Week Ahead – Today’s Top Tune A VERY Special Weekly Edition! 9.12 – 9.16.16

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​This week we have re-envisioned Today’s Top Tune. Instead of our usual 24-hour download for each song, we’ve decided to give you a week’s worth of free downloads for the whole week so that you can share them with your friends and not miss a single song! With summer fading into fall, we’re partnering with our cold weather friends at Nordic Playlist, a website focused on the music and culture and all you need to know about the North Atlantic- spanning over three million square kilometers and a population of 26 million. We’ve scoured the region and culled some of the best artists and musicians in each of the five Scandinavian countries that make up the region: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.

Masasolo: Really Thought She Loved Me (Denmark)

Here are some obscure facts about Denmark: the national flag is the oldest state flag in the world and is still in use today, the country leads the list in Nobel laureates – and Denmark is home to Legos​! It’s also ranked #1 in the world in terms of life experiences. In Masasolo’s “Really Thought She Loved Me” we get a first-hand look at the life experiences of lead singer Morten Søgaards, as he enters the adult world of love and heartbreak.

Jaakko Eino Kalevi: Double Talk (Finland)

Music is a compulsory subject in Finnish schools for the first seven years, which might explain why Finland enjoys an abundance of choral singers and boasts some 60 music festivals each year. Can you imagine a country where everyone has musical ability? Jaakko Eino Kalevi’s proves the point. A former tram driver in Helsinki, he marked a new chapter in his life by writing, performing and singing almost everything on his debut album, including the sensuous “Double Talk.”

Prins Thomas: a2 (Norway)

We can thank the Norwegians for the cheese slicer and for being the birthplace of modern skiing, as well as being home to electronic dance music producer and DJ Prins Thomas. His album, Principe del Norte, delves into a more ambient and minimalist sound, leaving conventional drum machines behind. While I’ve never been to Norway “a2” evokes what I picture the landscape to be.

Erik Jonasson:​ Like a Funeral (Sweden)

​Apart from being a major exporter of music, what do we really know about Sweden? First, the country requires that all its employers provide free massage, there’s an average of 1,836,000 meatballs eaten daily in all of Ikea’s 313 stores worldwide, and 89.9 percent of the population speak English. This last fact may explain why Erik Jonasson’s pensive and promising pop is so moving. Take a listen to “Like a Funeral.”

Samaris:​ Wanted 2 Say (Iceland)

​Iceland – with no McDonald’s anywhere and yet the highest consumption of Coca-Cola per capita — is a mystical place. There are no polar bears. And most of the population believes in elves. It’s also the birthplace of Samaris whose members have settled from Berlin to The Hague. Unsure what language to record in, the trio first laid down gibberish while writing the melodies, then quickly settled on English. While on a high from 24 hours of daylight, Samaris came up with the hypnotic “Wanted to Say.”