Tag: Mp3s
Little Jimmy Reeves is the latest signing of Danish label Play/Rec and "Bring out the dogs" is their debut EP. The group's heavy rock sound doesn't totally jive with the post-hardcore scene I normally think of when I think Play/Rec (Lack, Barra Head, Menfolk), but when I remind myself that they've also put out records from bands like Monoton and Mt. Eerie it starts to make sense. And it's not as if LJR doesn't have an impressive resumé -- frontman Asger Techau plays drums for Kashmir, one of Denmark's biggest bands. Bassist Jan Damage Petersen plays in Gravy, another great Danish band. And drummer Johan Høyer is an accomplished audio engineer who was/is (?) also in Livaventura. Considering that pedigree, the picture gets clearer and the end result less surprising. And what would that result be? In a nutshell, I'd call it mid-tempo melodramatic rock with a rough edge. Melodic enough for curious Kashmir fans, but also imbued with a bluesy heaviness that band lacks. Overall, I'm not blown away by this release, but I do like the title track and this other song that I'm posting today. It's got a bit of those oh so crucial quietLOUDquiet dynamics ala The Pixies and the vocal harmonies in the chorus are a nice touch as well. Wholly unoriginal, but nice enough, y'know? Still, worth keeping an eye on. There's potential.
Little Jimmy Reeves - Romance on drugs
You'd be forgiven for mistaking this track for new Opeth, after all that is Mikael Åkerfeldt providing guest vocals. Careful listeners will note however that the music has a distinct blackened Norwegian feel, somewhat akin to Arcturus or Spiral Architect, another not-quite-so-surprising revelation when you learn that the latter's rhythm section of Asgeir Mickelson and Lars Norberg (drums and bass respectively) performs here as well. What is surprising though, is how much heavier this sounds than any of Ihsahn's recent work, including his previous solo album "The adversary" and his work with Peccatum. I actually wasn't expecting to like this at all since I fell off the Emperor bandwagon around the time of "IX equilibrium" and haven't been too impressed with any of the members work since then outside of Zyklon. It's interesting - I still hear the epic symphonic elements of Emperor, but there's a far stronger death-metal undercurrent mixed in with various progressive/prog-rock touches. This particular track "Unhealer" has way more prominent "clean" parts than the rest of the album, but it's balanced out by some of Ihsahn's best, most straight-up metal work ever (well, at least since Thou Shall Suffer). It's worth noting too, again not that you should really be surprised, that the guitar playing is phenomenal. Also, you can't hear it so much here, but there's also a huge similarity to latter-era Death going on. It makes me realize that Ihsahn's rasp really isn't that far off from Chuck Schuldiner's vox on "The sound of perseverance". All in all, I'm very impressed.
Ihsahn - Unhealer
Bobby Baby is a young Swedish artist I've been following for a couple years now and in that time she's moved from Malmö to Berlin and grown tremendously as an artist. She's also started up a number of collaborative projects, one of them being Bobby & Blumm with German artist F.S. Blumm (Frank Schültge Blumm) whose debut album "Everybody loves" was recently released on Morr Music. I have to be honest: Morr typically epitomizes the kind of listless tweepop I loathe, but I must admit they have a few gems in their catalogue and this is certainly one of them. Largely a subdued affair, Bobby & Blumm relies almost solely on the pure tones of Bobby's vocals and Blumm's guitar. Opening track "Not at home" layers on a bit of chimes, but the basic formula remains. There's a quiet melancholy to it, but it's more pretty then gut-wrenching. There's a nice slow-build to it too, as subtle electronics creep into the mix. There's still plenty of negative space and it's employed to full effect, but it's the drawn-out dynamic shift and forward movement that elevates the track above other similarly minded artists. Essentially, perfect music for a Monday morning. Get started slow.
Bobby & Blumm - Not at home
This week's entry in our Göteborg spotlight series has been a long time coming - I first sent The Tough Alliance questions back in late February, but it was only this past week that the stars aligned and their responses formulated and delivered. Here goes...
Why Göteborg? Why not Stockholm? Or London? Or Paris? Or anywhere else in the world? What keeps you there and what makes it special?
Gothenburg gives us enough quiet and peace to focus on our expression instead of drowning in impressions. We don't need to be where "it happens", there's enough happening inside of TTA. In addition to that, our families and almost all our friends live here. And it's by the ocean.
Do you think there's any sort of prevailing sound or attitude in Gbg that differentiates it from other cities? If so, how would you describe it?
Yeah, I know there is. I wouldn't try to describe it though. It's not my job as an artist to do those things, the deeper things that I can tell about Gothenburg is told in my art. It's up to journalists to analyze it if they feel a need to.
Are there any ways that the city directly influences your art? The geography? The weather? Or how about the people, or by extension, the labels, venues, publications or other ventures they run? How does it all come together, for better or worse?
Of course, our art is not an island.
Yes, but you also record and release your own records -- in what ways do you collaborate within your community? For example, your work with The Embassy -- how would you characterize that relationship? Is there any artistic competitiveness between you or is it purely inspirational? Furthermore, are there any local visual artists that you work with/are inspired by?
Not because they are from Gothenburg, but because they are our friends and our expressions seem to entwine anyway. Everything is a competition for us though, art especially. We have certain visual bonds with Frida Meuller, Louise Elmén and Johan Düfke.
Is there anything that Gbg lacks? If you could change one thing about the city, what would it be?
I'd like a proper Ralph Lauren store and a nice place to do illegal parties.
Are there any particular TTA songs that you feel are a direct reflection of the city? If so, please explain.
No, not direct.
Okay, so you have no songs that are directly reflective of Gbg, but what about indirectly? Is there a particular piece you feel would be a proper soundtrack to the city?
No, sorry. It may sound high-flown, but I couldn't chain our art to a geographical place like that. It's the soundtrack to a place we dream about, a place where diamonds never fade away. A soundtrack to reality.
The Tough Alliance - Neo violence
Tonight! Malmö! Debaser! Barra Head! Surrounded, too! Hard to believe this will only be BH's 2nd time ever making the drive across the border from CPH for a show in Malmö, but it's the truth. Hopefully there will be many more opportunities to come, but for now I urge you to go go go! It'll be a good time, f'sure.
As for next month's It's a Trap! Clubnight, details are being worked on now. And guess what? There's a high probability I'll even be attending in-person.
Barra Head - Undermine
Siena Root is the kind of band that forces me to involuntarily break into air guitar heroics every time I hear them. I swear that I try my best to remain skeptical of retro rock like this, but I can't help it. Shit is irresistible! They bust out mad pentatonics ala Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi, but instead of the doom and gloom most people (wrongly) associate with that band, the music is incredibly catchy and even kinda glorious when you get down to it. It manages to tap into this weird false nostalgia for a time I never lived, yet somehow that doesn't bother me. I just want to turn it up and rock out. Screw over-analyzing it, grab your favorite mind-altering substance and enjoy.
If you dug that Graveyard track I posted awhile back, you'll love this.
Siena Root - Time will tell
"Doktor Kosmos släpper en skiva"? Why yes, they do, er did. I really appreciate the conceit of giving every single track on the new album "Hallå?" a self-referential song title. Plan a media strategy, write some songs, play some shows and yes, even hold a dreaded band meeting. But it's the act of putting out a record that serves as my favorite track. Normally I'd say that embracing a late 80s postpunk sound (funk bass and all, although not on this track) is a bad move, but they pull it off. It works especially well here since they manage to keep things on the straight and narrow pop tip. Phaser on the acoustic guitar? Wacky slapback on the snare? Sure! Why not? Small risks in terms of the big picture. Good times!
Doktor Kosmos - Doktor Kosmos släpper en skiva
More Jesus rock today, except that Johan Heltne doesn't exactly rock. And I'm also not sure how religious he is, though he does say that his album "Vetenskapliga bevis för att Jesus lever" ("Scientific proof that Jesus is alive") was informed by religious experience, in a way. It's a fascinating work, made that much better by the fact that I can barely wrap my head around it. From the lush string arrangements on songs such as the one I've posted today to soft indiepop ala Vapnet, Heltne and his friends have put together quite a record. There's magic in the mystery, that's for sure. This track also has me thinking that more musicians should try to forgo classic rock instrumentation. I still love guitars, but there seems to be so much more subtlety and nuance here, especially when compared to the more traditional "indie" numbers he does. Regardless, it's all good, just don't let this one pass you by. It's got underrated hit written all over it.
Johan Heltne - Hjärta. Instinkt. Principer.
The best religious music is ostensibly about struggle. Not just the struggle between good and evil/heaven and hell, but the struggle of faith. Remember, the name Israel (as given to Jacob) literally means "to wrestle with angels" or, to extrapolate further, to wrestle with God or even to wrestle with the idea of God itself. The music of Namur possesses a yearning quality that exemplifies this, the struggle to put faith into song, to cleave to God in a meaningful way. There's no hokey sentimentalism, rather there is honest feeling and emotion. You'd never know it from the sound of most contemporary "worship music", but faith is not necessarily an easy thing. Heartfelt platitudes, however well-intentioned, don't do it justice. When faith is challenged and those challenges overcome, only then can be considered strong. Namur is sacred music, but not in the way you might expect, but in a way that I find eminently satisfying. It's glorious, but it is not so easily accessible. The title itself, "Draw us near", suggests an absence or a distance to be traversed. By burying his vocals deep in the mix, David Åhlén further muddles the contention of the subject matter. We struggle to do good, to be closer to God, but it is not easy. Or, to flip the biblical decree that "God made us in His image" on its head, perhaps we struggle to be more like God ourselves (if this is the case, may your God be benevolent and kind as opposed to angry and full of wrath). Essentially, an insurmountable task; a job that will never be truly finished. I hear this music as a way of reaching out and it moves me, even though we don't share the same faith. It's Namur's passion that is most important and, on this track, that passion is unmistakable.
Namur - Draw us near
I'm not gonna lie, I was first drawn to Unleashed by the awesomeness that is their logo. Brutal, yet totally legible with a super-prominent upside-down cross. In a word: awesome. I came across the album "Where no life dwells" while browsing the CD racks and was instantly sold. As for the music, I didn't immediately appreciate their plodding, simplistic death-metal style on first listen, but it's grown on me over the years. Unlike other Swedish contemporaries, there's barely any guitar harmonies, the technically is kept at a minimum and the recording is clean and bare-bones (much thanks to esteemed producer Waldemar Sorychta). Instead, the emphasis is on groove and gloom. That's what makes them so damn heavy! That also means you really don't need more than one Unleashed album in your collection, but who cares -- they have an instantly recognizable sound that's all their own, a sound that's undeniably classic. Remember the mantra: keep it simple, stupid! Of those contemporaries from back in the early 90s, very few have aged nearly as well.
Unleashed - Before the creation of time
The tracks on the new Sophie Rimheden album with all the guest spots from Sweden's current crop of "hot" rappers (Adam Tensta, Form One, Aaron Phiri, etc.) only serve to distract from the better tracks on the album that are all her own. Actually, that's not 100% true as the lead single "Go away" is dece, but I really do like her own solo tracks best. Case in point: "Happy". Fun like a carnival, sharp like cheddar and, uh, infectious like a cold. Or something like that. Anyhow, it does what it needs to do which is attempt to reinforce Rimheden's place as Sweden's reigning electropop queen. A couple years ago she had that honor down solid, these days competition is fierce - Firefox AK and Karin Ström ain't no slouches. Watch your back!
Sophie Rimheden - Happy
Perhaps the return of Portishead will have some spillover effect on Folk&Røvere. They do occupy a similar sonic space, after all. Dark and dubby, atmospheric. Funky enough to be called trip-hop, though the tag doesn't really do 'em justice. There's also a definite new age bent that kinda bugs me, but I've made peace with it. The soothing sounds that give you visions of massages, crystals and energy vortexes are counterbalanced by bits of unsettling creepiness. The background noise and chromatic melody of "Epp" demonstrates that dualism well. I see modern European architecture instead - sharp lines and negative space. A welcome contrast.
Folk & Røvere - Epp
Today's mp3 post belongs to contributor Simon Tagestam:
Swedish hip-hop is rapidly getting better and better. Soon you might even be able to compile a great mix CD with songs from the last few years (no more than one track per artist, of course). One of those tracks is by Paragon, who's been around for a while (he's released two albums already), but never really caught my attention until now. The song's called "Aavisst" and it's got similar beats to Adam Tensta but the lyrics are way more party / braggadocio than Tensta's semi-conscious ones. Paragon raps in Swedish and "Aavisst" reminds me a bit of Fattaru's smash hit (it was in Sweden, and in my life, at least) "Mina hundar" from 2001. The track is the first single from Paragon's upcoming album "Glöd". I'd be very surprised if the whole album will be as good as this song, but one can always hope there will be at least 3-4 songs as good.
Paragon - Aavisst
Zeigeist will never be able to shake comparisons to The Knife, but they did kinda do it themselves by cleverly tacking the song "Tar heart" on early leaks of "Silent shout". And now, with the release of their debut full-length "The Jade Motel", they have a chance to really make a name for themselves and I think they've done an admiral job. Lead single "Bunny" is bouncy electro track, with a slight dark vibe that's far more Depeche Mode than The Knife, though of course the vocal timbres are far similar to the latter. On the other hand, Zeigeist is a far more extroverted act; their music, their style is very showy and well-suited for the stage. The Knife are introverts to the nth degree - they've got their insular little world and as such, it's much harder to penetrate/understand/sympathize. I appreciate the immediacy of "Bunny". It withstands intellectual crtitique, but it's also very physical. "You just bare your skin I will show you bunny as I dance."
Zeigeist - Bunny
If I had the time or money to put together a new compilation, chances are high it would look awfully similar to Fang Bomb's "Gothenburg 08". The particular scene it explores is one of big reasons I started this weekly Gbg-spotlight series, so naturally I'm very excited to have the opportunity to talk to label-head Peter Ottosson about the comp, among other relevant subjects. Read on!
So you're putting out this new compilation, "Gothenburg 08" - what's the inspiration? What is it about the current scene that merits this sort of documentation?
The idea of putting together a compilation with only Gothenburg based artists, was initially born from a feeling I had about what is going on in the city, the sense of something great happening, a unique scene that deserved to be compiled and documented. It's been growing for a number of years now, with a lot of great artists, labels such as iDEAL, Kning Disk, Release The Bats, and ourselves, galleries and vital concert bookers. It feels like Gothenburg has risen again, in a way. The cultural climate now quite similar to what was going on 20 or 25 years ago. Free, experimental, deep.
And that takes us to were I went to complete the concept. To 1984 to be specific, when Radium 226.05 released a compilation LP entitled "Gothenburg 84". This is now a legendary record, showcasing the fresh talent connected to the Radium organization at that time. CM von Hausswolff was on it, and so were Jean-Louis Huhta, Zbigniew Karkowski and Freddie Wadling - all of whom today are busy people, well respected and regarded as pioneers also from a worldwide perspective.
My conviction is that the Gothenburg scene once again allows for such a manifestation. And that is what "Gothenburg 08" is supposed to be.
Of the musicians you have selected, what is it that they have in common, beyond their chosen city of residence? A sound? An attitude? Can you put a label on it?
There is a sound and there is an attitude. But there is not only one style – rather, I think there is a kind of "anything is possible" approach going on here, and that can be heard in most of the recordings on "Gothenburg 08". For instance, when Anders Dahl mixes bird sounds with elements of noise, it fits! This attitude creates some unique artists. I guess we could call that attitude "punk", if the word hadn't already been used too much.
The thing is, many of the artists know each other well and have done so for a long time. They have collaborated, released records on each others labels, toured together, performed together. That binds it all together, that is what creates the "scene".
A number of the artists you are working with are active in other artistic endeavors, such as the visual arts- how much connection do you see between these various forms? Do you think that it's important for them to remain connected or can they each coexist on their own?
Man, you ask some tough questions ... No, I don't think that is necessary, even if they do feed off each other. But the same message can be encoded into either one of these media, and Thomas Ekelund of Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words, who is also a skilled art director and graphic artist, might be the perfect example. He does most of his own artwork (I think all of it, from now on) and he is incredibly stringent, faithful to his concept to the end. What you hear in his music, you can also see in his graphic art.
One thing that troubles me about the experimental/noise music scene, is that it tends to be very male dominated. Do you find this to be the case in Gbg? What do think can be done to address it?
It is, just as everywhere else. Right now, from the top of my head and keeping the local perspective, I can really only think of one female artist that would fit your genre description - Variam, the solo/side project of Mariam Wallentin of Wildbirds & Peacedrums. And if we want to go a little bit softer, there's always Midaircondo.
I'm not sure what to do about the situation. I guess men are generally more into the nerdier aspects of life, and at least one part of the experimental music scene is synonymous to stamp collecting– hunting for still sealed Industrial Recordings releases from 1979, and brand new releases limited to 8 copies that you buy but never play, that sort of thing... Not that there's anything wrong with that, I do it too.
Also, I suspect that for as long as there are no, or very few, women at concerts, the male-to-female artist ratio will remain virtually unchanged. If something can be done, I'm not sure what it is. Maybe as the industrial iconography develops, a lesser amount of skulls would be a good idea?
Is there a particular song you would like to share, either from 84 or 08? Tell me about it.
It's hard to pick one song to represent the entire "Gothenburg 08" CD - it develops from soft to loud, from noise to dense drones to tracks that are almost "modern classical" in nature - so I've decided to just go with the first one. The track, composed and performed by Viktor Sjöberg and Jonas Lindgren, is entitled "Guldheden", which is also the name of one of the burroughs of Gothenburg. It's a solemn, beautiful piece and unintentionally, at least I assume it is unintentionally, it manages to connect with the very start of electronic and experimental music in Gothenburg, the muffled voices in the background being a reminder of Rune Lindblad's "Party" from 1953, the first ever recording by the city's earliest shining star in the world experimental music. Enjoy!
Viktor Sjöberg and Jonas Lindgren - Guldheden
