Maia Hirasawa's debut single "And I found this boy" is classic indiepop through and through, right on down to the big dance number in the video. A little sugary sweet perhaps, but perfect for that transition from winter to spring. But what of the rest of the record? Thankfully, it's more than cutesy girlpop and songs about boys. There are moments of that, sure, but it's all very well-done and balanced with other, more introspective and contemplative material. In the same way that I suspect some people were turned off from Hello Saferide because of "the lesbian song" ("My best friend"), understand that there's much more to it. It's the non-single tracks that elevate the album as a whole. Take "Gothenburg" for example - a song about a very specific place and time. The music is totally different, but I can't help but be reminded of Jawbreaker's "West Bay invitational". That's a song that is even more time/place specific, but its essence - the power of capturing that singular moment - is what's important and what makes it so strong and memorable. This will be a song to revisit in years to come.
Maia Hirasawa - Gothenburg
Once again, Aymeric of Absolut Noise takes care of our weekly Bear Quartet post:
Preamble: "Earthly pastime" is certainly not the best Bear Quartet song; too square, too pop, too "regular". Released on their "Moby Dick" album, it was made during the early part of BQ story. It could actually be taken as a "country" song. In this respect, it reminds me a bit the sound of "Ditt hjärta är en stjärna", the latest Mattias Alkberg BD album.
There are three kind of songs: the ones you hate, the ones you love and the ones you'd better listen to while you are driving a car. "Earthly pastime" belongs to this third category. I cannot exactly remember when I have begun to fall in love with it. I used to listen to it at home and find it nice, but it was not a killer to me. And then I was driving near Monaco, just next to the French Riviera, exactly on the road where Grace Kelly died in a car crash. I was actually thinking about the Hitchcock actress when I started to realize that I was moving my head back and forth, driving a bit too fast on this serpentine road. The feeling was just too good. I wanted to let the car go, put my hands off the steering wheel and clap them in rhythm. I did not dare though. I am still alive.
The Bear Quartet - Earthly pastime
Today's post belongs to Simon Tagestam:
It's a trap! is mostly concentrated on music from the last few months, so to give you a little break from all this I'd like to present to you a song that was initially released 42 years ago. Lill Lindfors is a Swedish entertainer who's done a wide range of things, but her biggest achievement is surely her album "Du är den ende" from 1967. It's a bit of a varied mix that contains some annoying samba/bossanova/jazz numbers, but the true gold is the sad and slow songs that have got some of the most hardcore, cold and "punk" lyrics I've ever heard. The chorus to "Jag tycker inte om dig" goes "I don't like you, I'm not fond of you, but I've got a lot of sympathy," and it also contains the brilliant line "If you don't trust me when I whisper to you 'my love', you're right, because you're not that to me" (all sung in Swedish of course). It's great stuff, and one of few songs that I can listen to with my parents without either of us going insane (please feel free to do a Freudian interpretation).
Lill Lindfors - Jag tycker inte om dig
6
First of all, I like the name. I'm a fan of France, so I thought if they were going to pay homage to the country's airline, Air France could at least do the greats of French indie/electronica some justice. With only four tracks, there's not much to go on, but I found the band's unpretentious attitude to be refreshing. The music is refreshing as well and what is so attractive about it is that you can tell they enjoy making the music they want to make. It wouldn't matter if they had an audience or not, but you want to be part of their club, you want to be at their beach party. Pianos, bongos, guitars, some singing, some computer noises, it sounds like so much fun. As for the quality of the music, (an average 6) - it almost doesn't matter. I enjoy listening to it, they enjoy playing it and everyone's happy.
- Jude Ainsworth
6
I don't know much about Pernilla Andersson, except that she seems packaged for mass consumption, with lots of glossy photos and fancy production. And indeed, she's got an easily accessible adult radio sound that even my old dad would appreciate. A shot of soul, a jigger of jazz, a healthy pouring of pop makes for one smooth cocktail. Think KT Tunstall. But with an unexpected nod to Depeche Mode and – brace yourself – Social Distortion. Yup, there's a barely recognizable cover of "Angel's wings", complete with harmonica, and a surprisingly dark "Enjoy the silence". Is she trying to be quirky? Or to steal Robbie Williams' title for most requested funeral anthem? Perhaps. But, as much as I hate to admit it, I kinda like it. Especially opening track "Red", and single "Scary ordinary". File under 'guilty pleasures', and enjoy the occasional big swig.
- Stacey Shackford
5
Flower Clans play acoustic guitar strumming indie folk rock, lacking good melodies or charisma. The seven tracks lull along and all blend into one decent, but unexciting unity that I doubt will make anyone raise an eyebrow, despite flutes and handclaps.
- Simon Tagestam
9
I had been looking forward to this show for a while, as having seen Loney‚ Dear twice in November‚ but now being much more familiar with his older material. Not one to disappoint, Emil Svanängen & Co. took the stage with a fury (for them) and played their most uptempo set I have seen. Concentrating mostly on material from the latest two releases "Sologne" and "Loney‚ noir", the set was heavy with hits such as "The city‚ the airport"‚ "I will call you lover again"‚ "Saturday waits" and "I am John". I have become a big fan of this band in the past year and, although New York crowds are somehwat boring and unreceptive‚ some others seemed to take a open ear and enjoy the Loney‚ Dear set too. Seeing as how they're touring the states for the bulk of the next two months - go see them‚ you don't want to miss this.
- Matt Giordano
9
As you might already know, this is Annika (Hello Saferide) Norlin's new project sung entirely in Swedish. I've listened to it quite a lot, and I must say I hold pure unconditional love for this album. It's quite odd, since I'm not the biggest Hello Saferide fan. The songs here are extremely peppy, and Annika's vocal delivery and lyrics are quite often undoubtedly inspired by Jakob Hellman (e.g. the "Jag vill inte gå på återträff och återträffa dig" line in "Sanningsdan"), which is fine since there's nothing wrong with sounding like the man who released the best ever album sung in the Swedish language, is there? The best song on the album is actually (as previously posted by Avi) "Sanningsdan" - a duet with Martin Hanberg from Vapnet (there's also another fine duet with Markus from Laakso). The rest of the songs are also fantastic, even the slow songs are great. I never expected I'd like this album this much, but I do! I do!
- Simon Tagestam
7
I feel a bit sorry for Sounds Like Violence who had to play in London on a Sunday night to a quarter-full The Borderline. Halfway through their gig, to make matters worse, one "jolly" suit-wearing guy (who seemed to be one of the biggest SLV fans at the show) was thrown out for some drunken semi-heckling, which was quite unnecessary. Too keep up with his farce-like persona, the disturber-of-the-peace re-entered the gig towards the end, only to be chased and caught by another bouncer, thus another re-eviction swiftly followed (despite protests from the audience). SLV were great - loud and sharp, and the songs from their new album sound brilliant. Only problem with the show was that the singer didn't seem too happy to be there, his ironic and arrogant attitude was very off-putting and it made the show quite unpleasant to watch.
- Simon Tagestam
6
There're currently more unoriginal alt.country artists from Scandinavia than tortillas in Mexico. Strayfolk, from Göteborg, is another one of these bands to put on the pile. Their self-released album from late last year is a very ordinary affair with slide guitars, lyrics about "been down every road that's around here" and being stuck in a small town, plus all the other ingredients that are meant to give you that feeling of driving on Highway 66 clad in blue jeans and a fleece shirt, sipping on a Bud. The problem is that even though I love country music very much and Strayfolk do country music pretty well, I wish they'd make it their own. It would be so much more interesting and personal if they'd been able to convey feelings about life in Göteborg, instead of drowning themselves in tired clichés, but somehow I doubt that this is what they've set as their goal or purpose.
- Simon Tagestam
7
This is a very beautiful album, with a perfect balance between Karin Ström's voice and the understated electronics creating accomplished electro-pop songs. Ström is certainly talented, there's no doubt about it. Musically, "En saga om en sten" shows Ström exploring computer instruments to create an upbeat base to which her vocals add a touch of ethereal elegance, much like a Swedish Imogen Heap. Looking up the lyrics on her website (thankfully in both Swedish and in English), the poetics compliment just the sort of music she is making. Absorbing, thoughtful - if the stories of heartbreak get a little too familiar. But I get the feeling she is scared to go all out with her songs. Nothing stands out on the album for me, although there are a fair few catchy numbers. I like this album, but I don't love it. It will be the next album that everyone takes notice of. She should be more experimental, less afraid to really explore the electronics and demonstrate her vocal talent.
- Jude Ainsworth
New reviews are posted today: [click here]
The new Sahara Hotnights album "What if leaving is a loving thing" will be released on April 18.
Mariann from Surferosa will judge the next season of Norway's Pop Idol.
Umeå-based 70s punk rivivalists Disconvenience will spend most of April touring Europe and dates are posted here: https://www.acc.umu.se/~samhain/rickards/disconvenience/gigs.html
Säkert!