Just In Case You Missed It Two Weeks Ago:

The Mo - Where Are They Now?

The first song ever featured on Alienhits was The Mo’s The Right World. To this day it remains one of my favorite songs of all time, and the album it comes from (Night At The Zoo) is undoubtedly one of the best pop/rock albums every released, even though the vast majority of people probably don’t even know of its existence. A few years ago, the band announced that they were breaking up and I was absolutely devastated that such a promising group would disband after two genius releases. They seemed to be gaining so much momentum, at least in Sweden (their ballad Nostalgia Locomotive, with Kris Le Mans, is still played quite a lot on Swedish radio today). But, alas, it wasn’t meant to be.

Ever since the date that I learned of their implosion, I have been waiting with an almost unreasonable anticipation for the solo releases that individual members had promised. None of those albums have been released yet, but three of the four members now have myspace pages up where you can hear some new stuff. And, let me tell you right now… The Mo was just the beginning. This new stuff is AMAZING. If you’re lucky, I’ll be hosting some of the songs on Alienhits. For today, I’ll link to each member’s myspace so you can hear the brilliance for yourself. I can’t wait to see these solo careers blossom.

Niklas “Nicko” Stenemo

The primary voice and songwriter for The Mo, this guy was number two (under The Ark) of my most anticipated albums of 2007. It still remains to be seen if his solo album will actually be released this year, but judging from the three perfect pop tracks he’s released to fans so far, it’s going to be a masterpiece when it finally does show up in stores. This Summer, I’m convinced, could become a late summer smash. It’s so incredibly catchy and bright with about a million different hooks. Perfect Day is very eighties and sounds a lot like The Mo, while The Child is a more contemplative with some gorgeous background vocals. From the sound of the three tracks, it seems like Nicko has taken the sound of All The Time (What’s That About) - the last track off of Night At The Zoo - and ran with it, as the songs have a very organic sound to them, despite the bright, 80’s inspired production. Three of the best songs I’ve heard all year. Myspace

Ricky Karlsson

The keyboardist for The Mo, Ricky also added to the band’s distinct sound with his instantly recognizable vocals. Given this, it shouldn’t be too surprising that his stuff sounds a lot like The Mo as well, even if it is more electronic. What A Frame (which has since been removed from the myspace page) has a big synthesizer riff that’s not too unlike The Right World, while It’s A Longshot and Burn The Bridges slow down the tempo a bit but are just as catchy. The best, by far, though, is The Hotspurs, a dance throw down that sounds better than anything Timbaland has done in the past few years. Myspace

Dixa Magnusson

Dixa was the bassist for The Mo and his solo sound probably strays from the group’s the most out of the three. Adopting a darker electronic mood, he’s created some very mature sounding stuff. Best of the three available for sample is Done With The Dark Boys, which coasts on an almost-industrial beat with detached vocals and a surprising lack of guitars. I Don’t Wanna Dance follows suit, with some great lyrics. Myspace