The Chrysler

by Mark DemingHaving won an international reputation for their atmospheric, low-key pop with strong Americana influences, the Swedish ensemble the Chrysler got their start in a seemingly unlikely manner — as part of Stockholms electronic music community. Singers and guitarists Pelle Lindroth and Anders E. Rudström first collaborated as members of Moder Jords Massiva, an electronic dance group, but they both found themselves writing songs that didnt fit the groups rigid format, and they began exploring the idea of forming a side project. Teaming with keyboard player Nya Sampan (who had recorded some influential drumnbass material as Saemundur Graettisson) and bassist Herman Arfwedsson, the Chrysler began working up Lindroth and Rudströms new songs, and with the help of Henrik von Euler, who contributed keyboards and electronics along with the use of his home studio, they recorded a demo tape in mid-2002. The demos attracted enough attention to draw invitations for live appearances from the new band, and with Martin Sörbom behind the drums, the Chrysler hit the road. After several visits to a recording studio in Stockholm, the Chrysler released their first album, Failures and Sparks, in the waning months of 2003, and while sales were disappointing, the disc received enthusiastic reviews, and the group began solidifying its reputation as a live act with a residency at a Stockholm club, where a number of guest musicians would often join them to fill out their arrangements. In 2004, the band began work on their second long-player, Cold War Classic, which was released in the autumn of that year to rave reviews and significantly better sales than Failures and Sparks; the band continued their live work in support, with new bassist Peter Rudström replacing Arfwedsson in the group. Word about the Chrysler began spreading to the United States, and the American label Galaxy Gramophone gave both albums an expanded stateside release.