"The first gray slushy snow has fallen over Pajala and the rest of Torne valley, the intoxicating dance of the summer is long gone and while the fingers slowly brace the pile of bills and debt collection on the table the eyes are melancholically fixed on the desolated world outside the kitchen window. A longing away. A new start. Gene Kelly. Leslie Caron. Paris."
A couple weeks ago I mentioned that had been putting out a number of solid releases lately, but then I neglected to follow up with anything to back up such claims. To remedy that, here's the latest single "Tornionlaakso" from Pajala Truck Co., a great pop band with two singers from way far up north near the Sweden/Finnish border. It's a great song with a great emphatic delivery and, like the quote above says, great music for welcoming fall. Reminds me a bit of Marit Bergman too, in that they in no way shy away from grandiose classic pop gestures and that's something I can always appreciate. Can't say I know much about the band beyond this song, but I'll certainly be doing my best to alleviate my ignorance as the day goes on.
Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU:
01. Enforcer - High roller
02. TALK 1
03. Robyn - Dancing on my own
04. The Amazing - And it looks like today
05. Årabrot - End of first chant: II
06. TALK 2
07. The Bombettes - Cherry shot
08. Underachiever - No rain (arson)
09. Lapko - Kiss 'n' cry
10. TALK 3
11. The Howard Way - Runaway
12. Familjen - Socker
13. Deathchain - The crawling chaos
14. Lågkonjunkturen - Den här låten handlar om...
15. TALK 4
16. Anna von Hausswolff - Track of time
17. Marit Bergman - Free falling
18. Jennie Abrahamson - I lost my heart
19. TALK 5
20. Menfolk - Rubato (con song)
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.
Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU:
01. TALK 1
02. Marit Bergman - Höstvisa
03. Viola - No connection
04. Brothers of End - Why
05. TALK 2
06. Oriel Joans - Knuckles whiten
07. The Bear Quartet - Carry your weight
08. Kornstad - Oslo
09. TALK 3
10. The Amazing - Is it likely
11. Erik Enocksson - Non lupi
12. [ingenting] - Dina händer är fulla av blommor
13. TALK 4
14. Sivert Høyem - Empty house
15. Rickard Jäverling - May & Lee
16. Isolation Years - Let's step aside
17. TALK 5
18. Elmo - Young love
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.
Considering that Nina Persson, Peter Svensson and Magnus Sveningsson have all had their fun with various sideprojects (A Camp, Paus and Righteous Boy respectively), it's only fair that fellow Cardigans drummer Bengt Lagerberg and keyboardist Lars-Olof Johansson Ståle get in on the game as well. Brothers of End is their new band together with prolific songwriter/sideman Mattias Areskog (Consequences, Friska Viljor, Marit Bergman, etc.) and "Why" is their debut single. It's a beautiful slice of slow-cooked pop, full of lush vocal harmonies, endless shimmering textures and driven by a lazy, laidback jangle. In a word: mellow. These guys can't be hurried, not that I figure you'd have much luck trying. Besides, I'm a big fan of taking it slow and easy.
As much as I love to complain about how much terrible music keeps getting unleashed on the world, 2009 is shaping up to be a great year and I'm really looking forward to hearing more from these guys. Their full-length debut "The end" comes out October 14 via Konjaga/Playground Music.
Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU:
01. NEI - City of gold
02. TALK 1
03. Brothers of End - Why
04. Johndoe - Kvikkleire
05. Viola - Sea curtain
06. TALK 2
07. Marit Bergman - Höstvisa
08. Bad Hands - Bad hands (feat. Nina Kinert)
09. Aerial - I am TV
10. Tape - Brakes
11. TALK 3
12. Tsukimono - Mimilalanono
13. Superfamily - The songs of the weak will die
14. Unter den Linden - Motstånd i läder
15. TALK 4
16. The Bear Quartet - Carry your weight
17. Björn Kleinhenz - Show me love
18. Pets - Don't say your heart is broken (we know it's not)
19. TALK 5
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.
Another Swedish supergroup tip via PSL: Brothers of End, featuring Bengt Lagerberg and Lars-Olof Johansson Ståle from The Cardigans plus their childhood friend from Jönköping, Mattias Areskog (Consequences, Marit Bergman, Friska Viljor, etc.). The group's debut album "The end" will be released October 14; in the meantime, hear a track at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/brothersofend
