Artist: KVLR
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I do believe I've covered all the new music I'm genuinely excited about, so I'm going to use today's mp3 post to promote my show on Sirius tonight (11pm ET, channel 26) since I'm doing a special guitar-rock feature. Now when I say "guitar-rock", bear in mind that I mean indie guitar-rock, not classic rock, or 80s rock or anything like that. Generally speaking, I'm talking about the kind of stuff that draws influence from bands such as Sonic Youth, Fugazi or even Quicksand, the kind of bands that Norrland pumped out in the 90s, bands like Starmarket, KVLR, Blithe, Fireside, Brick, The Bear Quartet... the list goes on and on. One of my absolute favorites though has got to be Him Kerosene. Niklas Quintana plays guitar like no other man except for those he inspired and his riffs are so amazing, so unique. The melodies are instantly recognizable and they point north -- there's no way this sound could originate anywhere other than northern Sweden.
"Whatever gets you by" isn't quite a ballad, but it is one of the more downtempo tracks on their masterpiece album "Start. Stop." (1997/Telegram Records). As is typical for bands from the far north, the music is seeped in heavy melancholy and resignation, though the huge guitar melodies provide a triumphant counterpoint to the sadness. The way the guitar lines twist and turn around each other is absolutely incredible. And the rhythm section is sharp too, like the album title implies, starting and stopping on a dime. I actually have a different HK track lined up for tonight's show, but they're such an amazing band, I feel compelled to share more. Too bad Warner (Telegram's parent company) hasn't been interested in doing a reissue or keeping the album in print. It's a lost gem.
Him Kerosene - Whatever gets you by
What do you get when two ex-bassists from KVLR form a new band together? Could it be noisy 90s-style indierock? Why, yes it could! Surprise! Seriously though, why aren't there more bands playing this kind of stuff? I do love big pop melodies buried in fuzz, especially when layered with huge effects-laden guitar hooks. And when they get that off-kilter, curved-air quality? Perfect! Don't let this sound die, people! It's not retro, it's just good. This is what I consider true (tr00?) indie rock. As a bonus for all you nerdy Swede-rock historians, they even cover "Allegiance" by Blithe - how cool is that? Download today's track and then head to myspace to hear more: http://www.myspace.com/culkin
Culkin - Pay per fist
So the setup was a barbecue and some summer hanging out, then Suburban Kids and Jap Adaptors would play to support Half Handed Cloud and Lake from the States. We picked up some nice pre-marinated entrecôtes from Sabis, Jonas (UDDUP, Ellis) brought some porkchops that he'd marinated himself with his homemade marinade (there's Coca-Cola in it). I hadn't grilled anything in maybe 12 years. There's something about meat on a grill, it's some kind of guy-magnet. Before I knew it, we were four guys standing around the grill watching meat getting grilled, talking about tenderizing. The vegetarian grill, on the other hand, was totally lame.
We'd brought a Frisbee and started to throw, we soon had some folks playing. Johan Hedberg from SKwBN played with us and we were having alot of fun goofing of as the sun started to set. Joel (KVLR) was there, Matte (UDDUP, ELLIS) Pontus, Rickard... seemed like the entire Haninge-scene showed up. People were hanging out and it was cool.
SKwBN played a short set. I didn't recognize much, but it was really good. They're fun to watch. I think a lot were new songs. One song was in Swedish. Jap Adaptors were also really cool. I hadn't seen them before. They have a similar sound as SKwBN but also different. Great guitars. I was getting drunk.
Dinosaur Jr came on the stereo and me and Jonas played air guitar, mouthing the solos. "Take a run at the sun" is a really cool song. The clouds had parted earlier, so it was a bright northern summer night, kinda cold. and then we went home. Wish you'd been there.
- Mathias Rask-Andersen
In Malmö today with a side-trip to CPH on the itinerary to see some Norwegian bands. Viva la internationale!
Everybody always asks me- what is it about Swedish/Scandinavian music that you like so much, that makes it different? Now that's a very complicated question that deserves many hours/coffees/beers worth of discussion or maybe even a full book treatment (someday?), but the short answer is simple. I know what I like and I know it when I hear it. Yes, there is a lot of Scandinavian rock that is derivative of American or UK sounds, but there's also lots of stuff with its own identity. One such scene is Swedish noiserock, a sound I identify with bands like Starmarket and KVLR, bands who took the template of classic US indierock ala Sonic Youth/Hüsker Dü/etc. and added their own touch. The Sound O.E carries on that tradition, especially on songs like the epic album closer "Party at the moontower". You get that angular/syncopated heaviness, but it's tempered by a lovely lyricism and strong melodies. Other tracks on the album tend to be more choppy, more heavy and generally more hardcore and they're fine, but this is the stuff that really grabs me. Some bands did epic indie before Arcade Fire, believe it or not. This draws from that.
The Sound O.E - Party at the moontower
Here's the playlist for this week's radio show:
01. Britta Persson - Cliffhanger
02. TALK 1
03. Death By Kite - Sweet M
04. KVLR - Traitors and thieves
05. Anna Ternheim - Today is a good day
06. TALK 2
07. Don Juan Dracula - Take me home (Johan Angebjörn remix feat. Sally Shapiro)
08. Amorphis - Weaving the incantation
09. Thomas Denver Jonsson - Dreams at the film club (feat. Nina Kinert)
10. TALK 3
11. Don't Be A Stranger - Lonely together
12. Madrugada - Tonight I have no words for you
13. Majessic Dreams - Have to go
14. TALK 4
15. Pavan - The bird
16. Bröderna Lindgren - Om en guldfisk (feat. Kristofer Åström)
17. The Tarantula Waltz - Where I end and you begin
18. Adam Tensta - They wanna know
19. TALK 5
20. Commando M Pigg - Mot stjärnorna
21. Gravy - Rock scientists
22. Jonas Game - ADHD
23. TALK 6
24. Linus Larsson & John Roger Olsson - In the shadow
25. Idiot Kid - Go to sleep
26. Mats Öberg - Cool water - på Den Gyldene Freden
27. TALK 7
28. Pascal - Längtar efter dig
29. The Bear Quartet - I would be poor
30. Peloton - Aranburu
31. Royal Downfall - Lightning strikes twice
32. TALK 8
33. Made In Sweden - Winter's a bummer
34. Erik Enocksson - The state the sea left me in
35. Asha Ali - Coward heart
36. TALK 9
37. A-ha - Celice
Special offer for December! Buy one "It's a trap! Reader's companion", get the other for free! Or buy either of the Logh or Tiger Lou 7"s and get a dollar off each! Also note that I've lowered the price of the KVLR CD to a mere $4! Go shopping!
The playlist for my radio show this week:
01. Mattias Bärjed - 99 pounds
02. TALK 1
03. Piroth - Waltz for prima ballerina
04. Hyacinth House - Swedish signs on Monkey Island
05. Aerial - Secret goddess
06. Icos - Fly away
07. TALK 2
08. Robyn - Konichiwa bitches (Trentemøller remix)
09. Folke Rabe - Argh!
10. Him Kerosene - Ladybugs
11. TALK 3
12. Audionom - In the streets
13. The Alpine - Trigger
14. Immanu El - Astral days
15. TALK 4
16. Nina Ramsby & Martin Hederos - Jag har en vän
17. Logh - Thieves in the palace
18. Galento - Gunnar Hardings paraply
19. TALK 5
20. Promise and the Monster - Antarkis
21. The Je Ne Sais Quoi - Heroica
22. Anchor - In the throes of passion
23. TALK 6
24. Repoman - Valley of snakes
25. Ulver - Shadows of the sun
26. Bobby Baby - Do not twist
27. TALK 7
28. Superfamily - Warszawa
29. The Fine Arts Showcase - Modern love
30. Sinikka Langeland - Sus i myrull
31. TALK 8
32. Graveyard - Thin line
33. Mai - Snowing downtown
34. KVLR - Abomination
35. TALK 9
36. Säkert! - Sanningsdan
Our usual Friday programming is being preempted this week because I've got an extra-special treat, Tobias Hellkvist performing a cover of "Abomination" by KVLR. What could be better than one of the current best up-and-coming acts covering one of my all-time favorites? Naturally, I think it's awesome, but then again, how could I not? It's almost as if it was tailormade just for me!
Tobias' version keeps the basic melody intact, but by stripping away the heavy drums (one of KVLR's main calling-cards), he gives the song a whole new feeling. Johan Sellman's original vocal is commanding and venomous while Tobias sings with something that's more akin to simmering resentment. There's a slight weariness that's at odds with the lyrics, but it works in the end, kinda in the same way that the new José González record does. You don't have to shout to show you're angry, y'know? It's the quiet ones that you really gotta watch out for.
Tobias Hellkvist - Abomination
Check out The Rocket Bank, a new-ish Umeå-based act featuring members from KVLR/Kevlar, Puffin, Carpet People and more: http://www.myspace.com/therocketbank
Here's the playlist for my radio show on Saturday:
01. Ted Gärdestad - Räcker jag till
02. TALK 1
03. The Setting Son - In a certain way
04. Beyond Dawn - TRNQL
05. Miss Li - Let her go
06. TALK 2
07. Jonna Lee - Dried out eyes
08. Death By Kite - Hiroshima
09. The Motorhomes - I wanna make you sing
10. TALK 3
11. Printer - Minds out
12. Alarma Man - Sweden, Sweden
13. Pistol Disco - Radiation
14. TALK 4
15. Knugen Faller - Lugna favoriter
16. Scraps of Tape - Since all the birds are moving, shouldn't we
17. Carpet People - If I lose my voice
18. TALK 5
19. Asha Ali - A promise broken
20. Ingenting - Punkdrommar
21. Holiday for Strings - I got two hands
22. TALK 6
23. NEI - City of gold
24. FAP - Sjömannen
25. Monoton - Hours
26. TALK 7
27. Deathbed - Everyday heroin
28. Dibaba - Go marching in
29. Johnossi - Execution song
30. Sista Sekunden - Se opp
31. TALK 8
32. Laakso - Worse case scenario
33. Tiger Lou - Sell out
34. Peter Bjorn and John - Matchmaker
35. TALK 9
36. Johndoe - Hardt som faen
37. Espen Jørgensen - Move ahead - quickly
38. Säkert! - Och jag grät mig till sömns efter alla dar
39. TALK 10
40. KVLR - Slow clapping
41. Anna Leong - 61
42. Final Exit - Bent out of shape
43. TALK 11
44. The Bear Quartet - Lights out, sound off
The playlist for my radio show this week:
01. Säkert! - Allt som är ditt
02. TALK 1
03. Madrugada - Shine
04. My Midnight Creeps - Don't let 'em bring you down
05. TALK 2
06. Asha Ali - A promise broken
07. Detektivbyrån - Hemvägen
08. Pelle Carlberg - Clever girls like clever boys much more than clever boys like clever girls
09. TALK 3
10. Enslaved - 793 (Slaget om Lindisfarne)
11. TALK 4
12. Fare You Well - Take me away
13. The Kissaway Trail - Smother + Evil = Hurt
14. Emmon - Wake up time (Thermostatic remix)
15. TALK 5
16. KVLR - Traitors and thieves
17. Magnus Carlsson - Va med mig
18. Jonas Kullhammar Quartet - Bebopalulia
19. TALK 6
20. De Må Være Belgiere - Cirkler
21. Johndoe - Kjøtere
22. Manes - Deeprooted
23. TALK 7
24. Khoma - Stop making speeches
25. The Giant's Dream - Significant dawn
26. Las Puertas - The water
27. TALK 8
28. Lordi - The chainsaw buffet
29. Logh - A sunset knife fight
30. Lack - 5 o'clock in the evening
31. TALK 9
32. The Bear Quartet - Before the trenches
33. Jan Johansson - Visa från Utanmyra
34. TALK 10
35. Kashmir - The aftermath
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
My good friends KVLR are back in the studio working on new material: http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=60251497&blogID=268111610
They'll probably never tour again which is a shame, but at least we'll get more music at some point.
Suburban Kids with Biblical Names + Jap Adaptors