Artist: The Bear Quartet
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It might not always be readily apparent, but The Bear Quartet are punk. It's not so obvious because they're smart enough to eschew the uniform, both in sound and dress. It's all about attitude and, on this particular song, that's obvious from just the title. It's total, all-out refusal. "I detest everything they've blessed / I abhor everything they stand for." Caught up the same system, but definitely not with the same goals. But who's in charge and running the show? Unfortunately, it's almost never the underclass with whom BQ are aligned. "They seek profit, they think global / but see poverty as a personal failure and shame." To which they respond, "so call me killjoy / but there's a certain happiness and success / I'd like to destroy." It's not kill yr idols, more like topple the ivory tower. Fight cynicism, do the right thing? The ethical thing? Not stated, but implied. With a wah-wah soundtrack? Sure, why not?
The Bear Quartet - I'm not in here with you (you're in here with me)
I make no secret of my appreciation for children's music. "Bamses dunder hits!" still gets regular airplay in my house and no, I have no children of my own and my dogs hate singing and dancing so it's definitely not for their benefit. Naturally, when I heard about the new Bröderna Lindren record "Vuxen barnmusik!" ("Children's music for adults!"), I knew I needed to have it. Factor in the all-star cast of guest vocalists (Kristofer Åström, Ebbot Lundberg and Asha Ali, to name a few) and a backing band featuring drummer Fredrik Sandsten from The Soundtrack of Our Lives and I. If you're of a certain age (an adult?), you'll probably feel the same as it harkens back to the kind of songs I/we grew up on on Sesame Street, Schoolhouse Rock, The Muppet Show and so on: classic rock/pop that's happy and easygoing with plenty of opportunities for singalongs. Now, as for the track I've selected today, it features Mattias Alkberg from The Bear Quartet/MABD and is one of the more balladesque numbers. Not only is it one of the best vocal performances I've heard from him in awhile, it's also about dogs (more or less), so I'm all about it. Enjoy!
Bröderna Lindgren - En hund som jag (ft. Mattias Alkberg)
The playlist for this week's radio show, an all-winter theme:
01. Ricochets - Cold outside
02. TALK 1
03. Shining - Winterreise
04. Britta Persson - Winter tour
05. Svenson - In the snow
06. Weeping Willows - Christmas in prison
07. TALK 2
08. The Tiny - No money (for X-mas)
09. Kompjotr Eplektrika - Blikktztunddonner
10. The Knife - Reindeer
11. TALK 3
12. Hello Saferide - iPod X-mas
13. January Jaunt - Stuck in glaziers
14. Darkthrone - Too old, too cold
15. TALK 4
16. Sällskapet - Nordlicht
17. E.S.T. - Strange place for snow
18. Sort Mel - Det grønne flesket
19. Notre Dame - A scrooge tale
20. TALK 5
21. Kristofer Åström & Hidden Truck - Winter moment
22. Syster Lycklig - Bilden till snöstorm
23. The Book of Daniel - 3rd of December
24. TALK 6
25. Samuraj Cities - Cold feet
26. Amandine - Silver bells
27. Logcabin - View of frost
28. Silverbullit - Winter coat
29. TALK 7
30. In Flames - December flower
31. Viktor Sjöberg - On a winters day
32. The Bear Quartet - Blizzard
33. TALK 8
34. Brick - Gray day
35. Laakso - Merry Christmas
36. Strayfolk - Another year before the mast
37. TALK 9
Don't forget to vote for Sirius Blog Radio at the Plug Awards! Vote here: http://www.plugawards.com/general_vote.php
We are nominated under the category "Media (Obsessive) > Specialty Show Of The Year (Commercial Radio)".
Musically, this one's definitely a b-side. Reminiscent of plenty of other fine Bear Quartet tunes, but unfocused; too many notes left hanging. Lyrically though, "Roads home" is something different. It's the oft-visited theme of resignation and loss, but with a tinge of defiance.
All my friends / all those rapid losing ends can't show me
how I should be wearing my coat / against the cold
where good intentions croak
I walk a road and it's called home
To me, that says "I'm taking my ball and going home." A conscious choice, not ostracization. "And the part of me
that's about to die / would never tell you a cruel lie." Better to suck it up, eh? It's only after the second chorus that the music rises up and offers payoff. A solo, trading bars with a weird, out of place synth smudge, performed with Jari's deft feel and a patient touch. A short, but sweet coda to a difficult song.
The Bear Quartet - Roads home
Here's the playlist for this week's radio show:
01. The Bombettes - I wanna
02. TALK 1
03. Anna Järvinen - Helsinki
04. Leütenhaven - Still life (trompe l'oeil)
05. Pay TV - Fashion report
06. TALK 2
07. Timo Räisänen - My valentine
08. Jonna Lee - And your love
09. José González - Killing for love
10. The Bear Quartet - It only takes a flashlight to create a monster
11. TALK 3
12. Kristofer Åström - The dark
13. Munck//Johnson - The streets
14. Bertine Zetlitz - Draggin' me down
15. Dieter Schöön - Warm hearts
16. TALK 4
17. Superfamily - The radio has expressed concerns about what you did last night
18. Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words - Ashen like the sky
19. Kazakstan - Song to the past
20. TALK 5
21. Marvins Revolt - Bugs in time
22. Menfolk - Ghosts
23. Pelle Carlberg - I love you, you imbecile
24. TALK 6
25. Sambassadeur - Subtle changes
26. Stina Nordenstam - So Lee
27. Tobias Hellkvist - Abomination
28. TALK 7
29. Marybell Katastrophy - Slabiak
30. Sinikka Langeland - Høstnatt på Fjellskogen
31. David Åhlén - Wasted breaths
32. Printer - Minds out
33. TALK 8
34. Montys Loco - Wasteland
35. Lampshade - Fjäril
36. NEI - Trip to Luleå
37. Laakso - Hang me in the Christmas tree
38. TALK 9
39. Honey Is Cool - Drums and boys
Don't forget to vote for Sirius Blog Radio at the Plug Awards! Vote here: http://www.plugawards.com/general_vote.php
We are nominated under the category "Media (Obsessive) > Specialty Show Of The Year (Commercial Radio)".
The lyrics of this track are straight out of the Big Black playbook. To slip into the persona of someone disreputable, not necessarily looking for sympathy, rather taking it as matter-of-fact. A glimpse into their life, for better or worse. For an early Bear Quartet track, it's surprisingly discordant as well. Nothing quite Albini-esque, but there is a definitely level of unease in the melody, especially in the way that the first half of each line in the chorus is left hanging. It's a sophisticated arrangement actually and quite a bit different from their other material of that time, hence the EP b-side treatment. I bet if they had put a bit more punch into the performance, it might even sound like Chavez. As is, it's not hard to imagine how it could be transformed as such in a live setting. So many tiny buildups and (potentially) soaring guitar lines! Typically I am anti the slacker approach, but it kinda works here. At least it gives it a touch of their own, despite my various attempts at artist comparison.
The Bear Quartet - Hot meal
Have you been keeping up with our daily top 10s for 2007? Posted today is a list from Mattias Alkberg (The Bear Quartet, Mattias Alkberg BD) and yesterday, my good friend Björn Kleinhenz graced us with a touching letter. Check 'em out and keep coming every day for more.
We're supposed to get our first snow here today. It doesn't snow much here, but I'm happy to get anything. Really, anything will be better than the endless cold, dark and dreary rainy days that are the norm for the Pacific Northwest. As the song says, "hey blizzard light up the sky, light up the ground" - that's what I want to happen. I want it to blanket my world with a luxurious shine.
In The Bear Quartet's world, the blizzard is far more cathartic. Matti calls to be buried completely, to disappear in the snow's cold embrace. The song is a slow walk into bleakness, not exactly the mood I'm after, but still, quite beautiful. Like the snow itself, there's danger lurking within said beauty. Don't get too comfortable.
Note for completists: this is the later version from the "I don't wanna" EP, not the original from "Cosy den".
The Bear Quartet - Blizzard
I don't normally post about small tours in Sweden, but this one is a bit unusual: Mattias Alkberg (MABD, The Bear Quartet) and Ulf Stureson are teaming up for a half-acoustic Advent tour kicking off in Umeå on Thursday:
11/29 - Scharinska, Umeå
11/30 - Pinkerton, Skellefteå
12/01 - Norrbottensteatern, Luleå
12/02 - Debaser, Stockholm
12/04 - Debaser, Malmö
12/05 - Styrbord Babord, Göteborg
Jonas Teglund (Park Hotell) will accompany Matti on every date except the first (MABD will play) and Ulf will be joined by Johan Andersson (Björn Olsson).
Here's the playlist for this week's radio show, featuring special guest Pontus Levahn from the band Torpedo:
01. Fireside - Let Rasputin do it
02. TALK 1
03. Britta Persson - You are not my boyfriend
04. Hyacinth House - Lucky stranger
05. The Bear Quartet - Sailors
06. TALK 2
07. Jennie Abrahamson - In this life to live
08. Margaret Berger - Seek I'll hide
09. Heroes & Zeros - The foolproof
10. TALK 3
11. Folie - Strum
12. Ellen Beach - The widespread acclaim
13. The Indecision Alarm - Where every fucking dream is killed
14. TALK 4 (INTERVIEW)
15. Torpedo - From Russia with love
16. Rupesh Cartel - Comes the hour comes the man
17. TALK 5 (INTERVIEW)
18. Torpedo - Hospital
19. Tiger Lou - Until I'm there
20. TALK 6 (INTERVIEW)
21. Simon Ryman - Walk with me instead
22. Fanny Risberg - Stay with me forever
23. Lack - Deserters
24. TALK 7
25. The Je Ne Sais Quoi - Manic panic
26. Hebosagil - Slightly confusing
27. Dieter Schöön - The harbour's cold
28. TALK 8
29. Lukestar - White shade
30. Fun - Hold it close
31. The Skull Defekts - The secret
32. TALK 9
33. Laakso - Great times underground
34. CS Nielsen - Black spots
35. Knugen Faller - Lugna favoriter
36. TALK 10
37. Säkert! - Allt som är ditt
"Ghosts for laundry" is quick little pop nugget off of 1995's "Holy holy" album. This is Bear Quartet in their classic indierock guise: you get a bit of tape manipulation at the end of the track, but the song itself is straightforward guitar-rock, very fitting for the time period and complete with slightly off-key vocals. Even the lyrics aren't too obtuse or depressing - who hasn't sat up late at night doing laundry alone, wondering about ghosts or other supernatural creatures? This is especially true for doing laundry at some deserted 24hr laundromat, as it's even more strange and isolating, all the better for the imagination to run wild. Who knows if any of the characters that you actually do run into there are living or dead? Sometimes it's hard to tell.
The Bear Quartet - Ghosts for laundry
A Westside Fabrication reports that the votes are in and "Put me back together" has been voted as The Bear Quartet's most popular song, followed by "Fuck your slow songs" and "Before the trenches".
"Needs vs. facts", doing what you have to as opposed to doing what you want. "To make my live liveable, understandable / more than a waste of time." We all have to work and earn a living so we can pay bills, the goal is to find work with meaning. Something that transcends the drudgery. Or maybe we settle for something that enables us to do what we want with the remainder of our time. As long as we have some sort of ultimate purpose, right? Now when it comes to love, that's far more difficult and elusive. "He woke up again though he actually swore / he'd wake up with someone or not anymore." That's a level of intense desperation that I can't quite relate to. Lonliness is much harder to conquer and being with someone who's good "enough" is not nearly the same as working a shit job so you can, say, bail and go on tour for a few months. The job might drive you crazy eventually, but it's the means to an end, not the end itself. Love is way more complicated and convoluted. I don't think you can merely settle.
The Bear Quartet - Needs vs. facts
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!