Kasper Bjørke - Lose yourself to Jenny (video)
Like a Nagel painting come to life, here's the new video for "Lose yourself to Jenny" from Kasper Bjørke.
Refused - Rather be dead (live video)
As hinted at the other day, Refused played another "secret" gig of sorts this past weekend at Debaser Medis in Stockholm and course there's plenty of footage online for everyone who missed it.
Susanne Sundfør
The silicone veil
EMI
"The silicone veil" is a lesson in contradictions -- it's a far warmer record than Susanne Sundfør's previous release "The brothel", but it's also far more electronic and synth-heavy. Likewise, it's more direct and approachable while also somehow remaining far more abstract and densely composed than anything she's done before, both lyrically and musically. The Joni Mitchell comparisons which were apt for her self-titled debut circa 2007 have been completely stripped away and what now remains is a performer that is uniquely her own self, standing alone among erstwhile peers. As always, the focal point remains her voice, and on this album she allows it to boldly soar through obtuse chord changes, rarely opting to take the route most easily travelled. It can be a daunting listen for the casual pop music fan or anyone else hoping for a friendly singalong, but at the same time, those challenges are a crucial part of what makes her so compelling. One never gets the impression that she is over-complicating things for its own sake either, rather the songs always flow effortlessly from one movement to the next and there's never a moment where a single note feels extraneous or out of place. Her compositions are a direct reflection of the complex notions she conveys and I couldn't imagine it coming out any other way. And besides, the moments I struggle to wrap my head around are precisely what keep me coming back for repeated listens -- even when I feel like I can't fully grasp the big picture, the music still affects me deeply at a raw, emotional level. That's how I know Susanne Sundfør is a truly great artist and her new album is a brilliant piece of work. This is the new benchmark.
- Avi Roig
Presenting: Swedish Music Landscape, the book
Preorder "Swedish Music Landscape", a new French-authored photobook on the Swedish indie music scene featuring pics and interviews with artists such as Frida Hyvönen, Dear Euphoria, Jens Lekman, Peter Bjorn and John, Kristofer Åström and lots more: http://www.microcultures.fr/swedishmusic
Off the Record: Harmaja
There's a new episode from Finnish live music video site Off the Record featuring the band Harmaja performing in an aquarium: http://offtherecord.fi/harmaja/
Can't say that I'm familiar with this act at all, but first impressions are quite good.
Antennas - No tomorrow
Absolut Noise has the premiere of the new Antennas single "No tomorrow", the first from their upcoming record "Neanderthal": http://www.absolutnoise.com/2012/04/antennas-no-tomorrow-first-excerpt-from-upcoming-third-album-neanderthal.html
Hybris expands
Swedish label has a new booking division, a new office in Copenhagen and a new website to tie it all together: http://hybr.is/
Susanne Sundfør record release (video)
Check out live video footage from Susanne Sundfør's record release show for "The silicone veil", courtesy of Dagbladet: http://www.dagbladet.no/2012/03/30/kultur/musikk/konsert/susanne_sundfor/20914678/
We Are Serenades US tour confirmed
Dates are now posted for We Are Serenades US/North American tour in May: http://www.weareserenades.com/
I'd copy/paste, but the text is embedded in an image and the band isn't nearly exciting enough to make me work that hard.
Millencolin interviews Angers Curse
Millencolin continues their festival band interview series with Angers Curse: http://millencolin20year.se/home/?p=296
The New Spring - In the spirit of the revolution (video)
New stuff from Danish artist The New Spring (aka Bastian Kallesøe of Shout Wellington Air Force). The new album "Secret armor" will be out on May 7 via .
Siinai - Headed for the door
Hear a new track from Siinai off their forthcoming record "With Siinai: Heartbreaking bravery", due out April 17 via : http://siinai.tumblr.com/post/20167807494/new-song-from-the-forthcoming-album-with-siinai
Susanne Sundfør working with Kleerup
Talk about mismatched levels of talent: Susanne Sundfør is apparently recording with Kleerup in Stockholm.