Mainland

I stumbled upon this track during one of my regular, 2am binges into the depth of Soundcloud. Its discovery only justified my insomnia.

Cape Lion are a duo hailing from Sweden, consisting of Carl-Johan Sevedag and Martin Wiklund. They classify themselves as electronic pop; I think of them as a Royksöpp + M83 hybrid. Upbeat electronic melodies are coupled with quality lyricism and vocals, with a splash of epic. But Pop. Epic Electronic Pop.

All of their their songs are well-produced and catchy, but Mainland sticks out to me the most. It kicks off quickly, with descending drums leading right into the hook. I’m particularly fond of the lyrics:

now we’ve grieved enough – time to let it go
we’ll be drifting off – time to let it go

Que sera, sera vibes all the way, the song stresses the importance of living in the now, ignoring the temptation to imagine how things should/could be within different circumstances. It’s this coupling of serious, emotional lyrics over an upbeat, catchy electronic melody that defines this group’s sound.
All this, delivered in a beautiful Scandinavian-pop package. I’m sold.

Listen to Mainland below, and check Cape Lion out on Soundcloud/Facebook/Sweden.

Habits

I've gotta stay high all the time to keep you off my mind.

The year's most stressful month has arrived. While you're busy buying Christmas presents and spending too much money on plane tickets trying to get home for the holidays to family you not-so-secretly distain, music writers everywhere are wracking their brains and arbitrary ratings systems to create their all-important Best Of The Year lists. I probably won't do a "best of" list this year; mainly because I haven't listened to more than 5 albums all the way through.^* But that doesn't mean I won't preach to you at least a little bit.

Before you inevitably read other, more legitimate publications' lists, I want to tilt your bias by presenting you with what I think know to be the best pop song of the year, no contest. (Well, barring Titanium, but that is a contentious topic, and also I'm pretty sure it was released in '12, and also also we're here to promote music's little guy, not its Guetta.) Obviously it was written by a Swede. Tove Lo's Habits is such a perfect sad girl power ballad you'll probably know all the words without having heard it. Swedish girls just get it, after all. While Habits has already been used for background on every MTV show produced this year, it has yet to go double platinum, and I think we should rectify that before 2014 rolls along.
Looking forward to seeing y'all -- and Tove! -- at the top.

Habits - Tove Lo


^{* [I realize this makes me the problem, not the solution.]}

1904

Now you know when believing is hard but you go now
And you feel what you drag across the floor


Lukasz Wierzbowski

In case anyone missed the news, The Tallest Man On Earth released a new album just a week ago. For those of you unfamiliar with The Man, he's a singer-songwriter type, whose folky style, voice, and effusive lyrics harken heavily to a certain Bob Dylan. Now, I'm not crazy about Bob Dylan...
But I am crazy about Swedes.

Kristian Matsson has the good excellent fortune of being Swedish, though you would never guess upon first (or second, or third) listen. He does Americana better than most native musicians, weaving emotive and poetic lyrics with simple instrumentation, often accompanied by a sole acoustic guitar. While his earlier albums drew heavy vocal comparisons to the aforementioned Dylan, I find Matsson's voice considerably more listenable; his tone isn't nearly as nasal. His latest album, There's No Leaving Now marks an expanse of his style, with the introduction of multitracking. Don't expect massive arrangements, rather he toys with subtle instrumentation. But as first single 1904 demonstrates, while his style may be shifting some, his themes and lyrical prowess remain the same.

Download 1904, buy There's No Leaving Now here, and be sure to catch Matsson live in Dallas (or your city) on August 29th.

1904 - The Tallest Man On Earth

Be Mine (Ocelot Remix)

Now your voice is like an echo in my head
And I remember every word you said

Theo Gosselin

I know I haven't posted in forever, and thus you're probably itching for some new music (or at least that what I like to tell myself), but bear with me another post while I entertain my own ego by posting an oldie, just because I fecking want to.

I was in a store yesterday when Robyn's Be Mine came on. I was super stoked firstly because Robyn isn't played nearly enough in the US, and secondly because I just really love the song. Within 30 seconds I realized that what was playing wasn't what I had been expecting, but rather the Ellie Goulding cover of the song. This was disappointing for many a reason, not least of all because Ellie Goulding really isn't very good. Sorry guys, I just don't get the hoopla. Anyway, it put me in a rather dour mood, and upon entering my car I had to immediately turn on the Ocelot remix of the song. Unlike the Goulding bastardization, the Ocelot remix is a total banger, staying true to the piece's original melody while making it dancefloor or sitting-in-your-car-singing-at-the-top-of-your-lungs-post-breakup accessible.

Be Mine (Ocelot Mthrfckrs Remix) - Robyn [mp3]

Manners

I was sent this video yesterday and watched it once. Failing to immediately recognize the genius in the work I thought "Damn, that's cool...and a great song to boot," and continued on with my life. Big mistake. Thankfully, the passivity was not meant to be. Today I was sitting at my desk and started humming a refrain to myself incessantly. I couldn't for the life of me figure out what it was, until I went through my internet's history and came upon Icona Pop's Manners video again. An epic A-HA! moment ensued. I might have been a little late on the uptake, but now I've seen the light : this song and video are amazing. Dare I say incredible? This audio + visual combo is the manifestation of the pinnacle of great pop music, complete with an irresistible chorus, "bah bah bah"s (the catchiest vocal addition to any song, period.), pretty girls, neon, kaleidoscopes, and crashing drums offset my playful whirls and bleeps. Amazing.

Icona Pop are Swedish (WHY AM I NOT SURPRISED), and Manners comes from a 7" Split which came out in March on the always-fabulous Neon Gold. Watch the video above (Seriously.), download Manners below, and thank me later.

Icona Pop - Manners

Judas Puppets

You think you're in control but you don't know me, babe.

Photo by Eliot Lee Hazel

Röyksopp can do no wrong. As far as I'm concerned this is is a fact; so don't fight me on it. For starters, they're Norwegian. By now you should all know my Scandophilia (obsession with all things Scandinavian--but especially people), and so by default the duo are virtually infallible in my eyes. But nevermind their ethnicity, the most obvious example of their prowess is in their flawless productions--both original and remixes. These guys can do anything; delicate and whimsical love songs, experimental ambient tracks, melodic slow burners, and glittering disco powerhouses. They're so good at their game that they managed to take what might just be my least favorite track of 2011--Lady Gaga's Judas--and turned it into a staple of all my summer playlists. With the Röyksopp touch, Judas isn't just bearable, it's almost incredible.

Judas - Lady Gaga


Also on my speakers for the past few months has been their remix of Depeche Mode's classic 1981 song, Puppets. The song is a cut off Depeche Mode's new Remixes 2 album, which was released June 6. Royksopp's reworking of the dark 80s new wave sound is masterful, the end product is a shimmering, striding electronic pop, unsettling in its lyrical content while proving to be so crazy catchy you can't help but sing along. I can't recommend this tune enough. Like I said, Röyksopp are it. If you aren't convinced by now...well...godspeed.

Puppets (Röyksopp Remix) - Depeche Mode

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Private Caller

You always covered my eyes when you undressed, but I see you

Photo by Carles Rodrigo

Norweigan crooner Sondre Lerche is back with a new self-titled album, out today in the U.S. on Mona Records. It's hard to believe the guy hasn't lost any steam since putting out his major-label debut at only 19. There's been a lot of experimenting with his sound since 2002's Faces Down, but it's safe to say Lerche has only perfected his craftsmanship of indie-pop. The bottom line is: this dude knows how to write a song, and hasn’t put out anything eliciting disappointment. Whether it's the absolutely breathtaking, heavily jazz-inspired Duper Sessions (seriously, one of my favorite albums ever), or the faster-paced indie rock of Phantom Punch, it always works.

Private Caller, a track from the new release, is a perfect example of how Lerche has consolidated his neurotic genre leaping. It’s the pop we’ve come to expect from him, but the truth is – I wouldn’t consider Lerche predictable. Yes, the witty lyrics and trademark voice are there, as is the meticulous instrumentation. What I like about Private Caller in particular, though, is that it seems like Lerche really took his time with this one, rather than just churning out another cookie-cutter jam. Also, it doesn’t hurt that the song is super catchy and I can’t get it out of my head, which is kind of a rarity with Lerche’s work. It's is a lighthearted jam just in time for pool season.

Stream the single below, and be sure to buy it or the entire album.
Private Caller by sondrelerche