Friska Viljor - Bravo!

Need a little something to raise your spirits as the dark winter nights draw in? This debut from Swedish duo Friska Viljor may well do the trick. After all, the Stockholm-based friends claim to have written all the songs after parties and nights out – whilst drunk, in other words. This manifests itself in a style of guitar pop that hits the balance squarely between innocent optimism and sentimental melancholy. Like many of their Scandinavian peers, Friska Viljor put their own spin on melodic pop, through Joakim Sveningsson's infantile vocals and a lavish backdrop of mandolin, accordion and trumpet fanfares. While it's fundamentally pop, they aren't afraid to experiment: I Gave My Life has a gypsy klezmer sounding hook that Zach Condon would admire, while Monday is an electro-based ditty that evokes the spirit of The Knife. Bravo! isn't the most forward-thinking record of the year so far, but it's impossible not to warm to. [Nick Mitchell]