Swedish one-man band Emil Svanängen, (a.k.a. Loney, Dear) has recorded and produced four full-length albums in his parents' basement over the last three years, including Sologne which he self-released in Europe in 2006. He also distributed several thousand copies pretty much by himself -- not surprising when you consider that Svanängen created the mini-symphony heard on each track of the album, named for a region in Central France, by playing every instrument himself (but his live shows require the services of a five-piece band). "Le Fever" shows this virtuoso at the top of his dreamy-voiced, multi-instrumental game.

The aptly named tune is a delirium-inducing lament of lost love, laced with a bossa nova rhythm and a delicate array of brass, chimes and violin. Svanängen is lovely in capturing the desperation left at the end of a relationship and the inability to let go -- "I've had it till now / I've slept on the floor / My hands in despair / Inside misery," he sings. The beautiful sadness comes to a head when the instruments fall away leaving only Svanängen's silken thread of vocals and distorted backup rising like mercury through a glass thermometer (think Xiu Xiu or Björk's "Pagan Poetry"). Despair has never sounded so sweet. Sologne finally arrives stateside Dec. 4 via the Rebel Group.

Now Hear This:
Loney, Dear- "Le Fever" DOWNLOAD MP3

On the Web:
Loney, Dear at MySpace
loneydear.com

Talk: Does "Le Fever" have you burning to hear more Loney, Dear?