Tag: Reviews
6
Sweden's Kamera have a damned fine grasp of what made the songwriting of the 1980s so compelling - even now, bands like Duran Duran and The Cure feel present and important, almost a generation removed from the strange time that spawned them. "Disconnected" displays the group's pop smarts and their ability to put this gift into practice. Unfortunately, this approach isn't always so rewarding. "Resurrection" could easily have been written in the 80s, though it sometimes feels that this was Kamera's only goal. The end result is a competent, well-produced, but underwhelming, and too often formulaic, 1980s inspired album. It's good, it really is, but it's nothing new. Definitely worth a listen, if only to see if you're willing to meet the suggested retail price.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
Dusted reviews the new Supersilent album "8": https://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/3923
7
Noise is always an interesting genre to review, as I find it to be one of the most visual-based listening experiences. I picture various scenes or animations that would work well, especially with the style of ambient electronic noise created by The Skull Defekts. Whilst the music is stimulating by itself, I feel that visual accompaniment would enhance the story of the music the band is telling. Seeing this live with motion would allow the audience to really grasp onto the concepts and become immersed in such glorious sound and take them to an altered state of mind.
- Matt Giordano
8
Last year my dreams finally came true. Childhood heroes, legendary Swedish folk punk band, Dia Psalma announced a reunion, or comeback if want, after ten years of well-needed rest. I had my hopes up when Strebers (pre-Dia Psalma with Ulke on vocals/guitar and Ztikkan on bass) did a couple of gigs a few years back, I saw them at Hultsfredsfestivalen 2003 for instance, but Dia Psalma still is, and will always be, the band of my heart. Childhood heart that is. Ten years is ten years, it's quite a difference between being 16 and 26. And still 16 is my age when I see them play tonight, on their second gig after the release of their new record, "Djupa skogen". Nostalgia is an overwhelming force for sure. The fact is, contrary from last years performance at Hultsfredsfestivalen, Dia Psalma puts on really good show this time around. You get to hear all the classics, like "Hon får...", "Tro rätt, tro fel" and "Emelie", but the new songs also have hit potential. Especially "Blod" and the first single, "Som man är". With Dia Psalma back for real, that is, they plan to tour endlessly and release lots of new records; I'm really looking forward to what might come next.
- Christian Stenbacke
7
There's been a lot of talk about which producers The Hives have worked with for "The Black and White Album", their fourth album in ten years. It's been Pharrell this, Modest Mouse producer that, and so on. All this talk and the fact that their last album was a bit "meh", really put me off the album, especially the thought of not-so-very-good-in-the-last-few-years Pharrell being involved just felt so like such a tired and uninspired way to achieve something new. I was pretty much set on not liking this offering from the Fagersta boys, and I didn't look forward to hearing it at all (the first single of the album – "Tick tick boom" did nothing for me either), so I was greatly pleased to discover that The Hives have actually made a quite decent record. They haven't started playing rap-metal, or changed their sound drastically, but they have certainly taken on board some new ideas, which I think most of the time work in their favour. The track that stands out from the rest is the Pharrell produced "T.H.E.H.I.V.E.S." which doesn't sound like The Hives at all, but more like Kraftwerk doing disco. A lot of people don't seem to like this particular song, but I really dig it! For the rest, it's the usual flavour of The Hives and there are some great tracks (eg. "You dress up for armageddon" – it sounds like Randy at their best) and some less so ("Puppet on a string" - very annoying), but at the same time it's much better and interesting than a lot of similar sounding bands and definitely a step forward. After being a fan for 10 years, it's nice to hear that The Hives are still able to come up with some smashing tunes and make me want to go and see them and maybe do a little jig, and have a beer or two.
- Simon Tagestam
PopMatters lists Ida Maria as their favorite CMJ discovery: https://www.popmatters.com/pm/features/article/50120/belles-of-the-ball/
Also listed are Datarock, New Violators and Slaraffenland.
Lots of Nordic music coverage in the Washington Post Express today: Jens Lekman / Shout Out Louds / Magnet
3
This oh-so-hyped trio from Copenhagen, Denmark relies on energetic indiepop with the basic elements that follow. Taking their name from an episode of The Simpsons and naming their songs "Told her I'm from Compton" and "Tango in my tummy", it's obvious that they're not taking themselves too seriously. And that itself is liberating, but you got to have the music to back it up. Where bands like Quit Your Dayjob go full circle in their craziness, it feels like "All juice no fruit" is a manufactured article. The band is apparently the next huge, up-and-coming act in Denmark and I can see why. This easygoing pop music is not for the brain, but for your feet and they're great for the indie dance floor. Sort of like a Danish b-version of Franz Ferdinand, and that's a compliment. "Sucker love" and "IKEA did a job on you" are nice, poppy numbers, but you need more than handful semi-hits to convince me. This is not for me. At all.
- Jonas Appelqvist
6
Johanna Wedin is at her best when the landscape she creates is comprised of haunting, dreamy tones, with her voice slipping through this artic scenery like fog given motion by a soft breeze. Luckily, this is majority of her debut album "Still need a kiss", which often feels like a warm mix of Decibully, Trespasser William, and Taken By Trees. Compositions like "You should come" and opener "Snowing downtown" encapsulate the beauty of being isolated with one's thoughts, a theme that I often find myself exploring in these autumn months (especially now that the American East Coast is no longer plagued by 90 degree [32 Celsius] days in October). While there is really nothing to forcefully complain about on Mai's first effort, there is a slight unevenness in tone and delivery that keeps this record from becoming a wintry classic. That said, Wedin's sophomore effort may easily correct these missteps, and that would truly be something.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
Kamera
The Skull Defekts
Dia Psalma
The Hives
The Floor Is Made of Lava
Mai