It's a review bonanza! Look over to the articles section on the right for a new batch of CD reviews as well as a live review of Turbonegro and The (International) Noise Conspiracy) in LA and Tack! Tack! Tack! organizer Nick Levine's take on the new Swedish-themed club night's first ever evening.
Alf
Alfs andra
Dolores
Alf's first album (from last year) was superb and although it got a lot of critical acclaim, Alf's career never properly took off. His second album is a really nice follow up to all those super melodic songs from "Augustibrev", since it feels like Alf's taken a step forward, without leaving his first album completely behind him. The songs are more complex, and where "Augustibrev" stuck in your head at first impact with your ears, "Alf's andra" (Swedish for "Alf's second" – what an clever title!) took me a few listening before I really got into it. The lyrics are also a bit darker, which works as a nice contrast to the happy-go-lucky songs from "Augustibrev". Thankfully, none of this means that Alf isn't able to write hits anymore (see "Kunde vart jag"). So, if you're hungry for some catchy Swedish music sung in Swedish, you should get this album (preferably accompanied by "Augustibrev").
- Simon Tagestam
Aortaorta
Schematic
self-released
These Finns serve up a few more tracks of mid-tempo dirge-heavy hardcore on their latest EP, sounding something like a mix of "Damaged"-era Black Flag and early Killing Joke. They've definitely gotten better since their last disc which I reviewed at the beginning of the year - the band's overall sound is much more cohesive and developed. There's still room for improvement in the vocals and dynamics, but I like it, especially the extended rhythm section vamp on the outro track.
- Avi Roig
The Cardigans
Super extra gravity
Stockholm Records/Universal
When promo copies of "Super extra gravity" began making the rounds, some early reviews proclaimed it to be a complete departure from the band's last effort, the outstanding "Long gone before daylight". Stellar new single "I need some fine wine and you, you need to be nicer" does have a sense of urgency missing from "Daylight", and drummer Bengt Lagerberg does get more chances for his sticks to fly this time around. And yes, erstwhile producer Tore Johansson is back in the fold, speeding up tempos where he gets the chance. But don't be fooled. "Super extra gravity" is not a departure--it relies on the same talents and overall improvements in the band's sound evident after the long post-"Gran turismo" hiatus. Nina Persson's voice now has a warm, natural feel and range not heard on the icy "Gran turismo" or the lighthearted but flat "Life". Her improvement as a lyricist continues, especially on "Don't blame your daughter (Diamonds)", an ode to personal responsibility: "Don't blame your daughter/that's just sentimental/Don't blame your mom/for all that you've done wrong/Your daddy's not guilty/you came out a little faulty/and the factory closed." Like its predecessor, "Super extra gravity" features stripped-down instrumentation (guitars, bass, organ, drums) augmented by strings at opportune moments, but eschews the heavy synth sound of "Gran turismo" and the cutesy touches (bassoon, recorder, etc.) of the early albums. Songs like "Overload" and "Holy love" would fit right in on "Daylight". Unlike "Daylight", though, this one does run out of steam towards the end. "In the round" and "Good morning Joan" are forgettable, making this a very good album that's not quite as consistent as the one before it. If you get a chance, check out the woozy bonus track "Slow", the closest thing to Cardigans psychedelia I've heard yet.
- Matthew W. Smith
Kashmir
No balance palace
Sony/BMG
There is really no better expression than 'artists' to describe the Danish band Kashmir. The four band members were originally a bunch of creative Copenhageners experimenting with different kinds of media until they decided that the best way to spread their message would be to wrap it up in rock'n'roll music. You still can feel this tendency of creative exploration in their music. Kashmir's fifth album "No balance palace" was released two years after their quite successful record "Zitilites". The band's artistic approach results in a never tiring spectrum from basic analysis/synthesis processes of sound as a medium to a mighty and aesthetic (re-)combination of sound as a ductile material. On a melancholic music journey, "No balance palace" passes almost everything between rather easy pop songs and quite uneasy guitar battlefields. But even though the album's title might let you suppose something different, it is indeed a very melodic balance. Atmospheric noise samples meet heavy rock'n'roll guitars at the same time the lyrics draw a poetic circle of topics like love, death and the decadent descent of western society. To sum it up, this record is not only a wonderful soundtrack for looking out the window and watching the cold autumn wind blow the leaves from the trees, it is definitely a masterpiece of music art. And yes, it's true, it was produced by Tony Visconti (Morrissey, etc.) and also contains songs featuring the legendary names of David Bowie (performing a powerful duet with singer Kasper Eistrup) and Lou Reed (reading one of Eistrup's poems about a mysterious black building in New York).
- Janis Meissner
Kompjotr Eplektrika
RedisetKompjotrAllesklaarEplektrika
Oscillatone
This is noisy electronic music, featuring Mats from semi-defunct art-punks Dialog Cet. A few of the tracks are quite nice (especially the opener "Sondmaskin"), but I find the CD to be a tough listen the whole way through in one sitting. I like the kinds of sounds and tones they employ, but the compositions tend to be lacking in direction. Which is to say, I like the general sonic ideas, just not where they take them. It shows promise, but I far prefer Mats' other current project Majessic Dreams.
- Avi Roig
They Live By Night
s/t
Razzia Records
It took me a bit to fully grasp the five-song debut EP from Sweden's They Live By Night. I'm not sure what to compare it to. Their songs are a swirl of guitars and synth with hammering drums and bass. The first track, "Truth or dare", was a bit too Bravery-esque for me, but the subsequent tracks that follow it, such as "Saint" and "School", makes up for it and delve into the strange world of post-punk sounds made famous by a number of bands before them.
- Navy Keophan
22-Pistepirkko
Drops & kicks
Bone Voyage
Originally from Utajärvi and now based in Helsinki, Finland, 22-Pistepirkko (22-spotted ladybug) has been around for almost a quarter of a century. Far from sounding like a record made by some old guys just going through the motions, "Drops & kicks" shows off an adventurous spirit captured ably by producer Kalle Gustafsson (best known as the bassist for The Soundtrack of Our Lives). Shifting with ease from epics with big choruses (opener "Mr. Twister") to sleepy acoustic ballads ("X-(wo)men") to fuzzed-out garage stomps ("Space riding"), the Finns continue with the eclecticism that's been a career hallmark. Asko Keränen and Espe Haverinen provide a suitable instrumental backdrop for the quirky, high-pitched vocals of P.K. Keränen. Sounding unique most of the time, Keränen does bring to mind Supergrass vocalist Gaz Coombes on the rave-up "Not so good at school". "Rat king" wouldn't be out of place on a Sparklehorse record, with its crunchy guitars and animal imagery. And don't miss the Suede-esque "Soul free" and the tempo-shifting "Sister May", with TSOOL's Ebbot Lundberg on backing vocals.
- Matthew W. Smith
The one artist who taught me that I should take mainstream Swedish pop seriously was Håkan Hellström. I was perusing files on Napster and just starting to get obsessive with my Scandinavian music obsession when I came across some HH tracks. All I knew was that it was Swedish, so I figured what the heck? Why not? That's the beauty of p2p after all. Well, those songs turned out to be Håkan's amazing debut album "Känn ingen sorg för mig Göteborg" and I was blown away. This album proves that you don't need to understand a single word of Swedish to appreciate great pop music. It wasn't long before I had a copy of the real CD in my hand and was busy hunting down bootlegs and b-sides. So here's one of those rare finds for you now - the demo version of the title track, labelled as "Ge mig arsenik". I'm not sure if this is the actual demo that got Håkan signed, but it certainly could be. I don't think that Håkan will ever again touch the brilliance of his first record, but it was such a monumental piece of work that I don't think anyone minds. It was the perfect album at the perfect time, a certified classic.
This week's YLE X3M video chart:
01. Kent - Den döda vinkeln (SWE)
02. Smak - Vesi tulvii sisään (FIN)
03. Jermaine - Goodbye sign (FIN)
04. Mew - Special (DK)
05. The Rasmus - No fear (FIN)
06. Steen1 - Carosol Kid (FIN)
07. Technicolour - Nowhere to go (FIN)
08. Korpiklaani - Kädet siipinä (FIN)
09. HIM - Wings of a butterfly (FIN)
10. Alice in Videoland - Cut the crap (SWE)
Challengers:
11. Nightwish - Sleeping sun (FIN)
12. The Cardigans - I need some fine wine and you, you need to be nicer (SWE)
13. El Caco - Substitute (NOR)
Nosordo has posted a thirty-minute live set from Swedish experimental electronic/noise artist The Idealist for free download: http://www.nosordo.com/
Download "Tonight I don't sleep" from The Chrysler: http://chrysler.blackside.org/musik/tonight.mp3
The song comes from the group's forthcoming "The first blood" EP.
Musique Machine reviews Kåre João: http://www.musiquemachine.com/reviews/reviews_template.php?id=685