First Aid Kit

For those of you with siblings out there, I'm sure you know how intense the relationship can be. At first, siblings might subconsciously fight it out to see which one gets the attention of the parents more. With time, you learn that sticking up for each other is the best thing you can do. You quickly learn that not tattling on your sister will save your own ass next time you do something bad. Before you know it, you've got the ultimate partner in crime. And if you're lucky, your sibling will become your best friend.

I am one of the lucky ones. My sister is my best friend. But unlike other best friends that I could technically un-befriend if I felt like it, we're stuck being sisters, and thus friends for life. There's no moral code that allows me to un-sister my sister. This creates a magical and intense relationship. You love the person unconditionally but because you know you are tied to them forever you can really be yourself, and worse than that, you can be your ugly self.

When my sister and I disagree on something, and we're both feeling volatile (either early in the morning, or late at night after some drinks), we will really disagree on something. And somehow our little disagreement will turn into some some intense cathartic release, and after we'll feel much better and have some enlightened understanding of ourselves and the people around us. Now, Nietzsche believed in a little thing called sublimation. Basically turning all kinds of negative energies and intense emotions into something that serves a higher cultural purpose, like art.

My sister is a brilliant academic, and if I was a brilliant academic, and we got into a crazy fight we would probably figure out a way to make peace in the Middle East or something. Or at least write a lot of books.

The point is, good things happen when siblings collaborate. There's a true and deep connection there. So bringing Nietzsche back into things, if siblings achieve sublimation together, it's like double trouble (or double awesome!!!).

Oasis, The Jackson Five, Carpenters, Bee Gees, and Radiohead are some examples of amazing things that have happened in music thanks to the sibling connection. (Honourable mentions to the Jonas Brothers and Hanson, of course).

First Aid Kit, the band comprised of two sisters from Sweden, Johanna & Klara Söderberg are making music that matches their name. It's the kind of music that puts a band aid on your wounds, and makes you feel better in the way that only sisters can.

Here's a beautiful video for their song "Hard Believer", which was released on their first full length record The Big Black & The Blue on January 25, 2010.