IT'S A TRAP! Scandinavian Music Journal

Sat, 04 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0700

The tracklist from this week's radio show featuring special guest Magnus Bjerkert of Adrian Recordings:

01. TALK 1
02. Familjen - Huvudet i sanden
03. Andreas Tilliander - Untitled
04. TALK 2
05. Printer - Minds Out
06. Boeoes Kaelstigen - Flir
07. TALK 3
08. Björns vänner - Isoleringskvall
09. The Fine Arts Showcase - Chemical girl (Familjen remix)
10. Laakso - Truck Driver
11. TALK 4
12. Breach - Diablo
13. Kent - Ingenting någonsin
14. Stina Nordenstam - Crime
15. Stardog - Lack of time
16. TALK 5
17. Bob Hund - Förträngda problem
18. Den Svenska Tystnaden - Reaktor
19. Björk - Venus as a boy
20. TALK 6
21. Honey is Cool - If I go
22. The Knife - We share our mother's health (Trentemøller remix)
23. Silverbullit - Buddy
24. TALK 7
25. Sharif - E.A.A. (Eagerly awaiting anytime)
26. TALK 8
27. eMiL Jensen - Bud från April

Top 10s for 2005: Jason Christie

Wed, 28 Dec 2005 00:00:00 -0800

01. Nizlopi - JCB

02. Sharif - E.A.A

03. Bagels from Tesco

04. Aprilia Motorbikes from Ashan Scooters

05. It's A Trap! - Best site 4 years running

06. www.backtotheoldskool.co.uk - Audio - BabyD: Let me Be Your Fantasy (aahhhh white gloves on / hands in the air!)

07. www.gunthernet.com - He is my god and I want to be him

08. D&tC DVD - this week's post is great

09. St Johnstone Goal Archive - Check Bartez floundering after a shot. The best team and only* football team with a J in the name in the whole of the UK. [*Pro Soccer for USA readers]

10. This is really number one but Avi killed my other list [ed: untrue, I would never edit someone's list for being 'uncool'] that said things like Amy Diamond and James Blunt are cool.... so SONG OF THE YEAR: Tiger Lou - Ten Minutes To Take Off

Needs a shout ...
The Xmas card made by Mr & Mrs Madsen.
Lozza gets hitched

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Jason is a regular IAT contributor and also one of the guys who helps make Tack! Tack! Tack! happen. I bet he'll have me revise this list 3 times once it's posted, so maybe try checking back every once in awhile. And I was right - third time's a charm?

Top 10s for 2005: Matthew W. Smith

Thu, 22 Dec 2005 00:00:00 -0800

Nordic Top 10 of 2005 (with apologies to Iceland, the only Nordic country not represented on my list this year):

01. The Cardigans - "Super extra gravity" isn't quite as good as its predecessor, but that doesn't stop it from topping my list. Sonically, lyrically... the Cardies are on a roll. "I need some fine wine and you, you need to be nicer" was the perfect single to kick things off.

02. 22-Pistepirkko - "Drops & kicks" is a fine record by the veteran Finns, with "Not so good at school" the rave-up of the year. The production by Kalle Gustafsson is spot on, as are quirky vocals by P.K. Keränen.

03. The Lionheart Brothers - With a re-release of "White angel black apple" that included the EP "Colour contrast context", this Norwegian band showed off both melancholy symphonic pop and plugged-in, spacey rock on the same excellent disc.

04. The Horror, The Horror - A Stockholm band to keep an eye on, THTH contributed "Sound of sirens" to a small compilation and then re-recorded it for its debut release on Tapete Records. "I blame the sun" is the next single.

05. Kings of Convenience - I saw them on a snowy February night in Virginia and a sunny June evening in Italy, a perfect juxtaposition. Eirik and Erlend put on two sterling performances for respectful crowds. Quiet is still the new loud.

06. The Raveonettes - I love the album they released in 2005 ("Pretty in black"), with its blissful Ronnie Spector collaboration ("Ode to L.A.") and typical fuzzy fury ("Somewhere in Texas"). In concert in Washington, the Danes' newly expanded lineup pounded eardrums into submission with an effective set.

07. Annie - A guilty pleasure for some and a plain pop masterpiece for others, Annie's "Anniemal" album deserved the attention it received for its sugary sweet blending of electronica and pop. I like "Me plus one" better than the hyped "Heartbeat."

08. Sharif - "Lost causes, causes lost" was a welcome comeback for this Malmö band. Its fragile feeling and simple arrangements combined to make this one of the most consistent records I heard all year.

09. Loopy - This Copenhagen-based quartet got "Smile back home" released both in Europe and the USA, the latter courtesy of Zip. "Never loud" is a catchy single made of both shoegazer and pop, and I'm hoping the group will play some shows in North America in 2006.

10. The Blue Van - Sure, most people have had their fill of garage rock over the last few years, but "The art of rolling" shows that rural Danes influenced by The Pretty Things can stomp them out with vintage gear with the best of them. Soren Christensen's organ fills really make the album kick.

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Besides being a regular IAT contributor, Matthew W. Smith is a writer/editor based in Richmond, VA, and currently freezing on vacation in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Top 10s for 2005: Magnus Bjerkert (Adrian Recordings)

Wed, 07 Dec 2005 00:00:00 -0800

Top 10 single/EP/maxi releases for 2005:

01. Interpol – Evil
I don't even really like Interpol that much but in the long run I can't live without this one. It started with the video and ended in an obsession.

02. Antony and the Johnsons - Hope there's someone
Mainly because it reminds me so much of my girlfriend. And because that someone can reinterpret the singer songwriter genre.

03. Röyksopp - What Else Is There/ What Else is There (Trentemoller Remix)
I think Röyksopp's album "The Understanding" is one if the best of 2006. In this one it is so nice to hear Karin Dreijer sing without filters. It reminds me so of Honey is Cool. The Trentemoller Remix is like a totally different song. The original aims at the hart the mix at the spine.

04. Swayzak - Another Way
One of my friends introduced this one to me. As with the best songs I didn't really like it at first but then it just grabbed me. Hard and mellow at the same time.

05. Final Fantasy - The CN tower belongs to the dead
I don't consider the Arcade Fire album to be a 2005 release, (even if it wasn't released in Sweden until 2005) if I did they would rule this chart. When I first heard Final Fantasy I didn't know that Owen Pallett had anything to do with them (or Hidden Cameras). This one got to me because it was so strange but at the same time so heart bleeding.

06. Felix Da Housecat – Ready 2 wear
I swear! I will never forget my 80's. I am devoted to Scotch and Miko Mission. When this one came, I wasn't sure if it was a joke or not. It was just too much and too cheesy. But I just couldn't stop listening and dancing.

07. Tomas Andersson – Washing up
I really wanna play this one in front of a really big dance crowd. You don't find that in Malmö. The base, the minimalism and the big beat. My god. My DJ in crime partner don't like it though. We fight about it.

08. Patrice Baumel - Mutant pop
One night at our club, I put this one on and the whole place just stops and listens and then the whole place just change to one rhythm. Everybody looks at eachother with some flirty eyes and just keeps on sipping.

09. Björk - Who Is It (Vitalic Mix)
I have the fullest respect for Björk but who listens to her nowadays. This one wouldn't be anything without the melody and her voice but once I heard the original I couldn't believe it was the same song. This is pop. Plain pop for a party night.

10. Vitalic - My driend Dario
Really. This is dangerous. I know that Vitalic already is considered killing a genre and almost silly but when this one came: My god. It rocks. It kills. It takes you back to former east Europe to a bunker and a squat-house-party with dirty junkies.

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Magnus is the man behind Malmö-based label Adrian Recordings, home of artists such as David Fridlund/David & the Citizens, The Fine Arts Showcase, Sharif and more.
www.adrianrecordings.com

Mon, 19 Sep 2005 00:00:00 -0700

Sharif has started a blog: http://sharif.webblogg.se/

Top fives: 2005 so far

Thu, 09 Jun 2005 00:00:00 -0700

Avi Roig's top five across the board, plus one more for good measure:

01. Three EPs that prove Swedish indierock is still as strong as ever:
Convoj - s/t
Seven Feet Four - To kill is easy
Torpedo - Declare despair

02. Best single, hands down:
C.Aarmé - We are the world
Don't you know who we are? You do now.

03. The two best live sets I saw:
Silverbullit @ Umeå Open - Absolutely transcendent. Not only did the band give it their best, but the crowd was amped too.
The Ark @ The Troubadour in LA (ExMS Swedish Showcase) - Where did all those gayboy Ark fans come from? I was probably just as shocked as the band. Well worth the six hour drive each way.

04. The top four albums I can't stop listening to:
Isolation Years - Cover the distance
Logh - A sunset panorama
Desert Planet - Mario built my hot rod
Det Gamla Landet - s/t

05. Three reasons to keep an eye on Denmark:
Lack, The Psyke Project and The First Miles
I don't know why, but those Danes kick ass when it comes to both hardcore and Americana.

06. Two best non-Scandinavian albums:
Dredg - Catch without arms
Jesu - s/t
Two amazing albums from two of the world's best intelligent heavy rock acts.

Simon Tagestam:

01. Randy – Beware (song)
If the forthcoming album is as good as this (I doubt they got Fat Mike on any of the songs though), I'll forgive them for their last album (their only non-amazing release to date, according to me).

02. Robyn – Robyn
How would have thought it? An ex-soulpop girl making an album better than anything that inspired her to make it (i.e. The Knife, Kate Bush etc)

03. Frida Hyvönen – Until death comes
A colleague of mine thinks Frida can't sing and tries to get me into Joni Mitchell. Unfortunately Joni will never appeal to me as much as "Until Death Comes" does.

04. Mattias Alkberg BD – Jag ska bli en bättre vän
I haven't had this album too long, but at the moment it feels as it might be a contender for "album of the year"! That's right!

05. The Tough Alliance – The new school
This was not as good as I wanted it to be, but it's still crammed with excellent songs.

Navy Keophan's top five injuries sustained at shows for the first half of 2005:

01. Broken glasses, Millencolin show May 21: My eyesight is pretty bad (apparently, even worse than I thought) so when I took a hit from some crowd surfer that knocked them off my head, I was surprised I even made from Hollywood back to Long Beach safely.

02. Bruised shins, The Chinese Stars @ Koo's Feb. 6: Being in the front to take semi-decent pictures of one of your favorite bands = good. Having the crowd behind you push you into the shin-high stage for over 30 minutes = bad.

03. Bruised shins (again), Death From Above 1979 March 26: Again, much like the CS show, I was up front. Combine the thing that happened at that show with unexplainable moshing, another two weeks of pants-wearing.

04. Sore shoulders, Millencolin show May 22: Fist-pumpin' fun equated to arm cramps for the entire week.

05. Sore elbow, Millencolin show May 21: Damn moshers.

Kevin Renick:

01. Ephemera - Monolove
Every music lover should have one band they worship, one band that truly makes a difference in their life. For me, it's Norway's girl-pop trio Ephemera. I regard them not as mere musicians, but absolute creative Goddesses.

02. Bol - Silver sun
This jazz-poptronica trio from Trondheim have made a masterpiece with their second CD, a formula-defying journey up a river of humanity where heartbroken souls line the shore. 47 minutes of incandescent musical brilliance.

03. Hanne Hukkelberg - Little things
What a stellar debut! Norway's brightest new chanteuse delivers a rhapsodic set of tunes with constantly surprising arrangements, sterling production and her delightfully exuberant, upfront singing-which seems to reflect not only a zest for life but a playful "I'll try anything" approach.

04. Schtimm - The alcoholovefi collection
Although "Featuring" is actually their 2005 release, "TAC" is probably the best album by this mysterious Norwegian band, and I only heard it recently. Something about their music makes me think of haunted houses, as if you got trapped in a spooky mansion but found that the spirits of the place were only too happy to make music for you.

05. Efterklang - Tripper
The cutting-edge electronica from this Danish band has earned them rave reviews. Technology makes their intricate music possible, but they aspire to such a heaven-bound sound that you end up not thinking about the glitchy, twitchy elements in the mix at all, only the reverence you feel for the emotionally stirring, organic flow. Efterklang are one of today's most important and distinctive new bands, showing the uninitiated that there are sparks of magic shooting through the skies of Scandinavia.

Honorable mention: The State of Floral Beings - We know you love us and that's why we do this

Matthew W. Smith:

01. The Lionheart Brothers - Colour contrast context EP
Understated, bittersweet symphonic pop from Norway, featured on the "It's a Trap! Reader's Companion Vol. 1"

02. Kings of Convenience live at the Iota in Arlington, Virginia, February 2005
A no-frills, quiet performance that showcased Eirik and Erlend's guitar plucking, tight harmonies and sense of humor in front of a packed, respectful Iota.

03. Sharif - Lost causes, causes lost
Melancholy in both mood and lyrics, this well-constructed album signals a welcome return for this Swedish quartet.

04. Loopy - Smile back home
Leiv Aasen's vocals and a subtle blend of guitar pop and shoegazer on this debut make this tri-national band one to watch.

05. The Raveonettes - live at the Black Cat in Washington, DC, May 2005
See my review for more details, but the Danish outfit oozed 50s cool and blasted supersonic levels of guitar fuzz; the cover of "My boyfriend's back" provided a nice contrast to "Attack of the ghost riders".

One wish:
- I hope that Jennie, Johanna, Maria and Josephine from Sahara Hotnights have already recovered their missing gear and guitars or will soon!

Five things to look forward to for the rest of the year
- A new album quite soon from Icelandic band Leaves.
- The third album from Norway's purveyors of lowdown garage rock, Cato Salsa Experience.
- A successful trip to Connecticut for Tiger Lou, who will mix his sophomore album there with Peter Katis (Interpol, Denali) and hopefully release the results in the fall.
- More Danish success in North America, as The Blue Van continue to tour and Loopy has its album released stateside.
- Another new record from the rejuvenated Cardigans, who have already finished recording the follow-up to the fantastic "Long gone before daylight".

Simon Thibaudeau's top Scandinavian five:

01. Det Gamla Landet

02. EST - Viaticum

03. The Now

04. Spacious Mind – Rotvalta

05. Sayyadina - Fear Gave Us Wings

Per Apelqvist:

01. Moving back to Europe after 11 wonderful years in the US

02. Moneybrother live at the Barfly

03. David Fridlund - Amaterasu

04. 2 friends turning 30 and inviting over a hundred people to High Chaparal, the country western theme park in Sweden

05. Kent - Klaparen

Jason Christie:

01. [ingenting] - Allting ni gör
By way of "Songs we have learned to sing". Quite clearly the best I have heard in an age – still to learn though...

02. Sharif – You don't know
This track arrived at a tricky time, and then time tunnelled me back to the Basement club, Brighton circa 1995. Trust, that’s enough.

03. Pelle Carlberg – Oh no! It's happening again
A great writer, great vocalist and father of 4!

04. Café Alhambra – Clapham Common, SW4
Serving some of the finest

05. Chelsea Football Club
Where were you when they were rubbish?

Tue, 07 Jun 2005 00:00:00 -0700

Download the song "Dragonfly" from Sharif: http://www.adrianrecordings.com/sharif/03-Dragonfly.mp3
The track comes from the band's most recent album "Lost causes, causes lost", out now on Adrian Recordings.

Tue, 24 May 2005 00:00:00 -0700

Download the radio edit for the brand new Sharif single "You don't know": http://www.adrianrecordings.com/sharif-youdontknow.mp3
The track comes from the band's latest album "Lost causes - causes lost", out now on Adrian Recordings.

Sharif Lost causes, causes lost Adrian Recordings

Mon, 16 May 2005 00:00:00 -0700

Sharif, the first band ever signed to Adrian Recordings, has just released its second album--six years after its first. The Malmö group has clearly had its ups and downs, something reflected in the fragility of its compositions. The blend of mid-tempo and slower songs on "Lost causes, causes lost" benefit from simple, stark arrangements that allow world-weary vocals to make the biggest impression. For example, the spare acoustic guitar part on "E.A.A. (Eagerly awaiting anytime)" heightens the melancholy of lyrics like, "Could it be you're afraid/of the words you think I'll say?" The distorted vocals and bells on the woozy "Ordinary" bear a resemblance to Sparklehorse, while the jazzy instrumental "Glow in the dark" shows versatility, but strays too far from the album's mournful simplicity. That's the nearest thing I can find to a low point on this album because its well-constructed songs are more impressive with each listen. With understated melodies wrapped around lines like, "there's no such thing as personal freedom/it's all just part of a game," the second effort by Sharif comes highly recommended. John, Rikard, Magnus and Johan deserve a lot of praise for this record--and hopefully it won't be six more years before they make another.

Wed, 09 Mar 2005 00:00:00 -0800

Speaking of Adrian Recordings, download the brand new Sharif track "You don't know" right here: http://www.adrianrecordings.com/andromeda/Default.asp?q=p&p=%2FSharif+%96+You+Don%27t+Know
As mentioned yesterday, the band's new album "Lost causes, causes lost" will be released on March 13.

Tue, 08 Mar 2005 00:00:00 -0800

Adrian Recordings has confirmed that Sharif's new album "Lost causes, causes lost" will be released on March 13. A record release party will be held at Metro in Malmö on March 12.

Mon, 07 Feb 2005 00:00:00 -0800

Sharif has announced that their new album will be called "Lost causes, causes lost". No word on a confirmed release date yet.

Wed, 26 Jan 2005 00:00:00 -0800

Adrian Recordings reports that Sharif, the very first band they ever put out, is currently working on a new album and should have something ready for release in late spring/early summer.