Waltz
For
Debbie - Gone And Out
Sounding
more like Britain’s
St. Etienne than two of Sweden’s most famous exports,
Abba and The Cardigans, Swedish duo Waltz For Debbie add
a dimension to their songs that purveyors of “indie
pop” often neglect - hooks! These choruses rise, stick
in your head, and retreat for the next splendid set-up. The
duo balances European dance-club sensuality with a heady
dose of melody and melancholy, and thee most liquid sense
of modern groove and rhythm sequencing. As a foil, the sophisticated
and polished sounds are often offset by the staccato burst
of an acoustic guitar.
The
band, Martin Permer and Annica Lundback, were raised in an
ancient world - the southern
part of Sweden in the northern part of Europe. They met at
the University in Lund in 1996, formed Waltz For Debbie,
and recorded three singles, two for Sweden’s Labrador
Records.
Gone and Out was
originally released on Labrador in 2000 and garnered rave
reviews while
the single, "Once Upon a Time," became a staple
on Sweden's national P3 Radio channel. Hidden Agenda's version
of Gone and Out features brand new alpine cover art,
plus the original album's 10 songs are augmented with bonus
tracks culled from previous Scandanavia-only singles.
Now living in the city of Malmo,
Martin (whose solo work is released under his surname, Permer)
composes and arranges most of the songs while Annica (based
in Stockholm) uses her mesmerizing voice to complete their
music.
Gone and Out is an album's
worth of Formula One club pop for the dance floors as well
as the lounge bars, melodies to die for and beats to rock
your boat, in whatever sea you're sailing.
Hi there,
This is Annica and Martin from the Swedish band Waltz for Debbie. We're thrilled
that our debut CD "Gone and Out", originally released in Sweden
last year, now is being released in the US - and we do hope you'll enjoy
our sweet, yet bitter, melodic voyage. With catchy, upbeat choruses on
the one hand, and soft, sad songs on the other, we try to mix all the best
that Sweden has to offer: light, beauty and melancholy. Just as the jazz
pianist Bill Evans did (probably without even knowing) when he composed
the fantastic song called "Waltz for Debby" - later recorded
with Swedish lyrics by legendary jazz singer Monica Zetterlund.
"Gone and Out" is not a jazz album, though. We'd rather describe it
as a melting pot of different kinds of pop music, like Pet Shop Boys, Everything
But The Girl, Madonna, Faithless - and, yes, a twinkle of St Etienne. But, more
than anything: it's Waltz for Debbie. We like it - hope you will, too!
Love,
Annica & Martin
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