IT'S A TRAP! Scandinavian Music Journal

Culkin to the UK, Germany

Tue, 04 Sep 2012 19:08:06 -0700

Swedish indierockers Culkin are heading abroad this fall:

10/27 - tba, London (UK)
11/01 - tba, Hamburg (GER)

More to come?

MP3: In These Woods - Ghost

Wed, 09 May 2012 13:37:55 -0700

In These Woods' self-titled debut/final? EP from late 2010 didn't make much of a splash, but it's still one of my favorite indierock releases of recent memory. While I love bands like Culkin and Tennis Bafra, they're often operating more off of a classic US indie template as opposed to ITW's inherent Swedish-ness. Of course it all comes from the same place if you trace it back far enough, but ITW has a far stronger direct kinship to Him Kerosene and Fireside than Sonic Youth or Dinosaur Jr.. It's in the sharpness of the rhythms, the way the melodies move and layer; there's nothing else like it.

DiS Some Velvet Mixtape: 2012 so far

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 12:14:48 -0700

Drowned in Sound has resurrected their short-lived "Some Velvet Mourning" heavy guitar/shoegaze column with a new edition highlighting new 2012 releases from artists such as Culkin, The Megaphonic Thrift and 120 Days: http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/4144750-some-velvet-mixtape--2012-so-far-in-layers-loops-drones-and-noise

MP3: Culkin - Glow

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 12:55:33 -0800

Can't deny that I count various members of Culkin as my personal friends, but that doesn't mean I don't sincerely believe they are a good band. Wait, scratch that: great band! I know I'm predisposed to enjoy guitar-based indierock -- that much is obvious -- but that also doesn't mean that Culkin automatically qualify on that front either because there's a shit-ton of bands with dudes playing guitars who are straight-up garbage. Along with Tennis Bafra and a few others, Culkin herald the arrival of what I hope to be a new age of Swedish indierawk, with one foot in the past (see song titles such as "Tim Kerosene" and if you don't get it, do your homework) and eyes toward the future. The vital ingredients: strong hooks, a muscular rhythm section and dense melodies. Culkin has it all, along with triumphant guitar solos as a bonus.
"Glow" is the slow-burn epic opener of the band's new album "Several Sundays" and I hope they don't get mad at me for sharing it with you, but I'm doing it anyway. Act first, apologize later y'know. Buy the CD here or listen at Spotify.

MP3: Franky Lee - A man without a heart

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:14:59 -0800

Some of Franky Lee's bio material attempts to peg them as an indierock throwback, but there's no comparison to bands such as Tennis Bafra or Culkin. No, Franky Lee is a straight-up turn-of-the-millennium style arena-sized alternative rock act ala Foo Fighters or Jimmy Eat World. Which is by no means a bad thing! The band I'm currently playing with kind of attempts to cop that sound too, for what it's worth, though we probably throw in a few more new-wavey influences. Anyhow, I really do like this sort of stuff despite it being patently uncool in many social circles. It's definitely not punk to aspire to such pop grandeur -- a funny thing to note when you consider Franky Lee's member pedigree (likewise, in my own band's case). I guess there's a freedom in getting old in that those sort of petty things don't seem to matter as much anymore. I'm feeling it, signed: an unapologetic fan of pop convention. Go see Franky Lee when they play Debaser Malmö next week at It's a Trap!'s clubnight.

Culkin - Libbets Casey

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:14:36 -0800

I've talked a lot about Culkin the past few years, but here now finally is the band's first official single "Libbets Casey". Look for the band's much-anticipated (and totally great) album "Several Sundays" to be released on March 7 via HaHa Fonogram.

Culkin - Several Sundays (teaser)

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 17:02:02 -0800

Check out a video sampler preview of the upcoming Culkin album "Several Sundays". I've been fortunate enough to get a preview listen and can confirm that the whole record is great, just you wait! And when you're done with that, go ahead and do a search for national aerobics on YouTube. You won't be disappointed by that either.

Culkin - Left behind (plus tourdates!)

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 12:58:45 -0700

Finally, new music from Culkin, giving us a taste of what to expect from their long-awaited full-length debut which will be out on HaHa Fonogram... eventually. The band will also be touring Scandinavia with Simon Says No! and Youngteam as part of the "Revolution in Sound" tour in September -- dates here: http://www.brothersister.se/gigs/

Life Before Man @ Absolut Noise

Wed, 03 Nov 2010 12:10:55 -0700

Absolut Noise has a new track up from Life Before Man, a long-running/never-documented Swedish indie act featuring my friend Mattias from Culkin/KVLR: http://absolutnoise.blogspot.com/2010/11/internet-killed-tape-stars.html
If you dig noisy guitar-driven indie (such as Mattias' other/previous bands), you will dig this. I do.

Culkin got it down on tape

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 17:06:24 -0700

Culkin, Swedish indierockers la classiqué, have finished recording their debut album and are now beginning to mix.

Culkin - On vacation

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 11:41:45 -0700

Swedish noisy indierockers Culkin are streaming a new track at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/culkin
Recommended for anyone who's a fan of loud, swirling guitars.

MP3: Brick - I

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 12:34:48 -0700

Culkin played an extra special show at Club Probation/Snövit in Stockholm on Friday and you missed it. I would've been there for sure if I wasn't halfway around the world, but hey, that's life -- at least I had the honor of second-handedly providing guest vocalist Nandor Hegedüs a mp3 of his old band's song so he could refresh his memory before hitting the stage. That's the kind of odd international world we live in now.

Culkin in the studio

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 10:55:32 -0800

Swedish noiserockers Culkin are currently in the studio working on what might end up as their full-length debut. Watch: http://www.youtubedoubler.com/?video1=http://www.youtube.com/v/4y4g8C0-bs4&start1=0&video2=http://www.youtube.com/v/L9m2g5QWZi0&start2=0#comment-29356942

Top 10s for 2009: Mathias Rask-Andersen (Culkin)

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0800

The 10 songs that played when I pressed random on my iPhone

01. Smog - All thoughts are prey to some beast (from the fantastic "Sometimes I wish we were an eagle")

02. Super Furry Animals - The piccolo snare (From the excellent "Phantom power")

03. The Afghan Whigs - Crazy (From the mindblowingly brilliant "1965")

04. Superchunk - Tie a rope to the end of the buss (from the classic "No pocky for kitty")

05. Dinosaur Jr. - Pieces (from the more than welcome "Farm")

06. Swervedriver - Juggernaut rides (from the groundshifting "Mustang Ford 12")

07. Teenage Fanclub - Sidewinder (from the seminal "Bandwagonesque")

08. Stooges - 1970 (From the really good "Funhouse")

09. Weezer - Buddy Holly (From the forever green "Blue album")

10. Jesus Lizard - Puss (From the original version of "Liar" - which is fucking amazing)

---------------------------
Mathias plays guitar in Culkin, one of Sweden's most promising noisepop acts. Expect their debut album sometime in 2010?
http://www.myspace.com/culkin
http://culkintheband.blogspot.com/

Sirius playlist week #38

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 11:16:11 -0700

Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU featuring special guest Mathias Rask-Andersen from the band Culkin:

01. Culkin - Payperfist
02. TALK 1
03. Him Kerosene - Raceday
04. Park Hotell - Happy love
05. Neil Halstead - Paint a face
06. TALK 2
07. Culkin - Glow
08. Scraps of Tape - Drink forever
09. The Bear Quartet - Northern
10. KVLR - Capitol city child
11. TALK 3
12. Brick - I
13. Blithe - Allegiance
14. Giant Boar - Jessica Hell
15. Suburban Kids with Biblical Names - Marry me
16. Popsicle - Not forever
17. TALK 4
18. Culkin - Insomniac

Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.

Sirius playlist week #37

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:24:29 -0700

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

01. [ingenting] - Halleluja!
02. TALK 1
03. Lama - Beginning
04. Hearts of Black Science - Gold and dust
05. Fare You Well - Come closer now
06. TALK 2
07. Hearts No Static - Part 3
08. No Balls - No
09. Brothers of End - Why
10. TALK 3
11. Loud Pipes - Clean your head
12. Astrid Swan - 2000-2010 (I'm not even 30)
13. David Åhlén - Spirit fall
14. Kornstad - Noir
15. TALK 4
16. C.Aarmé - Abyss song
17. Interlace - Nemesis
18. Toture Division - Traumatic inhuman severance
19. Strip Music - 24 hrs
20. TALK 5
21. Culkin - Twin lakes annual

Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers. Also: he doesn't know it yet, but Mathias from Culkin will be my guesthost on next week's show. I'll be letting/forcing him to pick the playlist...

Culkin - Breather-people-thing-a-ma-jigg

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:24:39 -0700

Swedish noisepop act Culkin has a new track on myspace along with a fancy new heavy metal logo: http://www.myspace.com/culkin

Sirius playlist week #9

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 11:47:59 -0800

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

01. TALK 1
02. Culkin - Breathholders
03. Max Peezay - Boven i droven
04. Detektivbyrån - En annan typ av disco
05. Billie the Vision & the Dancers - You'd better watch out, 'cause I like you
06. TALK 2
07. Sad Day for Puppets - Marble gods
08. Viola - The hardest hit
09. Samuraj Cities - Spoonful of talk
10. Kalle J - I skydd av mörkret
11. TALK 3
12. Murmansk - Vague language
13. Boeoes Kaelstigen - Radius (Dmitry Fyodorov Radius Relaxation Remix)
14. The Low Frequency in Stereo - Texas fox
15. David Åhlén - We sprout in thy soil
16. TALK 4
17. Paper - Out of it into it
18. Andreas Tilliander - Caught in a riot
19. On Volcano - Out of sight
20. Entombed - Seeing red
21. TALK 5
22. Säkert! - Någon gång måste du bli själv

Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.

New Culkin tracks on myspace

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 16:59:12 -0800

Swedish 90s indie revivalists Culkin have a couple great new tracks on myspace: http://www.myspace.com/culkin

Sirius playlist week #8

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 11:21:10 -0800

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

01. Emmon - Secrets & lies
02. TALK 1
03. Marions - Another hour
04. Mimikry - Alderland
05. Culkin - Glow
06. TALK 2
07. Ironville - Roses
08. Silver - The white logic
09. Powersolo - Pirates of the oblivion
10. The Scrags - TV messed up mind
11. TALK 3
12. Kusowsky - Dansa
13. Paper - To her
14. Marit Bergman - Bang bang
15. Trummor & Orgel - Main theme
16. Affordable Hybrid - If you've got a problem with me
17. TALK 4
18. The Fine Arts Showcase - London, my town
19. Hebosagil - The last one
20. Dyno - Don't speak love
21. Knugen Faller - Lugna favoriter
22. TALK 5
23. Jesper Norda - We have the guts

Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.

New music from Culkin

Mon, 09 Feb 2009 12:30:31 -0800

Swedish indierockers Culkin have a bunch of new tracks up at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/culkin
Very recommended! Magnus, this means you!

Sirius playlist week #4

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 13:33:41 -0800

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

01. C.Aarmé - M.P.P.
02. TALK 1
03. Existensminimum - Fuglesang
04. The Animation - Overboard
05. Jonathan Johansson - En hand i himlen
06. TALK 2
07. AlabamicA - You can't save the world
08. Franke - Skinnad
09. October Falls - III
10. TALK 3
11. Suburban Kids with Biblical Names - 1999
12. Wolfbrigade - Barren dreams
13. Viisikko - Vapaus valita
14. Culkin - Payperfist
15. TALK 4
16. Lowood - Crash
17. Cut City - Departure in particular
18. Wardruna - Dagr
19. Laakso - In my blood
20. TALK 5

Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.

Culkin gets set for debut full-length

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 18:14:45 -0800

IAT's good friends Culkin will be recording six new tracks in two weeks, enough for a full-length album. Stoked!

Top 10s for 2008: Magnus Öberg (Nomethod)

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:00 -0800

01. Getting married and spending lots of time with my son
Easily tops my 2008.

02. My Bloody Valentine live at The Barrowlands/Glasgow
Watching My Bloody Valentine live is like nothing I have experienced before. The volume cannot be described, I'm not even sure it can be described as volume, it was just too intense and I loved it. They played everything I wanted to hear and they sounded great.

03. Robert Svensson - Young punks are on the never-never
I know picking an album I released on my own label is cheezy, but I had and I'm still having a great time working on this album

04. Trail of Dead - Festival Thyme
A very nice surprise, after some downtime Trail of Dead deliver an amazing EP.

05. I'm liking new Swedish bands again
A batch of great new bands are popping up in Sweden. There are too many to mention them all, but some favourites are Love is a Burning Thing, Giant Boar and Culkin. Had enough with the 2 man band with backtracks acts. I want a real 4 or 5 piece with lots of guitars and I want it live.

06. Shape Up!
Our club had the most successful year to date. It's more fun doing the club than ever before.

07. Klungan
Genius. They're just getting better and better. "Det är vi som är hemgiften" made me laugh extremely hard. Felt sick afterward.

08. Rediscovering 80's and 90's indie
Happens every year. Last year it was Hüsker Dü. This year it's Blake Babies.

09. Nuclear Error
The coolest bandname ever.

10. True Blood
Watching TV series is a good spare time activity, sports are not. "True Blood" was the best series I watched in 2008.

---------------------------
Nomethod's latest release is Robert Svensson's album "Young punks are on the never-never". The new single "1991" will be out on December 17.
www.nomethod.se
www.myspace.com/nomethodrecords

MP3: Simon Says No! - Shiver

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 11:28:46 -0800

More 90s indie nostalgia? Sure, why not! Norway's Simon Says No! doesn't really mine the same territory as say, Sad Day for Puppets -- they've got more in common with bands like Culkin or maybe Giant Boar, 'cept that's not right either. Simon Says No! is more muscular, heavier. I'm actually reminded a lot of fellow Norwegian act Cadillac who evoked similar 90s alt-rock feelings with a bit more of a detached stoner vibe. There might be a little Motorpsycho and 120 Days in there too, however the one band that's the strongest touchstone for me would have to be Chavez. Especially on tracks like "Shiver", with its big, beefy riffs and that continually buzzing part persisting throughout. It's a good formula, even if the song itself loses its luster once you get past the immediacy of the big guitars. Too many starts and stops, not enough memorable melodies to latch onto. Still, as demo bands go, I can't complain. There's potential.

Culkin Demo self-released

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700

The evidence of members of KVLR in Culkin is obvious as "Pay per fist" bursts alive in a chaotic display of Scandinavian indierock. And, as with many outstanding records, the lo-fi production adds a wonderfully human element to the compositions. This demo release almost perfectly encapsulates what has been left out of many of the recent advances into the rock genre: thick, jangled guitar lines blurring over one another to form a wall of melody; vocal lines that don't attempt to set themselves above the instrumental fray, but impose themselves directly into this skirmish; an undulating framework that allows the compositions to easily, seamlessly shift between bouts of melancholy into sections of outright triumph. Imagine elements of shoegaze and post-rock, a healthy study of 90s acts like Sonic Youth, and an outright appreciation for the Scandinavian bands who helped reshape this bastard brand of indierock (see: The End Will Be Kicks) and you get a pretty good idea of what Culkin's all about. If this demo is any indication of what's in store, Culkin have quite a future in front of them -- one that I'll be watching very closely.

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 11:59:35 -0700

My friends Culkin (remember?) will make their live debut on August 20 at Landet in Stockholm. View the flyer at myspace: [click here]

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 12:23:16 -0700

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

01. Logh - Saturday nightmares
02. TALK 1
03. Pay TV - Miss Capitalist
04. TST - No teenage future
05. Dmitry Fyodorov - Wolfbrigade
06. TALK 2
07. The Opium Cartel - Flicker girl (ft. Rachel Haden)
08. Bjorn Ulvaeus & Benny Andersson - Någonting är pa väg
09. On Volcano - Out of sight
10. TALK 3
11. Lemonator - Heart burns
12. Loudpipes - Downhill blues
13. The Greencoats - Honey
14. TALK 4
15. Christian and Karla-Therese Kjellvander - Two souls
16. Detektivbyrån - Neonland
17. Knife and Ape - Upset blues
18. TALK 5
19. Cut City - Replacement
20. Culkin - Twin Lakes annual
21. Last Days of April - Playerin
22. TALK 6
23. Viking Truckers - Love on the road

Reminder: my show on Sirius Left of Center (channel 26) airs Sundays at 11pm ET with repeats on Monday.

MP3: Voices Break the Silence - This awful friend

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 11:46:43 -0700

I love big, 90s-style indie guitarrock and I am unashamed. I enjoy plenty of other genres as well of course, but that's the stuff I grew up so it remains my top-tier favorite. Too bad there's not too many bands out there embracing the style though, it's like all that "rockism" talk scared people off of making music with guitar, bass and drums. What's wrong with the old formula? It's not broken, it still sounds just as fresh to me as it always did. And there's still plenty of room to grow, just listen to contemporaries like Culkin (remember?) or today's featured artist Voices Break the Silence. I posted a track from these guys way back in 2006 and nothing has really changed since then - the band remains totally awesome and pitifully unsigned. It makes no sense, but so goes the fashion I suppose. This is classic indie rock, emphasis on the rock. I don't see how anyone who loves stuff like Sonic Youth or Dinosaur Jr. couldn't be way into this as well. It's got the monster riffs of Chavez, but it's also got the romantic melodicism of Midwest mainstays like The Promise Ring. 90s, 00s - whatever. This is not nostalgia, this sound never went away as far as I'm concerned. As I always say, good music is good music, now and forever.

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 18:47:30 -0700

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

01. Laakso - Worst case scenario
02. TALK 1
03. The Kid - Mayhem troopers
04. We Live In Trenches - Autonomy clinic
05. Detektivbyrån - Om du möter varg
06. TALK 2
07. I'm From Barcelona - Paper planes
08. Wired for Mono - The man behind the wall
09. The Amazing - Dragon
10. TALK 3
11. Pugh Rogefeldt - Surabaya Johnny
12. Opeth - The lotus eater
13. The Knife - Silent shout
14. TALK 4
15. Culkin - Allegiance
16. Haust - Desperate living
17. Lack - Behead
18. Nitad - Ge mig ge mig
19. TALK 5
20. Kamraterna - Det här är ditt land

Reminder: my show on Sirius Left of Center (channel 26) airs Sundays at 11pm ET with repeats on Monday.

MP3: Culkin - Pay per fist

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 11:00:49 -0700

What do you get when two ex-bassists from KVLR form a new band together? Could it be noisy 90s-style indierock? Why, yes it could! Surprise! Seriously though, why aren't there more bands playing this kind of stuff? I do love big pop melodies buried in fuzz, especially when layered with huge effects-laden guitar hooks. And when they get that off-kilter, curved-air quality? Perfect! Don't let this sound die, people! It's not retro, it's just good. This is what I consider true (tr00?) indie rock. As a bonus for all you nerdy Swede-rock historians, they even cover "Allegiance" by Blithe - how cool is that? Download today's track and then head to myspace to hear more: http://www.myspace.com/culkin