It takes a concerted effort not to judge this album by its cover, and opener "People's faces" does a pretty good job at shifting one's attention from the hideous, frightening artwork to the intricacies of Keith Canisius' music. Then you get about halfway into the song and you're not sure why it hasn't evolved into something else. After five minutes of repetitious instrumentation, the song finally starts going somewhere -- and promptly ends. Unfortunately, this pattern repeats throughout the album. Every song that opens with promise eventually self-destructs. The album feels like a meandering three-hour film that could have, in the right hands, been edited into a 90-minute masterpiece, and there are plenty of moments that betray the talents of the composer. Sadly, these moments just aren't enough. As background music, it's not half bad; as the follow up to Canisius' "Ferris wheel makeout", it's perplexing and, at best, a shadow of what it might have been. - Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
Music blog Wonders Make Joy have assembled a decent-looking comp of contemporary Danish indie for free download called "Indieanermusik": http://wondersmakejoy.dk/?page_id=1427
Featured artists include Choir Of Young Believers, The Spy In The Mes, The Kissaway Trail, Sleep Party People, Keith Canisius, Chimes & Bells, Cartridge and 4 Guys From The Future.
Danish shoegazer Keith Canisius will release his third solo album "This time it's our high" on September 6 via . Hear a preview tune at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/keithcanisius
This new Keith Canisius track sounds very 80s, very clean, very studio-refined. Just listen to that sharp guitar and those synth tones and imagine the video treatment, replete with shaggy Euro mullets and trench coats. If you lived through it, you should be able to picture it without much trouble, though my own memory is failing me when it comes to conjuring up specific examples. Trust me, okay? Of course, in Keith's case, his helium-laced vocals give the song a more ethereal touch -- hence the shoegaze label that so often gets attached to his work, whether it be solo or with Rumskib -- though it's not so odd as to break my preconceived illusion. Think of it as another instrument. Otherwise, the song stretches a little on the long side, but when it finally peaks, it does so in a satisfying way with a nice wash of swirling layers and canned reverb. Definitely worth a listen.
Rumskib frontman Keith Canisius will release his sophomore solo album "Waves" on October 14 in Japan and October 20 worldwide via Quince Records. Samples at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/keithcanisius
The new Rumskib album "Better places to dive" will be released in September. Hear a preview track called "Sleepwalking" at mainman Keith Canisius' myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/keithcanisius
There's no escaping the My Bloody Valentine comparisons with "The sea me, feel me", the opener of Rumskib composer Keith Canisius' debut solo effort. But with other examples such as "Naïve struggle" also available to the listener, it seems somewhat unfair to solely refer to Canisius as yet another Kevin Shields' disciple. It's undeniable that "Ferris wheel makeout" is strongly influenced by Shields' songwriting and production, but there are numerous departures from the crashing waves of delay-saturated guitars and soft vocals. The electronic drum arrangements allow Canisius' songs to feel focused in their quicker tempos, funneling the dreampop, shoegazer instrumentalism into digestible avenues -- especially apparent on the song "Watching old films with new eyes". No matter how overwhelming the keyboards or guitars become, Canisius never lets his compositions slip out of control. While the songs do meander at time, the fact that a listener is left with some sense of coherence at the end of any given track is a testament to Canisius' ability as a composer. - Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
01. Desert Planet - Riot sector 68
02. TALK 1
03. Grande - We did it all
04. Sara Berg - Crawl back from under
05. Dialog Cet - Buckfighter
06. TALK 2
07. Doktor Kosmos - Doktor Kosmos släpper en skiva
08. Halph - Weight
09. Bright Oak - The undertow
10. TALK 3
11. Juvelen - They don't love you
12. Frivolvol - Take it from the beginning
13. Little Jimmy Reeves - Sidetracked
14. TALK 4
15. Keith Canisius - Omorose
16. The Kid - Mayhem troopers
17. Lognhalsmottagningen - Bodybuilder
18. Markus Krunegård - Rocken spelar ingen roll längre
19. TALK 5
20. Firefox AK - Techno tears
21. Biker Boy - April song (Mr Bananas remix)
22. Thomas Denver Jonsson - Saved by the bell
23. TALK 6
24. Nina Kinert - Pets & friends
25. Familjen - Hög luft
26. Brainbombs - Down in the gutter
27. TALK 7
28. Anders Persson och Carl Smith - Morgonsol i April
29. Abduktio - Uutisia rintamalta
30. Nordvargr - Rektal B
31. Karin Holmberg + hab - Who we are
32. TALK 8
33. Lapko - Killer whales
34. Madrugada - Lift me
35. Kristofer Åström & Hidden Truck - What I came here for
36. TALK 9
37. Sambassadeur - Subtle changes
38. Dreamboy - What have I done
39. The Tough Alliance - Lucky
40. TALK 10
41. Logh - Saturday nightmares
Rumskib's main songwriter Keith Canisius has signed a solo deal with Japanese label Quince Records and will be releasing his debut album in February. Listen to demos: http://www.myspace.com/keithcanisius
The Cocteau Twins are back! And now they're called... Rumskib! I don't mean for that to sound condescending; actually this luminous Danish duo recreates the sound of the ultimate shoegazer band better than anyone I've heard (even more than the previous nominee, Autumn's Grey Solace). There's no denying that multi-talented guitarist/songwriter Keith Canisius has Robin Guthrie's churning, atmospheric guitar sound down pat, and vocalist Tine Louise Kortermand has a sweet, pure tone that evokes Elizabeth Fraser without being an obvious imitation. "Where are the flowers" and "Crucial love games" are just two of the stunningly beautiful songs here, showcasing everything good about the dreampop genre in concise sonic settings. There's a couple of alluring instrumentals, too - the best of which is the bracingly moody "Ferris wheel blackout". This record is consistent and well-produced (Canisius and programmer/synthmeister Jonas Munk shared the honors in that department), and the spirit of the genre positively gleams throughout. So weep no more for the premature cessation of Cocteaus-style transcendence... this is easily the next best thing. - Kevin Renick
Keith Canisius
Keith Canisius
