My Generation... Your Generation

Don’t ask me why, for I have not a clue, but the Nordic countries seem to be producing so many great bands right now that I thought I’d provide you Shindig! devotees with a run-down of my favourites.

The leading nation of the trio here is, not surprisingly, Sweden, and it’s in the capital where the majority of the action is. Deltahead (www.myspace.com/ deltaheadmyspace) are an intriguing blues-punk duo. Heavy bass drum pounding and frenetic slide guitar are their weapons of choice in their deranged and surreally dark world. Go. Investigate. Now.

The Fourtune-Tellers (www.myspace.com/ thefourtunetellers) not only have an ace name but can cut you down at 100 paces with savage slabs of their visceral garage-punk. The youngsters are on the always fabulous Copasetic label and, dare I say, their live show makes them comparable to the likes of The Stomach Mouths and Crimson Shadows? I think I do.

Kilroy (www.myspace. com/kilroysweden) are an energetic quintet that has a soulful, organ-heavy, and playful approach to the US garage/power-pop sound. They are currently doing a super job of keeping all of Europe free from boredom with their live set of short, sharp and snappy songs. The Moving Sounds (www.myspace.com/ themovingsounds) are probably known to some of you, as they have been around for a few years now. They’ve just released their third, self-titled album, and can boast Blighty’s own beat legend Parsley on organ and BVs. Funky, groovy rock in the Brian Auger Trinity/Small Faces vein is where they’re at right now, and they will have you salivating if you’re a “mod psych dance floor filler” fiend.

The Scrags (www.myspace.com/ scrags) played for us at Sweet But Deadly last year and, boy, did they blow me and many others away. Kicking out the jams with ferocious abandonment, they do the Detroit sound brilliantly and are a must on the live circuit. Also from Stockholm are The Vanjas (www.myspace.com/thevanjas), a wild rhythm and blues band who mix classics alongside their own material with only one aim in mind: to make you go home with a smile planted on your face. They create a thoroughly enjoyable imaginable journey into what ’50s America would have been like if Swedish blondes fronted bands.

Outside of the capital it’s Gothenburg that catches the eye. Fox Machine (www.myspace.com/ foxmachine) are a quartet of long hairs making ’70s folk-rock-pop songs that are big on winning melodies. Big Star and early Bruce Springsteen are clear touchstones, so if you like your music to roar loudly from your car stereo then these guys will make the perfect soundtrack. Also from the city are the best, and most authentic-sounding, psychedelic pop band I’ve heard since I started this column. They are called Teaspoon (www.myspace.com/ lysergicteaspoon) and should you expose their tunes to some unknowing soul and told them that it was from San Francisco circa 1968 then I see no reason they would not believe you. Teaspoon will appeal to fans of The United States Of America, HP Lovecraft, and (once again) mod psych dance floor fillers.

The final pair from Sweden that I must mention are Malmo’s The Branded (www.myspace.com/ therealbranded) and Karlstad’s The Soulshake Express (myspace.com/ thesoulshakeexpress). Fronted by garage nut Lea Tea (The Exciters/Thee Gravemen), The Branded have taken possession of the rock ’n’ roll spirit and distilled it into the finest rhythm ’n’ beat songs you could wish to hear. Two albums on Dirty Water Records haven’t disappointed, so feel free to go out, get drunk and get yourself Branded forthwith. Another group with impeccable taste, the Express men are more riff-crunching than most of their brethren, but if you can get past the clichéd production you are in for a sizable banquet of singalong heavy rock.

Let us move onto Norway now and, more specifically, Oslo. Here we find a quartet of different-yet-equally-special acts that float my boat, and should soon be launching yours. The Heretics (myspace.com/ thehereticsnorway) are unashamed of their ’60s garage/freakbeat influences, so if you never caught The Creation or The Who in their heyday then take heart that the same sensibilities and song craftsmanship can be found in the here and now. The Mobsmen (myspace.com/themobsmen) must be the only Norwegian band to be ploughing the Californian surf musical furrow in this day and age. Anyone thinking of taking them should be warned: you’ll have a lot to live up to, for they royally kick ass. Pirate Love (www.myspace.com/ thepiratelove) are just as arresting, dealing in blood-curdling horror garage-trash for today’s warped generation, as heard on their superb album Black Vodoun Space Blues (Voodoo Records). They tour America shortly – catch them if you can. Also from Oslo is Serena Maneesh (www.myspace.com/ serenamaneesh) who keep things a tad more contemporary: glitchy electronics mesh with waves of fuzzy, treated guitar. New album Abyss In A Minor is one part Can, one part My Bloody Valentine. Such nu-gaze-isms have landed them a deal with 4AD, and stardom is now within their reach. Meanwhile further up north in Trondheim The Lionheart Brothers (myspace.com/ lionheartbrothers) have for the past half dozen years been making the sort of A-grade widescreen dream-pop with occasional motorik grooves that has been lapped up by anyone who appreciates the vibes of The Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev and Brian Wilson’s most out-there moments.

And finally, we cannot forget Denmark, where all the rock ’n’ roll action seems to be centred on Copenhagen. Thee Attacks (www.myspace.com/ theeattacks) provide “maximum mod ’n’ beat” with youthful abandon. Think R&B period Kinks and The Who, alongside some Sonics-style screaming and you will appreciate their analogue brilliance. Picking up fans worldwide last year, I imagine this year will be even better for them.

On a very similar tip, but with added raucousness, is David Peter & The Wilde Sect (www.myspace.com/ dpthewildesect), who do what many of the original US garage bands did: ingest huge portions of The Rolling Stones’ early work and try and pull it off themselves in an exceedingly-charming amateur style. The bass runs positively slap you in the face on some of their tracks!

Baby Woodrose (www.myspace.com/ babywoodrose) meanwhile is the vehicle for the wonderful songs of Lorenzo Woodrose. The songs veer from pop-sike loveliness to lysergic intensity, and sometimes within the same song. Vocally it’s reminiscent of Neil Young, Arthur Lee and Roky Erickson and overall I can’t help being intrigued by the melancholic feel that comes through despite the pop sheen and chugging guitars. No matter how you read it, it’s inspiring stuff. Woodrose is also the producer of psychedelic popsters The Setting Son (www.myspace.com/thesettingson), reviewed in these pages a couple of years ago. TSS are currently working on their third album.

Finally and most definitely worth mentioning are The Good The Bad (www.myspace.com/tgtb). An instrumental trio with big ambitions to be a post-modern Link Wray & The Wraymen, they have picked up some famous fans already. Dirty, sexy and cool, if they aren’t Tarantino’s favourite new band already then they soon will be. And maybe they’ll be yours too!

That about wraps it up for now. If you think I’ve missed out on some hot Scandinavian action do drop me a line and I’ll feature some more in a future issue.