Tag: Mp3s
I didn't actually get a chance to talk to Shiloh while at Hultsfred, but I did conduct a short interview with them before I left for Sweden for this week's entry in our ongoing Göteborg Spotlight Series. Read on...
How long have you lived in Gbg? What brought you there and why do you stick around?
Myself and Markus Tiljander (guitar) have lived here for nearly two years now. Jesper (drums) and Staffan (bass) have lived here their whole lives. Me and Markus wanted to get a fresh start somewhere and we ended up in Gbg. We moved from Karlstad, Värmland to find some new interesting people to make music with. Personally, I found Gbg a quite mellow and easy living city. The summertime is great but the winters sucks, the rain just keeps pouring down. But you got to have black to have white, Yin & Yang etc.
What makes Gbg such an artist-friendly city?
Is it? No but actually Gbg is a cool city with loads of great bands/artists.
I think that since there is a great tradition of good music and fascinating artists, people are always hungry for
new good music. It is interesting that the music buisness just goes worse and worse, but still people are making more
music than ever and some of it are really good too. But there isn't any "one for all - all for one" feeling here, it becomes
what you make of it, but so far most people we've meet have been extremely friendly.
If you could change 1 thing about Gbg, what would it be?
Nothing really, the weather during wintertime maybe, but that is a hard nut to crack.
Shiloh's sound isn't immediately comparable to Gbg bands of yore - how do you fit in the current local indie scene? Is it hard finding acceptance?
We just want to make music that we like and are satisfied with ourselves. If others like it we become very happy. But we don't seek any acceptance, who will accept us? Promoters, bands, ordinary people? We just want to do our thing and if others like it we get very happy as said before.
Since you moved to Gbg from elsewhere, how would you say the city has influenced or changed you? Is it reflected in your music?
I would say that the city has influenced us for sure. Personally I have met loads of cool people with great taste in music and life that I really wasn't aware of before. It's a great thing to move somewhere, then you leave the shit behind you and open your eyes more.
Of course it has influenced the writing and feeling of the music.
Finally, got a song you want to share? Tell me about it.
The name of the song is "The ship". It is a song that we wrote about two years ago, we still like it a lot. It is quite dreamy and saga-like with powerful contrasts.
Shiloh - The ship
Travel day today - heading to Umeå from Malmö with a brief layover in Stockholm where I make the switch from rails to air. Enjoy a tune from one of Norrland's current best punkrock acts Masshysteri, the new, much-improved band that rose from the ashes of The Vicious. Looking forward to a Midsommar wedding in Umeå, I can't imagine it gets much better than this!
Masshysteri - Monoton tid
Yesterday's adventure started off nice enough. My hosts and I walked a bit around Malmö in the AM, stopping in at Rundgång to say hello to the Deleted Art crew and such and also stopping to eat some of (what I'm told to be is) Malmö's famous falafel. From there it was off to Copenhagen for a quick trip through the national museum and then a rendezvous with Stytzer from Hits in the Car which meant enjoying a beer on the harbour. See- so far, everything was very, very nice. We even managed to find a decent restaurant for a proper dinner before exploring Christiania and heading to Loppen to see Norwegian act Like Rats From A Sinking Ship. Nothing really bad happened to us I guess, but the other band Haust canceled the show so that meant there were only 18 or so people in attendance. And then there's the Like Rats tour story: robbed twice in 4 days, freaked out and camping in the woods for 3 days, a broken kick pedal. All things considered, they took it in stride and put on a great show, but I think their bad luck rubbed off on us as our train back to Sweden broke down, making our trip home take 3x as long as it should've. Not a nice way to end the evening, y'know? Anyhow, the music of LRFASS is raw, discordant hardcore interspersed with little electronic bits not too unlike "Shape of punk..."-era Refused. Also, the best use of theramin in hardcore I've ever seen. Obviously I haven't had a lot of time to absorb their debut release "Sxy Sxy Gsw EP" yet, but here's a track that I like, especially the slower coda part. Good times!
Like Rats From A Sinking Ship - Smash the crystal larynx!
In Malmö today with a side-trip to CPH on the itinerary to see some Norwegian bands. Viva la internationale!
Everybody always asks me- what is it about Swedish/Scandinavian music that you like so much, that makes it different? Now that's a very complicated question that deserves many hours/coffees/beers worth of discussion or maybe even a full book treatment (someday?), but the short answer is simple. I know what I like and I know it when I hear it. Yes, there is a lot of Scandinavian rock that is derivative of American or UK sounds, but there's also lots of stuff with its own identity. One such scene is Swedish noiserock, a sound I identify with bands like Starmarket and KVLR, bands who took the template of classic US indierock ala Sonic Youth/Hüsker Dü/etc. and added their own touch. The Sound O.E carries on that tradition, especially on songs like the epic album closer "Party at the moontower". You get that angular/syncopated heaviness, but it's tempered by a lovely lyricism and strong melodies. Other tracks on the album tend to be more choppy, more heavy and generally more hardcore and they're fine, but this is the stuff that really grabs me. Some bands did epic indie before Arcade Fire, believe it or not. This draws from that.
The Sound O.E - Party at the moontower
One of the best things about the Swedish festival scene is all the unexpected friendly faces you run into. Not only did I get a chance to hook up with a ton of bands, label/industry reps, and fellow journalists/bloggers, but I also ran into Henrik von Euler aka Rigas/Rigas den Andre, someone who I had no clue would be there. Apparently he was there supporting friend/associate/bandmate Parken, one of the acts I missed due to my delayed arrival. But! Someone was kind enough to point him out to me and introduce us, thank god because there's no way I would've recognized him by his Skitsystem hoodie. As for Parken, he was nice enough but he also spilled half a beer in my lap so fuck him! Who cares if his latest single is something of an indie-dance hit, I'm all about the skweee instead.
Surprisingly, that was the only party foul I was personally involved in outside of losing my copy of the apartment key the very first day of the fest. And honestly, it really wasn't that bad- I just like to complain. As for other fest casualties, well let's just say that there were plenty, I'm just glad it wasn't me.
As for the ongoing Swedish tour, today (Monday) is my last real day in Stockholm and then it's off to Malmö!
Rigas den Andre - I am crane
It's Saturday, the final day of Hultsfred, but I won't let that stop me from posting a new entry in our Göteborg Spotlight Series. This week's guest: Erik Londré from Bonnie & Clyde and The Spurts.
First off, the standard question: how long have you lived in Gbg? Where did you move from and what keeps you there?
I have lived in Gothenburg all my life except for short stints as a chef in France and a mod in London. Now I got myself so tangled up in everything it would be impossible for me to move or even take a vacation. At least that's how it feels like.
I play bass with Bonnie & Clyde and The Spurts. I run my own managing company No Good Productions who take care of both my bands as well as the best band in the world; Ram Di Dam. I organise club nights and gigs under the name No Good Club. Now I'm planning on starting a record label as well that would be called No Good Records surprisingly enough.
I tend to keep busy.
How healthy do you think the local Gbg indie scene is nowadays? Good bands? Good venues? Is there enough diversity? How do you think it compares to the scene of 5/10+ years ago?
The Gbg indie scene in is dead! Long live the Gbg indie scene!
It's brilliant right now and it's getting better! There is a new scene on the rise with a couple of bands that I'm pretty sure will make it big. Bands without any ironic touch, silly gimmicks or iPods on stage. Bands that really know how to play and write fantastic music: The Fume, Bye Bye Bicycle, Ram Di Dam and I really hope for B&C and The Spurts as well of course.
There you got it! Gothenburg's soon-to-be legendary new indie scene. Remember where you heard it first!
Speaking of diversity, how much crossover do you see happening between various music scenes? Or does everyone stick to their own niche, more or less?
Well, basically none. It might sound harsh, but right now we are not so interested in what's happening on the other scenes around the city or anywhere else. We are to busy doing our thing. Or inventing it more or less.
What does Gbg have to offer that no other Swedish city can compete with? On the flipside, is there anything it lacks?
My father, who is musician as well, has written a song where the lyrics, translated from Swedish, go: This town is too small to live in but much too big to leave. Thats pretty much how it is and not even Henrik Berggren could have said it better.
We love our city as much as we hate it. It feeds us as much as it feeds on us. It's not always a healthy relationship but we like it that way.
Since you play in both the Spurts and Bonnie & Clyde, this may be difficult, but here's the deal: pick a favorite, give me a song to post and tell me how you came to your decision.
Bonnie & Clyde - I guess there's no one
It's the first track on our brand new EP ("The great tram robbery") and I'm really proud to be a part of it because I think its a great song. We had our release party yesterday (7/6), it was fantastic! Lots of sparkling wine!
Right now I am waiting for the painkiller to kick in so I can go buy some breakfast. I hope I made my point?
Bonnie & Clyde - I guess there's no one
Leaving for Hultsfred today from Stockholm - be sure to check the msgboard for updates.
Jeff Buckley comparisons are so rarely applied to female vocalists even though they are much more capable of scaling the heights he achieved. Gbg-based act Mist earns the label, not just for the light and airy vocals of frontwoman Martha Brauer, but also because they get the music right as well. A little quirky, a little funky, with a touch of jazz and very pop in the end. It's been done enough now by other Buckley wannabees such as Belgium's Arid, but I think this is the first time I've heard it with a female touch and I have to say that I really enjoy it. It does sometimes push the boundaries of histrionics and they definitely lose me the more they lean on the soul/funk tip (see "My baby blue"), but tracks like "Subjective love song" are nothing but nice. All in all, a very pleasant surprise.
Mist - Subjective love song
File this one under 'trying too hard', as if it wasn't already self-evident from the name Pretty Whores of Manhattan. Still, it's hard to really find fault with these kids even if their brand of punk-rock is more fashion than passion, after all, they are just out of high school. They've got the chops, but the attitude is overblown and stunted by misogyny. Way more Hardcore Superstar than actual hardcore, y'know? Which is not to say their frustration and anger isn't real, it just comes off as misdirected and contrived. Focus, people! Work it out!
Pretty Whores of Manhattan - I hate the disco
Assuming my trip goes as-planned, I arrive in Stockholm this afternoon and hope to have a few hours to wander around before heading to Kafé 44 to see Firefox AK, something I am incredibly stoked about. You see, I've met Mme. Andrea Kellerman before, but I've never seen her perform live and I'm really, really excited to see her in a small venue pre-Hultsfred. Actually, in all honesty, I'm really only going to Stockholm to see Bess Kellerman (look for her cameo in the video for today's mp3 selection), but I figure that if Andrea and husband Rasmus (aka Tiger Lou) are there too, it's a bonus. So yeah, good times await! See you there?
Firefox AK - Once I was like you
I'm leaving for Stockholm today, but that doesn't mean I leave you reader's empty-handed. Expect mp3 posts and review updates to continue more or less as usual the next two weeks.
Hebosagil's self-released debut EP was my favorite demo release last year¹ and now their proper full-length debut "Colossal" is out via Kaos Kontrol. I am not privileged enough to have heard the entire thing at this point, but judging by the first track they've released for public consumption ("Big sun"), they've decided to take their music into more of a conventional doom/stonerrock direction. It's still plenty heavy and crusty, but way less thrashy and with way less old-school death-metal flavor (think early Entombed, Autopsy). Kinda of a let-down, if you ask me. I mean, it's still good, but it takes them until the solo section to finally push things into the red and get way blitzed out. Now that's the Hebosagil I want to hear! While the track is indeed growing on me more and more with with each subsequent listen (it's been on steady rotation all week, despite my low rating), it's falling short of ideal. Give me more grinding, more feedback! More damage!
Hebosagil - Big sun
Too many things to do and not nearly enough time to do 'em all, so today's mp3 post belongs to Simon Tagestam:
Even though I love Säkert! to pieces, there's a minuscule bit of it that I find hard to stomach, namely the jolly chirpiness that seeps through on some of the songs (it's even more evident on Annika Norlin's other band/alter ego Hello Saferide's material). Frequent Norlin collaborator Maia Hirasawa has taken this one step further, hence I'm not a big fan of her music - it's way too pop, polished and happy-go-lucky for me. Now comes Vincent Vicious from Sweden and take this much despised chirpiness to a new level (they almost reach Eurovision levels) and it makes me sick to the bones. It sounds a lot like Raymond & Maria, who after one song become totally unbearable. I tried hard to like it since they're from my hometown and I can't think of a single good band that have come out of my hometown ... ever (although when I was about 7 years old I did indeed like Roxette). At least Vincent Vicious have got a lot of energy and are probably a riot live if you're into the kind of songs they play (ie. super cheese), and who knows, they might start a amazing band who will sing in Swedish at some point in the future!
Vincent Vicious - Vi lämnar allt
The Goner fits the definition of a cult artist to a T. What else can you say about a bedroom artist who puts out extremely limited hand-packaged CDRs of unique psych-pop? "Halartrallar" is the first EP of his planned H-Trilogy on his own Svarta Marknaden label. 33 copies in all, packaged in an oversized envelope. The music ranges from melancholy ballads to droning freak-folk to other songs such as today's pick "Kill them all save Simon Joyner"- a poppy, upbeat almost-country number with nonsensical lyrics, pop culture non-sequiturs, a driving bassline and metallic cling-clang percussion. I must admit that I'm not too terribly familiar with the subject of the song's namesake, but a cursory listen will prove he is undoubtedly an influence. This is lo-fi DIY and I like it a lot. Even better, check out some samples from the forthcoming "Hind hand" CDR at The Goner's myspace page and be blown away. This sort of artistry blossoms well under obscurity, but it doesn't have to be that way.
The Goner - Kill them all save Simon Joyner
I've been meaning to talk about Fredrik for quite some time now, but it kept getting pushed back for one reason or another. Enough! Good music deserves to be heard! Fredrik the person might be better known as a member of The LK, however I find his eponymous act much more interesting. You get many of the same skittering beats and glitchy electronica, but far more of a low-key folk/pop feeling. "1986" actually has a similar melancholy vibe to the recent Robert Svensson (Mixtapes & Cellmates) single "1987" minus the disco beats - perhaps they are referencing the same childhood nostalgia? That's the impression I get anyway. Regardless, it's well-worth hearing as it's easily some of the best crafted electro-acoustic pop I've heard in a long while. Weird enough to always remain interesting, also melodic enough to hold your attention nomatter where your interests lie. Very recommended!
Fredrik - 1986
The new Majessic Dreams album "Beautiful days" is disappointing because it's not at all what I was expecting. Only a few tracks (such as the one I've posted today) retain the lush electronic dreamscapes that characterized their previous work. Instead, the duo has pared back their songs to their organic core, a time-honored approach, but one that renders them mediocre. It makes them more human, more approachable, but also less interesting. The more layers they pile on, the more they hide themselves, the deeper I want to dig. I want to put on headphones and get lost in the music. I can do that with "Naked walls". My head swims in the soft waves of loops, cascading gently in series. It's still nowhere near as alien-sounding as their first album, but a happy medium. I can live with that.
Majessic Dreams - Naked walls
As I'm sure regular readers are aware by now, I absolutely love music when it's soaked in ominous dread. Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words, Ondo and Raison d'Être are three artists that come to mind when I consider the niche and now I can add the Danes Svartbag to the list. The Rump label has put out a bunch of interesting electronica - Badun, Karsten Pflum, Snöleoparden, etc - but Svartbag's self-titled debut is by far the best of the bunch. Opener "Black Capricorn" is all slow-creeping darkness, the kind of stuff that backs you in a corner before consuming you completely. That the track is so obviously guitar-based is kinda surprising too, especially since so much of this stuff seems to traffic in sounds so heavily processed they end up resembling vague dark shapes. The low-end buzz grumbles and moans as the drums endlessly cycle and taunt, all gradually building and eventually rumbling to a stop like a freight train. Call it dark-ambient, evil shoegaze, whatever you want, it's all good, I just know I like it a lot. Be aware, it's a mighty big download (15mb), but man oh man, is it worth it.
Svartbag - Black Capricorn