New album from Andreas Mattsson!

Forgive the exclamation mark, but the arrival of any new Andreas Mattsson-related release has been incredibly exciting news for me for over fifteen years now - ever since I first heard Make Up by Popsicle and instantly found myself a new favourite band - and his new album Kick Death's Ass, due on February 18th, is the first we've heard of him for nearly five years since 2006's brilliant solo debut The Lawlessness of the Ruling Classes. (Well, apart from producing and contributing to Hello Saferide's last album, which was admittedly pretty great also.) So yes, a momentous day.

Appropriately, with today being football transfer deadline day and all, Kick Death's Ass (shame about the spelling of "Arse" there, but nobody's perfect) sees Andreas switch labels from Hybris to Razzia Records from where you can pre-order the album. I cannot wait to hear it, but suppose I'll just have to.

Although Kick Death's Ass is still a couple of weeks away, the album's brilliant first single, AA, is already available to buy as a download here, and can be streamed using the fancy Soundcloud gismo below. It's classic Mattsson right from the very start, and buying it will constitute the best 80p you'll spend all week.

AA - ANDREAS MATTSSON by RAZZIARECORDS

Now if you'll excuse me, I have an album to pre-order. Roll on February 18th!

Andreas Mattsson repost (sort of)

For Max, and anyone else who might be interested, here are some classic Andreas Mattsson/Popsicle-related goodies, as requested. For further reading please do have a gander at any of my previous two hundred posts on this artist's work! Cheers!



Popsicle - Make Up mp3

Sweet Chariots - All I Want Is What I Had mp3



Andreas Mattsson - You're Never Lonely When The Band Plays mp3

Andreas Mattsson - It's Easier to Handle All Your Friends Than to Keep Just One Love Alive mp3

Three of a Kind #101

Fuck it, I'd better post something here before I forget how to do it, or Blogger delete the blog due to inactivity or something...

Yes, like a screaming girlie on a railway line in a silent movie, I've been a bit tied up of late; give it another week or two, though, and I should be able to get things back on track, blogwise.

In the meantime, ta for your patience - and get yer listening gear round these gems from Popsicle legend Andreas Mattsson's 2006 album The Lawlessness of the Ruling Classes. Makes Richard Hawley sound like Richard Stilgoe!

Andreas Mattsson - It's Easier To Handle All Your Friends Than To Keep Just One Love Alive mp3

Andreas Mattsson - You're Never Lonely When The Band Plays mp3

Andreas Mattsson - Summer of Speed mp3

Song Titles You'd Never Guess From Their Lyrics #2

The second in an (hitherto extremely) occasional series, and a perfect excuse to present this quintessential slice of early 90s Swindie (Swedish indie pop) from the absolute masters of the art, Popsicle. Rock-ing!



Popsicle - Undulate mp3 (1992)

A right royal affair

Two very different versions of the same song today. The guitar-driven, building-to-a-crescendo indie powerpop epic Hey Princess was the debut single by legendary Swedish four-piece Popsicle, in 1992; twelve years later fellow Swede Johan Bergqvist reinterpreted the song as a much slower, piano-led number. The original is still the greatest, for me, but I do like the cut of the man Bergqvist's musical jib also. See what you think, me hearties!

(^ A Princess. Geddit?)
Popsicle - Hey Princess mp3

Johan Bergqvist - Hey Princess mp3

Buy Popsicle/Johan Bergqvist stuff at Hot Stuff Mailorder.

Three of a kind #7: Popsicle / Sweet Chariots / Andreas Mattsson

Before I go on I'd better nail my colours to the mast here: Andreas Mattsson, about whom I'm going to write today, is possibly, and quite probably, my favourite singer-songwriter - so apologies in advance if I end up sounding like some kind of gushing fanboy here. (readers: if your own fanboy is gushing, I suggest you seek medical advice immediately.)

Andreas, as seasoned Swedish indiepop watchers will know, started out fronting legendary nineties combo Popsicle, who released five albums (or six, if you include their debut 6-track A West Side Fabrication release, Template, which I do.) between 1992 and 97. These albums are mostly out of print now, but Swedish mail order store Hotstuff (among others) do currently stock the 2005 double best of CD, The Good Side of Popsicle, which I would recommend as essential listening for anyone who fancies hearing one of the true pioneers of the Swedish indie scene at their absolute finest.

From The Good Side of... here's Popsicle's sublime 1994 single Make Up:

Popsicle - Make Up mp3 (left click to download)

Following the band's decision to split up at the end of the nineties, Mattsson teamed up with Atomic Swing mainman Niclas Frisk (who'd produced Popsicle's latter albums) to form the should-have-been-huge-but-somehow-weren't Sweet Chariots. The Chariots, as I think we'll call them, only released one album, the cumbersomely-titled Beat-Based / Song-Centred / Spirit-Led, in 2000, but it contained some songs as good as anything Popsicle ever recorded - which is extremely good indeed. Check out the uplifting and inspirational Cry No More Tears for proof of their sheer, unbridled genius!

Sweet Chariots - Cry No More Tears mp3

In 2003, Mattsson and Frisk teamed up once again to work on the A Camp album with Cardigans singer Nina Persson. Following this project, the lads hooked up with French chanteuse Vanessa Contenay-Quinones and James Iha (ex- Smashing Pumpkins) to form Vanessa And The O's. (more on them another day.)

Despite continuing to play with The O's, Andreas found the time in 2006 to record his first solo album, The Lawlessness of the Ruling Classes, for tip-top Swedish label Hybris. By far the most mellow release of his career to date, this album should appeal to anyone who enjoys grown-up, introspective pop music. (Richard Hawley would be a good comparison.) Have a listen to one of the standout tracks, the haunting Summer of Speed, and see what you think.

Andreas Mattsson - Summer of Speed mp3

Buy The Lawlessness of the Ruling Classes here.

(In other news, I've changed my Blogger display name to something a bit wacky, in lieu of an actual personality.)

Three of a kind #1

Three-pack of early-to-mid-nineties Swedish guitar pop anthems, anyone?

Popsicle - Hey Princess mp3

The Wannadies - Lucky You mp3

Brainpool - Bandstarter mp3

(above tracks all available for seven days)

Buy Swedish music here