Fredrik - Na Na Ni

tracklisting:
1. Black Fur 2. Alina’s Place 3. Hei Hei 4. 1986 5. Evil and I 6. Ninkon Loops 7. Angora Sleepwalking 8. Na Na Ni 9. 11 Years 10. Morr

Stereogum - Band to Watch - The band says "Black Fur" is about "small wooden labyrinths, luck and the nature of animosity," and "Alina's Place" is about "failing to spell 'tintinnabular' and the tremendous hassles of growing up and finding a new home." We say they're about the prettiest things we've heard all week.

All Music - 4 Stars, discover not just a handful of hummable songs, but a curious and comforting sound world that's at once familiar and unique unto itself.

MAGNET - Band to Watch - (featured in 15th Anniversary Issue) tenderly played acoustic guitars, glockenspiel and cello frame the melodic, wallflower vocals. Things get interesting, however, during japanese-tinged, koto-music interlude "Hei Hei" and the nearly all-instrumental second half of the album. Soon enough, Na Na Ni descends into a rabbit hole with the kind of mysticalll, pastoral tunes last heard on records by Gorky's Zgotic Mynci and Fairport Convention. It's a pleasantly weird turn of events for such an otherwise well-adjusted indie-pop album.

Stereogum (VIDEO PREMIERE) - We see the full crew on a train, a fantastical countryside passing them by, the scene sentimentally set for this affecting, gentle baroque pop ballad about growing apart, being let down, and reminiscing. And even while they're looking back, they're on a journey that keep them moving forward. Deep, kid.

3hive - this December, whether on bus, train or subway, Fredrik was always in my headphones, never leaving my side. The album varies from quiet, dark and pretty instrumentals to more pop-ish songs with quirky lyrics--he does them both well. Fredrik has become my own personal patron saint of public transportation--always making what was happening outside my headphones prettier...

Blurt - 9 out of 10 stars, the beauty of its music is evident on first listen... has a chance to be progressive-folk stars with its power to enchant.

NPR - ...the ambiance of Fredrik's debut makes it the perfect compliment to the changing leaves and darkening skies of the season.

NPR - Top 10 Songs of 2008 - 4. "Black Fur" by Fredrik, from Na Na Ni: This is essentially a hymn, and a truly gorgeous and infectious one. The band is from Sweden. I featured it on Second Stage earlier this year and found myself returning to this specific song over and over.

NPR - Top 10 Great Unknowns #2 - Fredrik - a mesmerizing and gorgeous debut... music with just the right mix of light and darkness: It's quirky but elegant, spare but rich.

Popmatters - Na Na Ni is one hell of a running record... The staccato scrub of guitar, the stomp of feet, the clang of bells, it all works as architecture for these gentle, wistful tunes, and it’s regular as a metronome. You could set your pace to this record and knock the miles off like clockwork, every one perfectly in time with the other.

XLR8R - ...it's clear the six members are more than up for experimenting with traditional pop's sound structure... and have leaked [black fur] to give us a taste of the multi-instrumental, harmony-laden songs we can expect when the band releases Na Na Ni on October 28.

URB - Swedish sextet Fredrik have set out, with their own brand of transcendental folk-pop, to challenge the notion that their countrymen (and women) are only capable of producing inconsequential bubble-gum pop. Using mostly acoustic instruments, the band has developed a timeless, almost hymn-like sound that refuses to be taken lightly. Their music is touching without being weepy, always containing that heart-wrenching glimmer of hope that makes the best pop music so powerful.

Exclaim - ... one of the most beautifully arranged albums released this year.

Ink19 - The lyrics tell stories, but the music paints mountains, lush forests, and open bodies of water cutting through the countryside. The last three tracks warp time and I usually forget where I am by the time I get to "Morr." I like to imagine I'm the main character of an independent film about to embark on a journey. There's tons of peril ahead, but there is hope, sweet wonderful hope, and the promise of something pure and whole. Another blooming, vibrant flower from Sweden is budding.

Feminist Review - ... charming yet complicated instrumentation, and emits the feeling that this music is building to something huge...a perfect record for these waning fall days.

Washington Post Express - ...the music come across like classic English folk as played by an avant-gardist who's dedicated to modern pop.

RCRD LBL - Fredrik are drenched in optimism and so their music is some beautiful blue and green avant-folk watercolor stuff for weary folk. Seriously, it feels like this music was specifically written to make its listeners feel better...a six-strong troupe of well-wishers and do-gooders.

New Haven Advocate - Say what you will about the Swedes — they're beautiful, polite and intelligent — they also make excellent music. Fredrik's debut is a tasty blend of cello, guitars and keyboards with some surprises here and there (accordian, drums that churn in the background instead of thumping up front). Other percussion bobs and weaves subtly, as bells round out melodies on some tracks, blend in with harmonies on others and some of the hand percussion has an Eastern feel... This is music for listening to on the headphones, not blasting down the highway. Enjoy.

Guilt Free Pleasures - Top Debut Albums of 2008 - I'm pretty sure this album may actually lower your blood pressure... They're a little more experimental than most of the stuff on our Best Of lists, but the unconventional beauty of their music is part of what we love about them.

Flavorwire - #7 of 2008, Toeing the line between the Notwist’s post-Death Cab emoisms and the Dodos’ fire-and-brimstone, kitchen-sink Americana, Swedish indiekins Fredrik wrap marching-band drums in smooth ensemble croons, sweeping cello, and bell-driven melodies. “Black Fur” and “Alina’s Place” court Sufjan Stevens-style catharsis while “Evil and I” reaches back to classic folk tropes, laying Fairport Convention’s open-country vibe across the sweeping hills of Scandinavia.

The Music File - Top Songs of 2008, #6 Black Fur by Fredrik

Indie Rock Reviews - Sweden's Fredrik play inspired music in the vein of Sigur Ros, The Album Leaf, La Brea, Headlights, Jejune and many other greats. Their debut album Na Na Ni is much more than a debut album, it sounds as if the band has been around for years.