The Raveonettes are performing on radio show Morning Becomes Eclectic this morning: http://www.kcrw.com/music/programs/mb/mb080303the_raveonettes
Read an interview with Gbg-based sXe hardcore act Anchor from Bulgarian zine Straight From The Inside talking about the state of hardcore, the importance of veganism/straight-edge and more: http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=136069910&blogID=362887942
Statler & Waldorf is streaming the new record "Gundsø" from Danish electronic artist/label co-founder/Printer sideproject Pellarin: http://www.statler-waldorf.dk/releases/gundsoe.php
It's a far more minimalist sound than Printer, but also very recommended.
Motorpsycho have posted a couple rare tracks on their myspace page from the 1997 EP "Have spacesuit will travel": http://www.myspace.com/motorpsychopage
Also note that the tracklist for the forthcoming record "Little lucid moments" is posted in the sidebar.
If you are curious about the new Volvo commercial featuring music from Melpo Mene, you can view one of them here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytlM1zZe61I
Norwegian act Monzano has signed with Friend of Mine Records in Japan. They will release the band's debut album over there this coming spring with three extra tracks tacked on as a bonus. Hear the band here: http://www.myspace.com/monzano
MP3: Saft - I do not smoke
KakoFone is new label out of Denmark focusing on avant-jazz or "modern composition and improvisation" as they put it. At least that's the territory they've covered so far with their first two releases, but I suppose anything is possible since their mission statement leaves things fairly wide open. So keeping that in mind, let's take a look at Saft, a young sax/keys/drums trio out of Århus. First off, this is not atonal free jazz so don't let any avant-garde labels scare you off just yet. Yes, there are strong improvisational elements, but the piece I'm posting for you today has a very strong compositional structure. It might not seem obvious for non-musicians, so let me encourage you to not just listen to the piece I've posted today, but also to watch it as well. Personally, I find the visual aspect of jazz performance very appealing. Sure, they're reading charts in this instance (hence my comments on strong composition), but they're also interacting and playing off of one another and that's what makes it so exciting. No the subtle differences between the two versions as well - that's what makes it such a fluid art form. However, the thing I like best about the piece is the way they let it build before settling into a groove. Often times with this kind of stuff, the artists seem to forget that challenging music is not incompatible with enjoyment and let themselves get suckered into making music that only appeals to other musicians. Saft makes complicated music with broader appeal and I appreciate that.
Saft - I do not smoke
Here's the playlist for this week's radio show:
01. Tiger Lou - The loyal
02. TALK 1
03. Karin Ström - Silent night
04. Saft - I do not smoke
05. Caesars - Strawberry weed
06. TALK 2
07. Meshuggah - Bleed
08. Pacific! - Number one
09. Pascal - Längtar efter dig
10. TALK 3
11. Logh - An alliance of hearts
12. Benea Reach - New waters
13. Astrid Swan - Sea/e life
14. TALK 4
15. Lykke Li - I'm good, I'm gone
16. The High Hats - Bitterswede
17. Lis Er Stille - Lorelei
18. TALK 5
19. The Tough Alliance - Leg 7
20. Cosmic Overdose - En av dom
21. The Second Band - The piano machine
22. TALK 6
23. De Stijl - Date times
24. Death Breath - Death breath
25. Montys Loco - Farewell Mr Happy
26. Randy - Freedom song
27. TALK 7
28. Jonas Knutsson & Horn Please! - Snygg Olles polska
29. Moonbabies - Forever changes everything now
30. Kristofer Åström - Conjure me
31. TALK 8
32. Ljudbilden & Piloten - Wedding
33. Anna Leong - Guillotine
34. Convoj - RAMJAC
35. TALK 9
36. Tsukimono - Gloomy Sunday
Johnny Superhero
Choices
Around Your Neck
Starting with Downstairs' "Oh father", I rounded off my week of new music with another Finnish act - Johnny Superhero - and successfully reverted back to the 19 year old I was in 2003. A strange, though very coherent mix of the early indie rock sounds of Failure, Mineral, Archers of Loaf, and, to a lesser extent, Pavement, "Choices" could easily have come out anytime between 1995 and the early 2000s, though this 'dated' element only adds to the album's charm. Instead of being enjoyed from a somewhat detached, archaeological standpoint, Johnny Superhero make their recreation of the early steps of indie engaging and unique. "Time" could almost pass as a Bear Quartet song, breaking at its midpoint in a distinctly similar way to how "Parking lot" ruptures in being at the end of Mineral's "The power of failing". "Schiphol" continues along in a similar vein, though also harkens back to Last Days of April's early, slower recordings. If you remember this transitional stage of music, the shift from grunge to art-rock and the avant-garde, from hardcore and punk rock towards music that is far more comparable to the efforts of today's scene, then "Choices" is worth more than just a few minutes' examination.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
MP3: At the Gates - Cold
If it wasn't for At the Gates, It's a Trap! would not exist. They were the very first band I ever heard that I associated with having a distinctive "Swedish" sound and I can still fondly remember the day I brought home "Terminal spirit disease". I must've listened to it at least three times in a row; it was an absolute revelation. When the follow-up album "Slaughter of the soul" came out, I listened to it at least once a day, every day for six months straight. So yeah, when I say that At the Gates changed my life, I'm not exaggerating in the slightest. Taking that into account, I am extremely flattered that AtG guitarist Anders Björler agreed to participate in this week's Göteborg feature.
Would you say there is a particular Gbg sound or attitude? If so, how would you describe it?
Gothenburg stood for melody, while for example the Stockholm sound was more Punk / Rock influenced. However, the Gothenburg bands didn't have that much in common. They all had unique styles.
Was there already an established metal scene in Gbg back when AtG first started? Was there ever a point when you realized that there some something special or distinctive going on or did that only happen once you started to get international attention?
There was no metal scene at all. There was only Grotesque [vocalist Tomas Lindberg's old band with scene vet Kristian Wåhlin aka Necrolord plus fellow AtG founding member Alf Svensson] in the Death Metal scene. A couple of Thrash bands like: Intoxicate, Pagandom, Dead End, Valcyrie, Megaslaughter etc...
We didn't realize how big it was going until after we split up. At the Gates were never a big band. We were basically a very small punk band that played melodic death metal.
How close-knit was the Gbg metal community back in the early 90s? Were there any rivalries?
It was very close. Especially the Billdal scene with bands like Dark Tranquillity, Desecrator (Anders Iwers, now Tiamat, and Oscar Dronjak, now Hammerfall). It was a very creative atmosphere. If there was any competition, it was a silent one. i.e - you tried to create the best music possible.
We all met at eachothers' parties, and we hung out at gigs etc. It was basically a large group of friends.
How do you think the city influenced the sound? Are there any particular artists, labels, zines, venues, etc that stand out as having helped shape the scene?
Dolores records was very important. It was also a record store. Through them I got into Carcass in 1989, the rest is history.
I also think that the Gothenburg weather served as an influence for the sound somehow. It's really melancholic sometimes. Very grey and rainy. I think it's very similar to let's say: Seattle.
Are you still based in Gbg nowadays? If so, what keeps you there? How would say things compare now to the old days?
Me and Martin live in Gothenburg. Adrian lives in London. Tomas lives on the east coast of Sweden. Jonas in the middle of Sweden.
We are all older. We experienced the At the Gates thing when we were kids basically. Everything has changed. The venues are closed down. People have moved or they have quit playing music. Basically what keeps me here is friends and family, but I can almost live anywhere in the world. I don't like to be stuck at one place too long. I have lived in other places in Sweden for a while, but always seem to come back to Gothenburg in the end.
Lastly, do you have a particular song that you think best reflects the city?
Cold :D
HUGE thanks again to Anders for contributing and be sure to check out the various At the Gates reunion gigs happening this summer. Also, keep an eye out for a new record from his current band The Haunted as well!
At the Gates - Cold
Swedish artist Melpo Mene has licensed their new single "I adore you" for use in a Volvo commercial airing over here in the US. Stream it at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/melpomenemusic
Updated tourdates for Norwegian legends Motorpsycho:
04/25 - Rockefeller, Oslo (NOR)
04/28 - Røkeriet Verftet, Bergen (NOR)
05/17 - Postbahnhof, Berlin (GER)
05/18 - Live Music Hall, Köln (GER)
05/20 - Backstage, München (GER)
05/22 - Viper, Firenze (ITA)
05/23 - Alpheus, Roma (ITA)
05/24 - Velvet, Rimini (ITA)
05/25 - Alcatraz, Milano (ITA)
05/28 - Effenar, Eindhoven (NL)
05/29 - Tivoli, Utrecht (NL)
05/30 - Schlachthof, Bremen (GER)
05/31 - Fabrik, Hamburg (GER)
06/19 - Terrastock Festival, Louisville, KY
07/19 - Fulda, Burg Herzberg Festival (GER)
Swedish rockers Wired for Mono will be releasing a new album on May 5. It was recorded by Tomas Skogsberg, an engineer problably best known for his pioneering "Sunlight Sound" which is/was popular among the Swedish death-metal scene. Hear samples at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/wiredformono
Watch Danish act Munich perform unplugged while on tour in Iceland: http://www.x977.is/pages/68