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Hunt is the new band of Susanna Brandin from Winter Took His Life and "Ashes of a secret heart" is the title track to their debut EP. It's not a huge departure from Susanna's previous project -- we're still very much in slowcore territory -- but the full-band instrumentation allows her to explore much bigger dynamics. This song in particular takes a little while to get going, but when it does, oh does it ache! The pain, loneliness and 2nd guessing is further magnified by Jonas Odhner's (sonores) superbly ethereal production, as he ably captures the final swell of the music as it drifts to its conclusion, a like a wake breaking on the shore. This is beautiful melancholy, as Scandinavia does best.
Hunt - Ashes of a secret heart
Despite the participation of many folks whose music I admire (Jonas Odhner from sonores, Susanna Brandin of Winter Took His Life, etc.) and a beautiful presentation, I just can't connect with Bolywool. It's definitely more of a "it's not you, it's me" sorta thing though as I've never been a fan of the Madchester/baggy sound they emulate and never will, no matter how hard I try. I prefer my shoegaze to be more assertive than fey, y'know? Still, personal preference aside, I fully acknowledge that Bolywool's take on that sound is plenty competent so it's not like I can write them off or say "this sucks" or anything because it so obviously doesn't. Bolywool are a good band making music I don't care about. Maybe you will. That's perfectly okay by me.
Bolywool - Save my soul
The good folks behind Swedish experimental/progressive pop labels Kalligrammofon and Structures sonores have started a podcast and the first episode is up now: http://kssradio.tumblr.com/
The content is in Swedish for now, but they say that episodes in the future might be in English. And the music speaks for itself.
Viktor Sjöberg has just about finalized his new record "Breakfast in America": http://elefanten.blogspot.com/2009/03/writing-it-all-down.html
Lots of great guests, including Jens Lekman (naturally), Jonas Odhner (sonores) and Douglas Holmqvist (Auton, Testbild!).
The esteemed Viktor Sjöberg will be curating four nights at The Loft in San Diego, CA during the month of May and will be presenting a few American artists as well as a performance of his own V. Sjöberg New Jazz Ensemble (ft. local players from UCSD and elsewhere) as well as his friend and sometime bandmate Jens Lekman. Full details: http://elefanten.blogspot.com/2009/03/structures-sonores-presentation.html
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This first album by Swedish trio Auton, "Any where out of the world", had been in the works for several years before it finally got its proper release on Viktor Sjöberg's Structures sonores label. All the time that went into its production really shows in the multi-faceted approach to music that is represented here. The three musicians shift from straight-out jazz to drone to postrock to Satie-like piano moments with such casualness and grace. All the while, tone colors remain uniformly warm and inviting with keyboard instruments and the occasional guitar dominating the picture. It all sounds very analog and "vintage" indeed, and there is even room for some humor along the way (say, a short handclap "solo", for example). Yet, despite its sometimes rampant diversity, the record is unified by countless repeating small melodies for the listener to hold onto. All in all, Auton have used their impressive, yet never overbearing virtuosity to create a dramatic journey through everything that contemporary music could and should be. My Scandinavian record of the year.
- Arnulf Köhncke
Hopefully you've heard of Viktor Sjöberg by now. If not through his involvement with Jens Lekman as a member of his backing band, perhaps you saw this recent feature in Dagens Nyheter? Or maybe you've been following all the praise being heaped on him on behalf of folks such as myself and other corners of the interweb like Digfi and so on. Through it all, let me say this: he deserves it. He's not only a superb musician who excels in every genre, he's also a perfect gentleman and I'm honored to be of his acquaintance.
When I set out on this Gbg Spotlight feature at the beginning of 2008 Viktor was at the top of my list - it was never matter of "if", only "when". And that time is now.
You moved to Gbg for school, right? How long has it been now? Think you'll stick around once you finish your dissertation?
Well, not exactly, I grew up in Pixbo just outside Gothenburg so I have pretty much always been here. I lived down south for little over a year though, which is where I met many of the people that are my closest friends today. Some of them has since then moved to Gothenburg, such as Johan (Gustavsson, aka Tsukimono). I have been living in central Gothenburg since around 2004 and I don't think that I would want to live anywhere else in Sweden, at least not in any other city. I am finishing up school right now (for real this time!) and who knows what the future holds? But I can safely say that if I were to leave Gothenburg I would go to California rather than anywhere else in Sweden or Europe.
What do think is the most charming aspect of Gbg? On the other hand, is there anything about the city you wish you could change?
My mother, my dog and a lot of my dear friends live here. That's fairly charming. I think it has a lot of possibilities and it can certainly be a beautiful place when it wants to be. I could get into a discussion on how right now I think that we probably have more things going on musically than Malmö or Stockholm, but that feels kind of irrelevant. It rains a lot and it's very windy and more than often overcast. These conditions make for creative indoor activities and good friendships.
As far as music goes, you seem to be involved with both the pop and experimental scenes. Is there a lot of crossover between the two? What characteristics do they both share, if any?
I don't what to say, really. I guess there are a few artists that walk this line separating "pop" and "experimental". Personally, I think that this a hard thing to do and I think very few people succeed. Thinking more about it, I find that I generally think it works best when so called "experimental" artists incorporate popular music into their work, rather than the other way around. (If this is done in a non-ironic manner that is.) Pop music with an presumably experimental edge is generally just a bad make-up job and one of the worst things in the world. One big exception that actually lives in Gothenburg is Erik de Vahl, who to me is an excellent pop artist that not only writes beautiful songs, but also is sonically restless. It seems to me that he explores new areas because he needs to, not because he wants to make up for something that isn't there. I have been listening to his unreleased new album for almost a year now and I think it's the best thing he's ever done. I hope he decides to put it out some day.
You always seem to have a ton of amazing projects going on all the time - what are you currently working on now? What about stuff your friends are doing; got any tips on artists I should be paying more attention to?
I am finishing up my follow up album to "On a winter's day", entitled "Breakfast in America". I have been working on it for pretty much two years and it's definitely my most fully realised project so far. It is very much a pop album and it is inspired by the feeling of greatness that pop music can provide you with at certain points in your life. It's about seeing America out of a train window with your oldest childhood friend, catching all those youthful dreams and finding new ones. It's about finding love in people, in the landscape and in the golden sunshine. Basically, loving life.
I am working with my New Jazz Ensemble in different ways, we just did a show as a quartet last week and we are doing another one as a septet this week. After that there'll be a small tour with Malmö popjazztrio Auton. We are playing Copenhagen, Malmö, Gothenburg and Stockholm. I am also putting out their debut album on my label, Structures sonores this week, so there is a lot of work going on with that.
Gothenburg artists that you should check out? Well, I hope you listened to the song "Feeling small" by Johan Gustavsson's Gutted String project. He has another one that is called "Ferry from here" that is also fantastic and I know that he is working on some spectacular things. There's more things going on I guess, but that's the last thing that seriously blew me away. Oh yeah, and I like Madamm. She has the best guitar sound in town.
So do you have a song to share either from yourself or another artist you admire? Tell us about it.
Johan sent me this music while I was in California over the summer. I was sitting at the Escondido Public Library working on a paper when I suddenly got a hold of the library wifi and checked my email. I found this song in my inbox and I began listening to it over and over again. The idea of Johan singing his heart out on the other side of the globe was very appealing, but even more so it was a completely brilliant song. That the key line is dealing with drowning in noise is very fitting in so many ways. I hope to hear more things from Thee/The Gutted String asap.
Thee Gutted String - Feeling small
Check out the video for "Slagskepp" from Malmö-based electronic trio Auton: http://vimeo.com/1827557
The group's new album "Any where out of the world" is out now on Structures sonores.
Structures sonores, the label of IAT.MP3 artist sonores, will be putting out the debut album "Any where out of the world" from Swedish electronic act Auton. The label had originally been planning on releasing a comp of contemporary Swedish music entitled "While we're learning to forget", but has since decided to sideline that as Auton's material is said to be far stronger. Listen to samples: http://www.myspace.com/aut0n
Here's the playlist for this week's radio show:
01. Familjen - Det snurrar i min skalle
02. TALK 1
03. QGMR - Pre-emptive retaliation
04. Theresa Andersson - God's highway (ft. Tobias Fröberg)
05. Mental Overdrive - Europa
06. TALK 2
07. Siena Root - Time will tell
08. Marybell Katastrophy - Lost ship
09. José González - Crosses
10. TALK 3
11. Peter Bjorn and John - Inland empire
12. Kompjotr Eplektrika - Skeleton gong
13. sonores - 16th of June
14. TALK 4
15. Reeperbahn - Havet ligger blankt
16. Joachim Willumsen - Turning 24
17. Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words - Heaven is the notion that all this will end
18. TALK 5
19. Promoe - Det ljusnande FRAmtid
Reminder: My show on Sirius Left of Center (channel 26) airs Sundays at 11pm ET with repeats on Monday at the same time.
I considered saving this one for the weekly Gbg Spotlight, but I figure I might as well run with it. The Greencoats are a psych-pop-rock band featuring members from many, many other notable acts such as Franke, Bolywool and Douglas Heart along with guest appearances from Malin Dahlberg (We Are Soldiers We Have Guns) and Jonas Odhner (sonores), among others, the latter being credited with both percussion and engineering duties (often that's just as important as playing an instrument). Of those acts, Franke is probably the best reference point as they definitely have a lot of the same shambolic rock'n'roll vibe and devil-may-care attitude, though The Greencoats go for a far more retro feel. For instance, check out those excessive drum fills and tell me you don't think of Keith Moon. And that organ tone, too 0- total 60s rock. I dig this.
The Greencoats - Hello!
We Are Soldiers We Have Guns recently recorded a couple cover tunes at the studio of IAT.MP3 artist sonores. One is "Olis", a new song from Björn Kleinhenz (hey, another IAT.MP3 artist!) off his forthcoming album and the second is "Parenthesis" by The Blow. No word yet on when/how they'll surface, but I'll keep you posted. In other news, you can now preview tracks from her forthcoming record "Get up, get out" right here: http://wearesoldierswehaveguns.blogspot.com/
It comes out June 30 via Stereo Test Kit.
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It was Jens Lekman's third time in Berlin and the venues keep getting bigger. When I saw him last, I was somewhat disappointed (which might have been influenced by having to dodge the trombone player's instrument half the evening) but this night clearly made up for it all. With a slightly reformed band including violin, cello, and Viktor Sjöberg (of sonores and other projects) on "sounds and electronics", Jens quickly won over an audience that had previously had their enthusiasm dampened by a Placebo-soundalike opening band. Including the samples in the live-show not only widened the possibilities, but also allowed all musicians to take a dance across the stage during "A sweet summer night..." A truly memorable night was then rounded out with Jens thumb-pianoing charmingly through "A little lost" (see here) and then grinning happily while the audience came "running with their heart on fire." The best nights always end too soon, even if you can watch Erlend Øye dance by himself to Bob Marley's "Waiting in vain"...
- Arnulf Köhncke
The Viktor Sjöberg New Jazz Ensemble (ft. members from IAT.MP3 artists sonores and Tsukimono) will celebrate the release of their new album "Do nothing 'til you hear from me" (iDEAL) on February 9 with a show at Hagateatern in Göteborg. Support will come from Variam and Arco.
Auton
Jens Lekman
