Over the almost-10 years or so I've been doing this site there's been a small handful of bands that have really stuck with me and sound just as good today as when I first heard them. The evocative rustic folk of Det Gamla Landet is a prime example. Where are they now?
Det Gamla Landet - Det heliga landet
Happy birthday to me! It's a Trap! is eight years old today and here we are in 2010 with over 35k news items posted, 353 newsletters sent, over 100 hours of radio shows... a lifetime in internet years and perhaps a colossal waste of time, but it keeps me busy and keeps me engaged and it also keeps on helping me hone my editorial and webprogramming skills. At least that's the hope. On searching my library for a song with the number 8 in the title, the best I could come up with is "Åtta år av krig är värt ett bröllop" ("Eight years of war is worth a wedding") by Det Gamla Landet which I suppose is more or less fitting. Great band, sorely missed. Dunno if I'll keep on doing this for another eight, but we'll see what happens.
Det Gamla Landet - Åtta år av krig är värt ett bröllop
Hey, look! More jazz to bore all you indie music fans. I make no secret that I'm a huge fan of Nordic folk-inspired jazz such as Jan Johansson and Cornelis Vreeswijk and other modern folk-influenced acts such as Detektivbyrån, Det Gamla Landet and Hedningarna, but did you know that I am also a soprano sax player? Or was I guess I should say, as I am waaaay out of practice. I know most people immediately think Kenny G when they think soprano, but please put such thoughts aside! Think John Coltrane, Steve Lacy. Anyone else! Or maybe start thinking Jonas Knutsson & Horn Please. Six sax players (from sopranino to baritone, but mostly soprano) plus a rhythm section playing "Country & Eastern" music (as the cover proclaims), or as you may have guessed, ethnic folk-inspired jazz. I became hooked on this stuff way back when John Zorn first started his acclaimed Masada project- I had been a fan of his work with Naked City among other projects, but it's his roots-based work with Masada that I consider to be his best. Did you realize that there are many similar tonal qualities in Middle Eastern, Eastern European and Scandinavian folk? It's true. The styles blend together far more easily than you might expect. That's why me, as some Jewish kid getting into Masada, can also similarly appreciate a "polska" piece from Jonas Knutsson. Now, I'm not actually posting a polka today, but you get the idea, right?
Jonas Knutsson - Bosambo-Revati
Here's the playlist for this weekend's radio show:
01. C.Aarmé - Blodet
02. TALK 1
03. Kaka - The hotspurs (the less we know the faster we go)
04. Bitch Boys - Automobile
05. Benea Reach - Rejuvenate
06. TALK 2
07. The Second Band - The urgency of now
08. Breach - Murder
09. Montys Loco - Criminal
10. TALK 3
11. Det Gamla Landet - Krutrök
12. Trapdoor Fucking Exit - Cardiac arrest
13. I Am Bones - Home is the one corner of hell that didn't catch fire
14. TALK 4
15. Madrugada - Look away Lucifer
16. Timo Räisänen - Sixteen
17. When - The king
18. TALK 5
19. Beyond Dawn - Increasing the gravity
20. Ljudbilden & Piloten - Plokk
21. As In RebekkaMaria - She lion (Pato Sick Hangover remix)
22. TALK 6
23. Robert Svensson - 1987 (ft. Adam Olenius)
24. Paper - To her
25. Animal Alpha - Even when I'm wrong, I'm right
26. TALK 7
27. Niccokick - The poet
28. Asha Ali - Coward heart
29. Viola - I don't know how to party
30. TALK 8
31. Voices Break the Silence - No matter if it's now
32. Marybell Katastrophy - Red red lips
33. Anna Ternheim - Shoreline
34. TALK 9
35. Ulf Ljusberg - Here, me
36. Sir Eric Beyond and the Avant-garde - Democracy
37. Once We Were - Carnival
38. Birds On Holiday - I had a plan
39. TALK 10
40. Björn Kleinhenz - Tredje Långgatan 26
Det Gamla Landet's unreleased 2006 album is being offered for free download: http://dgl.a-double-a.com/
This is VERY highly recommended!
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
120 DaysWith their new EP out, favourite melodramatic Norwegians' keep showing their skill at crafting dark, dramatic rock songs with influences ranging from Krautrock to the Jesus and Marcy Chain and New Order. It's all very catchy and certainly a hit with anyone who's ever wanted to look "heroin chic", but just as with their debut album, the band continues their streak of horribly clichéd and pretentious lyrics. Their homepage describes them, without a hint of irony, as "a bunch of scuzzy, city crawling electronic rock deviants hooked on dark nights of depravity, Krautrock and literary pornography." With lyrics such as "Take me down to the dreary basement where the sun never ever shines / and show me where you spent the days that killed the smile in your eyes" it's not surprising that the highlight of the record is actually the instrumental "Sleepless nights #11", which injects a dose of organ-driven melancholy (not unlike Det Gamla Landet) into the middle of the record.
- Viktor Ålander
The playlist for this week's radio show:
01. Kaizers Orchestra - Ompa til du dør
02. TALK 1
03. Logh - Thieves in the palace
04. Élodie - At the end of the line
05. Beem - Ducker
06. TALK 2
07. Hell On Wheels - Alexander
08. Isolation Years - Albino child
09. Honey Is Cool - Bolero
10. TALK 3
11. Mob - Wait for me
12. Skywriter - For heaven's sake
13. Menfolk - Zero is also a number
14. TALK 4
15. Plain Fade - Datura
16. Division of Laura Lee - Dirty love
17. Det Gamla Landet - Det heliga landet
18. TALK 5
19. Elope - Black eyed citizen
20. Fontän - You, me & a tree
21. Gehenna - Touched and left for dead
22. TALK 6
23. Mustasch - I hunt alone
24. Cobolt - The Atlantic Ocean takes her back
25. Blinders On - Blinders are on
26. Madrugada - Higher
27. TALK 7
28. Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words - I could have sworn I heard them SING
29. Notre Dame - Into the coven
30. TALK 8
31. The Motorhomes - The man
After working together on various projects for years, Aa and Nosordo have officially joined forces as a single label. Read about upcoming releases from Det Gamla Landet, Ljudbilden & Piloten and more: http://www.nosordo.com/
Textura is offering up a download from the new Det Gamla Landet record: http://www.textura.org/ (under Downloads)
Very highly recommended.
Long-time IAT favorites Det Gamla Landet have a track featured on the latest "Wire Tapper" CD packaged with copies of UK avant music mag The Wire. Buy their first self-titled album here and don't forget they have a previously unreleased track on the latest "Reader's companion" disc.
I'm not posting a new mp3 today because I have something even better for you, the tracklist for "It's a trap! reader's companion volume two". Behold:
01. HELLO SAFERIDE - If I don't write this song, someone I love will die (SWE)
from the album "Introducing: Hello Saferide" (Razzia)
02. RICOCHETS - Cold outside (NOR)
from the album "Isolation" (KongTiki)
03. VIOLA - Invisible revolution (FIN)
from the album "Anyone can stop us" (If Society)
04. BJÖRN KLEINHENZ - Pocket of gold (SWE)
previously unreleased
05. PLAIN FADE - Itä-Aure (FIN)
previously unreleased
06. THE BEAR QUARTET - Birds are singing deep within the greenery (SWE)
from the album "Saturday night" (A West Side Fabrication)
07. MOONBABIES - Take me to the ballroom (SWE)
from the as-yet-untitled forthcoming third full-length album (Moonbabies Music)
08. MUNCK//JOHNSON - Slavesong (DK)
from the album "Count your blessings" (PonyRec)
09. PHONOPHANI - I.F.A. (NOR)
from the self-titled album (Biophan [1998]/Rune Grammofon [2006])
10. MONEY.PAPER.THEPOLICE - Jim Morrison (SWE)
previously unreleased
11. DET GAMLA LANDET - När vi vaknar (SWE)
previously unreleased
12. THE FIRST MILES - The best one around (DK)
from the album "Aim for the heart, go!" (Little Bad Bear)
13. PARIS - Captain Morgan (SWE)
from the album "Secrets on tape" (Parismusic/V2)
14. THE END WILL BE KICKS - Medicine and airbags (SWE)
previously unreleased
15. DON JUAN DRACULA - Run away with you (NOR)
from the album "Young debutantes II" (Switch Off)
16. TIGER LOU - Nixon (SWE)
from the album "The loyal" (Startracks)
17. THE GRAND OPENING - Slow motion (SWE)
previously unreleased
Artwork is still being finalized, but if you head over to my myspace page you can see the cover art and listen to Björn Kleinhenz's track. Exact release date is still tbc, but I expect CDs in-hand by early April.
Deep Water Acres interviews the excellent Det Gamla Landet: http://www.dwacres.com/?q=node/85
