The Swedish Fish were an 80s pop group from Toronto, Canada. I’ve read that they sounded like Talulah Gosh or Friends Of The Family, but I don’t hear it. The vocals are more Pauline Murray than Amelia Fletcher, and at times even “Morrissey-esque,” reminding me of The Siddeleys (but of course, not in the same league).

I recently tracked down their second 7″ EP “How Can You Sleep At Night?” You can preview my favorite track “Clever Girl” below. I believe for this release the band’s line-up included Simon Bedford-James (on guitar), Martha Bouchier (on vocals), Saverio Schembri (on guitar), Austin (on bass), John McMahon (on drums), and Chonghye So (on organ). The single was released on Jaimie Vernon and Simon Bedford-James’ label Bullseye Records (SW-006) in 1986. They released another single prior called “She’d Rather Die” which I’m still looking for.

In 1987, the band split and formed a new group called Daughaus, releasing an album “Something I Stepped In” (I swear I’m not making that up!). Then in 2006, the Swedish Fish reformed with two original members (Bedford-James and Bouchier) and played some reunion shows. They released a new album called “Dark Light” on Bullseye Records (incredible that label was still around 20 years later). Check out their Myspace for details. I also see that they’re working on releasing a remastered compilation of all the older stuff. I hope it’s still in the works.

Listen to Swedish Fish – Clever Girl
[dewplayer:http://www.shelflife.com/mp3-bin/b_swedishfish.mp3]

www.myspace.com/originalswedishfish
www.bullseyecanada.com