In 2023, while searching for new music on Spotify, I stumbled upon a band out of Sweden called Dina Ogon. I instantly fell in love with their combination of soul, jazz, R&B, and a sprinkling of bossa nova influence, leading to their album OAS becoming a constant play in my household. Imagine my surprise when I found that in 2024, they were releasing a new album called Orion.
I excitedly tracked Orion down on Spotify, and oh my word, sweet fucking bliss! The opening song, “Jag vill ha allt,” is such a lush, atmospheric vibe that I immediately closed my eyes, smiled ear to ear, and lost myself in the groove. As you can guess from the song’s title, the songs are all sung in Swedish, and this is fine because, in this case, the music does the talking.
The third song, “Det lacker,” is where I found the absolute show-stopper on this album. With its Jamiroquai meets Remy Shand white boy soul groove, this song had me out of my chair and grooving with my eyes closed. Thanks to the stellar and what I consider perfect production, the lush tones of the bass, the percussive ear candy, and the ethereal, dreamy voice of vocalist/guitarist Anna Ahnlund go far beyond the ears. I was feeling this song to my very core.
“Firad” changed things up just a bit, as this one seemed to embody the spirit of one of the best Sade songs you never heard. With just a little bit of Latin flair thrown in for good measure, this song was a nice breather for what was already a groove fest, and they did this without losing momentum. It’s not easy to do, but it was the perfect placement for this song.
The stellar closing song, “Tomma Lador,” is absolutely gorgeous. As corny as this may sound, it’s like a cigarette after a long, passionate session of making whoopie. That was weird, but you know exactly what I’m talking about, right? Freak. Anyway. This song is magnificent. If you can imagine a marriage of influences such as Tori Amos, Enya (yes, Enya), and the spirit of World Music, that is “Tomma lador,” I honestly think this is the perfect choice to wind things down.
Orion is a masterpiece as far as I am concerned. Musically, Orion is one of the most beautiful things I’ve heard in a long time. Lyrically, I have no idea what they’re saying, and that is ok. This is a testament to the old saying that music is the true international language. Even though I don’t understand the lyrics but, musically, tonally, and vocally, I can get an idea and paint my own narrative to accompany the songs. The feel, the spirit, and the cosmic vibe of Orion transcends any of those barriers.
Dina Ogon as a whole is an absolutely amazing unit of talent. Lead vocalist Anna Ahnlund, drummer Christopher Cantillo, guitarist/keyboardist Daniel Ogren, and bassist Love Orsan, play in a way that makes them sound as if they’ve been doing this for 40 years. From song to song, it’s damn near impossible to hear the strength of the connection between these people. Dina Ogan sounds like a band that has a formula and a way of telepathically communicating with each other in a more spiritual way that most are used to hearing. The level of talent that is combined in this group is downright staggering.
Dina Ogon, for a second consecutive year, has released an album that will undoubtedly be on my top albums of 2024 list. You might be thinking, “Hey, man. It’s only March. How can you already predict that Orion is one of the best albums of 2025?” The answer is very easy here. Dina Ogon didn’t just set the bar high. They made it damn near unreachable. Orion is a fun, groovy, 4:20 soundtrack that everyone could get down with. Orion is Dina Ogon’s way of saying, “We’ve been here a while, but now you’re going to see and hear us.” If there ever were an album that could grab and secure the attention of music listeners, Orion would be a hard one to beat.
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