Aurgasm

swedish pop // cabaret-jazz

Swedish pop is flourishing and the world can’t seem to get enough. At Aurgasm, we always want to give you more. Chances are, you might have heard Miss Li & Amanda Jenssen’s adorably catchy “Bourgeois Shangri-La” featured in Apple’s iPod nano campaign back in 2009. Here’s another opportunity to enjoy the groove. Miss Li’s latest release Beats & Bruises (2011) certainly shares current Swedish pop tendencies with such artists as Hello Saferide, Maia Hirasawa, Veronica Maggio and Laleh. Yet her vocal delivery, particularly in the standout “Forever Drunk”, brings to mind the velvety torch-style of Shivaree.

Late-night bittersweet serenades, delicious pop melodies.

Miss Li – Can’t Get You Out Off My Mind
Miss Li – Forever Drunk
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quirky soul // electronic

Kinny is a dame with personality & soul, originally from Canada, she now finds her home in scandinavia. Trained as a classic vocalist, she released Forgetting to Remember with electronic music producer Espen Horne in 2006, showing off the match between her unique vocal stylings and Horne’s original production. A few years later Kinny saw her debut solo album Idle Forest of Chit Chat produced by a multitude of producers (Quantic, TM Juke & Diesler, a.o.). With that album, the seeds were planted for a new collaboration with production duo Souldrop. They produced two tracks on Kinny’s first, of which the Darondo sampling ‘Water For Chocolate’ is included below. After battling and overcoming a severe OCD-induced breakdown following a traumatic incident, Kinny has now released her second solo album Can’t Kill a Dame With Soul produced entirely by Souldrop. ‘Up/Side/Down’ is a good example of what you’ll find on the album, showing how she deals with her OCD through musical and lyrical expression.

Unique Soul with OCD (meaning Obviously Cool Dame).
Kinny – Water For Chocolate
Kinny – Up/Side/Down
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chamber folk // singer-songwriter

Danish-born and Berlin-based songstress Agnes Obel possesses a natural sense of tone and melody as well as a truly faultless voice. The beautifully crafted somber folk melodies of her debut album Philharmonics (2010) linger in the air and stir the heart. While Agnes vocal delivery brings to mind the long-time Aurgasm favourite Ane Brun, the album ranges from romantic quirkiness of Joanna Newsom to echoes of Debussy. European readers might recognize the bright melody of “Just So”, as the song was used by German telecommunications company and played all over Northern Europe ever since.

Soft piano and haunting vocals.
Agnes Obel – Just So
Agnes Obel – Riverside
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icelandic composer // contemporary classical

The cinematic nature of Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson’s work has led him to work on countless soundtracks for documentaries, shorts and feature films. And In The Endless Pause There Came The Sound Of Bees (2010), composed as a soundtrack for Marc Craste’s award winning animated film Varmints, embodies ghostly choirs, gentle strings, lyrical piano, all wrapped in the barely perceptible electronic processing that Jóhannsson is known for. Largely orchestral and choral, it is recommended for those of you, who enjoy the electronic synthesis of Fennesz, Icelandic melancholia of Sigur Rós and ethereal minimalism of Arvo Pärt.

Painfully beautiful.
Jóhann Jóhannsson – City Building (Alternate Version)
Jóhann Jóhannsson – Rainwater
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avant-pop // glam folk-pop

By the end of 2010, it’s safe to say that British female-fronted pop projects strongly dominated the year’s musical landscape. Florence Welch’s charming extravagance, Natasha Khan’s (Bat for Lashes) dark-ish melodies and Marina Diamandis’ sparkling pop debut received critical acclaim on both sides of the pond. Fallulah, a.k.a. Copenhagen-based Maria Apetri, certainly reflects the current musical tendencies. While her debut album The Black Cat Neighbourhood (2010) offers quirky melodies and somewhat dark, richly layered soundscapes comparable to the British diva invasion, she adds a rather unique touch of Balkan folk to her sound. The Black Cat Neighbourhood displays Fallulah’s strong songwriting skills, rich instrumentation that includes everything from folky strings, ukulele and glockenspiel to irresistible whistling and hand-claps along her expressive, distinct vocals.

Quirky and glamorous pop gems.
Fallulah – Only Human
Fallulah – Use It For Good
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