2006.03.29
— Music
When December comes, I always find it difficult to make a list of my “top 10 albums of the year”. That’s why I decided, this year, to prepare myself well in advance… See how serious I am…
There are a couple or records I’m listening to quite regularly at the moment, almost on a daily basis. The first is Introducing… by Hello Saferide but you know that already. The second has just been released, In Colour by The Concretes, it sounds quite nice even though I’m not sure it’s better than their debut. The third is highly expected, it’s the new Radio Dept. album, Pet Grief. It will be released on April 12th and can be pre-ordered from the Labrador website.
But after listening to four tracks of Irene, I’m pretty sure that their second EP, supposed to hit the world in May, will be one of my favourites. Again, they come from Göteborg (I wonder what’s going on in this Swedish city at the moment, with so many great bands: “Man, what the hell is it with Gothenburg?” as Alistair Fitchett wrote recently), again they are signed on Labrador. I won’t describe the band nor their music, since they do it so well on their myspace page: Irene grew into a full scale band quite spontaneously in 2005. The members are all friends from the local pub in Göteborg, Sweden. Some songs that Tobias Isaksson (aka Bobby) had written just couldn’t wait to be performed live. The dudes that did the first show had so much fun that they wanted to stick around. By the autumn of 2005 Irene was an octet with semi-permanent members. Shortly after that the record label Labrador signed the band. Irene likes to record as much as possible live, in one take, up to six people letting it out in one room. Only the final touch (vocals, trumpets and handclaps etc) is added afterwards. The result is a vivid sound marked by the 60’s, Motown soul, girl-groups, American west coast- and contemporary pop. The members of Irene are beach-crooners, punks and next-door nice-guys. All in one. Their music sounds like A) Hot summer days on the beach with timeless pop music floating through the sound of laughing seagulls and colliding waves. B) Semi-talented clowns messing up the perfect night out with the noise of broken instruments and out-of-pitch vocals… Their music is just perfect, you know, “like a teddy bear on heroine”… That’s exactly what my ipod needs when I have to go to work early in the rainy morning and every time I feel like escaping from this grey world to enjoy summer beaches… Awesome!
Picture: Henrik Dahlberg
2006.03.28
— Music
The American Icelander who’s into ship sighting has updated her blog again. I’m not sure whether she realised how much I (we?) can understand/feel/love what she’s writing here. I guess she neither realises how much it’s an important post for me (us?): The first time I heard an Icelandic musician was Björk, when I was in college. The line, “I don’t know my future after this weekend, and I don’t want to” from Big Time Sensuality, was my unofficial senior spring motto, but her being from Iceland had no significance for me then… Hurry up, guys, go and read the end… and the rest.
2006.03.28
— Music
Like several bloggers before me, I was first introduced to I’m From Barcelona by Annika Norlin’s journal (Hello Saferide). Don’t try to find any common point between this collective made up or more than ten Swedes (’cause yes, they’re from Sweden even though they wish they were from Barcelona) and the amazing singer-songwriter Hello Saferide (who is on heavy rotation on my iPod at the moment… and will probably remain one of my favourites of the year). I’m From Barcelona are sometimes compared to the Swedish version of the Arcade Fire, anyway their music is “an amazing, sweaty orgy of fun”, even more ecstatic than the Canadians’. If ever you’re slightly depressed on a rainy day and need some great pop moments to make your day, listen to I’m From Barcelona (you can stream the tracks here or download them from here). And don’t forget to have a look at this funny video, too. You won’t regret it, believe me.
Inspired by Annika again, I discovered another fantastic swedish band, Billie The Vision And The Dancers. This is from their official website and says it all: “Billie the vision may at the first impression look like one more pop band without worrying, that appeal more than one generation. But if you go just a little bit deeper you find that it’s not always joy, happiness and dancing they want to express. Billie is not a person, more like a quality that the band want to encourage other people to find inside of themselves. It’s about not being afraid of being naive, pretentious or corny, to be proud of what you are and have the guts to say “Meet us there at the Nobel Square if you wanna change the world with us”. ” You can download their 2 LPs, “The World According To Pablo” and “I Was So Unpopular In School and Now They’re Giving Me This Beautiful Bicycle”, free, from their website.
2006.03.24
— Music
Peter Hí¸eg, the reclusive Danish author made famous by his international best-seller ‘Miss Smilla’s Feeling For Snow‘, is to release a new novel this spring, his first in 10-years. ‘The quiet girl’ will be published on 19 May. His last book, ‘The woman and the ape’, was published in 1996. Hí¸eg reportedly has been writing the new novel for a number of years. Rumours that a sixth Hí¸eg work was on its way began to circulate last year after a Swedish journalist tracked down Hí¸eg to a new-age commune where he had withdrawn. According to Hí¸eg’s publisher Rosinante, the new book is written in the same vein as ‘Miss Smilla’s Feeling For Snow’, following a middle-aged circus performer with a penchant for poker and Bach, as he tries to track down a kidnapped former student.
From the Copenhagen Post
2006.03.16
— Music
Those of you who’re into scandinavian indie-pop, c86-pop, tweepop and stuff like that, you’d better hurry and visit the Indie-mp3 blog, you know… I’m wondering how Tom (the guy who runs this fantastic blog) finds the time to write so much about so many great bands. We at noisedifsk, don’t have so much time, or rather we’re too lazy. We prefer using this Indie-mp3 blog as a source of information, or even “stealing” its tips. That’s exactly what i’m doing now, since the last 5 (yes five!!!) posts are dedicated to scandinavian pop!
First, Tom reports that Le Sport “have released their latest single titled It’s Not The End Of The World which is backed by the tracks Loveboat and Euroheart. The single, which precedes the album Euro Deluxe Dance Party is limited to 300 copies and can be purchased from the Songs I Wish I Had Written shop. Erm, boogie on down!”
Then: “From the Swedish label that been bringing us the eighties synth pop revival in the form of Unarmed Enemies and Le Sport, Songs I Wish I Had Written present this EP from their latest signings, Gentle Touch, who may or may not have been named after a rather crap 1980’s TV series starring Jill Gasgoigne.
Put away those 1980’s 12″ CD collections you have been buying from the supermarket and put this EP on instead because influences of the Pet Shop Boys, Heaven 17, Human League and to a lesser extent New Order or Depeche Mode are all here. Opener Memories sets the tone with a classic 80’s beat complete with the serious male vocal (mono) tone that generally accompanies such style of music. That’s not a negative thing by the way and is the only way you can notice the vocals over the pounding but melodic beats. There is not much too choose from between the songs although Smedby is the pick of the bunch because it is the more noticeable track of the four and is thus more likely to stay in your head just that bit longer. So put that bad shirt (or blouse) on, get under the glitterball and erm, dance your butt off!”
The third post is: “Songs I Wish I Had Written have released the second single from Stockholm’s Unarmed Enemies. Titled Show Me Your Plans it comes with a radio mix and a superb remix from labelmates Le Sport. Buy it the from Songs I Wish shop. Better hurry as it is limited to a 100 copies!”
One more?: “Vapnet have released their latest single on Hybris. Titled Thommegrand it features remixes from the likes of Le Sport and Surburban Kids With Biblical names. Buy it from the Hybris Shop!”
Tired of Swedes? “The April Skies are a Norwegian band who took their name from a Jesus and Mary Chain single. They play a pretty decent brand of 1980’s indie-pop which is best summed up on their single Three Minute Singles. It’s a powerful, melodic pop single and the sleeve has the covers of 25 singles that influenced the band including Joy Division, Stone Roses, Dexy’s Midnight Runners etc. It’s pretty striking.
The band, like many others, also draw on influences from the 1960’s – anything from The Monkees and the Beach Boys to the likes of Dusty Springfield.
This is pretty good stuff. Sadly their website is not updated on a regular basis and I can see no information on how to get hold of the single. However there are mp3’s available. Check them out!
The April Skies – Three Minute Singles
The April Skies – Rise and Rise Again”
Thanks Tom…
2006.03.15
— Music
Cph ADD is a new architecture and design festival with focus on architectonical and designing traditions and trends. The event will take place from 5-7 May while Copenhagen International Furniture Fair is also on. The event appeals to a broad audience. Thus there will be special made guided tours, increased opening hours and other design events giving everyone a chance to get up close and behind the special architecture and design of Copenhagen. The festival will consist of a wide range of events across Copenhagen and will be held in places associated with architecture and design.
Amongst the various activities are visits to Copenhagen’s new and trendy hotels, shops and show rooms. Also the new city areas of Copenhagen – Ørestad, Islands Brygge, Amerika Plads and Sluseholmen – will take part in the festival. Close to 100 companies and cultural institutions participate in Cph ADD, such as the Danish Design Centre, the Danish Architecture Centre, the Danish Broadcasting Corporation’s new multimedia city and the Carlsberg Breweries. During the festival Carlsberg will open buildings and areas of the brewery that are normally closed to the public.
Arne Jacobsen, Georg Jensen, Hans Wegner, Poul Henningsen and Henning Larsen are just a few of the big international acknowledged Danish designers and architects, who have been part of placing Copenhagen up front as design destination. Also different foreign architects as Zarah Hadid, Jean Nouvel, Norman Foster and Daniel Libeskind have left their mark on the architectonical expression of Copenhagen.
Further Information
[Courtesy of www.visitcopenhagen.com]
2006.03.07
— Music
An hilarious Peter Stormare is starring in this new Volkswagen campain:
