Kolonien - Till Skogen (LP)

It's a wonderfully uplifting album - As invigorating as a cold, sunny, Swedish morning, Kolonien have the freshness of The Cardigans' early albums while at the same time sounding something like a Nordic Fleet Foxes - Songlines.Kolonien is a four-member family band from Sweden that has been one of the leading voices of the Swedish folk revival for over a decade. With a sound that blends acoustic roots music with anthemic, sing-along pop, Kolonien has a fresh, appealing sound that brings multiple musical worlds together.

Kolonien's lush vocal harmonies are reminiscent of Fleet Foxes, their Nordic folk-pop sound might remind some listeners of Of Monsters and Men, and their hipsters with strings vibe makes them Sweden's answer to Mumford & Sons. At the same time, Kolonien's music and inspirations are deeply rooted in the Swedish folk tradition as well as the natural environment and progressive philosophies of the alternative-lifestyle community where they were raised.

Kolonien is made up of brothers Erik and Arvid Rask, their cousin Anna M�ller and their childhood neighbor, and brother from another mother, Mischa Grind. The members of the band were raised in and around J�rna, a community south of Stockholm that is known as a back-to-the-land destination for hippies, progressives and people seeking an alternative lifestyle. While they had been making music together since childhood, the band formally came together during a music festival in Tanzania in 2010. Since then, they have toured extensively across the world and released a number of well-received albums and EPs.