best for guests. johan angergård (labrador recs)

Johan Angergård is the founder of swedish sweetheart label Labrador Records. Apart from that, he's the mastermind behind The Legends; part of Acid House Kings; half of boy-girl pop act Club 8 and half of electronic duo Pallers.
His prolific work is also known for the wide range of styles, mixtures and combinations of musical genres and references... giving to each of his bands a very unique aesthetic.

Next April, a new album from Club 8 called Above The City will be released.

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"... here's my Best Songs of 2012 list. Labrador bands excluded and only one song per artist:

1. Dusted All comes down

2. Generationals Lucky numbers

3. Beachwood Sparks Forget the song

4. Jessie Ware Wildest Moments

5. A Place to Bury Strangers I Lost You

6. Crystal Castles Plague

7. Lightships Sweetness In Her Spark

8. The XX Missing

9. Perfume Genius Normal song

10. Love Dance Bergen, Again

11. Chvrches The Mother We Share

12. Beth Jeans Houghton and the Hooves of Destiny Dodecahedron

13. Brandy So sick

14. Vince Clark & Ane Brun Fly On The Windscreen

15. Jim Ruiz Set Allison

16. Chromatics Back From the Grave

17. Solange Losing You

18. Lana del Rey Ride

19. Diiv Human

20. The Raveonettes Bad Ghosts

2011. BEST FOR GUESTS. 12 johan angergård (labrador records)

photo by Henrik Mårtensson

You cannot speak about the swedish take over of indiepop music in the late 90's - early 2000's and its assimilation throughout the rest of the world without mentioning Johan.
He's not only the head of Labrador Records - probably Sweden's most beloved label - but also part of several bands and projects : The Acid House Kings, Club 8, The Legends and (most recently) Pallers.
What's most admirable about Johan's musical career is the unsettling and ever changing aesthetic of his projects. Yes,
every project has its own identity. For example, you expect The Acid House Kings' music to be indiepop or The Legends to flirt with electronic sounds. But it's clear that he doesn't rely on ready-to-use formulas. He's not afraid of experiment, try new things and shift directions...

labrador  the acid house kings  club 8  the legends  pallers


"Here's a list of 1 hour of songs (23 songs, one song per artist) of 2011. I excluded my bands and all bands on Labrador - it would look very different otherwise:)

1. COMET GAIN SHE HAD DAYDREAMS
2. AUSTRA BEAT AND THE PULSE
3. PEAKING LIGHTS ALL THE SUN THAT SHINES
4. LYKKE LI LOVE OUT OF LUST
5. LANA DEL REY VIDEO GAMES
6. PJ HARVEY ON BATTLESHIP HILL
7. CRAFT SPELLS THE FOG ROSE HIGH
8. THURSTON MOORE BENEDICTION
9. BRITNEY SPEARS TILL THE WORLD ENDS
10. LALEH JUST NU
11. RUSSIAN RED BRAVE SOLDIER
12.  JAY-Z AND KANYE WEST MURDER TO EXCELLENCE
13. BLOOD ORANGE SUTPHIN BOULEVARD
14. THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART BELONG
15. R.E.M. WE ALL GO BACK TO WHERE WE BELONG
16. YOUNG GALAXY PHANTOMS
17. ANDERS PERSSON OCH CARL SMITH MICKE
18. ANE BRUN DO YOU REMEMBER?
19. PAT JORDACHE SALT ON THE FIELDS
20. CASS MCCOMBS WIT'S END
21. HERE WE GO MAGIC HANDS IN THE SKY
22. GORILLAZ DETROIT
23. KURT VILE BABY'S ARMS

You can listen to Johan's list here.

come rain, come sunshine

Pallers ~ Come Rain, Come Sunshine (single) (Labrador, 2011)

Apart from The Legends, The Acid House Kings and Club 8, Johan Angergård also makes "dance music for the lazy, the blazers and for the slightly depressed" with Henrik Mårtenson.
Back in 2008, Humdrum ep gave to the world a first taste of the electronic laziness from the duo, leaving a good impression and listeners around the world wanting more. It's almost common knowledge that Johan seems to be a master when the subject is the creation of infectious pop songs (it doesn't matter if using beats or drilling guitars).
Last year, the single 'The Kiss' was released casting some happy glows on their sound.
And now, with their debut album 'The Sea Of Memories' being released next September, 27th, 'Come Rain, Come Sunshine' comes out as the first single.

Spinner premiered the single yesterday with some words from Johan:
"This is the first song we ever wrote and one of the last we finished for the album.It's possibly a bit more pop than our average song... It's starts off rather mysteriously and then keeps building to a massive chorus and on to a electro-percussive jam.
The lyrical theme starts by wondering if we'd choose to live again if we had the chance...'

Just adding, the song is beautiful: dreamy, trippy and dizzy.

Come Rain, Come Sunshine


download

You can also download their previous singles:

Humdrum (from Humdrum ep, 2008)

The Kiss (single, 2010)

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