Saigon SicknessThe proliferation of owls in the artwork had me guessing at hardcore, but the reality of Saigon Sickness is straight-up alt-rock, more or less. If you've ever wondered what Muse might sound like minus the histrionic bombast, this might be for you; as for me, I'm having a hard time moving beyond ambivalence.
- Avi Roig
My Brother the Wind"Twilight in the crystal cabinet", My Brother the Wind's purported "live improv album" commences with "Karmagrinder", a ten-and-a-half minute psychedelic workshop that, with its silky electric guitar swoops and jazzy, repetitive, two-chord exploration, suggests a sonic cross-breeding of Pink Floyd's "Breathe" (albeit with some extra prog juice in the rhythm section and a tad more noise) and Talk Talk's majestic "The rainbow". It's entirely too long, but it works, pummeling the listener into a dizzy, euphoric numbness. Ditto the title track, a chilling exercise in moody atmosphere, maneuvering heavily effected guitars over mallet-grazed toms (and little else). Luckily, it's not all endless texture -- the brief, atonal "Precious sanity" whirs by in under two minutes, surging with a borderline-frightening King Crimson-esque hubris. Formed as a quasi Swedish prog supergroup (with members of Anekdoten, Makajodama and Magnolia), My Brother the Wind certainly has an excess of technical skill (and, obviously, all the right reference points). While their debut might be a tad aimless in stretches, it certainly suggests plenty of reasons to keep listening -- perhaps a bit of studio discipline next time out will foster a more fully realized sophomore epic.
- Ryan Reed
Under the Radar reviews Jens Lekman live in LA: https://www.undertheradarmag.com/reviews/jens_lekman_at_the_mondrian_hollywood_ca/
Pitchfork reviews Jónsi's live album: https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/14924-go-live/
The NY Times reviews The Radio Dept.'s live show: https://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/03/arts/music/03radio.html?_r=1
Slöa KnivarNow, this is what punk with a fuck it all! attitude should sound like! The music that Skåne's Slöa Knivar play is well above average punk and hardcore, but they have one important aspect that affords them an extra element of venom, making "Ingen klass, ingen stil" an absolute killer album. That is, of course, the use of insanely caustic female vocals that would put most male punk screamers to shame. Musically, it's a decidedly old-school take on the genre that would sit perfectly in punk's vehement heyday, with the vocals serving to really cement a dirty edge on the whole package. They remind me a little on London-based punk crew Meinhof, another female-fronted band whose vocalist overshadows many of her male counterparts, although it must be said that "Ingen klass, ingen stil" has the edge when it comes to raw power. At the end of the day, Slöa Knivar isn't a band that's out for world domination, but I'd dare say that when Armageddon comes they'd be on the front line providing the soundtrack. Not all of their lyrics might fit the bill but, by hell, they'd make a serious racket to compliment the carnage.
- John Norby
No big surprise: Robyn's "Body talk" gets declared "best new music" by Pitchfork: https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/14917-body-talk/
PopMatters approves of Ghost's "Opus eponymous": https://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/132786-ghost-opus-eponymous/
KvoteringenSolid B-grade d-beat/käng from a bunch of lifers who are probably having a blast doing it. Can't say it's an essential purchase, nor does it quite have the urgency of contemporaries such asHerätys, but it is well worth a listen if you're a fan of the style or of any of the member's other bands (yes, even you Millencolin listeners).
- Avi Roig
Monostrip"The grand youth" is a mixed bag, not only in terms of quality, but in focus: opener "Too many hearts" feels like an electronica-tinged post-punk revivalist anthem; "Miami" is a jumble of '80s pop influences; "Monostripper" oscillates uncomfortably between a quieter, spoken verse and a louder chorus; "Brooklyn Bridge" succeeds, yet its songwriting and production leave it feeling out of place; and so it continues. There is a lot to like on this record -- with "Drowning" featuring Emmon being one of the highlights -- and a lot that is too easily forgotten or skipped over. It's a bit too par for the course to be truly excited about, especially from an act that boasts members of I'm from Barcelona.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
PopMatters reviews The Ark's "In full regalia" and come away disappointed: https://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/131889-the-ark-in-full-regalia/
Burning Ambulance reviews Swedish metal hype Ghost, comparing them to Blue Öyster Cult, a point of reference that works surprisingly well: https://burningambulance.com/2010/11/24/ghost/
The Silent Ballet gives high marks to "Flare", the first release by Erik K Skodvin under his own name instead of Svarte Greiner: https://thesilentballet.com/dnn/Home/tabid/36/ctl/Details/mid/384/ItemID/3759/Default.aspx
PopMatters is scared of Dragontears' final album "Turn on tune in fuck off!!": https://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/133348-dragontears-turn-on-tune-in-fuck-off/
The Guardian reviews Swedish House Mafia's seemingly unselfconscious ridiculousness in their tour documentary "Take one": https://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/nov/27/swedish-house-mafia-take-one