Umeå Open day one:
PK 14 - It's rough being the first band out, but these guys did quite well for their first time in Sweden. It's pretty awesome that Chinese punk rock even exists in the first place.
Soak the Sin - Decent hard rock that's forever doomed to be compared to Sahara Hotnight. I actually thought they were a bit better live than SH, but they gotta lose the matching outfits. I think it really cheapens their image and makes them seem more like a novelty.
Lo-Fi-Fnk - This sort of stuff really isn't my thing, so I never really got into it. I bet they'd be much better in a tightly packed club where you can get a much higher energy level.
Suburban Kids With Biblical Names - I have to admit that I'm not so crazy about these guys on record, but I really dug hearing them on stage with a full band and a man choir. C'mon, how can you go wrong with a full choir? You can't. It's not possible. Good times!
Day two is when the real party begins! My required listening checklist: The Tiny, Tiger Lou, Caesars and The Ark. I'll try to pop my head in to see a few of the other acts, but my time and energy are limited. It's hard to keep up drinking with the Swedes, y'know. Assuming I'm not too hung over, I'll check back in tomorrow. Cheers!
I am currently in Umeå and all is well. Spring has sprung in Stockholm, but it most definitely has not reached Norrland. But hey, who am I to complain? Life is good! As I said in my newsletter last week, I'll try to keep in touch via the board if anyone's curious about what I'm up to. Cheers!
Well, the time has come and it's time for me to leave on my very first trip to Sweden. Can you believe it? It's funny, but it's true. Since I won't be posting any news for awhile I'm gonna leave you with two mp3s for the road, one from Isolation Years and one from KVLR. Both bands are from Umeå way up north in Norrland, my final destination after spending 48hrs or so in Stockholm. The KVLR track is an old tune from the "On planted streets" collection, my selection for April's album of the month. It's been over two years since we all went on tour to SXSW together and I can't wait to see tham all again. As for Isolation Years, this track is the band's bittersweet lovesong for their home country and, like everything else off their new album "Cover the distance", it is absolutely brilliant. There's been some good records released this year, but this one tops them all. Without a doubt, they are my favorite band right now. They keep getting better and better with every new album and I can't wait to see them play next week.
Spring break! Back soon! Reminder: no mailorder purchases will be processed until I return on April 11. Cheers!
Broder Daniel
No time for us: 1989-2004
Dolores
Broder Daniel are Swedish, very big in their homeland, and their music is quite unique although there are some obvious influences, such as Jesus & Mary Chain. They've released four albums, going from a crazy punk sound on their first album to a more mature and melodic sound on their last album "Cruel Town". But to be honest, it's all crazy nice. "No time for us" is quite an ingeniously compiled compilation, it appeals to almost everyone, whether you're a massive Broder Daniel fan or whether you just doesn't know where to start with them. The first CD is crammed with most of the best songs from Broder Daniel's back catalogue, but it's CD2 that made me drool over this release when I first got it (from my girlfriend's family - thank you very much!). On this one we get exclusive demo outtakes, and such, from the whole of Broder Daniel's career. It's great stuff of course, but mostly for fans and I wouldn't recommend it for anyone who doesn't love Broder Daniel. Best way to go about this must be to buy the CD, listen to the first one, fall in love with them, buy all their albums, dance a bit, cry a bit, and then go back to CD2 after you're pretty much down with the band. It's always baffled me how Broder Daniel never made it big outside Sweden, but then it might not have been their main concern (now I think they are more than happy with being one of the biggest bands in their country). Hopefully we get another one of these treats in ten years time after another four teen angst-ridden albums.
- Simon Tagestam
Estrange
Demo
self-released
There is no question to where Estrange got its inspiration from. This could have been any of Depeche Mode's early albums. It's not easy making a synth pop album without being influenced by Martin Gore and Co, but bear in mind that every songwriter gets his inspiration from somewhere and Estrange could have done a lot worse. "About yesterday" is the EP's strongest track. When some of the other songs bore you with a minute-long intro, "About yesterday" sets off straight away with a catchy chorus and sweet melodies. The problem with Estrange, it seems, is that all their songs sounds fairly similar. The tone of the Marcus Lilja's voice is boringly bland on most of the tracks. Although he manages to get some speed going with "Convictions", it is overshadowed by the too long and slow "Slide". I still salute Estrange in his quest to bring and break electronic pop music to Sweden; a country filled to the brim with punk rockers!
- David Hellqvist
Loopy
Smile back home
EMI/Zip Records
Loopy is destined for the in-flight music program on Scandinavian Airlines. The Copenhagen-based group represents all of SAS's constituents: it features a Danish bassist and guitarist, a Swedish drummer and a Norwegian singer/guitarist. More importantly, the band has created a noteworthy debut album that blends UK-style guitar pop (think Snow Patrol) with some surprises. The melancholy title track meanders most of the way, before drummer Mathias Elovsson speeds up the tempo considerably and brings the song to a crashing halt. The top-notch "Never loud" is oh-so-minor key, showcasing soulful vocals from Leiv Aasen. A few songs get needlessly repetitive (like "Morning Star"), but the spacy "Silent Song" (which sounds a bit like Slowdive) makes up for it. The blend of shoegazer and pop on such well-constructed songs makes Loopy a band I'll have my eye on.
- Matthew W. Smith
Moneybrother
To die alone
Burning Heart Records
Anders Wedin's former band Monster released a couple of albums (and a compilation) that had quite a lot of good songs on them, but they were far from perfect, and the same goes for Moneybrother's first album "Blood panic" - a lot of hits, but too many duds. Looking back like this, it appears as if Anders Wedin has gradually improved as a songwriter (not that weird, I know), only for him to reach his full potential on "To Die Alone". For this is in fact, to use a British term, a belter of an album. There are no of those dodgy duets that I had problems to stomach from "Blood panic" and Anders appears very confident with his excellent voice, and it appears as if he has calmed down a bit and not tried to fit thousands of ideas onto one record, which consequently makes all the songs on "To die alone" gel better than what the "Blood panic" tracks do. With "To die alone" we also get a nice mix of up-tempo number and slower stuff, and personally I prefer the slower songs to the rockier ones, there's so much soul in them that they almost burst! The best track on the disc is "Eventually it'll break your heart" (a gorgeous but sad, sad song) which is one of the best songs I've heard in a long time and for the last two weeks I have to get a daily dose of it or I start feeling strange. A few weeks ago I reviewed the first single from this album and wrote that it gave me a 'sickly feeling' - a statement I won't withdraw but I can admit that I like "They're building walls around us" a bit more now than then, but it's still my least favourite track from the album. As you might have noticed, this review doesn't really add that much to the current praise that Moneybrother is getting from the It's a Trap! quarters and other places, so allow me to humbly join the queue of people saying: "This album is fantastic".
- Simon Tagestam
Psycho Sonic Cindy
Start it up
Dead Frog Records
The music of this Stockholm outfit is fast, brash and melodic, with plenty of nods to early punk. Frontwoman Bea Persson's singing adds a poppier side to the sound, especially on the title track. The standout is "Pretty little thing", with Persson sounding a bit like Shirley Manson of Garbage and guitarist Johan Andersson weaving a hypnotic stairstep riff in and out of the faster parts. Parts of the album drag because some of the songs are indistinguishable. In fact, the whole thing has the air of a band fighting--with mixed results--to capture its live sound in the studio. Jacob Malmström's primitive, relentless drumming gives every indication that this a group meant for the stage. I'll continue listening to a few of these songs--but I'd rather see them in concert some time.
- Matthew W. Smith