Suburban Kids with Biblical Names

A break from Colombian music today. Yesterday was Pablo Mayor's birthday, and a whole slew of musicians and Colombians (and Colombian musicians, too) filled his Astoria apartment for a surprise party thrown by his wife, Anna. Today I'm a little tired, the New York sky is dreary, and the apartment has no hot water, so I need a pick-me-up...

Not everybody knows this, but my other big musical obsession is with Swedish music. This year has been full of Sambassadeur, Jens Lekman, Dungen, and El Perro del Mar, and I can tell you more about them later. But today I can't stop listening to the Suburban Kids with Biblical Names, whose new CD, #3, is sure to be a great antidote to the coming winter blues. They're kind of like Jens in their oddly clever lyrics ("Any old chance I get I'm gonna marry you... Any old chance I get I'm gonna buy you stuff..."), but younger and sillier. On the goofy electro-folk-funk of "Loop Duplicate my Heart," (mp3) a song devoted to making music on a computer, they sing, "The neighbors can't complain 'cause I got my headphones on," and the killer pick-up line, "So many interesting effects, I want to try them all on you." The aforementioned "Marry Me" and "Seems to Be on My Mind" show much more maturity in terms of songwriting, with well-placed minor chords and catchy choruses. And then there's the fun "Rent-a-Wreck,"(mp3) which is perfect for bedroom dancing. Oh, and "Little Boys in the Ghetto" is a perfect album-ender for Swedish indie-popsters raised on Warren G and Nate Dogg (on Hammer Hill?).

The thing I love most about Swedish music is something I love about Colombian music, too--the mastery of the music and the sophisticated songwriting combined with a great pop sensibility. Both Colombia and Sweden have a disproportionate number of international pop stars, and their music always sounds fresh and fun. In Sweden music education begins at a very early age, and even though the Colombian education system doesn't provide the same resources, many young Colombians learn to play instruments from childhood. It's something in the culture. Oh--and they love licorice-flavored drinks, too! Well, I still haven't been to Sweden, but something tells me they would love Colombia.