Swedish Invasion
By Mindy Poder
Oct. 4, 2007 10:16 p.m.
In addition to snack staple Swedish Fish and furniture godsend Ikea, college students ““ and Americans in general ““ have seamlessly allowed another aspect of Swedish culture to trickle into their daily lives.
The country has contributed the shiny dance tunes of ABBA, the howling garage anthems of the Hives, and most recently the ubiquitous whistling of Peter Bjorn and John which has dominated the iPods and ringtones of America’s “Young Folks.”
While the song “Young Folks” has developed a life of its own ““ it has been played in the series premiers of “Gossip Girl,” “Big Shots,” and “Dirty Sexy Money” this last month alone ““ Björn Yttling of Peter Bjorn and John (PBJ) has been busy expanding Stockholm’s twee pop presence in the international music scene. As a producer for Shout Out Louds’ new album “Our Ill Wills,” Björn has again aligned himself with Swedish music that manages to transcend cultural boundaries for the greater purpose of appealing to youth everywhere.
“We (have) known and worked with Björn a long time before he became the superstar he is today. Our work didn’t get disturbed,” said Carl von Arbin, Shout Out Louds’ guitarist. “However, after the release of (“Our Ill Wills”), some people might have discovered Swedish music through PBJ.”
Shout Out Louds, who will play alongside Bloc Party and Justice this Saturday at LA Weekly’s Detour Festival, make indie pop music heavily filtered through Robert Smith’s discography. The lyrics’ main themes ““ love, time, and travel ““ are easily relatable and appealing to non-Swedish youth. The fact that the band’s lyrics are in English also does not hurt.
“I guess it would be easier to sing in Swedish because we know all the small details, (but) I really think writing in Swedish is harder,” said von Arbin. “It feels like there’s nothing to hide behind. It’s really naked.”
While von Arbin asserts that it is not very common to hear Swedish rock bands performing in Swedish, the choice to sing in English was not premeditated.
“(Singing in English) wasn’t really planned,” said von Arbin. “We never had any goals (to come to America). It was more just how we came about.”
Nonetheless, label giant Capitol Records put out the band’s 2005 international debut, “Howl Howl Gaff Gaff.”
“(Working with Capitol) was a big change at first. … So many people and very hierarchic, (but) they treated us well,” said von Arbin. “We could do our own thing; we just had to fight a little more people.”
Since then, the band has switched to the smaller Merge Records which released their second album this September. However, this is not the only change to take place on “Our Ill Wills.”
The band’s keyboardist and only female, Bebban Stenborg, took Victoria Bergsman’s vocal part of PBJ’s “Young Folks” at Coachella to a roaring crowd most likely ignorant of the replacement. Ironically, she had never written a song to sing herself, in her own band, until “Our Ill Wills.” The result, “Blue Headlights,” is one of the most endearing moments on the album, showcasing the band’s ability to evoke powerful emotions through beautifully structured music and simple lyrics.
“Everyone wanted to contribute with everything,” said von Arbin. “The real creative part (of being in a band) is when you record so everyone wants to do more. We have developed.”
With all five members contributing as much as possible, the album has a very cinematic sound to it, much like fellow Merge Records group, Arcade Fire. To accompany the album, the band will embark on a grand and grueling tour of North America after their performance at Detour.
While von Arbin admits that it is strange going from one huge city to another in such rapid succession, he is looking forward to playing in Montreal, which is fitting, since the album’s closer “Hard Rain” breaks away from the prevalent ’80s sound of the album and, instead, evokes Canada band’s Broken Social Scene. Atypical venues also have the capability of making touring more enjoyable.
“We played in an inside garden (which was) really fun,” said von Arbin. “When you play at certain places that aren’t supposed to be venues, those nights can become special. They can create something magical.”
While the erratic and rushed atmosphere characteristic of festivals worries von Arbin, the unlikely location of downtown Los Angeles coupled with the mind-set of festivalgoers make Saturday a perfect time for the kids to come out and act like, well, kids.
“At festivals … they tend to dance a little more and move their bodies,” von Arbin said. “People are not too shy.”
