The Oxygen Ponies / Cinnober

It's a quiet Friday evening (all three girls are sleeping) and I'm listening to the wonderful and emotional Umbrellas In The Rain [mp3] by The Oxygen Ponies. Based on what I've heard until now, I'm suspecting that the album will be a beauty (listen to Truest Thing [mp3] and I hope you agree)! The album is produced by Don Piper, who has his own band a don piper situation. Listen to Roll Away [mp3] and I think it becomes quite obvious, why he was asked to produce!

I received a friend request from Danish band Cinnober earlier today. I quickly accepted the requested after I had listened to Fast Machine [mp3]. The second song available by the band called Dew Drops [mp3] is pretty nice too.

Hype / Playlist

Every music blogger seems to be going crazy over Tapes 'N Tapes these days. I've been a bit puzzled over this, because the music didn't appeal to me at all when I listened to it last year! Yesterday I gave the band another try, but it didn't change that I'm still puzzled.
Another band getting a lot of exposure is Band Of Horses and I was more or less expecting that this would be another over-hyped band. But lo and behold. The Funeral [mp3] is a wonderful epic song and definitely among the best ones I've heard so far this year. So I immediately bought into the hype and ordered the album. And once I got started I also ordered the new albums by Morrissey (receiving 5 out of 6 stars by Gaffa), The Flaming Lips (5 out of 6 stars by Gaffa and by Soundvenue) and The Radio Dept.

............................................from the playlist:

Snowfight In The City Centre - No Light Left [mp3] Another noteworthy band name!
Self Stereo - That's Enough [mp3] Spanish alternative.
Grow - Not A Love Song [mp3] The vox could easily be a bit better, but I think the music is quite good.
Hotels - Atlantic [mp3] A mix of Joy Division and something indescribable. Forgot to mention that I found this band via Loveless Music Group.

Numbers & Figures / Malory / Ireland

Today is my 100th day at Myspace and so far I have 504 "friends". That's more than 5 new additions per day. Maaaan I'd be popular if this was real life!

According to my Last.fm account I've listened to nearly 26,000 songs since 9th February last year. That's almost 63 songs per day or 5-6 albums. I've been listening to a LOT of music I guess?

According to Sitemeter this blog average 77 visits per day (long term) or 153 (short term). Obviously I wouldn't mind more hits, but my original ambition was 24 hits per day (1 per hour), so I guess I have no reason not to be satisfied?

.................................................................................................

Last year Peter introduced me to German shoegaze/dream-pop band Malory and I quite enjoyed the few songs I heard back then. Today I learned that 3 of the songs of the 2005 album The Third Face are available as free downloads at Myspace, which has led me to give this band another listen. Maybe it's time for me to seriously considering buying the album, because everything I've heard so far from this band is very, very good!
Take Me Down (Remix) [mp3]
Silence Flows Through Noise [mp3]
Sleeper [mp3]

.................................................................................................

One day it is France. The next day it's Sweden. Earlier today it was Germany. Wonder what it will be tomorrow? Right now it's Ireland and here's a quartet (not a trio anymore) of really nice alternative/indie pop/rock bands from The Emerald Isle.

The Handles
Addictive [mp3] This one blew me away. Cannot believe that this band has split up!
Youth [mp3]

The Walls
Black And Blue [mp3] Very, very, very etc. catchy.
Something's Wrong [mp3]

Lotus Lullaby
Frequency [mp3] Adding a little electronica to the mix.
When It Feels So Good [mp3]
Push [mp3]

Hybrasil
God Bless The Devil [mp3] Another really catchy one.....

Loveless Music Group

I had a pretty cool time last night listening to a string of unfamiliar artists and songs. In my search for new music I asked Andy (yep - him again) for a little guidance and he recommended The Daysleepers and in general the bands featured on the webpage Loveless Music Group.

What did I listen to? Here are some of the better ones I found thanks to LMG:

The Daysleepers - Mesmerize [mp3] shoegaze/dream-pop
The Spectacle Experiment - One More Day [mp3] psychedelic rock?
Panda Riot - Plateau [mp3] indie/shoegaze

And finally another really great shoegaze/dream-pop band
Airiel - Kiss Me Slowly + Firefly [mp3]

A few weeks back I hardly knew any French artists (Air and??), but the last couple of days have certainly changed that. Following my "flirt" with French electro pop I stumbled upon indie band Kim Novak yesterday. Cannot say that I'm all that excited about their choice of band name (not very creative - is it?), but since the music is absolutely brilliant, it is somehow easier accepting the name. Seems to be quite popular these days changing band names, so maybe Kim Novak will be next in line? :-)
Soul A While [mp3]
In The Mirror [mp3]
Female Friends [mp3]
If [mp3]

I really enjoyed reading this article Arctic Monkeys get cold shoulder in the States.

I bought Skeleton by Figurines in May last year. Back then it received lots of fine reviews, but most people probably thought that it would be yet another pretty good, but sadly overlooked album by a very talented Danish band. 10 months later things have changed quite a lot and earlier this month the album was released in Canada & USA. All major music blogs seem to have fallen in love with the band, because a quick search revealed that blogs like Each Note Secure, You Ain't No Picasso, My Old Kentucky Blog, Said The Gramophone, *Sixeyes, Motel de Moka, Fluxblog and 3hive have given the band some exposure. Hopefully all the attention means that the album will sell pretty well, though I'm somewhat afraid it won't.

In The Blender

My list of Current Favorites has been updated and songs by Aaron Vail, Powderdust, The Rain Band, Elika, Martin Bernt, Midlake, Celluloide and Cocoon were added. A very mixed bag of songs!

Merz seems to be obsessed with (or at least a huge fan of) shoegaze and one of his recent recommendations is US band Bright Channel. Doesn't hurt to admit that this band is pretty good!
Airborne [mp3]
Disillusionist [mp3]

Thanks to Andy (former member of the great Autumn Thieves) I've learned about another totally amazing shoegaze inspired NY band called Soundpool. The music is described by the band as "sweet girlie vox saturated guitar sounds lush synth arrangements and a danceable driving rhythm section", which probably couldn't be more accurate.
Eurostar [mp3]
On High [mp3]
Walking On Air [mp3] great one
Millions&Billions&Trillions [mp3]

It's A Trap mentioned it yesterday and the band itself posted a bulletin at Myspace saying that it is no longer called Second Language, but should be known as Marching Band in the future. New song Letters [mp3] certainly proves that this Swedish duo still knows how to write catchy indie pop; New name or not!

Listen to/download great new song You & Me [mp3] by Vega4. Very catchy and a good bet is that this will show up on my Current Favorites list very soon!

Continuing my post on interesting French electro pop I kicked off the other day.....

Foretaste:
Secret (OMD Cover) [mp3]
Killing Disco Machine [mp3]

Dekad:
Dare [mp3]
Just A Dream [mp3]

The above bands plus Celluloide are released on French label BOREDOMproduct.

Ashdowne

Didn't really search for any new music, but somehow I still came across these two very nice guitar driven tracks by UK band Ashdowne.
Myspace
Floodgates [mp3]
Buried Away [mp3]

New Stuff

Somehow it is absolutely ridiculous that I buy so much music and spend so little time listening to it. So the next few days I will put the search for new music on a hold and instead focusing on listening to some of the many new albums I've bought the past month. Along the way I'll try to add a few comments.

Martin Bernt - Juxtapose
I mentioned this Danish guy in one of my posts last week and Saturday morning my ordered copy of the album arrived in the mail. Apparently he only sells the album at concerts, but I sent him an email and got him to send me a copy. The price was a very reasonable DKK 80 (EUR 10.7) and the album is definitely worth the cost, because this is a real fine debut from a very talented artist. The influences (Bowie + PJ Harvey) are still very obvious, though I'll have to add Oasis, Lou Reed and REM to the ones I listed the other day. If ordering the album is too much of an effort, you can download the entire album for free at Martin Bernt Music Online. And why shouldn't you, because it IS very good!

David Gilmour - On An Island
The album is polished, well-produced and features lots of guitars, and it would probably have worked very fine as another eagerly awaited Pink Floyd album. I've only listened to it once so far and I seriously don't know what to think. Maybe it's my recent obsession for unsigned indie bands that have drawn my musical interest in another direct? I don't know, but it is a fact that I felt rather indifferent on our first encounter. Filed under "more listens required".

Powderdust - Minding The Gap
This is another Danish band/artist I mentioned in a post last week. I found the album at my local CD shop this Saturday, so I thought I'd give it a shot. So far the album has been a surprisingly positive experience (it's actually quite good), because electronic triphop isn't something I'd normally dig. 4 songs from the album can be downloaded at Myspace.
Leaving A Space [mp3]
Declare Your Love [mp3]

Mads Langer - Attention Please
Reviewers haven't been nice to this album and after a few listens it is not all that difficult to understand why. It starts out very nicely with a couple of quite catchy songs (which proves that he has plenty of talent), but halfway through the album you start getting really bored having all kind of difficulties preventing yourself from changing the CD. The album was produced by Søren Balsner of Carpark North, but only on a few and rare occasions do this shine through. This is third Danish album I'm listening to today and probably (and sadly) the one that will sell the best, because the commercial radio stations will find plenty of harmless stuff on this album, thus not "jeopardizing" their playlists.

French Music

Lots of thanks to Steph for recommending French band Celluloide to me. The music is cool, catchy, danceable and very 80's inspired electro pop. 3 of the songs available as free download are from the 2004 album Words Once Said, while the final track Wounds Of Love is from the 2002 album Naive Heart. All of the songs are really great and highly recommendable!
A 6 track EP called Bodypop was released earlier this month, which probably is something to check out! A couple of the new tracks can be streamed at Myspace.
Show Me The Way [mp3]
Wounds Of Love [mp3]
Synchronise [mp3]
This Aching Kiss [mp3]

Dekad is another French electronic pop band, and once again this is a band I've found at Myspace. Influenced by other bands like De/Vision, Joy Division and Nine Inch Nails, Dekad are A little darker/tougher than Celluloide, but equally good.

Peacefull [mp3]
Emergency (blind mix) [mp3]

Music

Levy - Rotten Love [mp3]
Every normal music loving person in the world (should) know this one by now. If you don't, this is your chance.

Cause and Effect - Into The Light (remix) [mp3]
Remix of an older song. Not one of their best ones. Still impatiently waiting for the new album!

Midlake - Roscoe [mp3]
Never heard of these guys before (probably a huge blunder), but this song is absolutely fantastic. From the forthcoming album The Trials of Van Occupanther (to be released in June).

My Enemy - My Time Coming [mp3]
Nice Swedish electro indie pop.

Words galore

NY based Danish singer/songwriter Martin Bernt released his debut album Juxtapose in February this year. Influenced by a string of well-known artists like David Bowie, PJ Harvey, The Smiths a.o., Martin Bernt creates a "musical universe wrapped in acoustics, noisy guitars and spherical keyboards". The songs I've heard so far are simply great and yet again I'm surprised and puzzled how a talented and very interesting artist like this can be virtually unknown!
Myspace
You Know They Trick You [mp3]
When We Came To The Party [mp3]
Check Your Head [mp3]
City Crawlers [mp3]

Nizlopi are releasing a new (and fairly nice) single called Girls on 3rd April. Watch the video or listen to a very bad live version [mp3] of the song.

Music blogs Mars Needs Guitars and clever titles are so last summer have been so kind to link back to me, so please do me a favor and pay them a visit.

I now have 467 "friends" at Myspace. Very superficial indeed, but the constant flow of bulletin entries is very useful!

A while back I mentioned the debut single Grow Young [mp3] by Swedish indie pop band Paperplane. Now two new (unmastered) songs Take You Out [mp3] and the very catchy Dreammaker [mp3] are available at Myspace. Both songs are from the forthcoming album How To Get To The Sky.

It's almost getting tiresome. Not a day without a great tip from Peter. Today it's the very fine Stone [mp3] by Danish electronic duo Sepiamusic.

.............

Elika...

Autumn Thieves no longer exist, but nonetheless the band posted a bulletin at Myspace today recommending NY duo Elika. Since I enjoyed the shoegaze inspired sounds of Autumn Thieves, I thought it might be a good idea giving Elika a chance. This really fine boy/girl constellation record what they describe as "dreamy music with killer beats", which should give you some idea of what this is all about! A very good recommendation indeed!

Feel Like Home [mp3]
We Stay The Same [mp3]
Acting For You [mp3] This one is great!
Siesta [mp3]
Celina [mp3]

yada yada yada (for the 2nd day in a row):

This morning I've been listening entirely to the beautiful music of Pete White. His 4 CD box set is still among the best 10£ I've ever spent! Hopefully someday he'll make a few more songs available than the two below!

Go [mp3]
Hold Your Hand [mp3]

According to the official webpage Keane is to release a new album called Under The Iron Sea on 12th June. I did like the debut album quite a lot, but since I have a growing tendency of loathing over hyped music, I'm seriously afraid that I will turn my back to it.

The link for the excellent Kill Her Off by The Ropes is dead, so I was "forced" to remove it from my list of Current Favorites. It has been replaced by the really great RAMJAC by Swedes Convoj.

tWAMi (solo project of Anamia keyboardist Mogens Møller) has recorded another cool instrumental electro-rock track called Got The Power [mp3]. Check it out!

Peter strikes again and recommends the terrific Knee Deep And Down [mp3] by UK indie band The Rain Band.

Danish elctro, pop, trip hop 5-piece Powderdust released their debut album Minding The Gap last week. Two tracks from the album are availble at Myspace and especially Bet You 2 (first single of the album) is really good!
Bet You 2 [mp3]
Declare Your Dub [mp3]

Thanks to Swiss dude Cyril (check out his music here) for introducing me to French folk pop duo Cocoon. The songs are acoustic, quite, mellow, melancholic and utterly beautiful with wonderful male/female harmonies.


Between Me And The Sun [mp3]
Tell Me [mp3]
On My Way [mp3]
Take Off [mp3]

yada yada yada...

Poetry Girl [mp3] by Kind Of Girl disappeared from their Myspace profile yesterday, but now it's back again. Check the picture next to the player at the profile :-) And the song will be added to my Current Favorites again, because it is really great!

After finishing my post yesterday I listened a lot to Swedish indie (?) alternative rock band Convoj. So I thought it was a good idea to recommend the two great songs My Timekeeping Heart [mp3] and RAMJAC [mp3] one more time! A 5 track EP was released in April last year on Chalksounds.

Peter reminded me that I should check out melancholic London 4 piece Ray. Thank you Peter, because this music is very, very beautiful indeed!
Mountain Song [mp3]
Wherever You Go [mp3]
Blood & Gold [mp3]

Band of the week at Mymusic.dk is The Elephants. I mentioned the band in my post two weeks ago.
Autumn Hearts [mp3]
Fata Morgana [mp3]

Download Crosses [mp3] and Heartbeats [mp3] by Jose Gonzales from this profile. Not really sure if it is an "official" one.

It's really great to see the attention Figurines are receving these days. Hopefully this will open the eyes of the world for other great Danish bands!

More to come????

A Few Songs From Today's Playlist:

Some are good and some of them are more "interesting" than actually good. I try not to post the bad ones, though you might disagree!

Arrive Alive - In My Mind All The Time [mp3] 9 minutes instrumental
The Brand - Photographs [mp3] Plain rock
Leander - Idaho [mp3]
The Sound Of Young America - 28th January [mp3]
Airport Factory - Bright Eyed Bushy Tailed [mp3]
Aaron Vail - Hearts Survive + Ain't It Great [mp3]
Transmission Low - Devils Parade + Death Begins To Call [mp3] Danish rock
tearsrunrings - Question And An Answer [mp3]
Convoj - My Timekeeping Heart + RAMJAC [mp3] These guys are pretty good!

and finally some Electro Pop/Rock from the UK
Scarlet Soho - Modern Radio + No Encore [mp3]

Songs by Ehlers/Thejsen, Kind Of Girl, Le Sport, My Latest Novel, Port Largo, The Raveonettes and Sidste Ambulance have been added to my Current Favorites!

Anotherstory

What feels like ages ago I mentioned UK rock band Anotherstory. Back then I especially enjoyed the very haunting and catchy Plans, but today I realized that the band has made several other songs available for download (more or less the entire back catalogue). The new (at least to me) songs I've heard have a more quiet and acoustic sound than the previous stuff, but the songs still leave a very good first impression.

Webpage
Myspace
Plans [mp3]
Beyond Resolve [mp3]
My Mixed Memory Slideshow [mp3]
So Average [mp3]
Ghetto Child [mp3]

I Love Thursdays:

Why? Probably lots of reason why, but at least I know of these two reasons why I think this Thursday is great:
1. It's Friday tomorrow (meaning that the weekend is not far away). Luckily this is the case every week :-)
2. An episode of the TV-series Waking The Dead is aired tonight.

Lots of music arrived in the mail yesterday. Actually too much to list (4 albums, 1 sampler and 3 EPs), but I'll try (no promises) to mention the stuff along the way when I've listened to it!

Among the albums was the much anticipated Mafia by playful Danish electro, indie, alternative, noise-rock (and so on) band EPO-555 and the first impression is very positive. The band will perform at the SXSW festival tonight, so if you're among the fortunate people being somewhere in the neighborhood, don't miss this fantastic opportunity! Stream 3 songs from the album at the band's webpage or download Harry Mämbourg [mp3].

I strongly recommend that you visit the blogs of Chris and Peter, because as always lots of interesting stuff can be found there! They have recently introduced me to bands like Faunts, E.Z. Basic, Amber Smith, All Mighty Whispers, I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness and......Since I wrote this they have both added more interesting stuff!

Super blog It's A Trap mentions/offers No I In Team [mp3] by The Alpine and It's Not The End Of The World [mp3] by Le Sport. Great stuff!

Two songs by The Raveonettes are available for download at Myspace. Please You [mp3] and Bubblegum [mp3].

If you're interested in listening to the debut album Attention Please by Mads Langer, which will be released on Monday, you can stream it here.

Looking around yesterday I found Danish electro pop/rock band Port Largo. It might take a listen or two getting used to the voice of the lead singer, but the music is definitely interesting!
Breakdown Into Fiction [mp3]
King Of Great [mp3]
Stop [mp3]

Steph - thanks for the nice comment the other day! Wanted to write an e-mail, but couldn't find an address, so receive the thank you this way instead!

Upcoming UK band The Screening has made the demo of new song My Friends [mp3] available for download for a very limited period of time at Myspace (it'll be gone later today/tomorrow/ very soon?). So hurry up and make sure that you get a copy of the song before it's too late, because it's very good indeed!

In my "six-pack" yesterday evening I mentioned Danish duo Ehlers/Thejsen. This was quite a mistake, because these guys are really great and they sure deserve more than just a one-liner. This singer/songwriter duo plays a laid-back kind of acoustic soul folk (the "experts" describe the music like this), which are perfectly suited for the quiet moments in life or maybe even when eating your Sunday brunch. Grab a cup of coffee, sit down, lean back, close your eyes and enjoy!

Myspace
Art Of Loneliness [mp3]
Dozed Off [mp3]
Echoes In Sad Eyes [mp3]
Old Boys [mp3]

Six-Pack

No comments - just music (or a "six-pack" on a Tuesday evening):

The Blueprints - My Rosetta Stone [mp3]
Heathrow - Walk Those Shoes [mp3]
Incontrol - Kronen Ex [mp3]
Paige - Here Without You [mp3]
All My Friends - Theme From All My Friends [mp3]
Ehlers/Thejsen - Art Of Loneliness [mp3]

Admittedly some of the songs "vary" quite a lot from the type of songs I'd normally post!

Hyping

If my blog was of even the slightest importance I'd immediately start hyping these 10 bands/artists (Well I guess I'm already doing my very best at hyping them, though I'm not all that successful/any good at it):

Anamia
Webpage
Myspace
...But It Wasn't So Back Then [mp3]

The Ballet
Webpage
Myspace
I Hate The War [mp3]

Celestial
Webpage
Myspace
Nothing Happens Twice [mp3]

El Video
Webpage
Myspace
Yo Mama's An Astronaut [mp3]

Kind Of Girl
Webpage
Myspace
Poetry Boy [mp3]

Mavis
Webpage
Myspace
Emotional Vampire [mp3]

Memoplay
Webpage
Myspace
Words Are Small [mp3]

The Monday Photo
Webpage
Myspace
Allies (No Tomorrow) [mp3]

Ruined By Martin
Webpage
Myspace
CC delight [mp3]

Pete White
Webpage
Myspace
Hold Your Hand [mp3]

Once I started creating the list I realized that there were several other artists deserving more focus as well. So I decide to pick those with less than 500 "friends" at myspace.

Music.....

Sidste Ambulance - Delt I To [MP3]
Expectations are high for the debut album by this Danish band.

Look Mexico - Whose Ship Is This? [MP3]
They claim that they sound like "the band that did the theme song for Ducktales". I didn't know that band was this good!

Fashionista - 40 Seconds [MP3]
Elctronica/Pop from Florida.

Kind Of Girl

The string of promising and talented Danish bands seems endless. On my daily cruise through Myspace I came across yet another one; Copenhagen based 5-piece Kind Of Girl. The band describes the music as indie pop/rock (with a wide range of influences) and all of the 4 songs available as free downloads are irresistible and immediately catchy (trust me - I've spent the past 1½ hour listening to the songs!). The band is currently working on getting radio airplay and hopefully a record contract, so support the band by listening to the music and befriending them at Myspace.

Webpage + Myspace
Slave To Your Charms [MP3]
If You Say [MP3]
Poetry Boy [MP3]
Watch In Wonder [MP3]

It's been a while since the last time I mentioned the Danish radio program Tjeklisten. But this week there are quite a few songs worth voting for, so I thought it was time for a "come-back". I voted for:
1. Spleen United - Spleen United
2. EPO-555 - Maid In China
3. Pluto - Guldlok
4. Kashmir - The Cynic
5. Placebo - Song To Say Goodbye

Spleen United/Green Concorde

The Spleen United concert Friday evening was fabulous. That's really all there is to say. The concert was rather short, but that aside everything (the music, the sound, the atmosphere, the light show, the new song etc.) was simply perfect. If Spleen United ever plays anywhere near you be sure that you go to see them. The next release (probably a few years away) could be really interesting, because these guys are aiming for the stars!

The supporting band Green Concorde was a huge and pleasant surprise with their music, which I'll describe as a mix of alternative and noise-rock. A while back I downloaded a few songs by them and I wasn't overly impressed, but that certainly changed Friday evening! Maybe because this kind of music works very well live? I talked briefly to the lead singer (seems to be a very nice and humble guy) after the concert and he informed me that the band has been recording more songs and an album should/will be released later this year!
Webpage
Ten Cities of Green Concorde [MP3]
2:26 [MP3]
Detroit [MP3]
Toxic Symphony [MP3]
Electric Eyes [MP3]

It's been a while since the last update of my Current Favorites. But here we go and songs by Fosca, Volvoe, Track A Tiger, Tillmanns, Citylights, The Stills and Huckster have been added to the list!

The Danish album chart is pretty much a joke once again this week (Danser Med Drenge is probably the worst band ever in the history of Danish music), though two entries are worth mentioning. First of all VETO rises from 57 to 21 which indeed is very positive. Apparently there are a few people in Denmark listening to decent music after all. DMDK the Depeche Mode tribute enters at no. 36. This is worth mentioning because the cover versions are by some of the better Danish bands (e.g. Moi Caprice, Figurines, EPO-555 and Diefenbach). Stream the songs here.

Anamia keyboardist Mogens Møller has a small side project called tWAMi, where he composes and plays electronic music inspired by Moby, Jean-Michel Jarre etc. At first I was a bit hesitant towards listening to it, because this kind of music doesn't really fit with the alternative/indie wave I'm currently riding. However the music turned to be a real surprise, because it's playful, entertaining and very catchy. Might even be perfect for a movie (Mission Impossible maybe?) soundtrack! And once you have listened to this stuff, you quickly realize who is behind the two great Anamia remixes! Cannot help wondering what the end result would be, if MM started co-writing some of the Anamia songs!
Myspace
Distorded Dealers [MP3]
Peak Roller [MP3]
Underground Stroke [MP3]
Ain't about Rock [MP3]

Will there ever be a better time for some tongue-in-cheek indie pop than a Friday afternoon? Guess not! The music and lyrics of UK band Fosca are rather difficult to describe except that they are quite unpredictable (the next song doesn't sound like the one before). Currently working on a third album - the two previous ones released in 2000 and 2002 on Shinkansen Recordings. Truly enjoyable!
Myspace
Secret Crush On Third Trombone [MP3]
The Millionaire Of Your Own Hair [MP3]
Storytelling Johnny [MP3]

Swedish blog L'amour à trois has posted a radio rip of the new single The Worst Taste In Music by The Radio Dept. Very short and very good!

Thought this deserved a post of its own :-)

Cannot say that my calendar is packed with concert dates, but tomorrow I'm going to see Spleen United supported by Green Concorde. I guess it's needless to say that I'm pretty excited, because Goodspeed Into The Mainstream was one of my favorite albums of last year. Stream a few songs at Myspace.

Yesterday I ordered the following albums:
My Latest Novel: Wolves
Morning Runner: Wilderness Is Paradise Now
EPO-555: Mafia
Mads Langer: Attention Please
Actually I'm very much looking forward to all of them!

A new (and pretty cool) mix of The Mouse Is The Great Man by Anamia is available here [MP3]. Compare it to the original version [MP3].

Chris has started to update his blog more often, which is really great, because he (almost) always has something interesting to say!

The debut album Names, Dates & Places by Danish band Campsite finally arrived yesterday. The band follows nicely in the footsteps of bands like Franz Ferdinand, The Killers, Kaiser Chiefs etc., but the band still has plenty of talent and nice tunes to be standing firmly on their own feet. Stream a couple of songs at Myspace.

A band I mentioned a while back is Made Of Buildings. The Previews At The Movies [MP3] remains a favorite and the band has now added an unmixed version of a new song called They Fall Upon You [MP3].

Download debut single Grow Young [MP3] by Swedish indie pop band Paperplane.

Mix

Every now and then it happens that you hear a song that creeps into to the back of your head and simply refuses to leave again. This is exactly what happened yesterday when I listened to Breakfast In NYC by Belfast duo Oppenheimer. The song, which will be released the 17th April as a limited double a-side single on Smalltown America, is as immediately charming and catchy as any pop song you will hear this year. Stream it at Myspace.

Soundvenue recommends Danish one man project A Kid Hereafter. I cannot really make my mind up on the music, though Boogiepunk [MP3] is not without charm. If you're a registered user at Soundvenue (it's free), you can download more songs here (check out that beard!).

I was going to write a little bit about upcoming UK band The Screening. However Peter beat me to it, so check out his post instead!

Danish electro pop band Volvoe is completely new to me, but apparently the band has existed since 1999. Travelling [MP3] is pretty good (NO, NO - it's not good, it's great!!!), so maybe it's time to give this band a closer look?

Danish alternative/indie/noise-rock trio Heartbreak Disco released their debut album in April last year, but better to find them late than never I guess? Reviews of the albums were lukewarm/mixed, but the songs I've heard are more than enough to add them to the ever growing list of bands that I really should explore further.
Trigger [MP3]
Ice Floes [MP3]
Lost Tornados [MP3]

I've use the term "charming" a few times today already, but I simply must re-use it when describing the music of Danes The Elephants. The band itself describes the music like this; "Take two guitars, bass and drums. Add charming boy-girl vocals, a subtle style of playing and some mouth organ and you have the Danish rock band The Elephants. Right now the group is out with the new EP Special Thing which contains a catchy mix of '60s pop, indie, alt. country and some old school rock'n roll." Probably couldn't be more accurate?
Ann [MP3]
Good Time [MP3]

This and that:

I don't really feel like finishing my post from yesterday, so I've deleted the little I wrote about Anamia. I will however feature this great new Danish band in another post very soon! Meanwhile listen to He Needs A Racetrack Girl [MP3]

My old "hero" Ian Broudie (or someone claiming to be him) has put up two songs from his album Tales Told on Myspace. More acoustic than and thus quite different from The Lightning Seeds, but the talent for writing catchy songs is still present!
Home From Home [MP3]
Song For No One [MP3]

Swedish blog Kiss & Make Up links [MP3] to a new remix of Songs For No Ears by Memoplay. Nice, but I prefer the original version [MP3]. I'm still impatiently waiting to hear some new songs by the band.

The slowness of blogger has pretty much obstructed my ambitions of adding further to this post today! More tomorrow......

Track a Tiger/Phonodrive

Today I'll be staring out the window with a tired look in my eyes, while listening to:

Track A Tiger - Woke Up Early The Day I Died
I found a promo copy of the debut album by US band Track A Tiger in my mailbox the other day. So far I've listened to it a few times and I'm really impressed. The songs are a pleasant and (at times) playful mix of indie, pop, folk rock, country etc. and though the more up-tempo songs like Glad To Be Scattered and Happy are standouts, none of the 9 tracks will leave you disappointed. The only complaint I can think of right now is that the album runs less than 33 minutes.
Webpage
Glad To Be Scattered [MP3]
Sound As Ever [MP3]
Seashaken Heart [MP3]


Phonodrive - Music
A copy of Music by Germans Phonodrive arrived a while back, so I thought it was about time to give it a few spins. I mentioned the band and the album (Music is their second release) for the first time in my blog nearly 3 months ago, but apparently the band has faced a few problems getting someone to distribute the album. Quite odd, because as I wrote back then this band is far too good to be living in obscurity. The music is blend of more less everything we've heard before in the alternative rock genre, but the voice of Corinna Lieb surely helps the band to create their own sound. You could be harsh and say that a few songs shouldn't have made the album, but overall the album is definitely worth your time (and money)!
Webpage
Think About [MP3]
Made For Me [MP3]
Daydream [MP3]
Suddenly [MP3]

My Latest Novel

Are My Latest Novel the new Arcade Fire? So far I've only listened to two songs by My Latest Novel (so my knowledge of the band is somewhat limited), but the two songs are definitely more than enough to explain why several people are tempted to mention those two bands in the same breathe.

The Hope Edition [MP3]
Sister Sneaker Sister Soul [WMA]

Finally it's Friday:

• Chris has written a piece about his trip to London. As always this is good read. Chris, you really should update your blog more often. And check out some pictures from his trip here.
• The Oxygen Ponies have put up two more songs on their a/v section. Don't Know Why [MP3] is my favorite of the new ones. Pretty and emotional as always!
• I thought the album I had ordered by Campsite arrived yesterday, but when I opened the parcel I found an album by Hell Is For Heroes inside. I'm going to return the HIFH album asap. Listen to One Of Us [MP3] and you'll understand why!
• The creativity of people when it comes to naming their bands never ceases to amaze me. Next in line with a highly original band name are psychedelic shoegazers A Cricket In Times Square. Careless [MP3] and Cult Favorite [MP3] are two fairly nice ones.
• If you dare; check out the Danish album chart. What a joke! I guess you're right Peter. The German one sure isn't any better!
• Beacon Street Radiants is a really nice indie pop band from Finland. Here are a few songs for your listening pleasure: Not OK [MP3]; See The Stars [MP3]; Come Back Home [MP3].
• I received a mail this morning that the Anamia EP I ordered a while back has been shipped. I'm seriously looking forward to receiving it, because this is truly great stuff! And 10 years from now, when these guys are huge, I expect it to be a real collector's item ;-) Listen to The Mouse Is The Great Man [MP3] or some of the other songs here.
• Swedish indie pop duo Tillmanns has released its debut EP. If the rest of the EP is as good as opening track Run [MP3] it might be worth a closer look? The band has previously been mentioned on the truly fabulous Indie MP3 blog, so no matter how much I'd like it to be, it's not my "find".
• OK debut single The Warning Sign [MP3] from Danes Sparklin June is available for free at Myspace. Apparently for a limited time only!