The Aquarian interviews Peter Morén of Peter Bjorn and John: http://www.theaquarian.com/2009/11/03/interview-peter-moren-peter-bjorn-and-john-three-of-a-kind/
Note that Peter talks a bit about his upcoming Swedish-language solo album which will be out next year.
El Perro Del Mar has a new video for the song "Change of heart": http://vimeo.com/7086797
She heads out on the road with Peter Bjorn and John in the US next month.
Tutankamon is comprised of Stockholm all-stars Adam Olénius (Shout Out Louds), Peter Morén (Peter Bjorn and John), Daniel Värjö (The Concretes) and Niklas Korssell (The Plan) and, unsurprisingly, it sounds like a muddled mix of all four dudes' other bands: a bit of PB&J's mod and Beatles-influenced powerpop plus a dash of Shout Out Louds + The Plan's contemporary indie/MOR and topped off with a touch of The Concretes' lazy twee. As much as I'm sure there guys are having a great time playing together, I'm sorry to say that the sum of their parts adds up to less than they started with. That is, except for the lead single "Have you ever been in love?" which is a Grade A fantastic pop tune. I wasn't exactly wowed the first time I heard it, but it's quite easy on the ears and grows tremendously on repeated listens, something I imagine will be inescapable in weeks (months?) to come. It might not have the potential to reach "Young folks"-level ubiquity (few songs do), but I wouldn't mind if it did. There's nothing overtly clever or quirky to grow tired of; just four guys in a room making music together with the help of a few extra hand-claps.
Tutankamon - Have you ever been in love?
Peter Bjorn and John have cancelled their upcoming UK tour citing "family matters" as the reason.
Hearts No Static are a trio from Stockholm and this digital EP is their debut before their debut, a small taste of what's to come when their full-length album is released in November. The songs on this release are rooted in improvisation, but you might not ever know, so connected are the three members as a single, cohesive unit. They all play in other, far more gregarious bands, but consider this is their playground; the place they can experiment with new ideas, new textures, new feelings.
"The monthly noise" was originally slated to be the 4th in a 4-part series of digital EPs, but now it is the first. The full-length record "Motif" will be releasing on November 20 via Bureau B. All tracks are self-recorded by the band at Möre Studio outside Stockholm in early 2009 and mixed my Linus Larsson (Peter Bjorn and John, Ane Brun, Theresa Andersson, etc.) of Gotland in late summer.
Download the full 5-song EP here.
Hearts No Static - Part 3
Tutankamon, the new all-star Swedish indie act featuring Adam Olénius (Shout Out Louds), Peter Morén (Peter Bjorn and John), Daniel Värjö (The Concretes) and Niklas Korssell (The Plan), will play their first official live gig on September 29 at the Nudie Jeans store in Stockholm and it will be streamed live. Check it: http://www.nudiejeans.com/blog/2009/09/14/tutankamon-live-nudie-jeans-sk%e2%88%9aonegatan-75-in-stockholm/
There's only one Swedish contributor (Henok Achido) on the new Peter Bjorn and John remix record "Re-living thing", but that probably shouldn't stop you from checking it out: http://www.mickboogie.com/news/?p=84
Swedes Peter Bjorn and John and El Perro Del Mar will be doing a number of US dates together:
11/07 - 9:30 Club, Washington, DC
11/08 - Theater of Living Arts, Philadelphia, PA
11/10 - Terminal 5, New York, NY
11/11 - Phoenix Theatre, Toronto, Ontario
11/12 - Metro, Chicago, IL
11/13 - Gargoyle Club, St. Louis, MO
11/14 - House of Blues, Dallas, TX
11/15 - La Zona Rosa, Austin, TX
11/17 - Rialto Theater, Tucson, AZ
11/18 - House of Blues, San Diego, CA
11/19 - Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA
11/20 - Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA
11/21 - Club Nokia, Los Angeles, CA
Wildbirds & Peacedrums will be releasing "My heart" on a 7" single with a "bluesy guitar-driven" remix by Deerhoof on the flip. The digital version of said single will also include a remix by Hortlax Cobra aka John Eriksson of Peter Bjorn and John and another from Portland, OR-based artists AU. Official release date is September 7. Check out the video for the song here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvsR_vVJXSM
Via PSL comes word of a new Swedish supergroup of sorts called Tutankamon featuring Adam Olénius (Shout Out Louds), Peter Morén (Peter Bjorn and John), Daniel Värjö (The Concretes) and Niklas Korssell (The Plan). Their debut album will be released October 7 and the first single "Have you ever been in love" can be heard at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/tutankamontheband
Peter Bjorn and JohnIn town opening for Depeche Mode, the fellows Morén, Yttling and Eriksson played a special stripped-down set after their first of two dates at Madison Square Garden. Armed with just guitar, bass and drums, they brought their sound back to the beginnings of the band when rock music meant no backing tracks. It's not as though they're set quality has declined recently, in fact they've been tight and tops, but there's something about a pure rock show in a 70 capacity basement that makes it better. With material from each of their four albums and the single b-sides "(I just wanna) See through" and their cover of "Silly girl" (which was second of three covers they did), they played with brevity and seemed to be having a great time just running with it, not worrying about any mishaps. With his newfound standing set, seeing John Eriksson back behind the kit was a revelation -- I had forgotten just how amazing of a drummer he is. After playing for over 75 minutes, I left with a grin on my face and one of the best shows I've seen all year.
- Matt Giordano
El Perro Del Mar's latest record "Love is not pop" will finally get a US release on October 20 and will be followed by a tour supporting Peter Bjorn and John. Details to come.
Updated European dates for Peter Bjorn and John:
10/01 - The Electric Ballroom, London (UK)
10/02 - Academy , Liverpool (UK)
10/03 - Tripod, Dublin (IRL)
10/05 - The Cockpit, Leeds (UK)
10/06 - O2 Academy, Birmingham (UK)
10/07 - The Leadmill, Sheffield (UK)
10/08 - The Waterfront, Norwich (UK)
10/09 - The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth (UK)
10/10 - Rock Ternat Festival, Brussels (BEL)
10/11 - Mascotte, Zurich (CH)
10/12 - Paradiso, Amsterdam (NL)
10/14 - Le Grand Mix (Les Inrocks), Tourcouing (FRA)
10/15 - La Maroquinerie, Paris (FRA)
10/16 - Le Normandy (Les Inrocks), Saint Malo (FRA)
10/17 - l'Ubu, Rennes (FRA)
Check out Peter Bjorn and John doing a 5-song live set for Spin at their office: http://www.spinmagazine.com/articles/watch-peter-bjorn-and-john-rock-spins-offices
Check out the new Peter Bjorn and John video for "It don't move me": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eN_oOtHIe7c&fmt=18
