My Swedish brethren Seb Larsson marked his Sunderland debut with a brilliant equalizer in today’s match versus Liverpool. Not a bad way to kick off the new EPL season! Lucky number 7…
Really looking forward to Lykke’s Wounded Rhymes album. Sometimes you just get a little rapped out.
Our friends from Sweden just killed it at Nectar last week…again…and I stumbled across their new video for “My Step,” one of my favorite records off 2009’s Machine Dreams. Be on the lookout for the new album soon!
If you missed it, peep our last interview with the band here:
Just the viral version, real video coming soon. But either way, my girl is back. Download the track for free on her site, www.lykkeli.com.
Heja Sverige!
I cannot stop listening to Miike Snow right now. While I posted up the exceptional “Animal” video a while back, I never tossed this one up for “Black & Blue.” It’s what I wish all pop and dance music sounded like.
And while there isn’t a video for “Cult Logic,” it might be my favorite record from the band. Incredible lyrics.
While in town last night for a show at Nectar, J. Moore and I got a chance to hang out with one of our favorite groups, Little Dragon, aboard their tour bus. Yukimi, Erik, Fredrik, and Håkan talked about their current US tour, their record label situation, the success of the band so far, how their collaboration with the Gorillaz came about, their early plans for the next album, and more.
If you haven’t checked out both their self titled debut and last year’s Machine Dreams, I really can’t recommend Little Dragon enough. They can flip pretty much any style, they’re supremely talented, and above all, they’re good people. Additionally, when you see them perform live, you can just tell that they love music. It may sound silly, but not a lot of artists seem to share Little Dragon’s passion for creating and enjoying the music they make. It really comes through on record and in their live performances. They’re destined for big things…
Yes, I’m late posting this video. No, I don’t care.
Recently, I’ve been playing this Miike Snow album non-stop and it’s really impressive. I seem to be on a “white guy singing, possibly with a foreign accent or falsetto of sorts, about semi depressing, ethereal topics” kick. *Kanye shrug*…sue me. I’m sure I’ll get back into my backpack hip-hop mindset soon, but for now, enjoy some different ish.
Shout to my man Soul Supreme at Potholes In My Blog for giving me the heads up on the Mark Ronson “Animal” remix. We rocked this on Sound Session a few times and I’m a sucker for anything dub related.
Miike Snow – “Animal (Mark Ronson Remix)”
Are you there Jah? It’s me Ras Trent.
I must say, the video effects are slightly off-putting, but with a song as good as this, I don’t mind. Off the excellent Machine Dreams and also one of the tracks that made our Sound Session Best of 2009 edition. Yukimi is the truth.
I need to find some time to get our interview with Little Dragon posted up…I swear it’s coming soon. I hope.
I’ve been sleeping on Little Dragon, but I’m finally awake. And I’m highly intrigued. Half way through the album and it’s great. There’s so much good music in the world right now…
Little Dragon – “Constant Surprises”
Shout to my Swedish ancestry.
I’ve been meaning to make this post ever since Euro 2008 started and I watched my Swedish brethren (I was this close to having a Swedish first name, apparently “Torsten”…whew) play like bitches and fail to advance past the 1st round. A little bit before that, The Fader featured a great article on indie-pop’s next big thing, Swedish singer Lykke Li (pronounced “lickee lee”). I’d heard bits and pieces of her music before (shout to The Exactly for being one of the first hip-hop sites to feature her), but that article inspired me to check her out in full. She released her debut album earlier this year, Youth Novels, and as expected, she’s dope as hell. Y’all need to get familiar.
Sweden’s been a surprising hot spot for quality pop music over the years (this was my jam back in middle school, I ain’t ashamed), thanks in part to a refreshing respect the Swedes have for the genre. In essence, it’s a lot less disposable over there than we treat it here, and Lykke displays that in her music. While the on the surface, it embodies that traditional playful pop vibe, there’s also a deeper emotional level in the way she sings about heartbreak and disappointment. She’s not outwardly sexy like our stars aim to be, but there’s something sultry about her style and her voice when she sings lines like “…and for you I keep my legs apart/and forget about my tainted heart.” Damn…and that’s just on the single, “Little Bit.” Perhaps it’s the Scandinavian blond thing, but I feel like her stuff sounds like what Scarlett Johansson wishes she could make (when she’s not covering Tom Waits). Anyway, peep her first two videos and download the mp3’s:
Lykke Li – “I’m Good, I’m Gone”
You have to love Swedish people…I mean, really.
Hit the jump to watch some other ridiculously cool performances and download a ton of bonus tracks/remixes. I’ll toss in a few of my favorite cuts off Youth Novels too. I don’t want to post the whole thing, but if you want to check it out, shoot me an email and you might get a present back in return. DJHyphen@gmail.com.