Home is where the Heart is

“Borås is a town that has risen from the ashes of a textile industry crisis, a town where the rain more or less constantly is pouring down and where a big motorway split us all apart, running right through the city. Or putting it shortly – a town that needs good music.
When I was young living in Borås – at that time, in the early 80’s, nicknamed as the most ugly town in Sweden – music was all that really mattered to me. I can’t play any instrument and nobody but my wife has ever thought of me as a good singer. But I was a hell of a listener. The punk era woke me up. Clash paved the way and after that I fell in love with a music era called new wave (remember that?). Joe Jackson and Elvis Costello in particular meant a lot to me. And after that, reggae, of course, and american country and rock.
I had friends in the 80’s who were – and still are – excellent musicians. You can hear a few of them on this album. I often made them listen to what I thought was good music. And nice as they were – they listened, and even sometimes, so I noticed, got inspired (which pleased me a lot!).
I often think of those years as golden years of pop and rock music in Borås. Now that I listen to this album, with the most beautiful title, ”Home Is Where The Heart Is”, I realise that we’re living in a new golden era of boråsiana music.
The artists you will hear have their musical roots in classical american and english pop, rock and country music (yes, the Nashville of Sweden is obviously Sparsör). These are also my musical roots as a listener. But more importantly – this album is all about heart. It’s all about letting your heart matters when making music, no matter what your heart is full of – joy, melancholy or the ever lasting longing after things that nothing else than music can express. In Borås we know all about that. Especially melancholy. We have to. And to sing it is to fight it. Or as Pelle Johanson puts it on this album; ‘Bring down the clouds, we’re done with the rain’.”
- 01. PONTUS SWANBERG – RETURNING HOME
- 02. CITIZEN K – OUR TOWN
- 03. PELLE JOHANSON – BRING DOWN THE CLOUDS
- 04. A SISTER OR 2 – SPIDERS
- 05. TOBIAS BÄCKSTRAND – SOMETIMES WE GET LOST
- 06. MICK RICHARD – PLEASE, BLAME ME
- 07. KLAS BOHLIN – MY BLUESY FIRE
- 08. MIKAEL PERSSON – HOME TO BE
- 09. JAG ANDRA – ALL THESE PASSING STRANGERS
- 10. THE FANTASTIC PEOPLE – SONG OF OCTOBER
- 11. MUDFISH – WHAT YOU SAY
- 12. ULRIK ARTURÉN – PLAYBOY
- 13. THE STOMPING ACADEMY – ROW
- 14. CINA SAMUELSON – THIS COUNTRY GIRL
- 15. RAMBLING NICHOLAS HERON – I BEGIN TO SOFTLY CRY
- 16. FILIP – YOU ARE MY HOME
- 17. BERRA KARLSSON – I’M SORRY