Ten Scandinavian Songs You Need to Hear Right Now

November 2, 2007 by Svetlana  Send to a Friend

In lieu of this week’s MP3 picks, and in the light of all the Scandianavian DC Love lately (the Jens, the Shout out Louds, the upcoming MuM show….) we asked Natalya and Melissa of HEJ HEJ (DC’s premier and only Scandinavian dance night, and who will DJ at the MuM show as well) to throw together a list of songs every scandinofile (is this a word? do I care?) needs to know. right now. ENJOY.

1. Ida Maria – “Oh My God” (Norway/Sweden)
Oh my god, this song is so good. Ida Maria, who comes from Norway but lives in Sweden, first came to our attention when she contributed vocals to another one of Hej Hej’s favorite songs, Pelle Carlberg’s “I Love You, You Imbecile.” “Oh My God” makes us want to drink too much, dance like crazy, and make bad decisions.

[http://www11.nrk.no/urort/user/default.aspx?id=3009]

2. The LK – “Tamagotchi Freestyle” (Sweden)
If you didn’t catch The LK playing at DC9 in July, don’t be too hard on yourself. DC’s own Kora Records is re-releasing The LK’s latest album in March 2008, with a U.S. tour to follow. We can’t wait.

[http://www.myspace.com/thelkhideout]
[http://www.thekorarecords.com]
[http://www.songsiwish.com/tama.mp3]

3. Shout Out Louds – “Tonight I Have to Leave It” (Sweden)
Be sure to also check out the Kleerup remix of this song. More cowbell!

[http://www.shoutoutlouds.com]
[Kleerup remix: http://premium.fileden.com/premium/2007/8/1/1313721/Shout_Out_Louds_Tonight_Kleerup_Remix.mp3]

4. Sarah Hepburn – “Hey . . . OK!” (Denmark)
We’ve loved Sarah Hepburn for a while now. Her upbeat track, with guitar solos almost playing the role of backup vocals, gets us out of the post-summer doldrums.

[http://www.myspace.com/sarahhepburn]

5. Jens Lekman – “The Opposite of Hallelujah” (Sweden)
If Jens Lekman’s recent Black Cat show didn’t make you smile, you have no soul. One of the Hej Hej DJs used to not care about Jens Lekman, but Night Falls Over Kortedala converted her.

[http://www.jenslekman.com]

6. Husky Rescue – “Summertime Cowboy” (Finland)
Atmospheric electro-pop from Helsinki. This song came out in 2004, but we’re recommending it because you should check out the original before getting your hands on Husky Rescue’s recently-released remix album.

[http://www.myspace.com/huskyrescue]

7. Kent – “Ingenting” (Sweden)
It’s the only song on our list that’s not in English, but you don’t need to understand the lyrics to enjoy the new single from one of Sweden’s biggest rock bands. Anyway, we’re pretty sure the lyrics are about life being meaningless and TV making us stupid, and we don’t want to think about that. We love TV.

P.S. “ingenting” means “nothing” in Swedish.
P.P.S. While we’re on the subject, you should also check out a band called [ingenting]. They have a great song called “Punkdrömmar.”

[http://www.kent.nu]
[http://www.nadazipp.se]
[http://www.labrador.se/mp3/ingenting-punkdrommar.mp3]

8. Bang Gang – “Find What You Get” (Iceland)
This haunting track blends the ubiquitous Icelandic electronic chords with edgy pop rhythms and rough guitar riffs. “Find What You Get” will easily fit into your winter soundtrack.

[http://www.myspace.com/banggangband]
[http://media.spin.com/features/band_of_the_day/audio/2007/05/bg_findwhatyouget_hi.mp3]

9. The Mary Onettes – “Lost” (Sweden)
One of the hottest bands on Sweden’s legendary Labrador Records. Lovely and gloomy.

[http://www.labrador.se/mp3/the_mary_onettes-lost.mp3]

10. Juvelen – “Hanna” (Sweden)
This song has been around for almost a year now, but we’re putting it on this list just in case you haven’t heard it yet. Whenever we play it, “Hanna” gets people to dance just as much as the classics like ABBA or Roxette. Maybe it’s because everyone loves a good falsetto.

[http://www.myspace.com/juvelen]

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