Sweden is a peculiar country their furniture comes disassembled and their fish taste like gummy bears but theyve put out some good music. For a nation with a population comparable to North Carolina, theyve put out some pretty diverse stuff, too. While you can draw a straight line from the blonde-and-blue-eyed pop of ABBA to Roxette to Ace of Base, recent years have some of the most interesting indie music out there coming from the Scandinavian country, from José González to The Hives to Fever Ray (emphasis on interesting for that last one). Dungen fits right in with that crowd, gaining raves worldwide for their rough take on psychedelic rock. And befitting their often noisy tunes, theyre not ready to make nice. They skipped out on their major label after their 2002 record (the fun to try and say Stadsvandringar), and didnt tour behind 2006s Tio Bitar, mainly because, ummm, singer/driving creative force Gustav Ejstes didnt want to tour. Their newest album, out this week, is titled Skit i allt Swedish for fuck all. Oh, and unlike those other bands who hit big in the US and UK singing in English, all of Dungens lyrics remain in their native tongue. That gets them mad Swede cred.
Wed., Sept. 22, 8 p.m., 2010