Jennie Abrahamson - What is true
Jennie Abrahamson is streaming her new single "What is true" at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/jennieabrahamson
Pg.Lost confirm new album, offer sample
The new Pg.Lost album will be called "In never out" and it will consist of 6 instrumental acts that reportedly show "a darker and heavier side" of the band. Hear the first preview cut "Jura" at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/pglost
PB&J cancel UK
Peter Bjorn and John have cancelled their upcoming UK tour citing "family matters" as the reason.
New Death Breath soon?
Apparently Death Breath have completed three recording sessions so far for their next album.
Brothers of End - Wish
Brothers of End have added yet another new track to myspace, this one being "Wish": http://www.myspace.com/brothersofend
Art is Fucking Dead interviews Moloken
Portuguese blog Art is Fucking Dead interviews Norrland dark hardcore act Moloken: http://artisfuckingdead.blogspot.com/2009/09/entrevista-moloken.html
[ingenting] track review at Pitchfork
There's an [ingenting] track review at Pitchfork for their excellent single "Halleluja!": http://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/11525-halleluja/
Sirius playlist week #39
Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU:
01. Joensuu 1685 - I'm on fire
02. TALK 1
03. Boy Omega - Dinosaur drugs
04. Katatonia - Forsaker
05. Moloken - Die fear will
06. TALK 2
07. Rising - Dead kings
08. The Cardigans - Erase/rewind
09. The Amazing - Dragon
10. TALK 3
11. The First Miles - Black heart
12. [ingenting] - Medan vi sov
13. Skriet - Kärlekens land
14. TALK 4
15. Abandon - It's all gone
Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.
MP3: The First Miles - In town
I'm about to head out for a three-day jaunt into eastern Oregon to watch some of the world's smartest dogs compete, but before I go, let me cover a few things:
1. Tomorrow night It's a Trap! Clubnights at Debaser Malmö celebrates it's 2-year anniversary (!!!) with a show featuring the excellent acts Pixie Carnation and Rolf Fabian & the Industry of Cool. Download a sample from the former here. I'm sure it's going to be a great time, so head on down! DJs will be playing tunes and hanging out 'till 3.
2. The new CD from "Reader's companion" alums The First Miles is here and ready for purchase. I've also posted the opening number for download below to further entice you.
3. There's a bunch of new feature content worth reading -- new reviews (finally!) of Hello Saferide (live) and Golden Kanine plus an interview with Múm.
4. And don't forget to check out our new netrelease from Hearts No Static! Five tracks of quality ambient rock for free download!
See you next week!
The First Miles - In town
Hello Saferide
Live @ Magnet, Berlin, 09/24/2009
I'd waited several years for Annika Norlin and her bandmates to finally make their way to Germany and yet I really didn't know what to expect. Or rather, the show made me realize what I had been expecting by the surprises it gave me. I guess it was Annika's performance as a singer that stood out most -- she came across as a very strong and powerful storyteller, not as the tender or vulnerable songwriter some of her work portrays her to be. I'm not taking the cliché (and sexist) perspective here that "female songwriters have to be gracious creatures": It was her music and not her gender that had me expecting something slightly different. The whole evening came to contain more audience-directed performance than self-referential authenticity -- very refreshing from a pop-cultural point of view -- with Annika not singing, but more likely declaiming the lyrics, when without instrument often with erratic hand or head movements somewhat reminiscent of Anders Wendin (Moneybrother). I've always found Annika's songs to share similarities with short stories, especially in their careful plot construction with turning points and punchlines placed at the end of songs. In a way, Annika staged this affinity to fictional prose very well in her performance: While evidently telling other people's stories and not hers, she did so in a very captivating and engaging way. Especially the duets "Overall" (with album producer Andreas Mattson) and "Long lost penpal" (with Andrea "Firefox AK" Kellerman) reminded me of Stars' Torquil Campbell and Amy Millan acting and interpreting songs rather than just singing them. I believe that it was exactly this enthusiasm which Annika and her five bandmates presented their songs that really won over the crowd in Berlin's well-filled Magnet Club. In the case of Stars, the short-story'ness of their songs has gotten a bit old with time, but Annika was clever enough to throw in more personal, quieter moments like the beautiful "I wonder who is like this one" or the atmospheric encore-closer "Arjeplog" that allowed listeners to connect with her performance on a more emotional level. Now that Annika has proven to be an extremely skillful, conceptually working lyricist and performer well-versed in the art of pop culture, I'm curious to see where she'll go next.
- Arnulf Köhncke
Mixtapes & Cellmates - Soon (video)
The video for the new Mixtapes & Cellmates single "Soon" is now online: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ai5D-_W1yNE
Most Valuable Players - Some nerve
Swedish indie act Most Valuable Players have a new mp3 single called "Some nerve" posted for free download: http://www.mostvaluableplayers.se/
PopMatters reviews Rubik
PopMatters likes Finnish indie import Rubik: http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/111490-rubik-dada-bandits/
Their byline of "Dada Bandits rolls up the last five years or so of indie rock into one tight little album" pretty much explains exactly why I don't.
Golden Kanine
Scissors & happiness
Pet Hate rec.
My first contact with Golden Kanine was when I came across the first track of their debut album "Scissors & happiness" on a random website. That song, "A world to save", has not left me alone for one second since then. I have many arguments against the track -- horrible lyrics, simplistic sound -- but in the end I cannot deny that I'm in love with this two-and-a-half-minute long piece of art. Although the sound is at times simple, it stays unique throughout the whole record, due to the rather unusual choice of instruments, like the mandolin on the track "December". The instruments in combination with the vocals make a distinctive and pleasant sound. The melancholic mood that Swedish music has become rather famous for, is very much present as well.
The record has some trouble living up to my expectations though, after setting the bar so high with the first track. My finger twitches a bit, trying to reach the rewind button, but with songs like "December" and "Scissors" in the line-up, I let it continue playing. I think the guys in Golden Kanine might really be on to something here.
- Morten Frisch
