Whilst not being busy with the Smittens and Let's Whisper, one of the most likeable persons in today's world of indie pop also makes good songs on his own. Colin Clary's tunes are cheerful and feelgood but also witty and puzzling. See, now I've lined up quite a few of the qualities that together make pop songs the way we like our pop songs served. Thus, top notch labels WeePop! and Asaurus have released records by him. This will be Colin's first - and perhaps only - solo gig of the summer half-year. I could hardly think of a better way to open the first night of this year's festival. Yow!, as I'm quite sure Colin would have put it.
I've been in love with Soda Fountain Rag for several years. And I've been wanting to put on their first gig in Sweden for about as long. Having performed in many other European countries, it's certainly about time they come and play for us. Ragnhild Hogstad Jordahl's tunes and lyrics are so spot-on and impossible to resist. When playing live, SFR are also a very nice live trio, who've played much-appreciated gigs in London and Hamburg during the spring. Oh, and I've made a deal with the band that they'll surely have to play a pretty long set now they're finally coming over for an exclusive Swedish date, so Haninge is definitely in for a big treat!
After reading this lovely blog post by the Suburban Kids, I was charmed, and somehow felt I wanted them to be a part of the festival in 2010 as well. But I didn't want too many bands from last year, so I came up with an idea. How about trying to take that whole gang of brilliant Haninge acts and turn them into one big awesome band? They wouldn't have to practice anyway because they know each other so well. The liked the idea - and especially getting the chance to finally perform as the collective that they've been for nearly 15 years, but only shown the outside world through the Lötkärr compilation albums. The name comes from a song by legendary instrumental outfit Chloë, and Haningealliansen are...
...more or less - we'll see. If we're really lucky they may even be in the mood for a Chloë song or two. I'm not sure what's going to happen during this gig, and they certainly don't know either, but I have a strong feeling it's going to be quite something.
The first thing that comes to mind is that it's really rather odd that A Smile and a Ribbon haven't played at Cosy Den before, as I've liked them quite a bit for quite a while. And the second thing: what hasn't already been said about them? One of the very favourites of all the twee pop bands of today, they are so for a reason. ASAAR just came back from a tour where they played seven gigs in the US - but it was from Montreal that I got the text saying that they would indeed like to come and play for us in Haninge, and that they'd also make sure to play my fave ASAAR tune. The duo is a six-piece live, playing songs about heartbreak that you can - and should - dance to. Always a nice combination, isn't it?
Nils Lindblom is from the part of Sweden that most people would call the north but really isn't. The Bollnäs municipality is otherwise mostly famous for its bandy team, but now that Nils has left Gothenburg for the summer to record a new album or two, they may finally face some serious competition. Previously known as Let's Be Honeys, Nils has played at Cosy Den twice before, and also has gigs at festivals like New England Popfest and Kaninkanon behind him. So, you probably know by now that he makes witty and catchy tunes. Luckily, he's agreed to bring his Spanish guitar and play them at a rare 2010 gig to help round off the festival in style.
Mole Says Hi is Rebecca Digby from the south of Sweden. When we (Cosy Recordings) helped release Tiger Tape's album recently, I immediately had Mole Says Hi in mind to share the stage with them. A blogger who'd seen her play wrote: "Sweet as sugar and slender, she also manages to convey a bizarre feeling that something is completely fucked up". That sort of convinced me. Most of Rebecca's songs are regular (albeit brilliant) pop tunes - yet this was the first time she played at an indie pop night (this probably says something about the narrowmindedness and nervousity of the scene in general, but I'm not going to turn this into a rant about those things). It turned out to be a fantastic gig. Actually, I'll never forget it.
Bobbypinrocker is Ingrid Johansson from the north of Sweden. She's always had music on her mind but it's only in later years we've been presented with songs of her own. Like many others from up there, she ended up in Gothenburg four years ago. On the outskirts of Gothenburg is Kungsbacka, and when Ingrid took a trip there she found a tramp organ in a second hand shop. As you can hear, they became good friends. These are the sort of songs that you'll want to cuddle up in a comfortable chair and listen to, with a good cup of tea - although you might choke on the tea at times, you'll love it.
