Swedish ambient/postrock act Hearts No Static has gone through a bit of a personnel shuffle recently -- drummer Jens Pettersson has left the band, so John Roger Olsson (also in The Grand Opening) has put down his six-string and picked up the sticks and brought in his friend Mikko Singh (Haleiwa) as their new guitarist. The new lineup is now working on basic tracks for the band's sophomore album and hopes to have it out by the end of the year.
Haleiwa (nee Mikko Singh) is back in the studio working on his next album, with 3 tunes in the can and an eye on a summer 2012 release. Stay tuned! In related news, Mikko's other band Will Gambola Sing (which also features members from The Grand Opening) will begin recording something new in December.
Turkish blog Want an Ear interviews Mikko Singh about his new album under the guise Haleiwa: http://wantanear.blogspot.com/2010/08/haleiwa.html
Though I am inherently drawn to the dark, dingy and the dystopian, that's not my whole musical diet. Such monochromatic listening habits wouldn't just drive me crazy, they'd probably also turn my wife murderous way before I'd reach the point of no return. Which is why the dichotomy of having someone like Haleiwa (nee Mikko Singh) in my library is crucial -- his overwhelmingly posi vibes are a refreshing break from my usual rotation of ugly Norwegian punk/metal and Swedish death metal reissues. I know it might seem a stretch to imagine someone being so blissfully happy as to name an album "Pure vida dude" and mean it 100% sans irony (not to mention, songs such as "Two dolphins came by to say 'hello!'"), but having met Mikko in person, I can assure you: it is true. He is exactly the person his music would lead you to believe and I love him for it. Yes, it does veer dangerously close to dippy hippie territory, but there's nothing lame about loving the world/loving life. Especially when there are many days I can't. Yes, I do enjoy the exploration of its darker recesses, but I also need to come up for air sometimes and tracks like "Vibraandaman" help me get there. Simple and beautiful, like many of the little things in life, and meant to be cherished.
Haleiwa - Vibraandaman
There's a new song from Haleiwa/Mikko Singh streaming at his Japanese label's myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/friendofminerecords
The new Haleiwa (nee Mikko Singh) album "Pure vida dude" is now officially 100% finished and will be released in Japan on July 7 via .
Not brand new news, but new to me: the always awesome Mikko Singh (also a member of Will Gambola Sing) has changed the name of his solo project to Haleiwa. See his new website: http://haleiwamusic.com/
Look for his new album "Pure vida dude" to be released soon and listen to a sample on myspace: http://www.myspace.com/mikkosingh
Will Gambola Sing, the Stockholm-based instrumental act featuring John Roger Olsson (The Grand Opening), Jimmy Ottosson (The Je Ne Sais Quoi), solo artist Mikko Singh, Joakim Labraaten (Yamon Yamon) and Anders Ljung (Ohm), are back after an extended 2-year nap and are offering their debut 4-song EP "Overheard dialogue reconstructed " as a free download: http://willgambolasing.com/overheard-dialogue-reconstructed-ep/
As I said when I first them, this is great stuff -- very dreamy and extremely well-crafted. Definitely recommended!
Though I'm not one to shy away from trash talk, it's much more fun to talk about music I actually enjoy so let us revisit yet another 2008 favorite: Mikko Singh. As I said last time I posted an mp3 from Mikko, this is some of Sweden's best, most underappreciated music. There's plenty of instrumental acts out there, but most of em seem to be mining the same quiet/loud postrock-ish territory and that stuff is way beyond tired. The only acts doing it right are the ones wisely accommodating folk influence and that's exactly what Mikko excels at, especially considering his diverse cross-cultural background. "Laodi majra" is the opening track off his latest release "Uskotko että siellä on kukkia?" and it kicks off with a droning sitar/squeezebox duet before drifting into a beautiful ragga, overlaid by fingerpicked guitar and chimes. It's the sort of thing that could easily turn into new-age tedium, but Mikko never overindulges. One last sign at the end brings closure and that's all there is to it: pure bliss.
I didn't list this record as a top-10 favorite for 2008, but it remains in regular rotation months later. And considering how much my listening habits are affected by the seasons, you better believe it'll get many more spins as the days get warmer and longer.
Mikko Singh - Laodi majra
Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU:
01. KVLR - All there is to hiding out
02. TALK 1
03. The Rollstons - Defender of the frown
04. Turboweekend - Sweet Jezebel
05. Midaircondo - Serenade
06. TALK 2
07. Promoe - The logic of dreams
08. The Kissaway Trail - La la song
09. Karjalan Sissit - Kuolema tuiloo
10. Montt Mardié - Paraply
11. TALK 3
12. Mikko Singh - Laodi majra
13. Jonathan Johansson - All vill ha hela världen
14. My Darling You! - Dressed4success
15. Paris - Another Saturday night
16. TALK 4
17. Heroin and Your Veins - Intoxication
18. Quagmire - We know we don't know
19. Totalitär - Mer skit att välja
20. The Setting Son - Spring of hate
21. 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.
Here's the playlist for this week's radio show:
01. Theresa Andersson - Birds fly away
02. TALK 1
03. Nitad - Pengaproblem
04. Parken - Jar har varit vilsen, Lisa
05. Hello Saferide - Anna
06. Alouatta - Animal
07. TALK 2
08. Bloodbath - At the behest of their death
09. Anders Teglund - I whisper, he lives
10. Familjen - Huvudet i sanden (ft. Adam Tensta)
11. TALK 3
12. Mikko Singh - Laodi majra
13. They Live - My favorite color is gold
14. Massgrav - Vuxenliv
15. Snøras - Lucid river
16. TALK 4
17. Lassus - Tummen upp
18. BJ Nielsen - Tummen upp
19. Ass - Tummen upp
20. The LK - Tummen upp
21. TALK 5
22. Quagmire - I've got a gun and I'm... afraid to use it
Reminder: My show on Sirius Left of Center (channel 26) airs Sundays at 11pm ET with repeats on Monday at the same time.
Having met Mikko Singh briefly during my visit to Stockholm earlier this summer, I can confidently say that his new album "Uskotko että siellä on kukkia?" ("Do you believe there are flowers there?") is a direct reflection of the man behind the music. Besides representing his broad cultural background - Punjabi, Finnish, Swedish, maybe more - it also reflects his sunny disposition. At least that's the impression I got as Mikko was all smiles and this music is pure sunshine. As always, Mikko plays every instrument himself and he's got quite a collection. This particular track, "Iloitkaamme" ("Let us rejoice"), is actually one of the more straightforward, traditional-sounding pieces on the album as its mostly guitar based, but there's plenty of other pieces with sitar and other ethnic strings plus accordion, various percussion implements and probably a whole bunch of other stuff I can't pick out so easily. He's also cut way back on the vocals and only sings on the final track which at first was kinda disappointing, but the more I listen, the more I think I understand. This is music for tinting your life with color without overwhelming it. It's meditative and blissful and vocals would only serve as a distraction. As the first signs of autumn begin to creep into the air, it's also the perfect soundtrack for squeezing out every last bit of sunshine you can. Thanks Mikko, for helping me forget about the dark days around the corner.
As with The Goner, this is underground DIY music that demands a larger audience. Head to myspace for more: http://www.myspace.com/mikkosingh
Mikko Singh - Iloitkaamme
Mikko Singh has a new track online from his forthcoming album: http://www.myspace.com/mikkosingh
I was fortunate enough to visit him in Stockholm last month and he played me a few other tracks - really excited to hear the full thing when it's done.