Following a similar career trajectory to fellow Swede sensation Jens Lekman, Gothenburg's neo-balearic beat breakout stars jj, better known to Nordic sweater retailers as Joakim Benon and Elin Kastlander, have made the jump from thriving Swedish indie label Sincerely Yours to tastemaking US indie powerhouse Secretly Canadian.
The demure duo's characteristically well-chilled new confection jj nº 3 – already leaked online – is being bumped up to a March 9th street date in North America to coincide with their coronation ceremony at SXSW '10 in Austin. A victory lap is already scheduled which will bring jj to Toronto for a show at the Phoenix with fellow double lower-character crew The xx on April 4. As the old folks in Gothenburg like to say "Det är klokt att skörda din hö medan solen skiner" which means "Earn as much money as you can quickly, while you have a large audience willing to pay big money to see you perform."
Based on the sweetly smooth sound of jj nº 3, which seems to be designed as a soothing sonic balm for anyone who felt Peter Bjorn and John were harshing their mellow, jj likely be around for a while. At the very least, this second album (jj nº 1 was a single) is destined to be a dorm-room study soundtrack for generations to come.
The first two tracks from the album in circulation, Let Go and My Way should give you a good idea of what's in store.
The Secretly Canadian press release for jj nº 3 is particularly entertaining...
jj nº 3 CD / LP (SC212, released: 03/09/10)
Last summer Gothenburg, Sweden's jj quietly released one of 2009's most critically-acclaimed albums. The album was named jj nº 2 and it was the group's debut full-length (their first single was jj nº 1). With the naive swagger of youth, jj have already completed their next full-length. We here at Secretly Canadian are incredibly proud to present jj nº 3 to you. If jj nº 2 was (as it was to many) the quintessential summer 2009 album, jj nº 3 is destined to be the quintessential winter 2010 album, a soft, red smear of blood on a field of fresh snow.
jj create R&B and balearic dub from the ghosts of lost lovers; pop as delicate as a fawn's nose across blades of frosted grass. It is the soundtrack for friends packed into the town square's tiniest tavern, their moontanned, apple-cheeked faces glowing, their dilated pupils filled with all the meaning and meaninglessness of a magic 8-ball. Their music is both carefree without carelessness, and self-aware without being self-conscious. With it, they build an ice bridge arching from Gothenburg into the heart of middle America, and everywhere in between.
jj create R&B and balearic dub from the ghosts of lost lovers; pop as delicate as a fawn's nose across blades of frosted grass. It is the soundtrack for friends packed into the town square's tiniest tavern, their moontanned, apple-cheeked faces glowing, their dilated pupils filled with all the meaning and meaninglessness of a magic 8-ball. Their music is both carefree without carelessness, and self-aware without being self-conscious. With it, they build an ice bridge arching from Gothenburg into the heart of middle America, and everywhere in between.
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