Tag: Reviews
7
The influence of 1960s folk music is wrapped perfectly around the mechanism of Scandinavian pop music with Majessic Dreams. Finger-picked acoustic guitars find themselves awash in a sea of warm keyboards and distinctly Scandinavian voices, sometimes echoing the themes of The Radio Dept., other times recalling more Americana influences, especially with tracks like "Wish he was you". Like Promise and the Monster, this act crafts magnificent dreamscapes with their stratified instrumentation, the guitar strings retaining their staccato appeal without coming across as coarse or brash. The only failing of "Beautiful days" is that its emotional core seems rather stagnant -- tracks flow too easily into one another, and soon the entire affair becomes a beautiful blur instead of a collection of beautiful, individual songs. With repeated listens, this failing may slip away for some. Definitely worth a listen, if nothing else.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
Dusted reviews Maja S. K. Ratkje's Tzadik Records "Composer Series" debut "River mouth echoes": https://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/4360
Series Two Records has rounded up all the various press related to Oh Custer!'s recent US debut at NYC Popfest: https://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=31429084&blogID=405933381
7
"Vague language" alone is testament to the fact that there was enough of value in 90s music for Murmansk to draw from, to combine into their own register, and this second track of "Chinese locks" flickers alive in ways that I can only remember moments of Stone Temple Pilots and Smashing Pumpkins songs comparing to. The opening title-track prepares listeners for an onslaught similar to that of Mew's "And the glass handed kites", where equal emphasis is placed on the energies of the guitar and drum work, in the end building up an intriguingly thick soundscape of instrumentation. The first breakdown of "Nothing but the moon" is one of the more epic interludes I have heard in a while, not necessarily in its scope, but in its execution: resounding, thunderous drums punctuating layered guitars, wisps of soft vocals floating just above the fray; and this theme is repeated throughout the remaining breakdowns of the song. This amalgamation of the grunge themes of the 1990s with the more expansive sound of acts like Mew is worked and reworked throughout the album, the focal influence shifting all the way through, and thus it never starts to feel formulaic.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
Pitchfork reviews Lukestar and Truls and the Trees: https://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/51003-lake-toba-ailanthus
Too bad they got it mixed up; I still think that Lukestar album is one of 2008's best releases. Truls and the Trees, not so much.
9
Listening to "...accidents happen so fast", I can't help but wonder at how brilliant an Aerial and September Malevolence show would be. The two acts share a lot in common, but as both bands are within the post-rock genre, there's plenty of terrain to be explored without encroaching too terribly into another's territory. September Malevolence lean more towards an organic examination -- "A notion, I can't shake...", which sets the scene for "...accidents happen so fast", is almost entirely an acoustic number, lacking any of the post-rock beauty that explodes into being with "...accidents"; and "Brandskär" is a gorgeous piano interlude. The group also maintains a beautiful optimism throughout their work, much like Explosions in the Sky, not stumbling down darker, more melancholy avenues such as contemporaries Aerial and Mogwai. Even "I shut doors and windows", which feels like it might succumb to the shadows never quite allows itself to drown, teetering precariously on the edge at times, but never falling. "After this darkness, there's a next" is a gorgeous album, definitely already a contender for high placement in my Best of 2008 list.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
8
"Lush" appears to be my word of the month, but I can't find a better one for Jettie's newest effort. "Start/stop" is our introduction to "Kites for charity", and the composition exemplifies what Jettie are capable of at the top of their game: a driving, thickly melodic journey laden with warm synths, delay-heavy guitars, and a splendid voice settling perfectly into the mix. The energy of "Start/stop" is succinctly kept up by the following tracks, enamoring the listener even further with the act's capabilities and wondrous control of augmented pop melodies. Where previous album "Heading for mornings" had its beautiful, slower compositions, "Kites for charity" revels in its ability to keep a resilience in more up-tempo works, measuring itself only occasionally -- most notably in the gorgeously placid "Carraria Via", but the album quickly regains tempo with the following track, "The sky over Santa Rosa". Overall, "Kites for charity" is exactly what we've come to expect from Jettie -- layered, beautiful Scandinavian pop music with as much brains as it has heart.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
Teeth of the Divine is not stoked on the new Cult of Luna album "Eternal kingdom": https://teethofthedivine.com/site/reviews/cult-of-luna-eternal-kingdom/
7
Love her or hate her, Miss Li has proven herself one of the more prolific Swedish acts of recent memory. Personally, there is something about her music -- the strangely functional blend of theatrical, cabaret-like eccentrics, her voice that simultaneously holds the innocence of a child and the wisdom of a young woman who grew up rather quickly -- that draws me in, sometimes quite against my own will. Miss Li covers a lot of ground on this celebration of a year's worth of her music: "Seems like we lost it" would not feel particularly out of place on the soundtrack to "American Graffiti"; "Leave my man alone" has a peculiarly Eastern European feel to it; and "I'm sorry, he's mine" seems to find a convergence point between the two previously discussed tracks, working in the Old World European elements into a 50s American musical vehicle. If you can fall in love with her quirks, Miss Li is a richly rewarding pop musician -- not just in her voice or her skillful musicianship, but in the amount of personality and fun that she imbues her compositions with.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
6
When "Strawberry weed" is played in my iPod, the first association that comes to my mind is: Coldplay. This might be outlandish, but it's true. If we throw in some Beach Boys, Beatles and Rolling Stones, then we have a recognizable sound, describing Caesars' new album. I expected to hear something more rebellious and edgy, going more back to their hit "Jerk it out", but didn't. This isn't something you want to scream from the top of your lungs to at festivals, this is something more mature, and something you might want to listen to at a sunny day at the beach. The album consists of 24 songs, it's a double album and frankly, I ain't praising that, even if Ebbot Lundberg deserves admiration, doing a fine job producing this. My 'too much feeling' means that Caesars is that kind of band that can bore you, therefore one good, crammed CD could have been enough. However, in this case, "Strawberry weed", "Fools parade", "You nailed me" and "Boo boo goo goo", does it for me; they are catchy and, should we say, MTV material. But I still wonder why you want to throw in something such as "Solina": a 2:59 long, acoustic song, without César Vidal's easily broken but beautiful voice? It's a small pause in the middle of it all that gives me the feeling of a computer game. To the positive parts, the overall impression is that it makes me darn pleased that the band gives us something new, these dudes knows how to do it despite my words above, and let's face it, Caesars are Caesars and as in a salad, you will always get that little extra parmigiana that gives you a tasty experience and some energetic fuel in the end. "Boo boo goo goo" is a perfect example of that. In the end, after hours of listening somehow this poppy, indie sound gives me almost the same feeling as the beach boys, and it makes me say; Strawberry Field... you nailed me!
- Therese Buxfäldt
All About Jazz reviews the new Scorch Trio album "Brolt": https://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=29618
8
The most obviously Scandinavian of the three Shelflife Records acts I delighted in this past weekend, Kuryakin open their EP with "Take my hands", a song that combines the lush dreaminess of The Radio Dept. with the sample-happy, Motown feel of Jens Lekman -- which is quite an accomplishment to say the least. Effortlessly integrating the organic with the electronic, Kuryakin may carry a torch that many would feel The Radio Dept. initially lit, but this torch lights a very different path for Kuryakin. On "Still here" there is a buoyancy where similar bands explore melancholy, and Kuryakin retain this optimism without sacrificing any of the ethereal quality of their songwriting. "Peace of mind", the closer of the EP, has all the makings of a heartrending composition, instead the song channels all of these genre techniques down brighter avenues. The deft craftsmanship that went into "Still here" has put Kuryakin firmly on my list of artists to keep an eye on. I have the feeling these recordings are only the beginnings of a wonderful catalog.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
Majessic Dreams
Murmansk
September Malevolence
Jettie
Miss Li
Caesars
Kuryakin