Tag: Mp3s
I was charmed instantly by the High Hats when I first heard "Bitterswede", but their new free EP release "The Montpellier Sessions" seals the deal. They might not be from Göteborg proper, but they embody everything about that classic sound that I've come to love; a perfect balance of snotty punk and charming indiepop with an energy level that puts them on the edge of disaster. Even a false start can't destroy the greatness of "The end", in fact it might even make it better. And those gloriously out-of-tune vocals? It wouldn't be the same without 'em. The la-la-las seal the deal. There's a lot of people out there putting music up for free download, but it is incredibly rare that it's as good as this (unless you get it from me). Very recommended!
High Hats - The end
From Closer to The Bright Oak to... Dyno? From progressive hardrock to... dance music? "Deliverance is essentially a reworking of Bright Oak's "The undertow" with sharper rhythm and more emotional distance. It's still a good song with a strong, uplifting chorus, but I have to admit that I much prefer the original. Live drumming and a slightly more relaxed tempo give the song room to breath and the original lyrics on the chorus flow far better than the yeah yeah yeahs put in their place. However, despite my initial bum-out, I'm giving these guys time. It's just that it's incredibly hard for me to not compare them to past bands, especially when they come so closely on the heels of one another. Hold it together, wait and see what happens.
Dyno - Deliverance
By now, Susanna's modus operandi is tried and true: take a semi-well-known song, slow it down and make it as languid as possible and hopefully, assuming it all works out as planned, reveal some sort of hidden beauty. Witness her cover of Thin Lizzy's "Jailbreak", together with Bonnie "Prince" Billy (aka Will Oldham). The formula remains the same, but does it pass the test? Yes and no, I'd say. The novelty factor is strong as the original is quite a rocker, but at the same time, a good song remains a good song no matter how it's played. So while I don't think they manage to tap into some unintended dynamic, the piece stands up to repeated listens just fine. It's far more pretty than goofy. And best of all: no irony whatsoever, thank god. Now as for outdoing the original, that would be a negatory. Don't be surprised.
Susanna - Jailbreak
Look ahead, look behind. Kristofer Åström's "Rainawaytown" easily topped last year's top 10 list and he's been in the studio working on a follow-up and I wouldn't be surprised if it ended up on my best of 2009 list. Long-range thinking, I know, but I stand by it. As to what this new record will sound like, I can't speculate, but I know he's working with the Rainaways again as a backing band, so it probably won't differ too much. I just hope that Kristofer is in a happier place nowadays because "Rainawaytown" is dark dark dark. Even seemingly upbeat songs like "Conjure me" are imbued with sadness, to say nothing of tracks such as "The dark" (obviously). So Kris, if you need to get away, you're more than welcome to come here and chill out. I'll fix up the guest room in the attic, though it might take the dogs a few days to adjust. We've got some of the same overcast gloom here in Oly as in Göteborg, but it doesn't get quite as cold and the pace of life is much, much slower. And hey, if you don't need it, all the better. I'm sure our paths will cross again soon, one way or another.
Kristofer Åström - Conjure me
December is the season of sharing, so with that in mind, I'm letting Simon Tagestam handle today's mp3 post:
About 10 years ago, the first 45 seconds of "Begär" would have had me going through the roof with excitement, but now it mostly makes me a bit confused - how can someone in 2008 from Sweden make a song with that intro (combined with the rest of the song)? Obviously they've heard Bruce Springsteen, Moneybrother and Håkan Hellström, but is there any chance that they somehow missed all the watered down version of aforementioned artists that were doing the rounds about 4-5 years ago? It's not a bad song as such, it's quite catchy and it's sweet and short, but it is so extremely clichéd that it almost comes across as an ironic statement from someone taking the piss out of this particular genre. I bet a few of the kids will go crazy for this, especially if Boris och the Jeltsins can back it up with a great live show. It should also be noted that I'm not a guy who looks for originality when it comes to music. I'm a fan of lot of artists who sound like someone who sound like someone else, but whereas certain songs wear their influences on their sleeves "Begär" cuts off my ears with them (thus making me feel alienated and sad).
Boris och the Jeltsins - Begär
As usual, Transubstans delivers the goods. No one in Sweden does hardrock better, maybe not anywhere. Now I might not love absolutely everything they put out, but more often than not, it hits the spot. Magnolia is a rare exception in that I don't hate it (Transubstans does put out a few wacky discs I can't hang with at all), but I don't love it either. I guess I'm just not into the Cream power-trio thing as they interpret it -- too much bluesy jamming, not enough balls-out rock'n'roll. I dig the slow swing on "Tag dig själv i kragen", but it doesn't move me like Siena Root or Graveyard. The sweet B3 solo can't even win me over, that's how cold I am. But, like I said, it's not bad, it's just a bit disappointing because I was fully expecting to love it. Color me bummed.
Magnolia - Tag dig själv i kragen
More 90s indie nostalgia? Sure, why not! Norway's Simon Says No! doesn't really mine the same territory as say, Sad Day for Puppets -- they've got more in common with bands like Culkin or maybe Giant Boar, 'cept that's not right either. Simon Says No! is more muscular, heavier. I'm actually reminded a lot of fellow Norwegian act Cadillac who evoked similar 90s alt-rock feelings with a bit more of a detached stoner vibe. There might be a little Motorpsycho and 120 Days in there too, however the one band that's the strongest touchstone for me would have to be Chavez. Especially on tracks like "Shiver", with its big, beefy riffs and that continually buzzing part persisting throughout. It's a good formula, even if the song itself loses its luster once you get past the immediacy of the big guitars. Too many starts and stops, not enough memorable melodies to latch onto. Still, as demo bands go, I can't complain. There's potential.
Simon Says No! - Shiver
One thing I neglected to mention in my previous Brainbombs post is that despite my grievous misgivings, I actually really do like them, though I'm not so sure I'd go so far as to say I "enjoy" them. The band's new album "Fucking mess" is exactly that: a shambling wreck of what most people construe to be "music". At the same time, it's also absolutely mesmerizing. I'm disgusted with myself for listening to something with so few redeemable qualities, yet that's exactly what makes it what it is. It's vile, violent, deranged and positively disgusting. It's also incredibly lurid and fascinating, nothing but intense bad vibes and a constant threat of danger. Are the people behind songs like "Stalker" really as sick as they sound? Or is it a put-on? How can endless atonal loping and trumpet bleats like shit-stains be so compelling? I'm not sure, but I can't stop listening.
Brainbombs - Stalker
90s-style guitar-based indierock never fully went away, but I think we're finally ready for a proper resurgence. Hopefully all the retarded "rockism" talk has faded to the background enough for folks with loud guitars to emerge unashamed. And why should they be? I like rock music; rock music is good. I like plenty of other music too, but it's hard to compete with the classic distorted tones coming out of a cranked-up amplifier. It's not just a silly masculine thing either, just listen to Sad Day for Puppets or think back to all the other exceptions. It speaks to the hardcore/punk roots of indierock -- level the field, anyone can (and should) play. "Mother's tears" obviously hearkens to the blueprint set by My Bloody Valentine and The Jesus and Mary Chain with even a bit of The Sundays tossed in for good measure, but they succeed with more than retro rehash. Yes, it strongly evokes the giants of bygone, but it sounds fresh in their hands. Digging deeper into the album "Unknown colors" offers even more variety and surprises, reminding me how much I love this stuff. I want MORE.
Sad Day For Puppets - Mother's tears
A Gilbert Play's new album "lay-by" is unassuming to the point of near-invisibility. I swear I must've listened to the disc 5 or 6 times looking for a standout track to post with no luck. Which is not to say it's no good, it's more that it's emotionally flat, content to hover in the realm of quiet and mysterious without ever sticking its head above the surface. The band hasn't progressed too much from their previous release -- they're still mining the same 90s-era postrock textures ala Tortoise, mixing jazz, electronics and other elements into a mish-mash of sound. "All together now" only has a touch of the playfulness they sometimes exhibit; instead, it's more of a furrowed-brow work requiring a steady hand and pulse. Flickers of sunshine come up here and there, but they mostly keep it on the serious tip, heads down, no eye contact, floating onwards. There's an intricacy to the arrangement, but you gotta strain to hear it. Listen casually and it'll float on by.
A Gilbert Play - All together now
Pop-punk is the music of my adolescence. Growing up in the East Bay meant that the shadow of Lookout! Records hung heavy: Green Day, Mr. T Experience, Screeching Weasel, yadda yadda -- I was way deep into that stuff when I was 15/16. It's quite fitting then that a band like Epidemics out of Umeå have a song called "Never grow up" because to my ears, this is the music of youth and willful naivety. Naturally, it all goes back to the Ramones, whose semi-ironic bonehead stance personified/s the genre. Epidemics don't really do much to tinker with convention, but that's fine. Strong vocal harmonies and charming single-note guitar melodies seem like a bit of a lost art these days, so I'm glad to hear it done well. I'm sure 4th-rate pop-punk acts are still a plague, but since I don't play in that scene anymore, I'm blissfully insulated from hearing them. If there's more bands like Epidemics out there though, I'm all about it. It makes me feel like a kid again.
Epidemics - Never grow up
After a couple failed interview attempts with artists who shall go unnamed, our Göteborg Spotlight Series is back with this week's guest Mattias Hellberg. For those of you with your heads in the ground, Mattias has been around for many years performing with acts such as Nymphet Noodlers, The Hellacopters, Hederos & Hellberg, The Solution, Nationalteatern besides working under his own name and is now back with a new group, The White Moose. That group's debut album "Out of the frying pan, into the woods" came out earlier this month and so I tracked down Mattias for a few questions...
You're still based in Gbg, right? What's kept you there all these years? Ever considering picking up and relocating somewhere else?
Yes I'm still here. Well one reason is I'm quite happy to have an apartment... some kind of safety thing I guess. I'd love to have a little shack in the Caribbean to go to in the wintertime though.
What makes the Gbg music scene special, if it's even special at all? The people, the geography, the weather... what are the primary characteristics that define the city and its artists?
I dunno if there is a special scene here. Think there's quite a good diversity of scenes/bands/clubs. People tend to say that the music from here is more working-class with a more "rough" touch. Maybe it used to be that way, but I don't think it's a general "tag" to put on the Gothenburg "sound" anymore. Maybe I'm wrong...
So you've started to do shows with Martin Hederos (The Soundtrack of Our Lives) again as Hederos & Hellberg -- why resurrect that project now? Why'd you even stop playing together in the first place?
Well, we were asked to close the Way Out West festival this summer in a big beautiful church. An offer we couldn't refuse. It was a bit scary but great fun at the same time and it was an amazing vibe in a packed church way after midnight. And of course nice to play together again. Then we did a weekend in our old hometown Karlstad and Oslo in November. But now we both got new albums to tour and promote (TSOOL & mine), so now there wont be much time for anymore reunions for a while...
Why we stopped playing together was because the project started to grow out of proportion, we had to say no to some quite good offers (tours) because it would interfere with TSOOL. So it was better to call it off and quit.
And now the new band The White Moose - how did this group come together? Do you see it as an extension of your solo career or it is more of a full band project?
I wrote the songs early this year and had already talked to Ludwig (Dahlberg, The (International) Noise Conspiracy) about him playing drums with me. Then I just asked Olle and Henke (Hagberg, Whyte Seeds and Lindén, Fox Machine respectively) to join in and the band was goin'.
I don't think I've had much of a "solo" career. This is something new. It can't really be a full-band project as I have to consider the other guys got other bands. We'll find a way to make it work though.
Obviously you keep yourself very busy with all sorts of musical adventures - got any more surprises we should look forward to? Anyone in particular you'd really like to worth with?
I'd love to learn how to play the Oud. I
also have a dream about going to some foreign country and making music with local musicians.
Lastly, got a song you'd like to share? Tell me about it.
Ok I choose "Why is it so?" from the new album "Out of the frying pan, into the woods". It's actually the first song I wrote after Nymphet Noodlers split up back in '96.
I think I had some plans for a solo album back then already, but I was not much of a songwriter, so it got put on hold for sometime... The original version was an acoustic Stooges kinda "ballad" with different lyrics, same refrain though. This new version is something else... Maximum White Moose Jazz.
Mattias Hellberg & The White Moose - Why is it so?
The closer we get to December, the closer we are to year-end list time. Yes, once again I will be hosting my December Top 10 extravaganza with new guestlists every day and if you think you're worthy of submitting a list, you better get in touch soon 'cuz space is limited. As for me and the rest of IAT's contributing staff, we're busy putting together our own year-end lists. I've got about 20 albums to pare down to a top ten, but one record that's sure to make it is Lukestar's "Lake Toba". I said it waaaay back in January and I'm sticking to it -- it's a damn great album and it still slays 98% of the crap released this year. However, since it's a Friday, I'm going to take you back to the band's first album "Alpine unit" from 2004. Honestly, I don't think I would've spotted the seeds of greatness in this. It's solid emo-pop, but it doesn't soar like "Lake Toba". The vocals are less inhumanly high and ethereal and more average/whiny. However, the melodies are still strong, especially on the chorus of songs like the one I've posted today. Unfortunately it just doesn't quite hit the mark. Still, like I said, it's a decent listen and it really does provide a good view of where the band came from and that's something I think is always worth looking into. Now, let's speculate as to where they'll go next...
Malmö residents! Don't forget to check out Lukestar when they play the It's a Trap! Clubnight at Debaser next weekend, November 29. It's going to be amazing, I assure you.
Lukestar - It's ok amigo
It just occurred to me this morning that the opening track of the new Spirits of the Dead album sounds an awful lot like Crystal Antlers, 'cept without the annoying LA-ness that band puts off. I don't want scrubby indie dudes making my psych-rock, I want rock'n'roll dirtballs who look like they stepped out of a time machine. Not that I'm 100% sure I wouldn't be annoyed by Spirits of the Dead in person, but they do have a guy in the band named Deadly Nightshade and their sound is far cleaner, tighter and more controlled than Crystal Antlers could ever hope to me. Listen to the muscular rhythm section on that boogie-woogie bass riff - not a single extra note out of place, nor a poorly placed cymbal hit to be found. Compare and contrast. Deadly Nightshade vs. Sexual Chocolate? The songwriting is better too, even if just for the extended dynamic range the Spirits offer. "White lady/Black rave" does overstay its welcome past the 5-minute mark, but the positive outweighs the negative to my ears. Even when overindulging, they're too modest to totally freak out and lose it. Still, it's nice to hear someone holding back. Lessons can be learned here.
Spirits of the Dead - White lady/Black rave
Facing the prospect of another 12-hour workday at ye old dayjob, so let's make this quick and easy. I can't wholeheartedly recommend the new David Sandström Overdrive album "Pigs lose" because it's got a bit too much filler, but man oh man, the good songs are damn good. Maybe even some of his/their best! It's the culmination of a 10+ year career with the wisdom of hindsight and the optimal optimism necessary to combat jadedness. Learn from the past, look forward to the future; don't dwell, keep on moving, keep looking at the world with fresh eyes. Turn up the fucking cowbell and get going! It's easy to get bogged down by negativity in this day and age, but we can fight it. Even better if we've got a kick-ass soundtrack.
David Sandström Overdrive - Songs that maybe won't be forgotten