Lykke Li - Possibility (video)

Here's Lykke Li's new video for the song "Possibility", her contribution to the "Twilight" soundtrack: http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid340480126?bctid=72096109001

     

Vinnie Who on Dolores, more

Dolores Recordings will be releasing Vinnie Who's debut single "What you got is mine" on a white vinyl 12". Listen at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/vinniewhoofficial
Other 2010 releases in the works (or maybe already out) from the label include new material from Deportees, Håkan Hellström, The Fume, Eye Travel, Kungen och Silvia (feat. Ebbot Lundberg and Olle Ljungström), Kleerup, Pacific!, Lykke Li and I'm from Barcelona.

     

New Found Land - We all die
(Fixe Records)

It's not the modest aesthetic of "We all die" that bothers me -- in fact, at times it's starkly beautiful -- it's more the anonymous approach that New Found Land employs to achieve it. First, Anna Roxenholt's vocals -- the obvious centerpiece of the album -- are hampered by an Aryan lilt that too closely matches her female superiors. Normally, that would be a compliment, but despite her best imitations, her wintry tones cannot carry the hackneyed minimalia of Karl Krook's guitar. Absent here are the petulant flourishes that buttress Lykke Li's sparser arrangements, or the intimate effervescence of Hello Saferide's empty-room canvas. Second, though "We all die" is focused in its attempt to create a certain atmosphere, I remain unconvinced by their tired glockenspiel-and-acoustics palette, a palette that's beginning to plague the whole of Nordic lo-fi. In fact, "We all die"'s the best moments are the subtle departures from these lo-fi doldrums, like the rollicking "Come to me" and the upbeat end of "All the nights". Ultimately, I could decry the unremarkable filler of Krook's backup vocals, or irrationally complain that a young songstress with the sultry voice of winter has yet to approximate the hallowed of Sweden's indie scene. But after repeated listens, I've found a certain solace in "We all die", an unmistakable beauty that seems to well up from its very core, spilling out onto the austere repetition of "I would, I would, I would" on "In colour", and tempering the melismatic "My love, my love" on "Come to me". Despite the shortcomings, it's these fleeting moments of sublime beauty that assure me: New Found Land has the perfection of their bedroom aesthetic in their sights. I'll ignore the impurities and wait for the follow-up.
- Nathan Keegan

     

El Perro Del Mar + Lykke Li - Change of heart (video)

Watch El Perro Del Mar and Lykke Li perform "Change of heart" together: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwWWSYOKzsgthey

     

Top 10s for 2009: Absolut Noise

     

Lykke Li - Will you still love me tomorrow

Get a free download of Lykke Li's version of "Will you still love me tomorrow" in exchange for your email address: http://www.lykkeli.com/

     

New Lykke Li on Twilight soundtrack

Lykke Li has a new song called "Possibility" on the soundtrack to the upcoming Mormon vampire film and Twilight sequel "New Moon", along with a bunch of other indierock usual-suspects. It comes out October 20.

     

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

     

American Idol does Lykke Li?

So apparently Lykke Li's "I'm good I'm gone" was featured on American Idol last night? Hoookay.... Read more: http://pitchfork.com/news/35162-american-idol-sings-lykke-li/

     

Fluxblog on Röyskopp, PB&J

Fluxblog goes two for two with new music from Röyskopp (feat. Lykke Li) and Peter Bjorn and John: http://www.fluxblog.org/2009/03/turn-paper-into-rocks-into-plastic