Nordic Spotlight
The best music and music festivals in Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands
The man behind Lusitanian Ghosts, Neil Layton, may have his roots in Portugal and Canada, but his music is deeply embedded in the Nordic nations. He surrounded himself with Swedish artists and instrumentation for his last album The Betrayal of the Self (released under his own name) and brought some of that to bear on the […]
What’s better than just one great song from a Swedish artist? When that song is remixed by a different Swedish artist! The artists in question are the delightful pop trio NONONO and the up-and-coming electronic producer Hillbom. In the latter’s hand, the original song becomes a new entity. He pitches down singer Stina Wäppling’s vocals, […]
Modern pop artists love a bit of the postmodern. Case in point is this new single from Norwegian artist Bellman. If you’ve listened to enough classic alternative rock in your life, you’ll recognize the lyric and melody being referred to in the chorus. (Spoiler alert: it’s a riff on The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven.”) It’s […]
Singer-songwriter Louise Lemón calls her music “death gospel.” How that translates to the real world is the spirit of soul music finding truck with dark, dark pop sounds that verge on the doom metal. Is it any wonder then that this Swedish siren was recently announced as one of the acts booked to play next […]
Out today through Brilliance Records’ fantastic singles club Diamond Label is this glorious piece of synth pop from Norwegian artist Margrete. The line on this young lady is that she stumbled upon GarageBand on her family’s computer at the tender age of 10 and started messing with making music not long after. Now 20 years […]
Finnish electronic pop duo Hymner like to say that they make music in a “Scandinavian style.” Or as they put it recently, “melancholic indie with a beat that makes you wanna dance and leave your troubles behind.” Mission accomplished, gents, as your new song has us feeling carefree and ready to get on our bikes […]
The all-caps revolution in the Nordic nations continues with the appearance of Swedish duo WYRES. This little project is the braintrust of musician Fredrik Forell and singer/songwriter Arvid Jonsson. Both gents were involved in other artistic endeavors before deciding to join forces to bring about some electronic pop delights. Their first EP will be out […]
With a name like Amanda Tenfjord, is there any doubt of this pop singer’s Nordic heritage? Originally from Tennfjord and now residing in Trondheim, this young artist just released her debut single and, yes, it leaves a great first impression. Her ode to those moments when you first meet someone and the impact that has […]
In spite of its title, our love for this tune is not temporary. We have a long-lasting, fulfilling relationship with it. And now we want to know all there is to know about its creator STEELE. What information we do have is that she is a rising star both in her native Sweden and around […]
If I’m honest, part of me wishes this was a Stevie Wonder cover. But that feeling disappears mighty fast when the cooing vocals and the sparkling synths kick in on this track. One half of a new double A side single from Danish duo GENTS, it is synth pop at its finest: cool, sensual and […]