Test Spin: Miike Snow

Miike Snow, yes with two i’s, is the next band to add to the list of amazing things that have come from Sweden, following past Scandanavian pop groups like the Shout Out Louds and Those Dancing Days. The lead single off of Miike Snow’s debut album, “Animal,” was my song of summer although it’s not a summer song at all, making the feat all the more impressive. Specifying a proper season to listen to this song is about as impossible as explaining it’s lyrics, which boast lines like “I change shapes just to hide in this place, but I’m still, I’m still an animal.” The whole album for that matter is seasonless. Building from wintry piano bells to electro-synth beats meant for spring, the all-weather sound essentially ensures that this self-titled record should become a year round staple of 2009 and 2010.
What’s more to love about Miike Snow is that each music component is so untechnical it leaves you thinking, “I could do that!” Except you’re put right back in your talentless place when remembering that piecing the many basic elements together took wondrous skill. It is a skill founded on the work of Pontus Winnberg and Kristian Carlsson, two Miike Snow members, who work under the name Bloodshy and Avant and as such were the co-writers and producers of Britney Spears’ “Toxic.”
So recap: Swedish, major pop music hit makers, gone experimental … It’s not really possible to go wrong with Miike Snow.