Artist: Starmarket
Viewing posts
16-30 out of
76
In Malmö today with a side-trip to CPH on the itinerary to see some Norwegian bands. Viva la internationale!
Everybody always asks me- what is it about Swedish/Scandinavian music that you like so much, that makes it different? Now that's a very complicated question that deserves many hours/coffees/beers worth of discussion or maybe even a full book treatment (someday?), but the short answer is simple. I know what I like and I know it when I hear it. Yes, there is a lot of Scandinavian rock that is derivative of American or UK sounds, but there's also lots of stuff with its own identity. One such scene is Swedish noiserock, a sound I identify with bands like Starmarket and KVLR, bands who took the template of classic US indierock ala Sonic Youth/Hüsker Dü/etc. and added their own touch. The Sound O.E carries on that tradition, especially on songs like the epic album closer "Party at the moontower". You get that angular/syncopated heaviness, but it's tempered by a lovely lyricism and strong melodies. Other tracks on the album tend to be more choppy, more heavy and generally more hardcore and they're fine, but this is the stuff that really grabs me. Some bands did epic indie before Arcade Fire, believe it or not. This draws from that.
The Sound O.E - Party at the moontower
I pulled Starmarket's 2001 album "Song of songs" off the shelf earlier this week and found myself enjoying it quite a bit more than I remember. The earlier records are still the best (classic, even), but now that I'm a tiny bit older, I think I better appreciate the more relaxed direction they started to head towards. However, my favorite tracks are still the noisier ones such as "Forgotten trail", which I've posted for you today. That's the noisepop sound I adore! The huge, thick guitars, the heavy, crashing drums- I have even grown to love that gnarly pinging snare tone. It's totally obnoxious, but it works. It's distinctive; it has personality! The Göteborg metal scene may have piqued my interest in Swedish music, but the Norrland indie sound is what got me hooked for life.
Starmarket - Forgotten trail
Jonas Appelqvist is handling this week's friday post:
Gustaf Kjellvander has been in the music business for quite some time now, being part of Songs of Soil with his brother Christian, fronting the wonderful The Fine Arts Showcase and as a part of indierockers Sideshow Bob. Seeing as he's of current interest due to the release of "The fine arts showcase sings Rough Bunnies", TFAS's 3rd album, I thought that it would be of interest to those of you outside of Sweden to hear some of the early work. Sideshow Bob's "Luge on black pavement" is taken from "Invasive confusion", an album that was released in 1998, and is a great first track on an album that's filled with indierock influenced by Sebadoh and Dinosaur Jr.. Yeah, basically anything Lou Barlow has been involved in. The similarities to early Loosegoats-recordings (the band that brother Christian fronted) are very striking at times, but this here is rawer and with more nerves. And personally, it takes me back to times when the release of an EP with Starmarket or travelling to Emmaboda festival was highly anticipated. Enjoy!
Sideshow Bob - Luge on black pavement
Check out New Sport, the solo project of Pelle Gunnerfeldt (Fireside): http://www.myspace.com/newsport
Sounds a lot like old Starmarket - a very good thing IMO.
One of the big things that got me deeper into Swedish/Scandinavian rock way back when was explosive, guitar-heavy indierock. Fireside, Starmarket, Him Kerosene, KVLR - these are the bands that caught my interest and had me pouring through liner notes looking for more names to track down. Sadly, that scene is nowhere near as strong these days though there are a few who keep the fire burning: The End Will Be Kicks, Seven Feet Four, Aerial Convoj plus young upstarts like Traktor and today's post subjects The Sound O.E. The band has been lurking in the shadows for a couple years now, but it wasn't until very recently that they seemed to rise above and the new three-song EP "Me and Laureline" proves it. The screechy sprechstimme delivery of the verses might be a bit much for some, but remember that what they're doing is essentially sloganeering - the words are meant to be heard loud and clear. It's call & response; a call to action. When the harmonies of the chorus come in, the intentions are indisputable. The Sound O.E know exactly what they're doing. I think the arrangement could still be tightened up a bit, but I like what they're doing and definitely look forward to hearing more.
The Sound O.E - New bankruptcy
Today's oldie classic comes from Him Kerosene, one of my all-time favorites. Seriously, this is the kind of stuff I live for: huge walls of discordant guitars, dissonant melodies and a heavy rhythm section. What more do you need? This is the post-hardcore/indierock sound that got me hooked on the Norrland scene. From early Fireside, Starmarket and Brick to other bands like KVLR, Breach, Convoj and Seven Feet Four (not from the North, I know), Him Kerosene helped define and establish what I consider to be my favorite sound. And let's not forget HK frontman Niklas Quintana's newest band The End Will Be Kicks, also featuring ex-HK drummer Tomas Turunen. Today's selection comes from the sadly out-of-print magnum opus "Start.Stop", first released back in 1997 on Telegram/Warner, but it must be said that all of their releases are brilliant and worth tracking down even if they aren't quite so readily available. It's worth it, trust me. You want to start a band that I'm enthusiastically endorse, here's your blueprint.
I figure I might as well keep with the theme of the most recent podcast and post another fine track from Starmarket. I was considering trying to track down some Shredhead mp3s, but I get the feeling that those dudes probably don't want that stuff distributed online so prominently. Anyhow- Starmarket, as you can probably infer, are another fine band from Umeå in Northern Sweden. Their sound is part mid-90s noisepop mixed with a bit of post-hardcore, kinda like Fireside who I featured on a Friday classic post two weeks ago. This track happens to be one of the more tender numbers from the band's early period. It's incredibly melodic, but rhythm section keeps things heavy and powerful. The band is still kicking around nowadays, but they've gone through quite a few member changes over the years. Magnus and Johan went on to form KVLR (one of my absolute favorite bands), Patrik plays with Family Music and Fredrik also does The Crystal Committee. There's probably tons more too, but really - who needs to read through their entire incestous musical family tree? Not gonna happen. Just download the track whydoncha?
Download the debut self-titled EP from Storbrännan, a new band featuring Umeå scene veterans Patrik Bergman (ex-Starmarket), Linda Hörnqvist (Marit Bergman) and her brother Johan (K-pist): http://www.familymusic.se/
To be honest, I've only read of the bands the members of Torpedo were in: Tiger Lou, Starmarket and The Je Ne Sais Quoi. I wasn't really sure of what to expect when listening to this EP. After listening to "Anticlockwise", I was really impressed. It takes the energy of guitarist Pontus Levahn's band Starmarket and the gentleness of his other band Tiger Lou (with Torpedo bandmate and bass player Erik Welén). Combined with TJNSQ drummer Jimmy Ottoson and rounded out by lead vocalist and guitarist Andreas Hogby, the band creates atmospheric indie rock. Can't really beat a band with a song about getting rid of a rival lover ("Plastic bag and a shovel"). Good stuff.
- Navy Keophan
Updated Starmarket tourdates:
02/03 - Atzavara Club, Sant Feliu de Guixols
02/04 - Centro Cívico Basozelai, Basauri
02/05 - Tunk!, Irún
02/06 - Centro Andaluz, Torrelavega
02/07 - Tba, Don Benito
02/08 - Aldana, Cáceres
02/09 - Moby Dick, Madrid
02/10 - Malevaje Club, Almeria
02/11 - Mogambo, Valencia
02/12 - Sidecar, Barcelona
02/22 - Astra Stube, Hamburg
02/23 - Aquarium, Dresden
02/24 - AJZ, Bielefeld
02/25 - Wild at Heart, Berlin
02/26 - Jugendhaus, Esslingen
02/27 - Arena, Wien
02/28 - Sunny Red, Munchen
03/01 - Kalkbreite, Zurich
03/02 - MuK, Giessen
03/03 - Ex-Haus, Trier
03/04 - AZ, Aachen
03/05 - Tower, Bremen
In other news, the band's latest album "Abandon Time" has been picked up for release in Japan on May 21 via Bad News Records.
KVLR's heartthrob bassist Joel will be filling in with Starmarket on their upcoming European tour. Watch out ladies!