Bleakness, tragedy and despair are probably a few of the things you might think of when you hear the name Bergman. But don’t let that colour your judgement when it comes to this Bergman. Apart from both being Swedes, I cannot really see that many common denominators between the famous Swedish director and the acclaimed nineties popsmith Mats Bergman, who now is planning his comeback.

Bergman – Ever Since [mp3]

Bergman used to front Scents, a promising Swedish band  from the nineties that were kind of the next big thing to come out of  the first Swedish wave of pop wonder, spearheaded by producer Tore Johansson and his Tambourine Studios (latterly of Franz Ferdinand fame).

“I fell in love with their guitar sound. And they took my singing and songwriting to heart.”, says Bergman.

Bergman and his mates were celebrated with the same regard and hype as another Tambourine act, the then budding Cardigans , and played the major venues. In fact, Nina Persson of The Cardigans supplied backing vocals on the band’s debut album and even chimed in on a duet with Bergman himself on their sophomore effort. But whereas the latter moved on to pop megastardom, Bergman disbanded Scents, cut his hair, got a proper job – and moved to London.

Bergman has now recorded his first solo songs. Says the singer/songwriter: “10 years of concert going here pretty much restored my faith and love for pop music.” A love that is rather evident in the tracks he has been kind enough to share with us.

Dreamy, wistful and pensive are just a few of the ingredients we can check off on our Perfect Pop Song list while listening to Mats Bergman. And compared to his efforts in Scents, he has found a new more personal voice.

“A consequence of listening to a vast array of artist…” Bergman states as a matter of factly.

This is especially apparent in the track we posted here, his elegantly melancholy “Ever since”. A brilliant little pop tune by a man who’s been around, matured, and learned every little trick in the Big Book of not only Pop and Singing/Songwriting, but also Life, Love and Loss. And judging by the track’s lyrics, especially the latter.

Listen to more Bergman on MySpace.