Pop Pa Svenska + Plan 714 Till

Finally Komeda's first album and following EP are more widely available. Originally issued on Swedish label North of No South, Pop På Svenska (1993) and Plan 714 Till (1995) have since been available only as rare imports or at Komeda's shows, until supply finally trickled down to nothing. So, when fans (few of whom already owned these) were antsy for another Komeda album three years after 1998's What Makes It Go?, the Minty Fresh label smartly decided to reissue the band's unobtainable Swedish recordings as a two-fer. That's right, all of these songs are in Swedish; although the band had started out writing songs in English, and resumed doing so on the recordings following these, their first album and EP are in their native language. But this won't be enough to keep most people from enjoying the happy intricacies of Komeda's catchy, upbeat grooves and Lena Karlsson's pleasing voice — in fact, you just may learn a little Swedish while dancing along. And please don't expect to find an in-the-rough version of Komeda here, either — overall, the songs are just as tight and impressive as their later work, with the addition of a few interludes and more experimental moments.