Tomas Halberstad and 047 have just co-released a brand new single and since Tomas is such a nice, easygoing guy, I'm making him answer a few questions about said single. And oh yeah, the track is pretty good too!
So how did this collaboration come about? Whose idea was it in the first place?
This is what I think happened:
The guys in 047 decided they wanted to record another album, while they also wanted to introduce some vocal-elements into their music. Not wanting to sing themselves they decided upon doing some collaborations. They know me from Punk of Country and from my solo-stuff, and we have mutual friends, so they asked, and I accepted.
Did they give free reign to do whatever you wanted vocally? Did you have any other input on the song or what?
The song is a collaboration in its true sense.
I came to their studio with a verse and a chorus, chords and Melody, and we recorded a track with just guitar and vocals. Then, they proceeded to produce the track. Decided what went where, changing a chord there, adding a Melody here. Then I got the backtrack, wrote the lyrics and recorded the vocals.
The process was really enjoyable. So enjoyable, in fact, that we have decided to record two more tracks. (Where they'll end up, I don't know.)
What else are you up to? Got any other music of your own in the works?
Well, I've just released an album, giving homage to the surroundings of my childhood. It's instrumental, electronic and not for everyone. But, the tracks had been collecting dust for some time, so I thought it would be best to get them out there. That album is called "1989". I'm also working on my 'songs for the seasons', if you will. Having released "Summer Love AA" and "Autumn Fall AA", I still have Winter and Spring to record and release. The songs are done, the recordings aren't. And, to top it all off, I am working on the marathon project that is my second album. I am in the lyric-writing part of the process but I just can't seem to get my thoughts on paper. It's all about death. The basic tracks for the record are all recorded. It sounds like Tom Petty.
It's true, the new Peter Bjorn and John album "Gimme some" is absolutely superb. Their best record since "Falling out" I'd say, though I don't mean to disparage their work since then -- despite many, many fine singles (and yes, though you may be burnt on "Young folks", it's still a modern classic), none of the the albums have felt like a cohesive statement since then. "Gimme some" is exactly that and it's extremely satisfying. Plus, as a longtime fan since the very beginning, I'm glad to hear them return to their power-pop/mod-rock roots, albeit in a far more refined manner suitable to the current depth of their discography. Opening tune "Tomorrow has to wait" has all the elements that make me love the band, from the verse's excellent call-and-response simplicity and underlying acerbic tension to the eminently satisfying and gloriously wistful refrain of the chorus. Not to mention the buried Eastern-tinged Melody lurking underneath it all, so cleverly playing against the steady pulse of the central chord. Peter Bjorn and John never stopped being a good band, now once again they reinforce why I think they're truly great.
There's more than a few bands who call themselves Trust, but only one of them is a gnarly math-rock band from Denmark. Forget the French thrashers, the Canadian synth act or whatever other variation might pop in your head because none of them will be covered here. Much like their labelmates Obstacles, Trust excels at matching their instrumental acuity with heaviness and Melody and comes out sounding very similar to two excellent bands local to me: C Average and Helms Alee. The former is an obvious comparison due to the drums + guitar duo format (stir it up, add plenty of octave pedal), but it's those soaring vocals and epic riffs that really make the band and are far more comparable to the latter. Similarily, I can only presume that they are likewise underrated, as these kinds of bands so often are. Get through the flurries of notes and take note of what you find on the other side!
I first became aware of Dark Times when I saw that they were supporting local-to-me act Gun Outfit in Oslo awhile back. That, in combination with their affiliation, ensured them a spot on my to-listen list. Actually, the latter would've been reason enough as Norway's current underground scene is simply ruling right now, but the Gun Outfit matchup is an interesting note because it implied a divergence from the Black Hole Crew's typically raw and brutal sound. Suspicions proved correct on listening: much like Gun Outfit, Dark Times are far more readily identifiable as an "indie" band -- more Melody, less heavy -- but also very firmly rooted in punk/hardcore and easily matched with bands on either side of the spectrum. I've still yet to grab the band's self-titled cassette as I'm on a self-imposed record-buying moratorium (which is especially painful considering that I'm currently travelling abroad and seeing all sorts of stuff I could never ever find at home), but lucky enough, the band has made the entire thing available as a free download. No email required, just grab it. "Worlds away" in particular is a great example of the band at their best; a dark trudge brimming with resentment. Still raw like Okkultokrati and Drugged SS, but in a totally different way. I'm way into it.
Got a new track for you today from Austisterna, a Göteborg-based act named after Stig Larsson's debut novel. Though I have been bestowed with the exclusive privilege of posting said track by label , I wouldn't be doing so if it wasn't good and so logically it follows that yes, it is indeed a fine piece of work and one well worth checking out. Fit for this grey season too, not just because I'd rather be hibernating as the song title suggests ("Sov" = "Sleep"), but also because the band's violinist provides an extra little heart-tug with her languid Melody line laying over the delicate tinkling of piano, a melancholy sound that's perfect for these short, dark days. It's been three years since the band's debut "Sista scenen" and now the follow-up "Legender", recorded once again with producer Mattias Glavå (Håkan Hellström, Broder Daniel, Franke, Sambassadeur etc.), is finally ready and will be released on March 2 on both CD and LP, as well as digital. "Sov" is merely a taste though; the first proper single "Rachael Ray" doesn't come out until January 10 and I'm sure that if it's anything as good as this, we can look forward to a fantastic record.
Though not as immediately gripping as debut EP "My sleep was filled with dreams", On Volcano's newest work "New blood" is likewise great. No surprise as far as I'm concerned, but that doesn't mean it isn't worth noting as these things often fall through the cracks and I would be completely to blame if such a thing should happen. "Mission" is my pick of the litter for it's absolutely killer bass hook, both in sound and Melody. Skirting the edges of both goth etherealism and postrock-informed moodiness, On Volcano has crafted a track fit for the dancefloor and headphone listening. "Wave your flag and dance to the mission" Download the rest of the EP here: http://www.onvolcano.com/
Quite possibly my favorite track from The Bear Quartet's latest album "Monty Python" and, in a single word, tense. The Melody occupies such a small space and moves in tight, chromatic steps, back and forth, up and down. No resolutions, only odd, endlessly circling riffs, goofy gurgling noises and dour pessimism. Repeat, not fade indeed.
If Rapeman continued on and kept going in a similar direction as latter-day Shellac, they might sound something like Fun do on their third album "New 13". They're still churning out some of the best cantankerous noiserock in the world, but they're also tempering it with a wisened, more expansive/more instrumental approach. If I'm correctly understanding this interview (my knowledge of Finnish is near-nonexistent), "Here comes the ugly man" is based off a Fugazimondegreen relating to the title track of "The argument", and though it doesn't bear any sort of direct musical resemblance, it's an interesting factoid to consider during listening. It's also a great tune highlighting the band's churning rhythm section melded with a slight touch of their matured sense of Melody (hah!). Very recommended of course.
More on the Melody Clubdebacle: apparently Richard Ankers didn't tell his other band Versant that he was leaving and rejoining his old mates; instead, they found out via Aftonbladet and have yet to hear directly from the man himself. Bad timing too, because the band's debut EP "Heartbeats" comes out November 23, though I heard of someone who is now bandless...
A drumbeat and a whistling Melody cribbed straight from Adam and the Ants, the perfect setting for a song so seeped in nostalgia such as this. Sure, the past tense in this case is only "last night," but the wistful feeling remains all the same. "Jonny boy" is the first single single from Kite's forthcoming EP "III", due out September 22 via , and it is a fantastic continuation of their winning streak thus far.
Yes, I am a total sucker for noisy indierock, especially if it has a distinct 90s bent, and Norway's Mindy Misty fit that bill to a tee. Not that I want to get all grumpy-old-man about it, but I like what I like and there's no getting around it and this stuff goes straight to the heart. Anyhow, they've apparently been kicking around for awhile already since the upcoming record "Generic communion" will be their 3rd release (due out September 6 via their own ), but this is the first I've heard of them and I'm way, way into it. They've got tons of thick Sonic Youth-esque harmonies and when they combine it with that oh-so-Scandinavian sense of Melody, they can't lose. Give me slightly buried vocals and a hard-driving rhythm section on top of that and I'm sold. Easy and done! So if you dig KVLR, early Motorpsycho, Unwound, Dinosaur Jr., etc etc... you will be into this. And you should.
