Profile: Kristoffer Ragnstam
Name: Kristoffer Ragnstam
From: Gothenburg, Sweden
Sounds like: Energetic, poppy indie-rock of today with one eye cast back to the energetic, poppy rock of the sixties.
Discography:
2006 - Sweet bills (Bluhammock)
2003 - Panic ride (Anderson Records)
There is a lot of crossover between the likeable guitar-based pop of respectable American artists and music that can be described with similar adjectives being created in the urban centers of Sweden. It's similar to how frequently British and American culture overlaps: the celebrated differences serve to underscore the widespread similarities and emphasize the common idea on which both cultures are based. As Israelis and Palestinians quibble over borders before going to their individual homes to eat identical meals of falafel and hummus, so can Americans attend increasingly popular shows by Scandinavian artists and recognize a common language of catchy hooks, finger-drumming rhythms, and lyrics that leave indie-rock aficionados singing under their breaths as they leave the venue.
Kristoffer Ragnstam is one of the latest Swedes whose music is taking its first tentative steps into the American realm. Hailing from the Gothenburg area, Ragnstam's first musical ventures were as a drummer and, later, a self-taught drumsmith. Ragnstam seemed to have recognition of his talent for songwriting thrust upon him without his full consent or understanding (in the form of a Swedish record deal culminating in the release of his "Panic ride" CD in 2003 and work in Germany and Tokyo as a sound engineer and composer of film soundtracks).
Ragnstam was in New York recently to finish mastering his upcoming American debut album "Sweet bills", which will be released this summer by Bluhammock. With "Sweet bills" wrapped up, Ragnstam initiated his freshly-assembled backing band with a preview showcase of five songs from the album, followed by a stripped-down acoustic performance at the Living Room the next night.
Ragnstam had put together a handful of Americans (drums, bass, guitar) and a Swedish associate (Emil Carlsson, keyboard) for the showcase, and warnings about the new band's greenness circulated in the crowd. Ragnstam was affable onstage, if a bit nervous (in a bashful way) and endeared himself to the audience with his stage banter and crooked smile. The artist-audience relationship was strengthened further when the music began and Ragnstam's tensions evaporated. The aforementioned similarities between American and Scandinavian rock music unfortunately aren't restricted to the delightful aspects; both have their fair share of bands whose songs are frequently very similar to each other--albums that seem to consist of two or three songs played over and over at varying speeds are sadly far too common. Ragnstam, gratifyingly, never fell into this trap. His selections showed musical innovation and, song after song, remained interesting without ever verging out of the realm of enjoyable pop and into the dominion of ponderous experimentalism.
Ragnstam's biographies play up his lack of chops and the fresh-out-of-the-box newness of his band further hinted that issues of mastery might arise, but the performance he gave suggested that Ragnstam's stated shortcomings in the instrumental arts were probably the result of excessive modesty. In other words, the band sounded great and, while Ragnstam farmed out some of the more complicated guitar lines to his bandmate, he tackled plenty of them on his own and acquitted himself nicely.
The song "Man overboard" (featured on Ragnstam's myspace page) was a centerpiece of the showcase, and Ragnstam presented it joyfully with tense skipping movements on the beat as he sang the memorable chorus. "Man overboard", like much of Ragnstam's music, does verge into the slightly odd lyrical structures that come from a non-native English speaker writing English lyrics, but it's not nearly as disconcertingly as many of his countrymen. Indeed, Ragnstam's lyrics were frequently engaging and flowed smoothly, fitting to the respective musical pieces quite well--better than the lyrical stylings of many clumsy native English-speaking bands. This may be the result of Ragnstam's avowed interest in hip-hop, a musical style that requires great attention to the use of language.
Ragnstam's period of indulgence in hip-hop might also account for the notable bass lines that appear in his songs. Frequently providing the driving force of the song, the bass was a welcome feature especially in the showcase's encore, a sixth song that the band seemed a bit hesitant to play at first, but which turned out to be one of the highlights of the evening. Straying from simple guitar songs, Ragnstam appropriated elements of dance music to bolster the show's energy and ended on a high note.
With "Sweet bills" on the horizon, an engaging live show, and a friendly demeanor, Ragnstam is in a position to contribute positively to the American musical landscape, and to do so in a manner that's interesting and original.
.:About the author:
Alex Driver is an ex-LARPer living in NYC.