Pitchfork reviews Siinai/Moonface collab
Pitchfork reviews the Siinai/Moonface collaboration "Heartbreaking bravery": http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/16495-moonface-with-siinai-heartbreaking-bravery/
Tag: Reviews
Pitchfork reviews 120 Days
Pitchfork reviews 120 Days new album "II": http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/16492-120-days-ii/
The Silent Ballet names EST band of the week
The Silent Ballet names Esbjörn Svensson Trio's posthumous album "301" as their release of the week: http://thesilentballet.com/articles/band-of-the-week/2012/esbj-rn-svensson-trio-301
I happened to be in Stockholm when Esbjörn Svensson passed away, so I vividly remember seeing the newspaper headlines all over town. Such a magnificent artist; shame I never made the effort to see them live, but his music will live on.
PopMatters reviews Mirel Wagner
PopMatters recommends Finnish artist Mirel Wagner, calls her an "old soul": http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/156551-mirel-wagner-mirel-wagner/
The Silent Ballet reviews Musette
The Silent Ballet recommends the new Musette album "Drape me in velvet", out now via : http://thesilentballet.com/reviews/2012/04/musette-drape-me-in-velvet
PopMatters reviews WhoMadeWho, 120 Days
PopMatters has new reviews up today of both WhoMadeWho's latest record "Brighter" and the sophomore full-length from 120 Days, giving them each marks in the mediocre range.
Susanne Sundfør
The silicone veil
EMI
"The silicone veil" is a lesson in contradictions -- it's a far warmer record than Susanne Sundfør's previous release "The brothel", but it's also far more electronic and synth-heavy. Likewise, it's more direct and approachable while also somehow remaining far more abstract and densely composed than anything she's done before, both lyrically and musically. The Joni Mitchell comparisons which were apt for her self-titled debut circa 2007 have been completely stripped away and what now remains is a performer that is uniquely her own self, standing alone among erstwhile peers. As always, the focal point remains her voice, and on this album she allows it to boldly soar through obtuse chord changes, rarely opting to take the route most easily travelled. It can be a daunting listen for the casual pop music fan or anyone else hoping for a friendly singalong, but at the same time, those challenges are a crucial part of what makes her so compelling. One never gets the impression that she is over-complicating things for its own sake either, rather the songs always flow effortlessly from one movement to the next and there's never a moment where a single note feels extraneous or out of place. Her compositions are a direct reflection of the complex notions she conveys and I couldn't imagine it coming out any other way. And besides, the moments I struggle to wrap my head around are precisely what keep me coming back for repeated listens -- even when I feel like I can't fully grasp the big picture, the music still affects me deeply at a raw, emotional level. That's how I know Susanne Sundfør is a truly great artist and her new album is a brilliant piece of work. This is the new benchmark.
- Avi Roig
Avant-garde Metal reviews Beastmilk
Avant-garde Metal gives a short rundown of the new Beastmilk EP "Use your deluge": http://avantgarde-metal.com/content/beyond2.php?id=178
Personally, I think the record is killer and will likely be grabbing a copy in the not-so-distant future.
Bobby Sant
It's just a lonely feeling
Sakuntala Records
Please. Shoot. Me. Having spent my college years surrounded by enough quirky which-way Chapel Hill singer/songwriter folk talent, label , solo artists from The Decemberists, Lambchop, Bonnie Prince Billy to Mirah, I think I've gathered a pretty good knack for who's got it. And who doesn't. Bobby Sant doesn't. He's got a folk singer's voice, I can even hear the cigarette-lungs rasping in-between each line, but one of his many problems is that he's trying so hard to fill someone else's shoes. He sings in a kinda forced, deranged way that makes me wanna gauge my ears out. Secondly, he's a terrible songwriter. The lyrics, for one, are regurgitating cliches and run down the river, line-after-line of uninspired unoriginality. Bob Dylan or Townes Van Sant does not count for inspiration -- titling two songs, "Like a leaf in the wind" and "Stuck on Townes" ain't helping. By uninspired, I mean inauthentic. I don't hear in-between the lines tortured railroad tracks or years of hard-earned cash livin', slavery on the row, and etc.; I hear a regular guy, probably a regular nice guy at that. But lesser singer songwriters have managed to find poetry in driving to the grocery store, finding brilliance in turning a chance or fleeting encounter into a beautiful and gripping tale. Bobby Sant is trying too hard to tell someone else's tale, or he might be trying to tell his own tale, in a skin he looks slightly ridiculous in. Just the way he enunciates certain syllables really rubs me the wrong way, like in track "Rainbow people". I start to get the feeling it could very well be a language barrier or misconception of the radical nature of the blues artists he intends to emulate. I really think he, and any ol' blue revivalist, oughta look deep within themselves and try to invent something new with the tools these forefathers have assiduously sweated and bled over; I am positive Mr. Dylan never had in mind to have so many geezers steal and disseminate so many washed-up versions of being a fucking rolling stone, drifting by, or another fucking song about California -- "It's just a lonely feeling" simply gives the blues a bad name.
- Ann Sung-an Lee
The Silent Ballet reviews Motorpsycho
The Silent Ballet weighs in on the new Motorpsycho album "The death defying unicorn": http://thesilentballet.com/reviews/2012/03/motorpsycho-and-st-le-storl-kken-the-death-defying-unicorn
Free Jazz recommends Skogen
The Free Jazz blog highly recommends the new album "Ist gefallen in den schnee" from Swedish/international minimalist jazz act Skogen: http://freejazz-stef.blogspot.com/2012/03/skogen-ist-gefallen-in-den-schnee.html
Pitchfork reviews Mirel Wagner
Pitchfork rightly praises the US release of Mirel Wagner's excellent self-titled album: http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/16427-mirel-wagner/
PopMatters reviews Choir of Young Believers
PopMatters reviews the new Choir of Young Believers album "Rhine gold": http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/156133-choir-of-young-believers-rhine-gold/
Casablanca
Apocalyptic youth
Rocket Songs
I'm not a big fan of supergroups; throwing a bunch of celebrities in a room usually results in extreme hype and ambiguous substance. Half-formulated or compromising in studio = lacklustre songs. Such is not necessarily the case with latest addition Casablanca, featuring Alice Cooper's guitarist Ryan Roxie, Erik Stenemo from Melody Club, Swedish football star Mat Rubarth, Josephine Forsman from Sahara Hotnights on drums, and Anders Ljung from Space Age Baby Jane on vocals. It's the kinda Guns'n'Roses-cum-Journey revival Swedes adore, thrown in a typical 80's epic love battle between hair product and tight jeans brand. The album art directly mimics The Warriors, in that New York 80's spray-painted "Apocalyptic Youth" type. The music's less raw then Alice Cooper or Thin Lizzy that's for sure, and a bit more predictable like Whitesnake or Rod Stewart. If you're into that sort of thing, it'll probably get yr head nodding. The title track's got a formulaic radio rock feel, while fast-paced next track and sugary chorus-friendly "Downtown" echoes a path the Hotnights were once on. The album's production hums big, fat and Eighties, and Josephine's solid, tasteful rock drumming shines brightly, serving as a strong backbone. They definitely show some experienced songwriting; "The juggler" is a smart, feel-good tune. But in general, the cheesy bandana-riffing and melodramatically sung verses such as on "Love and desperation" are a bit overly harry for me. I mean it kicks off with, "HUSH, NOW, THUNDERCHILD", and by track 9, "Last of the Rockstars", I'm experiencing déjà vu. Get the picture? But hey, I ain't gunna rag on something some people, especially in the backwoods country, might clearly enjoy.
- Ann Sung-an Lee
Clubnight show review
Festivalrykten has a review of Friday's Clubnight show with Vånna Inget, Gamla Pengar and EL-SD: http://www.festivalrykten.se/vanna-inget-pa-hemmaplan/ (in Swedish)