Denmark's Under Byen will be playing a special show together with Radiounderholdningsorkestret - The Danish Radio Concert Orchestra on April 28 at Radiohusets Koncertsal. It will be recorded and broadcast live via Danish national radio and you can find more info here: http://www.dr.dk/presse/Article.asp?articleID=24861

Under Byen will tour the US again in September to coincide with the Stateside reissue of their 2nd album "Det er mig der holder træerne sammen".

I went and saw Under Byen and Frida Hyvönen in Seattle last night on the final show of their US tour. Seeing Frida live was both good and bad; good in that I think I now better understand why some people really like her and bad because the show also reinforced just how boring I find her music to be. Under Byen on the other hand, were fantastic. The recordings simply do not do them justice - they are a band meant to be experienced in-person. Apparently they'll be back around in September so go see them for sure.

David Byrne's latest Internet radio show is a special feature on Nordic music: http://davidbyrne.com/radio/index.php
Unsurprisingly he tends towards the more ethereal end of the musical spectrum, covering artists such as Stina Nordenstam, Under Byen and Anja Garbarek.

The winners of this year's Steppeulven, aka the Danish critic awards:

Best album: Mikael Simpson - Stille & Uroligt
Best song: Simpson - "Vi 2"
Best band: moi Caprice
Best music: Rune Kjeldsen (Kira, Rhonda Harris, etc.)
Best lyrics: Peter Sommer
Best composer: Anders Trentemøller
Best hope: Band Ane
Best vocalist: Henriette Sennenvaldt (Under Byen)
Best live act: Under Byen
Best producer: Troo.L.S. & Rune Rask
Pioneer prize: The Savage Rose

Multi-instrumentalist Thorbjørn Krogshede has left Under Byen in order to concentrate more on his studies, as the band's increased road duties have taken away from his time at home. Read the full story (in Danish): http://www.soundvenue.com/news.asp?id=5445

New North American tourdates for El Perro Del Mar:

03/01 - Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY
03/02 - Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA w/Under Byen, Frida Hyvönen
03/04 - Musée Juste Pour Rire, Montreal, Quebec
03/05 - Mod Club, Toronto, Ontario
03/06 - Lakeshore Theater, Chicago, IL
03/09 - Neumos (KEXP benefit), Seattle, WA
03/10 - Doug Fir, Portland, OR
03/12 - Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA
03/13 - Rec Center, Los Angeles, CA
03/14 - Hotel Cafe, Los Angeles, CA

I didn't pay her much attention until I caught her live and instantly changed my mind. Very recommended!

Denmark's Under Byen on tour in the US with support from Frida Hyvönen (excluding SXSW shows):

03/02 - Museum of Fine Art, Boston, MA w/El Perro Del Mar
03/05 - Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY
03/07 - La Sala Rossa, Montreal, Quebec
03/08 - The Mod Club, Toronto, Ontario
03/09 - Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh, PA
03/10 - Beachland Ballroom, Cleveland, OH
03/11 - Wexner Art Center, Columbus, OH
03/12 - Abbey Pub, Chicago, IL
03/14 - Opolis, Norman, OK
03/15 - Emo's (SXSW), Austin, TX
03/16 - tba (SXSW), Austin, TX
03/17 - tba (SXSW), Austin, TX
03/18 - Knitting Factory, Los Angeles, CA
03/19 - Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA

Denmark's Under Byen was Spin's band of the day yesterday: http://www.spin.com/features/band_of_the_day/2006/11/061120_underbyen/

Pitchfork reviews Under Byen: http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/39620/Under_Byen_Samme_Stof_Som_Stof

MSNBC says that Denmark's Under Byen is a band to watch: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15641398
Look for them to do a few major-market dates around North America next March.

Junkmedia talks to Nils Gröndahl of Under Byen: http://www.junkmedia.org/index.php?i=1911

Denmark's Under Byen in North America:

10/04 - Mercury Lounge, New York, NY (private party)
10/05 - Ukranian Federation (Pop Montreal), Montreal, Quebec w/Joanna Newsom
10/07 - Cabaret (Pop Montreal), Montreal, Quebec w/Giant Sand
10/08 - Zaphod's, Ottawa, Ontario w/Giant Sand
10/09 - Horseshoe, Toronto, Ontario w/Giant Sand

MP3: Élodie - Overload

A good follow-up to yesterday's post on Under Byen is today's mp3 from Élodie. Both bands are female-fronted and could be considered post-rock by the way they embrace slow-building dynamics. The main difference however is that Élodie is more of a pop band. Where Under Byen is unique for their heavy percussion, Élodie soothes with lush, gentle melodies. It's a shame that their new EP "At the end of the line" is the last we'll hear from them - the band recently played their final show at Trästockfestivalen in their hometown of Skellefteå. If you've been at all into any of the other dark and dreamy pop I've been raving about this year such as Lampshade or Namur, then this is definitely up your alley. Not only is there a ton of similar music in this vein being released now, a very high percentage of it is remarkably good. There's more on the way too - keep an eye out for posts on new music Sonores and The Grand Opening in the near future, both amazing bands (and also both IAT.MP3 artists releasing their first official full-lengths).
Buy "At the end of the line": [click here]

Élodie - Overload

MP3: Under Byen - Siamesisk

I have been meaning to post about Denmark's Under Byen for a long time, even before I posted Simon's fawning review of their most recent album "Samme stof som stof". Now that said record is getting a US release via Paperbag later this month, I figure I might as well get this done. Trouble is, I don't find myself nearly as wowed as Simon or many of the other folks who've been weighing in on the band lately. The music itself is very aesthetically pleasing - I love the clattering percussion, breathy vocals and diverse pallet of extra instrumentation. It's just that the songs fall a tiny bit short for me. On the other hand, I readily endorse any quality foreign-language post-rock that isn't Sigur Rós - not that I don't like Sigur Rós, just that I think people should investigate all the other international musical treasures out there waiting for them, despite any preconceived notions concerning language barriers. That's a lot of what this site is about, after all. I like Under Byen, but I don't love them. Regardless, I admire and respect their creativity and think they are worth listening to anyway. Hear them for yourself and make your own decision.

Under Byen - Siamesisk