Tag: Mp3s
Sweden's Bitch Boys started life in the late 70s as a killer punk band and put out a couple 7"s along with the LP "H-son produktion", but that's not the Bitch Boys I'm posting today. I do love those early records and grabbed a copy of "H-son" when I was in Stockholm, but I also grabbed a copy of "Continental", their 1981 follow-up album. Even a cursory glance at the covers shows the difference:
Yep, they went from young, snotty punks to new romantic in the space of a year. No big deal though- they were actually pretty damn good at it, as you'll hear in today's mp3. The crowd noise intro is a little long and unnecessary, but once they kick in, it's a great little pop tune with a driving beat and buzzing synths. Sure, it's kinda heavy-handed and over-produced, but it works. I especially dig the way the post-chorus bridge gets all pretty with piano in contrast to the rest of the song. New romantic, indeed! I'll see what I can do about getting a full album rip up later today.
Bitch Boys - Café Cherié
I'm always stoked when a new package of promo CDs from Transubstans Records shows up because they've consistently got the best hard-rock going on, hands down. Graveyard, Sienna Root, Øresund Space Collective, Villebråd, the list goes on and on. Naturally there's a few clunkers in the catalog, but I typically find that the positive far outweighs the negative, though a few do fall somewhere in between and The Chair happens to be one of 'em. I dig the band's bluesy hard-rock style, but they've also got a corny side that reminds me of Kiss in a bad way. On the other hand, the more they sound like Blue Cheer, the happier I am and "September" definitely has that going on. I especially dig the way the main riff trades off with the vocals on the verse. It's not rocket science, but if the classic recipe works so well, why mess with it? That's what hard-rock revival is all about; it's called "classic" rock for a reason. This is good summer music that doesn't require much thought, nothing more. And there's no faulting a band with the balls to shout "Turn it up Scandinavia!" as they do in "Barn burner". Just like Kiss, it's goofy as hell, but also kinda bad-ass. I can appreciate that sort of party vibe in limited doses, if I'm in the right mood.
The Chair - September
Paavoharju makes some very interesting sounds, but after giving their new album "Laulu laakson kukista" numerous spins, I have come to the conclusion that it lacks a cohesive narrative, ultimately rendering them forgettable. At first I wondered if maybe I wasn't in the correct damaged state of mind to appreciate their weirdness, but nothing sticks no matter how many times I listen. It's especially disappointing too because, like I said, the actual sounds they create are fascinating. "Kevätrumpu" is a good illustration of my frustration -- the main melody line is established early on and flutters in and out of focus as the piece progresses, yet it never really goes anywhere. It goes from tepid to soft to tepid and then ceases to be altogether. Very disappointing.
Paavoharju - Kevätrumpu
I wasn't completely lying yesterday, when I said I had no good new music to share. I have plenty, I just don't necessarily have permission to share it. However, lucky for you, Razzia Records has just given me the okay to post the new Hello Saferide single "Anna" and I have to say, I am grateful to do so. If you've seen HS live in the past year or two this song might sound familiar -- I remember hearing it at Way Out West last year and I would imagine that's not the only time it's been performed. Anyhow, it's an amazing tune and it emphasizes the HS I love dearly: the darker, more reserved side, the storyteller. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Annika's upbeat numbers too, but it's these slower tunes that give her depth and show her range and that's something that wasn't always apparent before her sideproject Säkert! came out. Had I heard "Anna" before "that lesbian song," all skepticism would have been erased immediately. Likewise, I think that other skeptics might be pleasantly surprised by this if they give it a chance. Hello Saferide has always been more than mere indiepop if you actually paid attention.
Look for the new Andreas Mattson-produced album "More modern short stories from..." to be released on September 24. Hot Stuff will be handling the vinyl this time, with a 7" version of "Anna" (+ an exclusive b-side) on the way as well.
Hello Saferide - Anna
I do believe I've covered all the new music I'm genuinely excited about, so I'm going to use today's mp3 post to promote my show on Sirius tonight (11pm ET, channel 26) since I'm doing a special guitar-rock feature. Now when I say "guitar-rock", bear in mind that I mean indie guitar-rock, not classic rock, or 80s rock or anything like that. Generally speaking, I'm talking about the kind of stuff that draws influence from bands such as Sonic Youth, Fugazi or even Quicksand, the kind of bands that Norrland pumped out in the 90s, bands like Starmarket, KVLR, Blithe, Fireside, Brick, The Bear Quartet... the list goes on and on. One of my absolute favorites though has got to be Him Kerosene. Niklas Quintana plays guitar like no other man except for those he inspired and his riffs are so amazing, so unique. The melodies are instantly recognizable and they point north -- there's no way this sound could originate anywhere other than northern Sweden.
"Whatever gets you by" isn't quite a ballad, but it is one of the more downtempo tracks on their masterpiece album "Start. Stop." (1997/Telegram Records). As is typical for bands from the far north, the music is seeped in heavy melancholy and resignation, though the huge guitar melodies provide a triumphant counterpoint to the sadness. The way the guitar lines twist and turn around each other is absolutely incredible. And the rhythm section is sharp too, like the album title implies, starting and stopping on a dime. I actually have a different HK track lined up for tonight's show, but they're such an amazing band, I feel compelled to share more. Too bad Warner (Telegram's parent company) hasn't been interested in doing a reissue or keeping the album in print. It's a lost gem.
Him Kerosene - Whatever gets you by
Ladies and gentlemen, I give to you the new Division of Laura Lee single "Central Park". This is the first single from their forthcoming album "Violence is timeless", due out in limited vinyl format on August 15 with the CD version to follow on October 29. But that's not all! They've also enlisted the help of many friends and peers to create videos for each and every track and will be slowly releasing them to the public as we get closer to the album's release. Peep the first clip for "Central Park" right here, courtesy of UK-based animation team Man vs Machine: [click here]
Also, seeing as how a new DoLL single ties in nicely with my weekly Göteborg Spotlight Series, I decided to track down drummer Håkan Johansson to answer a few questions. Read on...
First, my standard question: how long have you lived in Gbg, what brought you there and what keeps you hanging around?
Per (Stålberg, vocals/gtr) and I had been talking for a while about moving the band to Gothenburg and try to make some kind of music career, but it wasn't until I got approved to artschool that I grabbed my stuff and left Vänersborg. This was in 2001. Gothenburg has pretty much everything you need. Great music and art scene, clubs, bars and most important all the friends I have made during the years here.
I hear a very strong DC influence on the new album - is that a conscious thing? Are you trying to separate yourselves from the Gbg sound? Does such a thing as a Gbg sound even exist? Or are you just hanging out with Shelby Cinca¹ too much?
We have never really aimed for a DC sound, but after growing up with the Discord catalog on our record shelves I think it was unavoidable. When we started this band we wanted to create the same vibe that the DC scene had, and this has followed us throughout the journey. Yeah, hanging with Shelby in DC a lot the last couple of years reminds me of this frequently. The Gothenburg sound... ah yes.. I see us more of the outsider in this bunch. We are a part of the Gothenburg scene, but I don't know if we are a part of the sound. To be honest with you Avi, I'm not sure this "sound" even exists.
Speaking of Shelby and DC, are you still active with Man and Wasp/Frantic Mantis or have you consigned yourself to doing locally-oriented sideprojects like the rest of your bandmates? Do you think there's anything particular about the Gbg scene that makes it easier for folks to collaborate? Also, how awesome is Repoman?
Frantic Mantis are on a hiatus. Man and Wasp is the main sideproject at the moment. We are working on an album that might or might not come out in one shape or the other next year. All the side projects I have been involved in have never been planned. We just had some extra time to jam, and the ability to record it. When playing with Shelby everything just turns into gold. I think there are so many projects around here in Gothenburg 'cause everybody knows everybody, and playing music with people other than your regular bandmates is a way to play other styles and develop as a musician. Yeah Repoman is awesome! I am still bummed I wasn't asked to play drums for them.
Does the same sort of collaborative/cooperative community exist in the Gbg art world as well? I know of a few other local Gbg musicians who double as artists and vice-versa besides yourself, but do you think there's much crossover overall? How would you say the two worlds are the same/different?
Music and art just goes hand in hand. Just look at iDEAL as a label and artcollective, and then Silverbullit with Jon and Andreas who're doing awesome music, videos, projections and art. Nowadays, and even 10 years ago, the DIY way was the way to do it. When a band or artist wanted to release a record, a record cover had to be done. Then you wanted to make some merchandise, a website etc., but there was no money to pay for it. You had to do it yourself. And I think this has grown stronger over the years. Personally, I think doing a record cover for a free dinner is way more fun than doing a company branding that pays your rent for a full year...
Who came up with the concept of getting friends to film videos for each song on the new album? How do you think the experiment came out? Any favorites we can look forward to?
This was something that I Made This came up with. We loved it the second we heard the idea. I won't spill too much, but I love the one Kristofer Åström did. And although I haven't seen them yet, I am especially excited about the ones Joe Lally from Fugazi and Jason Lytle from Grandaddy are putting together.
Tell us about the new single "Central Park"!
I will quote Jonas (Gustavsson, bass) on this one:
"Music is time consuming. Four years, we waited for this song. When it finally arrived, it was finished in four minutes. Four chords. It's yours for free, because some secrets are to reveal."
LINK: https://www.violenceistimeless.com/
Division of Laura Lee - Central Park
Coming up on Saturday at Debaser Malmö: It's a Trap! Clubnight featuring Thomas Denver Jonsson and Anna Leong! Of those two fine acts, Umeå's Anna Leong is far more underrated so I'm posting a track for you today off their latest album "Terrorarium". The band usually excels in northern melancholy pop mixed with a touch of twang, but "Frightened eyes" shows their range by mixing in a bit of blue-eyed R&B ala The Faces. Jonas Bergsten doesn't have the gravel tone of Rod Stewart, but he does have a nice falsetto and he employs it well, especially on the chorus. And dig that bassline! That's what makes the song more than anything. So see you on Saturday, right? Actually, I'll be in Phoenix, Arizona experiencing 105°F/40°C weather, so live it up for me in my absence.
Buy "Terrorarium": [click here]
Anna Leong - Frightened eyes
The new Backyard Babies single "Fuck off and die" is a pathetic attempt at edginess from a band past their prime. They can curse all they want, but it won't change the fact that the song sounds like "Lick it up"-era Kiss and that's about as dangerous as a fluffy Bernese Mountain Dog puppy. If you want to hear that sentiment expressed in an actual threatening manner, you've either got to go to the title track of Darkthrone's latest album "F.O.A.D." or head even further back in time to Black Uniforms' song off the 1986 "Back from the grave" demo. Leave it to the dirtball thrashers to get it right! Black Uniforms not only wrote a far better song, they even outdid Backyard Babies in the glam department, combining crustpunk-style spiked leather jackets with huge poofy hair and makeup, a look I think is definitely due for a revival. Download today's track and head over to the Backyard Babies website to compare and contrast. I think you'll agree.
Black Uniforms - F.O.A.D.
Ironic techno satire? Is that an oxymoron or simply a redundant set of terms? It seems rather pointless to lampoon party music for being vapid, yet Pay TV makes a go at it with decent enough results. It's certainly much more likely to hit its intended target than, say, Laibach. Anyhow, even if the high-minded concept doesn't appeal, hopefully the Håkan Lidbo produced beats do.
Pay TV - Miss Capitalist
It's been a long time since I've heard any melodic Swedish death metal that matches the quality of the stuff the Göteborg scene churned out in the mid-90s, long enough that I've pretty much given up hope. Which is fine really, there were enough quality releases back then that still stand the test of time. There's no need to revisit that sound, but that doesn't stop people from trying. Coldworker is most definitely not a melodic metal act, but just like they aren't a grind band either, that doesn't stop them from incorporating elements from various subgenres as they see fit. To go from harsh blastbeats into a riff that wouldn't be out of place on an In Flames album might seem a little incongruous, but they pull it off admirably. And I always love a good pinch-harmonic riff. They do stray a bit too far into riff-salad territory, especially around the solo section, however I have to say that it works overall in the grand scheme of things. It's always good to hear solid, new Swedish death metal that doesn't rely on the old rulebook.
Coldworker - Citizens of the Cyclopean Maze
Worlds collide! Besides Broder Daniel and maybe Håkan Hellström, Bad Cash Quartet is the preeminent band that defines the classic Göteborg sound with their slightly shambolic yet anthemic pop music and snotty, out-of-key vocals. They became a bit more polished (and boring) towards the end, but I'll always hold their sophomore album "Outcast" as a classic. I strongly considered posting from that album, but in the end decided to say screw it and went with this, their cover of The Bear Quartet's "Put me back together". Besides, I've already talked about "Too bored to die" more than once. Anyhow, this song is from BCQ's later, more lackluster period and it really doesn't stand a chance at competing with the original, but at least they try to put their own spin on it. I just don't think that sucking all the energy out of it was the best way to go about it. Mattias Alkberg's vocals on the original get more and more manic as the calamities pile on, Martin Elisson plays it closer to the chest. And no one can compete with Jari Haapalainen's explosive leads. Still, it remains a great song. There's not much shame in admitting defeat before the mighty BQ.
Semi-related to this whole weekly Gbg nonsense: who's going to Way Out West? What bands are you looking forward to seeing?
Bad Cash Quartet - Put me back together
Fridays are typically reserved for old music, but I was handed a brand new mp3 from Park Hotell yesterday afternoon and it's too good not to share. The band has a new album on the way and "Dead ringers" is the first taste of what's to come and I have to say that it's got me excited. No more synths, no more shoegazer vibes, just organic indie rock'n'roll. I definitely get a Manchester/Britpop vibe on this too and while that's not something that normally appeals to me, I fully back Park Hotell's take on it because they make it their own. Maybe it's the influence of producer Jari Haapalainen, but I'd say this has more in common with Laakso than The Smiths, though the latter is certainly a good reference point. I also hear echoes of peak-era Swedish indie such as Eggstone or The Wannadies, the sort of stuff that defined the scene back in the 90s and is rarely emulated today.
"Dead ringers" features aforementioned producer extraordinaire Jari Haapalainen on drums and fellow Swedes/sister duo Taxi, Taxi! on backup vocals. Look for the new (as yet unnamed?) album to be released this fall via BD Pop/Ultra Radio Records.
Park Hotell - Dead ringers
It turns out I was hasty is my assessment of "Big sun", the first track released from Hebosagil's new album "Colossal", because the rest of the record is totally slays. At first I was put off by how much slower and doomier the material is, but once I got used to it, I was able to properly appreciate its greatness. There's some serious studio wizardry going on here too, though it might not be obvious to a lot of folks. I'm not sure how they do it, but they manage to push every single instrument way into the red (listen to the drum rumble on "Cosmic"!), yet it remains clear and crisp enough to individually pick them out of the mix. And it seriously is the most blown-out, fucked-up brutal sound too, like, as I've said before, Sunlight Studios to the nth degree. That bass is absolutely monstrous and all the guitar leads are pure scorchers. In a word: awesome.
"River" is by far the most raging track on the album, so that's the one I'm gonna share today. It's not exactly the best representation of what the rest of the album has to offer as I'm sure you can imagine since it's not doomy at all, but screw it -- it floored me when I first heard it, so that's what you're gonna get. Easily one of the best heavy releases of 2008 thus far.
Hebosagil - River
I love big, 90s-style indie guitarrock and I am unashamed. I enjoy plenty of other genres as well of course, but that's the stuff I grew up so it remains my top-tier favorite. Too bad there's not too many bands out there embracing the style though, it's like all that "rockism" talk scared people off of making music with guitar, bass and drums. What's wrong with the old formula? It's not broken, it still sounds just as fresh to me as it always did. And there's still plenty of room to grow, just listen to contemporaries like Culkin (remember?) or today's featured artist Voices Break the Silence. I posted a track from these guys way back in 2006 and nothing has really changed since then - the band remains totally awesome and pitifully unsigned. It makes no sense, but so goes the fashion I suppose. This is classic indie rock, emphasis on the rock. I don't see how anyone who loves stuff like Sonic Youth or Dinosaur Jr. couldn't be way into this as well. It's got the monster riffs of Chavez, but it's also got the romantic melodicism of Midwest mainstays like The Promise Ring. 90s, 00s - whatever. This is not nostalgia, this sound never went away as far as I'm concerned. As I always say, good music is good music, now and forever.
Voices Break the Silence - This awful friend
If you've ever had the opportunity to see Christian Kjellvander in concert or have heard the live tracks off the "Introducing the past" collection, you know that he is an impressive performer. Whether he's playing solo, with a full band or alone with his wife Karla-Therese as is the case on today's track, his voice stands out, shining through in his rich, clear baritone. I'm most familiar with the Johnny Cash version of "Southern accents" from the "Unchained" album, but the track is actually a Tom Petty original and the title track to his 1985 album. Petty, as you'd expect, tends to sound a bit more pop/mainstream on the original and Cash lends it more of a gospel touch with his clear, booming diction and backing organ, however, the Kjellvanders make it their own by keeping things very subdued and very country. They also layer on a few exceptional bluegrass vocal harmonies, a subtle but important touch. Most importantly though, it's their show of restraint that separates them. Listen to either of the other two versions after this one and you might start thinking they're a bit too melodramatic and overwrought. It's certainly happening to me.
Christian & Karla-Therese Kjellvander - Southern accents