Komeda - Topic

Komeda is a Swedish pop/indie band from Umeå. They were initially called Cosma Komeda, named in honour of composer Vladimir Cosma and jazz musician and composer Krzysztof Komeda. The band started in the mid-1980s as a post-punk band influenced by bands such as Can, Devo, and The Velvet Underground, and by film soundtracks. Their first public appearance was in 1991 as a pit band for a Buster Keaton festival in their home town of Umeå. Forming as a quartet of schoolfriends, Komeda consisted of vocalist Lena Karlsson, guitarist Henrik Andersson, bassist Marcus Holmberg and Holmberg's brother Jonas on drums. They increased in popularity, especially in the US, following tours with Beck and Ben Folds Five and regular MTV appearances. Reluctant to move permanently to the US to pursue further success, and grieving from the loss of their parents, the band went into hiatus following 1998's What Makes It Go? although they continued to make music for theatre during this time.
During 2001 the band was reduced to a trio with the departure of Norlander as he left to work as a software engineer in Stockholm.