The past week you’ve been able to check out Astrid Swan’s third album ‘Better Than Wages’ exclusively here on ALL SCANDINAVIAN. The followup to last year’s ‘Spartan Picnic’ is released today, introducing not only a brand new backing band, The Drunk Lovers, but also a different musical direction for the Finnish singer.

Where ‘Spartan Picnic’ experimented heavily in the extravagant veins of musical theatre and legendary duo Sparks, ‘Better Than Wages’ is a leaner, stripped down effort in comparison. She still experiments, though, and stylistically the album is all over the place, ranging from honkey-tonk bar blues in single ‘Your Bitches’ over dark, straight up rock in ‘Waitress’ Song’ to pop with a 60s sense of psychedelia in ‘Blooms’.

Along with Niko Votkin (drums), Arvi Hasn (bass) and Coma Svensson (guitar) aka The Drunk Lovers, Astrid Swan have created an album that will never score high on the list of “perfect albums”, but possess an undeniable, winning charm in its complete contempt for just that.

Genre: Rock
Who: Astrid Swan & The Drunk Lovers
Album: Better Than Wages
Label: Pyramid/Johanna Kustannus
Year: 2009
Country: Finland
Language: English

Recommended tracks:
Blooms – Unrelated – 2000-2010 (I’m Not Even 30) – Finland In November – Waitress’ Song