The name Kate Tucker & The Sons of Sweden can conjure up images of yodeling and goat-calls. For this Seattle band, however, mountaintops and farm animals couldn’t be further from the truth.

“I met [keyboardist] Nick [Danielson] when we both lived in the same building,” Tucker said. “I asked if he’d play music with me, and he said, ‘Sure.’ From there, we made an EP together.”

Tucker, originally from Cleveland, played music on the street to make money before she teamed up with Danielson, Cameron Herrington (drums), Mark Isakson (guitar) and BJ Myers (bass) to form the group.

“We practice in Ballard [outside of Seattle],” Tucker said. “A lot of people of Scandinavian descent live in the area. There’s a [concert] hall there called The Sons of Norway. We wanted to play there, but we’re not Norwegian, so we called ourselves The Sons of Sweden as a play on that title . It turns out two of the guys are actually Swedish.”

The band’s self-titled debut album, (Oct. 30, Red Valise Recordings) blends soulful and folk lyrics with an alternative sound that aims to complement Tucker’s Stevie Nicks-influenced vocals.

“The album began with sorting through the songs from the EP [Eros Turannos] Nick and I made,” Tucker said. “That started in 2005, 2006. The album has the feeling of isolated transformation and [solitude].”

Putting the actual album together, though, proved to be a daunting task. Many songs, including “The Hours,” required numerous rewrites, some of which occurred on production day.

Despite the challenges, Tucker is pleased with the outcome of the album, her favorite song being “In The End.”

“I like it because there’s a feeling of warmth and campfire,” Tucker said. “[I love] the feeling of bringing people together. Plus, I got to sing with Damien Jurado, who I admire so much.”

Being the only female member as well as the face of a band could prove challenging for some, but Tucker is happy to take on the challenge.

“It’s fine with me,” Tucker said. “It’s awesome since people are curious about a band where the girl plays guitar … The sad thing is that there are so many talented female singers who can play guitar and go unnoticed.”

Tucker will continue to lead the band as it begins touring in 2008, focusing primarily on college towns and campuses.

“We would love to come to St. Louis,” Tucker said. “I’m from Cleveland and it would be so great to tour out here.”