Tag: Reviews
9
An ex-girlfriend got me hooked on the brilliance that is Granada a few years back, and I probably should have expected that Anna Järvinen could achieve an album of this caliber, but, to be honest, I was blindsided. Andres Lokko of SvD compared Järvinen's album to both Van Morrison's "Astral weeks" and Håkan Hellström's "Känn ingen sorg för mig Göteborg", and I'm not sure you can get much higher praise than that. "Jag fick feeling" is definitely one of the sparkling gems of a fantastic year for music. Every week my Top 10 list is changing. With the way things have been unfolding, most bands had better hope for a slow November and December if they are to retain a glorified position on my Best of 2007 list; Anna Järvinen can rest a little easier having created an album so effortlessly brilliant that it is almost infuriating. My marriage proposal is in the mail, Anna. Just think about it, okay?
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
8
This is the filthiest, most numbskulled black-thrash album I've heard in years and years and I absolutely mean that in the best way possible. Most bands progress and become more refined as the years go by, but Darkthrone retreats and regresses, always getting closer and closer to the pure black metal sounds of originators such as Venom and Bathory. I still love the sophistication of so-called BM elites such as Emperor, but Darkthrone does a much better job of personifying everything that metal should be about. This is music for the dejected and rejected, the kind of stuff that revels in being a no-class dirtball. The title track says it all: "Fuck off and die!" If you don't like it, it's because you're not supposed to.
It's also worth noting that the so-called unproduced recording on this still sounds thousands of times better than any other modern metal album. No lame triggered drums, no wall of over-compressed guitars, nothing but the purest essentials. Everything is crisp and well-balanced and guess what? Even the bass is loud and clear. Amazing!
- Avi Roig
MIC Norway rounds up the international press on Supersilent's most recent album "8": https://www.mic.no/mic.nsf/doc/art2007112313225121699244
6
Expectations are everything. My roommate was prepared for the glitzy, sex-saturated retelling of "Beowulf", and I was hoping for the meat of the original epic poem, obviously retooled by the talented Neil Gaiman, with a little flash added by director Robert Zemeckis. Alan had a great time; I sat limply in my chair, groaning through the plot changes and, in my opinion, stilted and strained dialogue (and the humorously awful depiction of Grendel), only occasionally fazed by what flickered upon the screen.
But here I find myself on the opposite side of the fence. Mostly I've heard a negative reaction to Jonas Lundqvist's record, and surprise at some of the positive press he's received. I'm not sure what people were expecting when they saw that the former drummer of Bad Cash Quartet was releasing his debut solo album on The Tough Alliance's own Sincerely Yours label. (Personally I expected this sort of well-trodden pop exploration.) The title track is definitely the peak of the album, and the song that holds up best to constant scrutiny, but "ADHD" is a summer-y, sun-bleached pop record in the vein of Håkan Hellström and The Clash's more playful, simplistic moments. I even hear elements of Springsteen and mid-career-era Rancid (think "Life won't wait"). Would I run into a crowded room proclaiming the brilliance of Jonas Lundqvist? Probably not. Will I be listening to this album in an attempt to stave off the strengthening shadows of the coming winter? Probably, yeah. It's fun. I have no problem with a successfully attempted pop record.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
4
Able to coalesce both fluid melodies and the crude, brutal sound that defines the industrial genre, Vaiping are a strange and interesting group. Though, while songs like "Vaiping on the rocks" and "The great polar expedition" are able to captivatingly capture this melodic industrial tone, some songs - namely "Vaiping vaiping" and "Vaiping export" - amble down almost hokey roads, reminiscent of the oddities of the 80s and 90s dance scene. Overall, Vaiping's effort is an extremely potholed affair, with the downsides easily outweighing the moments of intensity.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
Spin reports from Peter Morén's (Peter Bjorn and John) proper live debut in NYC: https://www.spinmagazine.com/features/ithappenedlastnight/2007/11/071120_petermoren/
Our own coverage of said event, courtesy of contributor Matt Giordano, is right here.
8
Making his proper debut solo performance (he did a warm-up last week), Peter Morén, accompanied by various friends, treated the crowd at Joe's Pub to a great set of material he has been working on, most of which leaned towards the folkier side. Opening with a cover of "Time" by Richard Hell, Morén included songs such as "My match", "This is what i came for" and "Real too real" off of his planned forthcoming debut album. With most songs containing drums and piano in addition to his vocals and guitar, Morén charmed the audience with not only his bright lyrics, but also the witty banter thrown in between each song, often explaining the subject in a manner only one using their second language can. With a four song encore that included a cover of A-ha's "Take on me" and his primary band's "Objects of my affection" (with a certain Björn Yttling joining on piano from the audience), Morén easily pleased the attendees, and in return, got the plaudits he deserved.
- Matt Giordano
All About Jazz reviews the latest Supersilent album "8": https://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=27592
9
This charming compilation collects all 17 releases of Morr Music's singles-only sublabel A Number of Small Things. Quite surprisingly, the 36 tracks preserve an almost album-like feel despite their seven-inch-ancestry: True to the label's namesake (a song off Múm's debut album) the generally excellent contributions oscillate between finely-crafted indie-pop, IDM, and electronica. Between other big names (like Markus Acher of The Notwist, Valerie Trebeljahr of Lali Puna or Simon Scott of Slowdive), Scandinavian highlights include Seabear covering The Undertones' "Teenage kicks" and, most of all, Benni Hemm Hemm's stripped-down collaboration with Jens Lekman on "Aldrei". All in all, this CD or any of the corresponding seven-inches could make for a great musical present this year - trust me, I've tried it before.
- Arnulf Köhncke
7
Apparently "[falling] foul of record company politics" (according to Popsicle's webpage) in 1997, Favorita have only now had their album released, 12 years after its recording. I'm sure there are better and more accurate versions of this story on the Internet somewhere, but I'm not here to do an exposé on the cruel world of the music industry, rather to briefly blather on about Favorita's self-titled release. "Favorita" has more in common with the Manic Street Preachers' early efforts than with many of their Swedish contemporaries, and this is both a blessing and a curse. While the Brit-pop shimmer and Pavement-esque indie approach are competent and nostalgia-inducing, there is a slight lack of consistency on the album. Songs like "Seven comforts", "Well, it's only pain", and "Surprisingly cynical crossword" almost effortlessly remind us that the 90s were not some black hole for artistic and musical endeavors, but Favorita can't always keep up the pace. Had their career been allowed to flourish, I feel that "Favorita" would be that "fun first record" that friends would suggest I purchase after having already oriented myself with a stronger sophomore album. As it is, it's better than fine, and made more worthwhile knowing that you are "sticking it to The Man" and the record label who shot down Favorita all those years ago.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
8
Having seen José once before as opening act for Logh in December 2004, I went into this concert with very high expectations. Roughly two years and a sharp rise in popularity later, he was now set to play an old cinema in Berlin-Mitte - a beautiful location, complete with plush curtains, balcony and mirror ball. José took the stage exactly on time (the concert was being broadcast live on the radio) and played an equal mix of older and newer tracks. Crowd responses grew more intense during current single "Down the line" and reached a peak in the brilliant encore of "Storm", "Hearbeats", "Crosses" and "Love will tear us apart". Generally, his guitar-playing seemed rougher and more aggressive than before, in line with the anger and darkness of the lyrics from current album "In our nature" (as well as with the closing Joy Division cover) and that made his performance all the more intense. Truly a memorable evening, although maybe a bit short - a second set had been scheduled for about an hour later due to huge demand for tickets.
- Arnulf Köhncke
8
This compilation of sold-out EPs hit the shelves not too long after their debut full-length and offers the ears the band's early development. Personally, I find this material more enjoyable than the self-titled album, mainly due to the prevalent heavy shoegaze elements. Here the shoegaze fuzz accentuates the beauty and gives off an ethereal quality to songs such as "C: you D: the ride home" and "Something less than last time". Their future move of abandoning the pretty, melodic slight drone for great pop hooks is no surprise really, however what the listener gets here is a stellar example of where I consider the band to excel - in shoegaze buried pop.
- Matt Giordano
5
Being a huge fan of bands like The Clash, the Sex Pistols, and the Ramones, I was pretty excited to see The Vigilantes' record on the It's A Trap! review list. While "I wanna" definitely has its moments, and really is a solid record, it feels like a pointless excursion through territory already explored. It's more of a Rancid-esque record than anything approaching the dynamic upheaval of sound that bled from Britain and New York city in the 1970s. While there's nothing really wrong with "I wanna", I can't help but feel your money would be better spent completing your Clash collection or finally picking up that Buzzcocks record you've been meaning to for years now.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
Anna Järvinen
Darkthrone
Jonas Game
Vaiping
Peter Morén
Various Artists
Favorita
José González
Mixtapes & Cellmates
The Vigilantes