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Denmark has established itself as a sanctuary for offbeat pop musicians. I was easily won over by Slaraffenland's "Private cinema" and Larsen & Furious Jane's "Zen sucker", to name just a few, and it is within this eccentric, peripheral vein of pop music that Alcoholic Faith Mission exist. On "Gently", which begins (and continues on as) a lavish, beautifully layered composition, a female vocalist delicately sings: "Just 'cause I'm a whore, you know it doesn't mean I don't feel it when you fuck me." This strange juxtaposition of the beautiful and the base continues on in the next track, "Nut in your eye", a track that by name alone should be on a throwaway hip-hop album, but in substance falls not too far from the realm of Broken Social Scene. "421 Wythe Avenue", while moving away from the resplendent/sexual parallelisms, continues on musically in much the same way as the opening tracks -- ethereally layered electronic elements and vocals, solid acoustic and electric guitar work, all tethered to shifting centers and uncertain musical landscapes. There is a tragic beauty here, one that blends the emotional registers of Mixtapes & Cellmates and Moonbabies, yet remains quite distinctively an original construct, and it is this ingenuity that sets Alcoholic Faith Mission apart from many of their contemporaries.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
Terrascope Online reviews The Goner, one of my favorite discoveries of last year: http://www.terrascope.co.uk/Reviews/Reviews_June09.htm#Goner
Roxy Recordings reports that the new Peter Jöback album "Eastside stories" will be released in October. The album was recorded with producer Lars Halapi in New York and features many guest stars such as Kate Pierson (The B52s), Sia and more and will feature cover tunes by artists such as Divine Comedy, Rufus Wainright, Chris Isaak, Travis and Depeche Mode. Full details here: http://www.roxyrecordings.se/news.php?id=483
Danish act Spleen United are doing a few US dates this week:
06/16 - The Echo, Los Angeles, CA
06/17 - The Viper Room, Los Angeles, CA
06/19 - Bootleg Theatre, Los Angeles, CA
06/20 - The Prospector, Long Beach, CA
06/26 - Ruff Club, New York, NY
Listen to the PWR remix of Pistol Disco's "Evergreen": http://www.myspace.com/pistoldisco
It's been a long while since we've heard anything new from them, but Swedish emo-pop act Fare You Well is finally back with a new EP called "Overload" which they are offering as a free download: http://www.myspace.com/fareyouwell
If you dig stuff like Jimmy Eat World, you'll like these guys too. I know I do.
Fullsteam Records has announced the signing of Helsinki-based act Cosmobile. Look for a new single from the band this summer with their sophomore album to follow in the fall; in the meantime, preview the band at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/cosmobile
Efterklang reports that their upcoming live CD/DVD (or LP/DVD) "Performing Parades", recorded with The Danish National Chamber Orchestra in Copenhagen last September, will be released on October 19. Besides the full 55-minute show, the DVD will also include a behind-the-scenes documentary and all of the videos made for the songs off the album "Parades". To celebrate the release, Efterklang will stage a special re-creation of the album at the Barbican Hall in London together with The Britten Sinfonia on October 28.
Teasers of The Knife's opera "Tomorrow, in a year" are beginning to come to light: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gtsCMFjQtw
Swedish glamrockers Crashdiet have enlisted Simme from Jailbait as their new vocalist. Hear some new demo tunes at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/crashdiet80
Too much work to do, not enough time to crawl through the daily updates. Let's make this quick: Elmo are a melodramatic pop band from way the fuck up north in Sweden who sound more than a little like Broder Daniel. I know that totally sounds like a recipe for disaster on paper, but somehow they pull it off -- I've been listening to the new album "Once" over and over ever since I received in earlier this week. No, they're not as brilliant as the original masters of teenage melancholy, but I'll shrug it off when hit with grandiose sentiments such as "We were not supposed to die!" So over the top! I'm loving it.
Stream the whole damn record at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/elmoswe
Elmo - Darkness falls
Discobelle has new music from Swedish bitpop act (and friends of Slagsmålsklubben) Svenska Björnstammen: http://www.discobelle.net/2009/06/12/svenska-bjornstammen/
Antenna talks to viking metal act Týr: http://www.antenna.nu/?p=1406
Surprise! Pitchfork does not enjoy The Sounds' new album "Crossing the rubicon": http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/13155-crossing-the-rubicon/
Alcoholic Faith Mission