Souvenir cover...

Spanish quartet Klaus&Kinski covers Souvenir by OMD. This happens to be one of my all time favorite songs, so I'm not really sure what to think...
+ Souvenir (OMD Cover)

And here's the video for the original version by OMD. All these years later (26 to be exact), I'm still having difficulties believing that it was actually Paul Humphreys singing this one (does sound like a woman - doesn't it?)!

The Steadies - New EP

Wonderful UK indie pop band The Steadies has uploaded the 4 new tracks from the band's forthcoming EP to Myspace (as free downloads of course). These are really friendly people and promise to send the EP to anyone interested, once the sleeve is finished. So if you love gorgeous, laid-back and utterly beautiful indie pop with acoustic guitars, flute, violins etc.; look no further. Below I've posted two of the new tracks (and you can find two more here).
+ How I Did Wonder
+ Elegance In Defeat

Today's Last.fm recommendation...

was To The Bright and Shining Sun by Irish band The Walls. Since I was familiar with the band, but not the song, I decided to give it a listen (and I'm glad I did). This absolutely brilliant up-tempo indie rock track was one of the singles found on the band's 2005 album New Dawn Breaking. Apparently the album sold really well on the home market, and if the rest of the album is as good as the two singles below; I'm not at all surprised.
+ To The Bright and Shining Sun
+ To The Bright and Shining Sun (acoustic version)
+ Black & Blue

Goodies...

I've lots of stuff that I'd like to post, but time is as always a very limited commodity these days (look at the burden I have to carry). So here are the songs and hopefully I'll be able to add a few comments during the day...

+ Tilde vs SuperTroels - Toss Away (SuperTroels Remix)
SuperTroels was rather pissed off yesterday (to say the least), because a Danish blog (which now has been deleted) had made the entire I Know That You Know album available for free. As a blogger I can only support free downloads of a few tracks, but the artists still have to make a living, so I can never support actions like that! Should add that his album is pretty good, so I can only recommend that you buy it!

+ Pete White - The Light & Friction Makes Fire
That UK singer/songwriter Pete White is one of my favorite artists is probably one of the world's worst kept secrets. He's been in the studio and re-recorded a couple of old tracks and in his own words: "finally got a dark version of friction makes fire and quite an up beat version of the light." As always highly enjoyable.

+ Buddy Akai - I'll Know
Rodolfo is a really busy man as well these days (hopefully I'll soon be able to tell you why), so we haven't heard from him for quite some time. But yesterday he sent a message recommending this catchy and danceable one by Californian electro/indie rock act Buddy Akai.

+ Tears Run Rings - A Question and an Answer
This wonderful dream pop track is taken from the band's debut EP released earlier this week on Lavender Recordings/Disaster Club Records.

+ No Privacy - The Shadow
The animated video for this track is absolutely fantastic. Check it here. The song itself by this Danish quartet is quite OK.

+ Sir Salvatore - Public Key
Just a pretty good one from the mailbox. This band is beginning to make a splash in the blogger world.

+ The Paperhouse - Bright Life
Not really that high on this track by Aussie band The Paperhouse. But those opening jangling guitars are really, really great!

TF vs. JT

Once again I'm really busy, so I only have time to post a quick one from the mailbox. Swedish singer Tobias Fröberg covers What Goes Around by Justin Timberlake. This version is a lot (and despite the Swedish accent, I mean a LOT) more likeable than the original (probably because JT is second on my list of "least-favorite-artists").
+ What Goes Around

Thanks to It's A Trap for directing me to these two new (and really nice) ones by Swedish indie pop trio Double Dan.
+ When The Sun Falls Down
+ A Picture Of You

Today I'm listening to...

The 2004 self-released album Unbelonging by Danish one-man project Mushi (though it was actually called Mushy back then). The list of influences is quite an interesting read and includes just about everything (and everyone) from Cabaret (genre) over Calexico to The Pixies. And it is indeed rather difficult fitting the music of Mushi into any specific category, but no matter what genres are being added to the mix, the fine melody lines are always present underneath it all, which makes listening to the album a pleasant and highly entertaining experience. And of course I should mention that the entire album is available for free right here.
+ Grease Monkey
+ Elise And The Guardian Angel
+ The Nightcrawler

A new album called Unfairytales was released last month, but no songs are currently available for free (but five new and really good ones can be streamed here). I'll get back to that album, if/whenever a track (or two) can be legally shared.

Buildings, Trees and a Bahnhof...

Some will probably recall that I mentioned Danish alternative/electronic rock band Bahnhof quite a few times last year, because I had fallen absolutely in love with the track Tanktop Girl? Since then the band has been signed to new Danish label Strange Ears and the band's debut full-lenghter called Reverse will be released May 7. Four album tracks have been uploaded to Myspace with one of them being a free download.
+ A Brighter Day

9 tracks by friendly Swedish indie pop/americana (the band uses the term americana-indie) quartet Buildings & Trees are available for free from the band's webpage. This is really nice and fairly laid-back stuff that should please fans of bands like The Magic Numbers, The Lucksmiths etc.
+ Little Wonders
+ Without the Light

Montt Mardie...

I just took a close look at Falk's Last.fm page and saw that he's been listening a lot to 1969 by Swedish singer Montt Mardie today. Curious as I am, I had to give it a listen and I'm glad that I did, as it turned out to be one of those very catchy and charming pop songs. According to his webpage he "enjoys movies from the fifties, music from the sixties and comicbooks from the seventies" and you certainly find lots of 60's inspiration in this track (and in his other stuff as well). And trumpets are always welcome and highly enjoyable in up-tempo and happy pop songs. The track is taken from the double album Clocks/Pretender (which seems to be some kind of compilation) that was released on Hybris earlier this week.
+ 1969
+ New York (another album track)

Dorsia...On Certain Illusions

Dorsia is a new and quite ambitious Danish one-man project playing catchy and somewhat 80's inspired pop music, which (if the band's Myspace profile is to be trusted) is influenced by The Wall Street Journal! I'm not really certain what is meant by that, unless of course NASDAQ and the oil prices serve as major sources of inspiration? Another explanation could be (after reading this) that people in general shy away from admitting what they really think and feel, so he (T. R. Jorgensen) is simply trying to provoke all of us by saying that he's a snob and wants to live life on 1. class? Or perhaps it's a reference to the vanity and superficial lifestyle described in American Psycho (thank you anonymous)? Oh well - you can try figuring it out yourself if you like, while listening to the 3 tracks from the promotion EP On Certain Illusions (which I definitely think you should). As mentioned above this is pure pop music with lots of keyboards and stuff, and especially the first track Unprovoked is begging for repeated listening.
+ Unprovoked
+ She went off to Milan
+ Harm

This and that...

J.A. is really high on the track Over You by Swedish electronic/synth pop one-man project Killing Game. And it certainly is an incredible and very catchy song that must be among the best I've heard so far this year. Unfortunately it's not available for download, so streaming will have to do for now.

In a recent interview Avi of It's A Trap lists Hits In The Car as one of his top 3 music blogs. Thank you Avi and trust me when I say that I'm truly, truly flattered.

I did a little search over at Myspace today and somehow stumbled upon Swedish part-time project/duo Sons of Brother Justin. Once you listen to these two great indie/shoegaze/dream pop inspired tracks, I feel pretty certain that you'll agree that it's hard to believe that they were written and recorded in just 24 hours.
+ The Jury
+ Treadmills

The video for the great new track The Needle In The Butterfly by Danish Americana/Spaghetti Western/Tarantino inspired duo Salem features sequences from the Lars Von Trier movie Europa. It's absolutely amazing!

The William Blakes +++

The William Blakes continues to record new songs and the past week 3 new tracks have been uploaded to Myspace. The band has been so kind to mail me all 3 tracks in high quality and given me permission to post all of them as well. The songs remain difficult to label and still sound something like Talking Heads and Arcade Fire teaming up with Kraftwerk and Phil Spector. Or in the band's own confident words they sound like "something spectacular". Information is sparse so I have no idea who's hiding behind the band name (could be ordinary Joe's or some other band's side project), whether the band will ever play live, is closed to be signed etc. But I really like the songs which probably is what matters the most? Links taken down...
+ Innocence and Experience
+ Science is Religion
+ Secrets of the State

Oliver North Boy Choir has recorded a cover version of the disco classic Yes Sir, I Can Boogie. The song can be streamed at the band's Myspace profile and after a few listens I really started enjoying it!

Swedish synth pop trio This Vision has uploaded a new track name Untitled to Myspace. Accordingly the reason for this banal title is that finishing and mixing the track is taking forever, so the band has decided to upload the track as it is in its current version. A new/updated version will probably be available as some point (although this one IS already pretty good).
+ Untitled
+ Young Hearts (older but excellent track)

Velour - The sound of sunshine...

Danish 60's inspired indie pop band Velour has been so kind to send me their yet to be released second album Undress Your Alibis. Actually it was released in Germany last week on Noisedeluxe, but so far no date for a Danish release has been set. But perhaps/hopefully the band's Danish label (Sonet) will hurry up, once they read this very positive German review of the album? My German isn't any good (actually it sucks pretty bad), but a statement like "...ist Pop im besten" shouldn't be all that difficult for anyone to understand. And this is indeed a wonderful pop album that really urges you to grab a cold one, put on your wayfarers (or whatever they are called these days) and dance into the sunshine. And the sun will shine, because these songs are so charming and irresistible that even the sun wouldn't want to miss the party!!
+ If You Really Want Me (my favorite track on the album)
+ Pam And The Important Man (described as a "pop jewel" in the review)

Monday Music...

Work is piling up at my desk, so I don't have much time for writing posts today. So here are a few tracks to keep you entertained, while I'm working my way through lots and lots of stuff that would make anyone suffering from insomnia fall asleep within 15 seconds...

+ Rubik - Haiku Motorik
Great song by this Finnish indie rock band. Compared to Radiohead, Mew and the likes.

+ GimmiJapan - Gloria + Confidential + Shiver At Nightlights
3 fine alternative pop songs from GimmiJapan's 2006 Demo EP.

+ Quarter - Confusions + Where The Planes Crashes
Britpop inspired German band. Recommended by J.A.

Saturday's alright for...

Yesterday I posted SuperTroels' remix of Wash Out by Turboweekend. Today I learned that the track has been remixed by Danish producer/DJ James Braun as well. Dance away...
+ Wash Out (James Braun Remix)

The debut album (to be called Echoes & Stills) by Danish indie/alternative rock band January Jaunt will be released on May 5. As a small appetizer the band's label, the newly founded Strange Ears, has uploaded one of the tracks from the album for all of us to download and enjoy. This is both melodic and noisy at the same time and very, very interesting!
+ Vacation in the unknown

The William Blakes are really productive these days and for the second time this week the band has uploaded a new track to Myspace. According to the band the song is based on William Blake's Songs of Innocence and of Experience.
+ Innocence and Experience (Links taken down)

The single Pretty Far From OK by Swedish pop/shoegaze (strange combination, but I bet you'll agree when you've listened to it) band Oh! Custer is released on Cloudberry Records tomorrow. I have only heard one of the tracks (the b-side; Post), which is absolutely brilliant!
+ Post

Kind of girl +++

I didn't update the blog yesterday, as I spent a large chunk of the day in Copenhagen far, far away from my computer. Among the things I did in the Danish capital was having a cup of coffee with Jesper, who is responsible for the promotion of Danish alternative/indie rock/pop band Kind of girl. Following our short encounter he wrote this, which almost made me blush. Guess you must be completely new to this blog if you have missed out on this great band, so here are a few tracks to get you started.
+ Poetry Boy
+ Slave To Your Charms

Two tracks found in my mailbox last night taken from the album Arrivals And Departures by US indie pop band The Icicles. The band has been compared to Camera Obscura and especially Whirling is absolutely sweet.
+ La Ti Da
+ Whirling

SuperTroels has remixed two tracks by Danish electro rock act Turboweekend. He's an absolute workhorse, who never ceases to amaze me. Hopefully I'll be able to pick up his debut album later today.
+ Wash Out (Original)
+ Wash Out (SuperTroels Remix)
+ Something To Say (Original)
+ Something To Say (SuperTroels Remix)

Nothing But Green Lights has once again posted an excellent track. This time it's Good Coat by UK indie pop/folk singer Rod Thomas.

Hits In The Car favorite Andrew Boland has uploaded a few new tracks to his Myspace profile. One of the tracks is called Andrew Boland's Few, which is a title very similar to his previous (and absolutely wonderful) track Leonard Cohen's Few. I really like the new one (laid back and reminds me somewhat of Richard Hawley), though it never really reaches the heights of the Cohen tribute.
+ Andrew Boland's Few

I've just received a "friend" request from the official Terry Hall myspace profile. 3 tracks are available as free downloads and one of them is this gorgeous classic by The Colourfield. I actually have the original 7" somewhere.
+ Thinking of you

Two brand new tracks by The Sky Drops are available for free from the band's webpage.
+ Sentimental
+ Million

Null Device - The London EP

Thanks to Falk I'm currently listening to the 2005 The London EP by US (Madison, Wisconsin) duo Null Device. This is synthpop sounding a lot like it used to back in the 80's. The songs are immediately catchy (with lengthy instrumental passages) and chances are pretty good that you'll be humming them all day. The drumbeats just go on and on and eventually your feet will start tapping along. The entire EP (7 tracks) can be yours for free over at Last.fm and all tracks are definitely worth checking out. More free songs by the duo can be found here.
+ Walk In London (Null Device Brick Lane Mix)
+ Unknowingly (Iris Mix)
+ Travelogue (Hungry Lucy Mix)

The 2003 single Footfalls is pretty cool and highly recommendable as well!
+ Footfalls (single mix)

The William Blakes and stuff...

Danish five-piece The William Blakes has uploaded a new track to Myspace called Secrets of the State. This is a haunting and very catchy track, which easily is their best effort so far. Hopefully I'll be able to post the track in a better quality soon.
+ Secrets of the State

A very nice and dreamy pop song found in the mailbox. It's by Icelandic one-man project Bang Gang and it's taken from the debut album Something Wrong that was released last week.
+ It's Alright

On constant repeat today is the 10 track debut album Some Delicious Enemy by Portland quartet Saturna. I'm not really sure when it will be released (I've seen the date May 29 somewhere, but cannot find any official information), but this highly recommendable album is a superb blend of indie/alternative rock and shoegaze.
+ Roll Down
+ Chasing the Unpredictable

Easter is (almost) upon us...

Danish band Velour has mailed me 3 tracks that I'm currently enjoying. This is happy and charming pop music with strings, trumpets and stuff, described by the band as a tribute to the sound of the late 60's. Perfect when the sun is shining (as it is now) and the songs should fit nicely on any summer compilation. The band is signed to the Sonet label, but the debut album has been postponed several times already, which is quite a shame as this is music for the summer days (and not for the rainy and windy days of autumn).
+ Alibi
+ BBC
+ Rain In Summertime

Wednesday the girls and I will travel to Warsaw, Poland for a few days. Don't expect any updates while I'm away.

Peter (Schallgrenzen) recommends German indie/alternative 5-piece Unicova. This track is pretty cool and sounds like The Radio Dept. getting inspired by 1979 by The Smashing Pumpkins.
+ Hush, yeah fly

Finally; two Swedish indie pop bands/projects recommended by J.A. Both Felix and Me and Twinkling Streams keep information at a very minimum, so I have no clue who hides behind these aliases. J.A. labels it "sweet pop music", which I think is an excellent description!
+ Felix and Me - Love It
+ Twinkling Streams - Things We Never Had

That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore

The moi Caprice concert last night was............cancelled!