Aversionline on Swedish black-metal act Vandöd: https://www.aversionline.com/blahg/2008/01/09/vandod-as-cd/
Tag: Reviews
Radio LXMBRG
Trivial matters
HaHa Fonogram
Rumour has is that it was so hard for Radio Lxmbrg's first record to receive any press, that the band constructed a lot of KLF-esque mythology around their second release. I'm not exactly sure what this is inclusive of, but in part it could be that legendary Cherry Records A&R Mike Alway (patron saint of their debut) is one of their biggest fans, and that French disco doctor Bertrand Burgulat held a ceremony for blessing the master before the record was manufactured.
"Trivial matters" is a very slick dance/rock crossover record, which in parts could soundtrack a seventies porn film. Its Krautrock undertones give it an overall slightly sombre feel. Summer download hit "Feel the heat", with its stuttery riffage is a pure slice of disco heaven which really begs to be listened to on Mediterranean sun-drenched beaches by hot young things, whose minds run away with perverse thoughts about what delights the evening's nightlife will bring them. "Out of tune" could be Franz Ferdinand in one their poppier moments, whilst "Score on the floor" is an encore in waiting, a Krautrock anthem which could soundtrack the closing credit to a film noir. This is a record which should gain an avid evangelical following from a cult audience.
- Nick Levine
DigitalMetal reviews the new Havoc Unit (ex ...And Oceans) record "h.IV+(Hoarse Industrial Viremia)"https://www.eclipsemagazine.ws/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1108
The Sunday Times declares "Dizzy kiss" from Norwegian act/"Reader's companion" alums Lionheart Brothers to be the pop CD of the week: https://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/cd_reviews/article3127350.ece
Pitchfork reviews the Jazkammer + Smegma collaboration "Endless coast": https://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/47693-endless-coast
Royal Downfall
These means have no end
Luftslott
"These means have no end" sounds like one of those records from the late 1990s that was given such significance when Fugazi and Refused were suddenly revisited and proclaimed the "new black" as the whole hardcore/indie/emo scene exploded in the early 00s. And, while complementary in many ways, this dated element works both ways - instilling a sense of nostalgia, but also a sense of missed progression. All the components are here: the meandering assault of At the Drive-In paired alongside the more spacey approach of Sparta, the Fugazi bass lines wrapped with Promise Ring-esque guitar lines, and, just like many of those records, "These means have no end" grows on your more and more with each listen, but the overall punch is lacking force. That being said, Royal Downfall have made a record that deserves to be placed alongside many of the bands' works that I've noted here, faults and all. "A backlash is here" is anthemic, title track "These means have no end" has an ending that puts many electro-indie tracks to shame, and "March of the musicians" seems to take stock of the contemporary Swedish indie scene, incorporating some its more easily noticed elements (glockenspiels and all) into the band's regimen. My money's on the next album, but "These means have no end" has a welcome place in my record collection for the foreseeable future.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
Dusted takes a deep look at Jens Lekman's "Night falls over Kortedala" (and indie music in general): https://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/4005
Pitchfork reviews Club 8's latest album "The boy who couldn't stop dreaming": https://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/47687-the-boy-who-couldnt-stop-dreaming
Bahnhof
Reverse
Strange Ears
The press release tries to talk things up for this Danish band. The big drum is beaten on when Bahnhof is compared to internationally acknowledged Danish bands like The Raveonettes, Mew and Figurines and the comparison is correct when it comes to their nationalities. It's not correct musically. The band dresses well in the so typically Danish rock costume of today, where the influences are the 80's, Interpol and OMD. And that kind of gives me a feeling of saturation. Fed up with the lack of originality and fed up with the lack of songs. Ah yes, the songs. Sure, there are highlights in "The eyes of Ruby" and the single "Call the police" where the music is highly dominated by synthesizers which give the band a push forward and a reminiscence of Duran Duran! If they had the guts to head that direction, a lot more would have been won. Connecting with the beginning, a comparison with fellow countrymen in Kashmir is a tad more in its place. It's as equally transparent and boring. And anonymous.
- Jonas Appelqvist
The Tarantula Waltz
s/t
National
A garment woven from fraying, lonely threads, "The tarantula waltz" is an exploration to be placed alongside Vetiver's "To find me gone" or a strange collaboration of Songs:Ohia and Nick Drake. Instead of exploring the emptiness at the heart of many of their songs, The Tarantula Waltz survey emptiness slowly filled by guitars and voices, by strings and melodies. Far from a cheery record, it isn't terribly depressing either, merely contemplative and pregnant with pauses and silences - very much a canvas that can be painted by the world of the listener. I can imagine "The tarantula waltz" being a dark indulgence during this cold, dark, nearly claustrophobic winter season, and a warm, thoughtful recess during summer's lengthy, sun soaked days. All in all, there's as much honesty as there is twang in this record, like Johnny Cash held to the building pace of Sigur Rós. Definitely worth looking into.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
David & The Citizens
I saw my reflection and I didn't recognize myself
self-released
This is the first release from David & the Citizens since all the members bar David Fridlund left rather suddenly, early last year. What made me like David & the Citizens in the first place was the nerve and the raw intensity of their songs. This release is somewhat lacking in those qualities and feels a bit like a watered down version of the real thing. Only one of the songs connect with me, and that's the last one (of the four) "Anything" which is an effortless song with great lyrics accompanied a simple piano. I'm very keen to see what David Fridlund will come up with next, but hopefully it'll be something much better than this.
You can download the EP for free here.
- Simon Tagestam
PopMatters reviews Kim Hiorthøy's new album "My last day": https://www.popmatters.com/pm/music/reviews/52278/kim-hiorthy-my-last-day/
Closer
The 39
Closersounds
Progressive metal has, to be honest, never been up my alley. There are some bands out there with those tendencies I approve of, like King Crimson, Opeth and TOOL among others. And Closer share similarities with the latter in general, the album "Ænima" in particular. The build up to the chorus on "Sensing the wake" is pure genius using elements from folklore, something TOOL's not afraid of doing either. Otherwise, this newly disbanded Stockholm-based combo sure gets my kicks off in all tracks on this EP. Don't know if it's something geographical but you can definitely hear the Scandinavian touch to it. Resembling Cult of Luna and Khoma and even, at times, At the Drive-In, it's a damn shame they decided to call it quits. Let's just hope that offspring act The Goatboys will be as promising.
- Jonas Appelqvist
Lukestar
Lake Toba
Phone Me Records
Saturated with towering vocals that often exceed the normal male range, hook after marvelous hook, and drumming so fluid, present, and masterful that it is as fascinating to listen to as the vocal and guitar work, Lukestar may have crafted the best Scandinavian rock/pop album since Last Days of April's "Ascend to the stars". Continuing in that vein of music that was so crudely labeled 'emo', a sound mostly abandoned a few years back, Lukestar effortlessly combine aspects of LDoA with the more dynamic fluency of Mew's debut album. "Lake Toba" is a reminder of why bands like Seven Feet Four have been able to maintain their presence and importance, and an indication of the future of this genre (and, more importantly, that this sound actually has a future). While the musicianship is damned proficient, it's the songwriting that brings you back over and over, keeping the album remarkable and engaging after repeated listens, and allowing for the album to be enjoyed as a whole without skipping around the tracklist. Anthemic and vulnerable, hopeful yet cautious, "Lake Toba" is everything that rock record with serious pop sensibility should be. And with that voice, those drums, and a level of musical craftsmanship and consistency that has been lacking on far too many similar records, Lukestar's newest effort is in good position to be one of the best album of 2008.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson