Swedish label will be celebrating their 10th anniversary this year by releasing a 2xLP compilation featuring new tracks from almost every artist that has even been involved with the label, including Parken, Pavan, Marions, The Chrysler, Sir Eric Beyond, Existensminimum, Hundarna från Söder, Rigas and more. Expect a November release.
The new Rigas album "Let's get gone" is now finished and confirmed for an early March release via . Said album was written and produced by Rigas in conjunction with his friend, labelmate and frequent stage companion Pelle Lindroth (Parken, The Chrysler) and will also feature guest appearances from the likes of Anna Maria Espinosa, Jenny Wilson and more. Expect the first single in mid-January.
Burning HeartsEverything about Burning Hearts just seems to fit - from the beautifully conceived cover art (that reminds me of the early dust jackets of Kurt Vonnegut's "Cat's cradle") to the whirling swells of pop instrumentation that provide the landscape for Jessika Rapo's voice (one that wonderfully channels Nico at times) to glide along. There is a twee playfulness reminiscent of Belle and Sebastian and Camera Obscura, but Burning Hearts are very much a collaboration that could only have come together in Scandinavia. Opener "I lost my colour vision" exists somewhere between Club 8 and Moonbabies, and "Aboa sleeping" continues to transverse this Nordic territory throughout with a dexterity that only echoes certain bands, Granada and The Chrysler among them, without feeling weighed down by their influence. "Aboa sleeping" is a lavishly imagined pop album, one where my favorite tracks has shifted almost every listen. There is one stumble on the record, however - the strangely conceived "The galloping horse" was removed from my iTunes quite quickly (I can only listen to the sound of heart arrhythmia and a narrator from a 1950s-style medical instructional film played over an arpeggiated synthline so many times). Stumbles and arrhythmia aside, "Aboa sleeping" is one of the best albums Shelflife has put out, and Burning Hearts have proven themselves one of the strongest members of a very strong label roster.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
Marions are a definite sleeper act. Like labelmates The Chrysler, this is elegant pop music of a more dreamy variety. No need to beat you over the head with insistent hooks, rather they let their music slip in under the door and tiptoe around the room. Album opener "Wonder lady" drifts with the ease of a lullaby, but also lilts like a sea shanty. A sound that's easy to like, but it may take a few listens before opinions move upwards from merely "nice." Follow their example, take your time.
Marions - Wonder lady
I wasn't all that impressed by Parken's first single "Åt helvete med himlen", though I understand it was considered to be somewhat of an indie club hit earlier this year. I don't doubt its appeal among that particular social subset, I'm just not feeling it. Parken's new single "Jag har varit vilsen, Lisa" however, is great and totally justifies all hype. It's got bounce! And a far, far catchier refrain. I'd even say it's good enough to forgive a lapfull of beer. It's even more impressive when you consider that this came from someone in The Chrysler. Who knew he had it in him?
Parken - Jag har varit vilsen, Lisa
Swedish label Flora & Fauna (Rigas, The Chrysler, etc.) has signed The Bethlehem Beard Corporation and will be releasing their debut album in May. Download the single "You'll come over soon" now: http://www.brilliant.nu/mp3/you'll%20come%20over%20soon.mp3
Also, hear more at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/bethlehembeardcorporation
Lars kind of hinted at it in his review without coming right out with it: Rigas is more about individual tracks than a cohesive whole. It makes sense when you consider how prolific Henrik von Euler is with all of his many, many projects. Besides Rigas there's skweee alter-ego Rigas den Andre as well as bands like Moder Jords Massiva, The Chrysler and who knows what else? Singles have always been his strong point and it was only after listening to various tracks from "The hardest pocket to pick" isolated on shuffle did they start to stand out. The two already-released singles "Dead like you" and the title track were the first to rise above the rabble and today's track "It's a shame" falls in at #3. In some ways, Rigas reminds me of Dieter Schöön in that the music is always some kind of lackadaisical weirdo electro, 'cept that Rigas typically aims much bigger with his choruses and pop ambitions. There's definite crossover potential. It's still plenty quirky, but not to point of alienation. Think of it as a gateway drug - dig this and maybe you should start investigating some of the other, more out-there stuff Euler works with at his label Flora & Fauna.
Rigas - It's a shame
Erasing Clouds reviews the US release of The Chrysler's "Cold War classic": http://www.erasingclouds.com/wk1207chrysler.html
Hit the frontpage of the site for reviews of Moonbabies and Cake On Cake as well.
Also new in the webstore today: The Chrysler's latest album "The Benelux years" as well as restocks of Sir Eric Beyond's brilliant self-titled album. Check it out!
The ChryslerThe Chrysler are a difficult band to describe; slow, layered pop songs that evoke decades past, with this feeling augmented in the warm, lo-fi production of their records. The band's strength lays in its members' consistently powerful craftsmanship, not so much in clever hooks, memorable choruses, or radio single potential. A few people who I've shared this band with have felt nostalgic for "The Moon and the Antarctic"-era Modest Mouse, though this comparison has its pitfalls and flaws.
The tone of "The Benelux years" is set early on by "I keep my eyes on you sparrow", followed quickly by the complicated and affectionate "Seven wonders" – both songs setting the tone for the warmth that permeates the rest of the record, even in the slower, more reflective pieces found as the record progresses. The final sections of this effort conclude with all the strength and skill that its openers employed to bring it to our attentions, and the midway pieces developed to focus it in our conscious moments. Preceded by the Dire Straits-esque "250 hours in 238 days", the closing tracks are melancholy, though deceptively vibrant, and a fitting conclusion to the record as a whole. While my stereo will undoubtedly fall prey to the bright songs that the coming summer will inspire, there are moments that are enjoyed better with slower tempos and in lower keys, and in those moments I shall be found listening to this wonderful album.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
PopMatters reviews the US release of The Chrysler's "Cold War classic": http://www.popmatters.com/pm/music/reviews/33209/the-chrysler-cold-war-classic/
Ink19 on the US release of The Chrysler's "Cold War classic": http://www.ink19.com/issues/may2007/musicReviews/musicC/chrysler.html
