Culkin to the UK, Germany

Swedish indierockers Culkin are heading abroad this fall:

10/27 - tba, London (UK)
11/01 - tba, Hamburg (GER)

More to come?

MP3: In These Woods - Ghost

In These Woods' self-titled debut/final? EP from late 2010 didn't make much of a splash, but it's still one of my favorite indierock releases of recent memory. While I love bands like Culkin and Tennis Bafra, they're often operating more off of a classic US indie template as opposed to ITW's inherent Swedish-ness. Of course it all comes from the same place if you trace it back far enough, but ITW has a far stronger direct kinship to Him Kerosene and Fireside than Sonic Youth or Dinosaur Jr.. It's in the sharpness of the rhythms, the way the melodies move and layer; there's nothing else like it.

In These Woods - Ghost

DiS Some Velvet Mixtape: 2012 so far

Drowned in Sound has resurrected their short-lived "Some Velvet Mourning" heavy guitar/shoegaze column with a new edition highlighting new 2012 releases from artists such as Culkin, The Megaphonic Thrift and 120 Days: http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/4144750-some-velvet-mixtape--2012-so-far-in-layers-loops-drones-and-noise

MP3: Culkin - Glow

Can't deny that I count various members of Culkin as my personal friends, but that doesn't mean I don't sincerely believe they are a good band. Wait, scratch that: great band! I know I'm predisposed to enjoy guitar-based indierock -- that much is obvious -- but that also doesn't mean that Culkin automatically qualify on that front either because there's a shit-ton of bands with dudes playing guitars who are straight-up garbage. Along with Tennis Bafra and a few others, Culkin herald the arrival of what I hope to be a new age of Swedish indierawk, with one foot in the past (see song titles such as "Tim Kerosene" and if you don't get it, do your homework) and eyes toward the future. The vital ingredients: strong hooks, a muscular rhythm section and dense melodies. Culkin has it all, along with triumphant guitar solos as a bonus.
"Glow" is the slow-burn epic opener of the band's new album "Several Sundays" and I hope they don't get mad at me for sharing it with you, but I'm doing it anyway. Act first, apologize later y'know. Buy the CD here or listen at Spotify.

Culkin - Glow

MP3: Franky Lee - A man without a heart

Some of Franky Lee's bio material attempts to peg them as an indierock throwback, but there's no comparison to bands such as Tennis Bafra or Culkin. No, Franky Lee is a straight-up turn-of-the-millennium style arena-sized alternative rock act ala Foo Fighters or Jimmy Eat World. Which is by no means a bad thing! The band I'm currently playing with kind of attempts to cop that sound too, for what it's worth, though we probably throw in a few more new-wavey influences. Anyhow, I really do like this sort of stuff despite it being patently uncool in many social circles. It's definitely not punk to aspire to such pop grandeur -- a funny thing to note when you consider Franky Lee's member pedigree (likewise, in my own band's case). I guess there's a freedom in getting old in that those sort of petty things don't seem to matter as much anymore. I'm feeling it, signed: an unapologetic fan of pop convention. Go see Franky Lee when they play Debaser Malmö next week at It's a Trap!'s clubnight.

Franky Lee - A man without a heart

Culkin - Libbets Casey

I've talked a lot about Culkin the past few years, but here now finally is the band's first official single "Libbets Casey". Look for the band's much-anticipated (and totally great) album "Several Sundays" to be released on March 7 via HaHa Fonogram.

Culkin - Several Sundays (teaser)

Check out a video sampler preview of the upcoming Culkin album "Several Sundays". I've been fortunate enough to get a preview listen and can confirm that the whole record is great, just you wait! And when you're done with that, go ahead and do a search for national aerobics on YouTube. You won't be disappointed by that either.

Culkin - Left behind (plus tourdates!)

Finally, new music from Culkin, giving us a taste of what to expect from their long-awaited full-length debut which will be out on HaHa Fonogram... eventually. The band will also be touring Scandinavia with Simon Says No! and Youngteam as part of the "Revolution in Sound" tour in September -- dates here: http://www.brothersister.se/gigs/

Life Before Man @ Absolut Noise

Absolut Noise has a new track up from Life Before Man, a long-running/never-documented Swedish indie act featuring my friend Mattias from Culkin/KVLR: http://absolutnoise.blogspot.com/2010/11/internet-killed-tape-stars.html
If you dig noisy guitar-driven indie (such as Mattias' other/previous bands), you will dig this. I do.

Culkin got it down on tape

Culkin, Swedish indierockers la classiqué, have finished recording their debut album and are now beginning to mix.

Culkin - On vacation

Swedish noisy indierockers Culkin are streaming a new track at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/culkin
Recommended for anyone who's a fan of loud, swirling guitars.

MP3: Brick - I

Culkin played an extra special show at Club Probation/Snövit in Stockholm on Friday and you missed it. I would've been there for sure if I wasn't halfway around the world, but hey, that's life -- at least I had the honor of second-handedly providing guest vocalist Nandor Hegedüs a mp3 of his old band's song so he could refresh his memory before hitting the stage. That's the kind of odd international world we live in now.

Brick - I

Culkin in the studio

Swedish noiserockers Culkin are currently in the studio working on what might end up as their full-length debut. Watch: http://www.youtubedoubler.com/?video1=http://www.youtube.com/v/4y4g8C0-bs4&start1=0&video2=http://www.youtube.com/v/L9m2g5QWZi0&start2=0#comment-29356942

Top 10s for 2009: Mathias Rask-Andersen (Culkin)

Sirius playlist week #38

Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU featuring special guest Mathias Rask-Andersen from the band Culkin:

01. Culkin - Payperfist
02. TALK 1
03. Him Kerosene - Raceday
04. Park Hotell - Happy love
05. Neil Halstead - Paint a face
06. TALK 2
07. Culkin - Glow
08. Scraps of Tape - Drink forever
09. The Bear Quartet - Northern
10. KVLR - Capitol city child
11. TALK 3
12. Brick - I
13. Blithe - Allegiance
14. Giant Boar - Jessica Hell
15. Suburban Kids with Biblical Names - Marry me
16. Popsicle - Not forever
17. TALK 4
18. Culkin - Insomniac

Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.