Tag: Reviews
3
Kompjotr Eplektrika (aka Mats Björk) might be said to have mellowed out since his debut, the 2005 plane crash that was "RedisetKompjotrAllesklaarEplektrika". Although you'll find plenty of white noise, hisses and screeches on "Darrk circuits fadead waves", it still is a display of far more subtlety than his earlier broken computer noise aesthetic. The tracks range from slow, pulsing drones reminiscent of Pan Sonic ("Blikktztunddonner", "Gradient curse") to more frantic, twisted electronic tomfoolery ("Crakkin zombeez...", "...and the brainfreeze"). However, where acts like Pan Sonic or Pistol Disco manage to somehow reach out and involve the listener in their experiments, Kompjotr Eplektrika never truly seems to emerge from its own bizarre universe. The simplistic rhythms, loops and beats remain a monotonous and at times inane two-dimensional backdrop instead of invading your head like you'd hope they would.
- Viktor Ålander
Pitchfork reviews the US release of the new Shout Out Louds album "Our ill wills": https://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/45683-our-ill-wills
Also reviewed at Pfork: Finnish artist Islaja and her new album "Ulual Yyy": https://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/45463-ulual-yyy
Jonas Appelqvist's report from the debut IAT! Clubnight at Debaser Malmö is now online: https://www.itsatrap.com/articles.php?a=324
Also be sure to check out the new daily review feature - today's album is "Against the dying of the light" from Danish artist CS Nielsen.
9
Hands down, "Against the dying of the light" is one of the best albums of 2007. Stig Nielsen, oft referred to as 'Country Stig', does indeed emulate the late Johnny Cash, even using the familiar allusions to trains in numerous songs, but he does it so damned well that it feels like a fitting tribute to the Man in Black, an homage appropriate to the history, catalog, and accomplishments that made Cash who he was. Nielsen's lyrics are cultivated and adept, existing so effortlessly alongside his masterly crafted songs. "Bottle for the road" has numerous displays of his lyrical abilities: "Today I feel a chill of autumn coming 'round, leaves like angels are falling; today your memory cannot hold me in this town...", and the wonderful fragment, "I had too many cups of water that you never turned into wine..." from "Happy" shows the care that Nielsen put into every song. The standard that this record holds itself to is exceptionally high and none of the songs miss this demanding mark. Many artists have claimed Johnny Cash as one of their influences, but few have ever come so close to continuing the legacy he blazed across America in the 1960s and burned into the consciousness of the world. CS Nielsen still retains much of his individuality as a songwriter and an artist even while treading these familiar paths, and this facet of the music only augments his undertakings and illuminates "Against the dying of the light" even further. Absolutely brilliant.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
Musique Machine reviews the collaboration of Swedish electronic artist Sara Lunden with Ukranian Andrey Kiritchenko: https://www.musiquemachine.com/reviews/reviews_template.php?id=1409
9
This must surely be one of the most eagerly awaited albums of the year, not just for me but for a lot of people out there. I was a little scared to listen to it at first, fearing that it wouldn't be as good as I've so intensely wanted it to be. At first I was a bit confused, I thought the album was too much about clever instrumentation and sampling, but then after a few proper listenings (i.e. not on the bus while reading the paper) the songs started to appear for me out of the hodgepodge of different sounds, and it all made sense. Most of the tracks on "Night falls..." are simply pretty (and quite bombastic) pop songs, despite all the odd samples, use of instruments etc. The thing that got me hooked on Jens Lekman was his fabulous and quirky lyrics, and the lyrics on this album are probably his best ever. Some of the choruses Lekman's penned for this album are simply stunning, his songwriting skills are just getting better and better. There are a couple of tracks that I'm not overly keen on, but then three or four songs on here are already classics, as far as I'm concerned, and the more I listen to the rest, the more the album seems like another Jens Lekman solid release that you'll love and treasure. Sweet, reliable and sure to pick you up, just like a good cup of coffee - Jens Lekman's back and he's still fantastic!
- Simon Tagestam
5
The fact that one has to strain to even half-hear whatever is happening on "Whatsoever-never" doesn't help one in siding favorably with the EP. I can't really pass proper judgment on a recording that sounds like it is being relayed to me from a live show via a friend's mobile... though, any band who would allow their songs to be released with this type of production have to understand that some critics are going to shrink away from it (and this goes doubly for the label). Lo-fi doesn't even really do the sound justice. That said, "Whatever happened to Jesamine?", a Beatles-like composition, would be a damned fine summer song if it could only be shared with friends without feeling slightly embarrassed for doing so (especially when you could be listening to the Beatles themselves or any other band that took the time to be properly produced). I would encourage the Dear Elaines to rerecord some of their songs in a proper studio, even a basement set up that a hopeful engineer has crafted, anything so that we can actually hear the songs. I feel I would really like the results.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
8
The fact that the band is currently without a proper distribution in Sweden is a crying shame. On the other hand, you can't really accuse them of being original; their playful indie rock reeks of influences from The Residents, Guided by Voices, Hüsker Dü and some Nirvana. We are talking about a band that's not really up to date with the music industry, thank god for that, and that's probably the reason for the lack of interest from operators in the business. Me, on the other hand, being a sucker for all of those bands, I surrender on the spot to TTT's wonderful melodies, sudden disharmonic turnarounds and psychedelic trips. On the downside, some of the songs are old and have been featured on other albums, but hey, it's a smart move to include "Come on, common sounds!" again since it stands out as one of their best. Bearing in mind that "This is music! I'm going down..." and the self-titled follow-up didn't end up as best-sellers, I'd say it's okay to include the best material you have. One thing though; if they're including older material, why not add "There's a roadblock on the road between the road and the block" while you're at it?
- Jonas Appelqvist
7
Powerfully starting with "Iloitkaamme Hawaii", Mikko Singh draws you in... and then nearly lets you slip away. The production changes, the delivery, too, and all the sudden a wonderful instrumental track bleeds into a strange acoustic number with lo-fi strings and what sounds like waves crashing (though this could just be a facet of the lower quality production) in the background. The first track feels like it could have been featured on the "True Romance" soundtrack, the next feels more like a choice for a quirky, low-budget indie film, and doesn't really challenge the listener with its repetitive tact. Luckily, Mikko recovers, especially once he hits on "Palmun juurella", a similar track to that of the opener, though this time accompanied by Singh's fragile, though assertive vocals. From there on out it's pretty smooth sailing, even if lost at sea in arrangements akin to that of dreamscape pioneers Sigur Rós and the Notwist, touches of José González noticeable in the competent guitar lines, and an almost Peter Gabriel-esque quality perceptible at times. While "Illalla nukutaan aamu on" has a quick stumble in the important opening section, its creator easily convalesces, and the final product is quite an accomplishment.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
6
With the strange ability to approach the often saccharine sweet world of electro-pop with an art-punk mentality, blurring the lines between simple pleasures and melodies that need time to unravel, Soviac's "Hello bunny" is a bizarre, though quite welcome effort. There are definitely some rather annoying moments, but this is to be expected with bands such as this who tread a strange path through The Knife's and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' terrain, and these flaws can be forgiven as the 'complicated dance music' approach pays off more and more as the record progresses - "Friction" being one of the first true signs of Soviac's talents. Sadly, even in its most enjoyable moments, I can't ever see myself falling truly in love with this record or allowing it heavy rotation in my stereo, but I will certainly enjoy it on the occasions "Hello bunny" does find its way back into my present.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
8
When Anna Ternheim stretches she doesn't go all that far. Still, this five-song EP is a nice twist on the melancholy tranquil folky singer-songwriter piano-based songs that comprise her first two records. The instrumentation is different here, and the sound more spacious and experimental, though still instantly recognizable as her's. Perhaps most refreshing are the lyrics which, as the EP's title implies, go beyond her standard forlorn and defiant love songs toward the mentally ill without the in-your-face humor of, say, Hello Saferide's "High school stalker". "I refuse to believe you've left me / 'cause you'll never leave / nor stop loving me / 'cause I would hurt you beyond belief" she sings with the sweetest tones, setting up an intruiging (if disturbing) juxtaposition. At the end of the day, though, it's still Anna Ternheim all the way, not in the least bit dangerous. But if you like easy going, very pretty, and relaxing mellow songs, you'll enjoy it, and if you don't, you won't. I do.
- Nancy Baym
9
There've been a few accidentally discovered wonders this year for me, though I am not sure how many will retain the presence that New Decade's "Hush EP" exudes from start to finish when all's said and done. Easily likened to the oft overlooked North Carolinians Cities, these Swedes' creations radiate youthful sparks, trampling the line between the dour outlook of Interpol and the contemplative chaos that was Archers of Loaf. The emptiness habitually found in introspective numbers is funneled through a more hopeful filter on "Hush"; considered, brooded over, and elated in the final moments of the songs. New Decade have a near flawless delivery: their songs are timed and tempered almost perfectly, waters are muddied and built up before allowing the waves of distorted and delay to consume the compositions. Emil Lundblad's voice is as powerful an apparatus as the beautifully entangled guitar lines or the backline power of the drums and bass, never having to strain to exist alongside the augmenting storms of instrumentation. "I guess you ran from something" and "While tonight still is" are my favorites so far, especially the examinations of unstable, dynamic emotions captured by static photographs in the latter's lyrics (some of the best I've heard from a vocalist for whom English is a second language), though the others barely lag behind. The only downside is the fact it is merely an EP. Putting "Hush" on repeat will quell my desire for more until New Decade reenter the studio, hopefully on the roster of any label smart enough to pick them up.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
Kompjotr Eplektrika
CS Nielsen
Jens Lekman
The Dear Elaines
Talking to Teapots
Mikko Singh
Soviac
Anna Ternheim
New Decade