Tag: Reviews
At the moment, together with Service, Labrador is one of Sweden's most interesting labels. The bands on Service might be more exciting and they also cover a wider range of musical styles, but with such amazing bands such as [ingenting], The Radio Dept., and Suburban Kids with Biblical Names on their roster, every new Labrador release comes along with the promise of being tremendous. What we got here though is an extensive 25 track sampler that came out last year. Labrador has very successfully managed, like other great record labels, to create their own "sound" (which could be described as a bit poppy, shoegazing, and a lot twee), and most bands on this cd stay within this niche, but there are also a handful of songs that really stand out, such as Corduroy utd's "Daddy's boy" which is pure Dexy's. There are so many great songs on this disc that it's hard to say anything against it, but the fact that most of these songs are on other releases is a shame because then the compilation is really only interesting for people who haven't got too many Labrador releases. But all in all, this is an amazing bunch of songs, and a perfect introduction for anyone who wants to check out some great Swedish indie music that isn't garage rock.
- Simon Tagestam
This goes absolutely all over the place, and I love it! Seriously, we need more instrumental indie-rock records like this. The influences of EtVC are numerous but let's just mention the ones that stick out: early Stereolab, Sonic Youth, GBV and Mogwai. Combine that is one happy melting pot and you'll have a nice idea of what they are all about. If it were not for terribly recorded drums this album would have been a joy to listen to, but this little detail makes it alright but a bit annoying. Still very interesting.
- Simon Thibaudeau
If you like David & the Citizens I shall hereby save you a minute or two by informing you that David Fridlund's solo album sounds like David & the Citizens and it's as good. So stop reading and go and buy it now, thank you very much. For all you other people who have never heard David & the Citizens, here you go:
It seems to be quite a trend to release solo albums lately in Sweden, but whereas usually these solo outings take on a completely different form than how the artist's band sounds like (e.g. Fireside's Kristofer Åström, International Noise Conspiracy's Dennis Lyxzen's Last Patrol, or Millencolin's Nikola Sarcevic), David's solo album sounds in fact quite a lot like a D&tC's first album (only a bit slower and less energetic). Even though it would have been interesting with an album that sounded completely different from D&tC, "Amaterasu" is so good that one quickly forget the initial disappointment and such before mentioned speculations, because by calling this just "another D&tC album" what that really equals is "another excellent album."
Another expectation on solo albums is of course for the lyrical content to deal with more personal issues, but if you've heard D&tC you know that their lyrics hardly can be any more personal and intimate. It should also be said that David Fridlund writes excellent lyrics and often manages to come up with lines that cunningly drill themselves into your brain, set root, and refuse to leave (such as "Rub your allergic eyes and look at me" from "Satellite", which is one of the best songs on the album). In the beginning of their career numerous people compared D&tC to Bright Eyes, and that comparison is still valid although "Amaterasu" is not as angst-driven as most of Bright Eyes' material. It's also a quite long album, but it's so varied it hardly ever becomes repetitive, but it's not really amazingly accessible either and it took quite a few listenings before I really got into it.
- Simon Tagestam
Håkan Hellström's career is quite intriguing, from playing bass in indie combo Broder Daniel he has, after two solo albums, become one of Sweden's biggest and most popular artists. Hellström has somehow managed to become a major artist (and a proper household name) without alienating most of his original indie audience, which is quite a feat. It comes as no surprise then that this new single from his forthcoming album "Ett kolikbarns bekännelser" (which roughly translates as "Confessions from a colic child"), is the most anticipated single this year in Sweden. The single did of course race directly into the number one spot in the singles chart. My expectations for this song was probably way too high, and I should have realized that my hopes would inevitable be crushed no matter what. But even though there's some nice flute playing by Dungen (who's to my bewilderment has received a lot of hype in the States in the past months) the song is unfortunately not as fantastic as Hellström's previous singles/songs.
- Simon Tagestam
This trio of Swedes play this really cool brand of instrumental rock that is a bit on the jazzy/funky side. Reminds me of the Euroboys' stuff from "Jet age" and is rooted in a nice '70s groove. This eight-track EP is almost hypnotic at times. Good listening for when you want to chill out in the afternoon with a drink in your hand.
- Navy Keophan
This traditional acoustic trio (piano, drum, bass) does things differently. The kind of things they do is very similar to what fusion bands did in the seventies (Return to Forever comes to mind) but without all the cheesiness that was involved then. E.S.T. come with a true understanding of post-bob, downtempo and contemporary post-rock music. Never, the music sounds forced. Never, the bit of electronics that come in sound misplaced. Always, the improvisation goes somewhere. All of that is more than I can say for a lot of bands, jazz or else.
- Simon Thibaudeau
My Swedish friends may make fun of me for having the musical taste of a 14 year-old girl, but I can't help it: I like The Ark. But jeez guys, when did you get so angry? There's really an overwhelming air of hositility on this album that I just did not expect. Ola's cursing like a sailor! Not that it's a bad thing, it's just a far departure from what I expected. Perhaps they are trying to keep up with their aging demographic? Or is it to show they the edge needed to break into the fickle US market? Anyhow, there's still plenty of the usual flamboyant glam-pop here to satisfy my needs, I don't care what anyone else says.
- Avi Roig
The beauty of this record made me rewrite this review three times because I couldn't quite capture what I felt. This record is what I would like people play as funeral march once I pass away. As creepy as that sounds, it really isn't. The music is full of mourning but yet you remember all the beautiful times you had. This folk, with somewhat military percussion, banjo, acoustic guitars and melodica, is superbly written and played. Despite the simplicity of the music, and the lack of vocals, the songs flow with an incredible ease. This review still sucks but I guess that's the best I can do.
- Simon Thibaudeau
This is 24 year old Norwegian Dybdahl's third long player. Taking hints from Ed Harcourt and Bright Eyes, the palette from which he paints from is both fragile and weary. "It's always been you" is a heartfelt weepie that features whispered breathy vocals and a gorgeous piano refrain, all drenched in subtle strings. Title track "One day you'll dance for me, New York City" has an underlying country feel to it with a gently picked banjo, whilst Dybdahl's lyrics are concerned with typical outsiderdom. The young Norwegian doesn't anything new or different on this record, he's just a great songwriter.
- Nick Levine
As some of you might know, Echo Is Your Love record almost completely without rehearsals, trying to keep thing as spontaneous as possible. Other bands have done similar things, most notably Spazz who never rehearsed a note, and others would like to sound like they did. EIYL somehow keep it relatively together despite their self-imposed limitations (but nowhere as tight as Spazz have been, by the way). Of course, they keep the music as wisely focusing on one area of rock music as possible not drifting away from their Sonic Youth-ish dirty rock direction. Surprising results.
- Simon Thibaudeau
Like Appleseed Cast, these guys play dreamy pop that often stretches into epic post-rock territory. They've certainly got a lot of good ideas and the right instincts and I especially like the bits where they incorporate extra instrumentation such as strings and trumpet, but are a bit lacking when it comes to songwriting and arrangements and subsequently lose me in the big picture. I think if they worked on doing better transitions and added a bit more dynamics, they'd do okay.
- Avi Roig
September Malevolence's previous EP, my introduction to their music, left me more than a little cold. Post-rock in its current GY!BE/Mogwai/Sigur Rós mold is left with little in terms of innovation because everybody uses the same structures and the basic premise. That's where songwriting comes in. Good songwriters, whether or not their genre has been explored in every little corner, will create good music. September Malevolence aren't quite there yet, but considering the progression between the EP and this one, they could very well have something very special soon.
- Simon Thibaudeau
Finnish hardcore punk with just enough interesting melodies and dissonance in their riffs to make 'em above average, but not enough to totally win me over. They have some great ideas, but need to mix things up a little more to take it to the next level. The first couple of songs are fairly mediocre, especially when they stick to the usual mix of fast-punk drumming in the verses and add in generic half-time breakdowns, but the more mid-tempo tracks in the middle really show some potential. Hide the drummer's double-kick pedal and go study some old Rorschach records, okay guys? We'll talk later.
- Avi Roig