Sweet Swede Music

Sweden: land of Abba, frisky blonde birds and saunas. Sometimes enjoyed all at once. What a heritage eh? Somehow our favourite flavour of Scandinavian manages to transcend traditional cool and do things their own sweet way. So we don't mind learning that their entry for the Eurovision Song Contest is tipped to clock up their fourth win to date (including Abba's triumphant hit Waterloo in 1974). We'd much rather pledge allegiance to something that has a chance of swiping the top spot, unlike the certifiable nonsense us Brits churn out.

But if trashy Euro-pop doesn't lift your skirt, then we urge you to lend your ears to the sweet strains of Jens Lekman. His unique brand of sample and string-influenced guitar pop has earned him many accolades in his home country. His songs are laced with poignant, meloncholic lyrics so it's not hard to see why he's been compared to our very own Morrissey.