"From nowhere", another intro track, this time from 2001's "Gay icon". However, unlike other songs of such stature, this is much less of an overture. "From nowhere" is about starting out from scratch, heading off into the unknown. Not an unusual theme for The Bear Quartet, though not often handled as a soft piano ballad. Maybe not exactly what you might call uncharted territories, just less frequently visited these days.
The Bear Quartet - From nowhere
Eric MalmbergEric Malmberg creates extremely visual music, almost to the point where "Verklighet & beat" feels as though it would have been better suited as the soundtrack to a bizarre 60s film than a musical effort alone. Sadly, this may be the only true failing of this record, and it seems unfair to level it against an obviously talented composer and musician, especially on a record produced by Jari Haapalainen (The Bear Quartet) and featuring Swedish organ phenomenon Bo Hansson. "Verklighet & beat" would be a wonderful companion to a 60s novel, especially anything exploring the European segment of this decade or the stereotypical "consciousness expansion" facets of those lost years, and it has been a strange escort towards those shadowy hallways of sleep, but other than in these capacities, I'm not sure how versatile Malmberg's record really is. Obviously the work of a damned gifted artists, "Verklighet & beat" is comparable to a cinematic masterpiece - powerful works when one is in the right setting and mood, but how many times can you really watch a film like "Requiem for a dream"? And could you watch that film on a sunny, beautiful day lost in the Caribbean? Likewise, "Verklighet & beat" is dazzling, but limited.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
"Load it" is a work of glorious melancholy beauty. The chimes and ba-ba-baas of the backing vocals distract, but the depression is unavoidable. "Every day is an empty click / in case my friend you forget to load it" It's a major BQ theme: getting older, feeling more futile. Out of touch and increasingly out of reach. On top of the alienation and hopelessness. Envying the youth and their blissful naivety. It helps if you don't think too hard about the words as you sing along.
The Bear Quartet - Load it
Here's the playlist for this week's special spooky/scary Halloween edition radio show:
01. TALK 1
02. Entombed - Hollywood Babylon
03. ARM - Humming bug
04. Camouflage - Oktober
05. TALK 2
06. Notre Dame - Red Cross
07. Sanctum - Lie low
08. Bay Laurel - Pale colours
09. TALK 3
10. At the Gates - Blinded by fear
11. Frode Haltli - Lude
12. Brighter Death Now - Little baby
13. Death Breath - Lycanthropy
14. TALK 4
15. Breach - Mr. Marshall
16. The Skull Defekts - Carved in bones
17. The Cardigans - Mr. Crowley
18. TALK 5
19. Diabolique - Catholic
20. Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words - Masks, walls and other ways to keep things out, to keep things in
21. The Bear Quartet - Broken heart
22. Mercyful Fate - Come to the Sabbath
23. TALK 6
24. Beyond Dawn - Cigarette
25. Pimentola - Heart's dementia (Phase I)
26. Repoman - Chemically obsessed
27. TALK 7
28. MZ412 - Infernal affairs II
29. Satyricon - Nemesis divina
30. Switchblade - Selfdestruct schematics / Open aftermath
31. TALK 8
32. Rasion D'etre - Metamorphyses Phase IV
33. Cortex - We are the dead
34. TALK 9
35. Emperor - I am the Black Wizards
Like "Battle hymn", "I know my owner" is a triumphant opener that sets the stage for what's to come. The piece is two parts; first comes the overture - a grand symphonic declaration with the main theme performed on MIDI guitar. Then the track breaks and the lead gives way to a strummed, full-chord riff that becomes the foundation for part two. The drums become more clattering too, but the symphonic air is held by the keyboards softly soaring in the background. That is, until the vocals come in, screaming undecipherable epithets; then it becomes something else entirely - a warning. I suppose that, in a way, they are building walls to keep out the undesirables and rubberneckers. It's tracks like this that make it impossible to be a casual Bear Quartet fan. Either you love it or you don't, no in-between. If you feel alienated, that's fine. It's not for you. Personally, I appreciate the ugliness and discomfort, the juxtaposition of themes. "I feel so alive that I want to die... say hello, wave goodbye"
The Bear Quartet - I know my owner
"Broken heart" is a tiny little segue piece from "Eternity now", The Bear Quartet's noisiest, most difficult album. Static form the bookends that make the song, a fragile solo piece for piano and vocals. That would be all fine and good except that what was once pretty and nice, has been transformed into something far more uncomfortable, nauseating even. The synth shudders and twists. The vocals are pitched up to an unnatural state and every inhalation scrapes like nails on a chalkboard, sending a shiver down my spine. But, before you know it, it's over and we're off to the next experiment. Distressing, in the best possible way.
The Bear Quartet - Broken heart
Here's the playlist for this week's radio show:
01. Lars Winnerbäck - Innan mörkret faller
02. TALK 1
03. TIAC - Boredom
04. Brainbombs - Who can you trust
05. Ted Gärdestad - Helena
06. TALK 2
07. Björn Kleinhenz - China Blue
08. Viktor Sjöberg - The sensation of your head on my chest
09. Marvins Revolt - Deliberate deeds
10. TALK 3
11. Abalone Dots - Under the rain
12. The Bear Quartet - The lost kid office
13. Lo-Fi-Fnk - Wake up
14. Watain - Underneath the cenotaph
15. TALK 4
16. The Tiny - Closer
17. Supersilent - 8.4
18. Anna Ternheim - Today is a good day
19. TALK 5
20. The Skull Defekts - The secret
21. Lukestar - White shade
22. Pay TV - Fashion report
23. Wolfpack - Enter the gates
24. TALK 6
25. Tigerbombs - Shaking the tree
26. Familjen - Ivanhoe & Rebecca
27. Giant Robot - Public = shopping
28. Eskju Divine - Hold on
29. TALK 7
30. The Bell - On and on
31. DHG - The snuff dreams are made of
32. Trio Mediaeval - Det lisle bånet
33. TALK 8
34. Peter Bjorn and John - It beats me every time
35. Margaret Berger - Seek I'll hide
36. Kaizers Orchestra - Kontroll på kontinentet
37. TALK 9
38. Darkthrone - F.O.A.D.
The way Mattias Alkberg finishes each line of the verse makes "Walking out" sound like a song of resignation. He drops the pitch like an exasperated sigh while Jari Haapalainen plays the blues. However, the chorus gives a feeling of hope. The steadfast declaration of "I'm walking out" coupled with the airy keyboards gives the song a different atmosphere. It's like music that plays over closing credits to signify an untold new beginning, not closure. Because this is definitely not the end of the story, it's the start of something new, "a life that I have not entered yet."
The Bear Quartet - Walking out
Seeing as how I just posted a new podcast, I figure I might as well keep on draining away my allotted bandwidth as fast as possible. And what better way to do it, than with The Bear Quartet's monster epic "Bear Quartet International Airport". Here's Matt Giordano to give you the lowdown:
This song is fucked up, seriously. Our beloved BQ seemed to have stumbled on the musical equation for a throbbing headache, and such a headache can only be cured with repeated listens. Newcomers to the band might have a hard time appreciating the track, as they may find it a tad grating. The first half of is a nice speed-inspired tempo, whilst the second is gorgeous noise. At 5:20 in the song appears to break down, only to kick your ass once again, just to break down further into a new movement two minutes later. With doomsday-esque bass and vocals that make Slayer look like Hannah Montana, The Bear Quartet have found their innner Vivaldi and brought the musical apocalypse unto the listener.
The Bear Quartet - Bear Quartet International Airport
Timo RäisänenWhile not flawless, "Love will turn you around" has already solidified its placement as a record that will receive heavy rotation in my stereo this autumn. There are a few stumbles as Räisänen's more eccentric qualities overpower his usually solid deliveries - "Spill your beans" is far from awful, it just doesn't sit as solidly in the tracklist as the majority of the other compositions do, and makes for a bizarre transition between the heavy, dark delivery of "Sunday" and the softer "Stop rocking the boat" (which, for whatever reason, reminds me of those brilliant early tracks from Ben Folds Five); and "I wash my mouth with soap before I go" could easily be removed from the album without causing much fuss. "Love will turn you around" synthesizes the complicated optimism present in both Swedish indierock and bands like Pavement and, to some extent, Weezer - "Valentine" establishing this talent early on - and yet doesn't shy away from the shadows or more distortion saturated approaches as "Sunday" attests. "Michael" has quickly become my favorite Timo Räisänen song, ousting "Sweet Marie" and "Fear no darkness, promised child" with it's nearly immaculate craftsmanship and delivery, and is almost worth the price alone. The true power of this album is its appeal to a broad spectrum of listeners - as comparable to Shout Out Louds as it is to Laakso or The Bear Quartet - and what could be more important as the days shorten and grow colder than a solid collection of idiosyncratic, yet ultimately hopeful indie anthems?
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
The playlist for this week's radio show:
01. TALK 1
02. Repoman - Chemically obsessed
03. Moder Jords Massiva - Vapen
04. Kornstad Trio - Intornette
05. TALK 2
06. Ghost Brigade - Autoemotive
07. Rather Sound Than Safe - The beat
08. September - My neighbourhood
09. TALK 3
10. Ebba Grön - 800°
11. Torpedo - My evil twin
12. Jonna Lee - Dried out eyes
13. TALK 4
14. Marvins Revolt - Bugs in time
15. Pimentola - Death is a secret
16. Nils Berg - Sailors fighting in the dance hall
17. TALK 5
18. Lampshade - By and by I come
19. Midnight Choir - Will you carry me across the water
20. Moonbabies - Walking on my feet
21. TALK 6
22. Candlemass - Elephant star
23. Front and the Factory Lies Beneath - Under a black sun
24. Cortex - Warrior night (live)
25. TALK 7
26. The Grizzly Twister - This city is a halo
27. New Decade - I guess you ran from something
28. The Grand Opening - Don't drop off
29. TALK 8
30. The Bear Quartet - I'm still her
31. Paper - My life is going under
32. Darkthrone - Wisdom of the dead
33. Detektivbyrån - Nattöppet
34. TALK 9
35. Mob - Ghost track
36. Fare You Well - Deceiving eyes
37. TALK 10
"I'm still in the grass" is a kiss-off, a jaunty little number that revels in the afterglow of severed ties. It's almost so happy as to be cruel, but I see it more as an overwhelming sense of relief. The weight of the relationship is lifted, but their sick impression still remains, so you gotta go a bit overboard to deepen the distance. Or maybe not - maybe it's just the pure pleasure of telling someone off who completely deserves it. Either way, it's a song to be sung with a full-on shit-eating grin.
The Bear Quartet - I'm still in the grass
Long-running Swedish indie label A West Side Fabrication has just released a digital-only retrospective comp entitled "Scandinavian indie, now and then from A West Side Fabrication" that helps to exemplify their place in history with bands such as The Bear Quartet, Popsicle, The Wannadies and more. Check it out at Klicktrack: http://www.klicktrack.com/shop/release.jsp?r=57806
A West Side Fabrication has posted a new track from A Saga on their myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/westsidefabrication
The song is called "Like water" and was produced by Jari Haapalainen (The Bear Quartet, Laakso, The Concretes, etc.).
