Suburban Kids with Biblical Names

This Swedish duo (consisting of Johan Hedberg and Peter Gunnarson, whose first names are indeed Bible-esque) specialize in ditties with arrangements that offer a homespun pop extravaganza—Tin Pan Alley tunesmithing and hopped-up, regional-theater-worthy character singing. Their matter-of-fact vocalizing can sometimes sound like they took the microphone on a dare—but this works for them. The pair manages to combine humility with grandiosity, and loopy invention with a sense of tradition. The lyrics, while playful, retain suf?cient mystery and fractured poetics to keep the most sing-song passages from growing overly cloysonging.