MUSIC FROM SCANDINAVIA

MUSIC FROM SCANDINAVIA

The Audiophiles passed a pleasant evening in the clubhouse pondering the question ‘What have the Scandinavians ever done for us?’ Musically, that is – we take for granted Odin and Thor, Danish bacon, Ikea and Swedish au pairs on the Benny Hill Show.

Scandinavia was initially defined with some strictness, which meant excluding Iceland and Finland, not to mention Greenland. (In fact it’s an urban myth that the Inuit have multiple words for snow – they have the same number as English speakers.) As the evening progressed the standards slipped and soon the Norwegians, Swedes and Danes were joined not only by the Finns but by Japanese vocalists, Vietnamese drug manufacturers and Neneh Cherry. (Sigur Ros, however, remained out in the cold with Bjork.)

The Carlsberg and the Jarlsberg being cracked open, the debate could begin…

Cde Tamvakis presented PAN – ‘In A Simple Way’
A sort of Danish Heart of Gold vocall-ed by Joe Cocker, dating from the 60s or 70s. Touches of Abba rhyming (‘Hear what I say/ Hear what I play’) bringing up a fundamental question – why do the Scandies almost always sing in English? It seems to make for plinky-plinky lyrics.

Cde Callas presented IDA MARIA – ‘Oh My God’
This contemporaryish (2008) Norwegian screamfest (‘lyrically limited and repetitious’according to Cde Callas) had a nice postpunk beat and an impressive Siouxsie-esque pre-beat hiccup. Sounded a bit like Dolores O’Riordan. Pub band stuff maybe, but entertaining.

Cde Deller presented MIIKE SNOW – ‘Animal’
Again, bang up to date – a 2010 recording with a video featuring all men in black bomber jackets working very hard in a Swedish wood. Mysterious lyrics (‘there is a horn and I tried to put it on me…’) and a touch of lederhosen-slapping in the beat. (We all know about those Swedish Nazi sympathisers.) But very gay looking.

Cde Mason presented THE HIVES – ‘Hate to Say I Told You So’
The video it seems looks like The Monkees meet The Prisoner to a punk-induced backing track… Sounded like the Rolling Stones, or the Kinks on ‘All Day And All of the Night’ with a layer of 2010-style punky stuff on top. First heard on Radio 2, surprisingly, and surprisingly Swedish – several comrades had assumed the Hives were American.

Cde Henocq presented LITTLE DRAGON – ‘Ritual Union’
First signs of a weakening in the all-white supremacist Aryan dyke that is the Sandinavian psyche. 2012 Swedish, yes, but with a Japanese singer who had previously sung with Gorillaz. Smooth electronic pop and one of those strange instruments you put your hand in and wave it around. Awed silence greeted the opening. Much admired.

Cde Walsh presented NENEH CHERRY – ‘Buffalo Stance’
And immediately wished he hadn’t. Not nearly Scandinavian enough. An unlikely Swede, given the Sarf London intonation, but born somethingsson. Reminded one comrade of ownership of his first Casio keyboard. Most interesting aspect was Cde Deller’s explanation of the Buffalo Stance. Some kind of style statement.

Cde Cherry presented BURNING HEARTS – ‘Sea Birds’
2012. Finns, so not really Scandinavian. Opening sounded like a flock of seagulls (as opposed to A Flock of Seagulls). Observed that Scandinavians working in English love aabb rhyming – Cde Mason wondered whether it shouldn’t be abba rhyming? A touch of Clare Grogan and maybe a bit of Dolores O’Riordan (again – should she have one of those strokes through her Os? With some Cure-style guitar.

Cde Attwell presented HANOI ROCKS – ‘Million Miles Away’
From 1984, and hardly what we expected – surely we should have had something metallic with a Norse god in the title from Cde Attwell? But no – a somewhat cheesy heavy metaller’s funeral song, to be sung with a wind machine in the vocalist’s face – a glam-rock-spinal-tappish special.

The VOTE
The greatest Scandinavian song of our times featuring a Japanese vocalist was…
LITTLE DRAGON – Ritual Union
The Hives and Ida Maria came close.

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