3
Tony Clifton – previously known as Andy Kaufman's very funny alter ego, but now (apparently) also a not so very funny rock band from the south of Sweden. On this self titled EP, Tony Clifton sound both like Radiohead and Turbonegro, but failing to achieve what either of those acts do quite well. The lyrics are banal and clichéd (the song titles must be some of the must unimaginative ever – "No venom", "There's no need to try", "Kill your darling" etc.), and the music at its best sound like something that could be the soundtrack for a tea commercial. Hopefully in a few years, no one will associate the name Tony Clifton with Swedish music, but only with American comedy genius.
- Simon Tagestam
Rasmus Kellerman from Tiger Lou was my guest on this week's radio show and this is what we played:
01. TALK 1
02. Tiger Lou - The loyal
03. Sara Berg - Call me from below
04. Thomas Dybdahl - Maury the Pawn
05. Torpedo - Hospital
06. TALK 2
07. The Je Ne Sais Quoi - Heroica
08. Paris - When I laid my eyes on you
09. Isolation Years - Nurse hands
10. Jennie Abrahamson - Songs we sing
11. TALK 3
12. Firefox AK + Tellevika - Eric
13. Winter Took His Life - Lucky star
14. Knugen Faller - Jag vill inte vara med
15. Favorita - Seven comforts
16. TALK 4
17. Mikael Jonasson - Can you dig this?
18. Lindeberg & Can - Forbidden romance
19. John Dahlbäck - Gas
20. TALK 5
21. Ozgur Can - Changed
22. Aril Brikha - Winter
23. TALK 6
24. Rupesh Cartel - Hide like this
25. Madrugada - Hard to come back
26. Mob - Wait for me
27. TALK 7
28. Tiger Lou - Functions
7
It's always hard to play in front of a crowd that's not really your crowd, just ask the guys in Torpedo. As an opening act for the veterans in the reunited, or unpaused, folk punk band Dia Psalma, Torpedo could certainly have wished for better conditions tonight, but hey, it's a challenge, right? There's always someone out there ought to become a fan and hopefully buy the record. Speaking of the record, the debut album, "In the assembly line" will finally be released early in November, a record I've really been looking forward to. "Epic Indie Kraut", with "like-wind-sweeping-through-your-hair-guitars", where less is more does not exist; there you'll find Torpedo, according to themselves. I like the term "Epic Indie Kraut", and I like Torpedo. They truly give it all, their energy and presence is contagious, and the rhythm section is impressive. Especially in my all-time favourite "Hang me high" – it's a beast. Placed in the right environment, think; crowded, hot as hell and booze, Torpedo will definitely blow your mind. Placed in the wrong environment, think; small town, not so crowded and lots of booze, Torpedo puts on a good show, but I know things can get better. Next time I expect a full fledged knock out.
- Christian Stenbacke
"Load it" is a work of glorious melancholy beauty. The chimes and ba-ba-baas of the backing vocals distract, but the depression is unavoidable. "Every day is an empty click / in case my friend you forget to load it" It's a major BQ theme: getting older, feeling more futile. Out of touch and increasingly out of reach. On top of the alienation and hopelessness. Envying the youth and their blissful naivety. It helps if you don't think too hard about the words as you sing along.
The Bear Quartet - Load it
The Determined Dilettante on classic Swedish jazz artist Jan Johansson and the album "Jazz på Svenska": https://determineddilettante.blogspot.com/2007/10/fall-has-arrived.html
If you haven't heard this yet, you are definitely missing out. Also posted over there, a bit on Britney Spear's latest album "Blackout" which boasts an impessive roster of Swedish production credits. From the few tracks I've heard so far and considering the vocal (over-)production, I'd agree that it's barely even a Britney album at all. For better too, I'd say.
Updated Russian tourdates for Pain:
11/24 - Shadow Club, Moscow
11/25 - DK Molodezhi, Perm
11/27 - Fakel, Tomsk
11/28 - Koliseum, Barnaul
11/29 - Rock City, Novosibirsk
11/30 - EC Contnent, Kemrovo
12/02 - Gavana, Krasnoyarsk
12/04 - SC Trud, Irkutsk
The third volume of Kirlian Crossing's "Madness and repeat" free download series is now up: https://www.verdurarecords.com/kirliancrossing/madness.htm
New tourdates for Swedish electropunk act I Love You Baby!:
12/06 - tba, Moscow (RUS)
12/07 - tba, Vologda (RUS)
12/09 - tba, Archangelsk (RUS)
12/11 - tba, Novopolovsk (BEL)
12/12 - tba, Vitebsk (BEL)
12/13 - New Sound Land Club, Baranovitji (BEL)
12/14 - tba, Maladzechna (BEL)
12/15 - tba, Minsk (BEL)
Swedish metal acts Dark Tranquility and The Haunted will do a few gigs in Japan together:
01/16 - Big Cat, Osaka
01/17 - Club Quattro, Nagoya
01/18 - O-East, Tokyo
Swedish pop act Lamont has posted their new album "Golden daze" for free download via Pirate Bay: https://thepiratebay.org/tor/3867587/
Paper Thin Walls on a track from the new Kim Hiorthøy album "My last day": https://www.paperthinwalls.com/singlefile/item?id=1119
A West Side Fabrication has new tracks from The Breeze The Breath and Olle Nyman posted on myspace: https://www.myspace.com/westsidefabrication
I spent quite a bit of time combing through my music archives looking for dark and scary music to use in my various Halloween playlists, naturally digging up quite a bit of my old goth and doomrock in the process. One of the bands that jumped out was Bay Laurel, a Swedish act that I probably first became aware of through Katatonia, back when I used to regularly check the current playlist section of their website to see what they were listening to. I discovered quite a few great acts that way- it led me to revisit Kent and Bonnie 'Prince' Billy and got me into other stuff like Ben Christophers, Novembre and Madrugada. Bay Laurel actually reminds me a bit of Madrugada, come to think of it, at least their older material circa "Industrial silence". It strikes a similar mood the guitarists do a decent job of approximating Robert Burås' superb use of space. It also helps that Bay Laurel frontman Rikard Löfgren has a deep voice reminiscent of Sivert Høyem, though his lyrical aspirations don't quite match up. Still, I appreciate Rikard's incredibly earnest delivery even if he sometimes over-indulges in cliché. And the music is great; dark and heavy without crossing the line into metal. Too bad there aren't more bands like this around nowadays or, if there are, I'm certainly not hearing about 'em.
Bay Laurel - Outside these walls
Swedish singer/songwriter Kristoffer Ragnstam will support Debbie Harry on tour in November/December: https://www.ragnstam.se/schedules.asp?page=7
Tony Clifton
Torpedo