Bob Hund

Bob Hund was one of the most popular indie rock bands in Sweden in the '90s. Even before having a contract, their reputation of being a frantic and comic live act earned them a large crowd of followers. But the band was also one of the few in Sweden in the '90s successfully combining innovative music with at least some commercial success, interestingly enough by not paying too much heed to Britpop, which dominated the period. The background of two of the founders is to be found in synth music, and an often cited influence is Kraftwerk, but obscure local bands like Kal P. Dal and Philemon Arthur & the Dung have also played an important role. The synth influence shows in the some of the ideas and in the arrangements, but not much in the sound. Bob Hund's music is guitar-driven (with some electronic sounds) and consists of repetitive, almost naïve melodies, sometimes fast and happy, and sometimes with a psychedelic touch. Singer/songwriter Thomas Oberg sings in deep dialect and the lyrics match the melodies by being even more naïve, with a fine mix of comic and serious material.

Oberg and keyboard player Jonas Jonasson had played together in various synth bands since moving to Stockholm, and in 1991 they formed Bob Hund together with bass player Mats Hellquist and drummer Mats Andersson. They started playing club gigs in Stockholm and quickly gained a reputation of being a good live act. Soon guitar players John Essing and Conny Nimmersjo were added to the band. In 1993 they were offered a contract by Silence Records when playing at Hultsfredsfestivalen, the largest festival in Sweden. In November that year the self-titled debut EP Bob Hund was released and in 1994 they did receive the Swedish Grammy Award for Best Live Act. Bob Hund was also the title of the first full-length album and by now the band had become an natural element of all the various festivals in Scandinavia. Omslag: Martin Kann earned the band a Swedish Grammy Award for Best Lyrics in 1996, and the 1998 album Jag Rear Ut Min Sjal! Allt Skall Bort!!! showed a slightly more solemn side of Bob Hund and also made them reach a bigger audience. Bob Hund now started looking toward the international market and created an exact copy of the band called Bergman Rock. The songs they performed under this alias, however, were not translated Bob Hund songs but original material written in English.

The live album Bob Hund Sover Aldrig was released in 1999, and in winter 2001 the band took another step toward the international scene with the single Skall Du Hanga Med? Na!!, which was a big hit in Sweden and charted in Norway — their first song to chart outside Sweden. Later that spring the album Stenaldern Kan Borja was released. Bob Hund had all since the start been a favorite with the critics, but as record after record sounded more or less the same, murmurs about stagnancy began to spread. But with this album a change actually took place, as more electronic sounds and straightforward pop melodies were used. Commercially it was a success, but some critics still seemed to have had enough of Bob Hund, and it is true that they're not the most varied band in the world. ~ Lars Lovén, Rovi