Mixing garage rock sneer and Brit-pop sass -- along with a truckload of other influences -- Borlange, Sweden's
Mando Diao formed when its members were all still in their teens. The band's germination dates back to 1995, when singer/songwriter/keyboardist
Daniel Häglund and singer/songwriter/guitarist
Björn Dixgärd were in a band called Butler. Even after that group broke up, the pair continued playing and writing together, eventually bringing bassist
Fredrik Nilsson, guitarist
Gustaf Noren, and drummer Anton Grahnstrom into their fold;
Nilsson and Grahnstrom were replaced by
Carl Johan Fogelklou and
Samuel Giers. By 1999, they were known as
Mando Diao, having taken their name from one of
Dixgärd's dreams.
Mando Diao continued to hone their sound, blending pop, mod, soul, R&B, and Brit-pop elements into a style that was quirky yet timeless. In 2002 they released their first EP, Motown Blood, through the Majesty and Capitol imprints; the acclaim for the EP and the similarities in their sound to
the Strokes and
the Hives raised
Mando Diao's profile considerably, and the band went on tours of Sweden with
the Hellacopters and
Kent. Later that year they released the singles Mr. Moon and The Band to stoke anticipation for their full-length debut album,
Bring 'Em In, which was largely recorded in their basement practice space. The following year, Mute Records released
Bring 'Em In in the United States.
The sophomore effort
Hurricane Bar was released in the band's native Sweden in 2004; a stateside release followed in 2005, and
Ode to Ochrasy was issued the next year. While touring in support of the album,
Mando Diao found time to record their fourth studio effort,
Never Seen the Light of Day. The album was released internationally in late 2007, coinciding with a solo tour by
Björn Dixgärd. Two years later, the album Give Me Fire -- which featured percussion-heavy production by the Salazar Brothers -- arrived, debuting at the top of the charts in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland and entering the Swedish charts at number two. In 2010, a deluxe version of the album was released, along with an MTV Unplugged album. Give Me Fire was released in the U.S. in mid-2011.
–
Heather Phares, Rovi