The Swede (AKA Matthew William Kohnle) first appeared with instrumental quartet Daybed releasing two Danbury, Connecticut classic Ep's on the original "Shotty Merchandise" label in 1998 and 1999 respectively . Matt has also been a member of Connecticut's long running free/noise/improv collective "The Hat City Intuitive" as well as also working with more traditional rock formats in local favorites JFK and Darling (who also expect to have an album out next year). On this, the long awaited debut album by The Swede proper, we find that the program includes "songs", and is far from the average Post Punk stomper so common these days. As a one man operation, The Swede writes, performs and engineers this oddly comforting record of early seventies odd-pop in the vein of Jim O' Rourke's easier listening, Nick Drake’s somber mood and all the while, politely hinting that "Something, Anything" era Todd Rundgren was right at least part of the time. Tracks run the gamut from warm and fuzzy acoustic ditties, to full-on-mellotron-laden-fist-pumping-rock-outs, staying clear of kitsch, or retro fetishism. Over two years in the making, the mood and feel of the record seems deeply personal and lived in, favoring clever song-writing and deft arranging over sheer bombast. The Swede promised us a record which he described as a "warm hug" or "comfy as an old couch". And we feel he has succeeded! -Shoddy Merchandise, LLC