Black winter day? Yesterday the Pacific NW was anything but! Monday brought us a few inches of snow which, for a region that often gets None not to mention rarely this early, meant that most folks said "screw it" and took the rest of the week off seeing as how Thursday is Thanksgiving and we're just not all that well-equipped to handle extreme winter weather. Tuesday followed with sheer perfection: cold, clear and sunny all day with the temperature peaking at just above freezing. I still had to work because, well, I always have to work, but I still made sure to spend plenty of time out of doors with all the smiling folks happy for a snowday. So even though Amorphis may not be on-point lyrically, their happy-sounding melodic death metal is still a perfect fit for the season. Just think "bright winter day".
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.
Norrland crust/metal/prog act Moloken, a 2009 favorite, are touring Scandinavia later this month and one of the bands they're playing a string of dates with is Finnish act Radar. Generally speaking, I'm not too crazy about their style of post-metal, but the new EP they recently sent me has a pretty cool 3D cover and the included glasses allowed me to properly view Robyn's video for "Don't fucking tell me what to do", so that's gotta be worth something -- hence this post. It's kind of weird, in the space of a month of so I got a whole bunch of new music in a similar vein and, again -- while not being a huge fan of this stuff, was pleasantly surprised to find it all to be of above-average quality. I already covered Kausal who might just be the best of the lot, but Radar are pretty decent too despite one major piccadillo: I don't care if you want to sing cleanly or scream harshly, but please don't try to do both. 99% of the time it sucks and Radar are no exception. Individually, they do fine with each style... when performed together, it's way corny. That's why I'm posting a track with purely melodic vocals for fellow discerning listeners -- you get the heaviness and the glory and None of the distracting bullshit. RIYL Khoma!
Oh, and those Moloken tourdates:
09/15 - L'Orient, Linköping (SWE) w/This Gift is a Curse
09/16 - Sugar Bar, Stockholm (SWE) w/This Gift is a Curse
09/17 - Ungdomens Hus, Uppsala (SWE) w/This Gift is a Curse
09/18 - Ungdomens Hus, Oskarshamn (SWE) w/This Gift is a Curse
09/19 - tba, Karlskrona (SWE) w/This Gift is a Curse
09/23 - Nuclear Nightclub, Oulu (FIN) w/Radar
09/24 - Lutakko, Jyväskylä (FIN) w/Radar
09/25 - S-Osis, Turku (FIN) w/Radar
09/26 - Kuudes Linja, Helsinki (FIN) w/Radar
09/29 - tba (NOR) w/Manhattan Skyline
09/30 - tba (NOR) w/Manhattan Skyline
10/01 - Garage, Oslo (NOR) w/Manhattan Skyline
10/02 - Fru Lundgreen, Trondheim (NOR) w/Manhattan Skyline
This is the new Fatboy single "Bad news from pretty red lips", to be officially released on September 15. The clip seems kind of an odd choice to me as None of the action is synced to the song, but I do actually like the way it sounds, much more than anything on their last album. Anyhow, as mentioned before, the band's new album "Overdrive" will be out October 6 via .
Both José González and Junip's music is best suited for a seated theater than a standing-room only club, but that didn't stop the latter from putting on an excellent show at the last stop of their premiere US tour in Seattle on Saturday night. Expectations were met and exceeded and the new material sounded great once I let myself get into their hypnotic groove. Great heavy 70s vibe too, with the driving organ and extra percussionist on stage -- definitely got the feeling they could easily let things ramble off into spacier territory with quality results. Maybe next time, in November? When they come back with a more established repertoire?
Though I really did enjoy the show, I still have a few bones to pick. One, and this is more of a general complaint not specific to Junip, the mandatory/expected encore is bullshit. I love seeing a band play a solid, well-planned and focused set; even better if they leave the audience wanting more (and don't give it to them). Second, Mr. González needs to ween off the covers. I fully expected "The ghost of Tom Joad" since the band recorded it for the "Black refuge" EP, but had I left pre-encore, I would have missed it and been None the wiser. In fact, I kinda wish I did leave pre-encore because what they did play was not worth sticking around for. Two covers (the aforementioned Springsteen plus a Nico song) with an unmemorable original sandwiched between? Lame. Shame to go out on a bad note.
I've been a bit lazy for a while now when it comes to digging up some new cool music. You know how it is, you have your good ol' playlists on Spotify or iTunes and you tend to stick to those on sheer laziness. In a sense one can say I'm still very much stuck in 2003 when it comes to "new" music. With one exception -- "The funeral" by Arcade Fire. That's 2005. Now, five years later, thanks to good friends who force-feeds me new playlists, I'm having a "The Funeral" flashback. Or rather, a "The Funeral"-goes-2010-tantrum. The band in question is The Kissaway Trail, a couple of really cool Danes. With their second record, "Sleep mountain", the wheels are really turning for Thomas L. Fagerlund and his crew. The heat is already building in the UK and overseas, The Kissaway Trail has already made a number of prestigious shows in prestigious venues. The question is, will this show count as one of those? The answer is... no. Get me right here, The Kissaway Trail is an awesome band, with awesome songs, and the show is marvelous, but this just ain't the perfect conditions. They are a club act; they need a tight space with lots of sweat and the fumes of alcohol, preferably late at night. At Popadelica they play a bit too early, the sun is still up and more importantly, the people are still missing. The right atmosphere just ain't there. Nonetheless, The Kissaway Trail still puts on an impressive performance; these guys will be around for a long time. I just hope the next time I see them it's in a more suitable venue. - Christian Stenbacke
Two great poets from Lom: Tor Jonsson (1916–1951) and Olav Aukrust (1883–1929). Though their views of rural life were far apart, it held a great influence on them both. Tor Jonsson faced much hardship in his youth and came to be critical of the closely-knit rural society, while Olav Aukrust, a champion of religious and national causes, held a more positive view of rural communities, people and lifestyles. Differences notwithstanding, it is obvious from the titles and form of their poems that both drew inspiration from traditional music. We have set some of their poems to traditional tunes both old and recent, and included a few songs they might have heard at home.
Another dose of Norwegian folk to close out the week (this is "Listen to Norway" #6). Same label as last time (), but with a far more robust lineup of musicians: Camilla Granlien Band features the namesake vocalist flanked by full band, though in this example, "I Hellarskogen", it's a more subdued arrangement of guitar, contrabass and organ. Of the course the main attraction is Camilla's expert vocals and she is marvelous at putting Olav Aukrust's words to a melody of her own creation. Just as naturally, I am drawn to the tune's melancholy qualities which made it stand out among its album-mates. Maybe not the most appropriate selection for what has turned out to be a sunny, spring day, but beautiful Nonetheless. Enjoy!
Firstly, I've got a new item in stock: Undergången - An audio companion to the End-Tymes (CS)
Cassettes are the new black and None are more black than this, a 120-minute compilation of dark sounds compiled by Thomas Ekelund of Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words. Limited to 100 copies, so don't be surprised if they disappear quick.
Second! There are still a few final sleeveless copies of Hello Saferide's "Introducing..." LP available. After that, they are gone forever. Buy now!
Third! Our ongoing CD clearance sale may be winding down and thinning out, but there are still plenty of deals to be had! Please, help me get rid of all these damn CDs!
Fourth, and finally, if you want any chance of your order making it to your house by Christmas, you absolutely have to get it in this week as I will be making my last pre-Xmas trip to the post office on Saturday, December 12. Wait too long and your package might not arrive until New Year's. And then in 2010 I'm shutting down for inventory and renovation, so if you've been considering a purchase, the clock is ticking..
The Kissaway Trail