Tag: Mp3s
Route of the Belated is the name of the new project from Danish artist Lasse Vestergaard, someone we've touched on before, albeit very briefly. This new project does well to defy expectations though - he's still got a strong rootsy vibe in his songwriting, but the music is much more atmospheric. Think Daniel Lanois, heck even Talk Talk comes to mind. Or for a more contemporary comparison, think The Grand Opening. The sounds are soaked in reverb, the bass is deep and booming and the recording is layered with all sorts of goodies, from subtle percussion on down to clever manipulations of background noise. "Dog at your feet" is the best example of playing up the Talk Talk/Mark Hollis vibes -- the track is based on a bluesy acoustic guitar riff, but the full spectrum of sound is other-worldly. Just listen to the separation in those drums. And the horns that sound like they're in a different dimension. Oh, and I also happen to really like songs that use dog metaphors. No surprise there.
Route of the Belated - Dog at your feet
Thoughts on seeing "Let the right one in/Låt den rätte komma in" at the Olympia Film Festival this past weekend:
- It's lonely being a pre-teen misfit
- Being a vampire is far more lonely
- It takes a really creepy dude to live in servitude to an eternally 12 year-old vampire
- Stockholm suburbs haven't changed much in 26 years, at least in my (admittedly small) experience
- If someone hits you, hit back harder
- The previous is even better if a vampire's got your back
- Sewn-shut genitals are never a good look on anyone
- Everyone just wants to be understood
Since the film was set in 1982, here's a thematically appropriate track from the mighty Cortex recorded live the same year for the famed show "Ny våg" on Swedish Radio. Download more awesome live Cortex stuff at Tonkraft: https://tonkraft-sr.blogspot.com/
Cortex - Safe in the dark
Lets jam out with some classic Swedish psychedelia this fine Friday, shall we? I can't say that I know much about Fläsket Brinner beyond what is easily googled, but of course that doesn't necessarily matter when the music is good. The crucial elements of this track: it's from the band's first LP, it's recorded live and it features Swedish organ legend Bo Hansson (who also shares a songwriting credit). And yeah, they kick out the jams for sure. Once they get going, the name of the band makes sense.
Fläsket Brinner - Bosses låt
My promo copy of Anna Maria Espinosa's album "Glowing with you" didn't come with liner notes, but it hardly matters - I'm confident I can accurately guess a large number of the co-writers and backing musicians based on sound alone, if not for past associations. If you're at all familiar with the crowd she keeps, it won't be hard either - this is the sound of peak Stockholm rock circa 5+ years ago or thereabouts. Her time with Club Killers is more than apparent and so it's only natural that she also takes on the sounds of Moneybrother and, as you'll hear on the title track posted today, Weeping Willows. It's a classic WW-style ballad; I half-expect Magnus Carlson's croon to enter on every new verse though Anna does manage to pull it off on her own. She can't quite wrench out the teardrops like Magnus on the peak of that sad, sad chorus, but still, she soars admirably. Yes, it's terribly derivative, but come on, are you surprised? You shouldn't be.
Anna Maria Espinosa - Glowing with you
The more time I spend at my dayjob staring at long lines of code, the more I appreciate the soothing repetition of ambient techno. The consistent pulse is engaging enough to keep my mind working and focused and the lack of vocals keeps me from distraction. I'm no DJ, but when I queue up a long playlist and let the tracks fade into eachother, that's perfect for a long day's work. Besides the Boeoes Kaelstigen stuff I've talked about before, I also really appreciate Håkan Lidbo, especially his more straight-up housey stuff like this track. I like his weirder, more abstract stuff too (see "Musik för främmande civilisationer/Music for alien civilizations", for one), but that doesn't do me well for long, sustained periods of deep concentration. This is the stuff that's best suited to zoning out, whether it's in front of the computer or on the dancefloor. What makes it stand above other lesser techno, I can't really pinpoint as I lack the experience and the vocab to adequately convey it, but I know I like it and that's enough.
Håkan Lidbo - Sandviken by night
I won't pretend to be impartial on Tiger Lou's new album "A partial print". Not only do we have a working relationship (I put out the "Until I'm there" 7"), but I am also lucky enough to consider Rasmus Kellerman a friend. Apparently I'm also something of an inspiration, having intoned the words "The more you give, the less you carry" when offering to lend a hand with the band's gear at Umeå Open. Who knew I was such a font of wisdom? Who would've thought such seemingly mundane circumstances can be so transformed? So yeah, I am about as far from unbiased as one can be, though I hardly let such matters keep me from opining on many subjects.
"Crushed by a crowd" struck me as an odd choice for a single at first, but I've since come around, having considered it more in context. It may not be the album's highlight, but it is immediately accessible and it sounds the most like the Tiger Lou you've come to know, as opposed to the Tiger Lou you thought you knew, the Tiger Lou of "A partial print". Every new album is different than the last and this one is far more austere and opaque than anything he's done before. It's also more grandiose and imposing when taken as a whole, in its intended dosage. Hence, "Crushed by a crowd" gives an easy in; its comforting familiarity allays concerns, the fear of change. And it's also a great song, one I appreciate the more I listen. That's the other thing - "A partial print" is, above all, a grower. It's a big, modern rock record with moments of huge bombast, but fans craving a more intimate connection will need to spend more time digging below the surface looking for a way in. It's there for you if you want it, but it holds you back at arm's length. Trust me though, it's worth it.
Tiger Lou - Crushed by a crowd
"We keep on waving." Yes, they do. The Skull Defekts aim to tap into primal urges through rhythm and repetition, though what they mean by waving remains elusive. Not that it matters - I like a little mystery in my rock'n'roll. Read more in today's record review...
The Skull Defekts - Waving
I apologize that I haven't kept up the weekly Göteborg Spotlight in recent weeks, but it will be back. Questionnaires have been sent, new interviews are being set up as we speak. In the meantime, here's the opening track from the "Lägg av! Ni fattar ingenting! - Göteborgsprogg 1970-80" compilation - one of Nationalteatern's best known numbers.
Nationalteatern - Bängen trålar
It's been a brutal week of work for me, so I'm especially grateful that contributor Matt Giordano wrote up today's mp3 post:
The Nuggets box-sets are great because there's so much well-forgotten singles just lurking through the annals of history, ready to be loved again and again. That's how I found The Mascots, a Swedish pop band from the 60s. It's obvious to state, and as the compilation is titled, that the music could be mistaken for a British Invasion band, as the sound is so similar and that influence still resonates today. Here's a lost classic for you all.
The Mascots - Words enough to tell you
Thus ends Fysisk Format's tremendous winning streak. Manhattan Skyline is the worst kind of ADD-inflicted math-metal. Riffs are pasted together and shoehorned into place with zero regard for composition or dynamics, making a 2-minute track an experiment in tedium. This kind of stuff wasn't good when Dillinger Escape Plan first did and it only got worse once the metalcore kids took the formula to the extreme. I'll concede that there might actually be some redeeming moments hidden here somewhere, but I sure as hell don't have the patience to seek them out among all the starts and stops, twists and turns. And no, tacking on a 15-minute sludge workout on the end of the album doesn't show range, it just proves they know how to ape another overdone style. No thanks.
Manhattan Skyline - White horse
Like On Volcano, Idoru is a great example of what's possible in modern DIY indierock. I strongly disagree with my colleague's assessment of the former - while so many current, big-label bands are caught up in fey pretension, pointless experimentalism or worse, it's so good to hear new acts like this. And by that, I mean that they actually know how to write good songs, an all too rarefied quality. Idoru's EP isn't as consistent as On Volcano's, but high points like "Chase" show great potential. The sound is contemporary, but it's also strongly informed by the past: classic shoegaze, early postpunk or 90s noiserock, it's all there. Just listen to the way they tease you with bits of a well-known melody on the coda! However, most of all, I appreciate that they know how to rock. Pop music need not be limpwristed, nor does rock demand power over melody. The two can coexist! Imagine that! Strange times indeed...
Idoru - Chase
Still hung up on crust and jazz. Yep, crust and jazz. Last night: went and saw Corrupted, Asunder, Thrones and Samothrace here in Oly and while none of those bands fit into IAT's geographical coverage area, the wardrobe of choice was black with dreadlocks. Maybe not as ripe as those upcoming Amebix reunions will be, but there were definitely some folks there in need of a shower. Anyhow, back to the jazz. Malmö threesome Auton isn't a traditional jazz combo playing on the standard set of acoustic instruments, but their music is most certainly in the jazz tradition. Like label-head Viktor Sjöberg's own New Jazz Ensemble, the sounds are slow and drifting and the track "El Dorado" captures the group at their best. Melodies come and go, interweave and shift across voices, trade back and forth. It's a gorgeous piece of music; incredibly moody, yet also warm and lush, gentle and floating. It's the rare that I find a song ends too soon, but Auton never ever overstays their welcome, never overplays their hand. Viktor said that touring with them this past month was "special" and I can't think of another word that describes them better. It's rare to hear new groups in jazz with a fresh, distinct sound, but Auton pulls it off.
Auton - El Dorado
What we have here today is a new track from Swedish/Danish act Lampshade, their first in quite some time. It's actually a Nikolaj Nørlund cover song, their contribution to the Danish classic artist tribute comp "Kender du det?". I won't pretend that I actually know anything about Nørlund and I will refer you to Hits in the Car for more details on said comp, but I do have this story as provided by vocalist Rebekka Maria Andersson:
"When I was phoned by Franka Abrahamsen, who asked if we would like to contribute with a cover version of a Nikolaj Nørlund song, I couldn't help but laughing a bit. Fact was, that we were at the Sauna Studio with the same guy producing new Lampshade material. We asked Nikolaj is he would produce his own song in a new version, and he answered with a dry smile that he could at least help us with the chords..."
More new Lampshade material? Finally! Apparently an EP in on the way before the end of the year and I have to say, I'm pretty excited about it. While the members of Lampshade have been quite busy with various sideprojects such as As In RebekkaMaria, This Is Head and so on, none compare to the original. I will not settle, I will not accept substitutions.
Lampshade - Den støjende tid
Halloween isn't Halloween without a little King Diamond, so today I've got a track for you from Black Rose, King's band pre-Mercyful Fate. The group formed in 1979 and put out a few records, but the stuff I like best are the rehearsal tapes that were reissued in 2001. The band always had a killer hard-rock sound, but on this stuff the organ is way louder, giving them an even stronger Deep Purple/Iron Butterfly vibe. And for those who are convinced that King's, uh, "distinctive" vocals are not to their taste, you may be surprised here because he doesn't really do any of the falsetto wailing he's known for. Lyrically, it's still pure comic book horror, so naturally that's why I'm offering it to you on this fine Hallow's Eve, but it's not prototypical scary metal. And dig that extended jam that makes up the bulk of the track! Maybe not quite as awesome as some of Fate's best work, but still damn cool, especially that organ solo. Crank it up and have a happy Halloween!
Black Rose - The end
If you can't understand my love of Darkthrone, there's a good chance that you and I just won't get along. I'm not saying you have to share my appreciation, but you need to know where I'm coming from. Modern-day Darkthrone epitomizes everything that's awesome about heavy metal and underground music. They take the best elements of NWOBHM, black metal and punk rock and distill it into something purely Darkthrone -- it's raw and filthy, yet eminently classic. "Hiking metal punks"? Ridiculous, right? Again, that's what's so great about it! These dudes love to go hiking in the mountains with their metal friends, so it's only natural that they're going to immortalize the experience in song. Remember, metal is supposed to be the soundtrack of social misfits, so this fits perfectly. If you listen to old metal, you should already know that a lot of metal is pretty damn goofy; why should Darkthrone be any different? Because they were once grim black-metal warriors? Don't forget, they also used to be a solid death-metal band once upon a time. People change. They evolve, or in this case, regress. No more false edifice or silly posing, just 100% pure heavy metal. All that's left is pure love.
Darkthrone - Hiking metal punks