New mp3 today from A Gilbert Play, an mysterious post-rock/jazz combo from Sweden. Try as I might, I just can't seem to find any information about these guys and in some ways, I think the added mystique benefits them. I've never really been a fan of Tortoise, but hearing this band makes me realize what they were trying to do. Tortoise had good ideas, but A Gilbert Play gets it right. One of the more important aspects of this group's music is that they know when not to play. The way they let notes hang and drift shows a level of musical maturity that is rarely achieved. The restrain doesn't lead to tension though - by letting each instrument have its own space, AGP lets you appreciate how good the compositions and arrangements really are. I particularly enjoy this track because of the shimmering, bell-like guitar tone and the languid Melody line. Very, very nice.

"Wildhearts" will be the next single from Melody Club off their latest album "Face the music". It comes out July 6.

In case you haven't heard about it already, those boys in Melody Club are having a tiff and bassist Magnus Roos has quit the band. Rumor has it that drummer Rickard Ankers will soon follow.

The Works
s/t
Subliminal Sounds

This Stockholm band has close ties to Dungen, which comes as no surprise after a few listens to the dense psychedelia on this debut. Everything about it screams "1967"--the acid rock, the guitar sounds, the album art. Sometimes that's a good thing, like on opener "Everybody", with its rousing chorus and overall feeling of discovery but suitable restraint from solo excesses. The wide-eyed, booming "Speak your mind" is a good showcase for the vocal range of Andreas Stellan. Elsewhere though, hallmarks of bad psych-rock creep in: endless guitar noodling, straying from the Melody, even a flute part! If you're into psych-rock and can accept the excesses mentioned above, The Works just might be for you.
- Matthew W. Smith

I'm not normally a fan of slacker indierock, but every once in a great while I find a band that I can appreciate. Denmark's Gravy is one of those bands. I can't honestly say that I love every song on their new self-titled debut album, but there are three or four totally outstanding tracks including the mp3 I've posted today. Sure, the Melody borrows heavily from The Pixies, but I love the huge, busy production and gratuitous backing vocals. Just check out that call-and-response motif with the trainwreck/vacuum noise and guitar lick that opens the song. That's exactly the kind of playful noisemaking that I adore. Fun stuff.

Consequences
Please wait EP
self-released

Most of the members of the Swedish band Consequences are best known for backing others. Guitarist Daniel Jansson has worked with Anna Ternheim, while Mattias Areskog (bass), Niklas Korssel (drums) and Åsa Jacobsson (organ, piano) have logged time in Marit Bergman's backing band. Uniting with singer Jonas Heijkenskjöld just over a year ago, the quintet has just self-released its debut EP, "Please wait". Power pop with swirling organ and cheery backing vocals, the music of Consequences is undeniably catchy. Some of it, though, sounds too familiar. "Come on", interestingly enough, sounds quite a bit like "Come on, come on" by the Von Bondies, while the title track includes the lyrics "every breath you take/every move you make." Thankfully, the band saves the best for last. Heijkenskjöld's tired vocal delivery guides the impressive "Wasted under the stars" with a nod or two to Aussie band The Church. Jacobsson's organ drives the Melody on the bittersweet "Don't hold back" - when Heijkenskjöld delivers the line "I can't wait for you forever" several times, he sounds like he means it. Consequences blend really well together. Hopefully they'll build on this and zero in on improving their songwriting.
- Matthew W. Smith

Fint Tillsammans
s/t
Silence

This is the third full-length platter from Sweden's Fint Tillsammans, and it's a quirky, hour-long delight. The trio sing in Swedish, which might be tough on some listeners (not THIS one, though). But there's so much variety in the music-which ranges from jangly folk-pop to romantic ballads to oddball art rock-that all but those who like staring at a lyric sheet while listening should be able to enjoy it. There are 17 tunes, crafted with subtlety and ingenuity by Henrik Wiklund, Martin Stensö and Henrik Svensson. When I make notes for a review, I usually mark a little star next to tunes that rise above the norm. Ten FT songs earned that distinction for me, which is pretty impressive. Among the highlights: the infectious rhythm, subtle vocals and zippy burst of retro-sounding guitar on "Somna om", the amusing "Dududududududu", the wistfully lovely ballad "Tank om", the timeless-sounding Melody and clear, intimate vocal on "Regnet regnar langsamt" (a good one to play for your date if you wanna create a romantic mood) and the foot-tapping charmer Track 9 (the real title is just too long to type). This is one of many driving songs that illustrate what a great rhythm section this band has; bass and drums are spot on, throughout. Fint Tillsammans have pretty much made a classic here, a diverse record that doesn't fit neatly into any categories except "Scandinavian," and I always love it when that happens.
- Kevin Renick

Summer tour plans for Melody Club:

05/20 - Ågatan 29, Enköping
05/21 - Mc Evans, Borås
05/27 - Studentkåren, Gävle
05/28 - Musikfest, Aneby
06/10 - Rabarock, Järvakandi
06/11 - Göteborgstalangen, Göteborg
06/17 - Cityfest, Kramfors
06/18 - Fest i Flen, Flen
06/20 - Jahalli, Helsingfors
06/22 - Globen, Stockholm
07/02 - Olssons Brygga, Arvika
07/07 - Sundsvalls Gatufest, Sundsvall
07/08 - Peace and Love, Borlänge
07/09 - Tivolirock, Kristianstad
07/14 - Torget, Borås
07/17 - Havsbadet, Lysekil
07/23 - Rockoff, Åland
07/28 - Storsjöyran, Östersund
07/29 - Stranddagar, Karlskoga
08/10 - Göteborgskalaset, Göteborg
08/13 - Karl Oskar Dagarna, Växjö

Check out some pics from their just-finished tour with Kylie here: Melodyclub.com/" target=_blank>https://www.diary.Melodyclub.com/

Interview: Peter Ahlqvist (Burning Heart Records)

Moneybrother
Live @ Camden Barfly, London, 03/24/05

This gig was a bit of a funny one. I could never have predicted the hysteria that would surround Moneybrother's first performance on English soil. I first became aware of this band at the Hultsfred Festival in 2003 when I was informed by a friendly stranger that I had to make Moneybrother one of the absolute priority bands to see that weekend. Unfortunately, I never made said gig. However, I made sure that I tracked down the "Blood panic" CD when I returned to the UK. I was intrigued by the cover which I guessed was a pastiche of Michael Jackson, but was ultimately only drawn in by "Reconsider me" and "Don't call the police". Those two tracks showed great promise.
Fast forward two years and I found myself at the Camden Barfly, with the band's new record "To die alone" sitting pretty at the top of the Swedish album chart. Somewhat predictably, the shoebox sized venue was completely sold out. Demand was so high that the promoter had oversold the show, selling an additional 150 tickets to the 180 which should have been on sale. The upshot of this nonsense was that when buzz support act The Modern (who I predict will be a great band for Melody Club to play alongside) finished their set, the entire crowd was kicked out of the venue and forced to queue up again to see Moneybrother. Only the lucky 180 with green wrist bands were granted exclusive access. It would be interesting to note how many of these people who were let back in were non-Swedish or non-industry people. I reckon you could probably count the number on one hand.
When Moneybrother eventually came on I was surprised at how tight the group was. When I found out that they had recently played an industry gig in America, I really didn't give them much of a chance of succeeding Stateside. However, the way in which the band seemed happy to change the arrangements of the recorded versions and skit off of each other made me think that they really could make it as a "jam" band over there. As most of the set was made up of songs from the new record (which I am unfamiliar with) the main body of the set was new to me. However, these new tracks seemed to be more sincere and varied than "Blood panic". I enjoyed how each member of the band was attired in a ridiculous fashion. For example, take the trombonist who was dressed head to toe in tight white denim. It takes balls to carry that look off, believe me.
By the time Moneybrother came on for their encore, the entire crowd was moshing and one brave chap attempted to crowdsurf. The band ended on a chaotic drawn out version of "Reconsider me". Moneybrother do justice to the once derided music genre of white soul. However, although the gig was an undoubtedly enjoyable experience, I expect the band to achieve greater success in the US than the UK due to their sound being more palletable to the tastes of the former market.
- Nick Levine

Here's this week's MTVe UpNorth video chart:

01. Millencolin - Ray
02. Angu - Red Light
03. Kent - Max 500
04. Marie Miller - Playground
05. Moneybrother - They're Building Walls Around Us
06. Carpark North - Human
07. Christian Walz - Never Be Afraid Again
08. Saybia - Bend The Rules
09. Bertine Zetlitz - Ah-ah
10. Darin - Money For Nothing
11. Madrugada - The Kids Are On High Street
12. Melody Club - Boys In The Girl's Room
13. The Ark - Clamour For Glamour
14. Kurt Nilsen - Never Easy
15. Chick Habit - Rule The World
16. Sugarplum Fairy - Far Away From Man
17. Hammerfall - Bloodbound
18. The 69 Eyes - Lost Boys
19. User - Miss Wanted
20. Strip Music - 24 Hrs

Challengers:
01. Radio LXMBRG - It's Cruel Up North
02. Kristin Frogner - Stars Above My Head
03. Nick & Jay - Kan Du Hora Hende Synge
04. Clemens - Dans Me Döden
05. Prominent - Let's Talk It Over

Go here to vote for your favorite.

Here's this week's YLE/Morjen top 10 Nordic video chart:

01. Smak - Nousen (FIN)
02. Korpiklaani - Hunting song (FIN)
03. Kent - Max 500 (SWE)
04. Anniina - Who's about to cry (FIN)
05. The 69 Eyes - Lost boys (FIN)
06. Nerdee - Ivy (FIN)
07. Disco Ensemble - We might fall apart (FIN)
08. Nina Rochelle - Mörkertal (SWE)
09. Infernal - From Paris to Berlin (DK)
10. Pain - Same old song (SWE)

Challengers:
11. Humane - Wish God was a woman (FIN)
12. Gåte - Sjå attende (NOR)
13. Melody Club - Boys in the girls room (SWE)

Melody Club is keeping a tour diary while on the road with Kylie: Melodyclub.com/diary/" target=_blank>https://www.Melodyclub.com/diary/

The English-language version of the Melody Club website is back online: Melodyclub.com/uk/?NODE=1" target=_blank>https://www.Melodyclub.com/uk/?NODE=1

The Drawbacks
At least a spark EP
self-released

Good power pop bands have this thing--this ability to turn a catchy song into one that's outright feverish. They leave you with no choice but to clap or tap your foot along. The Drawbacks have that thing. The group, based in Falköping, Sweden, offers five well-constructed songs on this release. Guitars surge on the big chorus of "Orange", while a fast tempo and sing-along backing vocals make "Straight lines and circles" a standout. The bitter lyrics on "Transparency" are subsumed by the dazzling Melody and soaring harmonies, bringing Teenage Fanclub to mind. The spacier "Trampoline" doesn't work quite as well, but a lot of bands would relish the luxury of having a song that solid be the weakest spot on the CD. I'm dumbfounded that their last guitarist left them to play heavy metal. If you're headed to the west of Sweden, go see The Drawbacks--and shake to that tambourine!
- Matthew W. Smith