Artist: Silverbullit
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Blackstrap are a band I'm sure we'll be hearing a lot about in the future as the powers-that-be are pushing them hard. They've got that fresh nü-gaze sound - not too dissimilar from Norwegian acts 120 Days or Serena Maneesh, but will less of the Krautrock drone and more melody. They've also got a much more pronounced rock'n'roll flair ala BRMC, but their Swedish flavor probably leans 'em more towards The Soundtrack of Our Lives. I like it, but there's a distinct lack of personality. It's hard not to listen to everything they do without comparing it to some other band, just as I've done. And I still think Silverbullit is the best band of this style - something that is all too apparent considering that this album starts out exactly the same as Silverbullit's "Arclight". Go find yourself an mp3 of "Run" and compare it to "Winning speech" on Blackstrap's myspace profile. It's ridiculous.
Blackstrap - To far gone
Loney, Dear's video for "I am John" is now online: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WA57ImfVqcE
The animated clip was done by Silverbullit guitarist Andreas Nilsson, a name many are now familiar with because of his work with The Knife.
Absolut Noise talks to Andreas Nilsson, guitarist for Silverbullit and visual artist for The Knife: http://absolutnoise.blogspot.com/2006/12/interview-andreas-nilsson.html
It's kind of ironic that the track which follows the Mary Onettes EP on my iTunes is "Primary", taken from The Cure's singles collection. Reason being that The Mary Onettes are another Swedish band painfully indebted to 80s English indie. It seems to be my luck right now that everything I review somehow falls into this genre. On the lead track "Lost", with its driving drums and cathartic vocal style, the band sound a hell of a lot like fellow Swedes Silverbullit. However, if you bear in mind that one of Silverbullit's main influences is Joy Division, I think you can see where The Mary Onettes are coming from. "Explosions" is pure Jesus and Mary Chain circa "Psychocandy". It's simple drumming, lolloping pace and vocals make it a close cousin of "Just like candy". What is a great shame about a lot of these 80s English influenced indie bands is that if they would have come out at the turn of the millennium, I could imagine some of them having some crossover success within the UK.
- Nick Levine
Heed my battle cry: "Four more years! Four more years!" Yes, It's a trap! turns four tomorrow, thus making me somewhat of an elder statesman on the music blog scene. As I touched on last Friday, I've come a long way from my humble beginnings of sporadic updates and limited content to daily mp3s and news posts. One band that always got me excited back in those early days was The Soundtrack of Our Lives. It often seems like only the most mediocre acts become successful American imports, TSOOL was definitely an exception. They won over crowds not just with great music on record, but also by touring repeatedly and putting on an amazing show every time. The crowd was on the light side the first time they came through SF, but grew substantially on every return trip, a tribute to their effectiveness. Not only that, but they also brought over some great opening acts too: Caesars and Silverbullit. Not that many people cared besides me and a few expats, but I certainly appreciate the effort. Anyhow, one of my favorite TSOOL songs has always been "Nevermore" from 2001's "Behind the music". I just love that riff so much and the solo break is killer, especially when done live. So how about a new record guys?
The Soundtrack of Our Lives - Nevermore
Contrarian that I am, I was immediately predisposed to skepticism concerning 120 Days. I can't help it. It happens automatically any time the vast machinery of the Vice hype juggernaut rolls into the effect, especially considering that their name was originally bandied about in conjunction with the vastly overrated Serena Maneesh (though the tides may be turning on them - see yesterday's video review at Pitchfork for proof). Truth be told, I want the hype to be true. I hold out hope that a new record will come along and change my life. Did 120 Days accomplish this? No, my hardened heart prevented it and let's face facts: bands that amazing don't come around too often. However, it was certainly good enough for me to not write it off from the get-go, so I've been listening regularly the last couple weeks and it's been growing on me ever since. No surprise really considering that their sound fits in quite well with a lot of the other stuff I've been recommending recently such as 1999 and The Kid - well enough that I threw a track into my most recent podcast mix. Steady, mechanical beats topped with dark and droning, blissed-out melodies; a balance of goth and Krautrock. Silverbullit still remains the best band in this field, but 120 Days is pretty darn good too, maybe even great. We'll have to see how the record holds up a few months from now. At the very least, I won't be disappointed if they catch on with the masses.
120 Days - Get away
Now that he's made a name for himself as the visual artist behind The Knife, Silverbullit guitarist Andreas Nilsson has now been hired to do the video for Depeche Mode's new single "Martyr".
Check out the Decoder Podcast for some new Hellsongs tracks and some other Scandinavian music gems such as Silverbullit, Stina Nordenstam and Jmyhaze Beatbox: http://decoder-radio.podspot.de/post/podcast-hellsongs/
Even though Holiday For Strings aren't purely an instrumental act, the vocals they do employ are most certainly not of the pop verse/chorus variety. Dub-by, spaced-out beats and droning guitars and repetitive, understated vocal lines - no, it's definitely not pop. Imagine Silverbullit on 'ludes and you'll get a better picture. The particular track I've posted today is especially great because of the way it builds off of the drum figure. The way the cymbal hits shimmer and distort is lovely and I really dig the way the melody builds and expands from the original rhythm. The guitars slowly open up with chiming, fingerpicked chords and become more and more insistent as they get busier and busier. The only downside is that the piece drifts into chattering noise without much of a resolution, but realize that in the context of the full album, it works perfectly.
Holiday For Strings - I got two hands
I don't know how I find the time, but my extra-curricular activities just keep growing. This week I was given the honor of contributing to a post on shoegaze at Mars Needs Guitars alongside many other esteemed music bloggers such as Frank from Chromewaves and David from Largehearted Boy. My contribution? Silverbullit, naturally. Read the whole piece: http://marsneedsguitars.blogspot.com/2006/06/for-love-of-shoegaze.html
I don't know how I find the time, but my extra-curricular activities just keep growing. This week I was given the honor of contributing to a post on shoegaze at Mars Needs Guitars alongside many other esteemed music bloggers such as Frank from Chromewaves and David from Largehearted Boy. My contribution? Silverbullit, naturally. Read the whole piece: http://marsneedsguitars.blogspot.com/2006/06/for-love-of-shoegaze.html
Silverbullit bassist Jukka will be collaborating with Gustav Nygren and Niklas Korssell (The Plan) on the music for a dance performance project called Apart happening at Kulturhuset in Stockholm on May 3-7. The choreography is by Helena Franzén and you can preview three tracks at Silverbullit's website: http://www.silverbullit.se/ (see 'Lyssna här' under the pic)
In Swedish, but still worth mentioning: the art blog Groupies interviews Andreas Nilsson, visual artist (The Knife, etc.) and guitarist for Silverbullit: http://groupies.plansanddesign.com/2006/02/intervju-med-andreas-nilsson.html
The Knife is going on tour! Yep, it's actually happening. Video artist (and Silverbullit guitarist) Andreas Nilsson will accompany the duo and provide visuals. Dates booked so far:
03/30 - Berns, Stockholm (SWE)
03/31 - Mejeriet, Lund (SWE)
04/12 - Trädgår´n, Göteborg (SWE)
Look for shows in London, Berlin and Paris to be announced soon. Full press release and ticket details: http://www.luger.se/_nyheter.asp?PK_Id=504 (in Swedish)