Tag: Mp3s
I really don't know much about Seamonster¹ at all. The Huskvarna, Sweden-based duo started around '97 and put out a few records before dissolving in 2004 or thereabouts and then the two of them (Mustafa Knastr and Kompjotr Eplektrika) each began creating music on their own. I don't think I would've ever bothered seeking them out if it wasn't for the recommendation of a friend who considers them to be one of Sweden's greatest hidden musical treasures. It's certainly surprising that a band this goods perseveres for so long with barely any recognition. I suspect that's partially because they were a bit too early for their own good. I don't think that their style of spaced-out instrumental post-rock had really caught on much back when this particular track was released in '99. Most people probably didn't even know what "post-rock" meant. Not that everyone understands it now, but I think the label's implication is accepted in much wider circles. People will nod and pretend like they know - always a winning strategy. But are they really one of Sweden's best undiscovered acts? Listen for yourself.
Seamonster¹ - The second generation defunctioned technology for the sound industry
It almost seems redundant for me to talk about The Knife will all the praise they've been getting recently. But the fact of the matter is that they deserve every bit of it and I'd be remiss if I didn't throw my $.02 in. Everyone knew to expect something amazing, something unique when we first heard the new album "Silent shout", but I think the duo surpassed even the most lofty expectations with what they delivered. There really isn't anyone else out there doing anything even remotely similar - The Knife stands alone. I chose "We share our mother's health" for posting today because I just love that beat with those crazy ping-pong sound effects and the cymbal crashes of pure white-noise. I know it's only February, but I think we can safely assume that this is one of the best record's were gonna hear in 2006. It's a given.
The Knife - We share our mother's health
"Nothing to prove / Just a hellish rock'n'roll freak / You call your metal black / It's just fucking lame and weak"
Darkthrone wastes no time in laying down the law and telling you exactly what they're about. As if you couldn't tell by their trademark buzzsaw guitars and plodding beats. In a scene where grimness and regression are sought-after virtues, none are more true than Darkthrone. Bands like Mayhem get chastised for attempting to update their sound, but Darkthrone steadfastly soldiers on. There are few things you can count on in this world, but you always know what you're getting with these guys. But sometimes they do try to put one over on us - C'mon guys, what's up with that Siouxsie and the Banshees cover? My automatic reaction is to deny their self-awareness, their sense of humor. They're too kvlt for that, right? But it's there and it's undeniable. Darkthrone is smiling.
Darkthrone - Too old, too cold
Something that most bands never considered pre-2000 was name googlability. My old bandmates used to think I was crazy to book tours via email back in '97-98 and look where we are now. Being said, Nine totally blew it when they decided on their moniker. I guess in some ways it works well for the Internet age because it makes finding tracks on p2p a bit more difficult, but I seriously doubt that that's something a small hardcore band from Sweden worries about. Today's Friday oldie comes from Nine's 2000 album "Kissed by the misanthrope". The band's sound is a powerful mix of bluesy Entombed-style death'n'roll and pounding hardcore. I haven't been as stoked on their more recent material, but this stuff kicks ass. Catchy melodies and brutal breakdowns, what more could you ask for? Who knows though, maybe their new alliance with Finnish label Combat Rock Industry will give them renewed vigor. Look for the new MCD "Death is glorious" to be released soon.
Nine - Getting it out
I admire bands like Loney, Dear. They didn't mess around with labels or music business bureaucracy, they just kept doing what they were doing and released their music themselves on CDR until other folks started to catch on. That's the true spirit of DIY. Of course it only really works out in the end if you're both persistent and good. Luckily, Loney, Dear is both. The new album "Sologne" which comes out next week is the band's first "official" CD release. And I use the term band loosely too, as Loney, Dear is essentially the solo project of one Emil Svanängen. I chose to post "The city, the airport" today because I love the way the song builds into the call-and-response chorus. It's so triumphant. I can also relate the words of the first verse about abandoning the city for quieter locales. I made the move recently and don't regret it a bit. Preorder the disc and save a dollar.
Loney Dear - The city, the airport
The concept of the NONS "Jävla kritiker!" compilation is intriguing: gather up a number of renown critics and have them all write reviews for songs yet to be made. Then have the artists create the song to fit the review. Even though I knew the results would be mixed, I still was incredibly excited to hear it because the idea is just too good. The downside however, is that my Swedish language skills are just not good enough to understand all of the critical essays that are the foundation of the project. Oh well, at least I still have the music, right? Well, the results are uneven, just as I predicted. There are a few diamonds in the rough though - both Andreas Tilliander and Sophie Rimheden contribute nice dancey electronic numbers and Nicolai Dunger's instrumental track is quite good, as is Silverbullit's song. The highlight for me though, is Isolation Years. It's not all that surprising since they have long been one of my favorite bands, but what can I say? The truth is what it is. Read the review and go download the song.
Isolation Years - Minstrel
Today's Friday track pick comes from one of my favorite bands: Silverbullit. Not only did they put on the best show I saw last year (at Umeå Open), but their most recent album "Arclight" from 2004 easily ranks as one of the top records of the new millennium. This song I'm posting today comes from their second album "Citizen bird", the name of which became their adopted moniker when they released the disc in the US. I saw, ahem, "Citizen Bird" open for The Soundtrack of Our Lives in SF way back when, but it was only me and a couple Swedish expats who were excited. It's a shame too because who knows if the band will ever make it back over here? Maybe guitarist Andreas Nilsson's video work (The Knife, etc.) will help the band get noticed. I hope so. If people want crazy art-rock walls-of-swirling-guitar-noise they need to forget about Serena Maneesh and get the real deal.
Silverbullit - Magnetic city
New mp3 today from Pascal, a Swedish throwback to the big guitar-heavy alt-rock bands of the 90s. Y'know, bands like The Pixies or Throwing Muses. I've always been kind of lukewarm about that stuff (my tastes lean more towards the more discordant, AmRep/Touch & Go-esque bands of that era), but Pascal has been getting tons of rave reviews so I figure there's gotta be something to it, right? Well, it's still taking some time to grow on me but I'm gonna throw it out there anyhow 'cuz it isn't always all about me. If you do like though, let me encourage you buy the whole record.
Pascal - Förbi fabriken
New mp3 today from Gustav and the Seasick Sailors. I started selling stuff from their label Marilyn Records in my webstore recently, but I only recently got a chance to really give their bands a good listening. Achordian and Shooting John, the other two bands on the label, are both kind of countrified pop (indiepop with a twang?), but GatSS has more of a driving powerpop feel. It's similar to countrymates David & the Citizens in that they're both the creative outlets of their singer/songwriter frontmen, but at the same time, it's also a band effort. Change the backing band and it most certainly would not be the same. "Charlie Fay" is the band's most recent single, a first taste of what's to come on their upcoming album "Sirkus" which is due out on March 9. Looking forward to it.
Gustav and the Seasick Sailors - Charlie Fay
The David & the Citizens song "Big chill" is a couple years old now, but the reason I'm posting it today is because it's on a new EP, coming out on March 7 via US label Friendly Fire Recordings. I know most of my Scandinavian readers should be already familiar with D&tC, but this EP is the band's first proper US release. Yes, frontman David Fridlund had his solo album released here last year, but it doesn't count - this is The Citizens I'm talking about. I've been a fan of these guys for awhile now (and even included them on my own "Reader's companion" compilation), but I have to say that I like them best in small doses. The albums are good, but it's on the EPs where they really shine. This new collection is perfect at a terse six songs: just enough to get you started without overwhelming you. It's hard to take a band with a long discography like D&tC and distill it down to a manageable size, but FF did a wonderful job. This particular song I'm posting today is one of my favorites. Not only because of Matti from the Bear Quartet's haunting guest vocals, but also because of the excellent video from Anders Weberg of Recycled Image Studio (viewable here). "A funny thing about the video," says Anders, "is that It was aired like once and then pulled back because apparently it was ok to sing the word "bullshit" but when the subtitle said it .. it wasn't .. at least thats the reason we got from the network .. no comment." Anders has also been kind enough to provide a link to the previously unseen director's cut of said video: [click here]
Good stuff - be sure to check it out.
David & The Citizens - Big chill
New mp3 today from Andreas Meland off the split CD "Brakhage" with Norwegian noise heavyweight Lasse Marhaug (aka Jazkammer). The music was recorded live during a screening of American filmmaker Stan Brakhage's silent films and then remixed and finalized for this release. Meland was still considered somewhat of an unproven talent at the time of the record's release back in April '05, but I think you'll agree that he proves himself to be a formidable artist with the sweet, dark drones he lays down here. This music isn't so much about how it sounds, but about how it makes you feel and the way it affects the mood of your surroundings. In other words, perfect soundtrack music. [buy it]
Andreas Meland - Dog star man III
I've been doing a little trolling around on myspace trying to discover new bands and while, for the most part, I'm not really uncovering anything incredibly exciting but they are definitely a few diamonds in the rough. One such disovery was Circle Six, a doom band from Linköping. I'm not sure that I'd consider most of the bands following in the footsteps of Isis to be worthy of the doom title, but Circle Six knows what's up. Not only are they incredibly heavy, but they are slow. Agonizingly slow. So slow that the cymbal ring almost completely decays between drum hits. It's like being bludgeoned to death in slow motion. Most of you probably think that sounds perfectly awful, but I'm sure that any aficionados of the genre are stoked by that description. It's also worth noting that instead of the more typical death-metal growls (ie. Skepticism) or hardcore-style shouts (ie. Cult of Luna, Isis), the vocals are a crusty black-metal rasp. Just the way I like it: kvlt and evil. Sometimes "brutal" is a positive adjective, y'know?
Circle Six - Broken
We did it - as of today, Olympia Washington has broken the record for the most consecutive rainy days in a row with a grand total of 34. Obviously that still doesn't compare to the terrible conditions in some places, but it's still not anything this California transplant is used to. Anyhow, I've decided to mark the occasion with the song "More bad weather coming out of the rain" from the Carpet People. What could be more perfect than that? The ideal soundtrack for a grey, dreary day.
Carpet People - More bad weather coming out of the rain
Did you see that list of the top instrumental/post-rock albums over at Decoy Music? Claiming the #1 spot is a band from Norway cleverly named Samuel Jackson Five. I had seen their name in passing before, but I had no idea what they sounded like so I immediately went out and got a copy of their record "Easily misunderstood". I'm not the biggest post-rock/instrumental aficionado, so I'm not exactly qualified to state whether or not the album deserves the #1 ranking, but I do like what I hear: looping, hypnotic riffs, loud epic passages and a pronounced Scandinavian sense of melody. Some of the tracks remind me a bit of Finnish post-rockers Magyar Posse but then again, on tracks like the one I've posted today, you'll hear that SJ5 takes the "rock" part of the genre name much more seriously. It starts out quiet, but right around 2:30 they crank it up and kick out the jams.
The Samuel Jackson Five - No name
I guess it's Pet Politics day here at It's a trap! Not only is he playing tonight at Tack! Tack! Tack! in London, but we also have an interview conducted by Simon Tagestam and an mp3 to listen to. I haven't spent nearly enough time with his debut EP "In my head" as I should, but the oft-mentioned Lou Reed comparisons are immediately recognized. With a droll, deep voice like that, it's no surprise that many folks reach the same conclusion so easily. Check it out for yourself and dammit, if you're in London, go to the show. You should go even if you don't like it, because we got Bob Stanely of St. Etienne to DJ. How bad ass is that?
Pet Politics - Provence