Kristoffer Ragnstam might just be on an unappreciated path to somewhere. His brand of pop-rock that breaks all the Swedish molds he grew up surrounded by may have done its part to set him apart. With the release of his latest Wrong Side of the Room, Ragnstam makes a grand argument for the most-improvement-award while also getting honorable mention as least-likely-to take credit where credit is more than due. How else can you categorize a man who claims nothing bores him “more than an over rated poet with an acoustic guitar and way too much to say”? But as his song promises - ‘2008′ will be Ragnstam’s year. With his uncanny over-layering sonnets mixed with enough auditory stimulants to give the Dust Brothers a heart attack, he has a knack for creating pop brilliance in under four minutes - equally different than the last. Not since the turn of Beck’s career in the early 90’s has another artist come close to such a re-creation of themselves and his snug genre. We catch up with Kristoffer on the road to discuss his next big step, avoiding stereotypes stateside [hey - we’re guilty], and publishing his life one song at a time.

Pensatos: Did you find it difficult to break the pop mold that surrounded you growing up in Sweden and give it a more rock tone?
Kristoffer Ragnstam: I feel like people in Sweden are just as hungry for music as they are in America so you can actually do whatever you want with music. It doesn’t have to be pop. So it’s the same, really, as for you guys.

So, then here you are getting more and more drunk. So then you start to just look sadder in neon.

Talk to me a bit about your relationship with Joel Lundberg and what he’s done to change your music over the years.
Joel and me - we started hanging out when I was fifteen years old and I played drums at that time. We’ve been doing music since actually. He’s been a large part of my life. He’s such a good collaboration from where he’s coming from since he has an amazing musical education. And I have a different background all together and we come together in (what I feel ) is an appealing way.

What are some of those differences?
He went to school and practiced in music and I did the club thing [laughs]. I went and played drums with a bunch of different bands and got my own experience there. We both enjoy each others company; I really appreciate him.

Everything I write is personal experience.

How did you come up with ‘Disco Fiasco’? We specifically love the line “I promise I get even sadder in neon”.
Just imagine when you are out and you’re desperately trying to make sure you don’t go home alone. But then you have this girl you’ve been pining over all night who keeps wanting to dance and go out more. So, then here you are getting more and more drunk. So then you start to just look sadder in neon [laughs].

So this is a personal experience then…
Everything I write is a personal experience.

Growing up a drummer foremost, have you always been a rhythm first - content later kinda guy?
I make up the song first. I got the rhythm naturally with the drums I grew up playing. It just came so easily, so content definitely comes first and the rest just falls in place.

You worked as a soundtrack composer - what drew you to that? What was it like?
We do soundtracks and I love it. We work on Swedish national television. It is such a different mood than the pop rock music i suppose. It’s cool to work with a director when he tells you this feeling and you have to then find that emotion in a keyboard or guitar. It’s just amazing.

You started off as an engineer’s studio hand, didn’t you?
I had a small engineer assistant spot in Germany which is where I became amazed with the studio. So, then, Joel and I built our own studio.  I think music is such a big - for lack of a better word - thing and develop; there so much to learn. So I always want to then develop.

[Joel] and I have done so much work with labels in the past that have asked us to essentially fuck something up from an artist who already sounds like a pop idol.

Is that where you started getting the layered sound? (Wrong Side of the Room often times throws a ton of sounds at once)
It came very naturally. The whole process is just fun, really. Sometimes you can feel cramped doing so much music and musically but we sat down and talked to Chris Brown who mixed the album for some guidance. He has such a huge experience when it comes to recording so it helped that we had a vast dialogue before we hit the studio. He was an amazing help.

It sounds like you are really into the production aspect. Are you looking for a spot on the other side of the booth as your next step?
I would love to help others if they do great music [laughs]. I can’t help them if they write bad stuff.  [Joel] and I have done so much work with labels in the past that have asked us to essentially fuck something up from an artist who already sounds like a pop idol. So when we come to them with our version it’s not what they want to hear. They already have what they wanted to hear. It’s a very fine line dealing with labels and adjusting their artist’s sound. I’m done doing that kind of work.

So if you could work with someone in particular - instead of being called upon to ‘fix’ something - who would it be?
Kings of Leon. That’s my favorite American band right now. Fleet Foxes as well.

Quite the difference there.
Yeah but have you heard that new Kings of Leon? It’s amazing.

How do you feel when you’re compared to a ‘Swedish Beck’?
It’s good - in the beginning of your career - to be compared. Especially when you are trying to get people to buy your album. I think we are very similar when it comes to rules that we both don’t follow them in the studio. We are [both] very creative.