SWEDEN! SWEDEN! SWEDEN!
My adopted homeland has been making a lot of music babies lately. We have been dumbstruck and slobbering over the lovely Swedish lads that have graced our presence this past week (count em: Jose, The LK, Hives...), but what about the ladies? Surely they must be creating some music as well- and they are! Although there aren’t any shows coming up in the District, there are some amazing things happening in the land of the Swedish lasses. Here are a few prime selections getting major hype in Swede-land the past few months.

Lykke Li
http://www.myspace.com/lykkeli

I have a girl crush on Lykke Li and can't stop listening to her music all day long. It's soft pretty pop with a unique sound. It's infectious. I even infected my friend so bad, he feels like jumping out his own window out of sheer obsession. Lykke Li kind of erupted onto the music scene earlier this year and the moment I heard a mention about her in DC, everyone in Scando land was emailing and calling with " Have you heard of Lykke Li???" The answer is Yes Yes Yes. Her voice is cute, her face is cute, she's adorable! Her album Youth Novels was just released this month.

Little Bit

'I'm good, I'm Gone

Sally Shapiro
http://www.myspace.com/shapirosally

Do you like soft italo-house? Do you like outer space? Do you like dreamy vocals? Sally Shapiro, made up of singer Sally ( not her real name) and producer /songwriter Johan Agebjörn, do too. So they make music that makes you think you are on a space ship swirling around in the galaxy in the late 70s ( possibly early 80s) . Her album Disco Romance came out this past winter. Check out their cheap-o retro video.

Jackie Jackie

http://www.johanagebjorn.info/sally.html

Those Dancing days
http://www.myspace.com/thosedancingdays

I first heard Those Dancing Days play at a small basement Art Bar in the Kungsholmen section of Stockholm last summer. It was like a high school recital in the sense that everyone was about 17 or 18 and was friends/went to school with the band members. It was also like a fashion show/art opening in the sense that everyone looked waaaaay cooler than I ever did at that age and dressed like they were Bernard Wilhelm. Anyway, I was totally impressed by the five teenage girls and their happy organ infused rock pop. The lead singer has rich deep voice, too mature for her own good. Their album is in the works for release this year.

Hitten

Those Dancing Days

Some older stuff:

Maia Hirasawa
http://www.myspace.com/maiahirasawa

Japanese Swedish Singer Songwriter? Yes

Laleh
http://www.laleh.se/

Iranian Swedish Chanteuse? Yes

Mapei
http://www.myspace.com/mapei
American Swedish Girl Rapper? Yes.

Video Vixen

Britta Persson
http:// brittapersson.com

Plain Ol' Swede

Winter Tour

www.myspace.com/brittapersson