Tag: Drängarna

Saturday Reject: Drängarna – Piga & dräng

“It’s not being taken too seriously, no-one will mind if they go home empty handed, and pretty much everyone will have a smile on their face at the end of it.”

Tim: “Girl & boy”; dansband rock; through to Andra Chansen, knocked out by our previously-discussed Mendez. Think that’s all you need to know.

Tom: That’d not make it through the semi-finals, which is a shame, because it would make the grand final so much better.

Tim: Yep, we’re opening with a violin, we’ve an accordionist with an accordion that is very blatantly making no sound at all, we’ve guys throwing girls around like there’s no tomorrow, we’ve a key change going into the final string section and we close with a smashing of what is definitely an enormous pane of glass.

Tom: There is a lot that stands against this song: it’s not even three minutes but it feels a bit long; it’s incredibly outdated; and I couldn’t tell you what instrument or synth is making that boingy-spring sound, but I wish it wasn’t. But despite all that: I like it.

Tim: As exactly you should. I’ve said it before and I’ll probably end up saying it again: I love a song like this in a Eurovision competition. It’s not being taken too seriously, no-one will mind if they go home empty handed, and pretty much everyone will have a smile on their face at the end of it.

Tom: Right! This is the epitome of “go out there and have fun”, which — while it’s a noble goal — just isn’t what Sweden does at Eurovision.

Tim: Sure, I’d have preferred it if it’d have been Mendez with that trashy rap section that got knocked out, but we can’t have everything. At least we’ve got that key change.

Oh, and one final thing: the reason I first looked at this was that the band name rung a bell, though I couldn’t remember why. A quick search found the reason, which is the song Iskall öl & Captain Morgan, and if you don’t listen to that right now you’re really only doing yourself a disservice.

Drängarna – Stadsfestival

“The crowd noise to the violins and everything in between.”

Tim: A year ago we featured a track by 2 Blyga Läppar & Drängarna; two weeks ago we had a track by 2 Blyga Läppar, and so now it’s only really fair that we feature a solo Drängarna song. And I’m no Nostradamus, but I nonetheless feel confident in saying this: within three seconds of pressing the play button, you’ll have a massive grin on your face.

Tom: I mean, yes, although admittedly I had my palm on my forehead at the same time. An entire song about what is, in translation, the local country fair. I wouldn’t have expected anything else.

Tim: Like yesterday, it saddens me that there are no lyrics online, and again for one single reason: what on earth does it mean when it sounds like “music can breathe so blinky winky blow you”? Aside from that, though: not one single complaint.

Tom: Right. While we’re dealing with… I don’t know what genre you call it, but let’s go with “less respected music”, it’s interesting to compare this to yesterday. Neither of these is going to win any music awards, but this just holds together a lot better. No self-aggrandizement, no grating rhymes, no comedy sound effects.

Tim: Oh, I absolutely won’t disagree with this being better than yesterday. Just for one thing, the key change here is nicely telegraphed, not hidden away – more or less shouting out a big “LOOK AT ME I’M OVER HERE!”. Fortunately, and pleasingly, so is absolutely everything else, from the crowd noise to the violins and everything in between. It’s a fabulous track, this. It really is.

2 Blyga Läppar & Drängarna – Iskall öl & Captain Morgan

“Ridiculous, but brilliant.”

Tim: 2 Blyga Läppar are a band that specialise in party-esque tracks; Drängarna are a rock dansband. Right now, they’re singing about ice cold beer and a certain brand of rum. Prediction: you’ll smile.

Tim: And oh, the number of times I’ve pressed play on that since I first heard it.

Tom: I did smile. During that introduction, and during the chorus, and during that soaring guitar solo middle eight. How long has it been since we’ve heard a guitar solo middle eight? And what’s it about? Other than alcohol.

Tim: Well, they’re bored of the system, you see, cycling to work and back every day (like they do in Vietnam), but, as we get to the chorus, it’s the weekend, so come over, party, relax in the sun, drink the aforementioned drinks. We’re offering free spirits and sticks of dynamite, just as long as you’re happy. And boy, am I happy.

Tom: The string section taking the main melody is ridiculous, but brilliant. It’s worth nothing, too, that the modern pop song structure of the last few years — that you have two choruses, one vocal and one instrumental — has now gone back into dansband numbers like this.

Tim: This is, I think the most ludicrous song we’ve featured in a while, just for the beautiful combination of guitar rock, those string like you said, and the utter silly joy that emanates from every single second of it. And I love it. Get me a two song playlist with this and last week’s Drifters track, and I’ll be happy for a good few days.