This is a week chock full of exclusives! Besides giving you the very first taste of the new The End Will Be Kicks album and offering it up for sale on mp3 waaaaay before it's available anywhere else, I've got yet another treat for you today! When I first heard that Björn Yttling had a jazz album in the works, I was naturally quite curious. Many people now recognize him as a member of the excellent Peter Bjorn and John, but I first became aquainted with his music through his extensive work as a producer. Many fine records in my collection are adorned with his name on the credits. So not only do I have a brand new track from his upcoming album today, but I was also afforded the opportunity to ask Björn a few questions about his work.
AR: Why a jazz album? What was the inspiration for the project?
BY: I've always listened to jazz (stuff like Mingus, Ornette Coleman, Charlie Haden, Ellington and of course Coltrane and Charlie Parker) and ten years ago I also played it. But the jazz scene can be very very boring with people just playing standards in predictable ways, so I kind of slipped away from it. I was still writing jazz songs though, and spurred by saxophone player Jonas Kullhammar I started thinking of making a jazz record.
AR: Is there a lot of difference in the way you work when you are composing jazz charts as opposed to when you are doing arrangements for pop music?
BY: No not really. The biggest different is that (my) jazz music is instrumental and pop music often isn't. Of course with jazz tunes you can leave the forms more open for improvising. I recorded this record in a day, and pop albums always take at least two.
AR: What other current producers do you admire right now?
BY:I really don't keep track on foreign producers that much, but there are many Swedes that I really like. Björn Olsson, Pelle Gunnerfeldt and Jari Haapalainen of course, but don't forget Jocke Åhlund from Caesars and Calle Olsson from Bear Quartet.
AR: So what's next for you then?
BY: I'm doing/planning a few records right now. Montys Loco, Elias & The Wizzkids, The Charm, Pueblo and we're almost done with the new Peter Bjorn And John album. What I really looking forward to do now is a record with Joakim Åhlund, and we're gonna start next week.
Björn's new jazz album with Yttling Jazz is called "Oh Lord, why can't I keep my big mouth shut". It comes out November 21 via Headspin Recordings.
The Perishers are in the studio in Malmö with producer Per Sunding (The Ark, The Cardigans) working on their third album.
The Crunchy Frog crew (Powersolo, Junior Senior, Epo-555, etc.) reports back from the Iceland Airwaves festival: http://www.crunchy.dk/asp/default.asp?News_Id=155
Download a brand new track from The 21st Century Noise: http://www.the21stcenturynoise.com/audio/the21st_BlackTongue.mp3
The band will play a couple gigs around Sweden later this month before heading over to London for a pair of gigs. More info: http://www.the21stcenturynoise.com/
Midnight Choir's final gig at Rockefeller Music Hall in Oslo back in March 2003 will be released as a live DVD something this fall. Besides the live performance, the disc is also set to include the video for "Sister of mercy", the "Olsen's Lot" Electronic Press Kit and more.
The new Music 77 album "Brave you free May" is done and here's the tracklist:
01. Llanvair Llew
02. Mountain, Rhine, ball
03. Staling, postcard
04. Snow, white
05. May and Juniper
06. May, a magpie, the softest feet
07. Kellynch
08. Kastanjegatan
09. Untitled
Samples, release dates and all that other stuff coming soon.
Upcoming works on the way from the always-prolific Nicolai Dunger:
- Nicollide and the karmic retribution
- Dunger at the diner
- Edith Södergrans poems
- New album with A Taste of Ra
The Control Group has signed Denmark's Figurines and will release their latest album "Skeleton" in North America. Look for a tour in the spring as well.
Swedish reggae/ska act USBC Allstars will enter the studio on November 18 to begin work on their third full-length album.
The Annie track "The wedding" from her DJ-Kicks collect finally convinces Pitchfork scribe Dominique Leone that maybe her hype was worthwhile after all: http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/tracks/05-11-02.shtml
Entombed has revealed that "Serpent saints" will be the title of their forthcoming album, due on June 6, 2006 via their own Threeman Recordings. Rumor has it that ex-drummer Nicke Andersson (The Hellacopters) might contribute to the songwriter and recording now that Uffe is gone, but nothing is confirmed yet.
This week's top 20 Swedish student radio chart:
01. (03) Test Icicles - "Circle Square Triangle"
02. (08) Arctic Monkeys - "I Bet U Look Good on the Dancefloor"
03. (04) Tiger Lou - "The Loyal"
04. (05) Christian Kjellvander - "Drunken Hands"
05. (17) The Strokes - "Juicebox"
06. (NY) The Embassy - "It Pays to Belong"
07. (06) Saïan Supa Crew - "La Patte"
08. (04) Queens of the Stone Age - "Burn the Witch"
09. (07) David Sandström Overdrive - "The Crotch of a Saturday"
10. (NY) The Pipettes - "Dirty Mind"
11. (11) Katie Goes to Tokyo - "Moving From This Town"
12. (09) Willowtree - "Attention Ms"
13. (15) Röyksopp - "What Else is There?"
14. (NY) Pharrell - "Angel"
15. (01) Kristian Anttila - "Paul Weller"
16. (NY) The Sunshine - "Simon Le Bon"
17. (12) Sophie Rimheden - "Can You Save Me?"
18. (NY) Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah - "Is This Love?"
19. (18) Randy - "Razorblade"
20. (20) Loveninjas - "Keep Your Love"
Leaving the chart: Architecture in Helsinki, Bloc Party, Princess Superstar, Thåström and Tiga.