- Bryon Harris
Jamsällskapet - 'Lyckan'
Hailing from Sweden, the indie rock band Jamsällskapet met through a site called Jam Sessions. In reference to how they met, their band name translates to "The Jam Assembly.” Band members include: Emma Järnvall, lead vocal; Emil Björck, vocals, keyboards, rhythm guitar, and kazoo; Niklas Mattson, lead guitar and vocals; Mehrdad Shirnazar , bass and Ludvig Eriksson on drums. Emma Järnvall, writes most of the lyrics. Off their album, 'EP1', their single "Lyckan" is a great way to get to know this amazing band from Sweden.

Lyckan opens up with mid-tempo keyboards played by Emil Björck establishing the harmonic structure and a nice syncopated rock groove. The rest of the band joins in for a mesmerizing sound that’s easy to get lost in. One thing is clear right away, Jamsallskapet are a very tight band - rhythmically in-the-pocket, bassist Mehrdad Shrimazar and drummer Ludvig Eriksson both have great chops and gel well together. All the musicians in Jamsallskapet come together wonderfully like pieces of a musical puzzle that fit together to create a sound that is full with musical moments that you will want to listen to many times.
Vocally, Lyckan is sung by a female and male duo,Emma Järnvall and Emil Björck. Emma enters singing, “ Tillsammans sjöng vi visan som aldrig fick ta slut. Du stod vid min sida när vi hade vår debut. Aldrig fick vi inse de här när vi var barn Lyckan går och vänder, lyckan stannar kvar" In English, this roughly translates to "Together we were singing the song that had to never reach the end. You stood by my side when we had our debut. We never realized this when we were kids. Happiness walks away, happiness stays.” Emma's voice is heard easily above the mix with a pure and clean tone with some hints of jazz and pop. Next, Emil responds, “Men ett ögonblick av tvivel och allt gick i kras För vår vänskap var ömtålig som glas (But a moment of doubt and everything dash into pieces. Because our friendship was fragile as glass) Emil has an emotive and powerful rock voice. Together the two voices complement each other well, giving the song a nice contrast.
There is tremendous musical substance to grab onto in Lyckan. Harmonies between the voices add to the intensity of the lyrics and are well placed. The guitar work of Emil Björck (rhtym) and Nikals Mattson (Lead guitar) highlight the track. At times the guitar cuts through sharply, creating good contrast to the thick psychedelic structure. Lead guitar rock solos are very impressive. Lyckan is about the fragility of relationships and how feelings can change in a single moment. Happiness is not constant. It comes and goes.
Lyckan gets high marks in the indie and alternative category combing pop, rock and psychedelic genres creating a sound that is never predictable and always engaging. You don't need to understand the Swedish language to understand that this is really great music. With worldwide appeal, Jamsällskapet is a band to watch.
For more information on Jamsällskapet, please visit Bandcamp.
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