All you people in London, don't forget that Swedish troubadors David & the Citizens are doing two shows this coming Saturday December 20 when they play both Strange Fruit's Christmas party and Rough Trade RoTa Session's Christmas Bash. Both performances will be acoustic and you can get all the other details such as price and location on the poster, as seen right here.
It's been awhile since we heard anything from them, but it seems that Kasual Records is on the comeback trail for 2004. Firstly, they'll be putting out the album "On Tahoe" from Norway's Beezewax in January. The record is said to be "a must-have for fans of Teenage Fanclub, Big Star, Buffalo Tom" and was recorded by Pelle Gunnerfeldt (Fireside, The Hives, Sahara Hotnights). There's also quite a bit coming up for label mainstay Ariel Kill Him. As mentioned here before, the first record "In the Pyramid" is being licensed for a US release by NYC's Eyeball Records for March. The band will also be putting out a six-track all-exclusive EP called "Labyrinths" in February or March on Kasual. And that's not all - they've even got plans for a split EP with Greece's Relevant Box on Librarian Records in early 2004. Both bands will contribute three songs and one video each. Here's AKH's half:
01. The Money Shot (previously featured on the limited Kasual sampler)
02. So? (prev. unreleased)
03. Under the Influence (prev. unreleased)
There's nothing definitive set for the rest of the roster yet, but they say to watch out for new releases from Buck, Ides of Space, Jettie and The New Mess at some point next year.
Some Saturday reviews for y'all:
Jim Stärk - No Time Wasted (Supermono)
First off, Jim Stärk is named after James Dean's character in "Rebel Without a Cause" and not actually the name of anyone in the band. They make the kind of melancholic music you'd expect to hear on a jukebox in a sad, empty bar. Minor chords, lyrics of longing and loss, plenty of autumnal atmosphere, fingerpicked guitar lines and vocals that aspire towards Nick Drake and come damn close to success. The thing that impresses me the most about these guys is how relaxed and natural they sound playing together. I could actually do without the vocals completely and just listen to 'em play. Every player does a fantastic job of knowing when to shine and when to show restraint. There's a wonderful live vibe to the recording, too. It's a rare treat these days to hear an album that truly comes across as simply four guys playing in a room together. I hear very few obvious overdubs. On a less positive note, the lyrics are fairly mundane and predictable and the few songs that attempt to be a bit bluesier don't work well at all. The title track is great example - they sound stilted and ill-suited to the material. There's also a couple songs that have too much of an easy-listening vibe for my tastes, but it's not awful by any means. I just prefer the starker material. No pun intended. Really.
v/a - Money Will Ruin Everything (2xCD + book) (Rune Grammofon)
If you are at all curious about the current avant-garde music scene, you need to get this. The Norweigan scene spotlighted here is where a lot of really exciting things are happening in music nowadays. As anyone who reads Wire already should know, bands like Supersilent and Jaga Jazzist are becoming increasingly revered worldwide and for good reason. And that's just two of the thirty names here. These groups are challenging and expanding the boundries of rock, electronica and jazz to create something completely new and amazing. And even though the marriage of physical art and music is nothing new, it's great to see the tradition continued with this exquisite package. Highly recommended.
Lonely Drifter Karen (demo, contact: njata@gmx.net)
LDK is the solo project of Tanja Frinta, who recently moved from her native Austria to Sweden. I guess that qualifies her for inclusion here. Anyhow, the music is somber indie-rock and it's pretty darn good. Lots of great, flowing melodies and tender vocals. I'm tempted to draw comparisons with Portishead or maybe Mazzy Star, but I think it actually sound much more like a feminine version of early Songs:Ohia. I definitely get the same emotional and longing feeling from both of them. The re-use of the same drum pattern and electronic bass line sound got old over the course of the four songs, but I'll give her the benefit of the doubt and blame it on lack of gear. After all, it is only a demo and not everyone has racks full of samplers at their disposal. Overall, I can say without a doubt that the music here shows a lot of potential. Even though the production is pretty basic, it's obvious that Tanja has talent and a lot of good ideas.
Ebon Tale - Blanket Skies (Dusklight Records)
Decent indie rock from this female-fronted trio. I'm reminded a lot of PJ Harvey thanks to the strong vocals from frontwoman Frida Franzén, but they also seem to take cues from mid-90s alt-rock bands like The Pixies and The Breeders. The recording sounds live and natural, but I can't help but think they'd benefit from a more studio sound and some overdubs. I definitely felt like the guitar could take a stronger lead role on a number of songs. The drummer also overplays quite a bit and could stand to back off on his fills and tighten up his patterns. That would probably help them improve their dynamic range, too. Still, not so bad for what I think is still a young band. They just need to listen to eachother a bit more and then they can take it to the next level.
King Midas - Romeo Turn (Ellet Records)
They describe themselves as "white funk with a psychadelic twist" and I guess that's fairly accurate. I'm just glad I didn't read that before I put this on because I think it would've tainted my opinion a bit more for the worse. I can't help it - I see the word funk and I immediately get surly. Anyhow, this record isn't that bad, but I think it just really isn't my thing. For one, I can't get past the vocals and I think that might be the make-or-break point of the band. The guy sounds a bit like Mick Jones of The Clash, but he's also got a Bob Dylan-esque quality in the way he holds long notes and enunciates his words. Again, just not my thing. On the other hand, the recording and mix is absolutely fantastic - everything is super crisp and clean and there's just the right amount of separation between the instruments. There's also a bold use of space that you just don't hear too often. I really like how they de-emphasize the guitar parts and let more interesting instuments take the lead roles and are unafraid to make them really loud and up close. I can't explain it, but it just works. I'd probably like this band a lot more if they were more pop/verse-chorus oriented.
Uncle's Institution - Everything a Man Can Dream Of (I Know What You Did Last Records)
Uncle's Institution is Egil Olsen, yet another entry in the long line of Norweigan singer/songwriters gaining prominence as of late. The most immediate comparison is Sondre Lerche of course, as they both share a lot of the same Beatle-esque qualities. But Egil is more like Sondre's more irreverent, michievious and indie cousin. Whereas Sondre is very earnest and great at what he does, Egil comes across much looser and is more likely to break out a string of profanity or let loose with distortion. The guy released a single called "Santa Claus is Gay" for crissake! Hard not to appreciate that. I'm not too into some of his choices for cheesy lead keyboard sounds or drum machine beats, but the songwriting remains strong regardless. I also like how Egil easily slips between whispered, low-key vocals such as on "Hey Paul" and still sounds just as great when belting it out on the louder tracks. Good stuff.
No fuckin' way - legendary Umeå hardcore band Abhinanda is having a reunion this summer. See the flyer.
Norweigan avant-garde label Rune Grammofon has revealed their release plan for early 2004:
Skyphone - Fabula (January 12)
Debut release from Danish trio, probably closest in spirit and musical ideology to Alog and Phonophani in the way they mix electronic and acoustic elements, either sampled or played by themselves. Highly melodic and detailed soundscape.
Susanna and the Magical Orchestra - List of Lights and Buoys (January 19)
Debut release from Norwegian duo comprising young singer Susanna Wallumrød and keyboard player Morten Qvenild (Jaga Jazzist, Shining, Bertine Zetlitz, Nils Petter Molvær). Beautiful low-key songs including great versions of "Jolene" and "Who Am I".
Deathprod - Morals and Dogma (February)
Brand new and long awaited album from Norway´s sound artist par excellence.
Deathprod - Deathprod (February)
4 CD box comprising "Morals and Dogma", "Treetop Drive" (long deleted album from 1994), "Imaginary Songs From Tristan Da Cunha" (long deleted album from 1996) and "Reference Frequencies" (rare and deleted tracks). Comes in a solid black box with a booklet with detailed information on each release, each album packaged in their own beautifully designed digipack. This is simply a treat!
Norweigan all-star group KILL will play the Ideal fest in Göteborg on March 12 next year. The band consists of Martin Horntveth (Jaga Jazzist), Erlend Mokkelbost (JR Ewing), Are Mokkelbost (Single Unit, Arm) and Espen Hangård (NoPlaceToHide) and was originally formed to Digimetal two years ago. That's quite a line-up! Other Scandinavian artists confirmed for the same fest include Pan Sonic, Mikkel Metal, Hazard, Contemporary Punk Unit, Peaux and DJ Jean-Louis Huhta.
Dialog Cet has joined the modern age and registered themselves a proper domain name. 'Bout time eh? Anyhow, they say they'll actually be playing a show next year on Friday, February 13 as part of P3 Popstad in Jönköping. They'll also be releasing their new record "Like Animals" in the spring on Carcrash Records, the label of Håkan from Division of Laura Lee. There's also plans for a 10" on Lady Godiva Operations and a 7" on His Ideal Haircut as well as two more full-lengths (!!!) that will most likely be made available as free downloads.
Here's the latest newsletter from Export Music Finland: http://www.musexfinland.fi/index.php?page=news&id=27
Most of it is stuff I've already covered, but it's never bad to get a refresher sumamtion I guess.
Finnish power-metal band Thunderstone has been chosen to support Iced Earth on their upcoming European tour. Dates:
03/18 – 013, Tilburg (NL)
03/19 – Hof Ter Loo, Antwerpen (BEL)
03/20 – Podium, Hardenberg (NL)
03/21 – Mean Fiddler, London (UK)
03/22 – Elysee Monmatre, Paris (FR)
03/23 – Transbordeur, Lyon (FR)
03/25 – Aqualung, Madrid (SPA)
03/26 – Sala Jam, Bergara (SPA)
03/27 – Razzmatazz, Barcelona (SPA)
03/29 – Rolling Stone , Milano (IT)
03/30 – Z7, Pratteln (SWI)
04/01 – E-Werk, Köln (GER)
04/02 – Löwensall, Nürnberg (GER)
04/03 – Filharmonie, Filderstadt (GER)
04/04 – Planet Music, Wien (AUS)
04/06 – Docks, Hamburg (GER)
04/07 – KB, Malmö (SWE)
04/08 – Karen, Göteborg (SWE)
04/09 – Arenan, Tukholma (SWE)
04/11 – Nosturi, Helsinki (FIN)
As mentioned here before, Thunderstone's second album "The Burning" comes out January 12 on Nuclear Blast and you can listen to samples here.