Elak Bingo! Sounds like an affirmative statement of some sort, doesn't it? For me, it already is: I've made it a personal declaration to indicate when a new band successfully inspires that sense of wonder we all crave in music. Funny thing is, "elak" means "bad" or "mean" in Swedish, and this Norwegian female twosome are anything but. Instead, Elisabeth and Ann-Kristen generate one of the most charming, whimsical, unaffectedly childlike sounds I've heard in ages. They're getting attention with their MySpace profile, where you can hear four of the songs from this amazing demo. "Butterfly" (labeled as "Space park" on the disc the girls sent me) is the sweetest 90 seconds I've heard on MySpace yet; it utilizes the repeated single chirp of a bird, a dash of violin and softly feminine vocals to charm the daylights out of you. "Little birds round the tree/You and me," sings Elisabeth, and no matter how minimal the lyrics, the effect is serene and evocative. Elak Bingo are DIY practitioners all the way, so there's no real production, no grandiose intent. But in terms of sweet, unaffected joy of musical self-expression, these Norwegian girls are a sublimely engaging pair of songbirds.
- Kevin Renick
Add my voice to the chorus singing the praises of this record. Everyone else compares them to the Pixies, but to these ears they're more reminiscent of sounds a little earlier in the 80s -- the off-kilter yet powerfully melodic pop of the Go-Betweens circa 1983-1985 where dischordant notes careened off of one another, time signatures shifted mid-song, and what seemed at first to be quasi-random messes revealed themselves on repeated listenings to be nuanced, intricate, and brilliantly crafted. Not a note on this record is where you expect it to be, instruments and vocals (both male and female) play off one another as much as they play with one another. It's unsettling and subversively catchy, intellectually intruiging and gut level appealing. Highly recommended.
- Nancy Baym
There's a song on here called "Som en b-sida om sommaren" ("Like a b-side in summer") and that pretty well encapsulates this record. Pick a hot and steamy night. String some inflatable palm trees with lights. Fill a kiddie pool with ice & beer & soda and your backyard with friends. Imagine sand between your toes. Pop this one in your boombox and start doing the twist. All instrumental, it's part silly, part surf, part B-52s, part casios, occassionally a little annoying, but mostly just fun fun fun. Let the summer dance parties begin.
- Nancy Baym
You don't have to be Nostradamus to be able to predict great things in the near future for I'm From Barcelona. Last year their glorious song "We're from Barcelona" hit Indie Sweden like a bomb and made more people dance than ants in pants, now a year later IFB are signed to Dolores. Now their debut album is out and it manages to live up to the very high expectations. The songs are bursting with energy, the melodies are enormous, and if the band can capture a tenth of this magic when playing live, it'd be a sight worth selling your grandmother's false teeth for (the gold ones of course, hidden under the mattress). If this isn't on lots of "Best of 2006" lists in 6 months, I'll eat my Nostradamus beret and stop playing the lottery.
- Simon Tagestam
Forget about the Kent-like live track (which is actually a Radio Dept. cover, sung in Swedish) and the ambient (and "watery") remix, and concentrate on the first three normal tracks on the new EP from [ingenting] (which is Swedish for "nothing"). The two first songs are poppy summer songs and then it slows down with the third track "Så varm, så kall", but it's still good stuff. [ingenting] are labelmates with Acid House Kings and The Radio Dept. but since they sing in Swedish, I doubt their music will travel outside Scandinavia. This is a damn shame, since their songs are as good as aforementioned bands', it's just a bit less twee/shoegazing and more pure indie pop. Try it, you might like it even if you don't speak Swedish.
- Simon Tagestam
A new week means a new profile piece. Today's feature? Swedish singer/songwriter Maia Hirasawa: [click here]
Also be sure to check out the new batch of reviews posted today: [click here]
The new Fibes, Oh Fibes! album "Emotional" will be out in early September. The first single "Get up" will be officially released on August 9.
Renown Finnish folk act Värttinä will be releasing a DVD collection on May 31. Footage to be featured on the disc includes their 20th Anniversary Concert at Aleksanterin Teatteri in Helsinki in February 2003, 15 TV and video clips from throughout the group's career, two live bonus audio tracks from a show in 2005 featuring a guest appearance from Ho Orchestra, interviews and more. Complete details and ordering info: https://www.varttina.com/main.site?action=siteupdate/view&id=7
Check out the video for "Here for a laugh" from The Breakers: https://media.putfile.com/Here-For-A-Laugh
Drowned in Sound talks to Kristofer Steen about the legacy of Refused and the new DVD: https://drownedinsound.com/content/view/777156
This week's It's a trap! Last.fm/Audioscrobbler listening group most-played artist chart:
01. Radiohead
02. Sufjan Stevens
03. The Radio Dept.
04. Death Cab for Cutie
05. Belle and Sebastian
06. The Pipettes
07. The Knife
08. Hello Saferide
09. Franz Ferdinand
10. Hot Chip
Top 10 tracks for the week:
01. Gnarls Barkley - Crazy
02. Vapnet - Thoméegränd
03. Peter, Bjorn and John - Young Folks
04. The Pipettes - Pull Shapes
05. The Radio Dept. - A window
06. The Radio Dept. - Tell
07. Band of Horses - Wicked Gil
08. The Concretes - Chosen One
09. Band of Horses - The Funeral
10. Death Cab for Cutie - Soul Meets Body
If you want to see your favorites listed here you should join us! Go here to learn more: https://www.last.fm/help/
Danish epic rock act Mew will finally come to the US for a few dates supporting Bloc Party:
07/28 - Bank Pavilion, Boston, MA
07/29 - McCarran Pool, Brooklyn, NY
08/01 - The Grove, Anaheim, CA
08/03 - Greek Theatre, Los Angeles, CA
08/04 - Greek Theatre, Berkeley, CA
08/09 - Warehouse Live,Houston, TX
08/10 - Stubbs BBQ, Austin, TX
Download the single "Falling out of love" from Pinto, a new Swedish indiepop act fronted by Andreas Magnusson of Hanif: https://web.comhem.se/~u31128969/
The video for the new Deportees single "Damaged goods" is now online: https://www.emi.se/artists/deportees/dg/index.htm
Hell on Wheels
Hemstad