Photo by Lena Mollergren

Since 1991, the six-piece Swedish glam rock band The Ark have been sailing on a spiritual voyage for the spark of frivolous individuality in the lost and the fallen. We’re not just being wordy. This is more or less their mission. Their 2002 album “In Lust We Trust” was a testament to the ethic of free expression, damn the suppression.

A year ago, no one would have imagined that The Ark could possibly have won Melodifestivalen last month. For the uninitiated, Melodifestivalen is the Swedish national qualifying competition for Eurovision. It’s widely watched—the 2006 final was viewed by an astounding 47% of the population—and this year, the Ark were the clear favorites. They’ll head to Helsinki in May to represent Sweden in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.

That will teach them for having the best song. Their entry, “The Worrying Kind,” is a flamboyant exercise of happy pop. When The Ark find land at Helsinki on 12 May 2007, the lost and the fallen of Sweden and beyond will be watching.

–by Adrian Sluzky

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