Tag: Mp3s
Considering that Nina Persson, Peter Svensson and Magnus Sveningsson have all had their fun with various sideprojects (A Camp, Paus and Righteous Boy respectively), it's only fair that fellow Cardigans drummer Bengt Lagerberg and keyboardist Lars-Olof Johansson Ståle get in on the game as well. Brothers of End is their new band together with prolific songwriter/sideman Mattias Areskog (Consequences, Friska Viljor, Marit Bergman, etc.) and "Why" is their debut single. It's a beautiful slice of slow-cooked pop, full of lush vocal harmonies, endless shimmering textures and driven by a lazy, laidback jangle. In a word: mellow. These guys can't be hurried, not that I figure you'd have much luck trying. Besides, I'm a big fan of taking it slow and easy.
As much as I love to complain about how much terrible music keeps getting unleashed on the world, 2009 is shaping up to be a great year and I'm really looking forward to hearing more from these guys. Their full-length debut "The end" comes out October 14 via Konjaga/Playground Music.
Brothers of End - Why
This song is a repost, but it's a slightly better-mastered version than the version I had up before and besides that, it's well worth revisiting -- especially today on the autumn solstice. Anyhow, I'm way too busy today to rip a different track from my LP, not that it's even worth doing when you consider that digital copies are surely floating around somewhere. So! Like I said, this is perfect music for transitioning from summer to fall. The mood of the music is pure sepia and even the lyrics reflect the time of year, though the feeling would be the same no matter what they were singing about. It's my album pick for the season, to be sure. If you dig on mellow psych sounds, it might do the same for you too, despite your feelings on the members other projects (Dungen, Granada, The Guild). The Amazing has 'em beat.
The Amazing - Dragon
Hearts No Static are a trio from Stockholm and this digital EP is their debut before their debut, a small taste of what's to come when their full-length album is released in November. The songs on this release are rooted in improvisation, but you might not ever know, so connected are the three members as a single, cohesive unit. They all play in other, far more gregarious bands, but consider this is their playground; the place they can experiment with new ideas, new textures, new feelings.
"The monthly noise" was originally slated to be the 4th in a 4-part series of digital EPs, but now it is the first. The full-length record "Motif" will be releasing on November 20 via Bureau B. All tracks are self-recorded by the band at Möre Studio outside Stockholm in early 2009 and mixed my Linus Larsson (Peter Bjorn and John, Ane Brun, Theresa Andersson, etc.) of Gotland in late summer.
Download the full 5-song EP here.
Hearts No Static - Part 3
This new Keith Canisius track sounds very 80s, very clean, very studio-refined. Just listen to that sharp guitar and those synth tones and imagine the video treatment, replete with shaggy Euro mullets and trench coats. If you lived through it, you should be able to picture it without much trouble, though my own memory is failing me when it comes to conjuring up specific examples. Trust me, okay? Of course, in Keith's case, his helium-laced vocals give the song a more ethereal touch -- hence the shoegaze label that so often gets attached to his work, whether it be solo or with Rumskib -- though it's not so odd as to break my preconceived illusion. Think of it as another instrument. Otherwise, the song stretches a little on the long side, but when it finally peaks, it does so in a satisfying way with a nice wash of swirling layers and canned reverb. Definitely worth a listen.
Keith Canisius - Waves
Regardless of whether or not you are aware of frontman Johan Carlzon personal life issues or the circumstances of his all-too-early death, I think that his contributions to Abandon's posthumous double-disc album "The dead end" speak for themselves. His performance, his lyrics and his paintings are a reflection of misery, an outpouring of extreme darkness and pain. His anguish is fully tangible, visceral. When so much music barely aspires beyond "let's not be bored," Abandon transcends into art through purity and force of expression. It is not easy listening by any means, but it is powerful and necessary. Johan will be missed, but not forgotten.
Abandon - Pitch black hole
My in-laws are in town, so I'm taking the day off to hang with them. Lucky for you, contributor Vasilis Panagiotopoulos sent me an mp3 to share so your Friday won't go empty-handed...
This is the first sample of new material from Oslo's twee-popsters My Little Pony after the brilliant "Think too much" of 2008. Their influences remain very close to Belle and Sebastian and Camera Obscura, but the Norwegian ponies are developing their sound even further by keeping the girl/boy dynamics and adding well-arranged strings, good hooks, and a much better production. This track will appear on the "Oslo 2" compilation, set to be released on November 2 via Spoon Train Audio.
My Little Pony - Capital of Norway
Still haven't had the time or inclination to dig deep into the new Astrid Swan record, but I'm feeling "2000 - 2010 (I'm not even 30)". Musically speaking, it's got a great heavy synth sound, complete with electronic toms, but it's the ld and grumpy lyrical content I love best. Personally, I'm on the wrong side of 30, but I commiserate fully, though my excuse was working east coast hours for years while living in the SF Bay Area. Let me tell you, there's nothing like waking up at 3:30 am to make you age prematurely. Anyhow, now that I'm old and bitter and no fun, I'm glad to hear music that speaks to me my ancient generation. Oh, youth! You'll inherit a world of shit when we're done with it, so live it up while you can.
Astrid Swan - 2000 - 2010 (I'm not even 30)
Can anything supercede the release of The Bear Quartet's new album this week? No. Few bands are as clever, progressive and inventive as the mighty BQ; fewer still are as willful or self-satisfied, not to mention just plain good. Trends and genre are irrelevant; they are peerless.
Buy here/
The Bear Quartet - Millions
I didn't realize how good of a song "Wind up the sound is" until I saw the video. I guess I wasn't paying attention. Psychic Stunts bill themselves as something like a synthpop sideproject to The Bombhappies, but it's not so much swapping out jangly guitars for electronics than changing the tone. This one song does manage to halve the difference though; definitely more grit in the cracks, but still not totally devoid of REM allusions. Perfect for the weekend too- full of "fuck all" attitude, ripe and ready for getting pissed. I honestly love my job (really!), but I'm feeling it. Get out, get lost.
Psychic Stunts - Wind up the sound
The Kleerup version was already a hit and was easily one of his album's highlights, but as far as I'm concerned, that's not saying too much. A decent tune among a bunch of mediocre formulaic pop songs and even-weaker instrumentals is still a decent tune, but it's not necessarily anything all that special. Good thing Titiyo includes "Longing for lullabies" again on her new record "Hidden" because once again it's a standout among other lesser works. However, I'd actually say her solo version is all that special. The lowkey approach and darker mood seems far more fitting than Kleerup's electro version, especially when you compare the two vocal takes. If you want to hear actual longing sung in a lullaby fashion, this is the one.
Titiyo - Longing for lullabies
Let's face it, a lot of synth/goth/industrial music is unbearably cheesy and/or off-putting. As much as I honestly love that stuff (when done well), there's legions of mesh-shirted idiots out there diluting the waters and ruining it for everyone else. On the other hand, thank goodness for groups like Interlace, probably the only contemporary synth-heavy industrial act I've heard that could be reasonably compared to Skinny Puppy, (early) Frontline Assembly and the like. No stupid guitars (almost always a bad idea outside of Ministry and even that's pushing it sometimes), minimal cornball vocals (unavoidable, but tolerable) and plenty of jackhammer beats and dark atmosphere. The single "Nemesis" is the group's first new material since 2004's "Imago" (also a fine release, as I have discovered) and its high quality bodes well for their forthcoming third album, still yet to be officially confirmed. Listen folks, if there's more stuff of this caliber out there, I want suggestions because I am woe to wade through the unsorted masses on my own. One new album this good is almost enough to keep me satisfied though; otherwise I may just have to stick with old-school minded industrial acts like Agent Side Grinder for my genre fix.
Interlace - Nemesis
Chances are high this is probably the closest we'll get to Magnus Carlson revisiting the retro kitsch of early Weeping Willows and that's fine, I'll take it. As much as I love those first two albums, it's good that he moved on to try new things and isn't content to repeat himself. That's an admirable quality, as he could easily keep treading water and keep most of his fanbase contented. Admittedly, I'd probably be one of them. Instead, he keeps busy and keeps on trying new things -- sometimes it works (this), sometimes not. No surprise though really, as the idea of Magnus Carlson fronting a jazz-pop combo is not a stretch. Apart from the ridiculous Doors cover (listen here), the material is pure class and his take on the American folk tune "Sea lion woman" earns top marks. I still miss the melodrama, but I am not anti-fun. Enjoy!
Magnus Carlson & The Moon Ray Quintet - Sea lion woman
I expressed interest in Mikael Lind after checking his recent mini-album download so the artist was kind enough to send over a copy of his CD "Alltihop" for perusal. Now that I've dug a little deeper, I realize I've actually heard him before through the very excellent "Postawakeningsound" download comp. If you dig skittery, dreamlike electronica, that's a must-have; as for "Alltihop", it's much more composed and demanding... to a point. Lind is not one for whom words such as "loud" or "brash" would ever fit, his music always lies on the mellower end of the spectrum. "Upprisa" is a good example: despite the bass-heavy Rhodes-style keys taking the lead, the drums are squelched into static and the melodic counterpoint is taken on with light strings and soft pads. There are elements of pop in the structure too, but in the end it seems that Lind lets his classical-influenced tendencies lead the piece in a straight line rather than through circles. Ideally, I think this would sound best on live acoustic instruments, but until he gets himself an ensemble, this is still quite nice.
Mikael Lind - Upprisa
Okkultokrati share members with Haust and more than a slight resemblance soundwise, but they are definitely way more on the current pessimistic hardcore zeitgeist tip than the latter. Haust mix hardcore aggression with black metal nihilism, Okkultokrati are just aggro. If you dig on the contorted sounds of Sex Vid, Total Abuse, Cult Ritual or any other like-minded negative creeps (overused Brainbombs references are a surefire tip-off), you'll probably dig this too, especially if you wish those bands had a heavier rhythmic integrity. The debut "Knarkskog EP" (free d/l here) won't usurp "Communal living" as the subset standard-bearer, but it's way better than some and bodes well for the future.
Okkultokrati - Neandertime
Because every gay anthem needs a house remix.
Marit Bergman - Casey, hold on (HouseClap remix)