Check out the new video for Robyn's latest international dingle "Dream on" (w/Christian Falk): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypQtJ8z6q5o
PopMatters reviews the new Ane Brun album "Changing of the seasons": http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/62250/ane-brun-changing-of-the-seasons/
MIC Norway on "Scene Norway", the festival within a festival at this year's London Jazz Fest: http://www.mic.no/mic.nsf/doc/art2008101714021973007553
There are now two brand new tracks from The Fine Arts Showcase at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/thefineartsshowcase
Anna Leong's brand new video for the track "Frightened eyes" is now online: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEs8_Br7FdY
Buy the band's most recent album "Terrorarium" right here.
Spread the word!
CMJ HAPPY HOUR SWEDISH MUSIC SHOWCASE
October 22 @ Bowery Electric, NYC (326 Bowery @ 2nd)
Firefox AK (6pm)
Juvelen (7pm)
Hello Saferide (8pm)
FREE entry, $4 drink specials
MP3: Hello Saferide - Anna
MP3: Juvelen - Don't mess
MP3: Firefox AK vs Laid - Once I was like you
Bootleg Booze sold all 1000 copies of the first pressing of the new Backyard Babies 7" single "Fuck off and die", so they're doing another run. 500 copies on white with black splatter, out October 27 and already available for preorder: http://www.bootlegbooze.com/
MP3: Superdong - Don Lombardo
Thanks to mRa for this one! I had heard of the band Superdong for a long, long time, but only got a chance to hear them when they appeared on myspace. They've been sort of a Holy Grail act in my mind - these are the guys who later formed Fireside and Breach, after all, bands that have both factored very prominently in my love of Swedish/Scandinavian music. So to know a band existing, to know they have recordings, but yet to search fruitlessly for years... that's frustrating. Of course, the larger the legacy becomes to me, the more likely I am to be disappointed, but I'm actually kind of stoked to hear Kristofer Åström sing skaterock. "Don Lombardo" isn't as amazing as say, the early Him Kerosene track from the same comp ("Salmons of Hort"), but it's solid and well-representative of the era (1995). It's also infinitely better than everything else on said comp: Lapdog, The Fitz Geralds (or is that Fitzgeralds?), Stoned and Millencolin. 3rd wave ska-punk, no thank you. The early/mid-90s was a promising time for Norrland indierock, but it took some time to get going. It's fun to listen back.
Superdong - Don Lombardo
Pitchfork delivers their assessment of the new Hello Saferide record "More modern short stories...": http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/146216-hello-saferide-more-modern-short-stories-from
I'm From Barcelona
Who killed Harry Houdini?
Mute/Dolores
I'm From Barcelona's approach to songwriting reminds me, for whatever reason, of Wes Anderson's films: the modernization of older tropes and themes; the narrative and occasionally cinematic style of the songs; the playful nature one can adopt while exploring the significance one attaches to the world, and that is attached to the observer; and it never hurts that tracks such as "Andy" and "Music killed me" could easily find their way onto an Anderson soundtrack (and would feel dreadfully out of place in an effort like "Juno"). References to the "Cosby Show", complete with background television noise, evoke comparisons to Montt Mardié and Jens Lekman, though I'm From Barcelona's interest in the past is not the main focus of the album and serves to compliment their excursions into fuller twee compositions. One can hear elements of Shout Out Louds, and of Scandinavian indie pop in general -- glockenspiels, 60s-style backing vocals and backing instrumentation, but the success of "Who killed Harry Houdini?" is embodied in I'm From Barcelona's ability to stir up remembrances of one band or genre of music and then continue onwards through varied avenues towards the band's original goal. "Rufus", the album's closing composition, wonderfully exemplifies my ideas: stumbling into David Bowie territory, complete with spacey backing vocals and fabulously manipulated lead guitars, only to break back down into the paths carved out by the record's earlier tracks. "Who killed Harry Houdini?" is far more difficult to sufficiently describe than it is to enjoy and eventually fall for.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
Stream the entire new Tiger Lou album "A partial print": http://www.startracks.se/jukebox/?albumID=152
Hyped Norwegian act New Violators have signed with Playground Music and will release their as-yet-untitled debut album on February 23.
Music Export Norway has the lowdown on all the various Norwegian bands playing at CMJ: http://www.musicexportnorway.no/norwegian-acts-at-cmj-08.4519247-32166.html