My mind is on vacation, so I'm letting contributor Lars Garvey handle today's mp3 post:
With "Narcissus can wait", Cut City came fully into their own, exceeding even my highest expectations and demonstrating a breadth of expression and talent so often lacking in contemporary post-/art-punk outfits. There were numerous intimations of this level of songwriting throughout their career, most notably "Just pornography (for M.E.)" off their debut full-length "Exit decades" and the anthemic "Replacement" from their split 7" with Cat Party, but the craftsmanship on "Narcissus can wait" revealed a maturity and confidence that placed Cut City decisively in a class of their own. With "The sound and the sore", Cut City continue their upward ascent. The song crackles with all the vigor we've come to expect from the band, brimming with the cautiously optimistic energy of a track like New Order's "Ceremony". Starting strong, the composition builds brilliantly to its massive, stratified close -- the final moments of the track are phenomenal, eclipsing most of what I've heard this year. Unsurprisingly, "The sound and the sore" has quickly become one of my favorite Cut City tracks, and, like much of their catalogue, it continues to grow on me a little more with each listen. While I am delighted the band had yet another gear to move into, the fact that the upcoming album "Where's the harm in dreams disarmed" is set to be Cut City's final offering is now rendered that much more heartbreaking. At least their swan song is set to be something amazing.
I kind of hate the studio version of this song, even moreso having seen the above. Multi-tracked vocals and shitty machine percussion set for drum'n'bass circa 10 years ago are not befitting an artist such as Susanne Sundfør; she requires no such adornment and the more you layer on, the more it takes away. I especially detest the way the lines "You make me bleed / You make me breathe" are twisted into some sort of neo-R&B melisma harmony, even worse that they drop the floor from beneath her at that most crucial, cringeworthy moment. "The brothel", the title track of her latest album, is still the best song of 2010, but here you will see why I can't recommend it as a whole -- "It's all gone tomorrow" remains a terrific song at its core, but its production problems are emblematic of the record's shortcomings.
Beautifully simple; simply beautiful. Everything a folk duo should be, though not all can claim such eloquence. Pettersson & Fredriksson are the pairing of nyckelharpist Daniel Pettersson and mandola player Daniel Fredriksson of Umeå, Sweden where they have played together since high school and "Sotali" is their 3rd album and my first introduction to the group. I don't spend much (any) time chasing down new folk music on my own despite my interest, so I'm always grateful when something this good drops in my lap and of course, am more than happy to share alike. I've spent a good deal of time listening to hardanger fiddle music this past year or so, but I must say that the buzzing of the nyckelharpa is more pleasing to my ears, 2nd only to the hurdy gurdy, to which is more closely related. The resonating effect of the sympathetic strings aptly fills the soundspace, likewise the double-strings of the mandola, so that the two are more than enough instrumentation on their own. Listen to "Brand", the first song on the album, and pay attention to the way they maintain space, consistently shifting and stepping aside to let small parts shine through. The track builds significantly as it progresses too, but they always hold back just enough so that it never gets overwhelming. Like I said, it all sounds so simple, so easy, but it is anything but. Listen to the rest of the album (or order a copy for yourself) at BandCamp: http://petfred.bandcamp.com/
Night Minutes is the new project of the always-charming Max J Hansson of the soon-to-be-departed Cut City in which he collaborates with Ms. Anna Knutsson of the likewise-great/still-going-strong We Live in Trenches (who still need to send me mp3s of the album btw). While it is surely a shame that CC is going under, the prospect of Max playing in a far more actively active band is far more exciting. You see, Max lives in Göteborg and the rest of those dudes live down in Malmö... it's not that far, but far enough to cause complications. With Night Minutes there are no such issues, just quality JAMC-inspired jangle noise. The Raveonettes are an obvious point of comparison too, though Night Minutes' fuzzy sheen is more trve lo-fi in comparison to the Dane's well-manicured gloss. Anyhow, "Sweetheart of the funeral" is my favorite of the three songs off their forthcoming self-titled debut EP, due out soon via offshoot -- heavy on the girl group vibe, but not overselling it. The female/male vocal tradeoffs in combination with the cheap and raw organ tones make for quality noisepop, that's really all there is to it. It's easy to like and I'm immediately smitten.
Kaka's self-titled debut album from a couple years ago was a bit of a sleeper. A few really great tracks (such as "The hotspurs"), but it never seemed to get much traction. That is to say, I enjoyed it, but it lacked the stickiness I really need in my pop music. Not to mention, an atrocious name. C'mon... Kaka? Talk about hamstringing yourself from the get-go, might as well burn a few wads of cash while you're at it. Anyhow, the new single "Below this sun" is good, maybe even a little bit great, but like my wife just said to me, "this sounds really fun, but I can't recommend them to anyone." I've played it on my radio show a few times even though I'm loathe to announce it out loud and now I guess I'm recommending it you, here in print, despite my foolish trepidation. Once you get past the awful, awful name, there's actually a lot to like.
"Oh, vilken härlig dag!" Yes indeed it is a beautiful day, too bad I'm stuck inside working. Working far harder than a person ought to work during summer too, hence the lack of creative posts from me these recent weeks. Physically here, yet mentally gone, trying my best to embrace our small window of sunshine up here in the PacNW.
Not that it needs to be reiterated, but Norway's been ruling the scene when it comes to filthy metal/punk. Darkthrone, Obliteration, Okkultokrati, Haust... all top-notch acts. See also: Waklevören. I'm making a mix, it'll be posted this weekend and it'll include this track.
Though I am inherently drawn to the dark, dingy and the dystopian, that's not my whole musical diet. Such monochromatic listening habits wouldn't just drive me crazy, they'd probably also turn my wife murderous way before I'd reach the point of no return. Which is why the dichotomy of having someone like Haleiwa (nee Mikko Singh) in my library is crucial -- his overwhelmingly posi vibes are a refreshing break from my usual rotation of ugly Norwegian punk/metal and Swedish death metal reissues. I know it might seem a stretch to imagine someone being so blissfully happy as to name an album "Pure vida dude" and mean it 100% sans irony (not to mention, songs such as "Two dolphins came by to say 'hello!'"), but having met Mikko in person, I can assure you: it is true. He is exactly the person his music would lead you to believe and I love him for it. Yes, it does veer dangerously close to dippy hippie territory, but there's nothing lame about loving the world/loving life. Especially when there are many days I can't. Yes, I do enjoy the exploration of its darker recesses, but I also need to come up for air sometimes and tracks like "Vibraandaman" help me get there. Simple and beautiful, like many of the little things in life, and meant to be cherished.
I'm becoming increasingly obsessed with seeking out dystopian themes in music, and while that's usually the province of punk/hardcore/metal, it's not as if they have a monopoly. For example, Supersci's new single "Snap out of it" takes on the subject with a slightly more optimistic bent, kicking things off with a folksy polska intro. Now I'm normally not all that into Swedish hip-hop in English since it's almost all garbage, but Supersci rises above with smarts and talent. Rapping about mortgages might seem like lamest thing ever on paper, but shit is serious and while I don't know how pervasive the burst housing bubble is abroad, it's an epidemic over here. I'm doing fine (thanks for asking), but foreclosures are bringing things down all around me. As for rallying against corporate infotainment, that's nothing new, but no less vital. The world is going down the drain, believe it -- now what are you going to do about it?
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.
Kinda weird to see Bob Lefsetz hyped about these guys, but hey, this track is way hot, so hot that apparently David Guetta straight ripped it off. As for me, I'm more into the instrumental take than the video version with Pharrell's vocals since I think the hook is strong enough to stand as an instrumental. Guess the big name recognition can't hurt though, so good for them if they can capitalize on it.
Enforcer wisely ditched the kitsch and the cracker-jack clothes for their sophomore album "Diamonds", a fine example of classic quality Heavy Metal done right. Which is not to say they excised all of the corny glamness, but the bit that remains is played for fun, not ironic laughs. When I first came across these dudes I was worried they were less than full devotees, however, the more I listen, the more I'm convinced that they're doing it right. They'll never regress to blue-collar denim-clad street toughs and you can still pick out copycat riffs all over the place, but I doubt they care -- they're definitely going for a Tokyo Blade kind of thing, complete with Japanese fascination as evidenced by songs like "Running in menace" (chorus: "See you in Tokyo / Out in the city") and today's mp3 pick, "Katana". This is the centerpiece of the album for me; not only is it the longest, most epic track, it's also way catchy and features a ton of great guitar breaks during the long instrumental mid-section. Great backing vocals too, a definite plus and an under-utilized genre hallmark. It's not quite cool enough to recommend shelling out for the lame picture disc on , but should you come across the UK version on white from for a decent price, I say jump on it. Picture discs are lame anyhow, classic metal like this is not. Do not mix.
Not just the best death metal release of 2009, it was also 2009's Oslo Award-winning album of year, and now it is finally available on vinyl courtesy of . A small stack of them just showed up on my doorstep so now I can offer them to you for the not-quite-a-bargain price of $24 plus s/h. If you think that sounds rough, well, that's far below what new vinyl from Norway usually costs with shipping and let me assure you, this modern classic is well worth it! 500 copies, awesome matte sleeve plus a bonus 7" featuring two exclusive cuts not available anywhere else: "Dawn of the deluge" b/w "Dead by dawn" (Dr. Shrinker)
Want one? Email mailorder@itsatrap.com. Recommended for all fans of dirty, ugly death metal.
Summer heat getting you down? For audial escapism, it's hard to beat music performed on instruments constructed from solid hunks of ice. That's composer/percussionist Terje Isungset's specialty and the result of his work truly is just as strangely cold and beautiful as you'd expect. Watch the short doc posted above and then listen to "Contemplation", off his 2008 album "Ice concerts".
I'm not the only one to loseinterest in black metal -- genre pioneers Ulver abandoned the genre completely once completing their monumental 3-album trilogy. Which is not to say they abandoned the dark arts completely; in fact, I'd say that some of their post-BM work is ever more black and twisted than "Nattens madrigal". It goes to show that even if you stray, there will still be lines drawing you back, though the news that Ulver mainman Kristoffer "Garm" Rygg's label was releasing a "pure" BM album by the band Nidingr still came to me as a surprise. Naturally, I was immensely curious -- though not all of Jester's releases appeal to me, they are always interesting and I knew I had to hear what was so exciting as to inspire such a return. Amazingly, for a label that prides itself on releasing left-field/avant music, Nidingr's "Wolf-Father" is straight-up orthodox: lots of blasting drums (courtesy of Hellhammer), tremolo picking and cold, dissonant riffs. There are a few standout points of interest though, and that's what makes it an exceptional release. First, the recording. On one hand, it's really flat and digital sounding and, to be frank, the drums are lame and unnatural/heavily triggered, but it's also all very in-your-face, especially the vocals. Also, the cleanliness augments the fact that it's a (mostly) unembellished recording, untainted by excessive and unnecessary overdubs. You can even hear the bass! Furthermore, so much BM is marred by ye standard issue reverb-drenched shrieking, but not here: Nidingr is all about raging screams placed front and center in the mix. Which brings me to my second standout point: the lyrics. Not that I could ever understand Enslaved's old Norse lyrics on their (superb) early albums, but I knew what they were about and I knew it was awesome; Nidingr mines those same Viking legends, but they disseminate it in English and they do it with unbridled fury. Taken as a whole, it's almost enough to get me excited about black metal again. Almost, I say, because I doubt anything else will match it anytime soon.
