As the ethereal vocalist for the Cardigans, Nina Persson made a generation swoon. Now the lovely Swede calls Harlem, New York, her adopted home, following her marriage to American composer Nathan Larson (once of Shudder to Think). Nina and Nathan are also wed creatively, as singer and co-producer of A Camp; their new record, Colonia, is an enthralling amalgam of wistful, dreamy and gorgeously plaintive pop with lyrics that float between the stingingly sardonic (“Let’s raise our glasses to murderous asses”) and the heartbreakingly world-weary (“It’s not easy to be human anymore”). Here, Persson gives BlackBook a tour of her favorite hotspots and hardware stores.

Nearly two decades later, what appears most alarming about Nina Persson is how cool she remains, despite being the memorable lark behind one of the 1990s' biggest hit singles -- as one-fifth of The Cardigans. Since then, she’s gone onto crash cars and intimate fractured fairy tales with her band. But during a 2001 hiatus, she and husband Nathan Larson serendipitously crossed paths with Atomic Swing’s Niclas Frisk and were inspired to set up camp as, well, A Camp. And having enjoyed modest European success with their debut, A Camp is eyeing an American conquest with Colonia, released at the end of April, with an American tour kicking off at New York’s Bowery Ballroom on May 26. But she's taken some time out to discuss the perils of one-hit wonders, colonialism, and the driving force behind her band's latest.

With the economic shitstorm showing no signs of clearing, innovative escapism comes courtesy of The Citizens Band, a politically-charged, cabaret-esque dance troupe led by trapeze artist and filmmaker Sarah Sophie Flicker. The Panic Is On, Citizens Band’s sixth show, will open this Thursday (October 23-25) at New York’s Henry Street Settlement, transcending mere death-and-taxes monologues. The show features an allegorical take on the nation’s social, economic, and political meanderings, reinterpreted through flamboyant showmanship and flush with lace and rubies reminiscent of Victorian and flapper fashion. We caught up with Flicker to converse about the political undertones of her upcoming show, what she really thinks of Tina Fey, and how exactly the word "consumerism" translates into a costume. Maybe it's not escapism, after all.