First released in 2004, Between A&B was Eddie Bengtsson’s first solo album with English lyrics. Until that point, the Page and Sista mannen på jorden (SMPJ) front man had made a point of singing in his native language. So, it was a pleasant surprise for non-Swedish speaking audiences when the CD came out under the artist name, This Fish Needs a Bike.
Between A&B was in a similar vein to SMPJ: bubbling synthetic bass lines, science fiction themes, and adventures in minor key poptronica. It even had a version of SMPJ’s hit, “Luft,” rendered as “Air.” Essentially, it is the “missing” SMPJ album between Bengtsson’s time on the Subspace and Energy labels.
The album has now been released to streaming services by Energy with the addition of four new tracks. To the classics, including “Stan” and “Putting My Suit On,” have been added four new songs from the archives. Fans can now hear “Sharkattack,” “Little Punkgirl,” “How Do You” and “Headache.” The new tracks are unmistakably part of the Bengtsson canon, and fans of his recent work with Page will be surprised by the presence of non-Moog keyboards like the Yahama CS-15. They will also be charmed by the catchiness of songs like “Do It” – one of his best dance tracks.
Between A&B is live now on Spotify.