Sweden, hurrah
MANY good things come from Sweden. Here are ten:
1. Lukas Moodysson. Excellent filmmaker, who has made films like Show Me Love and Lilja-4-Ever (number 10 in 2003's top 10 films, no less).

2. Da Buzz. Hyper-melodic, hyper-formulaic little pop act. Their songs sound awfully similar but as if I care about that. See them here.

3. The Cardigans. They've got other songs than Love Fool and Burning Down the House you know. No one has bought their beautiful new album 'Long Gone Before Daylight' apart from myself and about 3 other people in the entire world.

4. The A*Teens.
They started off as an ABBA covers band!
Now they do originals!
They're teens!
They're up to their fifth album!
They sing and dance!
The two boys are quite cute!

5. Ace of Base
Ace of Base are belong to us!

6. Songs written by Max Martin
Don't you know Max Martin? He wrote many songs for Britney, NSync, Backstreet etc. All the songs have these features:
- whooshing sound before each chorus
- first line of every second verse sounds like it's being sung down the phone
- two choruses, both sung together at the end of the song
- harmony CENTRAL

He appears to have disappeared recently but I have no doubt he will be back providing crappy pop stars with material that is far too good for them.
7. Stina Nordenstam
She is a Nordic nightingale.

8. A decent asylum policy
- it is against the law to detain a child for more than three days!
- the majority of asylum seekers are released into the community soon after their arrival!
- asylum seekers are given the right to work!
And the country's hardly being run into the ground, is it. NO. Mark Latham, take note.
9. Roxette
It would seem that I'm starting to scrape the bottom of the barrel now.

10. Men
Swedish men are ALL HOT, everyone knows that.