Loosegoats — Drift From The Tracks

So far, Ideas For To Travel Down Death’s Merry Road is one of the best albums of the year. It has both infectious fun and sadness — the song For the Love Of is about Christian’s younger brother who passed on last year. This however is the opening track and it’s just as if the band hadn’t been on a hiatus since 2001.

It’s this kind of music that make me proud to be Swedish.

Skilla — Lantern.

From where I’m sitting, some people could need the comfort through music. But I know from experience that when you’re down, happy music feels more crap when flung in your face than faecal matter. So. I opted for this, it doesn’t bring happy but hope, hope that it will be better and hope in friendship. That’s my take on it. (I admit that I’m biased a bit, since I saw Skilla perform this song three times in 2010. It’ s hard not to be happy when they’re on stage and this might cloud my judgement.)

The friends to whom I drew that album cover a few weeks ago have now been in and recorded things. This is an Ebba Grön cover which is never a bad thing.

Veronica Maggio — Välkommen In.

This could be the best lines of lyrics this year:

Och grannarna har klagat sedan kvart över tio
Nu är alla i mitt kök och jag är alldeles paj
Spelar pappas skiva ifrån 69 
De sjunger “cosa vuol dir sona una donna ormai 
O mare nero, o mare nero, o mare ne” 
Sänker volymen, låter alla sjunga med 
Kan inte tänka, jag står bara här och ler

So it’s not deep or pretentious in any way, but just listen to how the words flow naturally. Life slices in songs not heard since Traste Lindéns Kvintett.

Trio Lligo — Stina Ekblad.

The Ericson brothers — Aron and Staffan for those who are nosy — introduced me to Trio Lligo a few years ago. They’re one of those bands you like a lot but sometimes forget. And when you listen to them next time you wonder why you forgot them but that’s how human brain is I guess: very flawed.