Tag: Mp3s
Huge props are due to Teemu from Lupatarkastaja for turning me on to Hebosagil. And yes, they do sound like being run over by a train. Or more precisely, they sound like the fiercest crusty metal band you could imagine. Think early Entombed meets... Dystopia, perhaps? The recording is definitely reminiscent of the Sunlight Studios sound that Entombed helped make famous. Everything is raw and totally overblown, often crossing far into the red. I imagine that some of the harshness was slightly unintentional as, generally speaking, most engineers would be reluctant to let everything get so crazy distorted. Whatever the case, it don't matter a bit as it works perfectly in context for this music. A brutal recording just makes the band sound that much heavier.
If you like this track be sure to download the rest of the "Cosmic" EP: https://www.hebosagil.com/
I often talk about songs being taken out of context from the rest of the album, but this is definitely a case where the sum is greater than the individual parts. Very highly recommended!
Hebosagil - Slightly confusing
Susanne Sundfør is another one of those Norwegian artists whose album I investigated without any prior knowledge. I barely know anything about her except for what I've read on Wikipedia and I only looked that up just now this morning. What I do know for sure from listening however, is that Susanne Sundfør sounds a heckuva lot like Joni Mitchell and in no way is that a bad thing. The opening track "I resign" from her debut self-titled album is a lovely piece of piano-based pop tinged with an easy-going vibe and jazzy melodies. Susanne's vocals glide effortlessly all over the register, never crossing the line to over-indulgence. I swear this could've been recorded in the 60s and for an artist just barely into her 20s, Susanne is incredibly confident and self-assured. Born too late perhaps? Hopefully not - quality music is timeless. I'm still taking some time to let the rest of the album grow on me, but I can listen to "I resign" over and over again.
Susanne Sundfør - I resign
Once again, I hand things over to Jim Kelly from Parasol for this week's Bear Quartet post:
"Gay icon" was my first introduction to The Bear Quartet. A little slipcase CD with a naked man on the artwork that sat on the shelf for a year before some Swedish pals patiently explained that "The Bear Quartet are the very best band in Sweden, maybe the world." And this coming from members of the band I considered the best rock act in the world at the time. With this recommendation in mind and beginning to appreciate seeing Jari's scrotum on the gatefold (that took some balls!) I began an odyssey of obsession that all started with the opening track "From nowhere" and one of the best lines ever written:
Adam and Eve were the first, unemployed, in love and evicted...
A short, sweet, heartrending piano ballad that touched on the garden of Eden, a dysfunctional family (a common theme in Peter's songs, see "Disappearing act"), and a threesome (I think)... As soon as this poignant and plaintive narrative fades out, the rest of "Gay icon"'s glorious mayhem begins, an often shocking study in contrasts, with the tone strangely set from the start.
The Bear Quartet - From nowhere
Matt Giordano asked me about this song earlier this week so I figured, what the heck? Why not make it this week's Friday post. Marit Bergman has done a lot of fun covers for b-sides throughout the years - X-Ray Spex ("Oh bondage, up yours!"), AC/DC ("Highway to hell"), etc. - but it's her cover of fellow Swedes Fireside and the song "Sweatbead" that stands out. There's also a nice Moneybrother duet on the same disc (2003's "From now on" single) making it even more worthwhile to track down. Anyhow, Marit does away with Fireside's post-hardcore syncopation and gives the big chorus hook to the horn section, wholly making it her own. It's a really sweet song when you get down to it and I think that Marit does a great job of bringing that out, especially with the way she expands the song's dynamic range. Sometimes b-sides are obviously the tracks that weren't good enough for the album, but this most certainly is not.
Marit Bergman - Sweatbead
It's more back-to-basics rock'n'roll today courtesy of Thunder Express, the band led by Hellacopters guitarist Robert "Strings" Dahlqvist. It's not a big departure from the 'Copters big-guitar sound. Perhaps a little less arena-rock? More New York Dolls than Journey. There's still plenty of triumphant guitar riffs, but they're more at home in a seedy bar than in some cavernous coliseum. Which is not to say that I'm dissing the Hellacopters either! Many folks get down on their increasingly polished sound, but I'm totally okay with it.
Anyhow, Thunder Express' new record "Republic disgrace" is chock-full of solid tracks and "Vegas" is one of the standouts in my mind with it's simple, effective chorus. The shakers give it a little extra boogie-woogie and there's some sweet slide-guitar leads as well. Like I said, totally solid.
Thunder Express - Vegas
Maybe it's because I've been on a bit of nostalgia trip, but Swedish crust act Aktiv Dödshjälp reminds me a lot of brutal mid-90s metalcore, stuff like Fall Silent, Gehenna (US) or maybe Morning Again. The kind of stuff that's definitely more metal than 'core and heavy on the breakdowns. On the other hand, Aktiv Dödshjälp is probably far more rooted in d-beat and death metal. Despite the verse-chorus-breakdown/no-bullshit arrangements, the record "4:48" is chock-full of dark, ominous leads and fierce tremelo picking, sometimes even breaking into melodeath harmony. Lyrically, I don't think I've heard a more pessimistic record in a long while (until I get the new Shining, I guess). Take the name Aktiv Dödshjälp - active euthanasia. And "4:48", the album's title? That's the time most people commit suicide. Today's song "Tysta vittnen" ("Silent witness")? Actually one of lighter tracks in that it only deals with repression and subordination, not a pointless life lived in pain. Heavy stuff all around.
Aktiv Dödshjälp - Tysta vittnen
It's true: the new Shout Out Louds record "Our ill wills" sounds a lot like The Cure. A lot. Trouble is, I've never been much of a Cure fan, hence I'm not that into it. It's fine for what it is, I guess. It doesn't provoke any strong reactions, the worst I can say is that I'm indifferent. However, there are still a few standout tracks - opening number and lead single "Tonight I have to leave it" is by far the best, but I also can get behind "You are dreaming" and especially the closer "Hard rain". In fact, I was strongly considering posting the latter but I don't want to bother with any of the C&D BS that comes with posting unauthorized tracks from a high-profile release. Like the other high points, the sound is very much influenced by producer Björn Yttling, especially in terms of percussion. "Tonight..." gets steel drums (I think?) and "Hard rain" has what sounds to me like pitched cowbells. They're subtle, but it makes a big difference. It's those little things that make Björn such a sought-after talent. I'm also a big fan of that nostalgic vibe I get from the song. "The words came like a hard rain / And your smile changed like a hurricane / Your breath smells like cardamom / And the words came like a hard rain" It's the incorporation of smell that gets me. Indian spices are just that vivid.
Shout Out Louds - Tonight I have to leave it
We're six months into 2007 and our halftime reports are now posted. There's been a good number of strong releases so far this year, Säkert! being a collective favorite and others such as Laakso, Shout Out Louds, Isolation Years, Aerial and Familjen making multiple lists. Whittling our individual picks to three each can be difficult, but I think it forces us to be more decisive and discerning.
One act that didn't make by list, but surely deserves a place is Closer. Problem is, their new EP "The 39" isn't officially released yet and I didn't want to be all, "this is the year's best record and no, you can't hear it." Actually, I did play the track "Sensing the wake" on my radio show a couple times, but I really have no idea how many people heard it. Well, those problems are now a thing of the past as the kind dudes of Closer have decided to let me offer up "Sensing the wake" as a free download. Still no word on an official release, but it'll come - just wait.
For those that have missed my description of the band in the past, Closer plays what I can only describe as intelligent rock music. It's heavy and dark, but not exactl metal and it has the intensity of hardcore without being, y'know, hardcore. The musicianship is stellar as well, but never too showy. Fellow musicians will pick up on it, but there's no conspicuous solos or anything else to draw attention to it. Thematically, the EP is a concept piece along the same lines of "Tokpela", their debut. This time, it's based on a linear story centered around a single person and a series of events. Various similar motifs are repeated throughout the record, tying it together as a whole. Vocalist Joachim Dahlberg describes "Sensing the wake" as part one, "where the sensing part is actually just the saxophone intro, the calm before the storm." Beyond that, you're on your own. Closer loves to be mysterious and is happy to let you draw your own conclusions.
Closer - Sensing the wake
Apparently "Oeuvreblogs" are the new black? I may not quite have the fervor to post about every single Bear Quartet song ever recorded, but I suppose that my weekly posts qualify in some way. Going strong since January! Take that Perpetua! Carrying on...
Despite being one of Bear Quartet's most different/difficult records, I loved "Saturday night" from the very first moment I heard it. It sounds like nothing else except The Bear Quartet, equal parts irritating and astonishing, often at the same time. Despite being a studio creation, a few of tracks such as "Your name here" aren't too hard to imagine in a live setting. A steady guitar melody, a recurring keyboard riff. Little bits of noise come and go, but the basics remain throughout. Aside from the explosive refrain of the title, little of the lyrics are discernible. There's echoes of "Disappearing act"/"I don't wanna" in the reference to being curled up in a car and the importance of places, and like those two, it's a troubled love song. "I would fake intimacy but no one was allowed near me / you come clear / I can feel myself rise into something like life / weightless / untroubled / forgiving even myself" Redemption through devotion? That's true love.
The Bear Quartet - Your name here
A new month and a new Record Club selection means that my usual Friday flashback post has been preempted. June's pick: "Fall, fall, falling" from Göteborg-based artist Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words, an absolute crushing record. As DLSODW mainman Thomas Ekelund himself puts it, "It's about yearning, for what was, for what could've been or for it to never have existed. It's about breaking down...apart... up. It's about grotesque reactions and the distortion of memories. It's about self-destruction, -mutilation and -loathing. It's about scars/shards. It's about that sinking feeling. It's about falling." Make no mistake, this is a devastating work, but like all of the best doom-oriented music, its innate sense of foreboding and suffocation is tempered with aching beauty. It's in the darkness that the inspiration and the will to carry on is rediscovered. This is not brutality for brutality's sake, like Brighter Death Now for instance, this is looking deeper.
Previous Dead Letters work tended towards minimalist drone and, while that's still very present, Ekelund has now started to work with much more well-defined rhythms and melody. Today's mp3 selection "Ashen like the sky" is one of the more extreme examples, sounding something like Godflesh buried at sea. A lot of electronic music can seem cold and distant, but I find that Dead Letters always retains a strong sense of earth or organicness, something I attribute to the fact that everything he does sounds as if it's been rolled in shit and dirt. The method behind the music is digital, but the feeling is very human, very real. The result is very powerful and, naturally, very highly recommended.
Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words - Ashen like the sky
Luleå-based indierockers Park Hotell managed to score a nice bit of publicity thanks to Mattias Alkberg's flattering one-sheet writeup. That's fine and good, but how about the music? Well, surprise surprise: they sound like a Norrland indierock band. Naturally, I think that's great - I'm a huge fan of that style and besides the mighty Bear Quartet, count many other peers as my favorites such as KVLR, Him Kerosene and Isolation Years. Park Hotell emphasizes the lighter, airier side of things though that looming presence of northern darkess always remains in the background. Otherwise, expect tons of twisted guitars and plenty of the sort of unique melodies that are a given for the genre. "Born a thief" is one of the more driving tracks on "The guest who stayed forever", the bands new double-EP (two short CDs packaged in a nice gatefold sleeve). It's probably the one song that reminds me the most of HK which is maybe why I like it so much. My only complaint: it's a shame we had to wait so long for this to finally come out.
Park Hotell - Born a thief
Mainliners are not a new band, but their new self-titled album is the first I've ever heard of them. They're one of those rare bands who I immediately liked from just hearing a few seconds of a track on myspace. Thankfully, the rest of the record doesn't disappoint either - this is easily some of the best Swedish rock'n'roll I've heard in ages. There's a touch of 80s LA hair-metal (think Faster Pussycat), but it's tempered with a rougher, more bluesy vibe. Think more along the lines of early Aerosmith. This particular track I've posted is one of the slower numbers. I guess you could call it a power-ballad. It certainly does have a powerful chorus, as do most of the band's songs. It's nice to hear a band with an organ player who knows how to stick to the background, too. He plays a more prominent role on other tracks, but it's not needed here, so he lays back. That's class. Excuse the hyperbole, but I won't be surprised if this ends up being one of my favorite records this year. It's not groundbreaking, but it sure sounds fresh to these tired ears.
Mainliners - Bourbon and ice
Another surprisingly good record that just came out is Sahara Hotnights's new one "What if leaving is a loving thing". I wasn't sure they were capable of a comeback, but they've gone and proved me wrong. Once you reconcile your expectations and understand that they'll never make another loud rock record like "C'mon let's pretend", you too might be pleasantly surprised. I think the band has always had pop aspirations, they've simply didn't know how to attain them. Hiring Björn Yttling to produce was certainly a big step in the right direction. He's got a great ear for arrangements and the decision to use acoustic guitar as the main rhythm track on opening number "Visit to Vienna" was certainly the right way to go. Build it up with some simple monophonic pianoline doubling the bass and throw in some hand-claps - can't go wrong. Vocalist/frontwoman Maria Andersson gets a little too PJ Harvey with the caterwauling, but overall, I don't think she's ever sounded better. She has always had great attitude, there's no doubt, but she is capable of more. I guess that's what you call maturity, eh? Really well done.
Sahara Hotnights - Visit to Vienna
As provocateurs, The Tough Alliance has few peers. At least in the complacent Swedish indie/pop world - they've got a long way to go before they reach KLF or Men's Recovery Project levels of subversiveness, but I applaud them for trying. Musically, it barely even matters. Their reputation and notoriety is based far more on shtick than on anything they've committed to tape. On the other hand, "A new chance" shows a tremendous amount of growth and opening track "Something special" is the first time I've ever heard TTA open their mouths without making me cringe (hence my ready appreciation of the instrumental and new-agey "Escaping our ambitions" from last year). They move beyond their usual snotty Göteborg indie-gone-electro sound by spicing it up with bits of Middle Eastern samples and much-improved drum machine programming. And finally, vocals that actually approach tunefulness.
As a whole, the record is tailormade for summer listening. The sonic palette screams "island"-preset, if such a thing exists. Cheesy synths, steel drums, and so on - think "Kokomo". There's even a semi-decent reggae track ("Looking for gold") which may call to mind UB40, for better or worse. I'm surprised to find myself enjoying it as much as I do, though that might not really be all that much. I will say this however: The Embassy has some serious catching up to do.
The Tough Alliance - Something special
"Disappearing act" would have made a worthy, although unnecessary, addition to "Angry brigade". I guess it was a bit of an older track, so tacking it on as a b-side to the "All your life" EP makes sense from the band's perspective. I may not find it to be much of a stylistic departure, but it's not as if The Bear Quartet cares. They're gonna do what they're gonna do, regardless.
The subject? The older, wiser, tougher kid. The one who escapes. I assume this refers to breaking free of smalltown Luleå. Anywhere but here, right? A companion piece to "I don't wanna". The songs of Broder Daniel may perfectly capture the blunt trauma of teen angst, but BQ reaches an entirely different level of despair, something far more deep and poetic. While vague generalities stir up empathy, an isolated incident leaves a lump in my throat.
The Bear Quartet - Disappearing act