A Smile and a Ribbon & Nils Folke Valdemar Sings!

A SMILE AND A RIBBON



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 FOLKE VALDEMAR SINGS



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 and Bobbypinrocker!

MOLE SAYS HI



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



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.

The Mare and Top Sound!

THE MARE



My love story with The Mare is a long and consistent one. They've sort of always been there, giving us a new bunch of tunes with a touch of mod pop now and then. You may have seen them before, at Emmaboda or perhaps in Turku, Hamburg or London. The latest release, the album "Time to", proves that this band still has a lot to offer us after over five years. There's something about The Mare that's genuinely heartwarming and uplifting - two qualities that this summer will hopefully also have with it. And an evening with them, the Smittens and Allo Darlin' has every chance to be all that - what a first evening of the festival this is looking to be!




TOP SOUND



The fabulous trio Top Sound have made elegant, francophilie tunes and the occasional one letter bossa in this idiot city since 2006, and they've surely always understood that producing such material is a matter of precision. And if you thought your summer was over in June, you couldn't be more wrong - because they will definitely not ruin a good thing such as this festival. I first came in contact with Top Sound when I needed a great act to open for the Would-Be-Goods the first time they played in Sweden, and my friend told me about them. I'm very glad he did. Don't forget to download the free web single on esteemed label/magazine Friendly Noise!

Little Big Adventure and Tiger Tape!

LITTLE BIG ADVENTURE



Little Big Adventure is Magnus Sätterström from Sundsvall in the north of Sweden. (Actually, Sundsvall is almost exactly in the centre of the country, but us ignorant Stockholmers believe it's way up north.) Six years ago, he took all his saved-up money and bought himself a Casio keyboard. Since he wasn't a very skilled synth player, he recorded everything note by note and put it together in the computer. And to hide all technical shortcomings, he added a monotone hum over it all. No-one could hear the gaps between the notes or the hum from the mic, because everything hummed. Luckily, there's more than hum to LBA's music. There's also quite a bit of hate, and quite a bit of beauty!




TIGER TAPE



Cosy Recordings are incredibly proud of its Moofish Catfish releases. Two cdr records that helped bring the band to a whole bunch of Swedish festivals, and a large UK tour. They've recently changed their name to Tiger Tape - no questions asked. The band's debut full-length, "I woke up in Hökarängen", was released in April (by Cosy and new label Lo and Behold) and it's probably the best album I've heard all year. Songs so beautiful that they make one's eyes tear, and so powerful that we get piercing stomach pains each time there's a new heap of material for us to hear and endorse. I'm very excited about seeing them in Haninge as it feels like the perfect place for them to play!

Sock Puppets and Moustache of Insanity! (and a sad announcement)

SOCK PUPPETS (Denmark)



When splendid Gothenburg indie night On Our Honeymoon recently announced that Northern Portrait were going to play there soon, they wrote that it might be the best Danish band ever. I think they're nice and all but I don't agree - the best Danish band ever is of course Scaredycat. And most of that lot are also in this quite new band! So, when an opportunity arose to squeeze them into Roadside Poppies' minibus heading for Haninge, how could I not grab it? Sock Puppets list many of my favourite bands among their influences, but I have to say they remind me of the Pop Tarts (yeah, that's meant as a compliment). Crispy and short and nice tunes!



MOUSTACHE OF INSANITY (England)



Nik and Bill were attending the festival already last summer. Or, actually, our Aussie-born friend Bill was playing with Allo Darlin' at Gula Villan in Haninge. And it's that 80's punk stage that will see Moustache of Insanity take it, this summer! How very fitting, one could say - among Swedish-born singer and songwriter Nik's fave bands we're happy to find the likes of Räserbajs, Style and Rough Bunnies. This act, with their songs about broken biscuits and Amazon wishlists among other things, are certainly no strangers to the indie pop crowd anymore. Last summer they played at Indietracks, and in just a few weeks it's time for a little tour in the US. The gig in Haninge will be their first ever concert in Sweden!



...and, that sad announcement then.
The Just Joans will unfortunately not be able to come to Sweden this summer, due to bosses at their workplaces being surprisingly unreasonable concerning that week.
They were really looking forward to playing for us and I hope/think they can come and do so in a not that distant future.

The ghost of 2009 presents: The Smittens and Allo, Darlin'!

One of the hardest things about doing this festival thing again: the thought that it couldn't possibly be as great again is quite frightening. Also, having over 40 confirmed guests on the Facebook event before I'd even confirmed anything at all was rather scary! And one of the things I'm trying to avoid is having too many of the artists from 2009 playing again. But when The Smittens and Allo, Darlin' really wanted to come back as a tour pack - I simply couldn't say no! Last summer was the first time in Sweden for both bands, and despite perhaps not being all that well-known beforehand, it would be an understatement to say that they blew the Cosy Den crowd away! So, the Thursday is the opening day of the festival, and since it fits best for these bands - I might just turn it into a wonderful "ghost of 2009" night and put those acts into a very different context than the one they were in last year!


THE SMITTENS (USA)



Last year was a busy time for this Burlington, Vermont quintet. Their gig at Lasse i Parken was the final concert of their tour. And what a show it was! We got to know their songs that are both quite though-provoking and very cute, always a great combination if you ask me. Naturally, they certainly need less of an introduction now - but how could I resist the opportunity of having The Smittens back in Stockholm for a club gig, now that they're back doing a larger European tour this summer? One word: YOW!




ALLO DARLIN' (England)



This band, fronted by Aussie-but-now-Londoner Elizabeth Morris, was certainly one of the biggest surprises for the Haninge crowd in 2009 - and it's also definitely the band that I've had the most people asking me about an "encore" this year! It's been no less hectic for this lot - they've recieved quite a bit of airplay in the UK lately, are touring the US in May, and have had The Guardian calling one of their singles "the best indiepop song in years". Despite all this, the peak lately must surely be having had the song below played on 90210!



All this sure requires a new poster, too:



Oh, and speaking of that 2009 ghost, I've made a playlist on Youtube with all video clips I've found from last year's festival. They're in chronological order and can be enjoyed here.

de Montevert and The Baseball Field!

DE MONTEVERT



de Montevert is Ellinor Nilsson, from Evertsberg. (Hence the name - I didn't get that until after around a month. But that's me.) Do you like Fibi Frap and Soda Fountain Rag? Quite likely since you're reading this, I guess. You will obviously like de Montevert as well - although we've already heard signs of Ellinor's songs leaning more and more towards electronica and stylish stuff á la Robyn or something. We almost thought she'd left the more lo-fi-ish sound behind - and then suddenly there are two new and rather simplistic songs up on her myspace. Well, it's always refreshing when talented songwriters fail to see the point in being limited and predictable. Oh, and a brilliant debut release on Arctic Nutter is to be expected quite soon.





THE BASEBALL FIELD



TBF is Joakim Johnsson, 34, from Nyköping just south of Stockholm. Apart from his job at a steel plant, he’s released TBF cassettes, vinyls and cdrs for fifteen years and has a small but devoted fanbase. Having covered songs by the likes of the Microphones, Joy Division and the KLF live, Joakim’s own stuff is pretty hard to describe. Electronic lo-fi I suppose, but the vocals are remarkable at the first listen. The semi-fictional Mary is credited, but it’s a heavily edited and sometimes monotone voice. It took me a while, but it’s worth it - once you’re beyond being puzzled you’ll hear TBF’s sparkling pop songs and soothing sad ones. The lyrics are brilliant, too. Nearly everything is available for download his website and I'd say the Bat EP is a good one to start with.

(I recycled this text from the Cosy Den fanzine #1, it was only sold in 50 copies anyway, and is not available digitally.)