Alek Vile - Weekend by air
Solid synth/bit-pop from Finland via ye ol' inbox. No other information provided, None needed.
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Terrortory
The seed left behind
Discouraged Records
This is the debut album by the Swedish crew and it must be said from the offset that there's a distinct blandness about it that's not only down to the production, but also because of a terrible attempt at emulating past success. Terrortory's thing seems to be to write tunes in the styles of a heap of already-revered bands, stick them all together, and hope for a winning formula. In Flames, The Haunted, Opeth, Sentenced and a shitload of others that are familiar but that I can't quite put my finger on are referenced here, None of which are mimicked to the point where you could say the material that Terrortory has written is better. There's also a tiny bit of old school Metallica to be found on some of the melodic parts and, while those are actually okay, this album as a whole is a very uninspiring -- indeed, a very boring -- listen. The production does get part of the blame despite the fact that everything is clear and bright, it's just that there's a lack of any punch whatsoever, even in the album's better moments. It's quite possible that when faced with material as dull and repetitive as this producer Henrik Wiklund simply lost the will to live. I know I did.
- John Norby
Craft
Void
Trust No One Recordings/Southern Lord
"Carpathian Forest from Sweden" is the best way to describe Craft. Image, ethos, artwork, album titles, song titles, music; it's all just a punked-up rehash of Nattefrost's sick utterings, so much so that if you were to fire a Carpathian sticker over the Craft logo on any of their albums you'd probably be None the wiser. They have experimented with other people's styles, however, and on "Void" there's any number of big-time black metal bands shining through. Just one listen reveals a multitude of them which, it must be stressed, are familiarities rather than blatant rip-offs. This distinct lack of originality hits the album hard, though. There are some nice moments (although nice is hardly a word that Craft would want used here) but it's just too... meh. It's been done before. Hundreds of times. There's absolutely nothing exciting about it and, if truth be told, it's almost a chore to have to sit it out until the end.
- John Norby
Sea Lion
Mercy land
In My Kitchen
This album comes like a pleasant surprise amid winter, and I'm astonished more haven't caught on. Two drop-dead gorgeous Swedish girls (one, pictured on the album) with the kind of child-like singing style that's popular amongst freak-folk hippies these days. Sweet harmonies and a faraway, easy-to-fall-for, down-tempo introversion -- what's not to love? [see: here] Has more of the popular appeal of Joan Baez than left-field Karen Dalton, though the most immediate comparison, at least vocally, is to CocoRosie, minus their quirky instrumentation. I'm quite attached to the stripped-down, acoustical nature of this album; the cowering suggestive, sparse tones. Moments, like "Queen of the Underground" remind me of walking through Loren Connors' Hell's Kitchen Park. The more I listen to it actually, the more I'm drawn to the guitar-sound. Despite deceivingly plain riffs, the production really glistens. First and last songs "Rebel gold" and "Visions of you" ring similar, but are haunting Nonetheless. "Golden sea" is one of my favourites, whereas "Hurricane blues", which crosses into generic blues riffing, is probably my least. Anyway, I'd keep an eye on these girls. This album is a great cure for cold bones, endearing, easy on the soul --they're definitely talent in the making.
- Ann Sung-an Lee
Team Me on tour
Norwegian act Team Me will be heading abroad later this month:
11/17 - tba, Köln (GER)
11/18 - Exil, Zürich (CH)
11/19 - Gare de Lion, Will (CH)
11/20 - Treibhaus, Luzern (CH)
11/21 - Le Kiwi, Clermond Ferrand (FRA)
11/23 - tba (GER)
11/24 - Goldmarks, Stuttgart (GER)
11/25 - Autumn Falls Festival (V2*), Brussel (BEL)
11/26 - on3-festival, München (GER)
11/27 - Lucerna Music Bar, Prague (CZ) w/The Wombats
11/28 - Rhiz, Vienna (AUS)
12/01 - D! Club, Lausanne (CH) w/The Wombats
12/02 - Kofmehl, Solothurn (CH) w/The Wombats
12/03 - Deposito giordani, PordeNone (ITA)
12/04 - New Age Club, Treviso Roncade (ITA) w/The Wombats
12/05 - Maggazzini Generali, Milan (ITA) w/The Wombats
Årabrot's Black Impulse mix
Check out a mix made by the dudes in Årabrot: https://blackimpulse.wordpress.com/2011/10/19/black-impulse-mix-tape-17-arabrot/
None of the artists contained therein are Scandinavian, but that doesn't mean it isn't quality.
Ville Leinonen - Aika
Another sample from the new Ville LeiNonen album "Auringonsäde/Pommisuoja", out now via .
Ville Leinonen - Ensimmäistä kertaa
This is a preview of Ville LeiNonen's new album "Auringonsäde/Pommisuoja", due out September 7 via and his 13th release overall.
MP3: Peter Bjorn and John - Tomorrow has to wait
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.
MP3: Trust - Battle rattle
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!
Figurines
s/t
Morningside Records/The Control Group
As with "When the deer wore blue", the dreamy echoes of '60s pop continue on through Figurines' self-titled release, coloring the album in nostalgic, sun-bleached tones and textures and casting strange shadows across their music. As fans of the band have come to expect, the swells of the compositions, both with respect to instrumentation and emotion, are layered and intricate, but not inaccessible or pretentious. The bright, clean production is subtly subverted by pop songs that are not reliant on guitar or vocal hooks, and tracks that evoke a summery feel often turn from the sun to explore the shade created by so much light -- "Have you always been someone that you've never been?" This perspective does not feel staged, as if the songs were deliberately crafted to include funhouse mirrors distorting the images reflecting back out of the music -- there is a natural, effortless flow to the compositions, even when a track turns corners that, at first, take the listener by surprise. On "We got away", what opens as a "Pet sounds"-inspired track evolves into something else: a love song that feels distanced from its central premise, and painfully aware of this detachment, as the subtle, clever refrain "I love her like a lover should love her" suggests. There is something this band brings to the table that so many other acts just cannot, an originality that is hard to pin down, but is Nonetheless on full display on "Figurines".
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
Cherry Overdrive
Go prime time, honey!
Heptown Records
It's an up-and-downer, this second full-length from the Kjøbenhavn girls. You know, one of those albums where some tracks are great and some are just... pfft! That said, when this shines, it really does shine! Tracks such as "Lay me down" and "Leave my town" are wonderful, retro-fueled classics that are exemplary in their execution and, indeed, many of the 12 tracks on here can boast the same. Where the album falters a little is more in certain aspects of the vocals, which sometimes sound a bit out of place and not delivered in the same spirit as the tune in which they reside. It's a minor flaw that's only evident on parts of a few tracks, but it's there Nonetheless. Add to that the inclusion of a few songs that seem like filler, and the standard reached by Cherry Overdrive on their debut fails to be bettered this time around. Still, it's solid enough for the most part, and the girls could well be on their way to bigger and better with future releases.
- John Norby
The return of Exergy Music
Swedish label is back from the dead, the reason being that "many of my old artists have finished new music that is too good for not being released," plus, "I have also bumped into some new artists that i just love." Guess that once you're in, it's hard to walk away forever. Anyhow, their first new release will be Akaba with the song "Fake it", as you can see/hear above. After that, look for new stuff to follow from the likes of Nanook of the North, Molesome and maybe also Vera Vinter. I'd also be way into a new Vijaya record, but I know the chances of that are slim to None.
