Loney Dear

Dear John, the new album by Loney Dear (note they’ve dropped the comma) has finally been given a US release date of 27th January and will come out via Polyvinyl (home to Of Montreal) rather than Sup Pop. A UK release date to my knowledge hasn’t been announced as yet - but the record will be coming out via the EMI imprint Regal.

Back in last months interview, Emil talked to us a little about how pleased he was with first single ‘Airport Surroundings’ and described it as “like the long-haired big sister to the obvious cute younger sister of I Am John”.

It’s certainly a lovely introduction to the new album. Featuring all the elements that make up the ‘Loney sound’ - tinkling synths, handclaps, orchestral flourishes and Svanängen’s trademark whisper of a voice. Listen for yourself below. And read all about the new record here, in our exclusive interview.

Emil will be flying over to London for his only UK show this side of 2009 as he plays The Line Of Best Fit’s club night ILL FIT at The Old Blue Last in Shoreditch. The show is on 8th December and it is totally free entry. How can you resist??

Right. I’ll put this out there, for all of you. I bloody love 60s/70s British TV Shows like The Sweeney, The Avengers, Man In A Suitcase and films like Bedazzled, The Rise And Rise Of Michael Rimmer and any James Bond film from that era give me a big old entertainment based lob on. There’s something about them that just seems so nostalgic, so perfect, even though i wasn’t born until half way through the following decade. Everything just seems so happy and full of cliched goodness. And the soundtracks, well, they’re just incredible aren’t they? Grainy by way of sound, well written, often instrumental but always interesting enough to hold focus. So when i put ‘4′, the new release from Dungen into my CD player and started it off, you can imagine the smile that instantly spread its way across my face. Well, maybe you can’t, as i haven’t reviewed this album yet. But you can guess why. Continue Reading

As we publish this interview, news reaches TLOBF that Dear John, the long-awaited new album from Swedish singer-songwriter Loney, Dear (Emil Svanängen, as he’s known to his nearest and dearest) is complete. The long, hard slog of home recording is over; countless versions of songs discarded in search of the perfect take. Emil is a self-confessed perfectionist. When we chatted back in July, he talked about the intense pressure he puts himself under when recording music. Svanängen takes the recording process extremely seriously, spending lonely hours crafting perfectly formed pop songs like a patchwork blanket, with little or no help from outsiders. Layers are added, tweaked and removed until the perfect version reveals itself.

In this exclusive interview, Emil chats for the first time about his new record, the recording process and the pressures of releasing an album for the first time under the scrutiny of a much greater critical eye. (His last release, Loney, Noir, was his major label debut but had been self-released the previous year.) Svanängen also hints, in his usual cryptic manner, at what the future has in store for Loney, Dear.

For those of you who are eager to see Loney, Dear return to the live circuit, we are thrilled to announce that Emil will be flying over to play a solo show at our ILL FIT club night at the Old Blue Last in London on December 8. What’s more, entry is totally free. Keep your eyes peeled on the site for more details. Continue Reading

The fairly bizarrely-named Foreign Slippers, AKA Gabrielle Frödén, is a Swedish singer-songwriter – and currently, a pretty obscure one. But on the basis of this EP, Oh Death, I for one wouldn’t bet against her fragile arrangements and beautiful voice helping her become more widely known.

These five songs are sparse – small, fairly brief tales of heartache, dreaming, and meditations on (unsurprisingly) death. These tales are heard from that aforementioned voice, and wrapped up in delicate piano, subtle acoustic guitar, gently brushed drums, and intermittent washes of strings, along with all kinds of other fragile instrumental touches. The pace is steady across the EP - a kind of slow, meditative journeying feel, although “Don’t Go” does have a curious, waltzing lilt to it. This isn’t a record that makes big, bold statements – neither lyrically nor musically – but it does have an intoxicating, quiet appeal. This is the kind of music that should given the fullness of your intention, so that its uncomplicated, pretty instrumentation and Frödén’s warm, versatile voice can shine through. Continue Reading

Sometimes you can just get spoiled by having too much music to listen to. Especially when said music all falls under a similar genre. Take Swedish duo The Tough Alliance for an example. At the time their new album A New Chance arrived on my desk I was already heavily into fellow Swedes Air France’s a-m-a-z-i-n-g No Way Down EP and not to mention the mysterious Studio’s awesome remix(ish) record Yearbook 2. With both getting heavy rotation action on the iPod - the poor Tough Alliance album seemed a little over-shadowed it has to be said. On a brief listen I initially dismissed it as being rather throwaway and because of the similarities in sound, always reached for Air France and Studio when in need of some innovative Swedish dance/pop kinda stuff - which happens quite a lot. Continue Reading

One of my favourite pop songs of the year has had the DFA Remix treatment. Yes, Tim Goldsworthy has morphed Swedish pop sex kitten Lykke Li’s breakthrough single ‘Little Bit’ into a nine and a half minute floor filler. Pretty good it is too. Download link below. Lykke Li’s debut album Youth Novels is out now.

mp3:> Lykke Li: ‘Little Bit (Loving Hand Remix)’

Just announced, Frida Hyvönen will be releasing her new album Silence Is Wild this Autumn. Co-produced by Jari Haapalainen who worked with Frida on her debut Until Death Comes, the album will get its Scandinavian release on October 29th via Licking Fingers with our friends at Secretly Canadian handling things everywhere else on November 4th.

You can download the first single ‘Enemy Within’ for free from Licking Fingers’ website.

Frida Hyvönen on MySpace

It has to be said, I don’t really need much of an excuse to post about Loney, Dear. I’m especially excited at the moment as a) next weekend I get to see them play for the first time in nearly 12 months (which has felt like a lifetime) and b) i’ve heard on the grapevine that album number five is finished. Get in.

So yeah - Loney, Dear are back in the UK next weekend (6th July), headlining the Bella Union stage at Wireless, Hyde Park. We’ll be there backstage so will hopefully get the skinny on the new record - tentatively titled Dear John. But in the meantime, enjoy this video I stumbled across. It’s of a solo Emil playing two new songs at a party in Utrecht, Holland. I say new even though he’s certainly been playing one of them at shows for the past 12 months or so. I’m guessing they’ll be on the new album - but I have no clue what either of them are called. Feel free to comment below and let me know.

Enjoy! (Both songs of course, are utterly beautiful)

Whereas Arcade Fire utilized the pipe organ’s inherent cathartic power on Neon Bible’s ‘Intervention’ and ‘My Body Is A Cage’, Sweden’s Sarah Assbring plays the type of subtle organ you’d expect an elderly lady to twiddle on during a lazy afternoon liturgy. You can almost feel the warm yellow shafts of light gleaming off her Wurlitzer on drowsy melancholic choir mantras like ‘Happiness Won Me Over’ and album opener ‘Jubilee’. For her second album as El Perro del Mar Assbring abandons the saccharine sweet Phil Spector production style she adopted for her buoyant breakthrough self-titled album in 2006. The downcast ice queen flits around quite a bit but ultimately sacrifices the exacting pop sensibility she’s cultivated thus far for a cohesive mood.

Continue Reading

Queen of heartbreak, El Perro Del Mar aka Sarah Assbring has announced she will be joining fellow Swede Lykke Li for a string of UK dates this coming June. Sarah will bring her heart-wrenching, beautiful overtures to the following venues:

2 Jun Night & Day Manchester w/ Lykke Li
3 Jun Hi-Fi Club Leeds w/ Lykke Li
6 Jun Albert Brighton w/ Lykke Li
7 Jun Stealth Nottingham w/ Lykke Li
8 Jun King Tuts Glasgow w/ Lykke Li
10 Jun Jericho Tavern Oxford w/ Lykke Li
11 Jun ICA London w/ Lykke Li

The dates coincide with the release of Sarah’s second full length on Memphis Industries, From The Valley To The Stars on May 19th.

Look out for a review of her latest album soon on TLOBF…

News just in.. Jens Lekman has now added a London date to his previously announced UK tour in May. Lekman will appear with his full backing band at Scala on May 20th. The support for this very special date will be TLOBF favourite Bon Iver (!!!!). Talk about an awesome lineup! Whats more, tickets cost a meesly £11. What are you waiting for? Tickets on sale now via Live Nation. Need convincing? Check out performances from last weeks SXSW festival in Austin; Jens Lekman and Bon Iver.  Continue Reading

Any excuse to post a bit of Loney, Dear related news… Emil Svanängen has contributed some music to a brand new Swedish docu-film. ‘The Tree Lover’ was directed by Jonas Selberg Augustsén and features eleven LD tracks; ‘Håll Mig (Slightly Longer Untitled Track)’, ‘Lower Your Head’, ‘The Great Lake’, ‘Your Time Has Come’, ‘Hold Me Longitud/Latitud’, ‘Over The Mountain’, ‘Last Night I Dreamed Of You’, ‘The Battle Of Trinidad And Tobago’, ‘Shivering Green’, ‘En Ny Morgon För Världen’, ‘Life Has Been This Low’.

Heres the synopsis on the Swedish language / english subtitled film:

In our time of urban rootlessness, the tree is a symbol of something grounded, a place for us to return. The members of our film crew originate from the north of Sweden but moved away to the south, a thousand kilometres away. Just like so many other people, they can’t find peace and tranquility in the big city; they’re nostalgic for the unspoilt nature up north. They take a trip back home, however, and there they decide to realize their dream: to build a tree house 14 meters up in a pine tree, above a beautiful river valley.
The director, the photographer and the sound technician set to work. As they proceed, they discuss building techniques and practical matters, not without humour, but they also delve deeply into life’s great questions. During this summer of tree-house construction, they – and we – learn about the role of the tree in theology, philosophy and mythology.
An author, a philosopher, a biologist, a psychologist, a theologian and other knowledgeable people become involved in the project. Old friends who have stayed on in the old surroundings, however, don’t respond as positively; they simply can’t understand why anyone would want to return to live in the country. They value urban pleasures more.
‘‘The Tree Lover” is both a journey towards our roots and a practical example of how important it is for each one of us to create a place for ourselves where we can feel at home.

Go here for more information on the film. According to my good friend Deb, it’s a wonderful film. I’d like to see it myself but am not too sure it will be screening at the local Odeon….

Watch Emil and co perform an off the cuff version of ‘I Am John’ below.

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mp3:> Loney, Dear - And I Won’t Cause Anything At All (live 2007)
mp3:> Loney, Dear - Sinister In A State Of Hope (live 2007)

And there was much rejoicing. After Jens Lekman’s brief solo tour of the UK and Ireland in December last year, the Swedish crooner returns in May with his full band to play an eleven date tour.

Those dates for your diaries are: Continue Reading

A solo Jens Lekman show is always going to have a certain appeal, especially at a club so tiny as The Luminaire. Intimacy is what Jens does best after all and was obviously in his comfort zone as he performed a sterling greatest hits set last night. More on that later though. First up on the triple bill were The Fischers, a four piece from Blackburn. As you can usually expect from young bands from the north of England their music was filled with cynicism and a certain wit. Unfortunately though they failed to deliver the goods, and ended up sounding like a third rate Cast. Hardly inspiring stuff.

The Clientele’s latest album, God Save The Clientele has been a mainstay on my ipod now for almost a year. So needless to say I was looking forward to finally catching them live, especially as I only found out they playing two hours before the show. The smooth production, and wistful sixties psych-pop transfers flawlessly in a live setting. Alasdair Maclean’s vocal as Lennon-esque and inviting as it is on record. They are never going to blow you away live, the music is far too gentile for that. They were a welcome addition to the bill though, and a perfect hors d’oeuvre before the main event.

After a brief tour supporting Josh Rouse, Jens seems pretty happy to be playing his own show to his own people. After talking to a few fans beforehand it transpired that his set a few days before at Shepherds Bush Empire was spoiled slightly by talking audience members. Rude bastards. There’s none of that tonight though. As soon as a lone Jens appears on stage (albeit 20 minutes late) and begins “Into Eternity” from his current record Night Falls Over Kortedala you could literally hear a pin drop. The tropicala flavour of the song stripped back to reveal a heart and soul not necessarily found on the album version. After all, it was the only track on the album that didn’t sit quite right with me when I reviewed it back in September. Needless to say, Jens’ vocal is faultless. His dry Swedish croon washing over the audience, causing each and every member to raise a smile.

During “Sipping On The Sweet Nectar” Jens is joined by his drummer Tammy who slipped on stage half way through to add a spot of conga and tambourine to the mix. Following on with “Postcard To Nina”, which was always going to be a highlight for me. It’s perhaps one of my favourite songs from the past few years and tonight it’s extra special. In a prolonged introduction, Jens tells the tale of how the song came about. His German penpal Nina invites an unknowing Jens to dinner, only to tell him at the door of her parents that he is to pose as her fiance to cover up the fact that she is to flee the country with her lesbian lover. Needless to say it’s as charming and endearing as Jens gets. Continue Reading

Butlins here we come! The mighty Swedish troubadour Jens Lekman has been invited by both Pitchfork and Explosions In The Sky to play their All Tomorrow’s Parties festivals next year, which will take place on May 9-11 at Camber Sands and May 16-18 at Minehead respectively.

It hasn’t been confirmed whether Lekman will be joined by his backing band or not but it’s rather exciting all the same. Jens will join an already stellar line-up of acts lined up for the festivals, including The Hold Steady, Los Campesinos!, Broken Social Scene, Iron & Wine and Meat Puppets. I wonder if they have a bingo hall at either venue? Surely the obvious choice for a Lekman show..

For full line-ups, ticket information and availabilty head on over to the ATP site. We caught up with Jens a couple of months ago to chat about his new album Night Falls Over Kortedala, read the interview in full here.

Photograph by Dani

Swedish songstress extroadinaire Sarah Assbring recently took time out from recording her brand new album (tentatively titled From The Valley To The Stars) to answer our 20 Questions. The usual quick fire responses these interviews normally generate were replaced with perhaps the most incisive answers to date. Ladies and gentlemen we invite you to step inside the mind of El Perro Del Mar… Continue Reading

“Athlete? Are you taking the piss?”

Ok, so here is the good news. After a very short respite back home in Sweden after a very long tour Loney, dear are back in the UK next month for a series of shows. Now the bad news, they’re supporting Athlete… Bugger.

Dates are as follows:
Birmingham, Academy - October 4
Glasgow, Barrowlands - 6
Newcastle, Academy - 7
Bristol, Academy - 8
Southampton, Guildhall - 10
London, Shepherds Bush – 11/12
Manchester, Academy - 14
Liverpool, Academy - 15
Norwich, UEA - 17
Lincoln, Engine Shed - 18

mp3:> Loney, dear: Ignorant Boy, Beautiful Girl (extended mix)

No stranger to the odd collaboration, Jens Lekman has recently worked with the much lauded Swedish producer Kocky to produce, quite frankly, a ‘banging’ electro floor filler. Who’d have thought it? The track, entitled “Be Part” appears on Kocky’s most recent release Kingdom Come avaliable now via La Vida Locash records.

mp3:> Kocky ft Jens Lekman: Be Part

Josh Rouse heads out on the road in November and December in support of recent effort Country Mouse, City House. Support on all the UK dates comes from Jens Lekman. Nice double bill wouldn’t you say? There are plans for a handful of Lekman headline shows though only one has surfaced so far, which is at the Holy Trinity Church in Leeds on November 28th. The Rouse / Lekman dates in full are:

29/11 - Sheffield - Plug
30/11 - Manchester - Academy 2
1/12 - Glasgow - Queen Margaret Union
3/12 - Gateshead - the Sage
4/12 - Nottingham - Rescue Rooms
5/12 - Bristol Academy
7/12 - Oxford Academy
8/12 - Brighton - Concorde 2
9/12 - London - Shepherd Bush Empire

Get tickets here.

EDIT: Two more Jens Lekman solo shows have just been announced.
11th December @ The Luminaire, London / 12th December @ Whelans, Dublin.
I’m now going to run off and bag myself a Luminaire ticket. Thanks for the heads up DiS.

Childhood innocence is a marvelous thing. I can look back almost twelve years ago at what I thought was my first love. The tender moments of holding hands, love letters, a kiss behind the bike shed. These feelings obviously stay with you in adulthood, but the naivety is stripped away and replaced with reality. Jens Lekman has always had a knack of accessing these thoughts and distilling them into real life tales of love and loss, all with a simple, almost childlike innocence. He continues to do so on Night Falls Over Kortedala but with an added sense of confidence and greater studio prose. What follows is a marvelous journey.

Beginning with a timpani roll and lush strings And I Remember Every Kiss kicks off proceedings in grandiose style with Jens’ trademark baritone crooning over the lines “there will be no kisses tonight / no there will be no holding hands tonight”. It is a grand entrance that is suitably followed by the disco infused Sipping On The Sweet Nectar, a slice of pop so intentionally cheesy that only Jens could pull off. The transition between these two songs is seamless, with the first kiss theme continuing throughout, as Lekman takes a trip down memory lane and is “still shaking from the very thought of it”. These two tracks alone are enough to make you realise that this is going to be a very special record. The meticulous use of samples intertwining with the irresistible melodies is genuinely enthralling.

Live favourite The Opposite Of Hallelujah is a welcome inclusion here. It’s sixties-esque strings and doo-wop feel leads me to imagine a girl band covering the track and having an instant hit with it. Though, more The Pipettes than Girls Aloud I hasten to add.

Can this guy do no wrong? It appears not. A Postcard To Nina is one of his finest moments to date and certainly qualifies to stand against past classics such as Black Cab and Maple Leaves. It’s no secret that the majority of the Jens Lekman back catalogue is penned from personal experiences, with very little hidden meanings. This is no more apparent than on this track which finds Jens pretending to be his lesbian friend’s boyfriend to hide her sexuality from her strict father. The troublesome tale unfolds at the dinner table as Jens squeals “Hey! You! Stop kicking my legs, I’m doing my best can you pass the eggs..” as he tries to read Nina’s cryptic facial expressions. It ends with a climatic outro with the reassuring “don’t let anyone stand in your way”. Humour, sincerity and soul, this song has it all.

Quality control dips slightly for Into Eternity. The only song here that, even after countless listens doesn’t seem to stick. Things resume though when fellow Gothenburg resident Sarah Assbring (aka El Perro Del Mar) lends her bewitching vocals to a couple of tracks; I’m Leaving You Because I Don’t Love You and If I Could Cry (It Would Feel Like This). The latter uses Jen’s deft skills as an arranger to full effect. As he explains sonically how it would feel if he could cry: Cue Donna Summer sample. Genius. And where in the past he’s sampled the likes of Arab Strap and Belle & Sebastian, Your Arms Around Me takes the riff from R.E.M’s Near Wild Heaven and gives it a Scandinavian makeover.

Brian Wilson has always been a present force in Lekman’s past offerings and this is no more apparent than in Shirin. A tender story of a barber who fled Iraq to set up a “beauty salon in her own apartment”. The Beach Boys infused melodies offer a perfect accompaniment as he tosses out swooning lyrics like the perfect “when Shirin cuts my hair it’s like a love affair” / “your hands are soft just like silk”. Only Lekman can turn a simple act of having a hair cut into something that could appear in a romantic novel.

It’s obvious that during the recording of this album Lekman has become more studio savvy and comfortable in his own skin, as a performer he’s improved phenomenally. But the major area in which he’s streets ahead of everyone else is his lyrics. He has taken his usual tales of self deprecation, romantic encounters and down-right silly one liners that have always been there on previous releases, but with the greater and more adventurous instrumentation on display, they’re transformed into something bigger, bolder and better than ever before.
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Links
Jens Lekman [official site] [tlobf interview]