Tag: Mp3s
Mokira is one of Andreas Tilliander's many aliases and "Persona" is his most recent release as such, his second for the label Type. Billed as an exercise in pure analog electronics, I expected to be greeted by various pleasant bleeps and bloops, but what I got instead was dull as doornails minimalist ambiance. Drone doesn't have to be dull, nor should it be, yet this record goes nowhere. It's odd too because it's generally pleasant to listen to, just entirely non-compelling. Witness "Lord, am I going down?", one of the album's slightly more dramatic tracks. The listener is treated to gentle waves of sound, deep, chiming echoes and subtle textural shifts, but it eventually just collapses into an extended wash. There's hardly any negative space and the total dynamics are near-nil. At the end it simply drifts effortlessly into the next cut. My emotional resonance is zero. After many repeated listens, I can only say: I don't care.
Mokira - Lord, am I going down?
Lasse Passage sings for the children, the ones with wanderlust in their eyes and their hearts on their sleeves, the optimists and the dreamers. If you're old and jaded, working a soul-crushing job and had your dreams dashed, your hopes pushed aside for "realistic" and/or "adult" expectations; stay far away. This kid will only make you angry. Youth! They are infuriating in their bright-eyed naivety, but don't worry -- they'll get theirs in the end. If anyone needs me, I'll listening to my Deathcage records, communing with the Nazi dolphin.
Lasse Passage - What have I done
As long as I don't have to hear the winny of Sissyfus' lackluster, indie-flavored vocals (think Loney, Dear but far less compelling), I can back Center of the Universe. As a long-time appreciator (connoisseur?) of folk-influenced music from Scandinavia, how could I not? They call it "folksploitation" as it's only loosely based on tradition (if that), but I actually think that strategy works out to their benefit as they're not hemmed in by imaginary boundaries. Melodies of the Middle East co-mingle with sounds of the northern climes and get funneled through the psychedelic vision of the aforementioned Sissyfus to be transformed into something unique. "Apokryfa" is the title track of the third part of their just-completed trilogy, an album they say is about origin. I don't know about that, I just love the way they jam out this odd-timed number and turn it into a total workout. Keep the indierock tendencies to a minimum, please. Prog is all good by me.
Center of the Universe - Apokryfa
This your final notice! Tomorrow at Debaser Malmö: Division of Laura Lee + Cut City. Not only is that a great lineup for our monthly It's a Trap! Clubnight, it's also the 10th anniversary party for Swedish music site Dagensskiva. As I've bemoaned before, I don't get to be there myself, but you can just pretend that I'm DSC editor Kal Ström -- he's a tad taller than me if I remember right and I might have more facial hair, but we both share the same kickass (lack of) haircut. Further enticement: the new Division of Laura Lee single which just happens to be the title cut off their most recent album "Violence is timeless". This is modern Gbg indie meets DC post-hardcore, live on stage in Malmö. A good time is guaranteed!
Division of Laura Lee - Violence is timeless
"We're General Surgery! We play Death Metal!" Indeed they do, and they do it well. Last night's show here in Olympia was fantastic, bonus that recent Fenriz band-of-the-week pick Midnight played support along with local faves Funerot (who keep sounding better and better each time I see them). I actually don't think I've ever spent much time listening to General Surgery on record -- their discography is awfully meager considering how long they've been around -- but I may have to correct that now. Gore-obsessed grind can easily get tedious, but those dudes throw in enough grooves and classic Swedish death melodies to rise above the rabble. Performed live on stage in bloodied hospital whites just makes it that much more powerful. I'm still smiling thinking about it now.
General Surgery - Slithering maceration of ulcerous facial tissue
I received a myspace friend request from Isobel & November a few weeks ago and saw that they were selected to support the mighty Wovenhand on tour in Sweden, so I figured they were probably worth checking out. My intuition doesn't always pay off -- having a nice looking myspace page doesn't necessarily mean your band is good, though it does at least show you care enough to put time into it -- but it did okay for me in this case because I&N are pretty darn good. No surprise that they take on Wovenhand/16 Horsepower's gothic country sound as a starting point, but that's exactly what I expected and hoped for, so I am not disappointed in the slightest. It's a small niche, one mainly occupied by wannabees and non-believers who try to lay on the righteous gospel all too thick. It's also especially embarrassing to hear Euros weakly trot out Old West clichés, but luckily I&N keep things a bit more on the reserved tip. Yes, those elements are there, but this particular song is more a horrorshow ghost story than raining hellfire and damnation. Either way, the feeling of dread and despair is there and that's what's important. The mood is paramount to the sound and they've got it down. I'm looking forward to hearing more from these guys.
Isobel & November - Bones long forgotten
Besides maybe Love Is All, Elenette are the only current act I can think of that absolutely nails the sound of 80s Swedish postpunk: rigid funk offset by off-kilter synths and jangly guitars, a sound firmly rooted in pure pop hooks, but also in straight-up oddness. That's probably what I like best about them actually, the subtle just-not-rightness of it all. Based on description alone, I would've never bothered. For real- slap bass and horns? It's a ghastly combo on paper, but I'm telling you that they make it work. They keep it weird, they keep me interested.
Elenette - Att göra en hit
Reminder: this Saturday at Debaser Malmö is not just our monthy club night, it's also esteemed Swedish music website Dagensskiva's 10-year anniversary party. One of the band's providing the evening's entertainment: Cut City, Sweden's finest modern post-punk trio. I already talked up their new EP "Narcissus can wait", but that was months ago and I still don't think these guys are getting their due. "Xo echo", the closing track on said EP, reveals a far more brooding, more introspective side to the band, something you wouldn't necessarily detect from the upbeat, more aggressive tracks. Such is their lineage; there's just as much of The Cure in their sound as there is Joy Division, etc. Jagged rhythms give way to acoustic guitars, atmospheric synths, mallet percussion and deep expressions of sensitivity. Not going soft as much as they're allowing themselves to explore the full range of goth emotions. How will it play out on stage? Be there on Saturday to see for yourself.
Cut City - Xo echo
Pintandwefall are a fiery girl-punk combo from Finland who are slowly, but surely getting the widespread attention they deserve. I know that the first time I heard them, I was immediately won over, I just haven't been as good about pressing the issue as I should. They're kind of like a slightly less-intimidating version of The Bombettes; still tough, but also very cute (though never cloying). One of their (many) charms is their stunting use of language -- I don't think it's so much an ESL thing, I think it's more intentional than that, though their foreignness does indeed help them get away with it. Regardless, the la-la-las and da-doo-das say just as much to me as the actual lyrics, which are beside the point.
Pintandwefall - Bird of the birds
I went out record shopping last weekend and scored myself a nice short stack of classic early/mid-80s metal, including a few Swedish titles. Not exactly the sort of thing I usually expect to stumble across, so I extra stoked, especially since the records were actually pretty darn good (thank goodness for listening stations). One such title: Mercy's 1984 self-titled debut on Fingerprint Records. They've got a definite NWOBHM thing going on, but it's also has a nice bluesy swagger which shows a strong Black Sabbath/Deep Purple influence. Another thing it's got going for it: a pre-Candlemass Eddy "Messiah" Marcolin, already displaying his vocal talents at a very young age. With a lead-off track like "Heavy metal warriors" (hilarious billed as "Heavy metal worriors" on the sleeve), you know they're not aiming for a cerebral audience, but I don't care. Back in 1984 it was perfectly acceptable to sing about how awesome metal is and how awesome you were at playing it without ironic detachment or any other negative connotations. Those days are gone, but the music (and somehow, Manowar's career) lives on and I'm happy to celebrate it.
Mercy - Heavy metal warriors
Pretty Whores are no longer Pretty Whores of Manhattan, but their name still sucks. Ditch it please, I implore you. Your music is getting way better, but I will never, ever get over that dumb name. It will be an albatross in years to come. But getting back to the music, like I said, the group's new EP "Teens of USA" is a huge improvement over their demo. They're still kicking out chops-heavy punk-rock'n'roll, but with far greater consistency and control. They've also started to angle for more of a garage thing with the yelped vocals and good time vibe. Still maybe a bit more Mötley Crüe than Devil Dogs, but that's really not such a huge divide when you get down to it. They're young, they want to party, they've come to kick out the jams. Even though I might be a cynical crank, I can't say there's anything wrong with that.
Pretty Whores - When are you going to start to study?
What do you do when the show's over, but you aren't yet ready to call it a night? You hit the afterparty of course, even better if that afterparty is full of similar-minded musicians. Up the ante with a room full of instruments and a recording device and you might find yourself with a new band. Or something like that -- Bacchus Tapes are an afterparty collective featuring Markus Svensson and Robert Johansson from The Tarantula Waltz, Amanda Bergman (aka Hajen), Hägga and Drillen from Hägga and the Thieves from the North, plus whoever else happened to be hanging around the evening this track was put to (proverbial?) tape. One of the songs they chose to perform on this particular occasion: it's somewhat ironic in terms of subject matter, but it's also a stone-cold classic -- "Alone and forsaken" by Hank Williams Sr.. I am much obliged to the aforementioned Markus Svensson for passing this along to share with y'all and though it might not be quite as fun to listen alone at home, you can tell they had a great time.
Bacchus Tapes - Alone and forsaken
We are the Storm resent being labelled emo and I can't say I blame them, but I gotta call 'em like I see 'em. Obviously they don't want to be lumped in with modern neon/hairband travesties like Brokencyde or even Panic & Action's artist roster, but that stuff isn't emo to me. I'm using the term in a more old-fashioned sense, meant to conjure memories of bands like Embrace or Fugazi, or as in We are the Storm's particular case, the 90s Midwest scene with acts such as Promise Ring, Texas is the Reason and so on, bands that they actually own up to liking. I'm not much of a Sunny Day Real Estate fan myself, but admitting their influence is hardly an embarrassment. This is emphatic rock music with ambitions of grandeur. "Where we used to be heroes" is more than a Broder Daniel homage, it also incorporates the sounds of bands such as Last Days of April or Sounds Like Violence. It's a strong debut, so all I can say is: keep singing your heart out. It's working.
As mentioned before, the band's entire EP is available for free download here.
We are the Storm - Where we used to be heroes
Monde Yeux play off like a male version of Miss Li complete with retro two-step beats, I-IV intervals and near-spastic enthusiasm, but without the come-hither allure that gives the latter her charm. Not that suggestive sexuality is needed to make this sort of music work, but it certainly helps, especially since Monte Yeux are nice to the point of being boring. Letting loose a few expletives during the mid-section breakdown doesn't change my mind either; I'm not actually convinced they're angry at all. In fact, I had to go back and relisten a couple times to make sure I was hearing it right because it sounded so mild. Rose Tattoo laid down the law in 1978: "Nice boys don't play rock'n'roll." This is a far cry from blues-influenced guitar-jams, but the words still ring true.
Monde Yeux - Kiss
Marions are a definite sleeper act. Like labelmates The Chrysler, this is elegant pop music of a more dreamy variety. No need to beat you over the head with insistent hooks, rather they let their music slip in under the door and tiptoe around the room. Album opener "Wonder lady" drifts with the ease of a lullaby, but also lilts like a sea shanty. A sound that's easy to like, but it may take a few listens before opinions move upwards from merely "nice." Follow their example, take your time.
Marions - Wonder lady