Pitchfork weighs in on Little Dragon's new album "Ritual union": http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/15672-ritual-union/
Also at Pfork, Robyn covering Coldplay: http://pitchfork.com/news/43318-listen-robyn-covers-coldplay/
Dusted reviews Little Dragon's latest: http://dustedmagazine.com/reviews/6575
Under the Radar reviews the new Little Dragon album "Ritual union": http://www.undertheradarmag.com/reviews/ritual_union/
OakThis down-tempo post-metal lark is really getting tired now. Mention of a new band in the genre always sparks a bit of interest in the hope that someone is going to bring something new and exciting to the table. That rarely happens, however, and the story is no different with Sweden's Oak. The four tracks on offer here are melodic, overdriven and ponderous with so little in the way of vocals that it could almost be classified as instrumental. Musically, it's well executed; creatively, it's not great at all. It's like Isis without the ingenuity, Switchblade without the dirt, and Red Sparowes without the atmosphere. In that respect, Oak find themselves well behind the times and, if they endeavour to make a mark in the scene, really need to rethink their strategy before releasing future material.
- John Norby
Kopfer KatThe label calls this "noise-driven club music" and that's the most accurate and succinct description there is of the twisted minds of Göteborg duo Michael Andresen and Jimmy Andersson. As a debut album, "Skrammelpop" is a double-edged sword. On a positive note it demonstrates the Kat's uncompromising attitude toward sonic oblivion. On the other hand, an album full of this material highlights the shortcomings of the style that's not otherwise evident on singles, EPs or remixes. These failings fall largely under the umbrella of variety -- or lack thereof -- throughout the recording. Yes, the style is known and loved for its repetition but, with almost three quarters of an hour of the same heavily distorted drum rhythms, "Skrammelpop" can become a bit wearisome. Its redeeming qualities are to be found in the nuances of the recordings; from the underlying samples through to the controlled-yet-seemingly-erratic beats, it's a lot more complex and organized than the untrained ear might imagine. This is industrial club noise for the clinically insane. And they'll love it! Most of the rest of the population won't give this a second thought.
- John Norby
Dusted ponders the new Biosphere album "N-plants", weighing its thematic significance against current events: http://dustedmagazine.com/reviews/6562
PopMatters gets in on the Iceage hype train in their review of "New brigade": http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/144663-iceage-new-brigade/
HuntThis debut EP by Susanna Brandin (aka Winter Took His Life) is essentially an extension of the Swede's solo output, but with a full band behind her, a move that has allowed Brandin's expression to breathe and expand beyond the confines of her work as Winter Took His Life. While "Ashes of a secret heart" adheres to Brandin's fundamental sound -- that of melancholy -- the addition of a postrock overtone and a sublime production courtesy of Jonas Odhner serves to elevate the music and bring out the true potential of Brandin's talent. She has already proven herself as a solo artist and anyone who liked her material back then will undoubtedly fall in love with the atmosphere created on "Ashes of a sacred heart". With the right moves, this Göteborg six piece could find themselves becoming part of the global musical picture in the near future.
- John Norby
Pitchfork gives high marks to the new Biosphere album "N-plants": http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/15626-n-plants/
They also posted admiringly about a tune from Swedish act I Break Horses: http://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/12257-hearts/
Under the Radar reviews Finnish 90's-style pop revivalists Shine 2009: http://www.undertheradarmag.com/reviews/realism/
Pitchfork reviews the new Vladislav Delay Quartet album "Debut": http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/15561-debut/
More or less as expected, Iceage gets declared "Best New Music" at Pitchfork today with the release of their album "New brigade": http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/15576-new-brigade/
Pitchfork reviews the new soundtrack album "The miners' hymn" from Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson: http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/15578-the-miners-hymns/
Also reviewed, the new Diskjokke record "Sagara": http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/15584-sagara/
Zero IllusionsPredictable! Within two seconds -- literally -- of the bass intro kicking off on this album I can tell exactly how the riff's going to develop. Hoping for a pleasant surprise, however, is short-lived. The riff does, indeed, pan out exactly as I had imagined; as does the entire song. Not a good start. By third track, "Who you are", this has become a cringeworthy affair, not only because of having to endure a poor attempt at some sort of Zakk Wylde in-rhythm pinching, but also due to what can best be described as a collection of schoolboy riffs. "Honesty" almost redeems itself with a decent chorus reminiscent of something on Anthrax's "The sound of white noise", but the remainder of the song is entirely forgettable. Guys, I'm really sorry, but this isn't doing it for me at all. As you say in the song "Get out", I've tried to understand. And in all the metal that I have reviewed this year alone, within every subgenre under the sun, this is down there with the worst of them. It's not for the lack of effort, I'm sure, but if one positive thing is to be taken from this it's that there's obvious potential here. Closer "Enemy within" is actually well done and easily the best on the album. Too little too late this time, but it's more attention to detail and composition in the future that could find Zero Illusions release something noteworthy.
- John Norby
Pitchfork reviews the new Ungdomskulen pseudo-novelty project "Gimme ten": http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/15554-gimme-ten/
Also at Pfork today, an "Guest List" interview with Icelandic artist Jóhann Jóhannsson: http://pitchfork.com/features/guest-lists/7985-johann-johannsson/
