Artist: The Perishers
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Seems like forever since I heard some gloriously melancholic Swedish rock from a hungry up-and-comer, thank goodness there's still bands like Loud as Light around to fill the gap. A few years back you couldn't throw a rock without hitting some lukewarm Coldplay wannabe, but now that the rubble has settled on that unfortunate trend there's fewer discoveries to be made. On the other hand, it also means far less mediocre sad-sacks to suffer through, so let us rejoice in quality when it can be found! Maybe I'll even go and dust off a few of those old records from The Perishers while I'm at it...
Loud as Light - Lights are out
The Perishers frontman Ola Klüft has relocated to my neck of the woods (sort of... Vancouver BC) and will be releasing a solo album under the name A Lanky Swede. Hear a few tunes at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/alankyswede
The new Anna Leong single "Guillotine" is pure Umeå pedigree. The folkiness of Isolation Years, the melodic melancholy of The Perishers; it's all there amidst the pleading and prostration. And though the sound of the city is obvious, they make it their own by adding various subtle touches. For example, listen to that organ refrain - it's maddening, like something you'd expect to hear at an evil carnival ala "Something wicked this way comes". Compared to feeling conveyed by last Friday's Caesars Palace post, this is the polar opposite, despite the actual tone not being all that different. What I like best about the song though are all the little, unexpected melodic shifts that carry it along. Like the way the bridge sounds so uplifting before the triplet fill into the chorus. And those tossed off blue notes in the guitar solo - that seals it for me. They seem so ugly at first, but they really take the song to another level. Without them, the piece would be pleasant but forgettable. As-is, it's a great track which makes me excited to hear the rest of the album.
Watch the video here.
Anna Leong - Guillotine
6
If The Perishers cheered up a bit and moved to Southern California, I wouldn't be surprised if their first effort after escaping the harsh, dark winters of Norrland to sound something like "Brain vs heart". Caitlyn have put together a very clean pop record, treading carefully between their radio friendliness and ability to write a solid indie-pop song. There's plenty of gloss and sun on "Brain vs heart", but it doesn't feel superficial with a compromise between reached between style and substance instead of a trade off. The only true downside of the record is that the tempo, rhythm, and style is very similar throughout - this does lend itself to the creation of a solid album, but it also generates a feeling of 'false familiarity' with songs you haven't heard, thus stealing a bit of the 'newness' of a previously unknown track and giving the record a bit of a 'more of the same' feel as it progresses. All in all, the album quite good, and "Brain vs heart" pleasantly takes you from point A to point B... though a few sharp left turns and scenic detours wouldn't have hurt either.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
5
I have a soft spot for talented pop singers. A decent amount of my time is spent enjoying the works of artists like Imogen Heap, Lily Allen, Annie, Gwen Stefani, Robyn, and others, some guilty pleasures, others with no guilt whatsoever. Jennie Abrahamson, a Norrland girl from the same part of Sweden that birthed the Refused and The Perishers (whose singer, Ola Klüft, is featured on "Wasted heart"), has crafted a solidly produced, though somewhat lacking pop record. The melancholy sounds okay, but it doesn't always feel quite right. Title track "Lights" begins to feel like a meandering and lost expedition when it could easily have bore direction and teeth, and that can be said for a number of tracks. On "Songs we sing", Abrahamson's gorgeous voice sits comfortably alongside a song that has a sense of forward motion. "Lights" could have been so much more, and I hope Jennie Abrahamson's future recordings are - it would be a shame that such a talented vocalist should be overlooked because of lukewarm songwriting.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
Scandinavian artists reviewed at PopMatters today include The Perishers and Sally Shapiro.
Check out the new Andreas Nilsson directed video for "Step out of the shade" from The Perishers: http://www.nixonnoxin.com/videos/Perishers.mov
7
While I have nothing but respect for our dear editor-in-chief, and find myself agreeing with Avi's sentiments far more than not, I personally think "Victorious" is a pretty surprising record. Not evolving all that noticeably from their sound on "Let there by morning", The Perishers are one of the few bands whose sound is tempered just right, thus rendering what would usually be a 'stagnant rut' or 'inability to progress' for any other band to feel just fine, a welcome return, even. Songs like "Almost pretty", one of the most depressing, yet wonderful songs I've heard in quite some time, and "Come out of the shade" overshadow some of the other tracks on the album, but there isn't anything on this album that approaches the territory of 'poor craftsmanship'. Solid throughout with moments of brilliance and innovation peppering this album with more than enough occasions of intense beauty to make this record one worthy of owning in it's physical form.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
The playlist for this week's radio show:
01. Laakso - Worst case scenario
02. TALK 1
03. Superfamily - I want my money back
04. The Bear Quartet - Ask me don't axe me
05. Ståålfågel - Små gröna män
06. TALK 2
07. Printer - Satisfaction (radio edit)
08. NEI - New morning
09. Paper - Out of it into it
10. Darkthrone - Canadian metal
11. TALK 3
12. Sweatmaster - Animal
13. Bloodbath - Buried by the dead
14. Moneybrother - Guess who's gonna get some tonight
15. TALK 4
16. The Perishers - Victorious
17. The Skull Defekts - Unholy drums are singing
18. Hell On Wheels - Alexander
19. TALK 5
20. Karin Ström - Ordlös
21. Kompjotr Eplektrika - Skulldrummantra
22. Scraps of Tape - How your heart gets thrown
23. TALK 6
24. Brainbombs - Stinking memory
25. M:40 - Brännmärkt
26. Logh - Bring on the ether
27. TALK 7
28. CS Nielsen - Happy
29. Amorphis - Weaving the incantation
30. Juvelen - Hanna
31. TALK 8
32. Killerchaps - Equally dumb
33. Dinosau - Derr lady
34. Knugen Faller - Inte som ni
35. TALK 9
36. The Kissaway Trail - La la song
37. Pg.Lost - Yes I am
38. Suburban Kids with Biblical Names - Marry me
39. TALK 10
40. Don Juan Dracula - Take me home
I actually had high hopes for The Perishers' new record. I may have been derisive in the past, often writing them off as mediocre, but time has been kind to them and they've slowly grown on me. "Victorious", in my mind, was their chance to come out blazing, ready to grasp the success they've been teetering on the verge of. I really wanted to like this record a lot and I'd even say that my first impression of the lead single "Carefee" was quite positive. At least I think that's the lead single - it's certainly the biggest standout track on the record. Problem is, I keep listening to it, waiting for some sort of transcendent moment and it never quite happens. The chorus comes and goes, the melody gets layered on repeatedly, yet I'm left still feeling empty. When I listen to other melancholic pop of this ilk such as, say, Travis, I feel genuinely moved by their climatic moments. Even Coldplay, who I usually find to be dreadfully boring, sometimes gets it right. Older Perishers standouts have it too. But here? Nope, nada. The jury's not out completely though - I've still got another month of listening before the proper album release. My mind could still change, though I'm doubtful.
The Perishers - Carefree
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
The playlist for my radio show this week:
01. Pistol Disco - Walking with Jesus
02. TALK 1
03. Heroes & Zeros - Into the light
04. Vijaya - Your gun will never set you free
05. Convoj - My timekeeping heart
06. TALK 2
07. Darkthrone - Too old, too cold
08. A Perfect Friend - Rush hour
09. Death By Kite - Hiroshima
10. TALK 3
11. Fun - I've got a truck
12. Moonbabies - Walking on my feet
13. The Perishers - When I fall
14. TALK 4
15. Regulations - Police siren
16. Viola - Ordinary teenage sensation
17. Björn Kleinhenz - Starlit queen
18. TALK 5
19. Gravy - Glory to our brilliant name
20. Hero Dishonest - Stalin vs Hank Hardy
21. Sophie Zelmani - To know you
22. Ulver - Capitel III: Graablick blev hun vaer
23. TALK 6
24. Håkan Hellström - Ramlar
25. Abhinanda - Highway tonight
26. Single Unit - Passion, pirates & parasites
27. TALK 7
28. Kompjotr Eplektrika - Skulldrummantra
29. The Tiny - Just like you
30. Death Breath - Death breath
31. TALK 8
32. Entombed - Serpent speech
33. The Cardigans - Marvel hill
34. Soviac - I got the ribbah
35. TALK 9
36. The Bear Quartet - Put me back together
37. You Is Stupid - I am history
38. Paris - 60 minutes
39. The Process - Mot Sverige i tiden
40. TALK 10
41. Weeping Willows - I give you the morning
Check out live video footage of The Perishers performing material from their forthcoming album at the NONS 15-year anniversary party in Umeå: part 1 / part 2
Norrland melancholy rockers The Perishers will release their next album on September 4.
Caitlyn
Jennie Abrahamson
The Perishers
