Search: Melody
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When Closer first disbanded, the core membership went on to form The Goatboys, a short-lived project that was intended to be a stripped-down version of their previous act. Faster, shorter, less complicated; back to basics, if you will. Unfortunately, nothing really ever came of them except a few rough demos, but now those same guys have moved on yet again to form Bright Oak. I'm unaware if the guys had any high-minded intentions with this act, but I can tell you that the name "historically stands as a notable meeting place for wise and powerful people to share information and solve problems." Judging from that, I'd say that yes, they do have big plans, I'm just not privy to them yet. As for the music, the most important part, it's somewhere between The Goatboys and Closer. The first three songs they've recorded are definitely the most "mainstream" material I've heard from them so far. Not as raw as The Goatboys, neither are they as proggressive as Closer. The arrangements are verse/chorus oriented and none extend beyond 4:30 in length. They slip in a few tricks here and there, but it's very subtle -- an odd Melody here and there, maybe a short rhythmic interlude. It is definitely pop music. The choruses are big, uplifting and immediate. Everything is clear and concise. I miss Closer's tendency towards secrecy and conceptualism because a higher barrier of entry often makes for an overall more rewarding listening experience, but I also understand the frustration of playing music like that without having people "get it". Bright Oak, for better or worse, plays music that is very easy to get. I look forward to hearing more.
Bright Oak - On the list
Snöleoparden likes the xylophone. It appears on many tracks on his self-titled debut and is even claimed as the title for one of the pieces. Wood, metal, maybe even plastic- all forms are put into play. At first I wasn't into it at all and wrote him off as an amateur Alog wannabe (no pun intended), but further listens have proven to be far more rewarding. The utilization of instruments typically associated with children's music is supposed to evoke feelings of naive wonderment, though unfortunately that doesn't always sit well with me and my often sour mood, so it's no surprise that such feelings often turn to annoyance in my world. However, when it does work, it works well, especially when Snöleoparden is able to latch onto a simple Melody or repetitive rhythm. "Nr. 1" stumbles a bit in a wonky sort of way, but the more it gets tweaked out towards the end, the more interesting it is. I'm not completely wowed, but the live first-take feel is not without its charms. The spirit of playfulness is something I most certainly can endorse.
Snöleoparden - Nr. 1
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It is not often that you hear the accordion taking front and centre on an avant-garde, or any record for that matter, except if you are into traditional European folk music of some kind. Frode Haltli, a classically trained accordionist, takes the instrument out of its usual, to me at least, usage and brings the instrument to a place I can appreciate. The disc borders on New Age in several instances, which is bothersome, but also has a definite spacial quality that is very difficult to knock. While the accordion takes a lot of sonic space, the viola is the star, bringing melody and most of the high points of the album. The accordion definitely provides the glue, with its ability to play single notes and chords at the same time, that makes this record go forward and because the record is so musically sparse, it provides most of the substance too. This is a record that wouldn't be so out of place on Tzadik's composer series. Only if it could lose some of the New Age sonorities...
- Simon Thibaudeau
Songs I Wish I Had Written is doing a great job of leading the 80s pop revival. I don't say that to disparage them either, I'm all for it. I barely even care that Gentle Touch's "The view" cribs a Melody from "Policy of truth" by Depeche Mode. It takes serious panache and, despite the odds, I think they manage to pull it off. Gentle Touch keeps it simple: a nice, steady pulsing bassline, some light ethereal guitar; similar enough, but not a full-on rip. More of a homage, if you like. Maybe they'll develop a bit more of their own identity down the road, but for a debut, this is way decent.
Gentle Touch - The view
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Distributed for (free) download on Swedish torrent site The Pirate Bay as well as the band's web site, "The golden daze" tries to be glam pop for the masses, crafted to capture the listener at first listen. Being Malmö based, the band emulates its more successful neighbors, namely The Ark and Melody Club. In this it is successful, but only as an emulation. Despite stabs at punk-laced electro and (oddly enough) swing on the title track, there's not enough originality here to distinguish the band from others. Forgettable as it may be, however, it can also be pretty fun. All tracks are very radio friendly, though none are likely to become radio hits. The production is the album's strongest suit. Aside from a great turn by The Ark's Ola Salo, who gives "Rather do it" (a minor hit in 2006) the kind of behemoth sound that we're used to from these sorts of bands, the rest of the album is produced by Oskar Humlebo (aka Moto Boy). He drenches the band in serpentine rhythms and new-wave synths, which helps to disguise the fact that you're not going to remember many of these songs in a few months. Still, for fans of the over-the-top Malmö based pop sound (like me), there's plenty to like here. Unfortunately, there's just not enough to love.
- Nick James
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The recent hyper-popularity of bands like Justice and MGMT has proven that electronica is now a serious player in the music industry, not only with the indie crowd, but the major label industry as well. Firefox AK has been in the game a few years, garnering attention throughout Scandinavia, the British Isles, and Europe, obviously not to the extent of Swedish comrades such as The Knife, but making an impact nonetheless. The follow up to "Madame, madame", "If I were a Melody" again proves that Andrea Kellerman has a unique knack for electronic music: bridging the gap between the dancefloor bound compositions and the more contemplative creations by acts such as The Radio Dept. and Junior Boys (whose Matt Didemus mixed "If I were a Melody"). "The river" is one of the finest tracks Firefox AK has ever produced, and first single "Winter rose", with husband and consistent collaborator Rasmus Kellerman (better known as Tiger Lou), demonstrates the range of this album, focusing the synth-driven craftsmanship into a more popular vein. An extremely consistent artist, you probably didn't need too much reassurance that Firefox AK's newest effort was worth a small investment - but, in case you did: "If I were a Melody" is a fine album.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
I keep meaning to tell you how good the new Nicolai Dunger album "Nicollide and the Carmic Retribution" is, but it keeps getting pushed aside. It's a difficult album to distill to a single track, not to mention that I'm still struggling to wrap my head around it (in a good way). So for now you'll just need to take my word for it and investigate on your own as today I'm posting the title track from what remains to be my favorite Nicolai Dunger album, "Soul rush". It's a perfect piece of music, so full of love and hope. The Melody of the wordless refrains aches with wistfulness. Half his life wasted? Most definitely not. As far as I'm concerned, this is a timeless piece of work.
Nicolai Dunger - Soul rush
As if it wasn't totally obvious from the cover, Astrid Swan's new album "Spartan picnic" is far quirkier than her debut "Poverina". It looks like something I might expect from Stina Nordenstam, though the "Spartan" of the title is entirely misleading as Ms. Swan readily embraces a full, big-band sound. However, her quirk only extends so far. There's nothing here quite as out-there as Marybell Katastrophy or As In RebekkaMaria, especially not in lead single "Sea/e life". I like it a lot more than anything on the first album, but I'm having trouble finding a strong Melody to hold on to. Elsewhere on the album she fares far better, such as on the bombastic title track, so despite my misgivings about this particular song, I wouldn't write her off. And don't forget her work with Treeball either (together with producer Nick Triani). It's kinda like how Neko Case is at her best when performing with New Pornographers, Astrid Swan can be the same way with her other band. All about context.
Astrid Swan - Sea/e life
If it wasn't for At the Gates, It's a Trap! would not exist. They were the very first band I ever heard that I associated with having a distinctive "Swedish" sound and I can still fondly remember the day I brought home "Terminal spirit disease". I must've listened to it at least three times in a row; it was an absolute revelation. When the follow-up album "Slaughter of the soul" came out, I listened to it at least once a day, every day for six months straight. So yeah, when I say that At the Gates changed my life, I'm not exaggerating in the slightest. Taking that into account, I am extremely flattered that AtG guitarist Anders Björler agreed to participate in this week's Göteborg feature.
Would you say there is a particular Gbg sound or attitude? If so, how would you describe it?
Gothenburg stood for Melody, while for example the Stockholm sound was more Punk / Rock influenced. However, the Gothenburg bands didn't have that much in common. They all had unique styles.
Was there already an established metal scene in Gbg back when AtG first started? Was there ever a point when you realized that there some something special or distinctive going on or did that only happen once you started to get international attention?
There was no metal scene at all. There was only Grotesque [vocalist Tomas Lindberg's old band with scene vet Kristian Wåhlin aka Necrolord plus fellow AtG founding member Alf Svensson] in the Death Metal scene. A couple of Thrash bands like: Intoxicate, Pagandom, Dead End, Valcyrie, Megaslaughter etc...
We didn't realize how big it was going until after we split up. At the Gates were never a big band. We were basically a very small punk band that played melodic death metal.
How close-knit was the Gbg metal community back in the early 90s? Were there any rivalries?
It was very close. Especially the Billdal scene with bands like Dark Tranquillity, Desecrator (Anders Iwers, now Tiamat, and Oscar Dronjak, now Hammerfall). It was a very creative atmosphere. If there was any competition, it was a silent one. i.e - you tried to create the best music possible.
We all met at eachothers' parties, and we hung out at gigs etc. It was basically a large group of friends.
How do you think the city influenced the sound? Are there any particular artists, labels, zines, venues, etc that stand out as having helped shape the scene?
Dolores records was very important. It was also a record store. Through them I got into Carcass in 1989, the rest is history.
I also think that the Gothenburg weather served as an influence for the sound somehow. It's really melancholic sometimes. Very grey and rainy. I think it's very similar to let's say: Seattle.
Are you still based in Gbg nowadays? If so, what keeps you there? How would say things compare now to the old days?
Me and Martin live in Gothenburg. Adrian lives in London. Tomas lives on the east coast of Sweden. Jonas in the middle of Sweden.
We are all older. We experienced the At the Gates thing when we were kids basically. Everything has changed. The venues are closed down. People have moved or they have quit playing music. Basically what keeps me here is friends and family, but I can almost live anywhere in the world. I don't like to be stuck at one place too long. I have lived in other places in Sweden for a while, but always seem to come back to Gothenburg in the end.
Lastly, do you have a particular song that you think best reflects the city?
Cold :D
HUGE thanks again to Anders for contributing and be sure to check out the various At the Gates reunion gigs happening this summer. Also, keep an eye out for a new record from his current band The Haunted as well!
At the Gates - Cold
The Second Band of 2008 is a bit different than the one you might remember from 2006's "Your dark side is on the phone". Less members, a bit rougher around the edges. Less straight-up pop, less optimistic, more yearning, more weary. Seems appropriate to me as the world is not as nice a place as it was two years ago. On the other hand, this also means they're sounding less unique. Do we need another Arcade Fire or Shout Out Louds? When they sound more like the former as on today's mp3 pick, I say yes. The song has drive and, as the title suggests, an urgency. Also, as with yesterday's mp3 selection, they throw in the odd off-notes to add atmosphere and tension. It's a clever ploy and without it, the song wouldn't be nearly as interesting despite that lovely drifting Melody line during the verses. However, as self-assured as such tactics may be, I still get the impression that the band is having a bit of an identity crisis as the rest of their new album "The definite form" is anything but. They seem torn between embracing modern indierock and exploring their quiet, jazzier side which, come to think of it, kinda reminds me of The Book of Daniel the more I listen. I like this song a lot, but am not so sure it's the direction they ought to embrace.
The Second Band - The urgency of now
US dates for Disfear:
04/16 - Knitting Factory, New York, NY
04/17 - Rock n Roll Hotel, Washington, DC
04/18 - First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia, PA
04/19 - Mr. Roboto Project, Wilkinsburg, PA
04/20 - Pirate's Cove, Cleveland, OH
04/21 - The Melody Inn, Indianapolis, IN
04/22 - Subterranean, Chicago, IL
04/23 - Mac's, Lansing, MI
04/24 - Sneaky Dee's, Toronto, ON
04/25 - Black Dot 7 pm show, Montreal, QC
04/26 - Palladium (New England Metal Fest), Worcester, MA
04/27 - Living Room, Providence, RI
I thought I saw something about West Coast dates in May too, but I don't think anything's 100% confirmed quite yet.
The new Firefox AK album "If I were a Melody" is now streaming at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/firefoxak
Don't forget to also check my brief interview with Andrea Kellerman right here.
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Two steps forward, one step back? Fans of the elegant dronepop majesty of "Fall, fall falling" will see this CDR release as a disappointing regression, but those of us who are familiar and appreciative of earlier Dead Letters works will not be daunted. Consisting of three dark and dingy long-form pieces for a grand total of forty-nine minutes, "A line: align" is in fact a throwback to Thomas Ekelund's roots and it is not without its rewards as there are definitely moments of great beauty rising from within the filth. Opener "At Keiller's Park (Summer 2006)" is the weakest of the bunch in that takes far too long to get going, often abandoning themes just as soon as they begin to take hold. Patience is eventually rewarded, though not nearly as well as I'd like. The other two however, fare much better in comparison by adhering to a far more concise narrative arc, not to mention a vastly increased level of volume. As much as I appreciate the subtle crackle of processed field recordings, it's the dull, aching throb of pure noise that affects me most, both mentally and physically. When a Melody emerges from the squall and I can feel it tingling all the way down to my toes, that's magic. Ultimately, "A line: align" doesn't compete with any of the "proper" Dead Letters full-lengths, but I don't think it intends to. As a way station to whatever comes next, it'll do just fine.
- Avi Roig
Firefox AK has a brand new website: http://www.firefoxak.com/
Her sophomore album "If I were a Melody" will be out on February 27 via Razzia Records. The first single "Winter rose" (as posted here) is out now and I should be getting a few copies for resale next week. The Tellevika remix is exceptional!
Frode Haltli
Lamont
Firefox AK
Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words
