My Five Favorite Swedish Albums of 2008

This hasn’t been the best year for Sweden. Throughout 2006-2007, it seemed like any band with a Jens or Johan or Annika or Bjorn in it was a serious contender to win over my heart. In comparison, 2008 has been a little lackluster. First, Peter Bjorn & John released Seaside Rock, a bland palette cleanser designed to wash away any residual “Young Folks” hype; and then I’m From Barcelona followed-up their tremendous debut Let Me Introduce My Friends with Who Killed Harry Houdini?, an album so disappointing I get depressed just thinking about it.

But in spite of these missteps, my quest for Svensk indie pop goodness has gone unabated. As I mentioned several blog-years ago I recently ventured out to Sweden, and while the purpose of my visit was ostensibly not music related (the official ABBA museum doesn’t open until next year, after all) I made a point of spending my hard-earned kroner in local record shops.

In Stockholm’s trendy South of Folkungagatan district (or SoFo, to the young’uns), I stopped in Pet Sounds Records where the red-haired, red-bearded, and red-eyed clerk looked at me like I was crazy to ask for recent Scandi recommendations. “To be honest,” he said, “most Swedish music isn’t very good.” While it’s reassuring to know that locals can hate on their scene the world over, the following is a list of me disagreeing with this Eric Stoltz doppleganger, in alphabetical order:

Air France – No Way Down

“Collapsing At Your Doorstep” (buy)

This is simply a beautiful record. Listening to Air France is like being bathed in pastel lights or watching a sunrise in slow-motion. There’s an indistinct weightlessness and earthiness to the samples used by this Gothenburg group, as tropical birds and children’s voices flutter about and mingle with marimbas and shakers and unhurried house beats. Signed to The Tough Alliance’s Sincerely Yours label, Air France play with a lot of the same pop and dance sensibilities as TTA, but with a much lighter touch. Plus, I’m probably the only music blogger who reaches for the No Way Down EP instead of M83 when I have a craving for some electro-retro warm fuzzies.

Billie the Vision & the Dancers – I Used to Wander These Streets

“Lily From the Middleway Street” (buy / free)

Is there a limit to how happy a band is allowed to act? Because if so, Billie the Vision & the Dancers are at risk of earning an “uncool” label from some hardened critics who feel that happy tunes should at least be tempered by a degree of self-conscious cynicism. This band from Malmö is so unabashedly cheery and catchy that they might as well volunteer to produce the Putumayo installment for Swedish indie pop. They’ve even got a song called “Groovy” for chrissakes! Cool or no, BTV&TD’s folksy arrangements are consistently enjoyable, and with a kick of Thin Lizzy spunk a la Belle & Sebastian’s Dear Catastrophe Waitress, their new album I Used to Wander These Streets might be their best yet.

Love Is All – A Hundred Things Keep Me Up At Night

“Wishing Well” (buy)

I really don’t have much to add to E. Kula’s excellent review of this album, except that I could have sworn the track “Wishing Well” was a cover when I first heard it. It took me a while to realize they were cribbing the Clean’s galloping “Tally Ho!” organ riff (not that I mind), but the magic of this album is that when you’re listening to it you keep wishing you had heard it earlier, and as soon as it’s over you want to listen to it again. If I was ranking this list numerically instead of alphabetically, A Hundred Things Keep Me Up At Night would be #1 by a mile.

Lykke Li – Youth Novels

“Dance, Dance, Dance” (buy)

Lykke Li has received an improbable amount of blog love this year. Improbable because, in all honesty, Youth Novels is an exceptionally uneven album. But for every dreadful spoken word number there are two flawlessly charming pop singles responsible for at least a dozen remixes that you’ve inadvertently downloaded over the past 12 months to counterweight. Credit must be given to the production work of PB&J’s Björn Yttling and hit-maker Lasse MÃ¥rtén, who pull together a restrained but powerful mix of synth drones, wood blocks, pianos, and “Walk On the Wild Side”-style sax solos. The spartan arrangements are nimble enough for most dance floors, but clever and crisp enough for intimate headphone sessions. Combined with Li’s vulnerable coos, Youth Novels begs for close and repeated listens.

Sad Day for Puppets – Unknown Colors

“Cherry Blossom” (buy)

Despite a sound straight outta the 1990s, the clerk at Pet Sounds assured me that Sad Day for Puppets had released the best Swedish album of 2008. Jangly, fuzzy, poppy — the most succinct way I could describe this band would be “a shoegazier version of the Concretes.” If that doesn’t at least pique your interest, there ain’t nothin’ else I can do.