Out Of Office...

It's time for the annual summer holiday and tomorrow the girls and I will be heading to Jutland. So see you all (I hope) in two weeks time!

Below some of the stuff that I wanted to post before leaving, but never found the time to do (and I expect my mailbox to be completely cluttered when I return)...

+ Palomar - You're Keeping Us Up
+ Cuba Missouri - Lover's Leap (thanks to Peter)
+ The Papertiger Sound! - Youth Club 1982 (thanks to J.A.)

Schallgrenzen Festival...

Some of you have probably noticed that I've added a new banner in the right column. On December 15 the Schallgrenzen Festival (labeled the "smallest festival of the world) will take place in Hildesheim, Germany and I thought I should do my best to support this great initiative; therefore the banner. The main attraction of the Festival will be the 3 (very good) Danish bands Volvoe, Late Night Venture and Windermere, with local support from Juli Kapelle. Unless something unforeseen happens I plan to be there and I know that I share those plans with fellow bloggers Chris (Music Of The Moment) and Peter (Coast Is Clear). The entrance fee will be €10, which to me seems like quite a bargain with this excellent line-up! So...expect to see YOU there!
+ Windermere - There's A Sun
+ Late Night Venture - Pay The Moon
+ Volvoe - Remedy

Bedroom Eyes - New releases

Today is quite a day for Swedish one-man band Bedroom Eyes. The three track single Hand-In-Hand Grenade is released on the American indie label Cloudberry Records (100 hand-numbered CD-r copies are made) and a new four track EP (including two tracks of the aforementioned single) called Valentine Vacancy is available as a free download from the band's webpage. I strongly recommend that you give it a listen (and you really should listen to the excellent Embrace In Stereo EP as well), as this is charming, catchy and gorgeous Swedish indie pop at its very best! You know - violins, trumpets, handclaps, jangling guitars and some melody lines that will refuse to leave your head.
+ Hand-In-Hand Grenade
+ (Here's One for You) Underdog

Don't run to the...

The sun is shining and this has the potential to become an absolutely wonderful day. But I have plenty of work waiting for me, so unfortunately there's no chance that I'll be working on my suntan today. However life isn't completely miserable, as I have plenty of nice music on my harddrive and some it will (hopefully) be posted during the day, when I find a couple of free minutes.

First out is Don't Run To The Suburbs by the German trio The Dance Inc., and if the band name has created some expectations of a pulsing, energetic and danceable track, you certainly won't be disappointed. Especially the 70's inspired disco remix by Erobique will (after you've put on your white suite) make you head directly for the dancefloor, where you will start doing your best John Travolta impersonation.
+ Don't Run To The Suburbs
+ Don't Run To The Suburbs (Erobique Remix)

Another track that I've been listening to quite a lot the past couple of day is Severine by US duo Ego Likeness. Recommended to me (and you) by FALK, who once again has unearthed a very good darkwave/gothic artist. I'd really like to explore Ego Likeness further, but unfortunately the links at Last.fm don't seem to be working.
+ Severine

J. Forte released his solo debut album Secret Pop last year and states that he wants to promote it one last time before moving on. So he has sent me (and probably a few others) a mail hoping that his music would sound great in a car. Well I haven't listened to it in the car, but I'm certain it would. These are lo-fi indie pop songs with charming melodies sounding pretty much like they had been recorded somewhere in Sweden. Do I need to say more? Download two more tracks from his webpage.
+ Lines To Follow
+ Come Back Now Baby (Your Data's Good)

That and This...

The hard work finally seems to be paying off for Kind of girl. Yesterday Slave To Your Charms was aired on the Danish radio show Studie 4.
+ Slave To Your Charms

Another favorite band - US shoegazers Panda Riot - has posted a couple of new demos on their webpage.
+ When You Said/When I Said

Ivan of Oliver North Boy Choir sent me a suggestion the other day that I should pay Norwegian one-man project (a duo when lovely vocals are needed) Attention Now! some attention (pun intended), as he believed that I would like it. And since this sounds like a mix of The Notwist, Radio Dept. and EPO-555/ONBC it was a pretty good guess that I would like it. Attention Now! is still unsigned, but the track Sarcasm Shooter has received some airplay on various radio stations in Norway, so hopefully record labels will soon be knocking on the door. Some remixing activity is going on as well, so there should be plenty of interesting new stuff to be looking forward to.
+ Don't Let It Slip Away
+ Sarcasm Shooter
+ Soundwaves

I'm now 15.89% mainstream!

Vesterbro Festival - Some Thoughts...

Not a lengthy report - just a few thoughts (I didn't bring the camera, so no pics either)!

Was waiting for a band to start playing Who'll Stop The Rain Saturday afternoon. The water was pouring down.

The Festival is ambitious and wants to introduce the public to as many bands as possible. Unfortunately this means that the minutes dedicated to each band is very limited. I don't necessarily think that the bands need to play more than 30-40 minutes for the concert to be enjoyable/entertaining, but I think everyone would benefit if more time was available in between concerts for sound checks etc. That way the bands would feel more comfortable and the audience would get a better sound and (more importantly) a better impression of each band. Finally I think the placing of bands on various stages needs a little/some afterthought.

I spent at least 5 minutes watching each of these bands (x = entire set): A Kid Hereafter, Entakt (x), Nana Jacobi, Breum (x), Cinnober, Green Concorde (x), The Broken Beats, August and the Apples, Amazonair (x), US With Millions (x), Surfact, Carlas, Kind of girl (x), Swing of Sahara (x), Velour (x), Don't Go To New York, Volvoe (x) and 1 2 3 4 (x).

I was especially happy to (finally) catch Entakt and Kind of girl live, as they both have been on my "wish list" for a long time.

My age is starting to show. At 10:30 each night I was dead tired (and my back was hurting), so I decided to leave. This unfortunately meant that I missed Factory45 and Mushi.

Had the pleasure of saying hello to Sissel of Kind of girl and Anders/Thomas of Volvoe.

I had never heard of August & The Red Apples prior to the Festival, but the band's country-rock sounded really great and was a very pleasant surprise.
+ Desert Night Sky

Another surprise was the five-piece Amazonair. Despite having problems with the sound throughout the entire set, it was easy to hear that these guys write some fine Coldplay/Keane/Travis inspired pop tunes.
+ Because Tonight

Finally 1 2 3 4 (apparently pronounced "en to tre fire" and not "one two three four") was absolutely great. To me the lead singer looks the prototype of an "anti pop star", but he sure can sing.
+ Coltrane

A Saturday evening Last.fm mix tape...

(Almost) no words - just music:

+ The Greens - Found My People
+ Reflecting Skin - Soul Desert
+ Yo La Tengo - Upside-Down
+ The Icicles - Crazy
+ Tompaulin - Heard Your Whisper
+ The Exploding Boy - Shot Down
+ Stars - Ageless Beauty

Vesterbro Festival...

Tonight's the night...Check the weather forecast. Especially tomorrow looks really, really bad!

The line-up for this year's Vesterbro Festival (June 15th & 16th) looks absolutely fantastic. Here's a list of the band's I plan/hope to be able to catch during the two-day festival (unless of course they play at 2 a.m., as I'm way too old to be staying up all night). Unfortunately it looks as if I have to make unpleasant decisions a couple of times, as a few bands on the list are playing simultaneously:

+ 1 2 3 4 (Saturday 9:15) - Saddest
This is the new (re-recorded) version of this wonderful indie pop tune. Debut album to be released in September on the independent Auditorium label.
+ A Kid Herafter (Friday 4:45) - Secret Service
Will play early Friday afternoon and I'm certain that he'll deliver a great start to the festival!
+ Amazonair (Friday 9:15) - Rear-View Mirror
New addition to the list. Nice and melodic indie rock.
+ BREUM (Friday 6:45) - Silhuetter
I've only heard two songs by this band. Both of them are brilliant, but is the rest any good? Or do they only have two songs? Guess not :) Silhuetter is a brand new demo, so now I know three tracks by the duo!
+ Cinnober (Friday 7:30) - Armies of Disdain
Hopefully the music will sound equally beautiful when performed live!??
+ Decorate.Decorate. (Friday 7:00) - Departure
The band will release its debut album called Normandie on May 21. Surname should have been on my best of 2006 list.
+ THE ELEPHANTS (Friday 8:30) - Caroline Knows
This is the excellent new single by indie pop/surf band THE ELEPHANTS. Made available as a free download after some "mild" pressure :) The band has just been signed to the German label Tapete Records. How come no Danish label was prepared to sign this fine band?
+ Entakt (Friday 5:15) - Ventilen
I'm lobbying for permission to post a track from the band's debut album, but so far without any success. Instead I've posted the old (but still great) demo track Ventilen.
+ Factory45 (Saturday 11:30) - Supermarkets
New to the list. Probably requires a bit getting used to, but this is indie/alternative rock with potential.
+ The Floor Is Made Of Lava (Saturday 9:45) - Do Your Sister
We do expect these guys to deliver quite a party. Don't we?
+ Green Concorde (Friday 8:15) - 2:26
The only band on the list that I've seen live before. And they were pretty good!
+ Kind of girl (Saturday 4:45) - You Can't Save Me
A must see, as this is the most blogged about band in the history of this blog.
+ Mushi (Friday 00:15) - White Picket Fence
He'll be playing around midnight and I'm too old staying up that late (I have an one hour drive home afterwards). But two great albums make this a concert I cannot allow myself to miss!
+ Swing of Sahara (Saturday 6:15) - Mucked up in Brooklyn
The Danish version of Beirut?
+ Turboweekend (Friday 10:30) - Into You
I'm kind of expecting these guys to throw a dance party. Check the band's remix blog.
+ Us With Millions (Friday 10:00) - Shepherds Hour
Another band I don't want to miss. So far I've only heard 4 tracks by this band, but they all sound great. There certainly is some Band of Horses inspiration here.
+ Velour (Saturday 7:00) - Pam and The Important Man
The second album Undress Your Alibis has been received really well by the Germans. However we are still waiting for the (brilliant) album to be released in Denmark.
+ Volvoe (Saturday 8:30) - These Moments
Another band that I'm very much looking forward to see. That these great guys remain unsigned is hard to understand.

And I'll probably find several other bands that I'd like to see, once I get familiar with their music. Therefore this post will be updated every now and then (during the next month and a half), when I've listen to some of the other bands. More songs, comments, thoughts etc. will be added along the way as well.

Alcian Blue - One final EP...

US Shoegaze/Dreampop band Alcian Blue split up last year, but have still managed to find enough tracks in the vaults to release one final EP. The EP will be called Years Too Late and (quoting) "will be on it's way to press very soon and will be available exclusively at Tonevendor & Safranin Sound". Stream 3 of the tracks at Myspace and/or download Carousel for free.
+ Carousel

He's gone, but tWAMi is back...

I just received a message from old Hits In The Car favorite tWAMi that he has recorded and uploaded a brand new instrumental track called He's Gone. In his own words the track is colder and more minimalistic than his previous works, which might have something to do with the passing away of his father earlier this year. And the title of the track certainly indicates that this could very well be the case! But even in times of grief, creativity will flourish, and tWAMi has (despite everything) recorded a dark, intense and absolutely gorgeous piece of electronic music.

+ He's Gone

Music, Music, Music...

Think 80's inspired bands like Editors and you know what to expect from US quartet Le Firm. Catchy stuff and both tracks are from the band's 2006 Flugsport EP.
+ Bastille Day
+ Technology

Marie Antoinette is a Danish five-piece brought to my attention by fab Danish blog emodreng & indiepige. Compared to The Cure (musically) and The Kissaway Trail (vocally) (and at times sounding like Figurines) this certainly is a band with potential. Beware that the quality of the demos aren't the best, but the songs are very, very good!
+ Separated
+ Without a Sight

The music of Swedish trio Norma is described as "a mix of shoegaze, kraut, ambient, electronica, noise and indie". I've nothing to add and this track does indeed sound like a storm!
+ The Storm

The guitars are plugged in and Normandy from NY has recorded a couple of noisy, but catchy and highly entertaining indie rock tracks. Both tracks are from the debut EP Time I've Wasted released on March 24.
+ Sweatshop
+ Kentucky Isolation

Fløjl from Copenhagen is currently working on a new album to follow up the 2005 album Lejlighedssange. The lyrics are a huge part of this, so unless you speak or understand Danish, I recommend that you simply skip this one.
+ Vi Mødes Kun I Byen

DAMPFBAHN!...

Steam isn’t exactly what I’ve needed the past few days, as the sun has insisted on shining, thus making the heat in my office almost unbearable. But somehow a band with the unappealing name Dampfbahn! (Dampf = steam in German) has still managed to bring some coolness into my working life the past few days, as I’ve been listening to the duos new EP (DAMPFBAHN! EP 2007) over and over. The duo describes itself as “An explosive neon-coloured dance-duo…hailing from disco town”, and after a few spins you know this is the kind of stuff that will kick start any party. So this is not music that will make you lean back and help you stop sweating, but instead it will constantly try to make your feet start moving (and thus make you sweat even more). But these guys are really cool and the 5 catchy songs with their haunting beats had the same effect on me as a fresh breeze on warm summer day, so what the…let’s forget about work, grab some beers, turn up the volume and let the beach party begin!
+ Houseman
+ Go Higher
+ All Is Swell

KNI9HTS - 3 new demos...

KNI9HTS is one of those bands that constantly manage to fly well below the radar, despite writing excellent songs. I've been following this UK indie rock quartet for some time now and I believe this must be (at least) the third batch of demos from the band. Back then (April last year) when I listened to the band for the first time (what I believe/guess must have been "batch 1"), I was certain that the band would be signed any day, but for whatever reason the band remains parked in the waiting line. And unfortunately I somehow question that the new songs will do anything to change this! Oh no - not because the new songs aren't any good. They are just as great as the previous stuff, but if those songs couldn't get them signed, then why and how would the new ones? The band still lists several bands/artists as the main influences (from Simon & Garfunkel to Nirvana), but on these 3 tracks I do hear a lot of Doves (which happens to be one of my favorite bands), with some additional inspiration from bands like Puressence, R.E.M. and U2.
+ Golden Triangle

+ Death Of Me
+ The Number

Tiger Baby remixes

Two Tiger Baby tracks have been remixed (one by Zvook Mescalin and the other by ME vs ME) and made available as free downloads from the band's webpage. The band members have done a little work themselves and remixed the new single The Box by Thermostatics. Stream it here (no free download - at least not yet). Finally the band's superb cover version of the classic Depeche Mode track Strangelove (that was recorded for the Danish Depeche Mode tribute album - DMDK) is up for grabs at myspace.
+ At Least I'm Honest (Zvook Remixalin)
+ Sweetheart (Make Me Vs. Me Understand remix)
+ Strangelove (Depeche Mode cover)

This and That (Danish Edition)...

I received the great news yesterday that we'll soon hear new material from Danish indie rock band Demons Are Real. More "evil sounding" guitars are promised on the new songs, though I really like the Joy Division inspired sound on the Hum Speed On/Off EP (all 6 tracks available for free from the band's webpage).
+ Your Information and Conclusion

I posted a new demo track by BREUM in the Vesterbro Festival post yesterday, but it's certainly worth posting one more time!
+ Silhuetter

Stream the new single called Angel by Saybia. The band's third album will be released August 27.

No - I haven't forgotten about Gaffa's demo of the month (June). The quartet Ave is this month's pick and the band's demo Follow Your Saint receives the remarkable 6 stars out of 6. The band is compared to Kashmir and Radiohead, and the music is the dark, epic and gorgeous kind that just never seems to stop growing.
+ Toll For The Brave
+ Endless Light

Some of you might remember the Danish duo Tetris = Therapy that I mentioned some time ago? One of the band members (Rune) participates in a few other band projects, of which the duo Sometimes has caught my attention. The band name is an obvious My Bloody Valentine reference and the music is inspired by some of the major shoegaze bands of the 80's and 90's (Slowdive, MBV, Ride etc.). Danish shoegaze bands are few and far between (or at least I'm not very good at finding them), so I'll definitely follow this duo closely hoping that it will evolve into something more serious than just a part time project.
+ Collider
+ Dino Soar

The National Bahnhof...

The past week I've been listening a lot to the (in my opinion) really fine debut Reverse by Danish alternative/indie rock band Bahnhof and as I always do, I checked a couple of reviews, but was quite surprised to see that neither Gaffa nor Soundvenue liked the album. What really stroke me when reading was that both reviewers seemed to focus far more on the press material in which the band compares itself to The Raveonettes, Mew, Kashmir, Figurines, than they did on the music. And of course it is quite something to compare yourself to those highly regarded bands, when you're about to release your debut album. But rather than being irritated, I think they should have simply ignored this confident statement and instead reviewed the album on its own terms (which they hopefully tried, but clearly failed to do)...
A highly original/groundbreaking album it isn't (being familiar with the band for some time now, I certainly didn't expect it to be) as the music sounds like a huge (but very good) mix of bands like Kent, Muse, Interpol, The Killers etc. But most importantly all of the songs are enjoyable with catchy melodies, and as a whole the album is a lot better than those reviews gives it credit for.
+ A Brighter Day

On a completely different note, I still don't like the way some albums are (over-) hyped, but Boxer by The National is really, really great and deserves all the nice words and fantastic reviews. Fake Empire is one of those unique songs that just seems to be getting better and better - despite that I've already listened to it a 100 times. And another fabulous track of the album is Apartment Story, which can be found here.
+ Fake Empire

Monday it is...

I'm not going to post any comments on that football/soccer game played Saturday evening. Memorable in many, many ways and still you wish it had never taken place.

But the weather was fine yesterday and today there's no sunshine. So life can be fair after all!

And life didn't exactly get any worse when I found the new single The Sound Of You by French/British quartet Mono Taxi in the mailbox this morning. On the single the band mashes up a great pop tune with the psychedelic sound of the 60's and some cool (still noisy) shoegaze inspired guitars, which results in a stunning track that definitely is among the very best I've heard so far this year. Or as someone has described it; "imagine The Velvet Underground meeting The Jesus And Mary Chain". To be released on Ciao Ketchup Recordings on August 20.
+ The Sound Of You

Norwegian duo Jeremy is another act finding lots and lots of inspiration in the 60's. When you listen to this track, you once again is tempted to draw some parallels to The Velvet Underground and perhaps even The Beatles (when George wrote the songs); especially around the 2:30 mark. But the song is also straight-forward and immediately catchy in a way you should be familiar with from the times you've been listening to The Turtles and The Zombies. And by calling the new single Make Love Not War the band must have known that the 60's comparisons were unavoidable.
+ Make Love Not War

Friday evening blogging...

This just as a precaution before rumors start circulating. NO – today’s post on doping doesn’t spell a new beginning for Hits In The Car. This is and will remain a blog focusing on music, though it probably won’t be the last time that I will be tempted to touch other subjects!

May was the most successful month in the history of the blog with nearly 13,000 visits and 20,000 page views. Thanks a bundle to all who visited and please, please remember to come back some other time. Unfortunately I don’t think that the growing number is due to the fact that the blog’s popularity is rising. Instead I believe it has a lot more to do with the increasing interest in music blogs in general.

This blog has quietly turned into one of my favorites. It’s written in Danish; it's not updated very often and only features a few posts on music. Instead it's the perfect place to go, if you want to be updated on news about the murder of JFK.

Back again after a lengthy break. First I had to put the kids to bed and then I had to do some push-ups, sit-ups and back exercises. I’m certainly no fitness freak, but the past few months, as my physical shape has been getting worse and worse, my back has started troubling me again. So the days of bad excuses and laziness are over, and it’s time to get back in shape. And to celebrate my initiative I’ve rewarded myself a nice cold Brooklyn Brown Ale! One step forward and two steps back I guess?

FALK continues recommending interesting music. Earlier today he sent me a suggestion that I should listen to German indie/alternative rock band Steep. Pretty cool track Like This that is taken from the 2007 album Your Reality, has found a lot of inspiration in bands like Coldplay, Muse and Snow Patrol.
+ Like This

The lovely new Club 8 single Whatever You Want is now available for free from the fantastic Labrador label.
+ Whatever You Want

Gotta love this one. Swedish duo Sleepwalk (a collaboration of Mr. Sidewalk and Tiny Well-Placed Bleep) has recorded a track called Disco From Italy that is...you guessed it...influenced/inspired by Italo Disco. 20 years ago I would have run down to the local record store begging them to immediately order the 12" version!
+ Disco From Italy

Armstrong - Where are you?

Now that former Tour De France winner Bjarne Riis has admitted to the use of EPO, I cannot help wondering where multiple-time winners Miguel Indurain and Lance Armstrong are hiding. Obviously I don’t know if either was doped during their dominant reign as kings of the most prestigious bike race in the world, but I cannot help being suspicious. Or let me put it like this. What are the odds of you winning 5 or 7 times in a row in any sports, when several of your opponents are cheating? Would you be able to win in poker if everyone else were using marked cards? Could any soccer/football team win The Champions League even once, if the other teams constantly bribed the referees? You get my point – right?

I know this is the exact opposite of the way things normal work in our civilized world, but I seriously suggest that these two guys step forward and somehow prove to all doubters (and I cannot be on my own here) that they were “clean” back in the days, when they were so victorious. And they should do it very soon for their own good as things will only get worse. So far we’ve only seen riders from Denmark and Germany confess, and heard nothing from the Italian, French, Spanish, Dutch and American riders. Eventually some of them will feel the pressure of the truth and admit to some kind of doping abuse. And for every confession cycling fans will become more and more skeptical making it even more difficult for the two legends to step forward. If they cannot prove that everything was fair play (and I very much doubt they can), I strongly urge them to tell the truth, no matter how unpleasant it might be. But why should they? They are ranked among the biggest and best athletes ever and why risk ruining that? But that leaves me with my final question. Who wants to be remembered as the king among cheaters? And the number of cheaters is growing every day...

+ EPO-555 - Le Beat's On Fire & Hyperschlieb