Check out the new video for "Martian arts" from Icelandic act Singapore Sling: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnWDQUUj23w&fmt=18
The new self-titled album from Norwegian act I Was A King is confirmed for release on January 19 via Hype City. Samples at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/iwasaking
Halo of Pendor, the solo act of Daniel Öhman (Ef, Convoj, When We Fall), will be heading out on a European tour in a few days:
11/21 - Hasenschaukel, Hamburg (GER) w/The Gentle Act Incident (acoustic)
11/22 - Az Conni, Dresden (GER) w/Kom
11/23 - Gallerie Durchlauferhitzer, Halle (GER)
11/24 - Take Five, Maastricht (NL) w/The Gentle Act Incident (acoustic)
11/25 - Steinbruch, Duisburg (GER)
11/26 - Student House of Sten's, Ghent (BEL) w/The Gentle Act Incident (acoustic)
11/27 - Kino Im Walzenlager, Oberhausen (GER)
11/28 - Hafen 2, Offenbach am Main (GER)
11/29 - Chez Heinz Salon, Hannover (GER) w/The Gentle Act Incident (acoustic)
11/30 - NBI, Berlin (GER) w/This Town Needs Guns
Members of Ef, Immanu El and The Gentle Act Incident will make up the backing band. Samples here: http://www.myspace.com/haloofpendor
Lykke Li is coming back to North America in late January:
01/31 - Sixth And I, Washington, Washington DC
02/02 - Webster Hall, New York
02/04 - Club Soda, Montreal, Quebec
02/06 - Phoenix, Toronto, Ontario
02/07 - Metro, Chicago, IL
02/08 - Varsity, Minneapolis, MN
02/11 - Commodore, Vancouver BC
02/12 - Hawthorne, Portland, OR
02/13 - Showbox, Seattle, WA
02/15 - Fillmore, San Francisco, CA
02/17 - Glass House, Pomona, CA
02/18 - Granada, Dallas, TX
02/19 - Antone's, Austin, TX
The St. Petersburg Times interviews IAT favorites Desert Planet: http://www.sptimes.ru/index.php?action_id=2&story_id=27610
Aftonbladet reports that Laleh has a new album on the way in January: http://www.aftonbladet.se/nojesbladet/musik/article3799578.ab (in Swedish)
Unsigned Swedish rockers Marrakesh are streaming a bunch of new tracks at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/marrakeshtheband
Fairly promising, I'd say.
Michael Bach of the Swedish indie collective Wild Geese Music has a new EP posted for free download called "I fell down": http://www.wildgeesemusic.com/
Swedish indie/neo-soul artist Little Dragon is coming over to the US for a batch of shows this month:
11/20 - Beauty Bar, San Diego, CA
11/21 - The Roxy, Los Angeles, CA
11/22 - Soho, Santa Barbara, CA
11/23 - Café Du Nord, San Fransisco, CA
11/24 - Rio Theatre, Santa Cruz, CA
11/25 - Detroit Bar, Costa Mesa, CA
11/28 - LPR, New York City, NY
11/29 - Black Cat Mainstage, Washington DC
12/01 - M Room, Philadelphia, PA
12/02 - Berklee, Boston, MA
12/03 - New College, Sarasota, FL
MP3: Route of the Belated - Dog at your feet
Route of the Belated is the name of the new project from Danish artist Lasse Vestergaard, someone we've touched on before, albeit very briefly. This new project does well to defy expectations though - he's still got a strong rootsy vibe in his songwriting, but the music is much more atmospheric. Think Daniel Lanois, heck even Talk Talk comes to mind. Or for a more contemporary comparison, think The Grand Opening. The sounds are soaked in reverb, the bass is deep and booming and the recording is layered with all sorts of goodies, from subtle percussion on down to clever manipulations of background noise. "Dog at your feet" is the best example of playing up the Talk Talk/Mark Hollis vibes -- the track is based on a bluesy acoustic guitar riff, but the full spectrum of sound is other-worldly. Just listen to the separation in those drums. And the horns that sound like they're in a different dimension. Oh, and I also happen to really like songs that use dog metaphors. No surprise there.
Route of the Belated - Dog at your feet
Fria Konstellationen
Musik om Fria Konstellationen
Rev/Vega Rec.
As interest in freejazz slowly trickles down into the world of indie/electronica and grows, I imagine we'll see more and more records like this, full of eclectic clatter and hum. Of course, most of them won't be very good at all, but at least we'll still have acts such as Fria Konstellationen setting the bar. Pure improv is a tenuous beast; even renown acts such as Norway's Supersilent edit down hours and hours of recordings for what ends up on their album. I can only assume the same for this Malmö-centralized collective, but who knows for sure? The mystery of its origins are part of the charm, whether it be the story behind the music or simply the makeup of the instrumentation. The group's main mode of communication tends toward drone rather than bursts of sound, though rules are made and broken and then remade again as they go along. Melody and themes are tossed asunder in favor of pure compelling sound; dynamics and variety of timbre hold my interest well enough. Live, I imagine the experience to be even stronger when a visual component is factored in. Not everyday listening, to be sure, but certainly a worthy document examining the possibilities of seemingly random noise.
- Avi Roig
Weeping Willows report that songwriting is underway for their next album and the band plans to enter the studio sometime early next year.
Sarah Dawn Finer's new single "Does she know you" will be released on November 24 via Roxy Recordings. Her as-yet-untitled new album will follow in March.
Opeth's new video for the song "Burden" is now online: http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/video/view.aspx?songID=2362
Swedish label Information (Studio, Fontän) is putting a comp of out-of-print tracks from cult synth act Frak. Go here for more details and samples: http://www.inf000.com/