Army of Lovers

Today I'll make it in a happy and not so serious tune – let's listen to some music! I recently rediscovered Army of Lovers (happens every once a year or so), and wanted to share their brilliantness with everybody.

They're a Swedish band, formed in the late 1980's, and with a number of hits throughout the early 90's. They've disbanded and reformed a number of times, the latest occasion being this year to try to become the Swedish entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2013. (Made my day when I found out :D) They were known, among other things, for their crazy costumes and weird music videos. Some group members are involved in gay activism, which is cool.

But enough of the boring stuff, on to the music!

Their possibly best-known songs is this one, Crucified:

(Yes, the quality is crappy, but for some reason it won't let me embed this one. You'll have to click for yourself!)

Something I like about them is their complete let-go treatment of sexuality, in a non-gendered way. Yes, La Camilla is sexualised, but no more so than Jean-Pierre.

Moreover, they argue for freedom to do as you please, not artificial societal restraints, as here:

Absolutely. Apparently, some kids in Russia were accused of “gay propaganda” after performing this song, to which I can only say, wtf?!

They have published some very provocative stuff, like this one:

It was banned in Germany at some point, allegedly for anti-semitism; however, I don't think it is anti-semitic. ”Evenu Shalom Alechem” means “we brought peace upon you”, and if you pay close attention, notice that their characterisation of the ghetto is so wacked out that nobody in their right minds would believe that anybody actually lives like that. Pure prejudice. And that's the point. The joke is on your prejudice, not on Jewish people. 

Some of their songs make historical or literary references, always in a refreshingly irreverent tone:

Lo and behold! The French Revolution! (Sorry, it doesn't have an actual video.)

Obvious this one!

The Chernobyl atomic explosion, in case you missed it.

And finally, how can this not make you happy? :)

All of this is just a few of the highlights, I recommend you go explore for yourselves. To the tune of these, enjoy your week!