Top 10s for 2006: Staff picks

Labrador are giving away the [ingenting] single "Punkdrömmar" as a free download to celebrate that it made it to #17 on the P3 Tracks list: http://stytzer.blogspot.com/2006/12/early-christmas-present.html
There doesn't appear to be anything about it on the actual Labrador site, so this link will have to do. I'm not that into most Labrador releases, but I like [ingenting] a lot so be sure to check it out.

Indie MP3 talks to Labrador records head/prolific artist Johan Angergård: http://www.indie-mp3.co.uk/2006/12/legends.html

Labrador has posted the new Loveninjas album "The secret of the Loveninjas" for streaming: http://www.last.fm/music/Loveninjas/The+Secret+Of+The+Loveninjas?autostart
I have yet to hear it, but I did enjoy the first single "I wanna be like Johnny C" much more than I thought I would. Too bad the rest of the songs on said single did not impress me.

MP3: [ingenting] - Hollywood dreams

I rarely make any attempt to hide my disdain for all things Labrador. Their particular brand of precious twee indiepop just isn't my thing. It's not that I find it unappealing, I just think all sounds so boring and uninspired - something far worse than being polarizing like, say, The Tough Alliance. However, I still give them the benefit of the doubt with every new release, especially since they appear to be so highly regarded. I figure that there's always the chance I'm missing something, but more often than not, I find that my initial hesitations have proved correct. Of course there are exceptions: I've often expressed my respect for Pelle Carlberg and now we can add [ingenting] to list. Simon's review from the other day echoes my own sentiments fairly well, though I'd probably use different artists as reference points. The important points: the guitar work is fantastic and yes, this is truly Swedish indie at its best. And yes, "Hollywood dreams" really is the best song on the record.

[ingenting] - Hollywood dreams

Download a new song from The Mary Onettes: http://www.Labrador.se/mp3/themaryonettes-lost.mp3

Pelle Carlberg
Everything. Now!
Twentyseven Records/Labrador

This is the debut record from Edson's frontman and singer/songwriter and, not surprisingly, it sounds a lot like Edson. The groove is still gentle and soothing, the instrumentation simple, the vocals sublimely beautiful, and the lyrics still walk that fine line between sharp wit and tender insight. He's a classic Labrador act - high quality and almost-but-not-quite-too twee - but there's really no one out there who sounds like he does: a Sinatra for the midtempo indie set. At times he's a bit too over the top - "Go to hell, Miss Rydell", a song about repeated rebuffed attempts to contact a reviewer who panned his record, is a funny first listen but grows tiresome after a few rotations. He's got songs about compulsive shopping -- the catchy "Riverbank" takes on buyer's remorse and is considerably more fun musically than "Telemarketing", about someone who "can't say no to a human voice." But it's the empathy with which he inhabits characters like the sad sack singing "Telemarketing" that bring the record its warmth, reached most effectively on songs like "Oh no! It's happening again", which captures that moment when a romantic quarrel escalates into a fight that dooms the relationship, or "Mind the gap", where he yearns to give money to the beggar on the London tube and questions the opportunities his son's school offers that less privileged kids don't get. It's not the perfect album he could make if he'd tone down the silly and stick with the catchy poignant, but it's a very nice listen with high points high enough to carry the weaker songs and a warm glow that goes perfectly with coffee on the cold grey mornings that lie before us.
- Nancy Baym

Labrador is offering up the new Loveninjas single as a free download: http://www.Labrador.se/mp3/loveninjas-i_wanna_be_like_johnny_c.mp3

Download the new [ingenting] single "Punkdrömmar": http://www.Labrador.se/punk/Punkdrommar.mp3

The US release of Pelle Carlberg's album "Everything now!" has been confirmed for October 24 via Twentyseven Records. Pelle is my favorite Labrador-related artist, so look for more on this in the near future.

For the Eardrums on new Labrador signees The Mary Onettes: http://eardrums.blogspot.com/2006/09/mary-onettes-new-band-on-Labrador.html

Labrador has posted the new Irene single for downloading: http://www.Labrador.se/mp3/irene-little_things.mp3

MP3: Tar... Feathers - You are lucky to have nothing

Tar... Feathers are a curious beast. The "band" is essentially one man, Mr. Marcus Nyke of Göteborg. Various folks contributed their playing to the recording, but the vision belongs to him and him alone. This is the new face of lofi DIY 'cept it's hard to really call it lofi anymore. Cheap and easy digital recording has lowered the bar, but you still need natural talent to make it work. Just because anyone can record an album nowadays does not mean they should. In most cases, I would actually discourage it. Thankfully, Tar... Feathers shares the same sort of drive that made DIY pioneers need to create art. There's definitely strong traces of indiepop in the music, but it's way too fucked up and dark to label it as such and that's why it appeals to me. The vocals will probably be the barrier that keeps most folk from getting into this though - Marcus' exuberance doesn't necessarily translate into perfect pitch. Still, the intricacy of the music more than makes for it. Fans of Labrador-style perfect pop be warned- this will challenge you, but I think it's worth it.
Buy "Make way for the ocean floor to fall to the surface"" [click here]

Tar... Feathers - You are lucky to have nothing

Labrador is offering up a download of the new Legends single "Lucky star": http://www.Labrador.se/mp3/thelegends-lucky_star.mp3

Acid House Kings are giving away their cover of the Loveninja's "Keep your love" as a free download on the occasion of their upcoming US tour: http://www.Labrador.se/keepyourlove/
Those dates yet again:

07/06 - 40 Watt Club, Athens, GA
07/07 - School Kids Records, Chapel Hill, NC (2pm)
07/07 - Raleigh Music Hall, Raleigh, NC
07/08 - Cake Shop, New York, NY
07/09 - North Six, Brooklyn, NY
07/10 - TT the Bear's, Cambridge, MA
07/11 - DC Nine, Washington, DC
07/12 - Kensington South Forum, Philadelphia, PA