Laakso - My Gods (2005)

Led by singer/songwriter Markus Krunegård, who embarked on a successful solo career in the late 2000s, Laakso is a Swedish indie pop band that released a few albums during the mid-2000s prior to the departure of its frontman.
Founded in 2001, the band is comprised of Mikael Fritz (bass), Lars Skoglund (drums), and David Nygård (trombone, trumpet, synthesizer), in addition to Krunegård (vocals, guitar). Laakso made their commercial recording debut in 2003 in association with the indie label Adrian Recordings, releasing first the Long Beach EP, then the full-length debut album I Miss You, I'm Pregnant. A couple years later, Laakso made their major-label debut on V2 Music with the High Drama EP (2005), followed by the full-length album My Gods (2005). While these initial major-label releases were moderately successful, Laakso's next round of releases, the Västerbron & Vampires EP (2007) and the full-length album Mother Am I Good Looking? (2007), propelled the band further up the Swedish charts and into the pop mainstream. At this point, Krunegård embarked on a solo career, releasing his Top Ten hit debut album, Markusevangeliet (2008), on V2 Music. Meanwhile, Skoglund played drums in the band Moneybrother, and Nygård involved himself with side projects including Pello Revolvers and Vapnet. ~ Jason Birchmeier