Tag: Reviews

Dusted reviews Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas

Dusted reviews the new Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas collaboration "II": https://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/5000

Tue, May 19th, 2009 15:48:56

PopMatters reviews The Low Frequency in Stereo

PopMatters reviews The Low Frequency in Stereo's latest record "Futuro": https://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/93028-the-low-frequency-in-stereo-futuro/

Mon, May 18th, 2009 16:33:36

Dusted reviews The Field

Dusted has an admirably snide review of The Field's new record: https://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/4996

Mon, May 18th, 2009 16:22:05

Opening with the wryly constructed "Ron Asheton's loafers", Hyper Plastic, the electronic solo project of former This Perfect Day guitarist Rickard Johansson, establishes what we can expect from the EP - clever arrangements of simple melodies, a mess of blips and bloops entwined with Johansson's guitar work, driving electronic drums, and coolly detached vocals. One can't but hear elements of "Punk rocker"-era Teddybears throughout the EP, even in its most inspired moments for at the core of Hyper Plastic is a need to channel angular punk energy down the darkest of pop-saturated avenues. As "Love & hate" demonstrates, Johansson has a fantastic understanding of atmosphere and mood (favoring the brooding kind), and utilizes this awareness to elevate his compositions just clear of being dismissed as merely simplistic distortion-tinged pop songs. That said, the cynical charm of Hyper Plastic starts to lose some of its appeal after a few listens -- though, in all honesty, this fate awaits the vast majority of four-track EPs. I'm curious to see what Johansson could do with more time.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson

Mon, May 18th, 2009 13:39:23

Pfork track review: Liechtenstein - All at once

Swedish tweepop act Liechtenstein in the Pitchfork track reviews: https://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/11256-all-at-once/

Mon, May 18th, 2009 11:44:52

MP3: General Surgery - Slithering maceration of ulcerous facial tissue

"We're General Surgery! We play Death Metal!" Indeed they do, and they do it well. Last night's show here in Olympia was fantastic, bonus that recent Fenriz band-of-the-week pick Midnight played support along with local faves Funerot (who keep sounding better and better each time I see them). I actually don't think I've ever spent much time listening to General Surgery on record -- their discography is awfully meager considering how long they've been around -- but I may have to correct that now. Gore-obsessed grind can easily get tedious, but those dudes throw in enough grooves and classic Swedish death melodies to rise above the rabble. Performed live on stage in bloodied hospital whites just makes it that much more powerful. I'm still smiling thinking about it now.

General Surgery - Slithering maceration of ulcerous facial tissue

Fri, May 15th, 2009 11:22:42

First Aid Kit reviewed at Under the Radar

Under the Radar reviews Swedish sister duo First Aid Kit: https://www.undertheradarmag.com/reviews/drunken_trees_ep/

Thu, May 14th, 2009 17:07:02

The Silent Ballet reviews 'Lost in reflections'

The Silent Ballet reviews Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words' "Lost in reflections": https://thesilentballet.com/dnn/Home/tabid/36/ctl/Details/mid/384/ItemID/2389/Default.aspx

Wed, May 13th, 2009 16:42:43

PopMatters reviews Hanne Hukkelberg

PopMatters weighs in on the new Hanne Hukkelberg: https://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/92595-hanne-hukkelberg-blood-from-a-stone/

Tue, May 12th, 2009 18:52:54

Pitchfork reviews the new Hanne Hukkelberg record

Pitchfork reviews the new Hanne Hukkelberg record "Blood from a stone": https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/13023-blood-from-a-stone/

Tue, May 12th, 2009 11:04:22

Musique Machine reviews latest Skull DFX album

Musique Machine reviews The Skull Defekts' new album "The temple": https://www.musiquemachine.com/reviews/reviews_template.php?id=2208

Mon, May 11th, 2009 14:35:07

Various Artists
Swedish Death Metal
Index Verlag

At first I bemoaned the fact that this collection was only coming out as a 3-CD set and not on vinyl, but the truth of the matter is that three 60+ minute CDs would necessitate a massive LP boxset. As if the mountain of licensing paperwork I'm sure this collection entailed wasn't enough, I can only imagine the intimidating pricetag that would add to it. No, the format this collection really should have been released as is cassette tape -- that's how this music was first distributed, that's how it was listened to. Bands aspired to vinyl, but the era of the demo tape defined the early Swedish death metal scene and that's where a lot of this source material originated. The heavyweights are all here: Nihilist, Entombed, At the Gates, Unleashed, Dismember, Grave, etc.; even if Earache and Black Mark would not relinquish rights for landmarks such as Entombed's "Left hand path" or Bathory's "Under the sign of the black mark" without a hefty fee, at least we can still hear many of the demos. Many other less prominent, but by no means less worthy acts are represented as well: Merciless, Liers in Wait, Evocation, Nirvana 2002... all painstakingly collected by the corresponding book's author Daniel Ekeroth, who also provides liner notes for each track. As a single-session listening experience, it's near-overkill, but as a historical document and learning aid it is invaluable. Of course, the tracklist isn't perfect and Daniel's prejudice towards Gothenburg's melodic metal scene is evident, but I see no valid reason to complain. The entire project is a labor of love and we are lucky it exists at all. Daniel's respect and dedication for the genre trumps any benefit deeper pockets (or broader minds) could afford and for that he has my deepest admiration.
- Avi Roig

Thu, May 7th, 2009 17:43:01

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