Digging around MySpace for this week’s SpaceScan I got a pleasing flashback to the time in my high school grunge cover band, Kazakhstan Jungle Fever, by way of Danish rocker Jeremy Sparrow. Also up this week a true Scandinavian quintet, Valravn, who excites with their electrorock take on the rich folk mythology of the region.

Jeremy Sparrow (DK) (Photo)
By way of Sune Rose Wagner’s (The Raveonettes) grunge wave hit band, Psyched Up Janis (1989-1999), this young Dane delivers a cool lo-fi rock taste of Seattle and early Figurines, the latter also represented in Jeremy Sparrow main man Lasse Smed’s vocal working the same ranges as Figs singer Christian Hjelm. The guitars are angular and delicately noisy, the lyrics substantial and hooks are plenty.

Alternative content

Valravn (FO/DK)
It probably doesn’t get more Scandinavian than this. With members from the Faroe Islands and Denmark (and Ecuador), guests from Norway, lyrics in both Faroese, Danish and Icelandic and music firmly rooted in the Scandinavian folk mythology with added rock, punk and electronica, quintet Valravn is not to be missed. An eponymous and acclaimed debut was released in 2007 and this year promises a follow-up, which I for one will be looking forward to checking out.

Alternative content

————————————————————————————————
WHO DO YOU THINK EVERYBODY SHOULD HEAR?
Although we spend a lot of time out there, we can’t claim to have heard every band on MySpace, so please feel free to recommend bands – Scandinavian, of course – you think everybody deserve to hear. We do reserve the right not to feature your band(s), but we guarantee to check them out. Drop links to: spacescan(a)allscandinavian.com