Swedish indie-folk act Nervous Nellie will release their new album "Ego & the id" on March 27. There will be a release party that day at Debaser Medis in Stockholm in the early evening with acts such as Shout Out Louds, Christian Kjellvander and Dag för Dag performing Nervous Nellie songs. Hear them play a few of their own songs themselves at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/nervousnellie
AntennasAntennas do not lend themselves easily to comparisons -- there are elements of the pop structures of Shout Out Louds, of the angular nature of Laakso's approach, among other such attempts to define their sound, but very few of these associations hold up as you move through the tracklist. "The collector" is kitschy-chic, like a Weeping Willows ballad hijacked by CDOASS; "Lies" has far more soul and funk in its composition than three Swedes should be able to manifest in song; "Youngbloods" channels a bit of Brit-rock suave before throwing itself recklessly down dance-punk avenues; "Upwardly mobile" could almost be a Hot Chip track... and yet "Feeling feline tonight" feels like a unified work, each track flowing easily into the next, despite the differences in tone and method. Novoton Records apparently can do absolutely no wrong: "Book of Norma" was my first 10 out of 10, postpunkers Paper and Pixies-style rockers Pascal both put out fantastic efforts in 2008, and "Feeling feline tonight", with its ability to combine 80s pop craftsmanship and angular indie rock with the interesting, reactionary elements of some 90s music (think Stone Roses and Pulp), only strengthens Novoton's position as one of the very best labels in Sweden. "Feeling feline tonight" is my first great surprise of the year.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
Robert Svensson's first solo single was "1987", a track which featured guest vocals from Adam Olenius of Shout Out Louds. That was supposed to be a big selling point I guess, yet it ended up being one of the weakest tracks on his album. Nine months later, here we are with his latest single "1991" which actually happens to be my favorite track on the album. 4 years made the difference? Anyhow, the template for the sound isn't that different - we still get the same indierock with skittering beats and clever percussion, soft synths and a big, big chorus. "1991" also eschews more typical "rock" instrumentation, relying (almost?) solely on electronics. That helps separate the piece from Robert's work with his band Mixtapes & Cellmates and it also provides a wider palette for him to dip his proverbial paint brush. Yes, it's a bit colder, but that too is fitting for the season as far as I'm concerned. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a fresh blanket of snow outside to go play in.
Robert Svensson - 1991
Swedish indie-folk act Nervous Nellies have a new video for the song "Gold mine" which pays homage to "The Warriors" and features a cameo from countrymates Shout Out Louds: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFJ26qGZlNU&fmt=18
Peter Bjorn and JohnTo be rather honest, I haven't really kept up with Peter Bjorn and John since they became everyone's favorite Swedish pop act with "that whistling song". Due to my negligence, I was completely taken aback by the instrumental nature of "Seaside rock" -- not just because there are few vocals (and the ones present are treated like instruments), but because a decent amount of the tracks on the album would be much improved by the introduction of a lyrical voice. It's hard to fully settle into the album. My mind keeps recalling tracks like "Objects of my affection" and "Up against the wall" from "Writer's block", and comparing those songs with the efforts on "Seaside rock" (I hope the rhyming nature of the two album titles was not intentional), this new record doesn't fare too well. It's not awful, not by a stretch, but the sudden and strange shift of tone is... well, awkward (and not in a cute way). The lush pop layering of Peter Bjorn and John has been replaced by avant-garde, postrock-inspired tendencies -- it's like Shout Out Louds following up "Our ill wills" with an album of Godspeed! You Black Emperor covers. There are some fantastic results -- "Barcelona", for example -- but the overall, lasting impression is the question, "Why?" "Seaside rock" is interesting, but it should have been released under a different band name; it's just not a Peter Bjorn and John record, but it has to be judged to that standard... and, sadly, it doesn't live up.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
Here is the It's a Trap! listening group top 10 artists of the week, unique to our group:
01. Frida Hyvönen
02. Tiger Lou
03. Hello Saferide
04. The Bear Quartet
05. Glasvegas
06. Britta Persson
07. Anna Ternheim
08. Kent
09. Shout Out Louds
10. Loney, Dear
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Here is the It's a Trap! listening group top 10 artists of the week, unique to our group:
01. Hello Saferide
02. Tiger Lou
03. Anna Ternheim
04. Taken By Trees
05. Glasvegas
06. Frida Hyvönen
07. Shout Out Louds
08. Kent
09. Juvelen
10. Dungen
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I'm From BarcelonaI'm From Barcelona's approach to songwriting reminds me, for whatever reason, of Wes Anderson's films: the modernization of older tropes and themes; the narrative and occasionally cinematic style of the songs; the playful nature one can adopt while exploring the significance one attaches to the world, and that is attached to the observer; and it never hurts that tracks such as "Andy" and "Music killed me" could easily find their way onto an Anderson soundtrack (and would feel dreadfully out of place in an effort like "Juno"). References to the "Cosby Show", complete with background television noise, evoke comparisons to Montt Mardié and Jens Lekman, though I'm From Barcelona's interest in the past is not the main focus of the album and serves to compliment their excursions into fuller twee compositions. One can hear elements of Shout Out Louds, and of Scandinavian indie pop in general -- glockenspiels, 60s-style backing vocals and backing instrumentation, but the success of "Who killed Harry Houdini?" is embodied in I'm From Barcelona's ability to stir up remembrances of one band or genre of music and then continue onwards through varied avenues towards the band's original goal. "Rufus", the album's closing composition, wonderfully exemplifies my ideas: stumbling into David Bowie territory, complete with spacey backing vocals and fabulously manipulated lead guitars, only to break back down into the paths carved out by the record's earlier tracks. "Who killed Harry Houdini?" is far more difficult to sufficiently describe than it is to enjoy and eventually fall for.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
Robert SvenssonThere is something endearingly vulnerable and honest about Robert Svensson's music, a quality that carries through in waves on even the thinnest guitar sound or simplest of keyboard arrangements. This sincerity attracted me to Svensson's other project Mixtapes & Cellmates and, while elements of that band bleed over into his solo project, "Young punks are on the never-never" is a far more personal collection of songs, thus amplifying the very attribute that attracted me in the first place. Pair that with a stellar lineup of musical guests -- Markus Krunegård of Laakso, Adam Olenius of Shout Out Louds, Jejo Perkovic of The Bear Quartet, and Japan's Cokiyu -- and you have one of the very best albums of the year. Robert Svensson crafts some of the most original music coming out of Sweden, positioning himself as an equal alongside most of the bands one could claim influence him -- a point strongly evidenced by those who appear alongside the young songsmith on his debut solo album. Whether he croons along with Markus Krunegård on "Young enough", a track that opens like a Tom Petty creation before being assaulted with rather Scandinavian assemblage of instrumentation; raises his fantastic voice over the dance floor-ready heights of the appropriately titled "1991"; or whirls about on the choppy, far too short "Young punks", it's as though Robert Svensson can do no wrong. Since I didn't give 10s to either Aerial or Shout Out Louds, the acts who produced my two favorite albums of 2007, I can't very well give Robert Svensson a 10 here... but I am damn tempted to.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
Here is the It's a Trap! listening group top 10 artists of the week, unique to our group:
01. Hello Saferide
02. Anna Ternheim
03. Håkan Hellström
04. Detektivbyrån
05. Club 8
06. The Radio Dept.
07. Frida Hyvönen
08. Jens Lekman
09. The Tough Alliance
10. Shout Out Louds
Do you listen to music on your computer or with an iPod? Please join us and make your playlist count! Go here to learn more: http://www.last.fm/help/
Here is the It's a Trap! listening group top 10 artists of the week, unique to our group:
01. Hello Saferide
02. Detektivbyrån
03. The Radio Dept.
04. Jens Lekman
05. Logh
06. Håkan Hellström
07. Shout Out Louds
08. Tiger Lou
09. Kent
10. Juvelen
Do you listen to music on your computer or with an iPod? Please join us and make your playlist count! Go here to learn more: http://www.last.fm/help/
Shout Out Louds and Peter Bjorn and John will head to Brazil next month:
09/19 - Teatro da UFPE, Recife
09/20 - Praça Waldemar Henrique, Belem
09/22 - Era So O Que Faltava, Curitiba
09/23 - Studio SP, São Paulo
09/24 - Studio SP, São Paulo
Shout Out LoudsHas a stage invasion at a gig ever been an enjoyable experience? The ones I've witnessed have been nothing but annoying. Yesterday's sad affair was no exception. For some reason lots of kids decided that it was a great idea to get on stage during the first song of the encore ("Tonight I have to leave it"), and high-five each other (as well as trying to high-five the band members to various success) and taking photos with their phones. I can understand why a stage invasion at a big venue could be fun for the invaders, but Dingwalls is a small place that holds about 500 people - hence a stage invasion just looks silly. Shout Out Louds' singer Adam Olenius didn't seem too impressed either and it was all rather awkward after the song's finished when he had to repeatedly tell all the grinning fans that were shuffling about to "Get the fuck off the stage" so they could play their last song. Charming! I don't blame him though, it wasn't exactly as the band invited anyone and it really messed up the flow of the gig. Despite this little boring incident, Shout Out Louds played a blinding set. They played nine out of the twelve songs from their latest "Ill wills" and even though I'm not a massive fan of their new album, I thought the songs sounded fantastic live. The venue was packed, the sound was good and the band were great – what more can you ask for? (except no fans on stage, that is)
- Simon Tagestam
King of All the AnimalsI've always held a soft spot in my heart for Tigerbombs, mostly as a damned fun summer band, though Pepe Trouble's solo act took me by surprise: not only in solidifying his songwriting amongst the strongest summer-pop work out there, but also by branching out his pop craftsmanship along more serious avenues. With a truly all-star Scandinavian cast, including Astrid Swan, Samae Koskinen (of Sister Flo), and Sweden's The Mopeds, amongst many, many others, King of All the Animals is a talented collection of tried and tested musicians, and "Paper beats rocks" is even further testament to this statement. Instead of the Caesars (Palace)-like tact that Tigerbombs adopt -- chock full of rock organ hooks and fills -- King of All the Animals is a much more typically Scandinavian pop group. "1000-mile-heartache" feels like it fell straight out of a 80s coming-of-age film, a Modern English vibe wrapped around an almost Shout Out Louds-type delivery. "Everything burns red" bristles with perfect guitar hooks and the layered, saturated approach that Moonbabies have perfected. There are a few stumbles on the record, all of which are easily forgiven (and almost more easily forgotten as one become more familiar with the album), and none of which even mildly threaten to derail this proficient and entertaining work. Listen to "The Cologne beat" and you'll know exactly where all my excitement for "Paper beats rock" comes from.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
Gbg-based electronic act Studio will be releasing the new remix collection "Yearbook 2" on May 28. Here's the tracklist:
01. A Mountain of One – Brown Piano (Remake by Studio)
02. Shout Out Louds – Impossible (Possible version by Studio)
03. Love Is All – Turn The Radio Off (Remake by Studio)
04. Rubies – Room Without A Key (Version by Studio)
05. Brennan Green – Escape From Chinatwon (Version by Studio)
06. Kylie – 2 Hearts (Version by Studio)
07. Williams – Love On A Real Train (Version by Studio)
