Pretty Swede Edition: Les Big Byrd, Gösta Berlings Saga, Kungens Män & Träden
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Les Big Byrd: Iran Iraq IKEA
You know how we love to globetrot to find great new music from around the world. It’s also good to go to one place and just hang out for a little while and what better place than Sweden, which seems to provide an endless stream of great new music worth checking out. We’ll begin our Scandinavian getaway with Les Big Byrd. The Stockholm band has been RecommNed regulars since I first discovered them a few years back and they’ve continued to refine and mold their sound. Best described as “psychedelic pop,” these guys can get weird and dreamy, but also keep a groove with some really great songs. Their newest album, the provocatively titled Iran Iraq IKEA, is easily their best yet.
Gösta Berlings Saga: Et Ex
I actually had the opportunity to visit Stockholm once and when seeking out some local livemusic flavor, I happened upon a band called Gösta Berlings Saga and their show kinda blew me away. Their music is a heavy-duty, prog-jazz-jam stew that any JamBase reader would totally dig. They’re just out with a new record, Et Ex, and it’s instrumental rock music at its finest. Dark and twisted at times, bright and euphoric at others. Which is to say, this one is real good. Check it out, I think you’ll dig!
Kungens Män: Fuzz på svenska
My longtime RecommNeds followers know that some of the best jams out there are the jams coming out of Northern Europe and there is plenty of sweet Eurojam coming out of Sweden, for sure. One act that recently popped up on the old Neddyo radar is the improv-rock collective Kungens Män. Their latest album, out this summer, is Fuzz på svenska. I’m pretty sure “fuzz” translates to “fuzz” and this one is some far-reaching fuzzed-out jamming. Totally heady blend of psychedelic and jazz that takes its time getting to where it needs to go and is all the better for it. Pretty sick. Enjoy!
Träden: Träden
We can’t do a whole run on the killer Swede jams without featuring the granddaddy of them all. Formerly known as Träd Gräs och Stenar, the band is now calling themselves Träden in their latest incarnation. They’ve been doing the slow-burn psych-jammer thing for about 50 years in various configurations and their latest “self-titled” record shows they’ve still got the goods. The album features some of the better jams put out there this year, from Sweden, Europe or really anywhere. Take it for a spin, it’s pretty sweet.
