New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ EMI) - There must be something in that icy water that they drink, as Scandinavians seem to have a particularly keen ear for melody and harmony.
Sweden, in particular, has given birth to a number of great popular music acts recently: Robyn, The Knife, Peter Bjorn & John, The Concretes, and Andreas Kleerup.
Kleerup was half of the act responsible for the UK number 1 hit single, 'With Every Heartbeat'. The other half was, of course, the feisty asymetrically fringed Robyn. His melancholic electro-pop framed Robyn's ballad about break-up perfectly and secured it as one of the UK's most prolific pop moments.
As they wrote the song together they agreed to call it 'Robyn with Kleerup' on her album and 'Kleerup with Robyn' on his album. He is already a massive star in his native home having won no less than three awards Best Newcomer, Best Composer and Best Producer at Sweden's 2009 Grammis music awards recently (the equivalent of our Grammys).
Ok, so he's huge back home, is friends with Robyn and has had a number one single in the UK. So what, you may ask. Well this bearded lothario with grungy locks is about to embark on an assault of the US with his own self-titled album.
Kleerup features collaborations with Lykke Li, Marit Bergman, Titiyo (Neneh Cherry's younger sister) and of course includes his hit collaboration with Robyn.
Kleerup's songs are a mixture of his familiar formula of electronica and Swedish female vocal. Good thing this is a formula with proven results as each one is pure electro-pop perfection. The lead single with Titiyo, 'Longing For Lullabies' encapsulates his warm and melancholic sound flawlessly.
On the emotive 'Until We Bleed', Kleerup draws a surprisingly warm performance from the blog friendly Lykke Li.
Then there are the songs when Andreas himself steps up to the mic. The jolly 'On My Own' has echoes of electro-pop classic Buggles' 'Video Killed the Radio Star', while on 'Misery' he beefs up the drums and goes all Depeche Mode on us. But that's not the full story. Tracks such as 'Hero', 'Thank You For Nothing', 'Tower of Trellick' and 'Iris' showcase Kleerup's different shades. Taking in Kraftweft-esque rhythms via Vangelis inspired soundscapes, they work flawlessly tying the album together.
So there you have it, a skillfully constructed and solid debut that should firmly establish Kleerup as an act to be reckoned with.
Out July 28, 2009 on Astralwerks
Currently, you can hear the album on MySpace!
