Photographer Martin Norberg and journalist Klas Ekman have put together a book on Broder Daniel featuring pictures and stories from the infamous band's history up until (and after) their tragic end. The full title is "Broder Daniel - When we were winning" and it hits Swedish bookshelves on March 11.
High HatsMy first though when I listened to The High Hats' new EP "The Montpellier sessions" was: Wow, this must be how Broder Daniel would sound without their depression. Even though they do sound like BD at times, there is no way to describe The High Hats sound without mentioning The Ramones, the teen/pop vocals in combination with a strong drum and bass just screams Ramones. And just like The Ramones, The High Hats' music is energetic and frantic and leaves no room for anything else. The EP just keeps on growing and it keeps the listener interested for as long as a 5 track EP possibly can. At times it's hard to sit still and not sing-along, hard to not to get influenced by the energy the music creates. The release grabs you straight from the start and when it ends, it leaves you craving for more and it's no wonder with its strong lyrics and punk-pop sound. Yes, The High Hats new EP is truly hard to forget.
- Morten Frisch
Here's the playlist for this week's radio show:
01. Suis La Lune - Förmögenhet
02. TALK 1
03. Dmitry Fyodorov - Leisure
04. M:40 - Konfrontation
05. Cola Freaks - Ingenting set
06. TALK 2
07. Sort Sol - Boy/Girl
08. Montys Loco - Farewell Mr Happy
09. Fy Fan - Arbetslos inte dum i huvdet
10. TALK 3
11. Those Dancing Days - Home sweet home
12. Viktor Sjöberg - Bostadsrätt
13. Frivolvol - And the youth of a nation sang
14. Jesper Norda - Tomorrow you'll be forgiven but tonight you will have your teeth knocked out
15. TALK 4
16. Norma - Waste
17. Häkan Lidbo - Mental hardcore
18. Celestial - Crystal heights
19. TALK 5
20. Mattias Alkberg BD - Här är ditt liv
21. Smalltown - The music
22. Audionom - Han gar och fiskar
23. Nitad - Rädslan
24. TALK 6
25. Broder Daniel - Underground
My show on Sirius Left of Center (channel 26) airs Sundays at 11pm ET with repeats on Monday at the same time, but is pre-empted next week (10/12) by a Beck special.
Here is the It's a Trap! listening group top 10 artists of the week, unique to our group:
01. Hello Saferide
02. Tiger Lou
03. Håkan Hellström
04. Fleet Foxes
05. Familjen
06. Christian Kjellvander
07. Sambassadeur
08. Broder Daniel
09. The Radio Dept.
10. Pelle Carlberg
Do you listen to music on your computer or with an iPod? Please join us and make your playlist count! Go here to learn more: http://www.last.fm/help/
Besides Broder Daniel, the one band I really would have wanted to see at Way Out West was Silverbullit. I've actually been fortunate enough to see them twice already, once when opening for The Soundtrack of Our Lives in SF and again at Umeå Open in 2005 when they so obviously blew away every other band. Even today, without a new album to support since 2004's "Arclight", I'd still rank them as one of Sweden's best bands. And now I read that they even got Freddie Wadling (Cortex, Blue for Two, etc.) to make a guest appearance? Gah! I should've been there! YouTube just ain't gonna cut it. Silverbullit's massive wall of sound simply doesn't translate to the small-screen format.
Still no word on whether there will ever be a new album, but at least we can still celebrate their back-catalog. Here is "Only gold" from the aforementioned "Arclight".
Silverbullit - Only gold
Dagens Nyheter reports that a Broder Daniel documentary is in the works: http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=2198&a=814689
Kalle Gustafsson Jerneholm and Daniel Nyström of Svenska Grammofon Studios recorded Broder Daniel's final show at Way Out West this past weekend. I have no idea if it will be released, but I assume so.
Worlds collide! Besides Broder Daniel and maybe Håkan Hellström, Bad Cash Quartet is the preeminent band that defines the classic Göteborg sound with their slightly shambolic yet anthemic pop music and snotty, out-of-key vocals. They became a bit more polished (and boring) towards the end, but I'll always hold their sophomore album "Outcast" as a classic. I strongly considered posting from that album, but in the end decided to say screw it and went with this, their cover of The Bear Quartet's "Put me back together". Besides, I've already talked about "Too bored to die" more than once. Anyhow, this song is from BCQ's later, more lackluster period and it really doesn't stand a chance at competing with the original, but at least they try to put their own spin on it. I just don't think that sucking all the energy out of it was the best way to go about it. Mattias Alkberg's vocals on the original get more and more manic as the calamities pile on, Martin Elisson plays it closer to the chest. And no one can compete with Jari Haapalainen's explosive leads. Still, it remains a great song. There's not much shame in admitting defeat before the mighty BQ.
Semi-related to this whole weekly Gbg nonsense: who's going to Way Out West? What bands are you looking forward to seeing?
Bad Cash Quartet - Put me back together
Here is the It's a Trap! listening group top 10 artists of the week, unique to our group:
01. Broder Daniel
02. Laakso
03. Kristofer Åström
04. Håkan Hellström
05. Pelle Carlberg
06. Hello Saferide
07. The Bear Quartet
08. Juvelen
09. Jens Lekman
10. Club 8
Do you listen to music on your computer or with an iPod? Please join us and make your playlist count! Go here to learn more: http://www.last.fm/help/
One of the perks of running this site that I enjoy most is developing relationships with artists I admire. It's not just interacting via email interviews, but moreso the conversations that go on off the record. Stuff like talking Broder Daniel with Gustaf Kjellvander or even shooting the shit with the dudes from The Swedish Model, discussing the future of physical products. Of course, it's always about the music in the end and so when I get a chance to peep in on the creative process, that's always the best. I'm not much a collector of b-sides and alternate mixes for the most part, but sometimes that really is the best way to get inside an artist's head to see how they work. Moonbabies are a great example -- their songs go through so many variations before arriving at the finished product and it's amazing to hear how many different ways a single piece of music can be expressed. Another great example is Jacob Holm-Lupo and his current project The Opium Cartel. Like Moonbabies' Ola Frick, I get the impression that Jacob labors endlessly in the studio, adding endless layers of instrumentation until he can finally realize the symphony in his head. Ah, the double-edged sword of modern technology! So naturally, when presented the opportunity to share a work-in-progress from him, I gotta jump on it.
If you remember the previous Opium Cartel track I posted last September, this one mines similar territory, though is a bit quieter/folksier. I still hear a bit of the same dark, atmospheric vibe that's in all of Jacob's work dating back to White Willow, however the guest vocals from Rachel Haden (currently on tour with Todd Rundgren, believe it or not) push it closer to Kate Bush avant-pop territory. It starts off twinkly, but slowly progresses into, well, progressive territory. This mix isn't even close to refined so I'm sure the finished version will be even bigger (Jabob: "None of the TOC tracks have actually been mixed yet, and this one suffers a bit from that, as it has like a million tracks"), but it's pretty damn good as-is, so listen up and let your mind fill in the blanks for its as-yet untapped potential. The song and the main melody are in place and that is what's most important.
Errata: the lineup for this recording is Jacob and Rachel plus frequent collaborator Mattias Olsson (Pineforest Crunch, Molesome, etc.) and flautist Ketil Einarsen (Jaga Jazzist). Expect a late 2008/early 2009 release.
The Opium Cartel - Flicker girl (ft. Rachel Haden)
Here's the playlist for this week's radio show:
01. Tobias Hellkvist - Besviken
02. TALK 1
03. The Deer Tracks - Yes this is my broken shield
04. The Tallest Man On Earth - Pistol dreams
05. White Knives - Death is king of the dancefloor
06. TALK 2
07. Abcess Exil - Kanske du förstår
08. Sällskapet - Nordlicht
09. KTMK - Kalinka
10. The Kid - Transient dance
11. TALK 3
12. Commando M. Pigg - This thing
13. I Are Droid - Sevenfold
14. Johan Heltne - Din alkoholism är ingen alkoholism
15. TALK 4
16. Zeigeist - Wrecked metal (cello version)
17. CMX - Nainen tanssii tangoa
18. Broder Daniel - Love doesn't last
19. TALK 5
Reminder: my show on Sirius Left of Center (channel 26) airs Sundays at 11pm ET with repeats on Monday.
I had two very different Broder Daniel experiences while traveling in Sweden. The second is the one I will tell you about first because it was near-perfect: late night, at the party for Magnus Öberg's wedding, the song "Underground" came on the soundsystem and the crowd was instantly drawn to the dance floor. We had a similar moment earlier in the evening when The Pixies kicked things off, but it didn't compare. Maybe it was the booze or the joyous atmosphere, but it felt absolutely beautiful. "We are underground and we don't care, we don't care what you say about us" It's an anthem -- I couldn't help but sing along. For anyone who ever felt like the underdog, it's a revelation.
My other experience however, was far more downbeat, but just as moving. Gustaf Kjellvander (The Fine Arts Showcase) and I shared an afternoon when I was in Malmö discussing the importance of BD (among other things), especially the album "Broder Daniel Forever". It's the perfect soundtrack to the downtrodden and the fuckups/the fucked up -- the mood is far darker, but no less celebratory. It revels in the pain and ugliness of life in a way that no other band can do and Gustaf and I agreed that it's a beautiful thing. If your heart aches, if you've ever felt absolutely crushed by life, this is your soundtrack. It's more than teen angst, it's a struggle that continues every day for those who feel like they can't/don't/won't fit in. In other words, an album for everyone. Now just wait until you hear Gustaf's new record. Gbg's #1 antiheroes bow out one last time at Way Out West in August, but The Fine Arts Showcase carries the torch onward.
This one's for you Gustaf, take care of yourself man. I hope we meet again soon.
Broder Daniel - Love doesn't last
SvartThe other day while chatting with my friend about Håkan Hellström, she became frustrated with me when I described the artist as a symbol of Gothenburg, sitting on an icon throne. She laughed when I gave him a simile Halo thing. She contended that we need something in addition than Hellström in this town. The curious coincidence about this; the same day I stumbled on a band that made me say, a new Håkan sound! Is this his little brother that isn't supposed to be like him? (Swedes you get it). No it's not, I am talking about the band Svart, with their EP "Älskade älskade du". These guys are delivering Swedish indiepop, from the generation that grew up with Broder Daniel, Melody Club, The Ark and was influenced by my halo guy above, but also by Bad Cash Quartet and Hello Saferide. A fascinating blend isn't it? And it serves, it serves, it serves! This is as a rowdy popsicle that all of us may want to taste, infinitely, this summer. This EP consists of 5 songs, all good, my favorites is for sure "Elin när hon dansar and Tåget", which makes me think of Per Gessle's "Här kommer alla känslorna på en och samma gång" and Kristian Anttila's "Paul Weller", a great combo. I will bring this EP to the summer evenings with barbecuing and give Svart applause since they are giving us something extra and something original that can be described as Student-life music. Finally, People! We have something more to listen to than "För sent för edelweiss" this summer. This is a sunny-romance, spreading love and delight. 5 songs could be more, I want more! However... my friend told me she likes it. Is this something we asked for? What do you think?
- Therese Buxfäldt
Broder Daniel will play Way Out West this year as a tribute to departed guitarist Anders Göthberg: http://www.wayoutwest.se/
