Miike Snow
LABEL: Downtown Records  |||  PHOTOGRAPHY: Magnus Magnusson


We've been hearing songs from this Miike Snow all summer long of 2009. "Who is this new guy?," we wondered silently to ourselves several times as we quickly absorbed and hummed the melodies. The songs are catchy and the poppy-ness provoked an instinctive disdainful suspicion of sorts. But wait a minute. This is actually kind of good. A guilty pleasure?

Up to this point they've remained pretty mysterious, proving nearly impossible to find any information about, photographic or otherwise. Man? DJ? Robot? Miike Snow is a band. Swedish duo Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg are childhood friends who spent time playing in bands and working on various projects in studios throughout Gothenburg. After separate moves to Stockholm they reunited in 2000 when their paths crossed with American Andrew Wyatt to write a pop album for a someone else. The release was small, there was little distribution and an alleged large sum of money was lost in the process. The three stayed in touch and a friendship was formed and in 2007 Miike Snow was born.



Karlsson and Winnberg's backgrounds in the DJ scene and punk bands alongside experiments in progressive electro and new rave lead to a series of writing / producing stints with Madonna, Kylie Minogue and Britney Spears—culminating in their Grammy win for Best Dance Recording with her song “Toxic.” Wyatt has been a member in Black Beetle (with Joan Wasser) and The A.M. (with Michael Tighe). He had an album come out this year with the band Fires of Rome as well writing and producing the new Daniel Merriweather album with Mark Ronson. Miike Snow's self titled debut is a full band collaboration, showcasing their deft mastery of the studio while acknowledging each members unique talent for songwriting, production, arrangement and performance.


Flash forward to September 2009 and the editorial staff of Groovemine takes a field trip to Neumos nightclub in Seattle. On a twin card, performing after Jack Penate, Miike Snow blows the joint up. To our delight, they're among a select few pop acts that live up to—or surpass—their recordings in concert. Hearing the collection of quality songs, one after another from their self-titled debut, we can only deduce and admire the craftsmanship of the songwriting, production, and performance. Their set: seamless and comfortable, in sound and movement. Minus the masks they wore as they entered the stage for the first song, they are relatively devoid of pretense. Full of confidence and no bravado, the band emits an undeniable positivity. There are so many points they could venture into cheesy pop performance, but they never do.

Preview & purchase the album from eMusic (subscribe and get 25 FREE downloads)



PRESS

“Miike Snow does a great job of taking the electronic crossover band concept to new places. The songs are light, but still both emotional and danceable at times. The formula for this album is something like 'keep it simple, stupid,' and it works. The lyrics are good, and each track is interesting” —josophone, eMusic

“No longer must we recognize Miike Snow solely as the jackelope logo they once hid behind. It makes one wonder why they hid their identity in the first place; with a sound so beautiful and unique, who would object to the infectious beats created on their album?” —Urb, June 2009



LINKS
Miike Snow on myspace
Miike Snow on facebook