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It's taken me a long time to appreciate Jens Lekman. I still think his older material tends to be fairly weak, but I grudgingly admit that he has gotten much much better with time. In listening to his latest limited edition tour EP, I think I've figured out the reason for my change of heart: When Lekman eschews production tricks and lets his songs stand on their own, he shines. Whether it's the simple accompaniment of ukulele or piano, it works wonders for his material. On the other hand, the spoken word piece "How much you mean to me" is unlistenable garbage, but there's barely anyone who can pull something like that off, so I'll let it slide. I also think I prefer it when Jens sings in his native Swedish. He sounds so much more comfortable, more laidback. Keep making music like this and I'll definitely be a fan.
- Avi Roig
Son of a Plumber is no other than – hold your breath - Per Gessle from Roxette. You don't know who Roxette are? Well, you should count yourself lucky. Roxette were pretty big (especially in Germany) throughout the late 80s and early 90s. Their peak must have been when the monster hit "It must have been love" was featured on the "Pretty Woman" soundtrack. Per Gessle is always portrayed in the Swedish press as this dude with a massive – hold your breath, again - music collection and he seems to be totally in love with "Nuggets"-type music. Unfortunately, I don't think any of his compositions will ever be featured on one of the Nuggets compilations. This album is horrible and it reminds me of Roxette and the worst things about the 80s.
- Simon Tagestam
I'm sure lots of (Swedish) dads will get this album as a present this Christmas. You see, Joakim Thåström is very much a legend in Sweden. He started out playing guitar and singing in the excellent punk band Ebba Grön who were active in the late 70s and early 80s, when they released some magnificent records that still sound crazy nice, even if you don't speak Swedish. After Ebba Grön, he fronted Imperiet (more new wave/romantic than punk), then he went on to do some solo albums (most of which were influenced by industrial music). His latest offering is something of a nostalgia trip that deals with his past in almost every song, and the music is very "back to basics", acoustic guitar based and melodic. All in all, "Skebokvarnsv. 209" is a bluesy and mellow affair that suits dark winter nights perfectly, and even if it now and then feels a bit naff, I enjoy the album's cheesiness. At one stage when I was a kid Ebba Grön was the only thing I listened to, but I never really got into Thåström's other stuff, so it's a bit surprising that I like most of the songs on here as much as I do, but I do, I really do, whether or not this got anything to do with nostalgia from my part I do not know nor care about.
- Simon Tagestam
Uncle's Institution is basically Egil Olsen, Norway's answer to Iceland's mugison and Gisli. "Yet another Scandinavian Beck soundalike, then!" you might retort. Well, yes, and no, it's quite unfair to dismiss to Uncle's Institution as nothing but a Beck copycat, they also sound a lot like Eels. Recently people have lamented a lot about how the age of the mp3 might mean "the death of the album", and I'm definitely one of the people who will weep at the album's funeral. This is why it feels like a waste when artists make an album that sounds like a various artists' compilation, instead of making a proper full length where all the songs live together in harmony. Despite this little exasperation, I can see a lot of people getting into this album and feeling very "hip" listening to it. There are some great ideas here, all carried out with a bit of flair, but the whole product is just way too superficial and forced, no matter how many great hooks/choruses Egil has managed to squeeze into 35 minutes.
- Simon Tagestam
We just got a fresh blanket of snow here and it's so beautiful outside, I wish I could just take a snow day. Alas, the disadvantage of working from home is that I'd have to be bedridden before I could call in sick. No commute = no snow day. *sigh*
I do get some relief today - Jason Christie has kindly provided us with this week's Friday oldie post:
The origin of this track is essentially a horrible record, a horrible cover, and but with the energy of music has never ceased to get my goat enough to make it stand tall in the classic bracket. Now we are talking about two excellent bands: BCQ and Hell on Wheels.
The original was a song released almost 5 years ago [when I was stuck to a desk in a news agency spending days and hours trying to sell stories – I was too bored to die]. "Big day coming" was contained on the band's "Outcast" album – a stellar disc. The sort of disc which makes mP3s redundant. We like albums. When did you last buy one chapter of a book? This cover is similar in feel to the original: raw, one take and totally unpolished – it's scruffy, and 2:30 long – perfect. If this don't charge you for the weekend, try crack cocaine.
Look for the mp3 to download on the right.
Another day in December also means another top 10! Today's list comes from the amazing Desert Planet! Be sure to catch them on tour in Germany later this month too - they are most certainly not to be missed. Dates:
12/09 - Rocker33, Stuttgart (GER)
12/10 - ENZIAN Bar (Kreuzberg), Berlin (GER)
12/11 - Berlin's Premier modernist Sunday Event, Berlin, Germany (GER)
12/14 - Weinerei, Nürnberg (GER)
12/15 - Raum 4, Fürth (GER)
12/16 - Kunterbunt e.V., Schwerte (GER)
Smalltown put on a good show last night btw, despite issues with the PA and a disorganized promoter. All you SF Bay Area folks should check 'em out this weekend when they're down in your area. Classic melodic punk-rock with a heathly dose of the The Jam. Good stuff.
Gaffa's top 10 Danish albums for 2005:
01. mew - mew And The Glass Handed Kites
02. Kashmir - No Balance Palace
03. Spleen United - Godspeed Into The mainstream
04. Diverse Kunstnere - Andersens Drømme
05. Jens Unmack - Vejen Hjem Fra Rock'n'roll
06. Diefenbach - Set & Drift
07. Junior Senior - Hey Hey my my Yo Yo
08. Figurines - Skeleton
09. Bik Stok Røgsystem - Over Stok Og Sten
10. Olesen - Olesen - Solsort Og Forstærker
For their full international top 40 and all of the contributors' individual lists, go here: https://gaffa.dk/nyheder/view.php/news_id=14572
Norway's Kong Tiki Records has signed Torch and will be releasing a new album from them in late February.
New UK dates for magnet:
01/22 - King Tuts, Glasgow
01/23 - Late Room, manchester
01/24 - ULU, London
Check out BurningTV, a new web-based streaming video channel for Swedish indie music: m/" target=_blank>https://www.burningtv.com/
Expressen has published their top 50 album picks for 2005: https://expressen.se/index.jsp?a=480822
They actually have some interesting selections for a big tabloid. Not that I agree with them, but it's good to see some more indie names on there.
The first acts have been confirmed for next year's Umeå Open: Christian Kjellvander, The Pipettes (UK), midaircondo and Jenny Wilson. What, no Doktor Kosmos? And hey, how about flying me out again?
Traktor's debut album "Lights" has been confirmed for a January 21 release to be followed by a European tour. Go here for tentative dates: m/live.htm" target=_blank>https://www.traktorbiz.com/live.htm