The Danish act Small has an instantly recognizable and very appealing sound -- every single track is chock full of warm fuzzy synths and vocoder vocals set to mechanical beats and layered with major-key arpeggios. Kinda like a summery version of Kraftwerk, especially on tracks such as "Sunshine lover" which is absolutely blissed out robot-pop. So simple and easy to love, yet the band has not received the attention they deserve. It's a shame too, because I can see this appealing to both fans of The Radio Dept. and Robyn and just about everyone in between. For readers who might feel like I don't post enough straight-up pop, this one's for you.
Small - Sunshine lover
The release of Sound Like Violence's new album "The devil on Nobel Street" has been pushed back to late summer.
Here is the It's a Trap! listening group top 10 artists of the week, unique to our group:
01. Bob Hund
02. Montt Mardié
03. The Fine Arts Showcase
04. Loney, Dear
05. Maia Hirasawa
06. Hello Saferide
07. Bat for Lashes
08. Anna Järvinen
09. Kristofer Åström
10. A Camp
Do you listen to music on your computer or with an iPod? Please join us and make your playlist count! Go here to learn more: http://www.last.fm/help/
Norwegian singer/songwriter Dylan Mondegreen will be playing at Union Hall in Brooklyn on May 2.
Kristofer Åström is heading back to Germany at the end of May and will be bringing his full backing band The Rainaways:
05/30 - Orange Blossom Festival, Beverungen (GER)
05/31 - Lagerhaus, Bremen (GER)
06/01 - KFZ, Marburg (GER)
06/02 - Moritzbastei, Leipzig (GER)
06/03 - Schlachthof, Wiesbaden (GER)
06/04 - Fri-Son, Fribourg (GER)
06/05 - Karlstorbahnhof, Heidelberg (GER)
06/06 - Stone im Ratinger Hof, Düsseldorf (GER)
Danish indie distro Labelkollektiv has added Pad & Pen Records to their ever-expanding roster. In related news, Labelkollektiv chairman Christian Villum just started blogging at BandBase.com and you can read his first post here: http://www.bandbase.com/Blog/AllMusic/38580/How-do-we-want-to-consume-music-today/ (the IAT shout-out is much-appreciated!)
Carpark North's new fan-created video for the song "Save me from myself" is on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AHtJsJlVl4&fmt=18
Catchy Tunes has signed Swedish discopop trio Baby Alice and will be releasing their new single "Hurricane" at the end of the month. Preview at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/babyalicemusic
Victor Brandt from Totalt Jävla Mörker has been enlisted as Satyricon's new bassist.
Time Out NY weighs in on Ingebrigt Håker Flaten and Håkon Kornstad's duo performance in Brooklyn last Friday: http://www3.timeoutny.com/newyork/thevolume/2009/04/ingebrigt-haker-flaten-and-hakon-kornstad-at-monkey-town/
Check out Promoe's wacky brand new video for the song "Svennebanan": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEPZ3HwOgbY&fmt=18
Swedish singer/songwriter Jennie Abrahamson will release a new album on September 16. Expect samples and more details to be posted shortly.
Danish noiserockers Livaventura have parted ways with vocalist Henriette Nielsen and will be continuing on as a trio. Expect tourdates to be announced for August to coincide with their album release.
8
Wolfbrigade continues their d-beat odyssey with a record so intense that it will definitely convince those who still cling to the band's much idolized Wolfpack era to reconsider the result of their transformation. Although, "transformation" might be a strong word for explaining the band's musical reconfiguration which became increasingly apparent in "In darkness you feel no regrets" and "A d-beat odyssey", it is at least useful to understand why some diehard fans were highly disappointed with the post-2000 records of the Wolves. "Comalive", released only a year after the band's somewhat mediocre reunion album "Prey to the world", brilliantly combines the blistering speed and ferocity of the Wolfpack years with the terrific melodic precision of the new era. Contrary to the previous Wolfbrigade outputs which were dominantly composed of mid-tempo d-beat songs ("Progression/Regression" may be considered as an exception to this aspect), "Comalive" is remarkably faster and has a strikingly powerful production. The band retains its characteristic cold, metallic edge and the quality production adds up to the record being the band's strongest release since "Allday hell". From the blazing opener "In adrenaline" to anthemic "Skulls of doom" and rifftastic "Barren dreams", "Comalive" irrefutably proves that Wolfbrigade is still as good as they used to be ten years ago.
- Burak Tansel
No, this is not a happy story. That much is obvious from the melody before you even hear Anna Frank say it and it's that dark mood that makes it appealing. As for the plot, I'm at a loss. There's a romantic come-on in there somewhere, but it's confused. "Still years to go" implies a deliberate end, at least to my ears. Otherwise, so much of the song is concerned with trading lies -- does that make the story pure fiction? But still worth reading/living? I would not be so compelled.
Similarly, I am drawn to Anna Frank's music, but not entirely captivated. It's sonically interesting, but there is also a sterility that puts me off: too clean, too disengaged, too well-practiced. Perhaps it's that same lack of sincerity she's singing about; it seeps into the performance. I am not so convinced.
Anna Frank - Happy story
Wolfbrigade