CITY guide
GOTHENBURG
sweden
One of the major cultural hubs of Scandinavia, the country’s largest
city hosts several major events, from the Göteborg International
Film Festival to music festivals like Metaltown and Way Out West.
Gothenburg even has the rare honor of being home to the creation
of an entire music genre: melodic death metal. Immerse yourself in
Gothenburg’s influential culture.
Liseberg amusement park / Göran
Assner/imagebank.sweden.se
THE PERFECT DAY BY JOSÉ GONZÁLEZ
José González
Singer-songwriter José González
mixes proficiently fingerpicked
classical guitar melodies with soft,
unassuming vocals to create a
haunting and memorable sound that’ll
stay with you for days. He’s back on
the scene with his first album since
2007, Vestiges and Claws.
josé gonzález with friends /
courtesy of josé gonzález
José González: May. Spring is here. I grab a
coffee in the morning sun and hang out with
friends, play some guitar, have a run in the
forest, have a siesta, eat some good food, go out
to a club, fall asleep.
Little Dragon
Though the four-piece Little Dragon
makes mostly electronically based
music, their sound is quite protean.
From synth-pop and indietronica, to
trip hop and dream pop, they aren’t
easy to pigeonhole. Active since 1996,
they are currently touring on their
fourth album Nabuma Rubberband,
released last year.
Laleh
Starting out as an actress, singer/
songwriter Laleh switched gears and
launched her music career in 2003.
Since then she has put out five albums,
her most recent being 2013’s Colors.
Laleh’s efforts in the music industry
have not gone unnoticed, and in
December of last year, she was voted
Honorary citizen of Gothenburg —
which is only awarded to one person
each year.
El Perro Del Mar
Sarah Assbring, better known by
her stage name El Perro Del Mar
released her self-titled debut album
in 2005, a deluxe version of which was
released in February of this year in
celebration of its ten year anniversary.
This edition includes ten previously
unheard tracks, which consist mostly
of demos and live performances. Her
fifth studio album will be out later
this year.
JJ
Joakim Benon and Elin Kastlander
comprise the duo JJ. With a sound that
ranges from indie pop to hip-hop, JJ
definitely have a talent for keeping
things fresh. They released their
debut album in 2009, which garnered
overwhelming critical acclaim, and
got them signed to American label
Secretly Canadian. Their latest album
V came out last year.
Avenyn / Göran Assner
BEST COFFEE
El Perro Del Mar: Bar Centro in the
centre of the city. Not the most fun
area of the city but the café in itself
takes you someplace else for a minute
and the coffee is delicious.
JJ: Kaffebaren in Yaki-Da. They have
the best irish coffee, not to mention
staff!!
José González: Cigarren [pair a cigar
with your latte]
Little Dragon: Bar Centro brews that
stuff in the good old Italian way.
Bar Centro: Kyrkogatan 31, 411 08; Kale’i
Kaffebar: Kyrkogatan 13, 411 15; Cigarren:
Järntorget 6, 413 04
32 . TRAVEL WITH PURPOSE
FAVORITE DIVE BAR
El Perro Del Mar: Kino at Linnégatan. A little bit of Berlin in
Gothenburg.
JJ: Sejdeln on Andra Lång! They sometimes have a music quiz.
José González: Murveln [pub grub]
Little Dragon: Plankan [pub grub]
Kino: Linnégatan 21, 413 04; Sejdeln: Andra Långgatan 28, 413 27; Murveln:
Nordstan, 404 29; Plankan: Allmänna vägen 14, 414 60
LATE NIGHT HAUNTS
JJ: Pustervik. They got it all, man. Soups, beers, chill
vibe, and music.
José González: Yaki Da [multi-level dance club,
organic bistro, and coffee bar]
Pustervik: Järntorgsgatan 12, 413 01; Yaki Da: Storgatan 47, 411 38