Artist: Him Kerosene
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Luleå-based indierockers Park Hotell managed to score a nice bit of publicity thanks to Mattias Alkberg's flattering one-sheet writeup. That's fine and good, but how about the music? Well, surprise surprise: they sound like a Norrland indierock band. Naturally, I think that's great - I'm a huge fan of that style and besides the mighty Bear Quartet, count many other peers as my favorites such as KVLR, Him Kerosene and Isolation Years. Park Hotell emphasizes the lighter, airier side of things though that looming presence of northern darkess always remains in the background. Otherwise, expect tons of twisted guitars and plenty of the sort of unique melodies that are a given for the genre. "Born a thief" is one of the more driving tracks on "The guest who stayed forever", the bands new double-EP (two short CDs packaged in a nice gatefold sleeve). It's probably the one song that reminds me the most of HK which is maybe why I like it so much. My only complaint: it's a shame we had to wait so long for this to finally come out.
Park Hotell - Born a thief
8
The title track kick-starts this EP with typical, charismatic TEWBK-sounds. Crooked, skewed guitars over driven drumbeats and cynical lyrics sung by singer Niklas Quintana and, yeah, I could easily say I've heard it before ('cause I have), but this is too good to be true. When the chorus sets in ("This I do just to piss you off"), it is once again so sad that this band is still one of Sweden's best kept secrets. Not to the enlightened readers of It's A Trap! though - both Avi and I are dedicated fans. "Top fuel motorsåg" (for the non-Swedes, "motorsåg" is Swedish for chainsaw) is, in all its charm, somewhat a tribute to My Bloody Valentine and "Medicine and airbags" (previously released on the "It's a trap! Readers companion volume two"-comp.) administers the heritage of Him Kerosene in the finest way possible. According to rumours, I've heard this EP is just a teaser for a full-length coming in a near future. And what a teaser it is!
- Jonas Appelqvist
Aerial's new album "The sentinel" is so good, it makes me want to cry. If I was in an aspiring post-rock band and I heard this record, I would sell my instruments and quit music. If there's any album that deserves the adjective "face-melting", it's this one. Right out of the gate, it roars like some unholy hybrid of Mono and Emperor crossed with Him Kerosene. Epic barely begins to describe it. Soaring dual guitars, a vast, dramatic vision and a recording that blends them together perfectly. When I first heard this, my brain barely recognized it as a band - it sounds more like a single entity than four separate people. I imagine Aerial as some inhuman living/breathing thing from which this amazing music emanates. Eventually the parts become more distinct, but the magic never dissipates. I was shocked that Aerial could top last year's "Black rain from the bombing" so easily, I will be even more shocked if anyone else releases something this year even approximately this good. Right now Aerial is untouchable.
Buy the album here.
Aerial - You will all die, all things will
One of the big things that got me deeper into Swedish/Scandinavian rock way back when was explosive, guitar-heavy indierock. Fireside, Starmarket, Him Kerosene, KVLR - these are the bands that caught my interest and had me pouring through liner notes looking for more names to track down. Sadly, that scene is nowhere near as strong these days though there are a few who keep the fire burning: The End Will Be Kicks, Seven Feet Four, Aerial Convoj plus young upstarts like Traktor and today's post subjects The Sound O.E. The band has been lurking in the shadows for a couple years now, but it wasn't until very recently that they seemed to rise above and the new three-song EP "Me and Laureline" proves it. The screechy sprechstimme delivery of the verses might be a bit much for some, but remember that what they're doing is essentially sloganeering - the words are meant to be heard loud and clear. It's call & response; a call to action. When the harmonies of the chorus come in, the intentions are indisputable. The Sound O.E know exactly what they're doing. I think the arrangement could still be tightened up a bit, but I like what they're doing and definitely look forward to hearing more.
The Sound O.E - New bankruptcy
New track today from Aerial, one of the first signings to the new label (The method of) Nomethod. No disrespect to QGMR whose "No language" EP comes out tomorrow as the label's first release (available here as a cheap paid download), but Aerial is the band that grabbed my attention. The band's four-song album "Black rain from the bombing" (yes, four loooong songs) doesn't come out until the end of the month, but I'm just too excited about it to wait that long. The label compares them to Mono and Sonic Youth with elements of "Blizzard"-era Motorpsycho, but I'm also hearing touches of classic Swedish indie like Him Kerosene. Post-guitar-rock? Anyhow, the riffs on this thing are monstrous. So many beautiful twisted patterns, weaving in and out of one another. 2006's first great release. For you lucky folk in Stockholm, be sure to check out both Aerial and QGMR at the free Nomethod showcase at Sjöhästen on February 11. Flyer here.
New track today from Aerial, one of the first signings to the new label (The method of) Nomethod. No disrespect to QGMR whose "No language" EP comes out tomorrow as the label's first release (available here as a cheap paid download), but Aerial is the band that grabbed my attention. The band's four-song album "Black rain from the bombing" (yes, four loooong songs) doesn't come out until the end of the month, but I'm just too excited about it to wait that long. The label compares them to Mono and Sonic Youth with elements of "Blizzard"-era Motorpsycho, but I'm also hearing touches of classic Swedish indie like Him Kerosene. Post-guitar-rock? Anyhow, the riffs on this thing are monstrous. So many beautiful twisted patterns, weaving in and out of one another. 2006's first great release. For you lucky folk in Stockholm, be sure to check out both Aerial and QGMR at the free Nomethod showcase at Sjöhästen on February 11. Flyer here.
Aerial - Time is on fire
After what seemed like an eternity of starts and stops, it's finally here. The deubt self-titled album from The End Will Be Kicks is finished and it's a monster. This has been my most anticipated release for a loooong time and I'm happy to report that it doesn't disappoint in the slightest. As mentioned before numerous times, TEWBK is the new project of ex Him Kerosene frontman Niklas Quintana and drummer Tomas Turunen. The sound is still steeped in the trademarks of Norrland heavy indie rock - noisy guitars and thick, dissonant melodies - but twisted in a way that is unique and new. Just listen to the guitar bzzzz and hum on the opening - that's hardly a riff, that's a swarm of locusts ready to attack. And then the chorus hits and the whole thing opens up like a flower to reveal something even more beautiful. As great as this record is, it's also bittersweet because it's the end of the line for Chalksounds Records. It's wonderful to wrap things up on such a high note, but the current record biz climate is just too much for most indies to take. It's one thing to put out a few records as a hobby, but if you need to rely on that income, chances are it ain't gonna be easy. But let's not get off track here! Listen to the song!
After what seemed like an eternity of starts and stops, it's finally here. The deubt self-titled album from The End Will Be Kicks is finished and it's a monster. This has been my most anticipated release for a loooong time and I'm happy to report that it doesn't disappoint in the slightest. As mentioned before numerous times, TEWBK is the new project of ex Him Kerosene frontman Niklas Quintana and drummer Tomas Turunen. The sound is still steeped in the trademarks of Norrland heavy indie rock - noisy guitars and thick, dissonant melodies - but twisted in a way that is unique and new. Just listen to the guitar bzzzz and hum on the opening - that's hardly a riff, that's a swarm of locusts ready to attack. And then the chorus hits and the whole thing opens up like a flower to reveal something even more beautiful. As great as this record is, it's also bittersweet because it's the end of the line for Chalksounds Records. It's wonderful to wrap things up on such a high note, but the current record biz climate is just too much for most indies to take. It's one thing to put out a few records as a hobby, but if you need to rely on that income, chances are it ain't gonna be easy. But let's not get off track here! Listen to the song!
The End Will Be Kicks - Always looking out
Today's oldie classic comes from Him Kerosene, one of my all-time favorites. Seriously, this is the kind of stuff I live for: huge walls of discordant guitars, dissonant melodies and a heavy rhythm section. What more do you need? This is the post-hardcore/indierock sound that got me hooked on the Norrland scene. From early Fireside, Starmarket and Brick to other bands like KVLR, Breach, Convoj and Seven Feet Four (not from the North, I know), Him Kerosene helped define and establish what I consider to be my favorite sound. And let's not forget HK frontman Niklas Quintana's newest band The End Will Be Kicks, also featuring ex-HK drummer Tomas Turunen. Today's selection comes from the sadly out-of-print magnum opus "Start.Stop", first released back in 1997 on Telegram/Warner, but it must be said that all of their releases are brilliant and worth tracking down even if they aren't quite so readily available. It's worth it, trust me. You want to start a band that I'm enthusiastically endorse, here's your blueprint.
Not just one, but two new top 10 lists today! As always, be sure to check them out and keep on coming back for new ones.
New mp3 today from Brick, a band I really know nothing about except that they are awesome. This track comes from the band's 1996 debut album "Suomi" on Dolores Recordings and the sound is a perfect mix of huge discordant riffs and pounding rhythms. It captures everything I love about the mid-to-late 90s Swedish pop/hardcore crossover scene, epitomized by bands such as Him Kerosene, Starmarket and KVLR and carried on by more recent acts such as The End Will Be Kicks and Seven Feet Four. The melodies are strong, but there's still enough dissonance and heaviness to make it interesting. Who knows what these dudes are up to now? The world needs more bands like this.
Chalksounds reports that they are now 100% sold out of the Him Kerosene "No mend no repair" EP and will not be repressing it. However, all is not lost- they are now offering it as a free mp3 download. Head on over to their online store to hook it up: http://www.chalksounds.com/record.php?id=12
New mp3 today from Norway's Cadillac, a cover of "Arabian Knights" by Siouxsie and the Banshees. They're kind of a schizophrenic band - sometimes they sound like a Norwegian version of Him Kerosene with their use of thick chords and sharp start/stop rhythms, but other times they approximate the sounds of older Motorpsycho, The Cult and Queens of the Stone Age. The new album "Magnetic City" was produced by Rich Robinson of the Black Crowes and recorded at Carriage House Studios in Connecticut with engineer Chris Ribando (Black Crowes, Mary J Blige). I've only barely scratched the surface of the record so far, but I think it's easily their best work to-date. It's dark and dirty and balanced with just the right amount of both heaviness and melody.
The End Will Be Kicks