Jonas Schwartz - Ideas
"Ideas" is the lead single from Jonas Schwartz's upcoming debut album "Six", due out April 25 via . See the video at Gaffa.
Label: Adore Music
Viewing posts 1-9 out of 9Ewert and The Two Dragons - Good man down (video)
Finnish melancholia just released in Sweden via .
Streets of Mars to Adore Music
has signed Streets of Mars and will be releasing their debut single "Breathe in breathe out" on September 29. Preview at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/streetsofmars
Adore Music reaches out to Iceland
has signed Icelandic act Árstíðir and will be releasing their self-titled album in Sweden on May 12.
Adore Music signs The Percivals
Göteborg-based label has announced the signing of local (to them) garage-rockers The Percivals and will be releasing their debut EP on March 10. Hear a track at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/thepercivalsswe
Killerchaps
Lingua franca
Adore Music
"Lingua franca" kicks off like an early punk album, back when the fledgling movement still continued on the rock'n'roll influence and twang of their few predecessors. Killerchaps' ability to combine this sound with the tropes of the contemporary indie rock scene often yields fantastic results. The influence of bands like Franz Ferdinand, another act who cuts a wide swathe through genres, is easily heard on "Got to go" and the album's extraordinary closing track "What in the world have I done". This British influence is noticeable throughout the album -- "Damn this child" and "Knee high water", two of the album's other standout tracks, feel particularly much more British than Scandinavian in their combination of influences and sounds. Despite the slew of solid songs on "Lingua franca" though, about a third of the album feels very 'par for the course.' It's a shame, I would have loved to give Killerchaps an 8 out of 10. It'll happen one day, I'm quite sure of that.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
Killerchaps
s/t
Adore Music
The self-titled Killerchaps album is, in many ways, everything a 70s saturated indierock album should be. Composed of ten catchy, concise burst of songs, "Killerchaps" wraps up in just over 25 minutes. Unfortunately, while the tracks are well crafted and the brevity of the record never allows for any awkward pauses, the approach becomes nearly formulaic as the record continues. It never develops into a ghastly or horrific exercise, Killerchaps just wind themselves tightly around the straight-forwardness of their songs, allowing for little lateral movement of the guitars, bass, drums, or vocals. It feels that with the obvious talents of the band, that the 60s, Sonics-like style, combined with the contemporary influences of groups like Modest Mouse and Kings of Leon, should allow for a bit more playful variation in the composition. "Hound like tigers" and "Equally dumb", the standout track of the album, both take a few steps away from the standard sound and succeed resolutely for doing so. Overall, "Killerchaps" hits the mark, it just may be forgotten when all is said and done with this year of releases.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
Pär Hagström & Cirkus Transmopol
We are music
Adore Music
I couldn't wait to get my mitts on Pär Hagström & Cirkus Transmopol's debut album after falling in love with "I'm not going home tonight", an empowering, air-punching, hip-swaying highway hit that teeters only a wee bit precariously on the line of 80s anthem rock. "Sing and dance" not only crosses that line, however, it penetrates deep into the heart of Cheeseville, and I don't think I was ready to take that trip. The remainder of the album strays elsewhere – into Eastern Europe, to collect a bit of the gypsy folk that seems to be picking up momentum thanks to Beirut and Gogol Bordello. With Cirkus included in the name of the band, I suppose it shouldn't come as any surprise that there's also a hint of the theatrical, with some songs verging on cabaret, but it wasn't a combination I was expecting from this mysterious Göteborg collective who describe themselves not as a band, but "more like an orchestra, or a joyful funeral procession… a huge mass of people tumbling around on a mysterious stage or as a calm sea of milk with two lonely sailors upon it." Yeah. Weird.
- Stacey Shackford
The Third Try Club
Social
Adore Music
I find this EP of dismal indie rock truly annoying. The singer's vocals are okay, but the vibrato thing he's got going on (that might be there for added quirkiness) makes these songs very tough to listen to without showing cottoning in my ears. It sounds like there's some sort of defect on his vocal chords (if this is the case, I'm truly sorry). Furthermore, It's not often that I have anything against lyrics, but the ones on "Social" stick out like a sore thumb, being so unoriginal and pretentious that they completely ruin any qualities there might to be found in the music (which to be honest, isn't that great either, no matter how many electronic influences that have been thrown into the mix). After this vocal torture, the last instrumental song comes as a great relief, and I duly thank God that I didn't put this EP on repeat.
- Simon Tagestam