Pitchfork

Sweden is starting to frighten me. It wasn't enough for the Scandinavian nation to catch the garage-rock wave or usurp Glasgow's rightful place as a wellspring for wimpy indie-pop. No, the Swedes also had to show off their prowess at electro-pop, dreamy epic disco, and, with lesser success (so far), hip-hop. Stockholm's Juvelen plants the blue and yellow flag firmly in the terrain of funky, r&b-informed synth-pop. (His name is Swedish for "jewel," so just be thankful he didn't choose to annex 1990s folk-pop.) "Hanna", from Juvelen's recently released debut album, 1, is a good preview of Juvelen's Prince-ly falsetto and twitchy dancefloor hooks. Produced by Patrik Berger, who worked on Robyn's self-titled album, "Hanna" sounds a note of regret to one of Juvelen's own Billie Jeans, with an arrangement of taut guitars, smooth synths, and propulsive bass that keeps the track always moving-- just like the insatiable Swedish pop scene. Indeed, Juvelen is playing four shows in New York City in the coming days; check the dates on his MySpace.