Gentle Touch

Thanks to Spanish reader José Antonio for sending me an email recommending Swedish band Gentle Touch. I've never heard of these guys before (at least two other bloggers have), but the duo (or is it a trio?) plays (in their own words) "romantic electropop inspired by acts like Depeche Mode and Pet Shop Boys". The music is very catchy and reminds me quite a lot of another Swedish electropop act, Le Sport; just better. A 4 track EP was released in February on Songs I Wish I Had Written and the 3 tracks below are available as free downloads.
+ Smedby (brilliant!!)
+ Memories
+ Speaking Of Reasonable

Ruined By Martin - Update

Danish duo Ruined By Martin caught my attention last year, when the band was selected the demo of December in Danish magazine Gaffa. I quickly bought/downloaded all the songs I could find after streaming them once (they were that great) and obviously I crossed my fingers hoping that the media attention would lead to a record contract. However this wasn't the case (I don't really know this for a fact) and not much has been heard from the band since then (except for the Christmas "present" Burn The Sun). But today I received a most welcomed "update" email from one of the band members.
The duo is now a trio (a guitarist has joined the band) and has recently been busy recording a three track demo, which according to the band should be available from the webpage and Myspace very soon.
One new track called Perfect Sense has already been uploaded to Myspace as a free download (the band is not sure if the song will make it on the demo) and even though the song is described by the band as a bit more electronic than their previous work, it is still a damn nice and very catchy pop song.
Impatiently waiting for more...........
+ Perfect Sense
+ Burn The Sun

Bahnhof

Sometimes it's difficult not to be amazed how easy it is to find great music on the web. Last night I did a 5 minutes search at Myspace for new Danish indie bands and quickly came across Bahnhof. Reading the following description obviously made me quite interested in what the band has to offer; "Musically Bahnhof is situated in the rock category, yet a new electronic dimension has been added which creates a new sound, where the 80ties collide with 2006 in a crash of noise, synth, vigour and melody." After listening to the 4 (very good) songs available, it becomes rather clear that Bahnhof pretty much (like several other bands these days) follows in the musical footsteps of bands like The Bravery, Editors, The Killers etc., which doesn't have to be a bad thing at all. And in this case it sure isn't, because the band has plenty of talent and songwriting skills, to be standing own their own feet. The band has been recording since 1999 and released a self-financed EP last year (I've just ordered a copy) called The 2005 Bahnhof EP. A few more demos have been recorded this year as well, and the band has signed a booking deal, so hopefully we will hear a lot more from these guys in the near future!
+ Tanktop Girl (fantastic song!)
+ The Eyes Of Ruby

Terry Hall

The Terry Hall profile at Myspace is pretty cool; especially because every week a "Terry Track Of The Week" is posted, which is made available for download for (well) one week! This week the track is the classic and absolutely wonderful Thinking Of You by The Colourfield (how many bands was he actually involved in?).
+ Thinking Of You

Catching Up

Today I'll be spending a little time going through some of the mails and "friend" requests I've received while I was away.

The second album by Tender Trap called 6 Billion People is released on matinée recordings this week. The two tracks available for download indicate that this could be a very nice indie/twee pop album and hearing the rest of it should be top priority!
+ Talking Backwards
+ 6 Billion People

A big thank you to Rodolfo (a reader from Peru - this blog is worldwide :-)), who recommends a few bands. Check out UK band Gledhill and the very good single Good Times Ahead, which (apparently) will be the summer anthem of Sky Sports.
+ Good Times Ahead

If you decide to call your music project Kaptajn Smart you really shouldn't be all that surprised if people believe that you have some kind of novelty thing going on. At least this was MY first impression, but once I listened to the music I quickly changed my mind, because this is really nice and very catchy electro pop.
+ Where's My Polka Dotted Girl?

I'm really surprised that Country Girl by Primal Scream is doing so well (no. 5 in the UK 75 singles chart). Not because the song is bad (it's not - it actually quite good), but simply because is has been available for free at Myspace for some time now.
+ Country Girl

Chris recommends a couple of songs by Moonbabies. The band has posted a total of 5 songs that didn't make the Orange Billboard!
+ In The Banshees (very good!)

Debut single Be My Light by Norwegians Asleep is a really catchy pop tune. Not unique or original in any way. Just very good!
+ Be My Light

Interesting article on Soundvenue. Seems like Red Hot Chili Peppers were a little too inspired by Tom Petty when the band wrote Dani California. Two mash up mixes are available. What do you think?

Last one for a while...

This afternoon me and the 3 girls will go to the beautiful Danish isle of Bornholm and we won't return until Sunday evening. No e-mails. No web access. So this will be the last post for 5 days!

Danish quartet Skywriter released the album Where Both Worlds Never Meet a couple of months ago, which I have to admit went completely unnoticed by me. However, yesterday the band sent me a "friend" request at Myspace and when I realized that four songs of the album are available for download; I decided to give the boys a listen. The music is quite dark alternative rock dominated by the highly noticeable vocal of the lead singer Jakob Dahn. Overall I'm pretty impressed and the songs have left me with a feeling that I really should explore this band further.
+ For Heavens Sake
+ Passengers

Did you remember to download the remix of This Time I mentioned last night? If not - hurry up and do so!

US shoegazers Panda Riot have posted a new demo called She Dares All Things. Less dark and a bit more uptempo than I expected. Still the guitars and the vocals are just right, making this track an absolutely thrilling experience!
+ She Dares All Things

tWAMi meets Green Concorde...

tWAMi has remixed the track This Time by Danish alternative rock band Green Concorde and the new version is available for free from his re-designed webpage. I'm not at all familiar with the original version of the song, but I suspect that lots of synths and drums/beats (?) have been added to make it a bit more danceable. Anyway this is a fantastic and utterly catchy track, which hopefully will give both acts involved the attention they both fully deserve!!
+ This Time (Remix)

Cannot think of a title!...

I went to the cinema last night for the first time in more than a year to watch The Da Vinci Code. I have to add myself to the growing line of disappointed people, because the adaption of the novel is pretty (or rather - very) weak!!

Maybe I should seriously start thinking of introducing a weekly post called something like "tWAMi recommends"? Last week he recommended We vs Death and this week he has suggested that I should listen to experimental Norwegians The Low Frequency In Stereo and Danish indie act Cartridge. And of course everyone should listen to the brilliant music created by tWAMi himself!
+ The Low Frequency In Stereo - Axes
+ Cartridge - Tree Crowns
+ tWAMi - My Spanish Romance

Peter has written a really nice post in German on Flying Virgins/Late Night Venture.

Oscillating Brushhead has uploaded two new interesting (and rather good) tracks at Myspace. Impressively he switches from electronica to shoegaze.
+ Girl With A Gun
+ Aminosäuren From Outer Space (thanks for the correct title Peter :-))

Seattle band Shake Some Action! is the studio recording their debut (?) album and rough mixes of two songs are currently available for free download. The band plays really catchy guitar pop and list bands like The La's, The Stone Roses and The Zombies among their influences.
+ Complicated
+ I Can See Where This Is Going Now

Late Night Venture

I mentioned Danish band Late Night Venture a few weeks back and today the band's self-titled album is released on Quartermain Records. The band was originally called Flying Virgins, but earlier this year the band decided to change the name to Late Night Venture. However the band did experience some success under the previous name, because downloads of the 2004 EP Lazy have exceeded a respectable 50,000. The tracks of the EP are still available as free downloads, and the 4 very good songs (clocking in at +26 minutes) are an intriguing/fascinating mix of alternative rock and epic dreampop, with the occasional indie twist, which obviously have made people compare the band to other ones like Mercury Rev, Placebo, Flaming Lips etc. So far I've searched in vain for the track list of the Late Night Venture album (I haven't bought a copy yet - but I certainly will), but (by reading a few reviews) it seems like that one or more of the older songs will re-appear on the new album (please correct me if I'm wrong), which should be more than enough to guarantee a really fine album.

+ Pay The Moon (from the new album)
+ Modesto (one more from the new album)
+ Clear Decay (demo version of a new song)
Lazy EP:
+ How To Devour A Butterfly
+ Tahoe Morning Diner (a new version is on the album)
+ Lazy Star (also on the album in a new version)
+ Evil Fender

Title - what title?

New demo called Madison by The Attorneys. Not bad at all!
+ Madison

Chris seems to be very high on Au4 and it's not difficult to understand, because this is a great epic sounding band!

A while back tWAMi recommended that I should listen to a Dutch instrumental/experimental band called We vs Death. Now I've finally found the time to give the band a serious listen and I'm pretty happy I did, because this band creates unique and quite interesting "landscapes" of sound. Earlier this month the band released their debut-album we too are concerned we are too concerned and 4 tracks of the album (plus several older tracks) can be downloaded for free from the band's webpage.
+ And How To Translate It
+ Thomas Corner And The Valley Houses
+ (Yes,) We Went To Novgorod
+ Mother And Father And Me

!!!!!!

Normally I shy away from songs sung in German, but yesterday Peter introduced me to German band TempEau and the song Mädchen aus Greifswald. The lyrics are strong with a serious political bite (on an extremely important topic), which combined with a very catchy melody gives us nothing but a fantastic song!
+ Mädchen aus Greifswald

This weekend Danish band Munich will begin recording their debut album. The only track available online, With Smiling Lips (originally recorded under the previous band name Munk), is an epic track nearly 8 minutes long, which reminds me a lot of the grand music of iLiKETRAiNS. Keep an eye on these guys!
+ With Smiling Lips

A couple of new releases from Future Appletree. The four songs available are pretty nice, but none of them have convinced me to pick up the albums.



The Multiple Cat - The Secret of the Secret of
+ I Like A Bridge
+ Canvassed and Spent

Chrash - Audio Feng Shui
+ Boxcars (A Long Line Of)
+ All Roads

Indie Search

If you do a quick search at Myspace for new UK indie bands, there is always a fine chance that something interesting will pop up. Below I've listed three of the bands and songs that I've found this way today. All of the songs are decent, but unfortunately the one that completely blows me away has been eluding me so far today.

+ Return Of The Nobodies - Listen To Me
A pretty nice indie pop song from this girl trio.

+ Parade - You'll Be Fine
This and the 3 other songs available sound rather promising.

+ The Olympic - Again Again Again
I've listened to this one a few times now and it's actually quite good!

Portland

Danish electro band Portland has definitely spent a lot of hours listening to Depeche Mode, so if you're into darker electronic sounding music, this could very well be something that you should consider checking out.
+ Stalking And Free
+ Let Me Get What I Want

Myspace Music

More or less every day I get requests from bands that want to be my Myspace "Friends". It's quite obvious that sending out friend requests is a very "hot" marketing tool these days, but too me this (still) remains a fine (and effortless) way to get introduced to new and unknown bands.

Below a few of the more interesting new "Friends" and songs from the past few days.

+ WinterKids - Use Your Feet
+ People Of Santiago - Broadcast
+ Alister Doomington - Lovin' The Fix + Dead Like Me

Download fine debut single Breaking News by Danish singer/songwriter Mads Langer at Myspace.
+ Breaking News

I'm back

from Barcelona, but I'm far too tired to write anything.

Here are a few songs recently uploaded to Myspace.

+ Vib Gyor - Ultimatum
+ Tina Dico - Lost In Art
+ Primal Scream - Country Girl

Finally great Danish band Kind Of Girl has uploaded a 192 Kbps copy of one of my favorite songs of the year (as well as of a few other songs!).
+ Poetry Boy

Visit Torr and download the debut single by Director. I have to agree with Torr that this is one of the best singles of the year!

Barcelona

Tomorrow I'm going to Barcelona for a few days. Don't expect any updates today, because I'm f*cking busy!
+ I'm From Barcelona - We're From Barcelona (link "stolen from Absolut Noise)

Oh well. Can't help it. New 5 track EP from [ingenting] called Sommerdagboken (Swedish for The Summer Diary) has been released on Labrador (of course). Wonderful track Släpp In Solen (Let The Sunshine In) is available as free download. Seems like the summer has finally arrived!
+ Släpp In Solen

A new track from the forthcoming album by The Upper Room is available for download.
+ Girl

Camera Obscura and? Who knows what the day will bring!

Was I really the lone musicblogger in the Universe who hadn't heard of Camera Obscura? A quick search at Hype Machine definitely makes me look like I was (or still am) quite an ignorant! Oh well! Thanks to Peter (go there for more songs) I now am familiar with this incredible fine Scottish indie pop band.
+ If looks could kill
+ Lloyd, I'm ready to be heartbroken

Peter brings us two more very interesting and highly recommendable posts. The first one is about The Ukrainians covering The Smiths songs in the Ukrainian language. I'm not really convinced that I like these versions, but it's certainly not without charm!

The second post is about the great sounding Japanese (?) band Flat7. If you're into shoegaze/noisepop you definitely must listen to this band!

A couple of songs found thanks to "friend" requests received at Myspace:

+ Todd Stadtman - I Don't Know Why She's Here
A quite catchy pop song.

+ Inhaler - Clinical & Tranquilized This one is very good!
Electro pop rock band from Manchester. I've only listened to the songs once, but both of them are really nice and energetic ones.

While the sun is shining,

I'll be staying indoors, busy working and listening to these recent arrivals (a list of all new additions to my CD-collection in 2006):

Secret Machines - Ten Silver Drops
Grab two album tracks here or listen to acoustic versions of three album tracks here. Two listens and I'm completely overwhelmed by how good this album is!

Built To Spill - You In Reverse
+ Conventional Widsom
+ Liar
Cannot add anything that hasn't been said already. Another great album!

Le Sport - Euro Deluxe Dance Party
+ It's not the end of the world
+ Tell No One About Tonight
+ Business Girls
On the back of the CD the band has written "This disc contains all the songs plus bonus tracks in mp3 format for easy sharing and listening with modern technology." That's the right attitude! No surprises on this album and the music is absolutely perfect for a Euro Deluxe Dance Party!

Sidste Ambulance - Og Hånden På Skulderen (EP)
+ Superhelt
+ Min Natsommerfugl
Hopefully they'll be releasing a full length album soon, because (as you may have noticed?) I really like this band!!

Sidste Ambulance / Tjeklisten

Naar Jeg Doer by Sidste Ambulance didn't make it onto Tjeklisten this week, but the song received enough votes to get a second chance next week. So check the list, pick 5 songs (including Naar Jeg Doer) and mail them here. Tuesday is the last day and remember to include your name and address.
+ Naar Jeg Doer

Update

Last night was great from a music point of view and these 4 songs mentioned in my post yesterday have been added to my Current Favorites:
+ Otter Petter - Winter Days
+ Junes - Memories
+ Vapnet - Thoméegränd (Le Sport Remix)
+ Late Night Venture - Pay The Moon

What's on the jukebox tonight?

I've received several "friend" requests at Myspace the past few days and my old "compadres" Chris and Peter have posted a bunch of MP3's, so there is plenty of stuff for me to dig into tonight!

The self-titled debut album by Danish band Late Night Venture received a rather mixed review in our local newspaper today. However it was the description of the music as indie-underground with plenty of electronic influences that captured my attention. Unfortunately just one of the songs from the album is available as a free download, but that song is definitely worth checking out!
+ Pay The Moon

Chicago band Otter Petter (terrible, terrible band name) plays nice and very catchy indie/alternative rock. The band released a 5 track EP last year and will release a full-length album later this year. I will keep a close eye on this band! So receiving a friend request from a great band like this one is obviously very nice!
+ From The Beginning
+ Let Go
+ Winter Days

Chris recommends the single Memories by his fellow countrymen Junes. And I have to agree with Chris that this is a really good one!
+ Memories
Cannot figure out which song it reminds me of. For a while I was sure it was this one, but I guess that's not the one after all. Suggestions anyone?
+ Everlast - What It's Like

Final one tonight is one of Peter's current favorites, which is a really cool Le Sport remix of a brilliant song by Swedish band Vapnet.
+ Thoméegränd (Le Sport Remix)

Murder Mystery

I found a copy of the Murder Mystery EP in the mailbox this morning. Did you remember to check out this great band when I mentioned it the other day? If not. Here's a second chance!
+ Honey Come Home
+ Think of Me
+ Who Doesn't Wanna Give Me Love?
+ In a Sentimental Mood

Various stuff

Torr's two favorite singles of the week are Suzie by Boy Kill Boy and Black & White by The Upper Room. Stream Suzie here and watch the video for Black & White here. Have to agree. Both songs ARE very good!

I was (almost) prepared to bet my weekly allowance that Peter would add the brilliant Kate by Sambassadeur to his list of "Momentane lieblingssongs". And so he did :-)

Cord, one of Peter's DJ-colleagues, records music under the name Oscillating Brushhead and once you have listened to the two songs below, you cannot help thinking that he should spend a lot more time of this project. Peter introduced me to the music quite some time ago and My Favorite Dream was an instant favorite and should appeal to everyone who loves shoegaze. Room Service on the other hand is a more recent acquaintance, and though it's a lot different from the previous track by being a (somewhat electronica inspired) instrumental piece, it somehow manages to be equally brilliant!
+ Room service
+ My favourite dream

Earlier this week I received a Myspace friend request from US alternative rock band Tomorrows Son. 4 songs are available as free downloads from the band's profile, but especially the title track of the debut album Welcome To Today is very good.
+ Welcome To Today

These two songs will end today's post:
+ Flickerstick - Beautiful
+ Delays - Nearer The Heaven
+ Elbow - Leaders Of The Free World

It's a trap! reader's companion volume two

My copy of the album It's a trap! reader's companion volume two arrived in the mailbox this morning and after several listens my overall impression of it is very positive. The album contains 17 tracks by more or less well-known Scandinavian artists/bands and since several of those songs are previously unreleased, it's really difficult not to be impressed with the work Avi has done compiling the album. The songs are a nice mix of indie/alternative pop/rock tracks with the occasional electronica track popping in. But the biggest and most obvious strength of the album is that large majority of the songs (unfortunately not all of them) are very good and since the album cost $8 only (if you live in Europe), it should be very interesting hearing your excuses for not buying it! Avi asks the burning question: Who will the breakout acts from "Volume two" be? Hello Saferide and Moonbabies are two of my (sure) bets, though I agree that several of them are more than worthy!

Album samples:
+ Ricochets - Cold Outside
+ The First Miles - The Best One Around

What's in the bag today?

This is probably all over bloggerland already. A new (not very good) track by The Stills is available at Myspace. New album Without Feathers will be released on Tuesday May 9.
+ Destroyer

Adam from Canada (that's all I know) sent me a mail yesterday suggesting that I should check out the new versions of My Timekeeping Heart and RAMJAC on the Myspace page of Swedish band Convoj. And they are indeed different (and better) than the versions I posted previously, so thank you Adam for keeping me updated :-)
+ My Timekeeping Heart
+ Ramjac

Adam (yep - him again) also recommends Canadian alternative rock band Constantines. The band didn't make an immediate impact on me (the music is bit complex and takes a while getting used to), but the more I listen the better they get. So I have to agree with Adam that this is a talented and quite interesting band. Thanks again :-)
+ Soon Enough Really good!
+ Love In Fear
+ Arizona

The New York Fund (the band formerly known as The Cherryfalls) has uploaded two new (and pretty good) songs to Myspace. Grab the songs quickly, because according to the band they could very well be gone tomorrow.
+ Don't Amount To Much
+ Winnebago

Found via It's A Trap. A track from the new (excellent) Radio Dept. album Pet Grief is available for free download.
+ A Window
+ The worst taste in music this one has been available for some time....

Found via Indie MP3. New wonderful track from Sambassadeur. The song is from the EP Coastal Affairs released on Labrador.
+ Kate

Chris reviews last night's Mew concert.

Charlie Don't Surf says "thank you".

Mixed Bag

Acoustic UK duo Mesh-29 has put up a song for free download at Myspace. The song is taken from the duo's debut album Dead Machine and I'm seriously thinking of ordering it, because the rest of the songs (streaming only) sound pretty fine too.
+ Close My Eyes

US alternative rock band The Situation list a string of classic rock bands as their influences and the track Cherry from the self-titled debut album (released April 18) does indeed sound like a mix of several other bands (Stone Roses etc.). Found the band on Myspace, but I can see that several other blogs have mentioned this band already.
+ Cherry
+ The Best Prescription Pill Available Not from the album, but quite good.

Ordered the EP Og Haanden Paa Skulderen yesterday by one of my new favorite bands Sidste Ambulance. And albums by Built To Spill, Le Sport and Secret Machines should arrive in my mailbox very soon.

Weird or stupid? I was browsing through my "friends" at Myspace and I guess I have a few too many, because I couldn't remember that I've ever befriended an indie/alternative band from Derby, UK called Leon. I've probably just accepted their friend request, planning to check them out later. As it turned out, "later" was today and I'm glad that I finally "discovered" the lads. The songs are very catchy and especially the brilliant Be There is an immediate favorite.
+ Be There Excellent!
+ Getting Into You

And finally a confession:

Have to admit that I like Third Eye Blind. I actually think that all 3 songs below are very, very good! Don't tell anyone OK?
+ Blinded (When I See You)
+ Never Let You Go
+ Semi-Charmed Life

Untitled Murder Mystery

Many bulletin posts at Myspace are just garbage, but it was very nice to read that a new track by Goodnight & Goodnight called Lucille's Midnight Cabaret is up.
+ Lucille's Midnight Cabaret

Fires by Nerina Pallot entered the UK album chart at no. 41 this week. I received a free copy of the album a while back and I've had some problems getting into it. A little too quiet and polished for my taste, but still it's very nice to see that someone who has worked very hard for it is getting some success.

Murder Mystery is a very interesting indie pop trio from NY, with a knack for writing catchy melodies. A four track EP was released at the end of April and it received a very nice review here. All four songs are available as downloads at the band's webpage and I strongly recommend that you check the songs out (while they are still there), because all of them are little gems! If you're a movie buff this might be something for you? Who plays the murder? In which movie? Directed by? If you don't understand the questions, visit the webpage.
+ Honey Come Home
+ Think of Me
+ In a Sentimental Mood

I'm stubborn and I'll continue doing my best to hype Danish indie rock band Anamia. Check them out - it won't hurt you!
+ Butterfly In Paris
+ Temptation Puzzle

A quartet of 80's favorites will end (?) today's post...
+ Breathe - Hands To Heaven
+ Cutting Crew - (I Just) Died In Your Arms Tonight
+ Deacon Blue - Dignity
+ Fine Young Cannibals - She Drives Me Crazy

What Is Love?

One of my favorite blogs It's A Trap has a brilliant post on a tribute compilation called What Is Love. The tribute album contains 12 tracks - all of them versions of Haddaway's What Is Love!?!? Read more.
+ Haddway - What Is Love

Torr mentions Sidste Ambulance. Thanks :-)

Sidste Ambulance / Tjeklisten

Vote for Sidste Ambulance and help them make it onto Tjeklisten.

The excellent Naar Jeg Doer is an aspirant this week and hopefully the song will receive plenty of votes, although it'll probably need all the help it can get!

If you don't understand Danish; all you have to do is sending a mail listing your 5 favorite songs of the recent list. Remember to write name and address!

May

It's the first day of the new month, so (as usual) I'm quite busy at work. But of course there will be time for listening to some music and posting a song or two.

+ Kni9hts - The Lost Lake
I've mentioned this indie pop band before and I'm crossing my fingers hoping that they'll be signed very soon!

+ Stickboy - Now Its All Gone + Pills For The Pain
Nice indie pop band from Manchester. Recommended by Kni9hts.

+ Built To Spill - Conventional Wisdom
I've just ordered You In Reverse. Free downloads ain't necessarily such a bad thing!