“Universal Soldier” is a song written and recorded by Canadian singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie. The song was originally released on Sainte-Marie’s debut album “It’s My Way!“ in 1964. “Universal Soldier” was not a popular hit at the time of its release, but it did garner attention within the contemporary folk music community. It became a hit a year later when Donovan covered it. Sainte-Marie said of the song: “I wrote ‘Universal Soldier’ in the basement of The Purple Onion coffee house in Toronto in the early sixties. It’s about individual responsibility for war and how the old feudal thinking kills us all.”
Posts Tagged ‘Sweden’
FIRST AID KIT – ” Universal Soldier ” Buffy Saint Marie Cover
Posted: January 25, 2015 in MUSICTags: Buffy Saint Marie, Cover, Donovan, First Aid Kit, Sweden
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DET LILLA EXTRA – ” Alle Under Himlens Faste “
Posted: January 24, 2015 in MUSICTags: Det Lilla Extra, Electro, Sweden, Synth Pop
Even though The Knife seem to be the current face of oddball Swedish electronica, the scene is thriving with plenty of other talented groups like Det lilla extra. Based out of Umeå, Sweden, their grasp of dark and deeply affecting soundscapes knows no bounds. Each of their tracks released this year has a unique feel and instrumental/sample arsenal. The hypnotic “Himlen är nära” has the foreboding synth-pad backing of a Knife track, but with an infectious spoken beat-box sample that coincides beautifully with trickling guitar arpeggios and tropical percussion. The bass line’s subtle melodic shifts also have the capacity to stun listeners. “Andra sidan” begins in more repeating house territory and features a swelling sample-led sound, which descends beautifully in key just before the one-minute mark. Ominous vocal samples and interweaving synth pads traverse this track’s intoxicating hallways, capped off by a very infectious second half with higher-pitched, prickly synths leading the way. Det lilla extra is one of the most impressive electronic groups I’ve heard ; they have an all-around stunning collection of hypnotic atmospheres, charismatic songwriting, and sleek production.
Another artist making such an upward crawl is Tove Nilsson, a 26-year-old Swedish singer and songwriter who goes by the name of Tove Lo. Her résumé includes writing credits for artists like Cher Lloyd and Lea Michele from “Glee”, and she’s firmly rooted in Sweden’s current network of pop characters. In high school, she played music with Caroline Hjelt of Icona Pop (for whom she’s also written songs); she’s linked with Max Martin and production duo the Struts. After listening to her music—bruised, brightly arranged pop songs that feel grand but not excessive—it should come as no surprise that she graduated from Stockholm’s Rytmus music school, the place where Robyn was trained.
FIRST AID KIT – ” Stay Gold ” Best Albums Of 2014
Posted: January 10, 2015 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSICTags: Americana, Best albums of 2014, First Aid Kit, Folk, Rock, Stay Gold, Sweden
The new album from the Swedish Indie Folk sisters Klara and Johanna Söderberg delivers on the promise of the incredible “The Lion’s Roar” and then some. with their third released album. That album’s producer, Mike Mogis, returns for “Stay Gold” — and brings a 13-piece orchestra to fittingly and flawlessly support the sisters’ soaring, airy vocals.Mike Mogis, who worked on the band’s previous album, The Lion’s Roar. The album was released in June 2014 in mainland Europe and the following week elsewhere.
According to an interview in Swedish TV webpage, the album is more about their own lives than their previous ones. “That one has to learn appreciate what is and that all flows, that nothing stays “Stay Gold” introduced new elements to First Aid Kit’s music, such as a 13-piece orchestra. Their previous albums had been produced in such a way that would allow the band to perform with 3 people on stage, however these limitations have been lifted to give the band a bigger, more fulfilling sound.
The album has been well received by most music critics, noted that the album is “noticeably more expansive than any of their previous work”, and “has a rich texture of classic country instrumentation and stirring string arrangements, matching their soaring vocal melodies. The larger sound that came from the band utilising more instruments, as well as the sister’s “new-found, beefed up timbres”. It also described the album as poised to knock you for six this summer, aimed at cracking the United States, making the kind of wide-eyed, ‘70s-tinged folk-rock that thrives on soaring vocals, warm harmonies, big choruses, and heart-on-sleeve lyrics.
The AMAZING – ” Headless Boy ” and ” Picture You “
Posted: January 9, 2015 in MUSICTags: Sweden, The Amazing
The superlatively-named The Amazing introduced their third album with the nine-minute-long title track “Picture You,” a song that wasn’t as epic as its runtime may suggest. Instead, it’s a shimmering and plaintive piece that unfurls much like a long drive on a country road, and their followup is much of the same. “The Headless Boy” is a sweet, charming, and understated take from the Swedish band,
FIRST AID KIT – ” My Silver Lining ” on the Ellen Degeneres Show
Posted: December 7, 2014 in MUSICTags: First Aid Kit, Sweden, The Ellen Show
the astounding First Aid Kit, Performs ‘My Silver Lining’ on The Ellen Degeneres Show 2014,
SCHOOL 94 – ” Like You ” EP
Posted: December 5, 2014 in MUSICTags: Gothenberg, Indie, School 94, Sweden
From the city of Gothenburg, Sweden. featuring : Efraim Kent, Alice Botéus, Felix Andersson, Per Svensson. are School 94′.
If you saw the BBC Sound of 2015 longlist and thought: “Nice lineup, but where are some actual, you know, bands?” – well, here’s one. They’re a Sundays/Smiths type of four-piece from Scandinavia, which means the guitars are set to glacial, and the chill factor is high. They’re resolutely indie, although their choruses, even given the instrumental melee, are often severe. Listen once to Botéus’ soaring and keening voice over the guitar/bass/drums and it will probably recall a less sonically extreme Cocteau Twins or a less surreal, more sorrowful Sugarcubes. Listen again, and you might agree with certain reviewers who have discerned in School 94’s music a punchy pop sensibility .
FIRST AID KIT – ” Heaven Knows “
Posted: December 2, 2014 in MUSICTags: First Aid Kit, Heaven Knows, Stay Gold, Stockholm, Sweden
the Harmonies of First Aid Kit just amaze me every time I see or listen to them perform, the Swedish folk duo. Their 2008 YouTube video cover of the song “Tiger Mountain Peasant Song” by Fleet Foxes spread their name rapidly on the Internet. In need of a little uplift on this gray fall morning? Peep this new video from Swedish folk band — and sisters — First Aid Kit. The clip shows Johanna and Klara Söderberg performing their Stay Gold track “Heaven Knows” during a studio session in Stockholm. The sisters say that the song “kind of sounds like an old Christian gospel country song” but that it was “a sarcastic decision to make it sound that way.” The duo are kicking off a headlining tour in the U.S. this fall and will come out to NYC on October 24 to play the Hammerstein Ballroom. You can see a full list of tour dates HERE and, in the meantime, jam out to “Heaven Knows,” above.
FIRST AID KIT – ” Ghost Town ” Live at Lakeland College 21/11/2014
Posted: November 23, 2014 in MUSICTags: First Aid Kit, Ghost Town, Lakeland College, Singer Songwriters, Sweden
Johanna and Klara Söderberg of First Aid Kit with an amazing acoustic version of Ghost Town from their debut album The Big Black and the Blue. This is from their show at Lakeland College near Sheboygan, Wisconsin, on Nov. 21, 2014. Thanks to Zach Voelz for this video!
THE HANGED MAN – ” The Island “
Posted: November 22, 2014 in MUSICTags: First the Quarter, Sweden, The Hanged Man, Those Dancing Days
Some of you may remember Swedish indie pop band Those Dancing Days whose update of girl group / northern soul was pretty charming. The band went on a long hiatus from 2011 but guitarist Rebecka Rolfart continues to make music with her new project, The Hanged Man. Their debut, First Quarter Moon, was just released via Kning Disk/Telegram Studios and displays a darker side than her old band ever did. There are still poppy moments, and danceable ones too, but these days are greyer. The video for “The Island” which opens the record. Filmed on the island of Gotland in Sweden, directors Sheila Johansson and Michelle Claesson Eismann capture the mood of the song in gorgeous monochrome.
The Fat Angel Sings 