Tag: Mp3s
"Har du hört den förut? 29 Svenska artister tolkar Förmögenhet" - 29 of Sweden's best underground artists paying tribute to a band you've never heard of. It's actually a fascinating, ballsy concept -- Förmögenhet has released a grand total of one 7" (that's 11 songs) and played maybe 3 shows, yet here they are, immortalized because they made it happen. I'd say that's near-genius. Even better: the music is great. In the same way that the "This is love" comp from a few years back showed how a multitude of artists (some of which reappear here actually) can reinterpret the same song in vastly different ways (it that case, it was all about Haddaway's "What is love"), it goes double here. The pool of songs is larger and so is the variation. For instance, "Tummen upp" appears seven times. Madamm and Other Brothers tackle it as lofi indierock while Ass, BJ Neilsen and Luva bring it into more abstract territory. However it's Lassus' version that's the standout - their languid postpunk take on the song is uniquely beautiful. It doesn't necessarily fit the lyrics most appropriately ("Tummen upp" = thumbs up), but it sounds the best to these ears.
Buy it: [click here]
Lassus - Tummen upp
Not every worthwhile Göteborg-based artist is a well-known commodity. At least, not yet. This week's guest in our ongoing city spotlight series: Gustaf Malmros, ex-Instrumen, currently Extended Heads/The Extended Head/Spit Spat Black Cat.
You've lived a lot of different places, how did you end up in Göteborg? How is it different from other cities you've lived in?
My girlfriend started an education in Gbg, which made it a good spot. At first it was terrible and nothing but rain. Then the sun lit up the city and I found out it had more to offer. The Extended Head became plural with a drummer (Pontus Torstensson) and a bassplayer (Mikael Gustafsson). Extended Heads was born. Nothing but sunshine.
How does The Extended Head/Extended Heads fit in with the Gbg scene + sound, if at all?
I don't know the Gbg scene or sound, except that it has always been considered a rock town. Extended Heads' new wave / grunge sound has had a good response. And I've been to some good Gbg-shows myself.
What do you do when you're not playing music? Got any favorite hangouts? Where would you take a guest from out of town?
This fall I'm living in New York, but normally I work in a bar/café called Publik (Andra Långatan 20), and that's where I would take my guest from out of town. Best hangout, best discount.
Got any plans for the future? Any goals?
Future=? Goal is to get paid for my work.
Lastly, do you have a song to share? Tell us about it.
The song I would like to share is recorded by Extended Heads in Gbg at the end of July this year. It's called "Dear lucky winner", and is about a spam mail.
Extended Heads - Dear lucky winner
This one's not a vinyl rip, though I do have the original LP. "Leech" exemplifies where early industrial rattle meets postpunk nerves, filtered through the lens of Radium 226.05 and the early/mid- 80s Göteborg scene. It relishes in the sound of decay and anguish, celebrating the burning flesh of rotting corpses and the sucking of blood and other such niceties, however, despite the backing screams, I'd call this is a pop song through and through. It's certainly catchy no matter what you might think of the subject matter and yes, quite danceable as well. I can assure you that if I had a DJ night somewhere, this would be a standby. At the very least, set this one aside for the coming Halloween season.
Sator Codex - Leech
Today's mp3 post comes courtesy of Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson:
Combining the distinct feel of Scandinavian electronic music championed by The Radio Dept. with a skeletal construction similar to those utilized by Four Tet and the Notwist, "Yes this is my broken shield", the opening track from The Deer Tracks' debut "Aurora", leisurely builds on its layers of instrumentation until the inertia generated erupts into one of the most wonderful closing segments I've heard in a while. At first, beeps are overlaid with glockenspiel notes, then with pads and subtle percussion, then vocals, all slowly augmenting, gradually gathering momentum. From this beautiful, humble, almost ambling foundation, "Yes this is my broken shield" transforms delicately into a epic outburst rivaling the finest tracks from M83's seminal "Before the dawn heals us". Its energetic, anthemic ending seems alien to its ethereal inception, though there is no sudden break, no sharp detours, no cheap tricks. The Deer Tracks effortlessly and seamlessly string their composition together. The Deer Tracks have raised the bar. Other acts should take note.
The Deer Tracks - Yes this is my broken shield
I missed Theresa Andersson's opening number last night, but I'm going to presume that it was "Na na na". It's the obvious choice really, as not only is it the first track on her new album "Hummingbird, go!", it's simply a great song. It also firmly establishes her skill as a loop-based solo performer, something you plainly see in this video that circulated not too long ago. As for the rest of the set (I came in during "Birds fly away" thanks to a long drive and a lack of convenient parking), Theresa did a great job working the cool, but ultimately receptive audience who I presume were all there to see the headliners Squeeze. Actually, "work" was by far the overwhelming motif of the set judging by the way she juggled all of the instruments and vocal lines. Which is not to say she struggled through it, rather it served to exemplify how difficult it is to create such intricate music by oneself. The level of talent on display was unquestionable. The result: a long line of converts back at the merch table post-set wanting CDs and/or signing the mailing list. That is the measure of success.
Theresa Andersson - Na na na
Even though the goofy Swenglish spelling of "Yeah, okey" sets the editor part of my brain on fire¹, the track was an immediate highlight for me as I dug into Sophie Zelmani's new album "The ocean and me". It's an internal dialog between the singer and the demons in her head. It starts: "Darkness, if I'm gonna spend all my time with you / You've got to be my friend / If I wanna be all alone with you / I've got to feel your hand" Does that sound copasetic to you? Granted, she does allow for light and love to be let in, but when she asks what she can do for the Darkness, that's what really worries me. I won't be in the way? Not okay. Save me from my crazy mind? Sounds like it might be too late.
¹Okay and okej are fine, okey is not. My fingers almost refuse to type it.
Sophie Zelmani - Yeah, okey
Mimas traffics in postrock textures and timbres, but their music really draws more on post-Radiohead style melancholy alt-rock for inspiration. Which is postrock in a way, as they abandon all typical verse-chorus structures, but the music is still very, very rock. That's actually why I like them -- so many postrock bands tiptoe around actual heaviness or take so long to get there it barely matters, but Mimas actively embraces large outbursts of explosive distortion. They are also quite good at arranging vocals, another critical postrock shortcoming. If I have to endure another bout of soft whispered poetry, please kill me ok? I was sick of it by the time Indian Summer put out their 2nd 7". Anyhow, Mimas still have room to grow, but they show promise and, most importantly, are brimming with enthusiasm. I like that.
Mimas - Mac, get your gear
Remember Punk of Country? Sure you do. They were one of the first prominent acts to give away an entire album's worth of music via the web. It also helped that they did that indierock thing pretty darn well too. I actually was all set to include 'em on "Reader's companion volume two" but then they broke up during the recording of their second album. It's the classic story: increased pressure from a label who doesn't understand them leads to internal tensions and then BANG! It's over. Even more of a pity too, 'cuz the demo version of the track I received for submission was amazing and by far their best stuff yet. Anyhow, time moves on and so do people and now ex-Punk of Country frontman Tomas Halberstad finally has some new music to unveil. And since he's a resident of Göteborg, what better way to do it than with our Saturday Gbg Spotlight feature?
Of course, first of all I must ask the standard question: How long have you resided in Gbg, what brought you there and what keeps you hanging around?
I first moved here in 1987 and then moved away in 1992. Then I moved back in 1998 and have been living here since.
First time around it was my mother's work, which brought me, us, here. The second time it was the unwillingness to move back home after three years in a student apartment during upper secondary school in Uddevalla. The option was to move in with my sister in Göteborg.
What keeps me hanging around is the fact that I have my life here; most of my friends, my school and that I dislike to travel which develops into a disliking for moving around. I moved a lot as a kid, don't want to do that any more.
You have a kinda peculiar job, right? Guarding the yacht club at night? Do you think that working the graveyard shift affects the way you see the city? Do you think it influences your music as well?
I had a job. I quit that in January in order to be able to go back to school. I still work there from time to time, for extra money, so yes this summer I guarded boats but over the course of nine years, doing what I did, I guarded a lot of things: cars, trucks, offices, goods, you name it.
Working at night, with what I did, changed the way I view the city and by city I am also counting its residents. The city and its residents become less friendly at night. It's also a quite surreal experience to drive around in areas of the city designed and built for thousands of people and lots of cars and be all by yourself.
It influences my music, but perhaps not more than any other type of work does. I suppose if you work all day at the post office that will some how find it's way into your creations.
Furthermore, I understand you've been on kind of a fitness kick recently - does trying out different modes of transportation, whether it's jogging or inline skates or whatever, affect the way you experience the city? How much do you connect your physical well being to your artistic health?
The fitness thing doesn't affect the way I see the city at all. I just do it because I grew tired of being fat.
I think my physical well being is linked in chain to my artistic health, if by artistic health you mean the ability to write music. If I feel physically well it is easier for me to feel mentally well and if I feel mentally well I have the ability to write music all though good physical health is nor a pre requisite for mental health, but it helps.
It's been quite some time since Punk of Country called it quits - why did it take you so long to make new music? How comfortable are you with being a solo artist anyway?
I've never stopped writing music. There has just been a lack of end product. The reason for the long process is money. I wanted to do this the right way and the right way for me meant it would have cost a lot of money if I wanted to do it fast. Rob [producer/engineer Roberth Olausson] and I recorded when we could, where we could.
As for comfort: I am completely comfortable. I'm a very secure person.
Tell me about the new album! Got a song that you'd like to share?
The new album took two and a half years to make, just finishing it in August. It all started when Rob called me one day and asked me if I wanted to do an album, or at least record some songs, in exactly whichever way I wanted. He wanted to help me get my vision out so I guess this album is my vision.
I have played back the album for a couple of friends. All of them liking different songs, but almost all including this one in the liking pile. It's called "Travel as I wait".
Any word yet on how/when it will finally be released?
No, no word. I'm hoping for a 2008 release if not by an existing label then in some DIY-fashion.
Tomas Halberstad - Travel as I wait
For as much as I love to extol the virtues of 90s-era indierock, truth be told, it wasn't always golden. I should know, having grown up in the SF Bay Area, the epicenter of the thrash-funk scene. We had a lot of the big names, from Primus, Mr. Bungle and Faith No More to less well-known acts like Fungo Mungo, Psychefunkapus and so on. Slap-bass was everywhere, it permeated every genre, every scene. Sweden was of course, not immune. Before there was KVLR, there was Shredhead. Before there was Ray Wonder, there was Shredhead (but after Step Forward). Yep, top-secret Umeå all-stars playing thrash-funk. Or maybe not so secret? I'll mention no names myself, after all, I have my own thrash-funk past to keep buried. And honestly, this stuff really isn't all that embarrassing. It's merely a product of its time, a relic of an age since passed. Just wait until the inevitable revival, it's bound to happen someday.
Shredhead - Dork
Having met Mikko Singh briefly during my visit to Stockholm earlier this summer, I can confidently say that his new album "Uskotko että siellä on kukkia?" ("Do you believe there are flowers there?") is a direct reflection of the man behind the music. Besides representing his broad cultural background - Punjabi, Finnish, Swedish, maybe more - it also reflects his sunny disposition. At least that's the impression I got as Mikko was all smiles and this music is pure sunshine. As always, Mikko plays every instrument himself and he's got quite a collection. This particular track, "Iloitkaamme" ("Let us rejoice"), is actually one of the more straightforward, traditional-sounding pieces on the album as its mostly guitar based, but there's plenty of other pieces with sitar and other ethnic strings plus accordion, various percussion implements and probably a whole bunch of other stuff I can't pick out so easily. He's also cut way back on the vocals and only sings on the final track which at first was kinda disappointing, but the more I listen, the more I think I understand. This is music for tinting your life with color without overwhelming it. It's meditative and blissful and vocals would only serve as a distraction. As the first signs of autumn begin to creep into the air, it's also the perfect soundtrack for squeezing out every last bit of sunshine you can. Thanks Mikko, for helping me forget about the dark days around the corner.
As with The Goner, this is underground DIY music that demands a larger audience. Head to myspace for more: https://www.myspace.com/mikkosingh
Mikko Singh - Iloitkaamme
Of all the folks participating in the Björn Kleinhenz cover countdown, Anders Teglund's contribution has got to be the most off the wall. The guy's already got a pretty impressive resumé - Cult of Luna, Convoj, columnist for Groove - might as well add in remixer, though I'm not sure that's what I'd call this piece of music. There are obvious Björn Kleinhenz vocal samples, but who knows where the other sound sources came from? I imagine this isn't too far off from what a Thrones version of the same would be like. Be sure to stick it out too, it gets better as it goes along. I like weird, weird is good.
Anders Teglund - I whisper, he lives
If you're into Integrity-style hardcore, you'll dig Dead Vows. Simple as that. It's heavy and metallic without ever really being metal and it's got chock-loads of chunky power-chord riffs to keep the floor moving. Plenty of evil, anti-xian lyrics too, not to mention the goathead man with batwings on the cover. I know a lot of people who'll be all over this.
On the other hand, I've never been an Integrity fan and while I appreciate what they did, I expected something more, something different from a band with members from Repoman and Seven Feet Four. They're going for the straight-ahead hardcore bruiser thing and I've gotta say, it's simply not my bag. The super clean and sterile recording doesn't help either. In fact, I'd bet they'd benefit from a filthier, Mötorhead-style approach. A few songs, sure, I'm all about it. I'd be stoked to see them live, too. But listening to a full album? I'm not interested. Discordant bits like on the chorus of "Off my chest" only serve to remind me how much I'd rather be listening to Repoman.
Dead Vows - Off my chest
Following up today on a recommendation I received from Silverbullit guitarist Andreas Nilsson in his interview not too long ago. Kite, the band I ended up posting, is actually someone I was already familiar with (I've played their single "Ways to dance" on my radio show), but Prince of Assyria was an entirely new name to me, so of course I had to investigate. Not that I discovered much so far to be honest, but his music is quite good from what I can tell, even if it isn't the sort of thing I normally associate with Gbg-based label Kning Disk. Along with iDEAL, Komplott and Compunctio, Kning Disk is one of Sweden's best labels for exciting, forward-thinking music though Prince of Assyria sounds downright contemporary compared to some of their other artists, such as The Skull Defekts or even Erik Enocksson. This is pure pop balladeering, anchored by a deep, rich voice and an expansive arrangement. However, though it might not be avant-garde, it's still exciting. As always, good music is good music. Definitely looking forward to hearing more when the full-length album is ready this fall.
Prince of Assyria - What ever you want
I've got a guest post today over at Dagensskiva as part of their At the Gates "Suicidal Final Tour" coverage: [click here]
It's funny, I consider "Slaughter of the soul" to be near-perfect, but it's actually not my favorite AtG record. That honor goes to "Terminal spirit disease". I'm not sure if it's because I've burned myself out on "Slaughter..." or because I heard "Terminal..." first, but that's the way it is. I suppose it could also be because the riffs are way more intricate, striking a balance between the weird, overtly-technical songwriting of departed guitarist Alf Svensson and the straightforward, raw power of the tracks on "Slaughter". It's the sound of a band in transition, a trait made even more apparent by the addition of three live versions of old tracks, including one of their very first songs ("All life ends"). It also helps that the acoustic instrumental (a thrash album prerequisite) "And the world returned" is infinitely better than its counterpart on "Slaughter" ("Into the dead sky").
Regardless of which album you prefer, even if you're a die-hard "The red in the sky is ours" fan, At the Gates is a band that has been and will be sorely missed. If you were/are lucky enough to see them this week, I envy you.
At the Gates - Terminal spirit disease
Today's mp3 post comes courtesy of contributor Nancy Baym:
Most lists of Madrugada's influences include The Doors. What better time to revisit their roots than at their own end? One of the unexpected treats of their postmortem tour in 2008 has been the steady supply of covers -- from Jacques Brel's "Amsterdam" (you can guess where they played that), to Johnny Thunders' "You can't put your arms around a memory". Recently, they covered The Doors' "To touch the earth" for P3's anniversary show (watch their impressive 6-song set here: https://nrkp3.no/konserter/). Given the impossibility of replicating late guitarist Robert Burås' delicacy, and perhaps sobered and grounded by his passing, this final incarnation of the band, featuring Alex Kloster-Jensen and Cato Salsa turned out more aggressive, more massive, and a lot more generous in its use of keyboards. You can hear it all here. They'll be missed.
Madrugada - Not to touch the earth (live)