IT'S A TRAP! Scandinavian Music Journal

Sirius playlist week #45

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:22:06 -0800

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

01. TALK 1
02. Marit Bergman - Höstvisa
03. Viola - No connection
04. Brothers of End - Why
05. TALK 2
06. Oriel Joans - Knuckles whiten
07. The Bear Quartet - Carry your weight
08. Kornstad - Oslo
09. TALK 3
10. The Amazing - Is it likely
11. Erik Enocksson - Non lupi
12. [ingenting] - Dina händer är fulla av blommor
13. TALK 4
14. Sivert Høyem - Empty house
15. Rickard Jäverling - May & Lee
16. Isolation Years - Let's step aside
17. TALK 5
18. Elmo - Young 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.

All About Jazz reviews 'Dwell time'

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 16:08:32 -0700

All About Jazz reviews the new Kornstad album "Dwell time": http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=34247

MP3: Kornstad - Oslo

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 11:59:06 -0700

I'd like to think that all of my regular readers have investigated Håkon Kornstad by now considering how often I talk him up, but just in case, here's yet another chance. "Oslo" is what I'd guess you call the single off his new solo album "Dwell time" (out now on Jazzland Records), that is, if jazz albums had singles anymore. Thematically, it's very much in line with his acclaimed Ingebrigt Håker Flaten collaboration "Elise": organic and spiritual, calm and focused. Unlike his previous (also excellent) solo outing "Single engine", the material here is purely performed solo, though helped along with loop pedals and such. On this piece Håkon effortlessly layers phrases on top of one another in a way that never calls too much attention to itself; it ebbs and flows naturally rather than with a clever wink. He also wisely holds back, maintaining a consistent mood throughout even at the peak and through to the end when he lets it taper off into silence. Also, no matter how many times I hear it, this is a piece that always seems to end far too soon despite its near five-minutes runtime. Easy to listen to, easy to enjoy. Hope you'll agree.

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...

Sirius playlist week #35

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 12:18:14 -0700

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

01. Elmo - Blind heart
02. TALK 1
03. Moritz von Oswald Trio - Pattern 3
04. Carpet People - All that ails must pass
05. Fronda - Andas
06. TALK 2
07. Siena Root - Time will tell
08. Cortex - No connections
09. Kornstad - Oslo
10. TALK 3
11. The Silent Section - In snow forever
12. Familjen - Huvudet i sanden
13. Band in Box - B33
14. TALK 4
15. The Bear Quartet - Northern

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.

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 11:50:42 -0800

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

01. Familjen - Nu händer det igen
02. TALK 1
03. Murmansk - Pale
04. KTMK - Valaistu risti
05. Lapko - Hugging the phone
06. Hebosagil - Big sun
07. TALK 2
08. Samuraj Cities - Washed up!
09. Sad Day for Puppets - Marble gods
10. Logh - An alliance of hearts
11. Epidemics - Never grow up
12. TALK 3
13. Simon Says No! - Shiver
14. Kornstad - Turkey, Texas
15. Spirits of the Dead - White lady/Black rave
16. TALK 4
17. Laakso - Hang me in the Christmas tree

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

Sun, 23 Dec 2007 11:11:09 -0800

The playlist for my radio show this week featured all of my favorite songs from 2007:

01. Susanne Sundfør - I resign
02. TALK 1
03. Familjen - Det snurrar i min skalle
04. The Skull Defekts - The secret
05. Ted Gärdestad - Räcker jag till
06. TALK 2
07. CS Nielsen - Black spots
08. Kornstad - Turkey, Texas
09. Moonbabies - Take me to the ballroom
10. The Bombettes - I wanna
11. TALK 3
12. Promise and the Monster - Sheets
13. Repoman - Chemically obsessed
14. The Bell - I am history
15. Säkert! - Allt som är ditt
16. TALK 4
17. Mainliners - Olivia
18. Superfamily - The radio has expressed concerns about what you did last night
19. Karin Ström - Ordlös
20. TALK 5
21. Fun - I've got a truck
22. Tobias Hellkvist - Moment at ven
23. Juvelen - Hanna
24. TALK 6
25. Laakso - Worst case scenario
26. Closer - Sensing the wake
27. Asha Ali - A promise broken
28. TALK 7
29. Paper - My life is going under
30. Boeoes Kaelstigen - Flir
31. Lukestar - White shade
32. TALK 8
33. Maia Hirasawa - Gothenburg
34. Aerial - You will all die, all things will
35. Sambassadeur - Subtle changes
36. TALK 9

Next week (12/29) I'm doing another special theme show on Swedish postpunk.

Sun, 11 Nov 2007 23:03:17 -0800

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

01. The Bombettes - Dating scene
02. TALK 1
03. Leütenhaven - Still life (trompe l'oeil)
04. Dieter Schöön - Warm hearts
05. Kasper Bjørke - Back & spine (Fidel Astro remix)
06. TALK 2
07. Come Sleep - Be the end
08. Promise and the Monster - Trials
09. Immanu El - Home
10. TALK 3
11. Lukestar - Lake Toba
12. Marit Bergman - No party
13. Mando Diao - Never seen the light of day
14. TALK 4
15. Jonas Game - ADHD
16. Kornstad - Turkey, Texas
17. Josse - You had a plan
18. The Hives - You dress up for Armageddon
19. TALK 5
20. Randy - Freedom song
21. Ted Gärdestad - Så mycket bättre
22. Motorhomes - Into the night
23. TALK 6
24. Laakso - Västerbron
25. The Bear Quartet - Hunchback
26. Susanne Sundfør - The dance
27. TALK 7
28. New Moscow - Turbonegro must be destroyed
29. The Bell - Target group
30. Vaiping - The great polar expedition
31. TALK 8
32. NEI - City of gold
33. Asha Ali - Fire, fire
34. My Enemy - My time coming (Johan Formeijer remix)
35. TALK 9
36. CS Nielsen - Black spots
37. David Sandström Overdrive - The Fatville Treaty
38. C.Aarmé - Golden retriever
39. TALK 10
40. Aerial - My god, it's full of stars!

Wed, 10 Oct 2007 16:54:44 -0700

AllAboutJazz reviews Kornstad's excellent album "Single engine": http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=27121

Kornstad Single engine Jazzland

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0700

Jazz is a strange beast, and I can understand why many people of my age bracket are not quite as impressed by the genre as those of previous generations - though this statement by no means condones this depraved, limiting attitude towards music. If there was vote for the contemporary artist to impress upon people the importance of the jazz movement, I would most likely throw my voice behind that of Norwegian talent Håkon Kornstad. "Single engine" is one of the most engaging and interesting jazz albums I've heard in quite a while, nearly on par with John Coltrane's "Ballads", whose wonderful "You don't know what love is" was brought to mind as I listened to Kornstad's "Korkade". Vocals seem totally unnecessary as Kornstad's saxophone provides a medium, as playful as it can be mournful, through which to reminisce, to create (for I've found writing to jazz has actually been one of the finest uses of my time), or to just relax after a long day of running so hard to stay in one place, or push oneself a few inches closer to that ultimate goal. "Ambergris" feels almost like the jazz equivalent to Sigur Rós' powerful "Untitled 3". If you've ever been curious about jazz, pick up a few Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, and Michael Becker albums. Then, if you're thoroughly smitten, you'll be in the perfect place to be overwhelmed by this Norwegian's fabulous narratives. He's the frontrunner of the current lot.

Sat, 28 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0700

The playlist for my radio show this week:

01. Paper - My life is going under
02. TALK 1
03. Mr. Suitcase - You don't smile anymore
04. Camouflage - Violetta du
05. Majessic Dreams - Black out
06. TALK 2
07. Amorphis - Towards and against
08. Beyond Dawn - Among the sedatives
09. Don't Be A Stranger - Perfect problem
10. TALK 3
11. Totalitär - Nej vi ska inte ha nåt
12. Miss Li - I'm glad I'm not a proud American
13. Tiger Lou - A lucky escape
14. Oskar Schönning - Fraid
15. TALK 4
16. Karsten Pflum - Draworder
17. Anna Ternheim - Lovers dream
18. Front and the Factory Lies Beneath - Drown in misery
19. TALK 5
20. Midaircondo - Could you please stop
21. Pg.lost - Yes I am
22. The Perishers - Carefree
23. TALK 6
24. Pistol Disco - Upside down
25. Nasum - The system has failed again
26. Sweatmaster - Mystery
27. The Second Band - The modern age
28. Träd, Gräs och Stenar - In kommer gösta
29. TALK 7
30. Ultralyd - Low waist
31. Ambulance - Forever friends
32. The Social Services - Up in arms
33. TALK 8
34. Barra Head - Overseas
35. Sivert Høyem - Exiles
36. Viola - Imaginary times
37. TALK 9
38. Kornstad - Turkey, Texas

Sat, 07 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0700

The playlist for my radio show this week:

01. Death By Kite - Scared of heights
02. TALK 1
03. Kompjotr Eplektrika - Crakkin zombees...
04. Monomen - Asian spacestation
05. José González - Hints
06. TALK 2
07. I Am Bones - Backpackers
08. Ellen Beach - The widespread acclaim
09. Moder Jords Massiva - Ingenting
10. TALK 3
11. Iisole - The words
12. Kornstad - Sweden
13. Cortex - Mind of darkness
14. TALK 4
15. Silverbullit - Run
16. [ingenting] - Hollywood dreams
17. In Flames - The jester race
18. TALK 5
19. Nicolai Dunger - Soul rush
20. Existensminimum - Changing lines
21. Echo Is Your Love - Peace song
22. TALK 6
23. Laakso - The death of us
24. Christian Kjellvander - Words in the wires
25. Mustasch - Double nature
26. TALK 7
27. Tellevika + Firefox AK - Eric
28. Tape - A spire
29. C.Aarmé - Golden retriever
30. TALK 8
31. The Bear Quartet - Put me back together
32. Susanne Sundfør - Walls
33. The Hellacopters - Like no other man
34. TALK 9
35. Aerial - You will all die, all things will

MP3: Kornstad - Sweden

Tue, 03 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0700

The debut solo album "Single engine" from Norwegian saxophonist Håkon Kornstad is exactly that - a solo album. There's a few tracks that feature minimal accompaniment, but for the most part, it's all Kornstad and nothing else. There's also a few pieces where he employs a sampler to accompany himself, but even that is used sparingly. I'm often skeptical of records like this since I'm concerned with whether or not they'll hold my attention with a single instrument. In this case however, Kornstad is such a masterful player that my fears are instantly allayed. It was simply listening to the streaming player on his website that first grabbed my attention and I was sold. The track I've decided to share today is "Sweden", one of the more playful and straightforward compositions from the record (note: the musician credits on site are wrong. The Hammond and double bass are actually on "B", track #4). I just love the way he nonchalantly tosses in licks while playing the main riff, totally changing his tone for each. Not just a beautiful piece of music, but fun too.

Sat, 30 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0700

The playlist for this week's radio show on Sirius:

01. TALK 1
02. Fattaru - Stila upp din skit
03. Samuraj Cities - Thxa1000000
04. The Fine Arts Showcase - I don't worry
05. TALK 2
06. Imagine I Had Hands - Captive
07. Scraps of Tape - Pickpockets vow
08. FAP - Jag drar till sjöss en sväng jag
09. TALK 3
10. Hello Saferide - I was definitely made for these times
11. Mainliners - Good storm
12. Breach - Gheeá
13. TALK 4
14. Him Kerosene - Neutrino
15. Familjen - Nu händer det igen
16. Sista Sekunden - D.I.We
17. Nine - Time has come
18. TALK 5
19. Emperor - Towards the pantheon
20. September - Can't get over (Long disco mix)
21. Kornstad - Turkey, Texas
22. TALK 6
23. Camouflage - Syster sol
24. Lolita Pop - Salta diamanter
25. Leather Nun - Gimme gimme gimme
26. TALK 7
27. Superfamily - I could be a real winner
28. Juvelen - Hanna
29. The Book of Daniel - Death caps and moonshine
30. Monkeystrikes - Serial faller in lover
31. TALK 8
32. Torpedo - Hang me high
33. Erik Enocksson - The lingering procession
34. Hederos & Hellberg - No fun
35. TALK 9
36. Death By Kite - Himmelfahrtskommando
37. The Tough Alliance - Something special
38. Seance - Controlled bleeding
39. TALK 10
40. Shout Out Louds - Hard rain