Somewhere In the City

Creation Records svengali Alan McGee calls Tobias Froberg “the next Scandinavian superstar.” (His first album For Elisabeth, Wherever She Is was nominated for a Swedish Indie Grammy). Listening to Froberg’s second album, recorded with the assistance of friend and drummer Linus Larsson (who’s worked with Mercury Rev and Nicolai Dunger), one can hear a brilliant young songwriter synthesizing the sounds of singer-songwriters from generations past. “God’s Highway” recalls the sympathetic harmonies of Simon & Garfunkel, the cold echoes of “The Features of a Human Face” suggest Ron Sexsmith and Tim Hardin and Froberg’s duet with Ane Brun, “Love and Misery,” recorded in his apartment, is a minimalist tour de force that evokes the creepy otherworldliness of Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood. The Swedish soccer prodigy turned magazine writer turned artiste has an unusually mature and economical manner for someone in his early 20s. He doesn’t waste words.  “Oh My Love (Here She Comes Again),” with the assistance of a mini-moog, is unabashedly romantic, while “Thank You” disarms with elemental optimism. Contemplative tunes for romantic evenings, for sure.