Top 10s for 2008: It's a Trap! (albums)

Danish electronic artist Rumpistol is doing a batch of live dates this fall:

11/21 - inSpiral Café, London (UK)
11/21 - Café Oto, London (UK)
11/22 - Luminopolis, London (UK)
11/30 - Golden Pudel, Hamburg (GER) w/Snöleoparden
12/06 - Dense Recordshop, Berlin (GER)
12/07 - Berghain Cantine, Berlin (GER) w/Bjørn Svin & Sofus Forsberg

MP3: Svartbag - Black Capricorn

As I'm sure regular readers are aware by now, I absolutely love music when it's soaked in ominous dread. Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words, Ondo and Raison d'Être are three artists that come to mind when I consider the niche and now I can add the Danes Svartbag to the list. The Rump label has put out a bunch of interesting electronica - Badun, Karsten Pflum, Snöleoparden, etc - but Svartbag's self-titled debut is by far the best of the bunch. Opener "Black Capricorn" is all slow-creeping darkness, the kind of stuff that backs you in a corner before consuming you completely. That the track is so obviously guitar-based is kinda surprising too, especially since so much of this stuff seems to traffic in sounds so heavily processed they end up resembling vague dark shapes. The low-end buzz grumbles and moans as the drums endlessly cycle and taunt, all gradually building and eventually rumbling to a stop like a freight train. Call it dark-ambient, evil shoegaze, whatever you want, it's all good, I just know I like it a lot. Be aware, it's a mighty big download (15mb), but man oh man, is it worth it.

Svartbag - Black Capricorn

MP3: Snöleoparden - Nr. 1

Snöleoparden likes the xylophone. It appears on many tracks on his self-titled debut and is even claimed as the title for one of the pieces. Wood, metal, maybe even plastic- all forms are put into play. At first I wasn't into it at all and wrote him off as an amateur Alog wannabe (no pun intended), but further listens have proven to be far more rewarding. The utilization of instruments typically associated with children's music is supposed to evoke feelings of naive wonderment, though unfortunately that doesn't always sit well with me and my often sour mood, so it's no surprise that such feelings often turn to annoyance in my world. However, when it does work, it works well, especially when Snöleoparden is able to latch onto a simple melody or repetitive rhythm. "Nr. 1" stumbles a bit in a wonky sort of way, but the more it gets tweaked out towards the end, the more interesting it is. I'm not completely wowed, but the live first-take feel is not without its charms. The spirit of playfulness is something I most certainly can endorse.

Snöleoparden - Nr. 1

Here's the playlist for this week's radio show:

01. Franke - Jag älskar dig
02. TALK 1
03. White Knives - Welcome transplants
04. Bobby and Blumm - Drow a bow
05. Anna Leong - Guillotine
06. TALK 2
07. Juvelen - Don't mess
08. Eucharist - The Eucharist
09. Sophie Rimheden - Go away (ft. Aaron Phiri)
10. TALK 3
11. Form One - Money (ft. Vincent)
12. Tape - Augustan chateau
13. Moneybrother - They're building walls around us
14. TALK 4
15. Lapko - Killer whales
16. The State of Floral Beings - Bad broker
17. Opération Zéro - Grand Pere
18. TALK 5
19. Pistol Disco - Beat of the tune
20. Kusowsky - Jonny
21. Motorhomes - Into the night
22. TALK 6
23. They Live By Night - Endless summer
24. Cleaning Women - Clean up your body
25. Kaka - What a frame
26. Gorgoroth - Krig
27. TALK 7
28. Markus Krunegård - Samma nätter väntar alla
29. Snöleoparden - Waterpuppet theatre
30. Oskar Schönning - Stoner
31. TALK 8
32. Tellu - Tuulet
33. Convoj - Cultural legacy
34. Lukestar - White shade
35. Silver - The personal decay
36. TALK 9
37. Brick - Labrador
38. Callisto - Anastasis
39. Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words - When she's GONE
40. TALK 10
41. Magyar Posse - Singlesparks are spectral fires

The Silent Ballet reviews Danish experimental act Snöleoparden: https://thesilentballet.com/dnn/Home/tabid/36/ctl/Details/mid/384/ItemID/1212/Default.aspx

Check out the video for "Xylofon" from Danish experimental artist Snöleoparden: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lQIC44kEyY

Rump Recordings has confirmed that they will release Snöleoparden's self-titled debut album on March 3, their first non-electronic artist. I've only given it a cursory listen so far, but I think it would appeal to fans of Alog or maybe even Detektivbyrån. Hear samples: https://www.myspace.com/snleoparden