Moto Boy's new soundtrack for the play "Lubiewo-Kärleksön", based on the Michal Witkowskis novel, recently had its premiere at Gothenburg City Theatre and now the whole thing is available for free listening via Spotify or for purchase on CD and iTunes.
Most of my summer listening this year has been revisiting old favorites, partially because there's been few 2011 releases that have stuck with me, but also just because that's what summer is for. Also, as mentioned yesterday, I've also been listening to a lot of pop lately and there hasn't been much in that department that's blown me away recently except for maybe Kaka. And the new Kite, but we'll get to that eventually. What interests me most though, are the artists that didn't make a huge splash with me the first time around; instead, they lingered on the periphery until they eventually work their way into my permanent playlist. For instance: Moto Boy. I've always liked Moto Boy, but three years on I've finally realized that yes, I kinda actually do really love him/his music. The best pop music is always about the grand gesture and Oskar Humlebo's sweeping falsetto is a case study. Dunno why it took me so long to come around, but Moto Boy has staying power, a rarity in the endless stream of mediocrity.
Moto Boy - Love is the one thing you can't pretend
There's a new single and video from ceo available for free download via , featuring the name of the tune I was teased with as a child during middle school band: http://www.sincerelyyours.se/yours0173.php
Personally, I prefer the Moto Boy's rendition of the classic aria of the same name.
Moto Boy will be going into 9volt Studio in Malmö on June 15 to begin work on his next album.
Nöjesguiden's top 20 Swedish albums of 2010:
01. Robyn - Body talk, part 2
02. Håkan Hellström - 2 steg från paradise
03. The Radio Dept. - Clinging to a scheme
04. Oskar Linnros - Vilja bli
05. The Bear Quartet - Monty Python
06. This is Head - 0001
07. Robyn - Body talk, part 1
08. Säkert! - Facit
09. Ludwig Bell - Jag har försökt förklara
10. Daniel Adams-Ray - Svart, vitt och allt däremellan
11. Britta Persson - Current affair medium rare
12. Moto Boy - Lost in the call
13. The Concretes - WYWH
14. Joel Alme - Waiting For the Bells
15. Tove Styrke - Tove Styrke
16. Andreas Söderlund - Daustralien
17. Orup - Född i November
18. Embee - The mellow turning moment
19. Various Artists - Sonja Åkesson tolkad av
20. Bandjo - Bandjo
Link: http://nojesguiden.se/artiklar/arets-svenska-skivor-2010
Issue #20 of The Swede Beat is now online: http://www.theswedebeat.com/magazine/20-swedish-melancholia
The theme is melancholy and the featured artists include video directors Conjunction as well as Moto Boy.
Moto Boy has been forced to cancel his upcoming Swedish theater tour due on his doctor's orders, citing sickness and an overworked voice. Look for new dates to be announced for 2011.
The official Swedish music showcase at this year's CMJ conference in NYC will be on October 23 at Backstage Bar and will feature live performances from Raymond & Maria, Moto Boy and O'Spada, plus a DJ set by Taken By Trees. Details/RSVP info: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=112166638843095
Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU:
01. Särkyneet - Huono nainen
02. TALK 1
03. Masshysteri - Masshysteri del två
04. Interment - Eternal darkness
05. Cut City - The sound and the sore
06. Fireside - Lovecar
07. TALK 2
08. Moto Boy - Early grave
09. V. Sjöberg New Jazz Ensemble - Start at the finish
10. The Goner - Lost summer
11. TALK 3
12. The World - Roybgiv
13. Familjen - Det var jag
14. STYGG - Sleep
15. TALK 4
16. EL-SD - Hille
17. Menfolk - Column 79
18. Camouflage - La la la
19. Grande Roses - The astronaut
20. TALK 5
21. Donkeyboy - Ambitions
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.
Nordic By Nature is putting on a Scandinavian music showcase at this year's Popkomm conference on September 8 in association with Almost Famous: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=141792582521776&ref=mf
Featured acts include Familjen, Moto Boy, Vinnie Who, TV Off, Movits!, Therese Aune and more.
Here's a newly published PSL live session from Moto Boy recorded early this year: http://blogg.svt.se/psl/2010/8/16/musik-med-moto-boy-3/
The albums simply can't compete.
Johnossi and Moto Boy are touring together in September:
09/22 - Pumpe, Kiel (GER)
09/23 - Reeperbahn festival, Hamburg (GER)
09/24 - Batschkapp, Frankfurt (GER)
09/26 - Grabenhalle, St Gallen (CH)
09/28 - BHF Langendreer, Bochum (GER)
09/29 - Haus Der Jugend, Osnabruck (GER)
09/30 - Stollwerk, Cologne (GER)
10/01 - Substage, Karlsruhe (GER)
10/02 - Backstage, Munich (GER)
10/03 - Hirsch, Nurnberg (GER)
10/06 - Beatpol, Dresden (GER)
10/07 - Muzikzentrum, Hannover (GER)
10/08 - Postbahnhof, Berlin (GER)
Moto BoyMoto Boy's music has been described as "desperate pop" which, for both hopeless romantics and cynics, might be the only review needed. Like Rufus Wainwright with his needle permanently stuck in a 1980s groove, Oskar Humlebo deftly mines the depths of his angst, squeezing out every drop of sympathy, even when his sweet falsetto trips over some of the stupidest of sentiments. (Case in point: the borderline insipid chorus of "If only your bed could cry") While not as instantly as inviting as 2008's ethereal EP "For Martha", "Lost in the call" provides another satisfying chapter in Humlebo's ongoing bid to become the Scandinavian Morrissey. When he cuts himself on lines such as "There is no life without you any way" ("Early grave"), prepare to bleed.
But how much heartache can one man take? By the album's midway point Humlebo's wounded theatrics threaten to wear thin. However, just when the outing is in danger of becoming a one-note pity party, he unleashes the haunting orchestral piece "Siekas", ushering in the delicate reflection of "Nite time is my time" and saving the project from certain stagnation. The high energy "When my heart was high" may not break any new ground, but it's jammed with the sort of morose cheer you can vigorously sway -- if not dance -- to. Then there's closer "The way I feel tonite", a send-off so gloriously delicate, Humlebo is guaranteed to leave more than a fare share of listeners with a lump in their throat and a tear in their eyes.
- Laura Studarus
