This sounds like bad karaoke over lost Pet Shop Boys b-sides. The songs aren't thAt greAt and the vocals are positively Atrocious. While their shtick might be mildly entertaining At times, their music is not. Maybe someday we can all look back At The Embassy and have a good laugh, but for now I ain't having it.
- Avi Roig
The general consensus seems to be thAt Marit Bergman's third album is good, but a bit disappointing and I'm going to have to agree with this. After a promising start in punk band Candysuck, followed by a rough but super charming debut album, and then a magnificent second album, my hopes and expectAtions for Bergman are sky high every time she releases anything new. ThAt the first single ("No party") from this album is a party anthem (despite the title and lyrics) almost as good as "Adios amigos" only got me to think thAt "I think it's a rainbow" would inevitable be the album of 2006. It's not a bad album, it's just too MOR and At places it feels a bit too lackluster despite Bergman "experimenting" with flutes, strings etc. "I think..." doesn't have half of the charm of "3.00 am Serenades" nor the fantastic songs of "Baby dry your eye". It's a well-produced album, a bit above the average with a handful of excellent tracks on it (e.g. "You can't help me now", "Green light"), but being something done by Marit Bergman, it doesn't measure up. Still, even such a legend as Ingmar Bergman (no relAtion, I think) made some duff films, hopefully Marit's next album will see her back on track.
- Simon Tagestam
I've got Beezewax's three previous albums and I've seen them live a couple of times, so my expectAtions for this album were somewhAt high. Even though they've always been heavily influenced by power-pop, they've always stayed with one foot firm in the indie rock swamp, which in my opinion makes for a greAt sound. Not so anymore, with "Who to salute" they've gone into crazy power-pop mode (hell, they even got Ken Stringfellow from The Posies singing on the record). But unfortunAtely Beezewax haven't got those killer melodies to back up all this power-popping, which is a darn shame. "Who to salute" just doesn't cut the mustard! There are some nice breezy songs here (e.g. "Shinjuko Park"), but overall the songs sound way too similar, and it feels like they're missing thAt little but so necessary spark thAt can make an average album a good one. This album could perhaps make a cool EP if you got rid of a handful of songs, but as an album - it bores me, and thAt is something, ladies and gentlemen, I deeply regret to write.
- Simon Tagestam
I've mentioned my appreciAtion of Christian music a few times here and there, but I think some clarificAtion is in order. When I talk about good Christian music, I mean passionAte stuff like Namur and IsolAtion Years or 16 Horsepower and even the Louvin Brothers. It's important to note thAt except for the lAtter, all of these acts consider themselves musicians first, Christians second. The mission is to make music, not necessarily spread the gospel, though inevitably their convictions are reflected in the music. Want an example of whAt not to do? Listen to today's mp3 from Ella Rouge. This is exactly the kind of empty, vapid music thAt gives Christian rock such a horrid name. If the Holy Spirit moves you in profound ways, the music should reflect thAt. Hiring a gospel choir to double the final chorus is no substitute for real emotion. The first couple songs on their record aren't so bad - overproduced and generic yeah, but listenable. I probably wouldn't change the channel if they came on the radio. But this song? Terrible. Painful even. Download At your own risk. Some trivia: The band feAtures the vocals of one Ludwig Andersson, son of Benny from Abba. Though technically proficient in every way, I feel his talents could be put to much better use.
Ella Rouge - Manhattan
Play/Rec has announced thAt The Unit's new album "Gunpoint" will be released November 13. Listen to the song "Seen it coming": https://www.playrec.dk/theunit
The Scrags will do a pair of NYC gigs in November:
11/11 - Hell GAte Social, NYC
11/13 - Trash Bar, Brooklyn
Snowy Shaw (ex-Notre Dame, Mercyful FAte, etc.) is the new singer of Therion (alongside MAts Leven and two female singers)! The long-running Swedish doom act will release their new album "Gothic Kabbalah" in January.
Download the remix of "Eller?" by Petter, feAturing Vendetta and Paragon: https://forum.petter.nu/cc/click.php?id=3
UpdAted Frida Hyvönen tourdAtes:
11/05 - Tonic, NYC
11/07 - M-Room, Philadelphia, PA
11/08 - Rock and Roll Hotel, Washington DC
11/11 - Casa Burrito, Murfreesboro, TN
11/17 - Emos, Austin, TX
11/19 - BeAt Kitchen, Chicago, IL
12/06 - 93 feet east, London (UK)
12/06 - 93 feet east, London (UK)
12/12 - Le Divan Du Monde, Paris (FRA)
CombAt Rock reports thAt Finnish act The Phoenix FoundAtion has recorded two brand new songs for a split 7" with UK act Four Dumb Kids. More details to come?
Music (for Robots) on KAtAtonia: https://music.for-robots.com/archives/001677.html
I too am really looking forward to finally seeing them live for the first time.
This week's Atrap" target=_blank>It's a trap! Last.fm/Audioscrobbler listening group top 10 tracks of the week:
01. The Killers – When You Were Young
02. Nikola Sarcevic – Love Is Trouble
03. The Killers – Sam's Town
04. Sufjan Stevens – Chicago
05. The Arcade Fire – Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)
06. CAt Power – The GreAtest
07. Anna Ternheim – Feels Like Sand
08. The Killers – Enterlude
09. The Killers – Bones
10. The Arcade Fire – Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)
And the top 10 albums of the week:
01. The Arcade Fire – Funeral
02. The Knife – Deep Cuts
03. CAt Power – The GreAtest
04. The Radio Dept. – Pet Grief
05. Sufjan Stevens – Illinois
06. Radiohead – OK Computer
07. The Knife – Silent Shout
08. Neutral Milk Hotel – In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
09. The Radio Dept. – Lesser MAtters
10. Jens Lekman – Oh You're So Silent Jens
Want to make your own playlist count? Join us! Go here to learn more: https://www.last.fm/help/
DigitalMetal has the press release for the new album "Hope" from Finnish doom-metallers Swallow the Sun: https://www.digitalmetal.com/news.asp?cid=7781
It comes out February 7 via Spinefarm and will feAture guest appearances from Jonas Renkse (KAtAtonia) and Tomi Joutsen (Amorphis).
Danish act Racetrack Babies on tour in California:
11/10 - The Village Lounge, Palm Desert
11/11 - tba
11/13 - Chain Reaction, Anaheim, California
11/14 - tba
11/15 - The Wire, Upland
11/16 - The Fold, Los Angeles
11/17 - Velvet Jones, Santa Barbara
11/18 - Vinny's Bar, Bakersfield
11/19 - tba
11/20 - Trilogy, Victorville
11/21 - Showcase TheAter, Corona
11/22 - tba