Swedish~ Stereo~

Though I've put a blog to a slower tempo, you can always feel my presence on twitter and you know that I'm somewhere close when Melodifestivalen season is on.
The first bunch of Melodifestivalen is finally delivered ready to compete for the tickets to Friends Arena tonight.
This week David Lindgren is coming back with "Shout It Out" follow-up, sounding more mature and a bit smelling with SHM's "Save The World" (though probably with not as instantly sticking chorus but with a tougher production).
Michael Feiner and Caisa perform wonderful The Attic-sounding dance-anthem with saxophone.
Yohio surprisingly makes Cinema-Bizarre-goes-schlager-rock track.
Mary N'diaye is doing afro-dance track out of "Waka Waka" family.
Eric Gadd leaves his soul-past behind to explore Oscar Linnros-style.
Anna Järvinen though being compared to Caroline af Ugglas-2009 sounds quite Anna Maria Espinosa to me but looking at press hailing it seems like she has much bigger chances.
Jay-Jay Johanson performs the song which could be one of his non-MF singles though quite stronger and lighter than usual.
Cookies N Beans has Fredrik Kempe-penned song looking like a distant dramatic country-relative to Fredrik's Moving On/Alive/Hollow. Particularly production of bridge sounds very Hollow.
In this bunch my The Attic-loving heart falls instantly for Michael Feiner and Kempe-drama of Cookies N Beans. But David has prepared the most complete pack this week and I do like a spring Linnros-mood of Eric's song. But after listening to full versions I'm completely team Yohio. Really worthy piece of schlager-rock with amazing dramatic verses and pretty catchy choruses (and Yohio is already #3 by final winning odds by the way). So this is pleasant line-up, not as strong as it could be but some good stuff to stick into a player is there.
P.S. If you've missed the most awesome annual schlager-photoshooting, download fresh QX and enjoy this year's participants like you've never seen before!

David Lindgren - Skyline (rehearsal) (studio record)
Cookies 'N' Beans - Burning Flags (rehearsal) (studio record)
Jay-Jay Johanson - Paris (rehearsal) (studio record)
Mary N'diaye - Gosa (rehearsal) (studio record)
Eric Gadd - Vi kommer aldrig att förlora (rehearsal) (studio record)
Yohio - Heartbreak Hotel (rehearsal) (studio record)
Anna Järvinen - Porslin (rehearsal) (studio record)
Michael Feiner & Caisa - We're Still Kids (rehearsal) (studio record)

Eric Saade doesn't tour this summer in Sweden but stil he couldn't miss a chance to visit one of the biggest TV-shows - Sommarkrysset with Tone Damli to perform their single "Imagine" and ballad version of "Hotter Than Fire". Just like Allsång på Skansen Sommarrysset was celebrating Stockholm Pride inviting Diamond Dogs with another funny parody for Malena Ernman, Sarah Dawn Finer and Linda Bengtzing. Norlie & KKV have made a big buzz among girls in the audience.
We've also got Louise Hoffsten (with Jessica Marberger as a backing vocalist) and Eric Gadd among performers.

Aleks och Eric Gadd - De säger
Louise Hoffsten - Looking for mr God

Salem Al Fakir, Peter Jöback, Christian Waltz, Christian Olsson (Fibes Oh Fibes), Musse Hasselvall, Mange Schmidt, Thomas Rusiak, Eric Gadd and Magnus Carlson (which is not Carlsson!). Have we seen bigger quantity of Swedish music stars guesting in the other artist's video?
If you're into Swedish music for real (and even a bit more) faces of Ansiktet will look familiar to you - Herbert "Afasi" Munkhammar is half of Afasi & Filthy and you could previously see Erik Emanuel Nordström in Lilla Sällskapet.
Now guys work together making their own special sort of soul-music and their first big success is this lovely summerish video featuring ton of well-known artists for quite pleasant new single "X". Nice moment to release it two days before Midsommar.

As I love to start my morning with some nice live performances I would like to recommend you some as well. Expressen after Summer break has already started new season of live acoustic performances XL-Live and you can also watch sets of Darin with his Summer single "Lovekiller" and another fresh song "I'll Be Alright", Peter Jöback with forthcoming single "Inte Redo Än" and "Sing" in company of Cookies 'N' Beans' Charlotte Centervall and Eric Gadd with two singles from his album "Rise Up!" and "Walking On Water" (and the song I can't recognize), rock-band Sonic Syndicate with new vocalist Nathan Briggs as well performed singles from the album "We Rule The Night" - "Burn This City" and "My Own Life".

When Allsång På Skansen was losing its viewers previous weeks Anders Lindin's biggest rival Lotta Engberg has lost something more important - voice, right before the final show - during programme, how catastrophic! It turned worse and worse every time she started to read her text and finally she ended up standing behind Jill Johnson who was asked to finish show instead of Lotta, you can watch full drama here. But thanx God she has recovered closer to the last show and closed season of Lotta På Liseberg-2010 with all usual expression and charm.
Let's see who was invited to last shows in Liseberg. Firstly it was Timoteij who performed both of their hits "Kom" and "Högt över ängarna", girls were sweet as always. Eric Gadd who recently released new album "Rise Up!" (peaking at #6 of Swedish chart) that I'd like to tell you about soon presented last single "Rise Up!" and his old hit "My Personality". Måns Zelmerlöw and Maria Haukaas Storeng as always perfectly performed their collaboration "Precious To Me" (how pity it hasn't become hit in Sweden yet). Lill-Babs have sung Carlene Carter's old song "Full orkan". One of the biggest public favorites Andreas Johnson performed his biggest international hit "Glorious" and single-2006 "Sing for me". Cookies n Beans have pleased people with their unique voices and songs "First we take Manhattan" and "Kings & Queens". Melodifestivalen-winner Anna Bergendahl presented her platinum single "This is my life", song "Got my heart in your pocket" from her debut album, Robert Broberg's cover "Båtlåt" and duet with Jill Johnson "Why do you come in here looking like that" - Dolly Parton's cover that Jill released 3 years ago with Nina Persson. Jill also was singing Eagles' cover "Desperado" and Ted Gärdestad's "Oh vilken härlig dag". And Rigo performed summer set of "La bamba", Claes-Göran Hederström's "Det börjar verka kärlek banne mig" and "Stockholm ström" in his own original style. Last show featured Eric Saade who was singing three of his singles "Manboy", "Break Of Dawn" and "Masquerade", Caroline af Ugglas presented new songs "Du får tycka om mig" and "Vill kunna säga förlåt" from her new album planned for release in September and Tommy Körberg has been singing Astrid Lindgren's "Fattig bonddräng" and Neil Diamond's "Red red wine".

Timoteij - Kom
Timoteij - Högt över ängarna
Eric Gadd - Rise Up!
Eric Gadd - My personality
Måns Zelmerlöw och Maria Storeng - Precious to me
Lill-Babs - Full orkan
Andreas Johnson - Glorious
Andreas Johnson - Sing for me
Cookies n Beans - First we take Manhattan
Cookies n Beans - Kings & Queens
Anna Bergendahl - This is my life
Anna Bergendahl - Got my heart in your pocket
Jill Johnson och Anna Bergendahl - Why do you come in here looking like that
Anna Bergendahl - Båtlåt
Rigo Pencheff - Stockholm ström
Rigo Pencheff - Det börjar verka kärlek banne mig
Rigo Pencheff - La bamba
Jill Johnson - Desperado
Jill Johnson och allsång - Oh vilken härlig dag
Gäster och allsång - Beatlesmedley
Eric Saade - Masquerade
Eric Saade - Break of dawn
Caroline af Ugglas - Du får tycka om mig
Caroline af Ugglas - Vill kunna säga förlåt
Tommy Körberg - Red red wine
Tommy Körberg - Fattig bonddräng

...You could see Ola Svensson singing Tomas Ledin's song "En Dag På Stranden" on the stage of Skansen on National Day...

...Carola performing her new single "Det är bara vi" devoted to wedding of princess Victoria...



...Eric Gadd with his last single "Rise Up!" and well-known back-vocalists (Thérèse Löf, Michael Blomqvist and Anna Andersson) behind him (MF-2011 warning???) on a beautiful stage on Skeppsbron...



...Sarah Dawn Finer covering the winner of Eurovision-2010...



... Kalle Moraeus just having sold his new album golden with the song that really helped him with it...



and also

...especially popular these days band Johnossi performing their hit-single "What's The Point?"...

...Cookies N Beans covering Bee Gees classics "Islands In The Stream"...

... Timo Räisänen performing his last single "Outcast"...

...Rigo performing on National Day Swedish song "Stockholms Ström" (no ideas about where it came from)...

and Miss Li with really nice performance of her "Bourgeois Shangri-La".

If you're still gonna be in Stockholm in close future, don't forget to check programme of LOVE Stockholm 2010 or take a look at this short programme from Aftonbladet.

Also two summer great tv-shows "Allsång på Skansen" and "Lotta på Liseberg" have announced this year line-ups.

"Allsång på Skansen" will start 29th June and we'll see among others The Ark, Anna Bergendahl, Carola, Eric Saade, Darin, Timoteij, Kikki Danielsson, Salem Al Fakir, Thomas Di Leva, Oskar Linnros, Mando Diao, Tove Styrke, Orup, Hanna Lindblad, Charlotte Perrelli, Magnus Carlsson, Måns Zelmerlöw and Sarah Dawn Finer.

http://svt.se/2.112060

"Lotta på Liseberg"'s (starting from 21th June) line-up is not less fantastic and has a lot of interesting artists like Charlotte Perrelli, Alexander Rybak, Markoolio, Linda Bengtzing, Velvet, Alcazar, Jessica Andersson, Erik Linder, Kalle Moraeus, Sanna Nielsen, Timo Räisinen, Måns Zelmerlöw, Timoteij, Maria Haukaas Storeng, Erik Gadd, Andreas Johnson, Cookies n’ beans, Anna Bergendahl, Jill Johnson, Rigo, Caroline af Ugglas and Eric Saade.

http://www.tv4.se/1.1668077

This week Sommarkrysset hasn't left us without another Melodifestivalen-2010 discovery, fresh pop-project and premiere of new single from one popular artist.
If you're really into Swedish pop you couldn't miss great hit of this Spring "Kom" from new girl band Timoteij, band whose album has become golden for one day. Another freshest pop-project that I've been talking about is Rebound!, they performed their successful debut single "Hurricane" with Sara Varga as DJ. And finally Eric Gadd presented his new single "Rise Up!" from forthcoming album "Rise Up" that's gonna be released in July. Host of the show this time was Linda Bengtzing and foreign guests were American Joshua Radin and Scottish Amy Macdonald. Check their performances below.

Eric Gadd - Medley
Amy Macdonald - Don't Tell Me That It's Over
Joshua Radin - I'd Rather Be With You