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4
This is painful. I thought it would be cool, but this is barely more enjoyable than Richard Cheese and I hate that guy. Hellsongs covers metal songs in a pop, acoustic and orchestral way in order to bring them to new light. The problem is that those songs were written to evoke a powerful and aggressive emotional response and trying to make people cry with a Regina Spektor-like arrangement and voice is not actually working most of the time. I'll admit as much that "Seek and destroy" actually works, but would work better if it wasn't 16 minutes long and Iron maiden's "Run to the hills" also does work; the rest is just very hard to listen to. The novelty is fun for just about 2 minutes, after that it's just torture.
- Simon Thibaudeau
4
Karsten Pflum, or Dane Jacob Helverskov madsen's latest release is thoroughly quirky, but only for those of you who enjoy forays into the frontiers of musical weirdness. To really get into this album, appreciation of minimalist techno is a must as madsen's arrangements can get particularly tedious (as is the case with the majority of experimental stuff). There are moments on "Idhax" where the music begins to make sense, such as an unusually fully constructed beat towards the end of "Impulse 11", reminiscent of the animated psy-trance of Shpongle or Infected mushroom. This is, however, a rare moment on the album, which is less a gem of talented composition and more a rambling, haphazard journey from one electronic beep to another. madsen himself summed it up nicely by naming one of the tracks "No target".
- Jude Ainsworth
8
This disc was a pleasant surprise for me. The Swedish duo, consisting of Suzanne and Patrick, are obviously fans of simple, well-crafted, melodic soft rock, and that's what they deliver on this set of 12 breezy, gently melancholic tunes. Vocalist Suzanne is a bit reminiscent of Christine Sandtorv from Ephemera, which is no bad thing in my book. Christoffer Lundquist produced the platter with exceptional clarity, lending even lesser tunes a pleasing sonic sheen. But some tracks, like the utterly bewitching "Skin to skin", sound like timeless standards. I played this disc on my car stereo during numerous dreary days in December, and it was truly therapeutic. This is subtle, engaging pop music, and I look forward to future efforts.
- Kevin Renick
6
Johan Gustavsson is young, at only 23, but his music, under the name of Tsukimono, seems much more mature. The feel of the album is always out of step - awkward and dysfunctional, but strangely beautiful at the same time. Fragments of each track are picked up throughout the album, which links the tracks with a classic ambient narrative. For instance, a backdrop of torrential rain is returned to, as is the same shadowy, heartfelt piano. melodies are often repeated with subtle changes to the general sound and feel of the instruments. This leads to a lack of memorable, standout tracks, rather a combination of tracks that should be listened to as a whole. It took a lot of time for me to really appreciate "Née" as it is so jumbled, but it gradually becomes easier to follow and easier to enjoy. The acoustic element to Gustavsson's music earns him a reference to Four Tet - who some would say is a more experienced artist, but both produce work that is descriptive and visual. With a 'sister-album' entitled "Heart attack money", I'm looking forward to hearing more from Tsukimono.
- Jude Ainsworth
"I could say I'm sorry but I'm not / Whatever I promised I forgot" That's got to be one of the most cold-hearted lines ever and it's made even colder on this Jens Lodén remix. He drags down the tempo and strips away the lead synth melody, letting the vocals carry the song all by their lonesome. They're also the loudest thing on the track and left raw so they stick out even more. I like the original a lot, but this makes the lyric more brutal and impossible to ignore. I love the way the churning bassline segues into distortion for the chorus, too. m/watch?v=-GlHrTeDaU4" target=_blank>The video proves the band doesn't always take themselves 100% seriously, a virtue I always appreciate, but you'd never know it from hearing this alone.
Universal Poplab - I could say I'm sorry (Jens Lodén remix)
It's a trap! loves The Bear Quartet. It's no secret. A couple weeks ago m/index.php?d=1139">I wondered aloud about instituting a regular BQ-tribute post and, after a bit of back n' forth with some potential guest writers, it was settled. Every Saturday throughout the year of 2007, IAT will honor Sweden's greatest indierock band. However, the term 'greatest' can mean a lot of things, especially when referring to a band like BQ. They are one of my most favorite bands. The can be beautiful, inspiring, even profound, but they can also be infuriating, confusing and just plain weird. We may disagree on when each of those moments occur and that's part of what makes them so special.
For this first edition of the new series, I've asked the band Penny Century to contribute:
Ok, we picked "mom and dad" as our favorite. A bit of a boring choice we suppose, but if you don't want your band to break up after fighting over different songs, you better pick the classic.. There's so many great tracks, but never the less, this is probably the one BQ-song that has been quoted, sung and played most by the members of Penny Century through the years. With wonderful melodies, a harmonica to kill for and incredibly well-written lyrics, this little childhood recollection never fails to move us. "I'm still stuck somewhere between who I was and who I wanted to be." That line alone is reason enough to name your band after a Bear Quartet album.
The Bear Quartet - Mom and dad
Interested in contributing your own thoughts on a particular Bear Quartet song? Get in touch! There's 51 more weeks left in the year, so there's probably a spot for you somewhere.
Be sure to check back in tomorrow (yes, Saturday!) for a new special feature!.
Thomas Denver Jonsson on tour in Italy:
01/28 - Zuni, Ferrara (ITA)
01/29 - Clandestino, Faenza (ITA)
02/01 - tba, Bari (ITA)
02/02 - morya, Brescia (ITA)
02/03 - Pirobutirro, Pistoia (ITA)
02/04 - Sintetika, Firenze (ITA)
New dates for Danish rockers On Trial:
01/17 - Demo Bar, Halden (NOR)
01/18 - Kaos, Tromsø (NOR)
01/19 - Garage, Oslo (NOR)
01/25 - Tommy Weisbecker Haus, Berlin (GER)
01/26 - museums Keller, Erfurt (GER)
01/27 - Kanonenhaus, Altenburg (GER)
01/29 - Kulturforum, mittelsinn (GER)
01/30 - tba
01/31 - Kult Kafe, münchen (GER)
02/01 – ISC, Bern (CH)
02/02 – Zero music Club, Bergamo (ITA)
02/03 - Sonar Club, Siena (ITA)
02/04 - Bikini Test, La Chaux-de-Fonds, (CH)
02/05 – tba, Nürnberg (GER)
04/20 - Roadburn Festival
05/26 - Sense-O-Rama Festival, Berlin (GER)
05/27 - Swamproom Happening, Hannover (GER)
Norwegian powerpoppers Beezewax are doing a few European shows in February:
02/16 - The Lido, margate (UK)
02/22 - Zero, Tarragona (ESP)
02/23 - Wah Wah, Valencia (ESP)
02/24 - Less Basses (mini festival), Barcelona (ESP)
Fläskkvartetten will release their new album "Voices of Eden" on January 31. As always, the record will feature a host of high-profile guest vocalists including Andreas mattsson, Anna Ternheim, Titiyo, Johan Renck (Stakka Bo), Theodor Jensen (The Plan) and, on the new single "This one's for you", Robyn. That song comes out January 10.
Tsukimono