Before taking off for France for vacation and a photography project I put together this mixtape themed around the three countries known collectively as Scandinavia: Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. It is shocking how many popular indie bands have come from that region in the past 10 years. In fact, I opted to use the strict interpretation of Scandinavia (leaving out Finland and Iceland) so that I had less artists to choose from for this mix (and there were still plenty!).
You can listen to the individual tracks below, or download the zip of them all by clicking the green arrow to the left.
This mixtape is dedicated to one of my favorites Swedes – Elisabeth Faile.
Erlend Oye – “Sheltered Life (remix) and Fine Night”From his 2004 mix DJ Kicks
http://www.erlendoye.com/
Erlend Øye is best known for being half of the Norwegian folk duo Kings of Convenience. He’s also an incredible electronic musician that has released two solo electro-dance albums and fronts electro-pop band Whitest Boy Alive.
I Was a King – “It’s All You”from their self-titled debut album
http://www.iwasaking.com/
These Norwegian rockers entered my radar thanks to the fella playing the piano on this track – he is none other than Sufjan Stevens. Their album has the feel of a young band trying to establish its style. I’m expecting good things from them down the road.
I’m From Barcelona – “Chicken Pox”from their 2006 album “Let Me Introduce My Friends”
http://www.imfrombarcelona.com/
Silly. Childish. Nonsensical. Folks might use those words to describe the songs of the 22+ member band known as “I’m From Barcelona” (they’re not, they’re from Norway). However, as you listen to their songs they grow on you and connect in a personal way. For me they bring back childhood memories – especially the track I chose for this mixtape. “You can’t have it once you’ve had it…”
Air France – “Hold On To Me, Baby”from the SP of the same title.
http://www.myspace.com/theairfrance
You’re going to notice a trend in these Swedish artists – they like to use band names to imply non-Scandinavian locations. Air France has nothing to do with the French airline but they do make dreamy music ideal for listening to while staring out of airplane windows. Their electronic music sounds like it should be part of a soundtrack
The Raveonettes – “Hallucinations”from their 2008 album Lust Lust Lust
http://www.theraveonettes.com/
This Danish shoe-gazing duo has been a favorite of mine ever since my uncle introduced me to them a few years back. The last album Lust Lust Lust is by far my favorite, but there’s already a new one scheduled for release this October.
Mew – “Apocalypso”from the 2005 album And the Glass Handed Kites
http://www.mewsite.com/
Danish rockers Mew have jokingly referred to themselves as “pretentious art rock” and as “the world’s only indie stadium band.” They definitely have a big sound and they are a great roll-the-windows-down-and-sing-along-even-though-you-don’t-know-the-words band. (or if you know the words and don’t understand what the heck they are talking about)
The Knife – “Heartbeats”from their 2003 album Deep Cuts
http://www.theknife.net/
This Swedish brother-sister duo are a bit odd – they rarely make public appearances and when they do, they wear masks. They create dark electro pop unlike anything else you’ve heard before.
El Perro Del Mar – “A Better Love”from the 2009 release Love Is Not Pop
http://www.elperrodelmar.com/
You Spanish speakers have already figured it out – El Perro Del Mar translates as “The Dog from the Sea.” Unfortunately, that doesn’t explain a thing about her – in fact, I know very little about her background. I do know she has an incredible voice and we’ve used some of her tracks to lull Trey to sleep when he was a baby.
Esbjörn Svensson Trio – “Ballad for the Unborn”from their 2003 album Seven Days of Falling
http://www.est-music.com/
This Swedish jazz piano trio won me over when I heard them 6 years ago on NPR’s All Songs Considered. Their music had an instantly calming effect. Unfortunately, last year Svensson died in a tragic diving accident and the band is no more.
José González – “Down The Line”from the 2009 album In Our Nature
http://www.jose-gonzalez.com/
You wouldn’t guess José González is Swedish singer-songwriter from his name. However, his parents were from Argentina and immigrated to Sweden in the 1970s during political turmoil back home. González made a name for himself when he covered The Knife’s song Heartbeats on his debut album and it was used in a wildly popular Sony Bravia commercial.
Fever Ray – “I’m Not Done”from her 2009 self-titled debut
http://www.www.feverray.com/
Karin Elisabeth Dreijer Andersson is one half of the Swedish group The Knife featured earlier on this mix tape. Her solo debut album under the alias Fever Ray has obvious ties to her family project. Her music is very dark but manages not to be depressing. Like Björk, Karin’s art also goes well beyond her music and extends into her wonderful music videos that accompany her tracks. You can check them out at http://vimeo.com/feverray
The Field – “The More That I Do”from their 2009 album Yesterday and Today
http://www.myspace.com/thefieldsthlm
The techno scene has always been much more popular in Europe than here in the US. A relatively small number of electronic artists cross over the Atlantic to make it “big” in the US. Swedish musician Axel Willner (aka The Field) received critical acclaim for his 2007 debut album From Here We Go Sublime and made several “Best of 2007″ lists with it. This year he released a new album that is just as good/better than the first one. I was lucky enough to catch The Field on tour earlier this year and see Willner knob twiddling live!
If you are a copyright owner of one of these tracks and wish to have it removed, please contact me and it will be promptly removed. These tracks are not posted for profit, but to promote the artists and their labels.
