Top 10s for 2008: Niklas Åström (And the Sound)

Kite
s/t EP
Lyckan/Progress Productions

Nicklas Stenemo's (The Mo, Melody Club) voice, an instrument that functions like a fuller, more masculine translation of Karin Dreijer's vocal style, elevates this fine record, one that would be perfectly capable of garnering strong reviews without Stenemo's captivating utterances, to something well beyond the run-of-the-mill renditions of 80s electronica. Christian Berg's (Yvonne, Strip Music) love of authentic 80s synth sounds combined with Stenemo's pop sensibility and voice converge so fluidly, bringing to mind acts like New Order, but it's merely a reference point. Opener "Ways to dance" is a distinctly Scandinavian electronic pop song: driving, punctuated by oscillating drum fills à la The Knife; "Say it ain't so" relaxes its hold on the throttle, settling into a layered, paced rhythm; and closer "Learn to like it", a mesmerizing, melancholic track, puts on display much of the aptitude demonstrated on the EP: the intricate levels of synths and voices, the pitch-perfect structure of the songs - never meandering, never going on too long, and merging the measured step of "Say it ain't so" with the unhurried, ethereal expanse that is "My girl and I", my personal favorite. Kite have been fine company on long, cold walks home through streets lined with dying leaves, while reading Ellis' "Less Than Zero", and during the final hour before heading out into the city; the fact that Kite can offer so much in four songs gives the thought of a future full length effort enough weight to push me through what looks to be a bitter winter. I just hope it's not too long a wait.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson

This week's top 20 Swedish album chart:

01. Anna Ternheim - Leaving on a mayday
02. Lena + Orup - Dubbel
03. Lasse Stefanz - Svängjul
04. Magnus Carlsson - Re:collection 93-08
05. ABBA - The albums (9CD box set)
06. Jill Johnson - Baby blue paper
07. Kent - Kent box 1991-2008
08. Charlotte Perrelli - Rimfrostjul
09. Bo Kaspers Orkester - 8
10. Timbuktu - En high 5 & 1 falafel
11. Hans Alfredsson/Tage Danielsson/Lasse O'Månsson - Lindemans låda - Fullare än någonsin
12. Christer Sjögren - Mitt sköna sextiotal
13. Agnes - Dance love pop
14. Agnetha Fältskog - My very best
15. Sonja Aldén - Under mitt tak
16. Frida Hyvönen - Silence is wild
17. Sophie Zelmani - The ocean and me
18. Markus Fagervall - Steal my Melody
19. Thorleifs - Förälskade
20. Takida - Bury the lies

Fria Konstellationen
Musik om Fria Konstellationen
Rev/Vega Rec.

As interest in freejazz slowly trickles down into the world of indie/electronica and grows, I imagine we'll see more and more records like this, full of eclectic clatter and hum. Of course, most of them won't be very good at all, but at least we'll still have acts such as Fria Konstellationen setting the bar. Pure improv is a tenuous beast; even renown acts such as Norway's Supersilent edit down hours and hours of recordings for what ends up on their album. I can only assume the same for this Malmö-centralized collective, but who knows for sure? The mystery of its origins are part of the charm, whether it be the story behind the music or simply the makeup of the instrumentation. The group's main mode of communication tends toward drone rather than bursts of sound, though rules are made and broken and then remade again as they go along. Melody and themes are tossed asunder in favor of pure compelling sound; dynamics and variety of timbre hold my interest well enough. Live, I imagine the experience to be even stronger when a visual component is factored in. Not everyday listening, to be sure, but certainly a worthy document examining the possibilities of seemingly random noise.
- Avi Roig

This week's top 20 Swedish album chart:

01. Kent - Kent box 1991-2008
02. Bo Kaspers Orkester - 8
03. Jill Johnson - Baby blue paper
04. Timbuktu - En high 5 & 1 falafel
05. ABBA - The albums (9CD box set)
06. Hans Alfredsson/Tage Danielsson/Lasse O'Månsson - Lindemans låda - Fullare än någonsin
07. Christer Sjögren - Mitt sköna sextiotal
08. Agnetha Fältskog - My very best
09. Agnes - Dance love pop
10. Thorleifs - Förälskade
11. Sonja Aldén - Under mitt tak
12. Frida Hyvönen - Silence is wild
13. Markus Fagervall - Steal my Melody
14. Takida - Bury the lies
15. Hanna Hedlund - Det är jag som är mamman
16. Hello Saferide - More modern short stories from Hello Saferide
17. Sophie Zelmani - The ocean and me
18. Veronica Maggio - Och vinnaren är...
19. Uno Svenningsson - Jag sjunger för dig
20. Andreas Johnson - Rediscovered

This week's top 20 Swedish album chart:

01. Kent - Kent box 1991-2008
02. ABBA - The albums (9CD box set)
03. Agnes - Dance love pop
04. Bo Kaspers Orkester - 8
05. Jill Johnson - Bbaby blue paper
06. Thorleifs - Förälskade
07. Frida Hyvönen - Silence is wild
08. Hans Alfredsson/Tage Danielsson/Lasse O'Månsson - Lindemans låda - Fullare än någonsin
09. Sonja Aldén - Under mitt tak
10. In Flames - A sense of purpose
11. Markus Fagervall - Steal my Melody
12. Christer Sjögren - Mitt sköna sextiotal
13. Sophie Zelmani - The ocean and me
14. Tiger Lou - A partial print
15. Smurfarna - Smurfparty
16. Takida - Bury the lies
17. Hello Saferide - More modern short stories from Hello Saferide
18. Andreas Johnson - Rediscovered
19. Pain - Cynic paradise
20. Veronica Maggio - Och vinnaren är...

MP3: Idoru - Chase

Like On Volcano, Idoru is a great example of what's possible in modern DIY indierock. I strongly disagree with my colleague's assessment of the former - while so many current, big-label bands are caught up in fey pretension, pointless experimentalism or worse, it's so good to hear new acts like this. And by that, I mean that they actually know how to write good songs, an all too rarefied quality. Idoru's EP isn't as consistent as On Volcano's, but high points like "Chase" show great potential. The sound is contemporary, but it's also strongly informed by the past: classic shoegaze, early postpunk or 90s noiserock, it's all there. Just listen to the way they tease you with bits of a well-known Melody on the coda! However, most of all, I appreciate that they know how to rock. Pop music need not be limpwristed, nor does rock demand power over Melody. The two can coexist! Imagine that! Strange times indeed...

Idoru - Chase

Park Hotell
Free for friends
Ultra Radio Records/BD Pop

I've been waiting for Park Hotell's debut full length since the summer of 2007, the moment after the final track of their "The guest who stayed forever" EP came to a close. While fulfilling on its own, "The guest..." heralded a new Norrland talent, and six songs can only hold one over so long. "Free for friends" continues on in their C86-style -- the jangled guitar work struggling its way through the fantastically lower-fi production, the bass and superb drum work reinforcing the sound, with the vocals settled comfortably atop the swells of Melody. Opener "Dead ringers", which It's a Trap! made available back in August, is easily one of the best songs of 2008, bringing to mind both The Bear Quartet and early New Order. With the standard set, "Free for friends" continues to deliver: "Black hole" with its wonderful, anthemic chorus of "Let some light in" perched perfectly upon surging instrumentation; the delightfully frantic guitar arrangements of "Happy love"; the chorus and ending of "Pandemonium ducks"; the grungy, angular attack of instrumental "Trouble kid"; and the powerful close provided by the title track and "Rubberneck". In the beginning, there were tracks I had to learn to appreciate through repeated listening, but I find this a compelling aspect of a record rather than a dissatisfying one. I like records that surprise me as they continue to reveal layers not visible on first glance. "Free for friends" is a perfect autumn record: tracts of introspection still fuelled by the reckless hope of summer days. Well worth the wait.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson

This week's top 20 Swedish album chart:

01. Bo Kaspers Orkester - 8
02. Jill Johnson - Bbaby blue paper
03. Thorleifs - Förälskade
04. Povel Ramel - Som om inget hade hänt: Povel-pop från förra årt..
05. Agnetha Fältskog - My very best
06. Christer Sjögren - Mitt sköna sextiotal
07. Sonja Aldén - Under mitt tak
08. ABBA - The albums (9CD box set)
09. Sophie Zelmani - The ocean and me
10. Markus Fagervall - Steal my Melody
11. Takida - Bury the lies
12. Hello Saferide - More modern short stories from Hello Saferide
13. Smurfarna - Smurfparty
14. Uno Svenningsson - Jag sjunger för dig
15. Fatboy - In my bones
16. Mimikry - Alderland
17. Veronica Maggio - Och vinnaren är...
18. Steve Dobrogosz & Anna Christoffersson - Rivertime
19. E.S.T. - Leucocyte
20. Amanda Jenssen - Killing my darlings

I don't have time to deal with Facebook myself, but members of the Wonderland Records group over there will get a chance to preview the new Emmon single "Secrets and lies" and all of its b-side remixes (ft. artists such as Jon Axelsson from Melody Club, Dimitrios K and Tomas Andersson) on November 10. Check it: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=35758666947

MP3: Kite - Ways to dance

I doubt the coldwave/industrial revival will ever go mainstream, but I'm enjoying that more and more bands are embracing dark analog synths. Kite is as close as we'll get to a crossover act though, if only because they've experienced some success before with former acts such as Yvonne and Melody Club. At the very least, it gives them a head-start over the competition. Whatever happens though, I'm just glad to hear this kind of music being kept alive and done well, especially with a stripped-down, minimalist approach. It's so easy to overdo it. Now I know "Ways to dance" isn't actually dismal enough to be considered coldwave (wait 'til tomorrow's track for that), but think of it as getting your toes wet. If you dig this (and you should - it's a fantastic pop song above everything else), perhaps you can go darker, more underground, or, at the very least, into the past. When Bruce Springsteen is covering Suicide, it's time you started paying attention.

Kite - Ways to dance

This week's top 20 Swedish album chart:

01. Thorleifs - Förälskade
02. Bo Kaspers Orkester - 8
03. Agnetha Fältskog - My very best
04. Christer Sjögren - Mitt sköna sextiotal
05. Sonja Aldén - Under mitt tak
06. Sophie Zelmani - The ocean and me
07. Hello Saferide - More modern short stories from Hello Saferide
08. Takida - Bury the lies
09. Uno Svenningsson - Jag sjunger för dig
10. Steve Dobrogosz & Anna Christoffersson - Rivertime
11. Smurfarna - Smurfparty
12. ABBA - ABBA Gold - Greatest hits
13. Markus Fagervall - Steal my Melody
14. E.S.T. - Leucocyte
15. Veronica Maggio - Och vinnaren är...
16. Sanna Nielsen - Stronger
17. Eva Eastwood - Well well well
18. Rebecka Törnqvist - The cherry blossom and the skyline rising from the street
19. Fatboy - In my bones
20. Nina Ramsby/Ludvig Berghe Trio - Du har blivit stor nu (en kamp!)

MP3: Boeoes Kaelstigen - Cecta

The latest Boeoes Kaelstigen 12" "Commuting colour" isn't quite as ridiculously hot as the first, "Pan European", but that doesn't mean it's a slacker. It still has plenty of bounce and as you'll hear on today's mp3, cribbing a Melody line from labelmates Familjen doesn't hurt either. Anyhow, the point is to make you move. Anything else is secondary; this only does double-duty as head music because it's so good. Which is even more special because normally I could give a fuck about remixes, but I can't deny quality. The Dumb Dan remix of "Cecta" takes the track to new places, places worth going. Even as a techno ignoramus, I know I when to follow.

Buy the "Commuting colour" 12" EP: [click here]

Boeoes Kaelstigen - Cecta (Dumb Dan remix)

Norwegian postrockers Samuel Jackson Five have completed work on their new album "Goodbye Melody mountain" and sent it off for mastering. Read more about it here: http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=33944834&blogID=439364753

Culkin
Demo
self-released

The evidence of members of KVLR in Culkin is obvious as "Pay per fist" bursts alive in a chaotic display of Scandinavian indierock. And, as with many outstanding records, the lo-fi production adds a wonderfully human element to the compositions. This demo release almost perfectly encapsulates what has been left out of many of the recent advances into the rock genre: thick, jangled guitar lines blurring over one another to form a wall of Melody; vocal lines that don't attempt to set themselves above the instrumental fray, but impose themselves directly into this skirmish; an undulating framework that allows the compositions to easily, seamlessly shift between bouts of melancholy into sections of outright triumph. Imagine elements of shoegaze and post-rock, a healthy study of 90s acts like Sonic Youth, and an outright appreciation for the Scandinavian bands who helped reshape this bastard brand of indierock (see: The End Will Be Kicks) and you get a pretty good idea of what Culkin's all about. If this demo is any indication of what's in store, Culkin have quite a future in front of them -- one that I'll be watching very closely.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson