Tag: Mp3s
It's Friday and once again I'm handing things over to one of my frequent contributors. This week, it's Matt Giordano:
This morning I was mulling over how on Earth I'm going to get Jesus & Mary Chain tickets for their London show in June (seeing as how they'll sell out ridiculously quickly, plus the time difference) when I just thought of the first Legends album. I really enjoyed (and still do) listening to it. There are so many catchy songs brimming with static and, seeing as how it's about 25 minutes long, one can easily get lost in it and kind of forget what's going on. Anyway, here's a great pop song.
The Legends - When the day is done
In case you didn't read my recent interview from Norrbottens-Kuriren (the thread is actually turning into an interesting discussion on an entirely different topic besides me me me), I've been listening to a ton of hardcore punk recently. Nothing too modern sounding either; it's pretty much all been no-frills 80s ragers or fierce d-beat like today's track from Totalitär. The band started in 1985 and they haven't really evolved very much at all since then, except that the recordings have gotten way better. If it ain't broke, why fix it, right? So the band's 3rd and final album "Vi är eliten" was just released by US label Prank Records and it's been in steady rotation here in my office ever since it arrived late last week, so I figured I should share a track with y'all. My pick: "Nej vi ska inte ha nåt" ("No we don't want anything"). Fast, furious and 100% killer.
Totalitär - Nej vi ska inte ha nåt
Gravy might just be my favorite Danish indierock act. They're equal parts catchy and quirky, with a great sense of humor. As if it wasn't obvious from the title of their new album "Glory to our brilliant name". The self-aware lyrics probably aren't exactly what you'd expect - it's more a song of self-doubt than boasting - but it's still a little silly in the way they play up indie stereotypes. I too wear Converse shoes, the same as everyone else. And yes, I worry that success is antithetical to what I'm about. Or worried, I should say - it's much less an issue the older I get. Settle down? Done. It's not so bad. Thing is, I now work way harder than I ever did and much of that work goes towards making sure bands like Gravy get the attention they deserve. Listen up!
Gravy - Glory to our brilliant name
No one could ever accuse Abramis Brama of being original, but that's hardly the point. This is ballsy hard-rock played with heart and that's all there is to it. This song gets a bit jammed-out in the middle section, but what do you expect from a live record? Abramis Brama are classic rock to the core. Sure it's clichéd. It's also a lot of fun. Overthink it and you miss the point.
Abramis Brama - Nålen
I got a few copies of the new album "Skkulls" from all-star noise collective The Skull Defekts over the weekend and it's a monster. Truthfully, it's quite a bit more subdued than the live document "Open the gates of Mimer", but aural brutality is still their main calling-card. As the text under the CD states, "The extra K is feedbacking your skkull / Beware / Explode". They aren't fooling around. However, if you're expecting Masonna or Merzbow-level cacophony, you'll probably be disappointed as this record is far more minimalist and controlled. Group improv still factors as a huge part of their sound, but the pure electronic origins of the recording gives the music an icy coldness that separates it from their other work. Opening track "Sex fractures" is a good introduction - there's a recurring, two-note rhythmic theme that holds it together. As the title suggests, the piece is fractured and the sound cuts in and out, threatening to fall apart at any moment. It spits and crackles and hums. The band tends toward droning ambience elsewhere on the record, but I really enjoy the way they use interspersed silence here. Very recommended.
The Skull Defekts - Sex fracture
The Bear Quartet released their very first album "Penny century" way, way back in 1992. In reality, that's not really all that long ago, it's just that the band has evolved quite a bit in the interim 15 years. They also released 13 albums since then and even more EPs. So yeah, it's been quite a journey to say the least. You might've noticed that we've mostly been posting only newer BQ tracks so far in this weekly experiment thing we've got going and I'm not going to lie - I'm really not that fond of their early material. Or I guess I should say, it's not that I don't like it (I do), it's just that the band has gotten so so so much better over the years. Very few acts can say that, especially with such a vast discography behind them. After all, that's a big part of what makes The Bear Quartet so special. I also have no nostalgic attachment to the band's early work, having discovered them around the time of "Gay icon" (2001). So what am I getting at? Well, it's time we looked back at that first record and took a listen. Unsurprisingly, early BQ sounds a lot like other indierock of the era: Dinosaur Jr., My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth and so on and so forth. Very contemporary for the early 90s, especially for a band from BFE (aka Luleå). Is it good? Yeah, I'd say so. It's very good for what it is and I know I'd rather listen to BQ than Pavement any day.
The Bear Quartet - Hrrn hrrn
This week's Friday post belongs to Simon Tagestam:
Now with Shout Out Louds releasing new material this spring, I think it's time to indulge in some recent nostalgia for their past deeds. The first time I heard Shout Out Louds was when I saw one of their videos on MTV four-five years ago thinking it was horrible and that they were an 'indie' band manufactured by some major label. Then I kept on seeing the video and I reluctantly had to admit that I really liked it, hence me going out to buy their first EP "100° EP". "Very loud" is the best song on this EP, but the rest of the tracks are all very decent. I found the album "Howl how gaff gaff" rather disappointing and I wasn't too impressed that it featured every song from their first EP on it. I'm still excited about their second album despite that (judging by their latest single) it sounds like Adam's 'quirky' singing style has become almost way too quirky.
Shout Out Louds - Very loud
"Fast forward to the good parts." Indeed, the most ordinary of teenage sensations, especially in this age of ever-decreasing attention spans. Viola makes modern pop for the disaffected, a feeling they capture in both the lyrics and the music. This is dark music that works just as well on the dancefloor as on headphones in the bedroom. Alienation is a prevalent theme on the band's new album "Wonderabilia", a problem that seems to be growing in this modern age. I should know: despite my constant online interactions with people all over the world, I sometimes go days without ever straying too far outside since I work at home. Ah, the miracle of the Internet age! Simultaneously freeing and damning! It's no wonder I feel renewed teen angst as I get closer to my 30s.
Viola - Ordinary teenage sensation
The thing I like best about Finnish rockers Soulstab is their obvious retro/R&B influence. Keep in mind, we're talking rhythm & blues-flavored rock'n'roll ala The Who or The Animals, not the modern stuff that hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons labels as "rap and bullshit". The guitars are clean and sharp so you can hear every note, not a wall of distortion. If any of those dudes were faking it, you'd hear it loud and clear. What I like even more is that frontman Mikko Lagerkrans' voice strikes the perfect balance between the rough and smooth; it has a whiskey-soaked edge, but it's also agile enough to hit all the notes. A bit old-fashioned, but it doesn't sound forced.
This particular song strolls a little close to Danko Jones/sexed-up territory and, while I like Danko and appreciate what he does, it has much more class. Still not quite what I'd call a sweet love song, but there's an implied tenderness in the delivery.
Soulstab - The uuh aah dialog
In her best moments, Rockettothesky sounds a touch unhinged, the kind of girl who probably gets labelled as crazy, but in reality is probably a heckuva lot of fun to be around. The opposite of prissy, I guess you could say - to the point where it might make the more conservative of us uncomfortable. Musically, she lets he voice spiral off into twittery territory far too often for my taste, but she keeps things nicely reined in on this particular track and it's really quite lovely. I'm not familiar with the work of Billy MacKenzie, so I assume that I'm missing out on a significant portion of the lyrics, though I am definitely curious the more I read into it. Anyone have any recommendations of where to start?
Rockettothesky - Barrie for Billy MacKenzie
New track from Danish minimalist electronic/jazz artists Badun off their new self-titled album on Rump Recordings. Actually, the label minimalist is kind of a misnomer as the music is anything but - it's just that the sounds are small, in the style of the micro-/"clicks + cuts" genre. I find myself wishing that Badun was a bit more adventurous melodically, but the drummer side of me loves the playfulness of the beats. This track in particular is essentially a five-minute drum solo. It's a fun listen, but it's also not much of a song, so if you're not into extended jams, you probably won't dig it. I'm on the fence. I appreciate that an electronic act can embrace jazz in such an unstructured and artful way, but I'm also a fan of composition. Or maybe it just needs a more diversified palette of sound? I'd love to hear them collaborate with more live musicians.
Badun - Kompleks
The Bear Quartet - It only takes a flashlight to create a monster
Seeing as how I had an interview published in Norrbottens-Kuriren earlier this week, I figured it would be fitting to feature another Luleå band besides the weekly Bear Quartet post. I'm not sure who Neveres is - my sources tell me that it's the old band for a few of the The End Will Be Kicks guys. Maybe Breach-related as well? It certainly sounds like it. Whoever it is, they aren't talking:
Thank you for showing an interest in the band, however I dont know who they are... I dont think anyone does... I heard that the album was written during a one-year drinking binch and recorded in the woods of northern Sweden sometime in 2003. It was supposed to be released by freedumbrecords but they never payed the sound engineer in full, so the album never got sent to the company.
The finished reording got lost somewhere along the way and all that is left is the rough mixes that are now available at neveres.cjb.net for free...
I hope this helps you and I hope you help to spread the word about the album.
I know I'm being lied to, but what can I do? Argue? Maybe someone will shed some light on the mystery in the comments. Otherwise, enjoy a track of excellent, noisy Norrland hardcore in a similar vein of the bands referenced above. If you like what you hear, go to the link to download the entire record for free.
Neveres - Repent
The Finns do love their tango. Even harsh industrial act Pimentola cannot resist the allure. Naturally, their interpretation of the classic style differs a bit from the norm. The song is anchored by the lilting 1-2-3 of the accordion, but the rhythm is led askew by the rough, Neubauten-inspired percussion, leading to a feeling of uneasy seasickness. Voices whisper in the background and the singing saw sounds absolutely menacing. Guest vocalist Aprox. (yes, with the period punctuation) is mostly buried in the mix, but I can definitely make out some lines concerning the concealment of bones. The tango is usually a song of love or perhaps a bit of melancholy nostalgia; this most certainly is not. This is threatening.
Pimentola - Death is a secret (ft. Aprox.)
How could I make it through the entire month of March without ever posting a track from my Record Club selection, "The museum of future sound"? For shame! As mentioned numerous times before, the comp is the world's first CD collection of the sound known as skweee. Previous to this, the only way to hear this stuff outside of the club or a few myspace pages was to purchase one of the many 7" singles released by Flogsta Danshall or Harmönia. Now, those of us without turntables (boo!) can get with the times and dig the new sound. Forget about the trends you already know, be ahead of the game.
Randy Barracuda - Rick James is dead