One of the biggest frustrations from my recent trip to Sweden: you can't be two places at once. It's also impossible to see/do everything and nor should you try, but that doesn't mean I'm immune from regret. So, sorry to the friends I didn't connect with! There will be a next time. And howabout Randy playing West Coast Riot in Göteborg? Oops, I was in Stockholm. Cosy Den? Nope, gotta be back in Göteborg that night. The Holy Ghost's live debut at Lilla Hotellbaren? No way, that was actually the day we landed... in Göteborg, naturally. I would've loved to have been at that one too, especially now that I've gone back and revisited The Holy Ghost's 2011 demo tracks -- I've been eager to check them out ever since ex-Trapdoor Fucking Exit/Java/Ashram member Jens Åker announced the project some years ago and now that he's got a full live band together, I'm even more excited about it. Even better: they'll be going back into the studio in a couple weeks to record again and I've been told the revamped lineup w/2nd guitar adds a whole new dimension to the band. So once again, let us revisit that old demo and look forward towards what's to come.
New tunes from Red Doves, a new band featuring ex-members form Trapdoor Fucking Exit, Section 8 and Henry Fiats Open Sore. Look for the band's debut 12" "Off the grid" to be released on April 30 via .
New postpunk/hardcore from Pig Eyes, a new act featuring current and ex-members from bands such as Nitad, In Solitude, Trapdoor Fucking Exit and Kvoteringen. Look for a 12" EP to be released via later this year.
The Holy Ghost, the new band of Jens Åker (Trapdoor Fucking Exit, Java), finally has some new material up for preview: http://www.myspace.com/theholyghoststhlm
Good to hear even more quality noiserock coming out of Stockholm!
The first rough cut from The Holy Ghost, aka the solo endeavor of Jens Åker (ex-Trapdoor Fucking Exit, Java, etc.), is now streaming at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/theholyghoststhlm
RIYL Starmarket, KVLR, or any other Norrland indie.
Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU:
01. Komeda - Elvira Madigan
02. TALK 1
03. Joensuu 1685 - I'm on fire
04. Haust - Skate rock
05. Sambassadeur - Sandy dunes
06. Erik de Vahl - Got it all
07. TALK 2
08. The Confusions - Boys will be boys
09. The Knife - Heartbeats
10. Francis - I was never bored at all
11. Monzano - Cold waters
12. TALK 3
13. Ave - The load of human kind
14. Trapdoor Fucking Exit - Cardiac arrest
15. Håkan Hellström - Tro och tvivel
16. Karin Ström - Hackney Downs
17. TALK 4
18. Mr. Death - Misery's womb
Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.
Stockholm-based hardcore act The Great Waste of Time (ex-Ashram/Trapdoor Fucking Exit) have a couple brand new tracks on myspace: http://www.myspace.com/greatwasteoftime
If you dig TFE, you'll dig this. I do.
Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU:
01. TALK 1
02. Elias and the Wizzkids - Mr. Right Guy
03. Marit Bergman - Thoughts grow darker in the night
04. Jomi Massage - I see those who died
05. The End Will Be Kicks - Luleå Los Angeles La Paz
06. TALK 1
07. Viola - Shimmery summary (sha-la-la-love)
08. The Bear Quartet - Sailors
09. [ingenting] - Halleluja!
10. TALK 2
11. Erik de Vahl - Got it all
12. The Scrags - Twist at the graveyard
13. Trapdoor Fucking Exit - DOA
14. Iisole - The words
15. TALK 4
16. Death By Kite - Scared of heights
17. Sonic Ritual - Take the edge off
18. Mainliners - Olivia
19. Ted Gärdestad - Räcker jag till
20. TALK 5
21. Darkthrone - Hiking metal punks
Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.
Before there was Trapdoor Fucking Exit, there was Ashram. After Ashram parted ways with their vocalist in '96, the band continued on as an instrumental act under the name Java. That band never officially released anything, but the new label Dead Birds will be putting out an old 5-song rehearsal tape as their first release. More details and samples soon?
I was disappointed to hear that Trapdoor Fucking Exit officially announced their demise last week, but not entirely surprised. Anyone following the group had to be aware that they have been slowly winding down the past few years, but it's still a bummer. I know I'll miss 'em. However, instead of doing the usual Friday retrospective post, I've asked guitarist Jens Åker for some post-mortem insight into the band's legacy.
Now that TFE has wrapped up, any regrets? Is there anything you would do differently?
Well, I don't really regret anything about the band that much, but I would have wanted to play more, tour more. The last few years of the band were real slow in that regard. Also, I have come to think that our second album "Be not content" wasn't all that good. It has some good songs on it, but it's not a good album as a whole. In retrospect, we should have left a couple of the bad songs off it and replaced them with the songs that became the "Devil's egg" 7", which were recorded at the same sessions. Still, you do what you do at the time and nothing good comes from regrets... you just try to do better next time.
What's you proudest accomplishment with the band? Got any particularly good stories?
I think we made some good music. I like the first and last records. Occasionally, we were pretty damn good live. I mean, I sure got off. I don't know about anyone else. For me, personally, the biggest accomplishment was that I managed to fulfill a few of my dreams: after ashram, I wanted to start a band in which I played the guitar and I wanted to go on tour, especially outside of Sweden, and be in a band that made records. So there's that. As for stories, I don't know if I have any that would make sense to someone who wasn't there. I think of Fagge getting drunk and being indecent to Americans. Worm-infested brie cheese in France. The porn and meat gas station, also in France. Very strange. Being a little too high and spacing out on riffs in Denmark and Germany. Little things like that.
What's next for you? Are you still involved/interested in the hardcore scene?
To be honest, I don't know much about what's going on in the hc scene these days. I guess I don't care as much as I used to, but I'll still check out a new band if I hear good things. There's just so much music to discover in the world, it's hard to keep up. As time goes on, I find that I'm interested in hearing more and more other music, from other scenes and other times. I do think there's a couple of really good bands around in the Swedish punk scene, though. Next for me is just getting on with it and starting a new band.
As this is an mp3 post, is there any particular TFE song you'd say is your favorite?
That's hard. To just pick one of your babies, you know? "Into the light" has a lot going on. "Run idiot run" was kind of a theme song. "Ride your pig" has a pretty verse. I don't know...
How about this: if you had to pick one song and one song only to represent TFE, what song would that be?
Here's the playlist for this weekend's radio show:
01. C.Aarmé - Blodet
02. TALK 1
03. Kaka - The hotspurs (the less we know the faster we go)
04. Bitch Boys - Automobile
05. Benea Reach - Rejuvenate
06. TALK 2
07. The Second Band - The urgency of now
08. Breach - Murder
09. Montys Loco - Criminal
10. TALK 3
11. Det Gamla Landet - Krutrök
12. Trapdoor Fucking Exit - Cardiac arrest
13. I Am Bones - Home is the one corner of hell that didn't catch fire
14. TALK 4
15. Madrugada - Look away Lucifer
16. Timo Räisänen - Sixteen
17. When - The king
18. TALK 5
19. Beyond Dawn - Increasing the gravity
20. Ljudbilden & Piloten - Plokk
21. As In RebekkaMaria - She lion (Pato Sick Hangover remix)
22. TALK 6
23. Robert Svensson - 1987 (ft. Adam Olenius)
24. Paper - To her
25. Animal Alpha - Even when I'm wrong, I'm right
26. TALK 7
27. Niccokick - The poet
28. Asha Ali - Coward heart
29. Viola - I don't know how to party
30. TALK 8
31. Voices Break the Silence - No matter if it's now
32. Marybell Katastrophy - Red red lips
33. Anna Ternheim - Shoreline
34. TALK 9
35. Ulf Ljusberg - Here, me
36. Sir Eric Beyond and the Avant-garde - Democracy
37. Once We Were - Carnival
38. Birds On Holiday - I had a plan
39. TALK 10
40. Björn Kleinhenz - Tredje Långgatan 26
01. Soviac - I got the ribbah
02. TALK 1
03. Downstairs - Peephole city
04. Moonbabies - At the ballroom
05. Tar... Feathers - You are lucky to have nothing
06. TALK 2
07. Truckfighters - Atomic
08. Jonas Kullhammar Quartet - Corny waltz
09. Mixtapes & Cellmates - Quiet
10. TALK 3
11. Norma - The dark
12. Karin Ström - Klaustrofobi
13. Vapnet - Tjernobyl
14. TALK 4
15. Montt Mardié - The windmill turns all the same
16. Motorpsycho - Hyena
17. Musti Laiton - Tämän iltainen
18. Holiday Fun Club - Hamburg in the night
19. TALK 5
20. Rigas - It's a shame
21. Repoman - Jawbone night
22. Iisole - The words
23. TALK 6
24. The Fine Arts Showcase - Modern love
25. Kasper Bjørke - Back & spine (Fidel Astro remix)
26. Promoe - Headache
27. TALK 7
28. Viola - Imaginary times
29. New Decade - While tonight still is
30. Promise and the Monster - Sheets
31. Trapdoor Fucking Exit - Choking on teeth
32. TALK 8
33. Totalitär - Nej vi ska inte ha nåt
34. Him Kerosene - Whatever get you by
35. The Social Services - Up in arms
36. Jens Lekman - The opposite of hallelujah
37. Boeoes Kaelstigen - Flir
38. TALK 9
39. Maia Hirasawa - And I found this boy
I received a 4-track CDR from Lukestar way back in April. There wasn't much info included in the package, just that the band was currently on the prowl for a record deal and that the tracks were recorded by Carl Vikman in Sweden. No song titles, no band bio, nothin'. I has seen Lukestar's name in passing, but didn't really know much about them 'cept that they were loosely associated with the Norwegian hardcore scene, or at least that seemed the be the circle they travelled in. However, upon listening, I was taken aback - what's up with this squeaky, androgynous voice? Is this supposed to be emopop? And that drumming... my god! That's what makes the band. The first chorus comes in and teases you with a gigantic hook, only to give way to another, more drawn-out verse with an even more amazing drum break. Then the second chorus, bigger than the last and straight into a triumphant bridge of dueling guitars lines over even busier drums. It's within the realm of noiserock, but not really all that noisy. Melody still rules. One more short, final chorus and, all of a sudden, it's over. The first time I heard it, I was left scratching my head. Not only did it totally defy expectations (those vocals!), but it wasn't quite like anything I'd heard before. Definitely comparable to a lot of the bands Carl Vikman has worked with before - Seven Feet Four, Trapdoor Fucking Exit, Traktor and so on - but with its own unique flavor. Way more pop to be sure, though still rooted in hardcore. Think back to before emo became a bad word. It took me a bit to process, but repeated listens eventually embedded "White shade" firmly into my brain. There's something really intriguing about the way it teases you with the main chorus hook and then moves on. It's such a fantastic part, but it passes by so quickly! In many ways, its stinginess is its strength - I get blindsided and am left wanting more. You might not get it immediately the first time through, but it'll get you.
Too bad Lukestar's album won't be out until 2008 - I was really looking forward to hearing more. As-is, the four tracks I do have remain some of the best stuff I've heard this year.
