Week of 9.15.14 :: Alt-Rock * Johnossi - Man Must Dance

AS PROMISED...Found this band, Johnossi, last week and couldn't wait to share them with you! A previous "Try This" band, Milky Chance, actually posted one of their videos on Facebook so that's how I found out about them. Johnossi is an indie/alt-rock duo from Sweden - John Engelbert and Oskar "Ossi" Bonde (get it?).

They are very similar in sound to Milky Chance, using rhythmic guitar patterns and catchy beats paired with raspy vocals and clever lyrics. Johnossi has been around since 2005/2006, and after self-releasing a debut album, subsequently released albums in 2008, 2010, and most recently in 2013. There must be an American lag though, because their most recent album, Transitions, was released (per Spotify) in April 2014.

After taking a listen to Transitions, I found my way back to their first album, Johnossi, and easily (and quickly) fell in love. The songs cover numerous genres - from folk/indie rock ("The Show Tonight", "Man Must Dance"), to acoustic ("Family Values", "Summerbreeze"), to some more distorted alt-rock sounds ("Execution Song", "There's A Lot Of Things To Do Before You Die"), to even a touch a blues-rock ("Santa Monica Bay"). It is an extremely versatile album and definitely fits with my First Album Theory - it's incredible!

Their latest album "Transitions" is also really good. It has a much harder sound overall, reminiscent of Kings-of Leon ("Great Escape"? yeah). The opening track "Into The Wild" is powerful song, and one of my favorites. For some reason, the album reminds me of something that came from the 80's. Maybe its the distorted guitar or the way the vocals have been recorded, but to me, it has almost an old-school vibe. (Ha, 80's = old school? Idk.) Also check out "Roscoe" if you have the time.

Overall, I really like this band! Not really sure if they'll make it over to the US, but I hope they do. If you like their sound, share it! The power of the internet can do many great things for small bands like this.

Here are two of my favorites from their self-titled debut album, Johnossi -

"Man Must Dance" 

"Family Values"