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When it comes to indie music, there are many hotbeds of talent but Sweden isn’t normally one you would naturally think of. Unfortunately, the music history of that nation appears to start and end with Abba for many people, but over the past decade or so, there have been a growing number of bands from Sweden impacting on the indie world.

The most noticeable would be The Cardigans who achieved massive worldwide fame with their ‘Lovefool’ single and blend of charming and slightly tween indie-pop. Perhaps as a reaction to their fame, The Cardigans changed their style, their music got harder and Nina Persson went from blonde to brunette. They may not feature on the radio as much today as they used to but the band still draws a fairly large crowd to any festival they perform at.

If that was all that Sweden contributed to indie music, it would be a poor return, but when you consider the following acts, you will realise just how many of your favorite tracks have hailed from Sweden: The Wannadies,

Peter, Bjorn and John, The Hives, The Concretes, Love Is All, The Shout out Louds, I’m From Barcelona, Jose Gonzalez, The Knife.

For such a short space of time that is an impressive list of bands and you may be familiar with some of these songs:

Young Folks by Peter, Bjorn and John

You may not know the title but as soon you hear the whistling section of ‘Young Folks’ you will know exactly what the song is and recall what a phenomenon it was at the time. The track came second in the NME’s list of best songs of 2006 and fifth in the Pitchfork review of tracks from 2006.

Hate To Say I Told You So’ by The Hives

Not many bands could announce themselves as your new favorite band and keep a straight face but The Hives aren’t like many other bands. Filled with a confidence that no other band seems capable of matching this track captured the garage rock revival of the early 2000’s to perfection. The snarling guitar riff and stop-start sections provide the perfect accompaniment to Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist’s trademark yelps and screams.

You Can’t Hurry Love by The Concretes

Starting off with a guitar riff that could almost have come from the Jesus and Mary Chain, it is a shock when the sweet vocals of Victoria Bergsman kicks in and transforms the song into a delightful and melodic upbeat number. The frantic drum build up to the payoff line for the chorus is joyous and although the band has ploughed on since this 2003 release, they have been unable to match its overall quality.

Heartbeats by Jose Gonzalez

Although this song was written by fellow Swedes, The Knife, Jose Gonzalez brought the track to a wider audience. The almost mourning feel of Gonzalez’s downbeat vocals mixed with a quiet acoustic backing ensures this is a song equipped to tug at your heartstrings.

Appearing in a major commercial gave the track worldwide exposure and Jose’s brilliant cover of Kylie Minogue’s ‘Hand on Your Heart’ proved he could take any song and turn it into a downbeat classic.

This is by no means all that Swedish indie has to offer the world but it does offer a fantastic place to start checking this vibrant indie scene in Scandinavia out.

Sweden is a place where more indie music artists could be found per square mile than any other place in the world. The Swedish music scene has gradually and steadily infiltrated the music world through performers like Jens Lekman, The Cardigans, The Hives, and Peter Bjorn and John.

In addition, there is also Emil Svanängen, one-man home-recording wonder and a known multi-instrumentalist. In his tiny Stockholm apartment, he works and records his pieces just like cooking precious pop gems. With that, he has sold numerous copies of his first three albums on his website, on CD-R and other mp3 blogs. The artist shows business using the enigmatic nom de plume which is Loney, Dear. He is an adorable geek whose folk jazz sound is difficult to get enough of.

The American indie tag Sub-Pop Records in 2007 released Svanängen’s first studio album entitled “Loney, Noir”. His cracked, captivatingly longing, and almost squirmy high-pitched voice is infatuating. He sings whole heartedly covering about relationships, love found, and love lost with intense tenderness.

The disc opens with the delicate and fragile, “Sinister in the State of Hope”. The song is followed by a more cheerful, the catchier “I am John”, which is perhaps the best song for Svanängen starters. It is considered a beautiful piece that starts sincerely and builds up only in the third part where all the thrilling happens. The speed quickens with the reverb of the clarinet and drums coupled with inspiring fantastic tenor vocals. Before it fades with the soft clacking of the drumsticks, it swirls for a good bit.

The song, “Carrying a Stone”, is considered as a hidden masterwork. Solemn yet promising, the song seems like the sound of daylight breaking. Just like the light that slowly streaks the sky, the sound starts on a stable yet brisk note that gains musical drive as Svanängen hums to a crescendo in the backdrop until it explodes and fades with the reverberation of drums, organs,  horns, and lively woodwinds. Other songs that are captivating are “I’m the Odd One” and “Saturday Waits”, which is accepted as wide-eyed and innocent in style of presentation.

Loney, Noir is a lifting and exhilarating album to listen to. Consider it as it tugs at your heartstrings. Loney, Dear shares with you all the kindness of love, joy , and even heartache with a track album that starts calmly using just the guitar and voice until it swells pleasantly with the synchronization of hand claps, pump organs , and melodies that are at once sparkling and melancholy. Loney, Dear as well known is an indie music artist that breath fresh air and his album is as stylish and appealing as a wonderful summer day blast with Lomo.