It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of the Swedish Folk/Rock sister duo known as First Aid Kit. Their last album is something to listen to. In fact, I STILL have it in my regular rotation, many months after first hearing it. For those needing a primer, First Aid Kit started in Sweden when sisters Johanna, and Klara Söderberg decided to make their gorgeous folk compositions available to a wider audience other than just themselves. And we’re a lucky audience for it.
They released their first set of music in 2008 in a stunning 8-track EP called Drunken Trees. The Drunken Trees EP contains an attention grabbing cover of “Tiger Mountain Peasant Song” (Fleet Foxes) generating a fair amount of press and excitement over the new duo. In 2010, they released their first full-length, The Big Black And The Blue, proving that the two girls from Sweden were the real thing when it came to song composition talents and their ability to present it in beautiful harmonies.
In 2012, following the pre-album single “The Lion’s Roar”, First Aid Kit released their second full-length, The Lion’s Roar, which contained not one filler track within its ten songs. In the final song, “King Of The World”, the sisters invited Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes) to contribute vocals to that song. Overall, if you haven’t heard The Lion’s Roar, you’re missing out on one of the more exciting albums in recent years.
On June 10, the sisters will release their third full-length album, Stay Gold. They have preceded its arrival with a new song from the album called “My Silver Lining”. It is located at SoundCloud (audio embedded below, courtesy of SoundCloud and First Aid Kit). If you want the lyrics to follow along, click through to the SoundCloud host and enjoy the song further. If you were to ask me, the song is brilliant, and indicates an album that will be well-received.
Stay Gold will release in CD in multiple versions that includes a 14″ x 20″ lithograph and a tote bag, one without a tote bag (but with the lithograph), and one with just the CD. In addition, there will be several editions of LP, all pressed in gold-colored vinyl. The same inclusion choices found for the CD will also be available on the LP version. The LP version will include a download card for the MP3s. The Deluxe Collector’s Bundle (with tote bag, LP, MP3s, lithograph), provides a signed lithograph.