One of the most charming things I've received in the mail lately has been the new CD EP Strawberry Fair Sings "I Can't Do Anything".  Several  factors contribute to its charm:

It was sent directly from Sweden, so I learned that Swedish stamps have portraits of dogs!

It is a 4-song EP that clocks in at well under 15 minutes...how could you help but like something so succinct?

Strawberry Fair's main creative force is the delightful Ms. Jenny Franzén, who has a proclivity for pigtails, according to her MySpace pic.

But the main charm-contributing factor is definitely the songs themselves, which are perfectly-constructed Motown and girl-group influenced indiepop. The EP's title track, "I Can't Do Anything" has everything the popkids could ever want: bells, handclaps, beautiful background vocal "ooh"s and "aah"s (Franzén herself, I believe), and a swinging bass line. And like all the best popsongs, despite the catchiness of it all, there's still a melancholy undercurrent to remind us that hiding out beneath that joyful veneer is a palpable heartache. "I Can't Do Anything" is currently available as a free download on Strawberry Fair's MySpace page (http://www.myspace.com/strawberryfairswe), where there is also a link to buy the EP, so get yourself a bowl of strawberries and listen up!