Troels Abrahamsen is a busy man
Troels Abrahamsen reports that his delayed album "BLCK" will finally see the light of day on March 8. But that's not all, he's also producing the new Veto album which gets underway later this month.
All Scandinavian top 20 of 2009
All Scandinavian lists their top 20 albums of 2009: http://allscandinavian.com/2977/the-20-best-albums-of-2009/
José González doc to open the Gbg Film Fest
"The Extraordinary Ordinary Life of José González", a documentary film on the namesake artist directed by Mikel Cee Karlsson and Fredrik Egerstrand, will open the 33rd annual Göteborg International Film Festival on January 29 at Draken Cinema. Read more: http://www.giff.se/us/nc/public/artikel/post/jos-Gonzalez-opens-the-festival-114.html
No word on any other screenings yet, but I'll keep an eye out.
Musik med [ingenting] (again)
Following up [ingenting]'s performance of "O helga natt", here's a new episode of PSL with them playing their own song "Lång väg": http://blogg.svt.se/psl/2010/01/07/musik-med-ingenting/
Blue for Two now on Kning Disk
Blue for Two (Freddie Wadling) has signed with Kning Disk for the release of their next, long-awaited album. No title or release date yet, but it should be out before summer.
New Bloodlights album gets release date
The new Bloodlights album "Simple pleasures" will be released on March 1 in Europe, February 26 in Germany.
Pascal - Min enda vän (video)
Check out Pascal's new video "Min enda vän": http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=102025158
Despotz signs The Sonnets
has announced that they have signed The Sonnets. No word on any upcoming releases yet.
The Poodles cover Promoe
A cheap way for tired rockers to score a hit: record a cover of a recent hit single. Watch The Poodles cover Promoe's sommarplåga "Svennebanan": http://www.aftonbladet.se/webbtv/noje/article6390439.ab
MP3: Thee Gutted String - White
I didn't listen to the new Thee Gutted String "Christmastime In Hagarna" EP back when it first posted over my brief winter break because I didn't really listen to any music over break. Instead, I enjoyed the silence of a clear mind and the company of family, a much-welcome respite for tired ears. When I did get to it however, it was immediately after sampling David Åhlén's new EP, so a compare/contrast was inevitable. David's music is, as always, pure holy devotion, and both him and Thee Gutted String perform (mostly) solo and acoustic on these new releases, but the latter is far more secular, corporeal. They do however cross paths though on "White", a song whose refrain asserts the denial of God. It could be argued that such sentiments are irreligious or even anti-religious, but I think that the struggle to attain spirituality is religion, despite the outcome. Defining the absence lends it power; a crisis of faith is still faith. Churches and denominations are irrelevant, the personal experience trumps all and in that way, both artists are exploring the same territory. 'Tis the season.
Thee Gutted String - White
New Sophie Zelmani album in February
The new Sophie Zelmani album "I'm the rain" will be released on February 24. Once again, longtime associate Lars Halapi produced.
Benni Hemm Hemm
Murta St. Calunga
Kimi
"Murta St. Calunga" should have been Benni Hemm Hemm's breakout album. After the song "GítStemm" was featured on the excellent "Fjölskyldualbúm Tilraunaeldhússins" compilation in 2006, they released their sophomore effort "Kajak" to critical acclaim. On "Kajak", you could almost hear singer/songwriter Benedikt Hermannsonn's arrangements maturing, the twinkling list of acoustic guitar and the stutter of his brass canter in increasing symbiosis, interwoven with a distinctly maritime flourish. But while "Murta" upstages the brassy pomp of its predecessors, it struggles to find depth. Too often, as on childish "Whaling in the North Atlantic" and the faux-western "Riotmand", Benni falls short of recreating the sparkling intimacies of "Kajak". Thus, the ineffective melodies and sparse acoustics must be salvaged by the atypical rhythms of their instrumental breaks. The jaunty brass, with its shifting time signatures, continues to be BHH's most potent weapon. Though it elevates the repetitive horns above those that proliferate in today's colorless indie, they are little more than a palliative here, providing temporary respite from "Murta"'s predictable doldrums. The soft, textured horn laments that worked so well on "Kajak" wander aimlessly in the album's sluggish middle, where copycat brass mimics endless iterations of what seems to be one single dim melody.
It's not all bad, though. The Van Morrison rifflets and the faux-metal hammer-ons of "Veiðiljóð" are welcome additions, as is the warmth of "Riotmand", where glockenspiels flutter beautifully above static horns. The formulaic vocals lack the depth or vision of those on "Kajak", but Benni's voice still transmits a blissful Nordic solitude. If I had not been primed me to expect great things from Benni Hemm Hemm, perhaps I would not be so quick to dismiss this album. I'm hopeful that their next will be a return to form, as I'm hesitant to believe that BHH's best music is behind them.
- Nathan Keegan
The Line of Best Fit reviews Thus:Owls
The Line of Best Fit recommends the album "Cardian malformations" from Swedish jazz-influenced indie act Thus:Owls: http://www.thelineofbestfit.com/2010/01/thusowls-cardiac-malformations/
I haven't heard the full album myself, but I've definitely been into the samples I've gotten.
Oh Land - Singing in a suitcase (video)
Check out a video of Oh Land's summer exploits as she travels around the US and Europe, working on new music and so on: http://vimeo.com/8558666
Dundertåget in the studio
Dundertåget are currently back in the studio in cold, cold Stockholm working on their next album.