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The Amazing

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Location: Sweden

Website: http://myspace.com/theamazingswedes

Bio: The Amazing fell far from the tree. Empowered but not defined by the successes of previous output; the various members of Dungen, Anna Jarvinen and ... (more) Sagor & Swing that make up the group are far too depth-full to be called a side project; much to immediate in their pursuit of ingenuous thoughts to be labelled super. The Amazing, instead, is a natural process: coming together through affection, then slowly crystallizing into a folk-rock- psych-pop- collective slowly pushing, bending then playing with any preconceived notions of pop. Already receiving unanimous critical acclaim in Sweden, their debut album is an all-encompassing sonic soundscape of groovy electric folk rock, psychedelic pop and airy acoustic ballads. The core musicians in The Amazing are - Christoffer Gunrup (Swedish singer/songwriter extraordinaire ex Granada), Reine Fiske (lead guitar wizard in Dungen), Johan Holmegard (drummer in Dungen and Life on Earth!), Fredrik Swahn (prominent Swedish multi-musician in Dreamboy, Anna Jarvinen) - with the intimacy permeating through the collection intensifying itself steadily in the music they produce. Take a track like "Deportation Day," or "The Kirwan Song," swimming idly through the groups twisted melody, yet luminously anchored by Reine’s astral guitar – plucked endlessly higher. Elsewhere the likes of "Dragon" and "Romanian" forgo interstellar for a more bucolic revelry, built upon acoustic laments and a vocal ripple that could only have spread itself outwards from Sweden’s forlorn beauty. With special guests including some of Sweden’s finest musicians; Fredrik Bjorling (ex Dungen) and Erik Malmberg (the keyboard champ from Sagor & Swing) amongst others, nothing on ‘The Amazing’ is introverted or overworked – everything is balanced, kept together by natural melodies, soulful vocals and just how perfect should be. ‘The Amazing’ is a feeling, an organic consequence of something that effortlessly came together, the start of a quite extraordinary tale. (less)