First Aid Kit: Folk to the Rescue

Johanna and Klara Söderberg, the two Swedish sisters who make up First Aid Kit, were initially discovered in 2008 via a viral video of an acoustic performance in the forest. Since then, they've burst out of the woods beyond video views, gained a few famous friends and collaborators (Jack White, Conor Oberst) and saw their 2012 release The Lion's Roar hit the music charts not only in their homeland of Sweden, where it went to number one, but in the U.S. and U.K. as well. The sisters are but 19 and 21 years of age, yet their indie folk ballads pay homage to the same wistful storytelling spirit common in traditional roots music going back to the 1800s. This timeless formula reveals itself in their latest single "Blue," which matches lovely harmonies with the lyrically bleak chorus, "Now you're just a shell of your former you/ That stranger in the mirror/ Oh that's you/ Why'd you look so blue?" The word the Söderberg sisters like to use to define their effective brand of pure hopefulness tinged with sorrow is simply "bittersweet." Don't let the heavy emotions dissuade you, though; these sisters also roar sweetly throughout this fantastic debut. – Michele Flannery, Google Play

Sorry, but this promotion has expired. Check Magnifier regularly for more free music.