MÖRBYLIGAN – Järtecken (Mistlur, 1980) / No. 003 (Bastun, 1982)

Swedish vocals
International relevance: -

As I mentioned in my review of their first album, Mörbyligan appealed to both proggsters, punks and so called ordinary people. Later albums didn't quite match the popularity of early songs like ”Ensamma Sussie” though. Their debut album ”Mörbyligan” hasn't aged well at all and appears hopelessly cringeworthy today, but already second album ”Järtecken” is worse. It sounds like a third rate Nationalteatern and their wishy-washy social pathos sounds fake. Especially in hindsight as their songwriter Åke Bylund later turned to nationalist politics. Their appropriately titled third album ”No. 003” is along those same lines and is downright dreadful with Mörbyligan going for a radio friendly classic rock sound and even shoddier songs.

from "Järtecken":
Lilla Sussie är död / Patrasket / 1902 (Nygammal kampsång) / Vi tjejer / Johnny Rumpvick / Varje vår / En ny dag / Davy Crockett / ABC för gossebarn / Kojan / Svarta oceaner / Kalles jul / Östermalm 
from "No. 003":
Det är nu som vi måste leva / Japaner, japaner (Vilket drag...) / Du / Frihetsgudinnan Hagen (Det är dags att sova igen) / Hon kunde dansa över ängarna / Lilla Sophie / ID 19 (CV2)

PETER NORDSTRÖM – Ensam och fri (Bastun, 1980)

Swedish vocals
International relevance: *

Little known rock singer/songwriter that worked hard on his Ulf Lundell look on the album cover but sounding more like a lesser version of Swedish country/soft rock singer Lalla Hansson.

Peter Nordström debuted in 1978 with one-off single ”Det kommer nya tider”/”Salongsbolsjeviken” featuring Björn J:son Lindh on piano. He appears on the ”Ensam och fri” album too, plus Kebnekajse's Mats Glenngård, Berndt Egerbladh and a number of seasoned studio musicians such as Jan Bandel, Ola Brunkert and Peter Lundblad.

The album is insignificant and Nordström's lyrics are full of ”lonely man drifting restless through the world” clichés that are quite irritating as he doesn't sound at all like somebody with a romantic hobo lifestyle. Rather like a perfectly ordinary bloke who sends his kids to school in the morning and walks the family dog named Fluffy when he comes home from his boring work at the local insurance agency xeroxing papers no-one really needs.

The best track is ”Det här är mitt liv” but that's a Swedish cover of Danish band Gasolin's hit ”This Is My Life” from a few years earlier. In short, this is a redundant album and the only one Nordström made.

Full album