After some well deserved time off, guest blogger Pär Berglund from Meadow Music returns with a vengeance and three new favorites he’s discovered this summer. First up are trio Street Fighting Man and they’re followed by the two solo artists Jesper Norda and Hillström & Billy aka Petter Hillström. Check them out and let us know what you think.

Street Fighting Man (photo) is a band that got some attention a couple of years ago on the back of single ‘Raise It’. But when they got into the studio to record a followup things didn’t go like it was intended and not much happened until recently.

A couple of months ago they released this new single, ‘Learning To Die’, as a taste of what’s coming up on their new album, and the song certainly made me curious of what they’re up to. It’s a very different composition that makes me think of Supertramp, Queen and Bowie.

Check it out here and download it on bandcamp.com.

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Jesper Norda was a nice discovery, and I’ve been listening to his new album ‘April Archives Collection No 1’, in fact a compilation of his last two EP’s, quite a few times by now. It’s Jesper and his piano, sometimes accompanied by a drum machine. It’s minimalistic yet so dense in atmosphere, calm but dramatic.

The first track ‘Tomorrow You´ll Be Forgiven But Tonight You Will Have Your Teeth Knocked Out’ really knocked me off my feet and shouldn’t be missed. Check it out here:

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Hillström & Billy is Petter Hillström, who released his debut album two years ago. It’s a good album with a mix of pop and folk, even though it didn’t strike that special nerve in me, but now he’s certainly made it all the way with his second effort ‘Outtakes And Remakes Of Heartaches’.

It’s a brilliant album full of beautiful melodies and arrangements. He’s changed a little in style and found a retro sound where he feels at home. Mostly it’s about the seventies, which hints at 10cc, classic rock, soul and pop anthems from those days, but he also takes a stroll in to the eighties in a couple of songs. Have fun!

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