IT'S A TRAP! Scandinavian Music Journal

With No and Legs (ex-Attrap) confirm debut album

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 14:08:09 -0700

Danish act With No Arms and Legs, featuring 3/4ths of the now-defunct Attrap (whose remaining quarter is now Hymns from Nineveh), have confirmed that they will be releasing their self-titled debut on June 20 via It Was Gnarled. Listen/learn more at Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/withnoarmsandlegs

MP3: Hymns from Nineveh - So mournful the elegy, so comforting the hymn

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 13:33:10 -0800

I've been on kind of a negative trip recently, either damning with faint praise when I'm not being outright scornful and I know it's a bummer. It's a bummer for me too because it turns into a downwards spiral and, honestly, I really don't hate everything even though it often feels that way. One thing I wholeheartedly do love: the new Hymns from Nineveh album. I've been a fan of the Hymnboy Jonas Petersen since hearing his previous act Attrap and the few samples he's dropped while working on his album have been quite nice, but the end result of the finished work is absolutely lovely. Spiritual music can be a gamble as there are so many potential pitfalls, but when it works, there's nothing else so soothing. Like the hug of a favorite blanket or the feeling delivered by your favorite comfort food, it's a kind of satisfaction that radiates from the inside out. It puts the world at ease and, for a little while, all is well.

Hymns from Nineveh - Daughters of Zion

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 14:02:01 -0700

Hymns from Nineveh,the solo project of Jonas Petersen from Attrap, has a new track called "Daughter of Zion" posted on myspace: http://www.myspace.com/hymnsfromnineveh
This is the the first taste of what's to come from his forthcoming album and it features guest appearances from Mikael R. Andreasen (Kloster) and Nikolaj Paakjær (Even If It's Me).

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 16:15:00 -0700

Good Tape Records has posted a whole bunch of new tracks on myspace, including stuff from Attrap, The Late Parade and more: http://www.myspace.com/goodtaperecords

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 15:23:36 -0700

Danish act Attrap might not be around anymore, but it looks like Good Tape Records will still release their posthumous debut album later this year. Details to come.

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 12:12:45 -0800

Good Tape Records has signed Hymns From Nineveh, the solo project of Jonas Petersen of Danish act Attrap. More details soon.

Sun, 18 Nov 2007 12:51:08 -0800

Here's the playlist for this week's radio show:

01. Kristofer Åström - Just a little insane
02. TALK 1
03. Darkthrone - Canadian metal
04. Sambassadeur - Subtle changes
05. Niccokick - Love & neon lights
06. TALK 2
07. Death By Kite - Bhf. Asta
08. The Alpine - Iceland
09. Pluxus - Bootstrap
10. TALK 3
11. Graveyard - Thin line
12. Hospital - Something in the water
13. Attrap - Just a word away
14. TALK 4
15. Jonna Lee - I wrote this song
16. Paper - My life is going under
17. Broder Daniel - You bury me
18. TALK 5
19. Radio LXMBRG - Score on the floor
20. Maia Hirasawa - Gothenburg
21. Rather Sound Than Safe - The beat
22. Det Gamla Landet - Det heliga landet
23. TALK 6
24. Paris - When I laid my eyes on you
25. No Hope for the Kids - Rainy day
26. Sir Eric Beyond and the Avant-Garde - If this is the way
27. Barra Head - Overseas
28. TALK 7
29. Superfamily - Warszawa
30. Oskar Schönning - S
31. Brick - Automen
32. TALK 8
33. Miss Li - Leave my man alone
34. Kasper Bjørke - Liquid propagnosia
35. Loveninjas - I wanna be like Johnny C
36. Anti Cimex - Only in dreams
37. TALK 9
38. Pan Sonic - Virta 1

MyFriends: The Deed, Hymns from Nineveh, In a City By the Sea, The Mymmelins, Twin Piloda

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0800

This time out, I'm all about sideprojects.

The Deed
SOUNDS LIKE: The guys from Iisole are involved in a bazillion different projects so here's one featuring Martin Nilsson. Like his main band, this is definitely in the melancholic (post-)rock realm (think: Logh), but a bit more laid back.
HIGHLIGHTS: All three tracks are great, you only gotta give 'em time to reveal themselves
LINK: http://www.myspace.com/nilssonmartin

Hymns from Nineveh
SOUNDS LIKE: Devotional music from Jonas Petersen of Danish act Attrap. Take it from a non-Christian - this is very well done.
HIGHLIGHTS: Rejoicingalongsong, A tired man sings abide
LINK: http://www.myspace.com/hymnsfromnineveh

In a City By the Sea
SOUNDS LIKE: More melancholic musings, this time from Mikael Kærsgaard of Munich, a band who happens to be good friends with the aforementioned Attrap. Again, quite nice.
HIGHLIGHTS: He's allright [sic], Shipwrecks
LINK: http://www.myspace.com/inacitybythesea

The Mymmelins
SOUNDS LIKE: Fun's younger, grungier brother.
HIGHLIGHTS: Vompat disco, Conflict in the backyard
LINK: http://www.myspace.com/themymmelins

Twin Piloda
SOUNDS LIKE: High quality pop from Måns Wieslander, a man best known to me for his work with Moonbabies.
HIGHLIGHTS: Shut up and wave, Cousin evil
LINK: http://www.myspace.com/twinpiloda

Tue, 12 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0700

Danish dreampop act Attrap has posted a trio of new tracks on myspace: http://www.myspace.com/attrap
The band's debut full-length "Happitalism" is due out later this year via Warfare Records.

Sat, 02 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0700

The playlist for my radio show on Sirius this week:

01. Beyond Dawn - Far from showbiz
02. TALK 1
03. Superfamily - The radio has expressed concerns about what you did last night
04. The Fine Arts Showcase - Dance with your shadow
05. Pan Sonic - Hinaaja / Tugboat
06. TALK 2
07. Mixtapes & Cellmates - Hold
08. The Bear Quartet - I don't wanna
09. Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words - When she's GONE
10. TALK 3
11. Laakso - High drama
12. Park Hotell - The guest who stayed forever
13. Fun - Hold it close
14. TALK 4
15. The Book of Daniel - Rabbit boy
16. Watain - Storm of the Antichrist
17. Viktor Sjöberg - w/Nothing
18. Kristofer Åström - Fallen
19. TALK 5
20. Mainliners - Olivia
21. Oddjob - Kings are walking out
22. Lemonator - Heart burns
23. TALK 6
24. Tobias Hellkvist - Slowly but surely
25. Attrap - Just a word away
26. Sahara Hotnights - Visit to Vienna
27. TALK 7
28. The Leather Nun - No rule
29. Alog - Son of king
30. Thunder Express - Vegas
31. TALK 8
32. Closer - Sensing the wake

Attrap House of dreams Warfare Records

Fri, 26 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0800

The smallest detail can set a group apart. In the case of this compelling art-pop group from Denmark, the harmonies on the opening track "Just a word away" exploit a minor third interval so precariously, with close male-female vocals walking an absolute tightrope together. They pull it off, and it's a thing of delicate beauty. Another daring move: no drums. Yet you hardly notice, so powerful are the vocals and the melodies. This band is patient enough to let the waves of emotion in their songs build slowly, and the songs contain plenty of space. An ideal soundtrack for ruminating, or watching scenery pass by gradually as you drive, perhaps. But this is skin-prickle music, the kind of sound that works on you subconsciously and underscores whatever you are longing for in life. I'd like to hear a full-length to really get a grip on what Attrap is capable of, but this EP truly makes a stirring first impression.

Mon, 15 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0800

Attrap has started to blog the recording of their new album: http://blog.myspace.com/attrap (in Danish)

Tue, 09 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0800

Danish act Attrap has posted two new songs which will appear on their forthcoming debut full-length album: http://www.myspace.com/attrap
Read my profile of the band here.

Thu, 19 Oct 2006 00:00:00 -0700

Hits in the Car mentioned them the other day and let me reiterate, Munich is an up-and-coming Danish band not to be missed. Check out the three new tracks on myspace: http://www.myspace.com/munichdk
It's worth noting that Jonas Petersen from IAT-approved act Attrap sent me a tip about these guys as well. He also plays a bit of cello and sings some backing vocals on the album. If that's not enough, let it be known that Johannes Dybkjaer of Lampshade, yet another IAT-recommended act, produced the record. If you enjoyed the dreamy pop of either of those two bands, you'll dig Munich for sure.

Tue, 26 Sep 2006 00:00:00 -0700

I am now carrying music from Danish label Warfare Records in my webstore, begining with the very excellent Attrap: [click here]
CDs are due to arrive soon, but for now it's all about paid downloads. 256k VBR, no DRM - the way it should be.

Mon, 24 Jul 2006 00:00:00 -0700

New profile piece posted today on the promising Danish act Attrap: [click here]
Something tells me that Jonas Petersen (the gent answering the questions) didn't realize that I'm a drummer.

Profile: Attrap

Mon, 24 Jul 2006 00:00:00 -0700

Name: Attrap

From: Aarhus, Denmark

Sounds like: Ethereal, melancholy pop.

Listen: Just a word away

Discography:
2006 - House of dreams (Warfare Records)

Links:
www.attrap.net
www.myspace.com/attrap

"Who are we listening to? I like this."
"Attrap"
"Who?"
Sigh. "It's Attrap."
*snicker*
So goes the conversation with my wife every time I play this band's debut EP. She usually never recognizes 90% of the stuff I'm playing in our shared office, but somehow Attrap always catches her attention and forces her to make bad puns at the expense of this site's namesake. The important thing to note however, is that of all the many many bands I'm constantly shuffling through on the stereo, Attrap stands out.

Who are you and where are you from?

We are four young people from small villages in Denmark. Now we live in the second largest town in Denmark, called Aarhus..(where three of us study). But really, it's a joke. Everyone knows everybody anyway. We've all met eachother on the bus. we plan on moving to Copenhagen. More busses there.

What makes Attrap special? And why no drums? Was that a conscious decision?

We would like for our music to be like a trojan horse. Coming slowly towards the big fortress of the pop-industry. The guards (the radio stations) let us inside - we look nice, sound nice. Nothing new, seemingly. But when we get inside the thick and mighty city walls and join the masquerade, we reveal our faces; and suddenly, there is one single band who actually mean what they dream and insist on singing about joy, love, death and the relations between people - in spite that it is claimed to be alarmingly old-fashioned by the industry. I think that is what makes us special.. that we believe we can set people in motion, physically and mentally.
About the missing drummerboy: Let us be the first to brake the ice: All drummers are ugly. All four of us are beautiful. that's why. Drummers also have an annoying tendency to take full controll of the musical landscape. We like the possibility to make a more "rubato" feeling in the compositions. but mostly because they are ugly (ok - except Nick Mason of the Pink Floyd. wow, that moustache!).

How does the music scene/industry of Denmark compare to Sweden?

To be honest, I don't know much about the music scene in Sweden. I'm too busy figuring out what happens on the Danish scene :). Right now there's some interesting things going on on the small indielabels. Our own, Warfare Records, the stars at Morningside Records and Crunchy Frog, but also the crazy people at BSBTA has had some exciting new releases and hopefully, much more to come. I don't know if there are any cool independant labels in Sweden? I think the music scene in Denmark is heading towards something better -more breath-taking melodies. The melodic skills is the main trademark of Swedish music from my opint of view. ABBA, José González, Lampshade and Kent are all in the superleague when it comes to melodies. I envy them. We should collaborate.
I have the feeling, that young bands from Sweden reach a high level earlier than the Danish young bands. But again, I don't know much about the swedish scene, so I'll stop it here.

What is your preferred beverage of choice and why?

Coffee, mostly. because it is one of the only legal drugs that can help you kill time.
And Danish beer. Llots of beer. Carlsberg if we have enough money. I don't really know why. it's something that goes with the Danish culture. Maybe it's because it looks like piss, but tastes much better. Don't know.

If you were suddenly elected to be a world leader, what would be the first thing you'd do?

I, Jonas, would probably send an email to the bully from my highschool with the words: "I told you so."
Secondly, I would invite all the poor people of the world (and the bully from my highschool, if I remember it in my email) into my huge backyard and have a great party. Attrap would play. Kofi Annan would make a toast. Maybe I would give every newborn baby a cello. Haven't decided that yet.

You said in response to the first question that you are in Aarhus to study. What is your chosen subject(s) of interest?

Actually, I'm the only one who doesn't study. Troels and Johan study philosophy and Gertrud studies some fancy art thing. I just walk around feeling very bohemian, reading Danish poetry from the 1920s and 1980s. Smoking.

Finally, what does the future hold for Attrap?

We are working on our debut-album, which will be released in a year or so. It will be a sonic explosion of joyful indie-pop. less mellow. lovely. We are going to play a lot of concerts during the fall in Denmark and hopefully south of the border. Germany, the Netherlands. The future is a shiny apple and we're more than ready to take the first bite.

MP3: The Stores - The TV reminds me of what to be

Thu, 20 Jul 2006 00:00:00 -0700

Even though we haven't heard anything new from The Hives in awhile, it's not as if Scandinavian garage-rock suddenly went away. The scene has been going strong for a long time and was one of the first things I discovered once I started to venture beyond the realms of metal in the mid-90s (via The Hellacopters, of course). The Stores are a Danish threesome continuing the fine tradition. I love the mix of that cavernous surf-rock guitar tone over a driving rhythm section. The main hook riff is introduced and almost immediately abandoned while the bass and drums work hard to make sure to hold everything together. The band is so tight and on-fire, it gives the guitarist room to do pretty much whatever he wants. It doesn't matter if he's just wailing on chords or working out new ways to tear apart the main theme, it all sounds great. Funny to think that these guys are labelmates with Attrap, but it's true. As you should know, good music is good music, regardless of genre.

MP3: Attrap - Just a word away

Wed, 05 Jul 2006 00:00:00 -0700

The fireworks started at 8am yesterday and were still going strong at 11:30pm when I went to bed. My neighborhood's firepower was intense! I'm all for blowing stuff up every now n' then, but this was ridiculous. My dogs were definitely not pleased. Since my headache has yet to subside, I'm going with something a little mellow for today's mp3 post. Attrap is a group from Denmark that definitely fits into the post-Radiohead/epic melancholy musical landscape. Ethereal vocals, spacey guitar and a heavy atmosphere. Sure it's been done to death, but it's rare that it's done so well. What makes Attrap unique though, is that they have no drums. The closest they get to percussion is glockenspiel. That gives the music a much more delicate feeling, not to mention plenty of space to breathe. I'm not sure it would hold my attention for a full album as such, but the debut EP "House of dreams" is exquisite.

An aside: my wife just loves to ask me what I'm listening to when this is on:
"What are you listening to?"
"Attrap."
"What is it?"
(sigh) "It's Attrap."
(giggle)