden's current music scene, it should hopefully make sense. Simply put, Häpna, Ideal Recordings and Kning Disk are the top three Swedish labels currently releasing a consistent stream of interesting, forward-thinking music. Even with the few artists I'm not so fond of such as Nicolai Dunger's A Taste of Ra, I would never fault their craftsmanship or imagination. It might not appeal directly to my own personal tastes, but it has my utmost respect and that is of crucial importance. There's always something to admire, even when you are not inclined to investigate further.
As for the styles of music explored in this collection, it's incredibly rich and diverse. There's everything from pop melodicism (Anna Järvinen, Eric Malmberg, Balroynigress) to dark, terrifying drones (Sewer Election, Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words, The Skull Defekts), fractured experimentalism (Hans Appelqvist, Tape, Folke Rabe) and classical composition (Erik Enocksson, Jerry Johansson and Library Tapes). All in all, a perfect portrait of where to look for the future of Swedish music. Ignore it and get left behind.
- Avi Roig
