Listen at Knife and Ape twists away from their usual skronky art-punk to deftly apply the melodic sensibilities of The Residents/Snakefinger. Does it make you queasy? It does for me, especially when the sad-clown guitar licks come in. And the half-drowned, sea-sick vocals? All part of the aesthetic and yes, 100% intentional. Art is not all rainbows and unicorns, y'know. Beauty comes in many forms.
Knife and Ape - Sexual tension
Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU:
01. Sonic Ritual - Take the edge off
02. TALK 1
03. Thåström - Kärlek är för dom
04. Elenette - Att göra en hit
05. Maskinen - Bränner
06. TALK 2
07. The Skull Defekts - Habit
08. Grave - Into the grave
09. Murmansk - Moth
10. TALK 3
11. Kite - My girl and I
12. Laakso - Worst case scenario
13. Samtidigt Som - Denna sida mot fienden
14. TALK 4
15. David Åhlén - We sprout in thy soil
16. Knife and Ape - Buck teeth
17. Existensminimum - 1993
18. Cut City - Departure in particular
19. TALK 5
20. Masquer - Hanging garden
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.
Moptaco Dics, the label of Knife and Ape/Chronic Heist/et al., will be releasing a new cassette from Optic Nest this Friday entitled "Plays The Buchla 200". I guess there's a record release show at Kolsyrefabriken in Stockholm as well, with Altar of Flies, Time Deleters, Jean-Louis Huhta and others, but I'm not 100% sure of the details.
Chronic HeistThe shambling honky-tonk goth of Chronic Heist is both familiar and other-worldly, in that I know I've heard it before, but I just can't place it. The trio ambles its way through a two-track workout on this 7", drunkenly wobbling and menacing, though desperate to hold on to the last remnants of cocktail pianist geniality. There's something not quite right in that smile, so don't make eye contact. No, this is not the peppy jazz of Miss Li, nor the confessional musings of Frida Hyvönen; this is darker, weirder. They've got swing though, that's for sure. Those of you curious to explore the outlying edges of DIY post-hardcore/indie experimentalism, ala Tar...Feathers, Knife and Ape, et al are sure to find something to like, but I suspect casual indie heads will remain vexed. As for me, the band continues to try new things and I enjoy that, I just don't think they've perfected it yet.
- Avi Roig
Check out the new Daniel "Fagge" Fagerström-directed video for "Sexual tension" by Knife and Ape: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCj_5z4QR7s
Swedish label Deleted Art (Cut City, Knife and Ape) has a new website: http://www.deletedart.org/
Here's the playlist for this week's radio show:
01. Logh - Saturday nightmares
02. TALK 1
03. Pay TV - Miss Capitalist
04. TST - No teenage future
05. Dmitry Fyodorov - Wolfbrigade
06. TALK 2
07. The Opium Cartel - Flicker girl (ft. Rachel Haden)
08. Bjorn Ulvaeus & Benny Andersson - Någonting är pa väg
09. On Volcano - Out of sight
10. TALK 3
11. Lemonator - Heart burns
12. Loudpipes - Downhill blues
13. The Greencoats - Honey
14. TALK 4
15. Christian and Karla-Therese Kjellvander - Two souls
16. Detektivbyrån - Neonland
17. Knife and Ape - Upset blues
18. TALK 5
19. Cut City - Replacement
20. Culkin - Twin Lakes annual
21. Last Days of April - Playerin
22. TALK 6
23. Viking Truckers - Love on the road
Reminder: my show on Sirius Left of Center (channel 26) airs Sundays at 11pm ET with repeats on Monday.
Artpunks Knife and Ape are now working with new label Moptaco Dics. No idea when a new record will be out, but they are apparently working on a video for the track "Sexual tension" this weekend.
Watch a seizure-inducing video of Swedish art-punks Knife and Ape performing the track "Night touch" live: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdN8jYzeZ4w
Here's this week's radio show playlist:
01. Siena Root - Waiting for the sun
02. TALK 1
03. Cult of Luna - Eternal kingdom
04. Svartbag - Black Capricorn
05. Kite - Ways to dance
06. TALK 2
07. Eero Johannes - Finnrexin
08. Looptroop Rockers - The building
09. Holiday for Strings - Touch the tiger
10. TALK 3
11. Silverbullit - Magnetic city
12. Thomas Denver Jonsson - My wardrobe
13. Samtidigt Som - Constant in motion
14. Wolfbrigade - Feelings you don't want to feel
15. TALK 4
16. Johndoe - Piggtråd og piss
17. Sol Andersson - All is full of love
18. King of All the Animals - The snowflake song (I Was A Teenage Satan Worshipper remix)
19. TALK 5
20. Last Days of April - You don't believe me (Monster & Maskiner remix)
21. Pacta Sunt Servanda - To claim your prize
22. The Goner - Spirit round-up
23. TALK 6
24. Tape - Altamira
25. Letum - Tallriksis
26. Zeigeist - Black milk
27. TALK 7
28. Knife and Ape - Semiotic dysfunction
29. Terveet Kädet - Message
30. Giant Boar - Chronic date
31. The Lionheart Brothers - Time river floaty
32. TALK 8
33. Echo Is Your Love - Lion tamer vs tigers
34. Agent Side Grinder - Lashes of flashes
35. Skitsystem - Solidaritetens sista utpost
36. TALK 9
37. Final Exit - Punk enough
Reminder: my show on Sirius Blog Radio runs Saturdays at 12 noon and midnight ET on channel 26 (Left of Center). My show is being preempted this coming weekend (05/24) for a special Memorial Day Block Party special, but I'll be back in full effect on June 7.
Swedish noiserockers Knife and Ape have enlisted Johan Lagerlöf (C.Aarmé, ex-Kid Commando) and their new bassist.
My playlist for this week's radio show on Sirius:
01. Bogus Blimp - By five o'clock tea
02. TALK 1
03. Sivert Høyem - Smalltown supersound
04. Pluxus - Kinoton
05. Brick - No names
06. TALK 2
07. Hebosagil - Let us go
08. Dialog Cet - Crocodile hunt
09. Hurdy Gurdy - Ynglingen
10. Anja Garbarek - The last trick
11. TALK 3
12. E.S.T. - When god created the coffee break
13. Miss Li - I'm sorry, he's mine
14. Afenginn - Ralli i d-mol
15. Magyar Posse - Whirlpool of terror and tension
16. TALK 4
17. Susanne Sundfør - I resign
18. Sällskapet - Nordlicht
19. Nisse Hellberg - Kärlekens express
20. TALK 5
21. The Spacious Mind - Rider of the woodlands
22. TALK 6
23. Him Kerosene - Ladybugs
24. Svenson - Don't get lost
25. Namur - Marching
26. TALK 7
27. Tellevika + Firefox AK - Eric
28. Carpet People - A girl without a skin
29. Anna Ternheim - Lovers dream (feat. Fyfe Dangerfield)
30. Knife and Ape - No arms no legs
31. TALK 8
32. Brighter Death Now - American tale
Swedish art-punks Knife and Ape will release their sophomore album "Night touch" on a special limited-edition cassette via label Hästen Och Korset in the near future. Look for them to tour Germany soon as well. Listen here: http://www.myspace.com/knifeandape
Swedish art-rockers Knife and Ape have posted the title track for their new album "Night touch" on myspace: http://www.myspace.com/knifeandape
There's a new batch of swedish indierockbands out there. The scene is very much alive and kicking, much thanks to bands like Seven Feet Four, Division of Laura Lee, KVLR, Alarma Man, Knife and Ape, LDOA and Logh. On this three track-EP, this Eskilstuna-based quintet deliver the kind of tunes that put them in the same league. I had often come to the conclusion that something was missing after hearing their previous recordings, but not anymore. This is well-played and tight indierock with hooks. Especially the title track that, if there's any justice in this world, should get more airtime and attention. It's about time these guys release another full-length.
- Jonas Appelqvist
