The Tough Alliance
Encyclopedia
The Tough Alliance, or TTA, was an electronic pop
music duo from Gothenburg
, Sweden
. The duo first came together in 2003 and consists of childhood friends Henning Fürst and Eric Berglund. Previously on Swedish record label Service, in 2006, they started their own label, Sincerely Yours
.
With three EP
s out, Make It Happen, Holiday, and New Waves, and three full-length studio albums, The New School, Escaping Your Ambitions and A New Chance, (Escaping Your Ambitions being an entirely instrumental
album), they have been given much critical acclaim and have established themselves on the Swedish indie
-scene. Their live shows have also been given much attention in the Swedish media due to their unusual onstage antics which include swinging baseball bats and singing to recorded music. Their critics claim they glorify violence in general and hooliganism
in particular, something The Tough Alliance denies. During a show in Stockholm
, Sweden
, the two band members were thrown off stage after swinging a baseball bat.
In April 2010, Eric Berglund's solo project ceo
emerged via the Sincerely Yours
website, which prompted people to speculate that TTA had disbanded, but Eric Berglund has since
denied this.
In August 2010, Eric Berglund participated in an interview with the Swedish newspaper GP (Göteborgs-Posten), where he put an end to the questions about TTA, proclaiming that he and Fürst were nothing more than "teammates in a football team". "The Tough Alliance was a stepping stone in my career, but I'm ready to make something new with ceo", Eric Berglund said, about ceo being his new solo project.
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
music duo from Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden
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....
. The duo first came together in 2003 and consists of childhood friends Henning Fürst and Eric Berglund. Previously on Swedish record label Service, in 2006, they started their own label, Sincerely Yours
Sincerely Yours (record label)
Sincerely Yours is a Gothenburg based independent record label formed in 2005 by the Swedish electronic pop duo The Tough Alliance. The duo created the record label after they left their former label Service...
.
With three 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...
s out, Make It Happen, Holiday, and New Waves, and three full-length studio albums, The New School, Escaping Your Ambitions and A New Chance, (Escaping Your Ambitions being an entirely instrumental
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
album), they have been given much critical acclaim and have established themselves on the Swedish indie
Indie (music)
In music, independent music, often shortened to indie music or "indie" is a term used to describe independence from major commercial record labels or their subsidiaries, and an autonomous, Do-It-Yourself approach to recording and publishing....
-scene. Their live shows have also been given much attention in the Swedish media due to their unusual onstage antics which include swinging baseball bats and singing to recorded music. Their critics claim they glorify violence in general and hooliganism
Hooliganism
Hooliganism refers to unruly, destructive, aggressive and bullying behaviour. Such behaviour is commonly associated with sports fans. The term can also apply to general rowdy behaviour and vandalism, often under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs....
in particular, something The Tough Alliance denies. During a show in 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...
, Sweden
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....
, the two band members were thrown off stage after swinging a baseball bat.
In April 2010, Eric Berglund's solo project ceo
Ceo (Musician)
ceo is the solo project of Eric Berglund, previously a member of the Swedish electronic pop duo, The Tough Alliance. In June 2010, ceo released their first studio album, White Magic.-External links:* * * *...
emerged via the Sincerely Yours
Sincerely Yours (record label)
Sincerely Yours is a Gothenburg based independent record label formed in 2005 by the Swedish electronic pop duo The Tough Alliance. The duo created the record label after they left their former label Service...
website, which prompted people to speculate that TTA had disbanded, but Eric Berglund has since
denied this.
In August 2010, Eric Berglund participated in an interview with the Swedish newspaper GP (Göteborgs-Posten), where he put an end to the questions about TTA, proclaiming that he and Fürst were nothing more than "teammates in a football team". "The Tough Alliance was a stepping stone in my career, but I'm ready to make something new with ceo", Eric Berglund said, about ceo being his new solo project.
Albums
- The New SchoolThe New School (album)The New School is the album by The Tough Alliance, released on the influential Swedish label Service.-Track listing:#"Tough II" - 2:13#"The New School" - 3:51#"In The Kitchen" - 4:21#"My Hood" - 4:02#"Koka-Kola Veins" - 4:04#"Babylon" - 6:03...
(2005) - Escaping Your AmbitionsEscaping Your Ambitions (album)Escaping Your Ambitions is a largely instrumental album by The Tough Alliance, released in 2006. There were only 1000 copies released, half of which on vinyl.-Track listing:#"Setting Sail" – 1:07#"Leg 1" – 1:26#"Leg 2" - 5:31#"Leg 3" - 3:18...
(2006) - A New ChanceA New Chance-Reception:Online music magazine Pitchfork Media placed A New Chance at number 149 on their list of top 200 albums of the 2000s. Originally the album opened with a sample of Azan, a Muslim call to prayer, however a group of Muslims visited TTA's Henning Fürst and explained that the usage was deeply...
(2007)
EPs
- Make It Happen (2004)
- Holiday (2004)
- New Waves (2006)
- Neo Violence (2008)
- Prison Break (2009) – mp3-only digital release of remixes