First Aid Kit (band)
Encyclopedia
First Aid Kit is a Swedish
folk
duo composed of sisters Johanna (b. 1990) and Klara (b. 1993) Söderberg, whose close vocal harmonies and woodsy, folk-influenced songwriting take influence from the likes of Fleet Foxes
and Joanna Newsom
. Hailing from Enskede
, a southern suburb of Stockholm
, the teenaged siblings began composing songs in 2007. Their 2008 YouTube video cover of the song "Tiger Mountain Peasant Song" by the Fleet Foxes
spread their name rapidly on the Internet, the sisters subsequently appeared alongside Fleet Foxes
performing the song in a concert in Holland.
, a label co-owned by the Swedish electronic duo The Knife
. April 2008 saw the release of the debut EP
Drunken Trees
in Sweden. The London-based Wichita Records label reissued the EP
one year later, bolstering its track list with a reverent cover of Fleet Foxes' "Tiger Mountain Peasant Song" and videos of three songs performed live in a Swedish forest. During First Aid Kit's early years the duo had a collection of songs posted on the social networking site Myspace
, one of which was "Cross Oceans", a re-recording of which later appeared on Drunken Trees.
2010 saw the release of their debut album The Big Black & The Blue
which was followed by an extensive tour (around 100 shows) of the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and parts of Europe, headlining the Thursday night at the Primavera Festival in Barcelona. While playing a concert in Nashville the duo was approached by Jack White
who after seeing their show requested them to record a single for his Third Man Records series. In February 2011 the duo collaborated with Bright Eyes during their performance of Lua, it was later revealed that their upcoming album will be produced by Mike Mogis
.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
duo composed of sisters Johanna (b. 1990) and Klara (b. 1993) Söderberg, whose close vocal harmonies and woodsy, folk-influenced songwriting take influence from the likes of Fleet Foxes
Fleet Foxes
Fleet Foxes are a folk rock band which formed in Seattle, Washington. They are signed to the Sub Pop and Bella Union record labels. The band came to prominence in 2008 with the release of their second EP, Sun Giant, and their debut full length album Fleet Foxes...
and Joanna Newsom
Joanna Newsom
Joanna Newsom is an American harpist, pianist and singer-songwriter from Nevada City, California.- Early life :Newsom grew up in the small town of Nevada City, California...
. Hailing from Enskede
Enskede
Enskede may refer to*The districts of Gamla Enskede in Enskede-Årsta-Vantör borough, Stockholm*Enskededalen, a district of Stockholm's Skarpnäck borough*Enskede gård in Söderort, Stockholm...
, a southern suburb of Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, the teenaged siblings began composing songs in 2007. Their 2008 YouTube video cover of the song "Tiger Mountain Peasant Song" by the Fleet Foxes
Fleet Foxes
Fleet Foxes are a folk rock band which formed in Seattle, Washington. They are signed to the Sub Pop and Bella Union record labels. The band came to prominence in 2008 with the release of their second EP, Sun Giant, and their debut full length album Fleet Foxes...
spread their name rapidly on the Internet, the sisters subsequently appeared alongside Fleet Foxes
Fleet Foxes
Fleet Foxes are a folk rock band which formed in Seattle, Washington. They are signed to the Sub Pop and Bella Union record labels. The band came to prominence in 2008 with the release of their second EP, Sun Giant, and their debut full length album Fleet Foxes...
performing the song in a concert in Holland.
History
Starting out in 2007, the sisters sent a demo tape of their home-recorded "Tangerine" to Swedish radio on which it later enjoyed airplay in the summer. Later that year the duo signed to Rabid RecordsRabid Records
Rabid Records is a Swedish record label founded in 1998 by members of Honey Is Cool. Today the label is operated by Karin Dreijer Andersson and Olof Dreijer of the synthpop duo The Knife, as well as Frau Rabid. The label rarely releases anything other than works by The Knife, but it is currently...
, a label co-owned by the Swedish electronic duo The Knife
The Knife
The Knife are a Swedish electronic music duo from Gothenburg, formed in 1999. The group consists of siblings Karin Dreijer Andersson and Olof Dreijer, who together also run their own record company, Rabid Records. They first received international attention after their song "Heartbeats", covered by...
. April 2008 saw the release of the debut EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
Drunken Trees
Drunken Trees (EP)
Drunken Trees is the debut release by Swedish folk duo First Aid Kit. It was released on April 9, 2008 in Sweden via Rabid Records, followed by a UK release via Wichita Records on February 23, 2009...
in Sweden. The London-based Wichita Records label reissued the EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
one year later, bolstering its track list with a reverent cover of Fleet Foxes' "Tiger Mountain Peasant Song" and videos of three songs performed live in a Swedish forest. During First Aid Kit's early years the duo had a collection of songs posted on the social networking site Myspace
Myspace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
, one of which was "Cross Oceans", a re-recording of which later appeared on Drunken Trees.
2010 saw the release of their debut album The Big Black & The Blue
The Big Black & The Blue
The Big Black & the Blue is the first studio album by Swedish folk duo First Aid Kit. It was released on January 25, 2010 in the UK via Wichita Recordings, followed by a US release on May 25, 2010.-Track listing:...
which was followed by an extensive tour (around 100 shows) of the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and parts of Europe, headlining the Thursday night at the Primavera Festival in Barcelona. While playing a concert in Nashville the duo was approached by Jack White
Jack White
Jack White may refer to:* Jack White , with the rock bands The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, and The Dead Weather* Jack White , UK soldier* Jack White , German producer of disco music...
who after seeing their show requested them to record a single for his Third Man Records series. In February 2011 the duo collaborated with Bright Eyes during their performance of Lua, it was later revealed that their upcoming album will be produced by Mike Mogis
Mike Mogis
Mike Mogis is a Nebraskan producer/engineer and multi-instrumentalist who, along with his brother A.J. Mogis, founded Presto! Recording Studios ....
.
Singles
- Ghost Town (2010, 7"/digital)
- Universal SoldierUniversal Soldier (song)"Universal Soldier" is a song written and recorded by Canadian singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie. The song was originally released on Sainte-Marie's debut album It's My Way! in 1964. "Universal Soldier" was not a popular hit at the time of its release, but it did garner attention within the...
(2011, 7")
External links
- Official Website
- [ AllMusic.com profile]
- Myspace Page
- Guardian article on First Aid Kit