Song of the Day

Because Marit Bergman's brilliant and so's this song. The lyrics are ace too.

Marit Bergman - I Thought I Would Be Older By Now mp3

Actually, that song reminds me of the clip below, from my favourite sketch show for donkey's years, BBC Scotland's Limmy's Show. I really can't emphasise strongly enough how funny this programme is, and how you should definitely seek it out if you're not familiar with it already.



There are loads more Limmy's Show clips on YouTube, and Series 1 is out on DVD. (Buying that would be the best decision you'd make all week.)

Swede surrender

Anyone who's read any (well, most) of my previous contributions to this blog will know that I am more than a tad taken by this Swedish indiepop malarkey, and need no second - or indeed first - invitation to blather on about it.

In fact, such is my infatuation with all things 'Swindie' that I've probably said all I have to say on most of my favourite Swedish acts on Too Much Apple Pie, over the past few years. But this doesn't, of course, stop the music itself being great. So what I thought I'd do now, like, is to have a dedicated 'Swedish music season' in which all the acts I feature in my contributions to this blog will be from Sweden. (I know what you're thinking: how will we tell the difference?)

Anyway, basically it'll be less blather, more music for the next little while; which has to be a good thing, right? If you want to know more about some of the artists featured here just click on the 'labels' tab at the bottom of the entries. (Alternatively you could just go out and buy their entire back catalogues. Yes, do that.)

Let's get the ball rolling, shall we, with four - count 'em! - songs from one of my absolute favourite compilation albums, the magnificent, two-disc Svensk Indie 1988-2006 - En Kärleks Historia - a must-buy, I'd suggest, for any serious lovers of the genre. (That Bear Quartet song title takes some beating too.)

happydeadmen - Silent Sigh City mp3

Frida Hyvönen - Once I was A Serene Teenage Child mp3

Marit Bergman - This Is The Year mp3

The Bear Quartet - It Only Takes A Flashlight To Create A Monster mp3

Three new songs from Marit Bergman

Well, one of them's a cover version, but you get my drift. Marit says that "these are the last songs that I will be releasing for a long time" and adds, mysteriously, that she'll be concentrating on unspecified other projects for the time being. Suppose we'd better make the most of these, then.

Marit Bergman - He Will Never Be Your Boyfriend mp3

Marit Bergman - Free Falling (Tom Petty cover)

Marit Bergman - Hunting mp3 (right click)

Actually, this gives me an excuse to feature one of my favourite YouTube clips, in which Marit joins Jennie Abrahamsson and Frida Hyvönen backstage before a show in New York, where the trio perform an A cappella version of the latter's Birds, in front of a make-up mirror. Bloody magic, this is!

Christmas Sweptaways style

Bit of a Christmas treat for you today, with what are probably my favourite two festive songs from the past decade. Absolute gems the pair of them. If you hear any better Christmas-themed numbers in the next couple of weeks, then please do let me know. (I shan't believe you but let me know anyway!)



The Sweptaways and Marit Bergman - Christmas Party mp3

The Sweptaways and Magnus Carlson - Cry Cry Christmas mp3

Out With A Bang (Bang)

Lovely Swedish Marit Bergman has a new album and single out this week. The Tear Collector is her fourth solo long player and boasts thirteen tracks including new single Bang Bang, which is, as you might expect, rather ace (once you get past the initial disappointment of it not being a cover of the old B.A. Robertson song after all. Or maybe that's just me).

The video for Bang Bang (I keep wanting to type the mighty fall now) also features much Dick-van-Dyke-in-Mary Poppins-esque prancing about on chimney tops from a bunch of sweeps. (No sign of Sooty or Soo though!)



But wait, there's more! If you buy the Limited Special Edition of The Tear Collector you get not 13 but a whopping 22 (count 'em!) tracks, including fantastic duets with the likes of Frida Hyvönen and Titiyo.

Or, if you're a bit strapped for cash in these troublesome times, you can also buy individual tracks at the Marit Bergman webshop.

And, as if that wasn't already too much linkage for one blog post, you can even stream tracks from the album over at Marit's MySpace page. Nice!

Christmas Party On!

One of the undoubted highlights of the past couple of Christmases for me has (and indeed have) been the Christmas EPs released by all-female a cappella choir The Sweptaways. The songs on these releases have been, without exception, absolutely top-notch. But alas it seems that this year we won't be getting an EP from them. (not unless they're keeping extremely quiet about it anyway.) Boo!

Ah well, like the market trader stuck with a job lot of old calendars, we'll always have 2006 and 2007. Speaking of which, here's the lead track from last year's seasonal Sweptaways spectacular, the frankly wondrous Christmas Party, featuring guest vocals from the equally fab Marit Bergman. If this doesn't fill your heart with (admittedly slightly premature) Christmas joy then you employ an underpaid clerk named Bob Cratchit and I claim my five pounds!

The Sweptaways with Marit Bergman - Christmas Party mp3

You can buy the four-track Sweptaways Christmas Party EP as a download for a snipsome £3.20 here.

The Odd Couple

Fresh from her wondrous collaboration with fellow Swedes The Sweptaways last Christmas, blog favourite Marit Bergman's been at it again, this time teaming up with Titiyo (Cherry - half sister of Neneh) on the equally fab new single 300 Slow Days In A Row, a salutary tale of a relationship that's long since lost its spark. The video's an absolute hoot, by the way, with our girls playing out the roles of the disaffected couple and finding themselves embroiled in an increasingly petty campaign of sabotage and abuse of each other's possessions. Have a gander!

Marit Bergman featuring Titiyo - 300 Slow Days In A Row


300 Slow Days In A Row can be purchased as an mp3 from maritbergman.net.

The Sweptaways (and friends) invite you to a Christmas Party!

Last week I was waxing enthusiastically about the brilliance of the Sweptaways' Christmas '06 EP. What I didn't realise at the time (but learned about yesterday) was that the group have a brand new Christmas EP out for 2007. Best news I've heard all week! The lead track is the a cappella Christmas Party, which features guest vocals from Too Much Apple Pie favourite Marit Bergman, and it can be streamed on the Sweptaways' MySpace page, if you fancy a listen (which of course you should!). Splendid stuff.

Also featured on the EP are a brand new Sweptaways-only version of The Concretes' Lady December, plus the two Magnus Carlson-featured tracks from last year's EP, Cry Cry Christmas and Silver Bells. All in all an absolutely fantastic listen, and a perfect stocking filler for the Christmas music fan in your life!

Buy The Sweptaways & Friends Christmas Party EP from the Hybris webshop.

Three of a kind #2

The second 'Three of a kind' entry and the second one to feature Swedes. Female singer-songwriters who can put a bit of welly into it, this time.



Sofia Talvik has just released her second album 'Street Of Dreams' (you can download a free remixed version of it from her website) and recorded a fantastic duet - 'It's Just Love' - with Bernard Butler. The song below, Blåa linjen hem, is freely available for download and is really rather good.
Sofia Talvik - Blåa linjen hem mp3 (right click and 'save target as')

"I'm a lousy guitarist, I sing out of tune," sings Marit Bergman. Rather tunefully, it has to be said. I beg to differ Ms Bergman!
Marit Bergman - Adios Amigos mp3 (available for 7 days)

You may have heard Maia Hirasawa singing backing vocals for Hello Saferide (if you haven't, why not?!), but she has a solo career as well and she's bloody good!
Maia Hirasawa - And I Found This Boy mp3 (available for 7 days)

Please also enjoy the video for 'And I Found This Boy'. It's my favourite video for ages!




Sofia Talvik website | Marit Bergman website | Maia Hirasawa website