The curtains pulled back and emerging from a cloud of bright orange smoke, the Shout Out Louds bounced joyfully onto the stage at the El Rey Theatre in front of a sold out crowd. They had every reason to be exuberant. It's been seven years since their debut disk, Howl Howl Gaff Gaff, came out in the US and after being dropped by EMI and reborn on Merge Records, this band is finally hitting their stride. more ›

Looking like a rockabilly dandy with James Dean hair and a Clark Gable mustache, The Tallest Man on Earth otherwise known as Kristian Matsson took the stage last Thursday night looking like the most American Swede I had ever seen. With his neatly rolled up sleeves, tight jeans, and old fashioned shoes, Matsson dressed the part of a troubadour from the early 1960s reminiscent of a young Johnny Cash. So much so that at one point someone yelled out Cash's name for no apparent reason to which Matsson smiled and said, "I think he's dead, sir." more ›

On Wednesday night Swedish songwriter Loney Dear (otherwise known as Emil Svanangen) will be playing with Andrew Bird at the Orpheum Theater. For six years Loney Dear has been writing, recording, and producing his own albums. He started in his house in Stockholm and slowly grew a steady following through word of mouth. The name Loney Dear refers to the word "lone" which is an ode to the long nights he spent on his own recording his albums. more ›

I'm used to conducting interviews at the back of 7-11s or at Target or a local coffee shop. So when I was told to meet Maia Hirasawa at a swanky little hotel in Beverly Hills called Maison 140, which requires that I mention it in the article in order for me to take pictures there (Mentioned!) it felt odd. Not just odd, but so un-rock n' roll. The host had reserved us tables at their bar which was packed with business men. more ›

Chivas USA's standout midfielder, Sacha Kljestan, led the U.S. National Team to a 3 - 2 victory against Sweden in a friendly played on Saturday night at the Home Depot Center. Kljestan scored all three goals for the Americans, the first of which came on a scorcher of a free kick from about 30 yards out. The U.S. provided the vast majority of the offense in the first half and took a 2 - 0 lead into the locker room. Play evened out in the second half, but the Swedes were unable to overcome their early deficit. Next up for the U.S. is their first match of the final round of qualifying for World Cup 2010 versus Mexico on February 11th in Columbus, Ohio. more ›

KGRL -- mentioned previously here -- is a local "...non-profit non-commercial internet radio station that plays the freshest and the best ALL QUALITY female artist / fronted acts in a wide variety of genres." Their "Top 10 Artists To Watch Out For In 2007" included local singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles (MySpace), who in 2008 experienced mainstream recognition due to "Love Song", which garnered Grammy nominations for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Song of The Year. more ›

A number of Swedish singers, including Lykke Li (MySpace, LAist), Theressa Andersson (MySpace, LAist), and Lisa Miskovsky (MySpace), have performed at local venues in recent months, and on Monday, pop singer-songwriter and Perez Hilton favorite Robyn (MySpace) headlined an industry showcase at the Hotel Cafe (MySpace) in Hollywood, with London-based Molly Beanland (MySpace) opening. more ›

On what appears to be their umpteenth EP, Lund-based the Radio Dept. exhibit a mastery of retro 80s pop. And as with most Swedish indie-pop artists, the lure is in their purist tone. But for the first time the band has successfully managed to push their deep-seated perfectionism into the realm of the practical. more ›

New York you're bringing us down. One look at this weekend's Detour Fest lineup and it appears that Los Angeles, once again, is the center of all things rock. While dozens of acts will descend on downtown LA this Saturday, from as far as Australia, Sweden, France, Mexico, and Missouri, the NYC rock scene is MIA. Hell, even the two-headed Raveonettes are staking their claim to Hollywood, listed as hailing from "New York, Los... more ›

Release Date: 09/25/07 more ›

Further proving my theory that Swedish pop will eventually show us the way to world peace, every brand, make, and model of human being showed up for the Shout Out Louds at the El Rey on Thursday night. The stage looked fancy and nautical with clothesline-esque flags hanging about. Charming, though not big on banter, the heavily accented ensemble played straight through their set, stopping briefly to mention they were from Stockholm and that... more ›