Little Dragon

by Stewart Mason
An enticing blend of twee indie pop hooks and crisp electronic beats in the style first perfected by Saint Etienne's Foxbase Alpha, Little Dragon are a showcase for Swedish-Japanese singer Yukimi Nagano, a mainstay of the European downtempo and lounge scenes. Based in Gothenburg, Sweden, Nagano first broke through in 2000 and 2001 as the singer on several singles by Swell Session, the project fronted by Swedish DJ and producer Andreas Saag. She later sang lead on the club hits "Summer Sun" and "Bright Nights" for the Swedish electronica duo Koop, as well as Hird's house singles "Keep You Kimi" and "I Love You My Hope," along with several contributions to the acid jazz collective Stateless' 2003 album Art of No State and the stylistically similar Sleepwalker's 2006 album The Voyage. Little Dragon, by way of contrast, are Nagano's own band, featuring keyboardist Hakan Wirenstrand, bassist Fredrik Kallgren Wallin, and drummer Erik Bodin. Bodin is also the percussionist for Swedish alt-folkie José González; in fact, Nagano sings harmony vocals on González's second album, In Our Nature. Little Dragon debuted in 2006 with the "Test" single, on the Scandinavian label Off the Wall. The following year, Little Dragon signed with the larger British indie Peacefrog Records (Nouvelle Vague, etc.) for their self-titled debut album.