IT'S A TRAP! Scandinavian Music Journal

Lemonator - Superb (classic video)

Tue, 22 Feb 2011 14:37:02 -0800

Speaking again of 90s nostalgia, how 'bout this old Lemonator clip from 96? I seriously had no idea those dudes used to go off so hard! Pretty exciting to have stumbled across it over the weekend.

Did you want to be a drummer?

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 16:18:16 -0800

Finnish powerpop act Lemonator is looking for folks to film themselves drumming along with the song "I always wanted to be a drummer" (available for free download) to be used in their new video: http://www.lemonator.net/

Lemonator - Shake, shake, shake

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 12:00:47 -0700

It's been three long years since we've heard anything new from the great Finnish powerpop act Lemonator, but finally there's a new single streaming at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/lemonatortheband
Expect a new full-length album in September.

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.

Sun, 06 Jan 2008 11:30:39 -0800

The playlist for this week's radio show:

01. Jan Johansson - Visa från Utanmyra
02. TALK 1
03. Annika Norlin/Säkert! - Generalens visa
04. Don't Be a Stranger - Mon-chi-chi
05. Audionom - In the streets
06. TALK 2
07. Elias and the Wizzkids - Fourth of July
08. C.Aarmé - Golden retriever
09. Kasper Bjørke - Humming song
10. The Carny - Bestseller
11. TALK 3
12. Marybell Katastrophy - Hip
13. Flyphonic - The truth is
14. Universal Poplab - Heart apart (Timo Räisänen acoustic remix)
15. TALK 4
16. E.S.T. - Tuesday wonderland (live)
17. Rigas - Dead like you
18. TALK 5
19. Bröderna Lindgren - En hund som jag
20. Springfactory - Swedish folk highschool
21. Loud Pipes - Don't you ever
22. Sophie Zelmani - To know you
23. TALK 6
24. The State of Floral Beings - Man you owe me
25. Caitlyn - Oh no!
26. The Bombhappies - And at Belle Bed Inn, I told you
27. TALK 7
28. Brick - Call Batman
29. Smalltown - What's going on?
30. Desert Planet - Return of the ninja droids
31. TALK 8
32. Hedningarna - Neidon laulu
33. Dreamboy - What have I done
34. Captain Murphy - Sailor behaviour
35. TALK 9
36. Lemonator - Heart burns
37. The Kissaway Trail - Smother + evil = hurt
38. Johndoe - Rastløs rock'n'roll
39. Lukestar - Shade you hide
40. TALK 10
41. The Fine Arts Showcase - Teenage poetry

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

Sat, 05 May 2007 00:00:00 -0700

Friday's Sirius Blog Radio playlist:

01. The Alpine - Mondays look the same
02. TALK 1
03. Gravy - Back with the nerds
04. Giant Robot - Best match
05. Jomi Massage - A detail
06. TALK 2
07. Broder Daniel - Shoreline
08. The Grand Opening - Don't drop off
09. Moonbabies - Take me to the ballroom
10. Britta Persson - Oh how wrong
11. TALK 3
12. Lemonator - Would you die for me?
13. Trapdoor Fucking Exit - Short ends
14. Billie the Vision and the Dancers - Overdosing with you
15. TALK 4
16. Folie - Rocin
17. Robyn - Handle me
18. Laakso - Norrköping
19. TALK 5
20. Magnet - I walk the line
21. Isolation Years - Albino child
22. KVLR - Construction work
23. TALK 6
24. Anna Leong - 61
25. Tigerbombs - One giant leap
26. Motorpsycho - Hyena
27. TALK 7
28. Oskar Schönning - Other birds
29. Pan Sonic - Rähinä II / Mayhem II
30. Mercyful Fate - Evil
31. TALK 8
32. Ricochets - Come around over
33. Ghost Brigade - Based on you
34. Smalltown - The music
35. Popface - In the night
36. TALK 9
37. Circle Six - 1

Tue, 19 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0800

PopMatters reviews Lemonator: http://www.popmatters.com/pm/music/reviews/8400/lemonator-at-the-presence-of-great-beauty/

Top 10s for 2006: It's a trap!

Fri, 15 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0800

Official top 10 releases for 2006, in alphabetical order:

There was a glut of good music in 2006, but only a few truly great albums. I found myself enjoying a very high percentage of the music that came my way, but very little remained in regular rotation for any length of time. Too much of a good thing? Perhaps. Regardless, I had some trouble compiling my list since I wanted to ensure that my selections were fit for posterity. That means albums like The Knife's "Silent shout" and Motorpsycho's "Black hole/black canvas" were out, despite being admirable pieces of work. They deserve high praise, but I simply didn't listen to them that much. Similarly, I'm From Barcelona and Peter Bjorn and John were off the list because their 2006 releases pale in comparison to what came before (both the original "Sing!!" demo EP from IFB and PB&J's "Falling out" are 100% unfuckwithable). What's left? Well, lots actually. The difficulty is separating all the 8s from the 9s and 10s. Let's get going then:

01. Aerial - Black rain from the bombing (Nomethod)
It came out in January and stuck with me throughout the entire year. That alone says something. As for the music, it's an amazing display of epic bombast and twisting riffs. Why can't more post-rock be noisy like this?
MP3: Time is on fire

02. The Book of Daniel - Songs for the Locust King (Black Star Foundation)
A late in the year release so I was reluctant to list it, but there's no denying the quality. Full of wisdom and poetry.
MP3: The camels parade

03. C.Aarmé - Vita (Carcrash/Burning Heart)
The brightest stars always burn out the fastest. RIP.
MP3: We are the world

04. Closer - Tokpela EP (Closersounds)
One of those bands I fell in love with the moment I first heard it. Heavy rock doesn't get better than this.
MP3: Open casket

05. Johndoe - Dødvinkel (JHND)
This one snuck up on me and is probably the one record on this list I've listened to the most.
MP3: Kjøtere

06. Montys Loco - Man overboard (NONS)
God, I hate the genre label 'folktronic', but I really can't think of a better way to describe this. Quirky instrumentation and arrangements aside, the music is simply brilliant and would work in any context.
MP3: Wasteland

07. Namur - Songs from the Valley of Baca (Thehourislate)
It's probably for the best that David Åhlén retired this stage moniker because this will be hard to top. Nothing wrong with quitting while you're ahead.
MP3: Marching

08. Raison d'Être - Metamorphyses (Cold Meat Industry)
I honestly don't believe I've heard another dark-ambient album this good. Ever.
MP3: Metamorphyses phase I

09. Oskar Schönning - Happy jazz, please (Amigo)
Another one of those records that found its way into steady rotation without much thought. Echoes of that other famous bassist/bandleader Charles Mingus along with fellow Swede Jan Johansson, but with an ear to the future.
MP3: Happy jazz, please

10. Sonores - Elefanten (Structures Sonores)
These guys asked me if I wanted to co-release this with them and I said no because I thought I was too busy. I blew it.
MP3: Jonathan

Best two demos I heard all year: Circle Six and Iisole

Four favorite non-Scandinavian releases:
Converge - No heroes (Epitaph)
Kayo Dot - Dowsing anenome with copper tongue (Robotic Empire)
Jesu - Silver (Hydra Head)
Rome - Berlin (Cold Meat Industry)

Two old metal warhorses who prove that age doesn't mean a thing: Iron Maiden & Slayer

What to expect for 2007? Well, my predicted goth revival for 2006 didn't live up to expectations even though it seemed to spawn quite a few excellent releases (The Kid and 1999, for example). Regardless, I'm not going to let that stop me from making more asinine predictions. My pick for the new trend of 2007: industrial/EBM. I swear, it's gonna happen. It's time.

Honorable mentions:
Asha Ali - s/t (NONS)
Detektivbyrån - Hemvägen (Danarkia)
The Fine Arts Showcase - Radiola (Adrian Recordings)
Kazakstan - s/t (Katalyst)
Knife and Ape - Hex! (Deleted Art)
Lampshade - Let's away (Glitterhouse)
Lemonator - At the presence of great beauty (Odor)
Once We Were - Contra (Tenderversion)
Britta Persson - Top quality bones... (Amigo)
Plain Fade - Aure (Punos Sound)
Promoe - White man's burden (Burning Heart)
Tsukimono - Neé (Kalligrammofon)

Interview: Lasse Kurki (Lemonator)

Mon, 11 Sep 2006 00:00:00 -0700

Lemonator! What a name! What a band! It makes me happy just to say it. The band's fifth album "At the presence is great beauty" is just that - a perfectly gorgeous pop gem. Who knew that Finland would be capable of producing something so remarkable? Beware Swedes - your so-called pop monopoly is at risk!

Who is Lemonator and where exactly are you from?

Lemonator are four guys from Helsinki, Finland, who always begins their muscal journey from the very source of the matter, the song. Without a great song, there is nothing. In that sense we are very old fashioned. The band was formed in 1994, first gig was in 1996 and the first album came out in 1997. "At the presence of great beauty" is our 5th album and came out in April this year.

Where did the name of the band come from?

The name is a result of a funny coincidence in writing. In one of our songs there was a line that ended with the word "refrigerator" and I needed to rhyme the word "Lemon-aid" with it, so I sang "Lemon-aid-eer" just to make it fit. Then Ripa, our guitar player, picked it from there as our band name.

One of things I like best about "At the presence..." is the production. Who are some of your favorite producers and what is it about each of that makes them special to you?

I'm a great fan of Brian Wilson, but also all of the 60's music. I guess that's the main source for everything for me. Of the current producers I really admire Jon Brion, David Friedmann, Nigel Godrich, Mitchell Froom and George Drakoulias, to name a few. They seem to find the essential in all music and are adventurous with it as well.

I love Jon Brion's instrumentation, and melodies he comes up with in the arrangements. Godrich has this amazing sound in his production. Mitchell Froom is crazy and has a great ear for weird sounds, just as Mr. Friedmann does. George Drakoulias also has the talent to bring out the best in any band he produces, which is a beautiful thing for a producer.

But I'm also a huge fan of film music, so I'm hugely influenced by the makings of Ennio Morricone, Henry Mancini and John Barry.

[ed note: I also asked Lasse why he didn't mention Jason Falkner as that seemed like another obvious choice to me. He replied that he didn't want to go too crazy with names and echoed my opinion that Falkner's album with Brion as The Grays ("Ro-Sham-Bo") is one of the greatest powerpop albums ever made. I know it's not Scandinavian, but it's well-worth tracking down a copy - it truly is a masterpiece.]

Finland isn't well-known for its pop music. Do think this is unfair or do you think there really aren't that many good Finnish pop bands?

Well, I wouldn't call it unfair. I guess we haven't had our big break yet. HIM, Rasmus and Lordi are doing great, plus we have other good bands happening all over the world, but I think we need something truly great and innovative, yet commercial, to get the attention towards our county's music scene as a whole. But to be honest, I think we have a lot of really good bands, but not nearly as many great ones that we'd need to get the recognition worldwide. But we're getting there! It'll be interesting to see what happens to The Crash and Von Hertzen Brothers with their releases abroad.

Does anyone in the band have any embarassing tattoos? Can you tell me about it? If not, what's the worst tattoo you have ever seen?

Wow, that's an interesting question. I think there is only one tattoo in our band and it's Ripa's smiling sun tattoo, that is pretty cool.

As far as embarrassing tattoos go, I've seen many, but I felt really sorry for this young girl who in late 90's had tattooed this really awful Finnish teen band's name on her left hand. I'd be suprised if she hasn't put something else on top of it by now.

What was the last film you saw? How was it?

Robert Altman's latest "A Prairie Home Companion". It was pretty funny and a little weird. Altman is one of my favourite directors and whenever he comes out with a new film I go see it immediately. This one isn't his best, but I would give it 8 out of 10 points. The same evening I also went to see "I'm your man" which is a movie about Leonard Cohen - it was beautiful!

What's one artist/album you really like that you think might surprise people?

I like pretty much anything if there's heart in it, so I don't know what would surprise people. You might not hear it in our music but I'm a big fan of old blues: Howling Wolf, Lightinin' Hopkins, Blind Willie Johnson etc. I think it's the best music in the world, so pure and beautiful. Of the more embararrasing stuff (to some), I'd have to name 80's hard rock. I collect the old vinyls and have a load of them. The best songs in that genre are just amazing in their naivety and pure craziness - I love it! Fun to sing along with the boys while having a drink or two.

Finally, what's the future look like for Lemonator?

It seems we'll be going to studio to work on the next album - unless some great manager will take us under his/her wings and makes Lemonator huge worldwide.

MP3: Lemonator - Will I ever find out

Mon, 11 Sep 2006 00:00:00 -0700

If you are reading this, that must mean that it's Monday and I'm probably somewhere in Berkeley, CA right now, hopefully far away from a computer. Assuming that this whole pre-posting experiment works, that is. Anyhow, I figured that this week would be as good a time as any to take a look at some of 2006's best releases and today we're going to start with Lemonator and their latest "At the presence of great beauty". It should as no surprise that I adore this album as I already posted two tracks from it and that's pretty much unheard of around here. So not only am I giving you another track today, I'm also offering up an interview with frontman Lasse Kurki! Check it out: [click here]
Pop music doesn't get much better than this! If you haven't heard these guys yet, you're missing out.

Lemonator At the presence of great beauty Odor

Wed, 30 Aug 2006 00:00:00 -0700

I had never heard of this band until Avi began posting about them and his passion for them made me want to give it a listen. Here's my verdict: this is great. In a year (like every year) with fantastic indiepop albums coming out of the Nordic lands, Lemonator has really found a true gem, but one of those that doesn't need polish because the flaws are what truly makes it shine. This is an epic album, not in length, but in feel and movement. Lemonator perfectly portrays the feelings of love, happiness, loss and admiration with it's somewhat simple lyrics and perfect music. The vocal melodies take center stage and send chills, most notably on the album closer "The perfect couple" (which is just amazing, that's the only way to put it). This band has found out how to make a stellar album, and I can just hope it continues.

Wed, 30 Aug 2006 00:00:00 -0700

It's been awhile, but here's some new reviews for you: [click here]
Artists covered this time around include The Charade, Lemonator, Maria Lithell, Red Moon, The Second Band, Viktor Sjöberg, Tigerbombs and the four-way split "If we were oceans" featuring Kristofer Åström, Racingpaperplanes, Boy Omega and Two Times the Trauma.

Wed, 09 Aug 2006 00:00:00 -0700

Lemonator, one my favorite new pop bands, has posted some new live and demo tracks for free download: http://www.lemonator.net/music.htm

Tue, 27 Jun 2006 00:00:00 -0700

Finnish pop act Lemonator has a new website: http://www.lemonator.net/
Yes, the band is as good as their name.

MP3: Lemonator - Heart burns

Mon, 05 Jun 2006 00:00:00 -0700

I don't usually take the time to post two songs from the same album, but rules are made to be broken and Lemonator deserves the attention. I discussed the song "Would you die for me?" last Monday and today it's all about "Heart burns", my pick for the album's highlight. You'll probably be surprised when you first hear it because it starts out guns ablazin' with loud, crashing chords. There's nowhere to go but down, right? Au contraire! The piece still has plenty of room to grow, as you'll soon discover when you listen on. First comes the dense chords to build tension and then once things take a quick breather for the chorus, the first round of strings come in. The harmonies they employ in the chord progression are so incredible and so far from pop norms. The intensity grows! The second chorus leaves you hanging like it's the end, but then the drums take off again and oh my god, the band just explodes and all the hairs on my arms and neck are sticking straight up in the air and holy shit those chords are just so thick and agonizing until the resolution when everything lines up again for the final chime of the main theme. Phew! So ridiculously good.

MP3: Lemonator - Would you die for me?

Mon, 29 May 2006 00:00:00 -0700

Finland's Lemonator has to be one of the saddest pop bands I've ever heard. Even when the music is lush and beautiful, the sentiment is still dark dark dark. The song I've posted today takes it to the melodramatic extreme and I get the feeling that they're not just talking metaphors. The best thing about the song is the way that it builds slowly throughout, always adding an extra little something with each new verse until the apex of the guitar solo. It starts out oh so beautifully with a doubled melodic lead, but quickly turns quickly turns ugly with dirty string bends and blues licks. The pause before that final chorus marks the climax of the piece and the coda of the final chorus vamps just long enough for recovery. Now that's how you write a pop song!

Fri, 10 Mar 2006 00:00:00 -0800

Finnish act Lemonator has confirmed their new album "At the presence of great beauty" for release on April 26. The first single "Will I ever find out" will be released digitally in late March.

Mon, 19 Apr 2004 00:00:00 -0700

Mando Diao has flown over to England for two weeks to record their new album. They'll be working with producer Richard Rainey who has worked with bands like U2, Mew, Lemonator and Mansun.