This week the computer has been busy downloading a truckload of MP3's and tonight I have plenty of time to do some serious listening (the wife and kid are sleeping - and in case you're wondering; of course I'm having a beer while listening!).

Several of the songs are simply brilliant and the following ones have been added to my list of Current Favorites/'Hot' Top 20:

Stephen Fretwell: New York
The Kooks: Sofa Song
Interpol: The Specialist
Sebastien Tellier: La Ritournelle
Audio Bullys: I'm In Love
Johnny Panic: Coming Up Roses

earlier today I added:

David Gray: Hospital Food

Two weeks after buying the album I’ve finally bothered to listen to Life In Slow Motion by David Gray. I’ve previously mentioned that when your expectations to an album are high, they could easily end up influencing your judgment of it in a negative way. In this case exactly the opposite seems to be happening. My expectations weren’t all that big (or hardly any at all), because I wasn’t overly impressed with his previous offering. And the past few years my music taste has probably gone in a different direction.

Why did I buy the album then? Don’t know – plain and simple.

Anyway I have now listened to the album and so far it has been a surprisingly pleasant experience. Several nice (though once in a while a little too straightforward) pop songs and a few ones like the first single The One I Love and Hospital Food (odd title!) are immediate ear catchers. And of course it doesn’t hurt that has a brilliant voice!
Summed up I’ll rate this as a fairly decent album, which definitely is a whole lot better than A New Day At Midnight.

I seriously think that I need to be examined by a doctor (actually I saw one yesterday - had a fitness test and apparently I'm doing just fine), because something weird seems to be happening inside my head. The other day I went to the library (again!) and borrowed Close To The Edge by Yes.

I guess you could say that I’m occasionally forcing myself to go through some kind of educational process, where I’m trying to explore unfamiliar musical territories. And since this album is considered a classic in progressive music, I thought it suited my aforementioned “project” very well.

However, what I did NOT expect was that I was actually going to like the album. The music is really quite opposite to the music I’m normally listening to, with its lengthy tracks and rather complex structure. Why I’m suddenly starting to like music I’ve previously hated full-heartedly I honestly can’t tell (guess this is why I need to see a doctor), but (I love this quote) “I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship”!

Chris I don’t want any of your “innocent whistling” comments – ok ;-)

About time to get back on track - Indie Rock on the menu!!!!

For my benefit Nick (of I Have Lost My Twiglets) has listed his 5 favorite albums and additionally recommended an album by Pulp.

Luckily I have digital versions of all the albums (except for The Who one) on my computer at work, so the flavors of today are the following albums:

The Beatles: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
This year I’ve probably listened to The Beatles more than I’ve ever done before. But somehow they still haven’t been able to convince me of their greatness. Indeed there are moments of pure brilliance on this (as well as on other) album, but unfortunately there are a few songs (She's Leaving Home and Good Morning Good Morning) that you quickly want to skip, so you can move on to the next song instead.
My personal highlights of the album are Within You Without You (only song by GH and by far the most experimental and thus the most interesting) and the much loathed When I’m Sixty-Four (excellent as a bedtime song for my daughter).
So far - 3 comments in favor of the album. Guess I'm the loner here ;-)

Pulp: Different Class
Another one of those albums I bought at the time of its release. I listened to the singles (Common People and Disco 2000) a few times and then shelved it. Since I like the album now that I've finally listened to it, I think my ignoring of the album back then was rather lame and instead I should have spent a little more time listening to it. Never too late to make things right – I hope?

Pink Floyd: The Final Cut
One of these days I have to sit down with my headphones on and listen to this album. I expect that listening to the album that way will allow me to fully enjoying it! But even with all the noise surrounding me here in the office, it's still very easy to hear that this is a really great album...

The Clash: London Calling
I can see that I ripped this album onto my computer 7 months ago. Play count reveals that I’ve only listened to the album once in those 7 months. I wonder why, because this album is absolutely brilliant. Shame on me!

The Beatles: Abbey Road
This is definitely my favorite of those two albums by The Beatles. Nick – your comment beat me to it. Because I was going to ask, why is it that the album (and the band in general) suddenly becomes so much more interesting as soon as a song is NOT written by Lennon/McCartney?

I guess I should be in for an interesting day? Ended up being quite interesting indeed :-)

The agenda of today is very much the same as it was yesterday!

VOTE FOR LEISURE ALASKA!!!

See my post from yesterday for more details.

Don't forget to watch the video - It's hilarious!!

Debut album The Deja In My Vu will be out on 17 October!

Download a few other songs by the band here.

VOTE FOR LEISURE ALASKA!!!







Normally I have to shake my head in disgust/disbelief when hearing/reading Tjeklisten. However this week's list does look rather decent and among the candidates are some very good songs.

So I decided to vote for the following 5 songs:

Leisure Alaska: Hey There Mr. (watch the video)
Diefenbach: Glorious
Mew: The Zookeeper's Boy (they will get plenty of votes, so no point in giving them my top votes)
Kashmir: The Curse Of Being A Girl
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club: Ain't No Easy Way

Sadly the music taste of the Danish radio listeners never fails to disappoint me, so Leisure Alaska (and Diefenbach) really needs your help (or rather - your VOTE!) to make the list!

This is how you vote:
Send an e-mail to tjeklisten@dr.dk before midnight Tuesday (27th) including your 5 favorite songs from the list (Leisure Alaska and Diefenbach certainly should be among your 5 picks. As long as you vote for these two bands, I'll be willing to accept that Nephew is among your picks, though voting for Crazy Frog is absolutely unforgivable!)!
Remember to write your name and address before sending!
Tell your friends to do the same!

Easy - isn't it? :-)

I got quite a (positive) surprise today. My wife and I went shopping at the local supermarket and normally the music played in places like that is terrible. But today I (believe it or not) overheard Got None by Robert Post being played! I didn't even know that the single had been released in Denmark!
I wonder who chooses the music they play, but he/she certainly has a nice taste!

Rambling along..……......

Nice haircut? I've had the same one for ages - should I change it?

I’ve just ordered a truck load of CD’s from the library. Among them are albums by Lush, Spoon, Devendra Banhart and The Mars Volta.

If you’re into Indie pop/rock I very much recommend that you visit Coast Is Clear regularly. Always something nice to download there! I especially suggest that you download and listen to the brilliant The High Dials.

I’m seriously thinking of replacing Doves with Mew as the second best band in the world. Kent is still superior!

I still haven't listened to the new David Gray album. About time I guess?

Carpark North is playing in my hometown next Friday. Should I go to the concert?

I've started another blog in Danish called "Livet Er For Kort Til Kedelig Musik" (Life's Too Short For Boring Music)! Check it out!

If our second child is a boy, we are seriously considering naming him Jonas (Chris suggested that we should name him after Jonas Bjerre - not a bad idea). Cannot think of a name for a girl though! Any suggestions?

Normally I’m a bit reluctant towards writing anything about bands singing in Danish, but now it’s (more than ever) time for an exception. One of the most downloaded bands at MyMusic.dk is ENTAKT and yesterday I thought it was about time to hear for myself if they really ARE that good!

Generously they have posted 9 songs there, which all can be downloaded for free. The songs are classified as pop, indie, acustic, rock and soft rock and probably all descriptions suit their music quite well.
But if you have to settle for some sort of description I think laid-back, intelligent indie-pop is probably the most accurate, though obviously some might disagree!

The more you listen to this the more difficult it is to understand that these songs can be yours for free, because everything (music, lyrics, production, instrumentation etc.) blends so nicely and so beautiful that this really should be a major release!

The fact that they are singing in Danish might shy lots of foreigners away from checking them out (and it doesn't really hurt understanding these clever lyrics), which is quite a shame, because once you get used to the music and the singing of singer/songwriter(?) Jonas Villumsen, you realize that these guys are really, really great and very talented indeed!

A diamond in the rough!

MyMusic.dk (the 9 songs can be found here)

If 9 songs are far too many for you, be sure that the one song you pick is Vi Ville Synge Verden En Opsang.....

A while back I received an email from a member of the band Tone Rodent, who suggested that I should listen to their music.

In the press kit they list bands like Jesus and Mary Chain, Spritualized, The Velvet Underground and My Bloody Valentine among their inspirational sources, which of course made me a bit curious.

So today I finally found the time to check them out and though you hardly can define their music as groundbreaking (never seem to be able to get rid of that innovation bug) it’s still surprisingly good (and fresh). New bands of tend to (unrealistically) compare themselves to lots of other far more well-known bands, but what I find especially interesting (or maybe even cool) about Tone Rodent is that they actually sound like a genuine mix of the above mentioned bands.

A review a couple of years back in Riverfront Times described the band and their music this way:

“Too melodic and rhythmic to be called noise and too comfortably abstract to be called ... well ... Normal.”

I seriously cannot think of a more accurate description!

Tone Rodent (Myspace.com)
Tone Rodent (Offical homepage)
Amen (MP3)
Turn On The Light (MP3)
Sugar Glider (MP3)
Dark Discovery (MP3)

Today I'm listening to:

Neutral Milk Hotel: In The Aeroplane Over The Sea
One of my 25 desert island albums. Listening to it is a bumpy yet funny and joyful ride!

Bloc Party: Silent Alarm
I really don't like this album (I actually rates it as one of the major disappointments of 2005), but since the new single Two More Years is pretty good I thought I'd give the album another chance. One more listen and I still don't think it's any good (rated it 4/10 at RateYourMusic).

Labrador: Instamatic Lovelife
This is the second album by Danish band Labrador. Very nice and cheerful indie-pop!
Download samples of Why Does Nobody Listen and Side By Side (+2 remixes) at MyMusic.dk

Jupiter Day: Jupiter Day
Unspectacular but still rather nice 2002 debut by this Danish band. Probably falls into the indie-pop category as well.

Bright Eyes: Lifted or The Story is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground
Borrowed this from the library a while back. Since I like his two releases from this year, I expect to like this as well, though I expect that it will take more than just one listen!

Debut album Goodspeed Into The Mainstream by Spleen United pretty much delivers what you expected after hearing the two first singles from the album (Heroin Unltd + In Peak Fitness Condition).
9 pumping and very catchy synth-rock tracks, which arguably were inspired by the likes of Kraftwerk, New Order, The Cure, Depeche Mode etc. There should be little doubt that the beats and lengths of some of the tracks (6-8 minutes) will put happy smiles on the faces of DJs loving the 12” singles of the 80’s.
So if you like what you’ve heard from Spleen United so far and want more of the same stuff (the diversity of the music surely is limited), this album definitely won’t let you down!

Overall I guess my rating will be (something like) that this is as a really decent and very promising debut!

Standout tracks: The singles, Spleen Utd. and Into The Future.

I read somewhere (cannot remember exactly where) that producer Michael Beinhorn thinks that drummer Silas Graae is one of the best he has ever worked with. And The Glass Handed Kites surely gives Silas plenty of opportunities to shine and if it wasn’t because of Jonas Bjerre’s characteristic (and very, very beautiful) voice, you could often be tempted to question if this really was the new album by Mew....
But hey what do you know - this is the new album and it’s pompous, ambitious, complex, haunting, daring and definitely not sucking up to anyone.
I’ve listen to it 6-7 times now and I’ve already been through a wide range of emotions. I’ve been happy, confused, excited, disappointed, thrilled, felt like crying and on more than one occasion I’ve had goose bumps, because some parts of the album (one song in peticular) are just beautiful.

The Danish media obviously is all over this album, but if you sum up the reviews (the ones I’ve seen so far) the main conclusions are:
- This is NOT Frengers II
- The album as a whole is much better than the individual songs
- You must listen to the album several times before you can really enjoy it
I fully agree with these conclusions and currently I’m listening to it over and over again in an attempt to become more “familiar” with it. Since it took me probably 20 listens to get into Apocalypso (which I now think is fabulous), I won’t yet post my final opinion of the album, because I expect it to keep growing.

Standout tracks: I have my favorites (I just mentioned Apocalypso), but I’m reluctant towards listing any, because this clearly isn’t a singles album.

I'm in a car
I don't know where we are headed for
Stay with me
Don't want to be alone

Beauty beyond comprehension...........Ended up crying after all..........

I should be careful or this Mew post could end up as an endless saga. So I'll make this (my final comment on the album for a while - it's time to move on) short and sweet!

It took me 10 listens (or more) getting to this point, but now there is no doubt in my mind.....The album is absolutely brilliant! BUY IT!!!!

Highly anticipated and finally (finally!!!) I have my copy of Mew And The Glass Handed Kites.

Comments will follow tomorrow.....! (First impression was that it will take a while getting used to it. Second listen and it's already so much better!)

I bought two more albums today:

Spleen United: Godspeed Into The Mainstream
David Gray: Life In Slow Motion

But I fear that I will forget about them, because of the Mew album. So please remind me that I have to listen to them as well!!

Menu of the Day:

I hate being so busy at work that I have to put the music on pause every five minutes (but after all these guys do pay me a fairly nice salary, so it would probably be unwise to complain?). So you could be tempted to say that I'm on a musical "diet" today :-(

Slowdive: Catch the Breeze
This 25 track compilation (borrowed from the library) more than once stole my focus from driving the car this morning and made me check the cover to see if I hadn't misread something, because it simply had to be saying My Bloody Valentine. The influence/inspiration is crystal clear, though I think that Slowdive is a little less noisy than MBV. But I'm positively surprised that they are equally great!
Standout tracks: When The Sun Hits, Shine and Spanish Air.

My Bloody Valentine: Loveless
If you say A, you have to say B, so My Bloody Valentine had to be the next in line. In the beginning this album was nothing but noise to me, but my persistence and patience paid off and today I really love it!
Standout tracks: stay tuned.........

Every post these days seems to somehow involve Mew and this one is no different. In the September edition of the Danish music magazine Gaffa there is an article about the band in which the bassist Johan Wohlert states that The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway by Genesis is his favorite album.
I’ve owned a copy of the album since 1997 (bought it because the wonderful The Carpet Crawlers was featured in the stupid Danish movie Det Store Flip), but cannot remember ever listening to it fully.
Influenced by the Mew article I decided that it was about time to change this, so currently I’m listening to it for the second time today. It’s no secret that Prog-Rock and concept albums are not my favorite cup of tea, but so far it has been a very pleasant surprise. No doubt there are moments where I’m completely lost and confused, but overall I like the music, the voice of Peter Gabriel, the instrumentation, the atmosphere etc.
However one important question remains – how did Phil Collins transform himself from being a member of this experimenting and innovating band into the useless ballad singing monster he is now?

Chris – no "funny" comments like “I told you so” – ok? Thank you ;-)

Honestly I don’t think that I’ve seriously been listening to music sung in German since Nena was popular in the mid-80’s (and that wasn’t really that serious after all).
However this has recently changed, because I’ve received quite a few songs in German and one song in particular stands out. That’s Echolot by Wir Sind Helden which is an absolutely brilliant song. According to my “source” the band is pretty big in their native country, but since I don’t know any other song by Wir Sind Helden I cannot tell if the band really is any good (or if that song is a "lucky punch"). But it could be very interesting to learn if the rest of Von hier an Blind is as great as Echolot or if the only other amazing thing about the album is the cover (kind of inspired by Tintin - isn't it?).
I've just heard another song by the band - Nur Ein Wort - really great too. I'm seriously thinking of ordering the album - can't be true, can it? ;-)

Albums getting my attention today:

Mew: A Triumph For Man
It really is frustrating that this album no longer is available, because I'd really love to have my own copy (burning a copy doesn't really appeal to me). It's a very good album and it is no surprise that this and the follow-up Half The World Is Watching Me caught the attention of the larger record labels.
Standout tracks: Wherever, Snowflake and Web.
After listening to the album a few more times I rank this as the weakest of their 3 releases. I still think that it is a good album, but the songs are not as good as on the two other albums. The right way to listen to this album is probably as a whole, so therefore listening to it could be a nice preparation for the forthcoming album?

The Field Mice: Snowball + Singles
The first of the 3 albums I've recently bought by (what you might be tempted to call) my new favorite band. Obviously I'm very eager to listen to all 3 of them to learn if the band really is as fantastic as the few songs I've heard so far indicate!
Standout tracks: Emma's House, Sensitive and Letting Go.

Dial Zero: Dial Zero
Danish band Dial Zero released this album (their debut) in April this year. I borrowed it from the library to hear for myself if they are as good as some reviewers indicate. I guess you won't offend anyone by saying that you've heard this music lots of time before, but maaaan it sure rocks!
Standout tracks: Hey Skipper, Heartbeat TV and Teenager.

Lake Placid: Make More Friends
Another Danish Band, another debut album and another one borrowed from the library. Hmmmm. First listen and sad to say that this does absolutely nothing for me. More listens definitely required!

Yesterday I borrowed 11 CD's from our local library (far too many to list). But I'm especially looking forward to listening to the following two albums:

Mew: A Triumph For Man
Their debut album from 1997. Impossible to buy these days (at least for "normal" money). One track (She Came Home For Christmas) was later re-recorded (it needed to be re-recorded, because the first version is not good at all) and appeared on Frengers.




Gangway: Sitting In The Park (Again!)
Songs from Twist and Sitting In The Park were re-recorded for the album. I have the vinyl somewhere, but haven't listened to it for maybe 8 years. Will be like visiting an old friend!

Just two days after I ordered them the CD's arrived today from the UK. I'm really, really impressed with the rapid delivery! They have of course been added to my CD-collection.

I've just ordered the following 3 albums by The Field Mice through LTM Publishing.

Snowball + Singles
Skywriting + Singles
For Keeps + Singles

The price was pretty fair - £33 including shipping.


When I've received the CD's I will post a few comments!

Pitchfork review
Brainwashed review (incl. short samples)

Once you get used to it you don't know how to stop....! Today I've bought/downloaded the brilliant Hey...OK? by Sarah Hepburn. Since she's an Amercian (apparently residing in Denmark) you cannot really classify the song as Danish though I definitely wouldn't mind being able to!

However it is released on the Danish label Copenhagen Records, so let's call it "Half-Danish" then ;-)

Watch the video (WMP)

Albums I've listened to (so far) today:

Neil Young: After The Gold Rush
This is just a wonderful album!

Death Cab For Cuties: Plans
Don't really get the hype surrounding this band. Maybe my mistake?

Claudio Arrau/Colin Davies/Staatskapelle Dresden: L.V. Beethoven - Emporer Concerto (Piano Concert No. 5)
Now this is one kick ass piece of classical music!

Modest Mouse: Good News For People Who Love Bad News
I hated it the first time around. Let's see if this is still the case! No reason to hate it, but this album really isn't any good at all!

Tears For Fears: The Hurting
If not my favorite album, it's definitely in my Top 5. A timeless classic!

The Raveonettes: Pretty In Black
Among the best albums of 2005 - if not the best!

New Order: Waiting For The Sirens' Call
Apart from Krafty I haven't really listened to this album at all. I believe it's about time to change that!

Yesterday I bought/downloaded You're A Knife by fairly new Danish band VETO.

The song is pretty good and the video is absolutely brilliant!

Watch the video (WMP) or (QT)

The single Beat Of The Drum (from the album Presence) by Martin Hall was one of the biggest radio hits in Denmark in 1988. The success of the song cannot really be described as a surprise (though he had neither before nor has he later released anything this popular), because 17 years on it still (to me at least) ranks among the very best pop songs ever written by a Danish artist.

Watch the video (WMP)

I've just downloaded another (new) track by Danish synth-rock band Spleen United called In Peak Fitness Condition (this being my 3rd paid download - in the end even I had to surrender and accept that this is the future!).
The song pumps along nicely and is more than faithful to the style introduced on Heroin Unltd, though it never really reaches the heights of its predecessor. But nonetheless it is still a very fine appetizer, which helps increasing expectations for the forthcoming album Godspeed Into The Mainstream (due on Monday 12 September).

Watch the video (WMP)

Being in a hurry in the morning often leads me to make some odd choices, when I pick the CD’s to bring along with me in the car.
The other day I picked the compilation Dancing in the Rain by Dutch band The Essence, which I believe has been in my collection for 7-8 years. I originally received it as a gift, but nonetheless (as the ungrateful bastard I am) I have never really bothered listening to it. But the past couple of days it has been my "companion" in the car and I've finally given it a proper listen.
Looking at the photo on the cover you expect some kind of gothic inspired music (on the webpage they do describe themselves as an alternative, gothic rock/popband), but to be honest, to me this is just one of those typical 80’s bands, where the lead singer sounds like Robert Smith and the bass player more than once is trying to copy Peter Hook.
Sarcasm and criticism aside, their music is really not bad at all. It is by no mean groundbreaking stuff and I could easily quote myself by writing that this is not very innovative. But the music is definitely not without charm and several songs (e.g. Out of Grace, Only For You, The Cat and what probably was their biggest hit A Mirage) are very, very catchy.

Only For You (the fiesta mix) (MP3)

The original mix of Only For You is much better than this remix (especially the The Cure inspired guitars are missing), but this version can legally be downloaded from the official homepage and after all, it should give you an idea of what the band sounded like!

Again - everyone else seems to be posting all kinds of pictures, so why can't I - even though it's not very music related?

Just in case anyone is wondering why I don't have all the time in the world for listening to music - this little bike rider is the reason!

Right now I'm busy listening to the following great songs by The Field Mice:

Emma's House
If You Need Someone
Sensitive
Missing The Moon
Canada

All songs were kindly sent to me by one of the few readers of my blog and the songs have opened my eyes to a complete new "source" of music - Sarah Records. Sadly the label no longer exists (last album released in 1995), but from what I've heard so far from The Field Mice and other bands like Another Sunny Day, Aberdeen and Secret Shine it should be very well worth your time and effort to explore the backcatalogue (if it's at all possible to find any of the releases - The Field Mice have been re-issued on LTM). No reason to write a long story, because you can read much more about Sarah Records at TweeNet.