IT'S A TRAP! Scandinavian Music Journal

Top 10s for 2011: It's a Trap!

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

The prospect of whittling down my list of 2011 favorites to a standard top 10 or even 20 just didn't seem quite so appropriate this year so I've opted instead to break up my selections into a few compartmentalized and highly subjective niches. When I reflect back on the year just passed, this is the method that makes the most sense to me, and besides, music is not a contest and many of these records simply cannot withstand side-by-side scrutiny. Hopefully you'll agree, but if not, there's always the comments section.

BEST ROCK/POP

For lack of a better signifier, here are a few of my favorite releases that don't fit neatly into a clever subgenre.

Peter Bjorn and John - Gimme some
I feel bad for everyone who can't move beyond "Young folks". PB&J has always been and continues to be a fantastic powerpop band and their latest album might just be their best.

Penny Century - Friends and family
A grower, not a shower. I found myself returning to this record time and time again, discovering new things to appreciate almost every time. A deeply nuanced work masquerading as sweet indiepop.

Cut City - Where's the harm in dreams disarmed?
A fitting swan song that their final release should be a perfect encapsulation of modern goth/pop/postpunk.

Kaka - The two
Brilliant, addictive and secretly subversive once you start digging into the lyrics.

BEST SCENE: Black Hole Crew/Nekromantik Norway

Excellence in consistency, consisently excellent. While no one release blew me away quite like Okkultokrati's "No light for mass" or Haust's debut LP "Ride the relapse", the Oslo horde has been regularly churning out some of the finest punk/metal/hardcore in the world today.

Key selections:
Dark Times - s/t CS
Årabrot - Solar anus
Årabrot/Okkultokrati - split 12"
Okkultokrati - Ingen veit alt 7"
Okkultokrati/Haust - Black Hole X-mas 7"
Problems - 2011 CS

ALSO SEE: Hubro & HOOB Records

Allow me to step outside my confort zone a moment to also recommend to you the not-exactly jazz labels Hubro and HOOB Records, based in Norway and Sweden respectively. Both are delivering an amazing array of excellent genre-breaking music and, while I may not be intimately familiar with the circles they travel in, I can confidently say that almost every single release they've put out is well worth investigating.

Key selections:
The Splendour - Delphian palace
Thus:Owls - Harbours
Splashgirl - Pressure
Huntsville - For flowers, cars and merry wars
1982 - Pintura

BEST INSTRUMENTAL/SOUNDTRACK

Matti Bye & Mattias Olsson - Elephant and castle
Wheezing vintage organs and the clatter of clever percussion combine to create one of the most satisfying and creepy albums of the year.

BEST METAL

Execration - Odes of the occult
Much in the same way that Obliteration's "Nekropsalms" stood head and shoulders above the rest back in 2009, Execration's "Odes of the occult" expands on the same template established by their countrymates and adds a hefty does of epic doom to their filthy death metal, thus easily enabling them to (ahem) obliterate the competition.

ALSO SEE:
Dödsvarg - Livet är en dödsorsak
Mr. Death - Descending through ashes
Rising - To solemn ash

BEST EPs

2011 was an amazing year for EPs and many of these titles I have listed make up my absolute favorite releases of the year.

Grande Roses - Hide
Hands down, the best rock record of the year. Vital and passionate in an era when so many feign indifference or hide behind irony, no one else comes close.

Kite - IV
Even if you think that they'll never write another song as good as "Ways to dance", or even if you think they already did, Kite has never had a 100% fully satisfying release until this. Five songs, all synthpop anthems.

The Psyke Project - Ebola
As said before, forget the other half of this split -- it doesn't exist as far as I'm concerned. The Psyke Project is brutality personified; every time you think they couldn't get any heavier, they do.

In These Woods - s/t
Technically a late 2010 release, but who is really paying attention to anything new in late December? Classic Swedish indie guitar-rock is saved from extinction yet again.

Alouatta - DIY
Melodic mid-tempo punk played by dudes who are old enough to know better, but also old enough to do it just right.

FOREIGN JUNK

Not appropriate to waste words on these here, in this forum, but these records are all excellent and well worth checking out:
Austra - Feel it break
Charles Bradley - No time for dreaming
The Devil's Blood - The thousandfold epicentre
Royal Headache - s/t

MP3: Moto Boy - Love is the one thing you can't pretend

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 13:16:11 -0700

Most of my summer listening this year has been revisiting old favorites, partially because there's been few 2011 releases that have stuck with me, but also just because that's what summer is for. Also, as mentioned yesterday, I've also been listening to a lot of pop lately and there hasn't been much in that department that's blown me away recently except for maybe Kaka. And the new Kite, but we'll get to that eventually. What interests me most though, are the artists that didn't make a huge splash with me the first time around; instead, they lingered on the periphery until they eventually work their way into my permanent playlist. For instance: Moto Boy. I've always liked Moto Boy, but three years on I've finally realized that yes, I kinda actually do really love him/his music. The best pop music is always about the grand gesture and Oskar Humlebo's sweeping falsetto is a case study. Dunno why it took me so long to come around, but Moto Boy has staying power, a rarity in the endless stream of mediocrity.

MP3: Kaka - Candyman

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 12:26:27 -0700

Okay, summer music time. Even though I've got a summer cold (always the worst!) and the sun isn't shining at all here in the PacNW, I'm about to go on vacation for two full weeks and am looking to get mentally prepared. Not to mention, I need to make playlists for cruising down the coast. So with that in mind, my #1 pick is easy: Kaka. I hate to say the name out loud (still!) and will typically just say "Richard Karlsson's solo project" instead, but there's no denying that his latest album "The two" is my current go-to, good-time party jammer. He's got such a cheap and corny Casio factory-preset sort of sound, but by fully embracing it and taking it to the extreme, he makes it work. The ridiculousness is integral.
"Candyman" is one of the "darker" tunes from the albums I guess, though it's certainly relative -- can't fuck with that Gary Glitter-swing in the beat and that monster chorus, especially the huge buildup before each instance. So while I'm still reluctant to say the name aloud (much like the song name, I suppose), I offer no such hesitance in recommended the music.

Kaka is Popjustice song of the day

Wed, 18 May 2011 17:22:39 -0700

Swedish artist Kaka has the song of the day over at Popjustice: http://www.popjustice.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5444&Itemid=279
I'm not always big on a lot of the stuff they go for, but Kaka is fully backed.

New Kaka album pushed back to March

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 13:15:17 -0800

Kaka, the solo project of Richard Karlsson from The Mo, will now release his new album "The two" on March 30 via Despotz Records. The new single "Stars" is out now I believe.

New Kaka coming in February

Fri, 03 Dec 2010 17:51:06 -0800

Look for the new Kaka album "The two" to be released on February 22 via Despotz Records.

Sirius playlist week #39

Mon, 27 Sep 2010 12:31:05 -0700

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

01. Simian Ghost - Beat on the brat
02. TALK 1
03. End of All - Folkhemmet
04. In These Woods - Bear
05. The Bells - Outside
06. Britta Persson - Some girls some boys
07. TALK 2
08. Kråkesølv - Nordavind mot varme kinn
09. Tomas Halberstad - The pendulum swings again
10. WhoMadeWho - Left hand of the boxser
11. TALK 3
12. Säkert! - Köttet är svagt
13. Next Life - Battle tactics
14. Kaka - Candyman
15. The Fine Arts Showcase - Spanish kerosene
16. TALK 4
17. Kimono - Black
18. Axe - Up against common sense
19. NNDC - Mouthful of diamonds
20. Slöa Knivar - Anticimex
21. Enforcer - Take me to hell
22. TALK 5
23. Ikons - Imperiet

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.

Kaka - Candyman (video)

Tue, 21 Sep 2010 17:22:05 -0700

Kaka has a video for his brand new single "Candyman". Can't say the clip is all that, but I'm really enjoying the new material. Direct link: http://vimeo.com/15156146

MP3: Kaka - Below this sun

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:54:45 -0700

Kaka's self-titled debut album from a couple years ago was a bit of a sleeper. A few really great tracks (such as "The hotspurs"), but it never seemed to get much traction. That is to say, I enjoyed it, but it lacked the stickiness I really need in my pop music. Not to mention, an atrocious name. C'mon... Kaka? Talk about hamstringing yourself from the get-go, might as well burn a few wads of cash while you're at it. Anyhow, the new single "Below this sun" is good, maybe even a little bit great, but like my wife just said to me, "this sounds really fun, but I can't recommend them to anyone." I've played it on my radio show a few times even though I'm loathe to announce it out loud and now I guess I'm recommending it you, here in print, despite my foolish trepidation. Once you get past the awful, awful name, there's actually a lot to like.

Sirius playlist week #29

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 11:25:07 -0700

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

01. Champagne Riot - A friend of a friend
02. TALK 1
03. Hur Högt - Hur högt
04. Karl X Johan - Flames
05. Nils Bech & Krazy Fiesta Arkestra - Drunk love
06. TALK 2
07. Håkan Lidbo - Zuzuvela
08. Jasmine Kara - Try my love again
09. Kaka - Below this sun
10. Viola - Neon lightning
11. TALK 3
12. Supersci - Snap out of it
13. Haleiwa - Vibraandaman
14. Korallreven - The truest faith
15. TALK 4
16. Robyn - Dancehall queen
17. Hunt - Ashes of a secret heart
18. Rasmus Kellerman - Where do you go at night
19. TALK 5
20. Tutankamon - Have you ever been in love?

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 #27

Tue, 06 Jul 2010 11:25:46 -0700

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

01. TALK 1
02. Makthaverskan - Inside of me
03. Swedish House Mafia - One
04. Elias & the Wizzkids - Waste of time
05. TALK 2
06. The Animal Five - Dancing on my own
07. Miasmal - Creation of fire
08. The Aches - Count slowly to ten
09. Karin Ström - Reptilian brain
10. TALK 3
11. Dear Euphoria - No more time to weep
12. Delay Trees - Cassette 2012
13. Sort Sol - Marguerita
14. TALK 4
15. The Tallest Man on Earth - The wild hunt
16. Cut City - The sound and the sore
17. The Hives - Civilization's dying
18. The Nature - Din medicin
19. TALK 5
20. Kaka - Below this sun
21. The Scrags - Psycho cyclone
22. On Volcano - Ride the wolf
23. TALK 6

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.

SXSW showcase update

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 13:48:33 -0800

Here's the latest list of Scandinavian acts officially confirmed for SXSW:

Årabrot (NOR)
Baskery (SWE)
Benny Crespo's Gang (ICE)
Blood Red Throne (NOR)
Bloodgroup (ICE)
Casiokids (NOR)
Dmitry Fyodorov (SWE)
Grande (NOR)
Adam Heldring (SWE)
Jaakko & Jay (FIN)
Kaka (SWE)
Kakkmaddafakka (NOR)
The Latebirds (FIN)
Love:Fi (NOR)
Mixtapes & Cellmates (SWE)
Peter Bjorn and John (SWE)
Kristofer Ragnstam (SWE)
Sprengjuhollin (ICE)
Steed Lord (ICE)
Steso Songs (SWE)
The Shitsez (NOR)
The Tallest Man On Earth (SWE)
Sofia Talvik (SWE)
Those Dancing Days (SWE)
The Tiny (SWE)
Wildbirds & Peacedrums (SWE)

Despotz signs O'Spada

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 23:04:58 -0800

Despotz Records (The Deer Tracks, Kaka) has announced the signing of Swedish act O'Spada and will be releasing their debut album this coming fall. Samples at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/ospadamusic

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 14:24:57 -0800

RSK Entertainment Ltd. has licensed Kaka's underappreciated debut album for release in the UK on March 9. The record will also be released throughout all of Scandinavia on March 4 via Playground Music.

Wed, 28 May 2008 11:51:12 -0700

The Deer Tracks (ft. members from Leiah, Ariel Kill Him and Twiggy Frostbite) have broken free of their contract with Finnish label Next Big Thing and are now signed to Despotz Records (Kaka, Hellsongs) in Sweden. Look for their debut album "Aurora" to be released on August 27.

Mon, 19 May 2008 14:36:53 -0700

Despotz Records are offering up the new Kaka single "What a frame" as a paid download via Klicktrack for a significant discount: http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=187094648&blogID=395943454
Kaka's self-titled debut is a great underrated pop record, so I'd say it's worth checking out.

Wed, 14 May 2008 17:32:06 -0700

PopMatters reviews Swedish artist Kaka: http://www.popmatters.com/pm/music/reviews/kaka-kaka/

Kaka s/t Despotz Records

Sat, 05 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0700

I was a huge fan of The Mo, so listening to the solo debut of Richard Karlsson, the band's former keyboardist, was a real treat. It's always interesting hearing solo stuff from an ex-band member who wasn't the frontman. Sure, Karlsson's vocals were all over The Mo sound, from background to chorus, but would his own music be a carbon copy of his former band? It turns out that, while still retaining a lot of what made The Mo work so well as a pop band, Karlsson strikes out on its own, borrowing heavily from electronica and international rhythms including a surprising reggae influence. This is most clearly evidenced in songs like "It's a longshot" and "What a frame", which could be classified as reggaetronica, if such a thing even exists. Think The Tough Alliance with a brighter, more immediate pop sound. Though the album does get repetitive towards the end, the strength of the melodies coupled with the simplicity of the production makes this a very promising solo debut.

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 17:52:47 -0700

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

01. Franke - Jag älskar dig
02. TALK 1
03. White Knives - Welcome transplants
04. Bobby and Blumm - Drow a bow
05. Anna Leong - Guillotine
06. TALK 2
07. Juvelen - Don't mess
08. Eucharist - The Eucharist
09. Sophie Rimheden - Go away (ft. Aaron Phiri)
10. TALK 3
11. Form One - Money (ft. Vincent)
12. Tape - Augustan chateau
13. Moneybrother - They're building walls around us
14. TALK 4
15. Lapko - Killer whales
16. The State of Floral Beings - Bad broker
17. Opération Zéro - Grand Pere
18. TALK 5
19. Pistol Disco - Beat of the tune
20. Kusowsky - Jonny
21. Motorhomes - Into the night
22. TALK 6
23. They Live By Night - Endless summer
24. Cleaning Women - Clean up your body
25. Kaka - What a frame
26. Gorgoroth - Krig
27. TALK 7
28. Markus Krunegård - Samma nätter väntar alla
29. Snöleoparden - Waterpuppet theatre
30. Oskar Schönning - Stoner
31. TALK 8
32. Tellu - Tuulet
33. Convoj - Cultural legacy
34. Lukestar - White shade
35. Silver - The personal decay
36. TALK 9
37. Brick - Labrador
38. Callisto - Anastasis
39. Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words - When she's GONE
40. TALK 10
41. Magyar Posse - Singlesparks are spectral fires

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 10:38:37 -0700

Kaka (aka Richard Karlsson, ex-The Mo) will be playing a showcase in London this weekend on March 29 at the Plus One Club in Soho. Stream his self-titled debut album here: http://www.despotz.se/kaka_london/kaka.html

Sun, 24 Feb 2008 20:08:35 -0800

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

01. Disfear - Deadweight
02. TALK 1
03. The Social Services - Up in arms
04. Kaka - The hotspurs (the less know the faster we go)
05. The Je Ne Sais Quoi - Manic panic
06. TALK 2
07. Tiger Lou - Patterns
08. Paper - My life is going under
09. Dreamboy - Stars
10. TALK 3
11. Lack - Watchmen
12. Don't Be A Stranger - Mon chi-chi
13. Ea Philippa - Heslenes sang
14. TALK 4
15. Ef - Thrills
16. Isolation Years - Yellow cross on blue
17. Frivolvol - Satellite kids
18. TALK 5
19. Enslaved - Eld
20. The Grand Opening - Secrets revealed
21. Ultralyd - Comphonie V
22. TALK 8
23. Firefok AK - Techno tears
24. The Indecision Alarm - Alienation process
25. Looptroop Rockers - Marinate
26. TALK 7
27. Markus Krunegård - Jag är en vampyr
28. The End Will Be Kicks - Exit ramps
29. Cadillac - Locomotive
30. TALK 8
31. Lukestar - Lake Toba
32. Commando M Pigg - Baby doll
33. Printer - Minds out
34. TALK 9
35. Seven Feet Four - Auto emotion
36. Tobias Hellkvist - Abomination
37. Barra Head - Undermine
38. TALK 10
39. Britta Persson - Happy hour
40. Anna Leong - Guillotine
41. Ted Gärdestad - Can't stop this train
42. TALK 11

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 11:18:39 -0800

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

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 13:01:56 -0800

Kaka, the new band from Richard Karlsson of The Mo, is streaming their entire new album at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/kakaricky

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 12:25:21 -0800

The new single "The hotspurs" from ex-The Mo act Kaka is available for streaming/download on myspace: http://www.myspace.com/kakaricky
Their debut album will be released on January 30 via Despotz Records.

Fri, 26 Oct 2007 12:32:15 -0700

Listen to the new single "It's a longshot" from Kaka, the new act of Richard Karlsson from The Mo: http://www.myspace.com/kakaricky
Look for the debut album at the end of January.