The good people at The Kora Records sent over a new track today from a Swedish band I'd never heard of called Fredrik. My first thoughts went to a couple of shoddy chairs I bought from IKEA that, if I remember correctly, have the same name. If that indeed be the case, I'd like to have a word with the band about the necessity of a solid base in the making of a quality sitting apparatus.

Supposing that either a) Fredrik is in no way connected to my chairs, or b) I'll forgive their shoddy worksmanship, let's move on to talking about their new album Na Na Ni.

The band is a collection of six musicians, allowing the complex arrangements to develop appropriately in the songs without sounding forced or muddled. The overall tone is a blissful melancholy that naturally satisfies any equation of the form "Acoustic Guitar + (Harmonies x Croon)". But just as wine snobs swear they can taste the wood in a bottle of aged wine, you get the feeling that for all the obvious pleasures of the music, there are textures of creativity looming behind the scenes, a reference to the "fermentation process" that must have occurred for such lush arrangements to have been written.

We've got a cut from Na Na Ni here called "Black Fur," which I bet you'll enjoy. If you like what you hear check out the full album; it's out October 28, 2008 on The Kora Records.

Fredrik - Black Fur

The band also has a video out for one another one of the new songs, you can find it below.

The band is on tour in a couple of cities. Dates are listed below.

11.5.08 - DC - DC9

11.6.08 - Baltimore - Metro Gallery

11.7.08 - New York - Cake Shop

11.9.08 - Pittsburgh - Brillobox

11.12.08 - Boston - TT the Bear's

11.13.08 - Portland, ME - Space 538

11.15.08 - New York - Piano's