Tag: Reviews
9
Nicklas Stenemo's (The Mo, Melody Club) voice, an instrument that functions like a fuller, more masculine translation of Karin Dreijer's vocal style, elevates this fine record, one that would be perfectly capable of garnering strong reviews without Stenemo's captivating utterances, to something well beyond the run-of-the-mill renditions of 80s electronica. Christian Berg's (Yvonne, Strip Music) love of authentic 80s synth sounds combined with Stenemo's pop sensibility and voice converge so fluidly, bringing to mind acts like New Order, but it's merely a reference point. Opener "Ways to dance" is a distinctly Scandinavian electronic pop song: driving, punctuated by oscillating drum fills à la The Knife; "Say it ain't so" relaxes its hold on the throttle, settling into a layered, paced rhythm; and closer "Learn to like it", a mesmerizing, melancholic track, puts on display much of the aptitude demonstrated on the EP: the intricate levels of synths and voices, the pitch-perfect structure of the songs - never meandering, never going on too long, and merging the measured step of "Say it ain't so" with the unhurried, ethereal expanse that is "My girl and I", my personal favorite. Kite have been fine company on long, cold walks home through streets lined with dying leaves, while reading Ellis' "Less Than Zero", and during the final hour before heading out into the city; the fact that Kite can offer so much in four songs gives the thought of a future full length effort enough weight to push me through what looks to be a bitter winter. I just hope it's not too long a wait.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
7
"Sunday girl", the frontrunner of "Hymns I remember", is seeped in the essence of 60s pop music. The fact that it wouldn't feel out of place on a Jens Lekman album doesn't hurt either, and like Lekman, Helena Sundin softly, gently draws us into the musical translations of her inner monologues with this opening track. The rest of Cake on Cake's album is solid, even more so if you are fond of the brand of Swedish pop that has seen such praise heaped upon El Perro del Mar and Granada. My only real complaint is that Sundin's charm seems unevenly distributed between the first two tracks of the record, not that there aren't wonderful moments throughout, but one's standards are left so high after "Visiting the Venice Biennal" that it can take a few listens to fully appreciate "Hymns I remember" in its entirety.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
7
I had been anticipating this show for a few weeks after I had seen it posted on this very website. Fredrik's debut "Na na ni" was released earlier this year and has proved to be a very enjoyable and soothing listen, and I was very interested in how it would translate to a live setting. Well, the evening was more a surprise than anything else, as the band opened with "Black fur" and closed with "Alina'a place", with the three songs played in between being instrumentals. I found it to be a bit odd, considering how much of a pop record they have released. I was rather disappointed not to hear the first single "1986" played too, but overall they performed well, it was just something I was not expecting.
- Matt Giordano
5
To be rather honest, I haven't really kept up with Peter Bjorn and John since they became everyone's favorite Swedish pop act with "that whistling song". Due to my negligence, I was completely taken aback by the instrumental nature of "Seaside rock" -- not just because there are few vocals (and the ones present are treated like instruments), but because a decent amount of the tracks on the album would be much improved by the introduction of a lyrical voice. It's hard to fully settle into the album. My mind keeps recalling tracks like "Objects of my affection" and "Up against the wall" from "Writer's block", and comparing those songs with the efforts on "Seaside rock" (I hope the rhyming nature of the two album titles was not intentional), this new record doesn't fare too well. It's not awful, not by a stretch, but the sudden and strange shift of tone is... well, awkward (and not in a cute way). The lush pop layering of Peter Bjorn and John has been replaced by avant-garde, postrock-inspired tendencies -- it's like Shout Out Louds following up "Our ill wills" with an album of Godspeed! You Black Emperor covers. There are some fantastic results -- "Barcelona", for example -- but the overall, lasting impression is the question, "Why?" "Seaside rock" is interesting, but it should have been released under a different band name; it's just not a Peter Bjorn and John record, but it has to be judged to that standard... and, sadly, it doesn't live up.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
7
As interest in freejazz slowly trickles down into the world of indie/electronica and grows, I imagine we'll see more and more records like this, full of eclectic clatter and hum. Of course, most of them won't be very good at all, but at least we'll still have acts such as Fria Konstellationen setting the bar. Pure improv is a tenuous beast; even renown acts such as Norway's Supersilent edit down hours and hours of recordings for what ends up on their album. I can only assume the same for this Malmö-centralized collective, but who knows for sure? The mystery of its origins are part of the charm, whether it be the story behind the music or simply the makeup of the instrumentation. The group's main mode of communication tends toward drone rather than bursts of sound, though rules are made and broken and then remade again as they go along. Melody and themes are tossed asunder in favor of pure compelling sound; dynamics and variety of timbre hold my interest well enough. Live, I imagine the experience to be even stronger when a visual component is factored in. Not everyday listening, to be sure, but certainly a worthy document examining the possibilities of seemingly random noise.
- Avi Roig
Teeth of the Lion reviews the new album "Cult" from Finnish metal act Medeia: https://teethofthedivine.com/site/reviews/medeia-cult/
Dusted weighs in on the new Love Is All album: https://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/4659
9
Kiki Pau are an elusive beast. I hear elements of "London calling"-era Clash, especially the appreciation of old-school ska and reggae, and the Kooks' songwriting in "Bobby Marley"; rockabilly and indie frameworks ensnarl themselves around angular, playful guitar work akin to that of Franz Ferdinand in "Your bedroom"; the opening of "Poses" reminds me of The Smiths' "Rusholme ruffians", only to evoke much more contemporary British references in the verse and chorus; the break in "Chronic puberty" pays skillful homage to the Beach Boys; and "Berlin" brings to mind Razorlight and Longwave. Pair this ability to freely, mischievously wheel all through the indie rock (80s, 90s, and contemporary), swing, and rockabilly genres (just to name a few) with strong, clever vocals, references to Steinbeck (in a song titled "Bukowski"), and you have a fantastic record that's made all the stronger by its complicated relationship with both melancholy and summery pop, seemingly unable to deal with one without the other.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
6
The shambling honky-tonk goth of Chronic Heist is both familiar and other-worldly, in that I know I've heard it before, but I just can't place it. The trio ambles its way through a two-track workout on this 7", drunkenly wobbling and menacing, though desperate to hold on to the last remnants of cocktail pianist geniality. There's something not quite right in that smile, so don't make eye contact. No, this is not the peppy jazz of Miss Li, nor the confessional musings of Frida Hyvönen; this is darker, weirder. They've got swing though, that's for sure. Those of you curious to explore the outlying edges of DIY post-hardcore/indie experimentalism, ala Tar...Feathers, Knife and Ape, et al are sure to find something to like, but I suspect casual indie heads will remain vexed. As for me, the band continues to try new things and I enjoy that, I just don't think they've perfected it yet.
- Avi Roig
PopMatters on the US release of Fredrik's fine album "Na na ni": https://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/65538-fredrik-na-na-ni/
10
I'll admit that I had a little difficulty at first with Norma's debut "1". I fell hard for "Love no other", but found it slightly demanding to be as powerfully drawn to the rest of the EP. As an English professor of mine would carefully say about a book he didn't appreciate to the extent his colleagues did: "I'm not ready for it yet." Still, something about Norma imbedded itself into me and I couldn't shake them. I can say now: I'm ready for Norma.
"Book of Norma" is overwhelming and disconcerting, yet it is precisely in this difficulty that Norma best profess their talents. No band attempting to provide a facile listening experience would start a record with "S.A.M", a track that starts off as though its been recorded from the backstage room of a club. Even in the most simple, driving moments of "S.A.M" or "Waste", there is a fullness that most bands lack - in "S.A.M" this comes from the dark amplitude of the production and in the bridging of Krautrock with indie rock; in "Waste", Norma separate themselves through attitude and approach alone, taking what could almost be a track from Tiger Lou's "The loyal" and saturating it with a dysphoria present not only in the song's pacing, but in the detached lyrics. "Book of Norma" is brilliant, be it in the near freak out of "Evelyn", the unsettlingly fast/slow pacing of "You go, we follow", or in the beautiful closer "Empty hands" which is only made more remarkable through Andrea Kellerman's (of Firefox AK) backing vocals. I've never given full marks to a band before, nor do I hesitate to do so with this - "Book of Norma" is the record to beat in 2008.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
Kite
Cake on Cake
Fredrik
Peter Bjorn and John
Fria Konstellationen
Kiki Pau
Chronic Heist
Norma