Aftonbladet has the new video for "Shane MacGowan" from ex-Bad Cash Quartet/Broder Daniel act Hästpojken: http://wwwc.aftonbladet.se/atv2/popup.html?id=c3

Jonas Game
ADHD
Sincerely Yours

Expectations are everything. My roommate was prepared for the glitzy, sex-saturated retelling of "Beowulf", and I was hoping for the meat of the original epic poem, obviously retooled by the talented Neil Gaiman, with a little flash added by director Robert Zemeckis. Alan had a great time; I sat limply in my chair, groaning through the plot changes and, in my opinion, stilted and strained dialogue (and the humorously awful depiction of Grendel), only occasionally fazed by what flickered upon the screen.

But here I find myself on the opposite side of the fence. Mostly I've heard a negative reaction to Jonas Lundqvist's record, and surprise at some of the positive press he's received. I'm not sure what people were expecting when they saw that the former drummer of Bad Cash Quartet was releasing his debut solo album on The Tough Alliance's own Sincerely Yours label. (Personally I expected this sort of well-trodden pop exploration.) The title track is definitely the peak of the album, and the song that holds up best to constant scrutiny, but "ADHD" is a summer-y, sun-bleached pop record in the vein of Håkan Hellström and The Clash's more playful, simplistic moments. I even hear elements of Springsteen and mid-career-era Rancid (think "Life won't wait"). Would I run into a crowded room proclaiming the brilliance of Jonas Lundqvist? Probably not. Will I be listening to this album in an attempt to stave off the strengthening shadows of the coming winter? Probably, yeah. It's fun. I have no problem with a successfully attempted pop record.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson

MP3: Jonas Game - ADHD

Absolut Noise got this one dead-on: "Nice but a bit too nice."
Which is a shame because I actually really like Jonas Game's singles "ADHD" (posted today) and "New city love" and was fully expecting the rest of the album to be just as good. Sadly, this is not the case. With a total running time of just over 30 minutes, that's even more frustrating. The energy level is low low low and even at the peak moments, it can feel strained and forced. Compared to the other new ex-Bad Cash Quartet band Hästpojken, the deficit is even more apparent. Not that I expecting a rehash of the past, but c'mon now - let's have a little more liveliness, okay?

Anyhow, like I said above, I do really enjoy the singles, especially "ADHD". It's a great upbeat number that's ripe with enthusiasm, optimism and even a touch of swagger. A little more rawness would be welcome, but screw it - it's still a fine pop song despite any complaints I might have and I imagine it's probably way better in a live situation. Good enough!

Jonas Game - ADHD

Hästpojken, the new band of ex-Bad Cash Quartet frontman Martin Elisson and PopLars from Broder Daniel, now has an official website: http://www.hastpojken.com/

Look for Sahara Hotnights to play NYC (CMJ?) and Japan in October along with various dates around Scandinavia. Support on Swedish dates will come from Hästpojken, the new band of ex-Bad Cash Quartet frontman Martin Elisson with Poplars from Broder Daniel. Listen to them at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/hastpojken (recommended!)

MP3: Bad Cash Quartet - Too bored to die

Bad Cash Quartet - another obvious choice to represent GBG. Nobody does snotty indierock quite as well as them and the song that best personifies them is definitely "Too bored to die". "So come on come on, please shake me / something's got to make me move" the song beckons. Any impetus at all will do, anything to conquer the ennui. Like Broder Daniel, BCQ creates a perfect soundtrack for teen angst, though they are not nearly as consumed by a sense of defeat, nor are they nearly as dark. You still get that feeling of loneliness and isolation though - that's universal. And the waiting, that too is a common theme. It's such a helpless feeling when you're young and have no control over your own destiny.

Bad Cash Quartet - Too bored to die

The playlist for this week's all-GBG radio show:

01. Maia Hirasawa - Gothenburg
02. TALK 1
03. Hemstad - Sommar i Göteborg
04. Division of Laura Lee - We are numbers
05. Håkan Hellström - Kom igen Lena!
06. TALK 2
07. In Flames - Everything counts
08. Pistol Disco - Walking with Jesus
09. Viktor Sjöberg - W/nothing
10. TALK 3
11. Kristofer Åström - Just a little insane
12. The Knife - Listen now
13. Broder Daniel - Dark heart
14. TALK 4
15. Samuraj Cities - All along the shoreline
16. MPTP - Jim Morrison
17. At the Gates - Cold
18. TALK 5
19. The Book of Daniel - The camels parade
20. Silverbullit - Magnetic city
21. The Soundtrack of Our Lives - Nevermore
22. TALK 6
23. Nicolai Dunger - What tomorrow
24. The Kid - Portion control (Fatsuit haze/Zlatan wins the World Cup remix)
25. The Idealist - The knives are my eyes
26. C.Aarmé - Visions
27. TALK 7
28. Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words - I could have sworn I heard them SING
29. Junip - Official
30. Diabolique - Catholic
31. TALK 8
32. Convoj - My timekeeping heart
33. Tsukimono - Dear sister
34. Eric Beyond - Step off
35. TALK 9
36. Björn Kleinhenz - Out of style
37. Detektivbyrån - E18
38. TALK 10
39. Bad Cash Quartet - Too bored to die

MP3: The Bear Quartet - Mom and dad

A Bear Quartet post in the middle of a Gothenburg spotlight? What to do? Perhaps you were expecting the Bad Cash Quartet cover of "Put me back together"? No such luck! I won't take the easy way out with a mere cover song. Nosiree! Instead of posting some random GBG covering BQ, I bring you BQ live in GBG with the classic tune "Mom and dad". Enjoy!

The Bear Quartet - Mom and dad (Live in GBG)

Musikbyrån provides an update on what all the guys from Bad Cash Quartet are up to: http://musikbyran.blogspot.com/2007/06/bad-cash-ynglar-av-sig.html
To summarize: Martin Elisson and Adam Bolméus are in the band Family Romance; drummer Jonas Lundqvist is working under the name Jonas Game and will have a single out on Sincerely Yours soon; vocalist Martin is also in the band Hästpojken with Pop Lars from Broder Daniel.

Swedish indierockers Kusowsky just released their new EP "Mot centrum". They've got a great sound, reminds me a lot of classics such as Bad Cash Quartet, Broder Daniel and so forth. Listen at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/kusowskymusic

MP3: Bad Cash Quartet - Too bored to die

I go through varying cycles of frustration when it comes to maintaining this website. The hours are long and the pay sucks, so if I don't have music that I'm excited to talk about, I don't have anything. So when I'm feeling down, I often find it helps to go back and revisit a record I know I like, something to help pick me up. That's one of the reasons I started doing Friday posts dedicated to tracks at least 2-3 years old. When all new music is making me long for better days, the past beckons. It's not that I don't have a lot of great new stuff to talk about - I most certainly do. It's just that sometimes the only thing I want to hear is familiar and comforting.
Bad Cash Quartet came up in conversation earlier this week and it made me realize that it's been way too long since I've listened to their high-water mark album "Outcast". I don't think there's any other record that so perfectly captures the sound of turn-of-the-century-era Swedish indiepop. It's bratty and obnoxious like much of the Britpop it draws influence from, but also so incredibly melodic and huge sounding. Broder Daniel might be the superior band of this style, but BCQ wins out today by virtue of being more uplifting. I've got enough angst, thank you very much.

Bad Cash Quartet - Too bored to die

MP3: The Tough Alliance - Silly crimes

I used to think that The Tough Alliance was total garbage, but in spite of my overwhelming curmudgeonry, I have to grudgingly accept that they are improving. It helps now that I now recognize TTA are simply Bad Cash Quartet with synths instead of guitars. It's all just Göteborg pop after all and who am I to disparage that? Their new EP "New waves" still has a few clumsy missteps here and there (no more faux-reggae/island bits, plz), but it does way more things right than wrong. If they keep putting out stuff like this, I might even start to consider myself a fan. But please please please, don't let them do another full-length album for a long time. Shorter = smarter, better.

The Tough Alliance - Silly crimes

It's Friday once again so that means it's time for a classic mp3 post and today I'm passing over the reins to frequent contributor Simon Tagestam:

Bad Cash Quartet have written quite a few great songs which makes it difficult to cherry pick one track. Their self-titled first album is their weakest and most punk one, but there are still some blistering songs on it, such as "Dragqueen" and "Amuse you". Almsot every song on their second album "Outcast" is a winner, especially the title track which became the anthem for most of Sweden's indie kids when it was released in 2001 (oddly enough, it was first released as a b-side). But the one song that I've been listening to lately is neither that anthemic (probably more anemic), nor does it reek of the cockiness that has become BCQ's trademark, although it does contain other essential BCQ themes - alienation and loneliness. The song is called "Valentine" and it's three minutes long and something of a love song. The song can be found on "Midnight prayer", BCQ's third and most recent album.

Anyone know if these guys are still around? It's been awhile since we've heard from 'em. I was mightily disappointed in "Midnight prayer", but there's no denying that "Outcast" is a genuine stone-cold classic so there's still hope that a new record could be good. UPDATE: Since posting this, I've received word that BCQ drummer Jonas was spotted in Austin (at SXSW I presume) and is currently living in NYC. The band is most definitely on hiatus.

MP3: Bad Cash Quartet - Valentine

It's Friday once again so that means it's time for a classic mp3 post and today I'm passing over the reins to frequent contributor Simon Tagestam:

Bad Cash Quartet have written quite a few great songs which makes it difficult to cherry pick one track. Their self-titled first album is their weakest and most punk one, but there are still some blistering songs on it, such as "Dragqueen" and "Amuse you". Almsot every song on their second album "Outcast" is a winner, especially the title track which became the anthem for most of Sweden's indie kids when it was released in 2001 (oddly enough, it was first released as a b-side). But the one song that I've been listening to lately is neither that anthemic (probably more anemic), nor does it reek of the cockiness that has become BCQ's trademark, although it does contain other essential BCQ themes - alienation and loneliness. The song is called "Valentine" and it's three minutes long and something of a love song. The song can be found on "Midnight prayer", BCQ's third and most recent album.

Anyone know if these guys are still around? It's been awhile since we've heard from 'em. I was mightily disappointed in "Midnight prayer", but there's no denying that "Outcast" is a genuine stone-cold classic so there's still hope that a new record could be good. UPDATE: Since posting this, I've received word that BCQ drummer Jonas was spotted in Austin (at SXSW I presume) and is currently living in NYC. The band is most definitely on hiatus.

Bad Cash Quartet - Valentine

In my mind, the sound of classic Swedish indiepop is forever associated with bands such as Broder Daniel and Bad Cash Quartet. Revved-up garage rock riffs, lots of reverb and baleful, weary vocals. It's echoes can be heard in acts as disparate as Niccokick and The Embassy, but regardless - the roots still show. Citylights, today's featured demo act, epitomizes that original classic sound perfectly. The band's actually been around for awhile now (since '98/99 they say) and they also enlisted the help of Pelle Carlberg to produce their latest recording from which today's new mp3 is taken. The experience shows - this is sublime pop, done just as well as any of the so-called big names. Download more songs from the band's website: http://www.mysecretscience.com/citylights