Shorties (Happy Christmas version)...

Since this is the last post this side of Christmas, I guess it’s fitting to wish you all a merry, merry Christmas. Have a great time with your loved ones. Don't eat and drink too much, and of course remember to listen to some great music!

Champagne Riot is giving away a Christmas single as well as an old demo from 2004. December Slopes was originally recorded for the Cloudberry Records release Last Train To Christmas.
+ December Slopes

My favorite band Kent has published/released a brand new track named På Drift? and it's free to download from the band’s website.

Happy The Man is the title of the new release by Folk rock duo The Guggenheim Grotto and the album is one amazing collection of wonderful pop tunes. It has already been released digitally, but you’ll have to wait until January 27 for the physical release.
+ Fee Da Da Dee

afmusic offers free download of a 23 track Xmas compilation named Howly Night featuring a number of previously unreleased songs.
+ The Search - We Fell Asleep In Eachothers Arms

Shorties...

Only two days left, but there’s still one Christmas song left in the pipeline. It’s this excellent one by talented Copenhagen indie pop/rock quartet Passtime Poets named A Murder Yuletide.
+ A Murder Yuletide

In A Cyclone of Stones reports that Oliver North Boy Choir has been busy recording their next single (they are always busy recording singles - aren't they?). To ease the wait, the trio is giving away a song for free named Ventil, which was recorded years ago, while they were still known as pierre.
+ Ventil

The debut album Aboa Sleeping by Finnish duo Burning Hearts will be out February 10 next year on Shelflife Records. The album contains 9 wonderful tracks imported directly from the indie pop heaven, thus helping to keep the labels streak of fantastic releases alive. The album in its entirety can be streamed from Last.fm.
+ I Lost My Colour Vision
+ Sea Birds

One Weekly Gun has now officially published his excellent One Xmas Song.
+ One Xmas Song

Now there’s a Christmas present I could easily live without. Indie MP3 has decided to throw in the towel and has ceased to exist. Always sad when one of the best music blogs out there decides to call it quits, and it will be sorely missed.

Purplespace - Kaleidoscope...

Too tired to write anything, but this brand new track by US shoegaze/electronica combo Purplespace is, just like everything else the band has recorded, absolutely wonderful. You probably remember the band by this The Psychedelic Furs cover they recorded a couple of years ago.
+ Kaleidoscope
+ Pretty in Pink (The Psychedelic Furs cover)

One Xmas Song...

One Xmas Song is the 39th and most likely last song of the year by ambitious Danish one-man project One Weekly Gun, and as announced it’s completely different from the 38 previous ones. Now unfaithful to his own dogmatic rules of writing, producing and posting the songs in less than three hours, he has rearranged the first song ever published by One Weekly Gun. Appropriately that track was named One Song Every Week and looking back the lyrics predicted the year quite accurately (“one song every week now that’s what you’re getting”). Frederik Thaae (a.k.a. A Kid Hereafter) and Kristian Thomsen have mixed the new version of the track, Jakob Faurholt has arranged it and with the help of The Danish National Chamber Orchestra an absolutely wonderful Christmas feel has been added. Or as written in the press material; “listen to it loud and catch the Christmas spirit", and I can only second that! Thanks to Peter for letting me do an advance posting of the track, as it will officially be available from the One Weekly Gun website on Monday the 22nd.
+ One Xmas Song
+ One Song Every Week

Shorties...

I’ve decided to abandon the Christmas post. The post itself is rather lame I know and if nothing else it definitely proved that I’m one lazy bastard. This doesn’t mean however that there will be no more Christmas tunes, and here are a couple of nice ones for you.

+ Sherwood – Snowing In Seattle
Despite the chiming bells, this pumping and catchy track by Sherwood is probably not your typical Christmas tune. Instead its driving pace should be the perfect companion during the next few days of furious shopping.

+ Balthrop, Alabama – Christmas in Jail
Balthrop, Alabama consists of siblings Pascal and Lauren Balthrop (and several others I've been corrected) and with help from Dawn Landes the duo has recorded a seasonal album named A Very Balthrop Christmas. It’s out on End Up Records and with 12 charming folk-rock tunes (not every one is as bittersweet as this promo track) it is well worth a try. And two weeks from now, it sure is too late!

Charlie, Don’t Surf drummer Mikkel has released (published is probably a more accurate term) a few tracks under the alias ME ME ME. These infectious synths/electronic dominated tunes are worlds away from the indie pop universe of the surfer lads (not that I mind at all). Learn more about the project and download two more tracks from Mikkel’s website.
+ Shed Some Light

Remember my comment last week on the Plushgun promo mail? Afterwards I actually received an apology, which was quite a surprise. Learned in the same apology mail that I haven’t posted the new video for Just Impolite, so here it is. And if you missed the track the previous billion times I posted it, it’s here as well.
+ Just Impolite

moi Caprice/No and The Maybes...

Better late than never I suppose? A few thoughts on the No and The Maybes/moi Caprice double-packer Friday evening.

No and The Maybes played a really tight set and managed to include just about every track from their debut album. The songs are short with a Beach Boys/60’s feel to them, which makes you think wayfarers and suntan rather than snowballs and Christmas trees. But despite this being December, it was still nice seeing the trio again and I’m already looking forward to the next time. Plague of Angels has posted a few songs of the debut album, and I strongly urge you to check them out.

Somehow it always seems close to impossible to rate a concert by one of your favorite acts. moi Caprice performed 16 songs and still it was way too short. A few too many songs from the back catalogue were missing and the sound wasn’t the best. But being biased as I am, I still think the concert, despite those flaws, was absolutely fantastic. And it was quite encouraging that a decent number of people actually showed up (close to 100).

After the concert I had the privilege to chat briefly with lead singer Michael Møller and (sort of) got answers to two of my burning questions. What will happen to those “catchy” tracks that the band claims to have deliberately cut from We Had Faces Then (to be released at some later point) and does he plan to release a follow up to his amazing solo album Every Streetcar's Got a Name (he probably will some day, but it will neither sound like Streetcar nor as moi Caprice “light”).

+ No and The Maybes - Mouth
+ moi Caprice – For Once in Your Life Try Fight for Something You Believe In
+ Michael Møller - All the Girls I Lost in the Fires

On the radio this morning...

For Danes only I guess?



Every morning when eating breakfast the radio is on, and from time to time it does happen that some really fine stuff is aired, thus helping to make the start of the day a good one. The “On the radio this morning” posts are an attempt to make your start a good one as well!

Your name will ring a bell again tonight...

Unless you’re a complete stranger to this blog, you probably know by now that I’m going to see moi Caprice/No & The Maybes at Toldkammeret tonight. As always it will be highly interesting to see the number of people showing up, as my (otherwise lovely) hometown never seems to be very good at embracing upcoming or little-known bands. In a way you can say that my hopes for tonight are split in two. Obviously it will be great if lots of people show up, which should improve the chances of either band returning some other time. Or perhaps even better encourage other bands to (at least) consider Helsingør as a serious option, when planning their tours. But on the other hand it’s always a cool and very intimate experience, when hardly anyone shows up, though this has to be extremely frustrating for the band(s). So as much as I’m hoping for a big crowd tonight, I feel rather certain that it will be an experience for the few.
+ To The Lighthouse
+ Drama Queen

The 38th song of the year by One Weekly Gun has been posted. He’s done an admirable job and now we’re all waiting for that New Years treat!
+ Seven Things I Hate

Nearly laughed my ass off. Just received a promo mail suggesting that I should check out the new track Just Impolite by Plushgun. Please, please, pretty please, check the mail guidelines before sending any promo mails. The person responsible for this definitely hasn’t wasted 10 seconds checking the blog before mailing. Otherwise she would have learned that I’ve featured the track in 3 (1,2,3) different blogposts as well as in this Støj På Frekvensen post. Frustrations aside, I do love the track immensely and don’t mind at all posting it once again!
+ Just Impolite

On the radio this morning...

I agree with most people that the third Keane album is quite a disappointment. It does however include this track, which has to be one of the band’s brightest moments. Strange video though!



Every morning when eating breakfast the radio is on, and from time to time it does happen that some really fine stuff is aired, thus helping to make the start of the day a good one. The “On the radio this morning” posts are an attempt to make your start a good one as well!

Shorties...

Will I ever learn to make up my mind? In April I wrote that I thought the Lykke Li album Youth Novels was plain boring. But before making my year-end list, I thought I should give it another listen and suddenly find myself completely in love with it! Apparently I can’t always tell the difference between boring and beautiful? D’oh!
+ Dance, Dance, Dance

Two tracks from the forthcoming Demons Are Real EP I mentioned yesterday can now be streamed at Myspace. I'm afraid that the jury is still out!

Completely forgot to mention in the same post yesterday that the excellent indie poppers No and the Maybes will be supporting moi Caprice tomorrow night. The band gave a really fine performance at this year’s Vesterbro Festival (now known as Start! Festival) and with plenty of gigs under their belt since the release of the self-titled album in October I expect them to (at least) match that one.
+ Mouth

Shorties...

Find information on how to pre-order the forthcoming Ether Aura album Watercolor Ghost Town. $12 seems like s a fairly reasonable price.

Danish New Order/Joy Division inspired indie rock trio Demons Are Real will release a 5 track EP named The Blessing Of Sorrow on February 2nd. They’ve previously promised that a new release would include more “evil sounding” guitars, so it will be quite interesting to hear if the band has moved in completely different direction. All 6 tracks of the band’s previous (and absolutely terrific) EP Hum Speed On/Off are free to download at BandBase.
+ Burning Oil

One Weekly Gun shares his thoughts on the threat of terrorism.
+ Tomorrow When it Comes

Sudd is dead.

Time to vote. The Matinée fanclub poll is open.

Looking forward to the moi Caprice concert at Toldkammeret Friday evening. One more band to wipe off that “bands I need to see” list.
+ Drama Queen

Støj på frekvensen...

New post is up!

It's (almost) Christmas...

If this post looks familiar, it's because I'm taking the easy road here and re-posting last year's post. Broken links have been removed and new comments, songs, links for other compilations etc. will continuously be added until the 24th.

You know it is December when you cannot open your mailbox or check the Myspace bulletins, without seeing the word "Christmas" in the headline of just about every second message. Not that I mind at all, as most of the Christmas tunes I've checked out so far this year have been rather good. But in an attempt to prevent the Christmas songs from dominating my other posts, I've set up this one which I intend to update throughout the month, whenever something interesting pops up.....

The always reliable J.A. recommends these two Christmas lovelies from Sweden...
+ The Garlands - Christmas Song
+ TIAC - It's Christmas But Not For You

+ Betty & the cavaleros - Hey! I'm Your Gift Today + Love Will Come Back To You
These two beauties by this Norwegian constellation could easily soundtrack the next Christmas flick from Disney.

+ The Raveonettes - Come on Santa
Already posted by numerous blogs. But it's probably my favorite of this year's Christmas tunes, so the post wouldn't really be complete without it.

+ Remington Super 60 - Here Comes Christmas
In a few seconds, this one will get you into the right Christmas mood. Can be found on the recently released An Indiecater Christmas compilation.

+ Foxes! - Christmas Songs
Have a lo-fi indie pop Christmas. Versions of 4 Christmas classics are free to download from Last.fm.

+ Carlas - Jul I Havanna
Translated to English the title means Christmas in Havana.

+ She Wants Revenge - Kidnap The Sandy Klaus
If we kidnap him; does that mean that we can have all the presents for ourselves?

+ Aberdeen City - Just Like Christmas
Another band dusts off last year's holiday single.

+ Modern Angels - December
From the free Electric Fantastic Xmas 2006 compilation. Download the Electric Fantastic Christmas 2007 compilation for free right here. Released by generous electronic record label Electric Fantastic Sound. Thanks to J.A. once again!

+ Fireflies - X-mas Song
A short but simply wonderful indie pop Christmas song. Thanks to J.A. for the heads up!

+ Sofia Talvik - Christmas
Christmas doesn't necessarily mean joy and happiness. Still this is a lovely tune by this equally lovely Swede.

+ Sofia Talvik - A Carol For The Lonely
And another lovely and quite melancholic one from the Swedish singer/songwriter.

+ Liam and Me - Winter Paradise (I Miss You This Christmas)
This is probably my favorite Christmas song.

+ Tiger Baby - This Christmas
And this is probably number two on that list.

+ Irene - Christmas on the Beach
Just imagine celebrating Christmas on the beach. This is probably what it would sound like!

"The rest":
+ Regina - Näinä mustina iltoina
+ The Swimmers - The Christmas Sound
+ Celestial - saving up her wishes (for another christmas)
+ The Ten Thousand Dollar Tattoo – My First Santa
+ Factory Kids - Father Christmas Still
+ Richard Hawley - Silent Night
+ Soda Fountain Rag - The Christmas Where It Ends
+ Manic Street Preachers - Christmas Ghost
+ Summer Cats - Plastic Christmas Trees

Santas Working Overtime is a great place to find more Christmas related stuff.

Entakt/Jonas Breum...

Some thoughts on the Entakt/Jonas Breum concert last night (photo is used without any permission whatsoever).

Don’t know exactly what I expected, but probably that a little more than 50 people would be attending. Especially with a venue so close to Copenhagen and a location right next to the Metro.

Warm-up Jonas Breum showed the witty side of himself as well as delivering a charming acoustic set. Some of you are probably familiar with the debut album Det Perfekte Spild Af Tid released earlier this year and it being quite an electronic production. So excellent to hear that the songs easily hold their own when performed in stripped down versions. He played a few new songs as well, but I was surprised that he opted to include several songs by his long-ago disbanded group Coolsville. And judging from the gossip I heard afterwards, we should expect the second release from Breumm to be more of a rock/guitar driven album. He clearly showed last night that this is where his heart belongs!

The past 18 months I’ve been going on and on about how I much I've wanted to see an Entakt concert. So obviously expectations were sky high last night, but the band certainly didn’t let me down (or anyone else for that matter). The band gave a simply brilliant performance, where it quickly became rather obvious to anyone, that the band sees itself as a rock rather than a pop band. As I feared a few favorites were missing (sadly including Mandagens Vægt, Den Blinde Vinkel, Intet Rør´mig Nu (ctrl+alt+del)), and only one song from the band’s two full length demos found its way into the set. But you cannot really blame the band for trying to promote their new album På Bagsiden Af Europa, and the opening message was that they hoped that a few people would buy the album after the show. Especially since “no one else has”. And I did indeed buy a copy (signed by Jonas) for my daughter and a few others secured themselves signed copies as well. Hopefully the band will carry on despite the lack of recognition the band is getting from radio, audience and record buyers. Symbolically manifested through this quote by Jonas when he introduced Kunsten At Slippe Taget. “We’d like to play a hit, which never was a hit”. So you can say that neither the band nor I understand why this song didn’t become just that, as it was one of my favorite tracks of last year. Still this didn’t ruin the night and summed up this was probably my concert highlight of the year. And one can only feel so sorry for all of those, who decided to stay at home and missed out on this great one!
+ Kunsten At Slippe Taget

Tonight, tonight, tonight...

Entakt live at Vanløse Kulturhus supported by an acoustic solo performance by Jonas Breum (of Breumm). Finally getting the chance to see a full length Entakt concert!
+ Entakt - Livets sang går i stå mol

Watch Jonas Breum perform an acoustic version of Ingen Verdens Ting.

Taking a break...

No, no. Not from blogging, but from posting anything even remotely related to Christmas. There are still another 3 weeks left until we reach those glory days of stomachaches and credit card debts, so let’s focus on something completely different instead.

But since we have now reached December, bloggers, magazines etc. are beginning to post their year-end lists. Still ridiculously early if you ask me, and like previous years I’m going to spend December on catching up on the many releases I’ve missed/ignored. As an example; had I compiled my list two days ago, the debut album Tu hoguera está ardiendo by Spanish band Klaus & Kinski would not have been on my list. But yesterday I finally started listening to the album, and now it will definitely end up in my Top 10 (and probably even higher). An amazing album on which the band blends pop, electronica and shoegaze in the most charming and contagious way, and my year-end list would have been ever so incomplete without it.
+ Nunca estás a la altura

One album I’m impatiently waiting for is the third release from fabulous Detroit band Ether Aura. Scheduled for a release in February next year and pre-ordering (to help the band out with production costs) should be possible anytime soon. If the band’s blog is to be trusted the band is working on a transformation from shoegaze towards a more gothic-americana-folk sound. Two new tracks are streamable at Myspace and they do somewhat verify that such a transformation is in progress. The two first albums were nothing but fantastic, and despite the aforementioned changes in the musical direction, I expect the third one to be equally great, thus foolishly ignoring the obvious risk of a major disappointment.
+ Twist (standout track of Before We Could Sing)

Rikers...

Canadian duo Rikers are giving away a couple of newly recorded tracks from the band’s recently launched website. The songs are a little bit noisy, somewhat 80's inspired and certainly quite catchy, so I really cannot help using that worn-out The Jesus and Mary Chain meets Editors description. But I do think it fits the music pretty well or maybe you have a different opinion/can think of an even better description? The website indicates that the duo will play its debut (?) live concert somewhere in Toronto in December, but information is still sparse.
+ Easter Eyes
+ Curtain Call

The Fridaynight Club...

It's been a while since the last time I posted this excellent track and I’d still love to hear from anyone knowing anything about this band supposedly named The Fridaynight Club. The mystery still remains!
+ Aeroplanes

Shorties...

Didn’t quite keep my promise yesterday, as no more updates were posted. Instead I finally finished an Støj På Frekvensen post. That was the first of its kind for nearly 3 months.

The Majorian EP is now streamable at Myspace. Well-produced, beautiful and atmospheric are among the first words to jump to mind.

Emerald Park is giving away the title track of the For Tomorrow album for free over at Myspace. Or at least so they say. And no - I’m not implying that they are lying or anything, but Myspace continues playing tricks on me, so no songs are downloadable for me, even though the artists say otherwise. But I’ve been given permission to post the track instead, and since it’s arguably the best one off the album, I’m absolutely delighted to be able to share it with you.
+ For Tomorrow

As mentioned last week, Spejderrobot unsuccessfully tried to give away a remix of the Mercury Rev track Butterfly’s Wing. Apparently they grew tired of the “no-service” policy of Myspace and found somewhere else to host the remix.
+ Butterfly's Wing (Spejderrobot remix)

Shorties...

No more Majorian EP's left to give away.

The self-titled download-only debut EP by Tellus About The Moon is out now on Letterbox Records. This is Indie pop at its yummiest.
+ Nomore

The Christmas songs have started floating in, but I refuse to post a single word about Christmas before December 1. Well – I just did. Didn’t I?

If you have plenty of time and want a good read (in Swedish), I recommend the blog 50-listan. Several writers (including Tobias and Frans of Emerald Park) have compiled lists of their 50 favorite albums. The list has been in the making for more than 2½ years, but it’s almost completed now.

This week's track by One Weekly Gun track is dedicated to Nicolaus Copernicus. Inspired by this incident.
+ We love Copernicus

More later...

Majorian EP...

Went to the release party of the new Majorian EP yesterday only to realize that we arrived too late to catch the live part. But I did get the chance to talk briefly to Brian of the band, as well as getting two extra copies of the EP to give away. So if you’re interested in getting a copy of this new Paul Schroeder produced EP with some absolutely lovely artwork created by Tracy Maurice, then shoot me an email. Just write Majorian in the subject line and the first two I receive will get a copy of the EP each.

Oliver North Boy Choir - Over/out...

Info on how to buy the new single, free bonus tracks etc. can be found at the band's webpage.

The bubblegum dept....

The official webpage of The Radio Dept. has (almost) been relaunched. Plenty of free downloads there that I really ought to check out. I just need to find the time. Find it I definitely will, because I simply worship this Swedish trio. Unfortunately no encouraging news regarding the band’s third album Clinging To A Scheme can be found and early 2009 (which actually isn’t that far away) is still the projected time for its release. Here's hoping that 'early' means January instead of May!
+ Freddie and the Trojan Horse

The debut album Doubleplusgood by Bubblegum Lemonade is out now on Matinée Recordings. Judging from these two gorgeous promo tracks this is a must buy album for any lover of jangling guitar pop.
+ I’ll Never Be Yours
+ Penny Fountain

Will be home babysitting the kids tonight, so more stuff should pop up later (as if anyone really gives a…)

The Brilliant Trees...

The awesome Irish label Indiecater (run by the equally awesome Kevin/MP3hugger) has decided to digitally reissue the 1996 debut album Friday Night by Irishmen The Brilliant Trees. Cannot say that I’ve ever heard of them, but in general Kevin has a really fine taste when it comes to music, so I expected that his motives for reissuing the album had more to do with it being a great one rather than him being an unselfish nice guy. By that I’m obviously NOT trying to say that he isn’t a nice bloke at all, but hopefully you get my point! So I asked for a promo copy (promo digital copy to be exact, since this is not a physical thing) and it arrived in my mailbox within minutes. Told you he’s a nice guy, but it also told me that he’s quite anxious for people to get the opportunity to listen to the album.
In the promo mail he shares his surprise why the band wasn’t huge and it’s not difficult asking yourself the exact same question, as this albums blends the best of britpop with the jangling indie pop of the late 80’s and early 90’s exemplified by many a Sarah Records release. Though one could imagine that the album somehow drowned back then, when every band sounded more or less the same, or maybe the band simply leaped onto the stage too late, when the britpop genre had started its decline? Reasons can be multiple and no point in wasting time on speculations. But unlike many other bands that didn’t make it, The Brilliant Trees now gets a second chance thanks to Indiecater. The same do we, the listeners, because just like me, you probably missed them the first time around? And trust me when I say that missing them a second time as well, will be close to unbearable…
A digital copy of this fine piece of art can be yours for the monstrous price of €3.50 and obviously you can stream the whole thing, before making your purchasing decision.
+ Gone For Good

Shorties...

Florida indie/new wave band The Monday Photo is currently recording “our first official release”. New track Stellar and The Lifeguard is now streaming at Myspace.

Speaking of Myspace. I’ve more or less given up on this site. Used to provide us with lots of great downloads, but for several months we’ve been waiting for this service to be working again.

Even the artists seem to have problems figuring out what’s going on. Danish electronica artist Spejderrobot (a.k.a. Mikael Elkjær) has remixed the Mercury Rev track Butterfly’s Wing and wants to share it as a free download. But (no surprises) the download function isn’t working and Mikael has now asked Myspace to fix the problem. I wish him the best of luck, 'cause he’s going to need all the luck he can get.

Peter is really high on this track by Sweden's The Voyage. I fully agree with his Mew/The Radio Dept. comparisons.
+ Kitten In The Snow

The consensus seems to be that the Danish live debut by much-hyped Scotsmen Glasvegas was a major disappointment.

This week's song by One Weekly Gun is about drugs. Plain and simple!
+ Magic Mushroom

I’m currently giving the debut album Summer/Winter Nights by Swedish indie duo The Argument a good listen. It’s really interesting and virtually impossible to label. But it’s free to download, so grab it and judge it yourself.
+ The Rumor

Always something missing...

When I wrote about the release of the We Are Popular debut album by The Holiday Show, something was indeed missing, as I had no song to accompany my post. Now the band’s label Slow Shark Records has mailed me the album opener Always Something Missing to share with anyone interested, thus helping to make my previous post complete.
+ Always Something Missing

Blog favorites Kind of girl is currently touring the UK and is writing a "tour diary" for the readers of Gaffa (in Danish).

This Sunday afternoon (November 23) Majorian is throwing a party to celebrate the release of the band’s new self-titled EP. The EP contains 3 tracks produced by Paul Schroeder and the artwork has been created by Tracy Maurice. The band promises a free copy of the EP to anyone showing up at the party, which will take place at Restaurant Magstræde 16 (in Copenhagen) at 4PM. None of the new tracks are yet available, but a bunch of older tracks are free to download at BandBase.

Friday evening...

So I missed out on (yet) another Entakt concert tonight, as I'm staying at home looking after the children. I did plenty of whining last week, so really no point in repeating that. But the next three weeks until the concert in Vanløse, you bet I’ll be checking every road for black cats before crossing, because the last thing I want to happen is that I miss out on that one as well. And please no cancellation due to a sore throat, the drummer breaking his finger(s), the bass player deciding to quit or whatever lame excuse you guys can come up with.
+ Kunsten At Slippe Taget

Danish trio Oliver North Choir will release their new download-only EP Over/Out on November 23. Two bonus tracks are already free to download and especially the duet Farvel (featuring Bakers at dawn), which untypically for the band is sung in Danish/Swedish, is an absolute beauty.
+ Farvel
+ Tonight

BandBase is interviewing Peter Fritzen (One Weekly Gun), who is preparing a special New Years treat for his readers. He’s currently working on a song, which symbolically (or maybe even logically) is titled One Song Every Week, and it will (is this really possible) summarize what has happened the past year on his blog. The song will be produced by Frederik Thaae (A Kid Hereafter), arranged by Jakob Faurholt and feature the The Danish National Radio’s Entertainment Orchestra. Sure sounds mighty interesting, if you ask me. This week’s track celebrates (as one could expect) the election of Barack Obama.
+ Barack Obama

Letterbox Records are (almost) giving away CD’s for free. Albums by Penny Century, California Snow Story etc., can be yours for £1.99 each.
+ California Snow Story - Suddenly Everything Happens
+ Penny Century - Nothing Burns Like Bridges

Ginger...

Danish singer-songwriter Thomas Baz mailed me yesterday suggesting that I should eat plenty of ginger to help chase my cold away. I’ve actually tried eating ginger a few times before as well as raw garlic to see if they would help speeding up the process. Neither scared anything away, with my wife being the only exception, as she obviously refused to kiss me (or even stay in the same room) following my extreme garlic consumption. So these days I stick to the good ol’ cocktail of whisky, honey and lemon. Not that this brew helps me feeling much better either, but after gulping 2-3 glasses of it, things certainly are a lot more fun. In his mail Thomas Baz had attached a new track called Lyon, which has a great country/western-feel to it. Or as the maestro wrote himself: “Can you hear the saloon-doors swinging?” Indeed I can and what other song would be better accompanying me in my whisky drinking? The track (I believe) is from the forthcoming album The Nurse and The Knife Thrower and features fellow Dane Prins Nitram on guest vocals.
+ Lyon

Swedish happiness...

So I guess it’s my turn now, to be the victim of the "autumn bug". I have a snotty nose, coughing my lungs out, sneezing all the time and constantly emptying the teapot, thus giving my coffee addiction a much needed rest. Really should have stayed at home, but I have a meeting this afternoon, where my presence is required, so sadly no day off today. The heavy burden of cheering me up today has fallen on Swedish five-piece named Happiness and so far they've done a terrific job. Over and over I've been listening to three excellent tracks taken from the band’s debut release, a split LP with fellow Swedes Tar…Feathers, which was released this summer. I haven’t the faintest idea if the LP is still available, as information seems to vary. So instead I suggest you check out the freebies and then start your own investigating, if you find the music as interesting as I do and want more. This is catchy electronic pop music with lots of those typical Swedish indie pop influences plus some 60's inspiration as well as a frontman sounding like Win Butler. Not the worst combination. Is it?
+ Look At That Rabbit Go!
+ Neighbourhood
+ The CIA (superb)

Hanging in there...

You all know how I felt yesterday, and of course I’m grateful how all of you felt terribly sorry for me (I hope!). Helping me surviving the rough times yesterday was the terrific Self Storage Compilation Volume 1, which has been available for purchase since November 3rd. 16 amazing shoegaze tracks jammed onto one CD and it will be yours for either 14 or 16 dollars (including shipping) depending on your location. And with the current USD rate in mind (though it has vastly improved recently) that is still quite a bargain (me thinks).
+ The Soundscapes – Here’s When

In case you haven’t visited my facebook profile recently, I simply have to draw your attention to the newly released Kent 1991-2008 box set. It includes a total of 133 tracks on 10 CD’s covering the entire history of the band from the very beginning when they were called Jones & Giftet and right up ‘till last year’s Tillbaka Till Samtiden. This box belongs in every serious record collection and the price of 47 Euros is ridiculously low.
+ Vy från ett luftslott (Punks Jump Up Remix)

Needless to say it has been quite an inspiration listening my way through those many songs and just for the fun of it I’ve compiled this list of my 10 favorite Kent tracks. And of course it would be absolutely awesome, if you’d post yours in the comments as well!
1. 747
2. VinterNoll2
3. Utan Dina Andetag
4. Spökstad
5. Beskyddaren
6. Mannen i den Vita Hatten
7. Istället För Ljud
8. Dom Andra
9. Nålens Öga
10. 400 Slag

Hangovers...

I really, really should have known better. Staying up until 3am Saturday night drinking red wine and sipping Strawberry Daiquiries as if is was lemonade. My age taken into consideration, my experience should have told me that this kind of behavior would lead to torture of my head and body for the entire Sunday. And of course I ended up being a complete mess yesterday, because those kinds of predictions just never fail to materialize. So age and knowledge don’t make you behave more wisely, but age sure means that hangovers take longer and longer getting over. I’m not a miserable wreck like yesterday…but darn close! However, in all honesty, I really hope that I’ll stay at the beginning of the learning curve, because I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t have a jolly good time Saturday night!

So no updates today, but hopefully (hopefully) I’ll be back again tomorrow…

Standing at the bottom – looking up...

My original plan for tonight was to go to Albertslund (outskirts of Copenhagen) to finally get a chance to see Entakt in concert. However my daughter has been invited to a Halloween party, so my role for tonight has (with or without my acceptance) been changed from concertgoer to chauffeur. I guess as long as one knows ones position in the hierarchy, one is not going to get disappointed about such things. I will try (try? no way! I'll be there!) to attend the concert in Vanløse on December 4 instead.

Danish country inspired singer-songwriter Thomas Baz has sent me a premix of a track from his upcoming album The Nurse and The Knife Thrower. His been working on the album for the past 18 months and during the process he’s relocated to Australia from Copenhagen in an attempt to make a living from playing and writing music. The track is a really charming and quite playful thing, which in mr. Baz’ own words is “packed with accordion, violins, piano, trumpets and other funny stuff”. His music is completely new to me, but I did a little digging and learned that he released a 5-track EP back in 2006. The EP is free to download and is a great listen that I bet will appeal to the fans of Bright Eyes, Iron & Wine and the likes.
+ Thirty Nights
+ Iceland, pt.

News from Matinée Recordings normally means great news. And this is no different, as the label announces that the new album Eventyr by Would-Be-Goods has been released.
+ Sad Stories
+ The Ghost Of Mr. Minton

Spencer and the phantomz...

NY singer-songwriter Spencer Tricker has granted me permission to post and share his brand new recording Phantomz. Described as “A little Belle and Sebastian, a little early Coldplay, a little homemade, heartbroke American effort…predominantly acoustic and very stripped down”. The track is taken from a forthcoming EP/mini album in the works that’s going to be called Anesthetics. Mr. Tricker continues to be working hard with his music in a “desperate bid to avoid getting a real job one day”. I can only respect that so much and I sincerely hope (and firmly believe) that ultimately his fine songwriting skills and lovely voice will make him reach that goal.
+ Phantomz
+ Altar Blue Boy
+ 30 Century Man (Scott Walker Cover)

This, that and a whole lot more...

The US election is finally over and since this is not a political blog, I really ought to refrain from posting a comment on the outcome. However I find it rather difficult not to, though all I’m going to say is that (in my smalle part of the world) the light at the end of tunnel is shining more brightly than it did the day before yesterday.

One Weekly Gun was worried if the racial issue would end up being the deciding factor of the election. Luckily it turned out not to be.
+ God Bless the Dubious

Received a mail yesterday promoting the new album Revolutions by UK electro act Melnyk. Found the attached promo track rather monotonous and boring, so really no point in spending more time on that one. However in the same mail was a download link for Melnyk’s remix of the Division Kent track In The Headlights (from the album Gravity). And this is a master example of what a remix should be like, as Melnyk has done wonders and turned a fairly good track into a uptempo, catchy and absolutely contagious one.
+ In The Headlights (Melnyk Is Behind The Wheel Remix)
+ In The Headlights (original album version)

Feel like doing a remix and being part of competition? At BandBase.dk (in Danish only I’m afraid) you can download the stems for I Walk Proud by Laid Back and read more about the competition as well.

Danish indie/alternative rock band Ciao Transizta has finished recording their new demo EP Murder by the Lefthanded Harlekin. It's available as a free download at BandBase.dk. I first mentioned the band in December 2006 and just like back then it does take some time getting into these new songs. But I expect it to be quite rewarding, once I get passed the first hurdle.
+ Go On Call The Mayor

Hari and Aino as well as Play People will soon be releasing 7" singles on Cloudberry Records. The A-sides are free to download, and both them are glorious pop tunes.
+ Hari and Aino - A Considerate Kind Of Home
+ Play People - Goes Out

Sarah...

A huge hit in Sweden (and the rest of Scandinavia) way back in 1988. I loved it and still do!

Emptying the mailbox (again)...

I really, really think that I've been good at cleaning the mailbox recently. In fact I think it would be fair to say that I've been damn efficient and today the number of mails in the inbox is only one third of what it used to be not too many nights ago. But one can never rest on the laurels, and the daily number of promo mails found in my mailbox equals the number of snotty noses every single child gets each winter. So never a quiet moment, and right now I'm once again busy downloading and listening. Check back later tonight, as something interesting might pop up..?

+ Björn Kleinhenz - At Night We Die
Always a pleasure hearing new stuff from popsmith Mr. Kleinhenz.

+ Fredrik - Black Fur
Lovely folk rock inspired tune by odd named Swedish six-piece.

+ Future Clouds and Radar - The Epcot View
"the eclectic art-pop ensemble"...hmmm...I seriously hate those descriptions. Especially since I cannot figure anyone out myself! But I really like the track, so I guess that will have to do?

+ Juliette Commagere - Overcome
So grandiose that it almost becomes conceited in a Meat Loaf kind of way. Still I'm spellbound.

+ The Pains of Being Pure At Heart - Everything With You
Noise-pop and jangling guitars. And all in the same song...superb!

+ Modern Skirts - Soft Pedals
At first it sounded like another jangling indie pop tune and then it really did not.

+ Paper House - Empty House
Uptempo guitar pop tune of the infectious kind by this Nashville quartet (there's a slight twist of country inspiration).

Tonight has been surprisingly rewarding, as I’ve been listening to far more good than bad stuff. I cannot complaint, though this of course has prevented me from being my usual whining self.

Anamia...

Am giving my old favorite demo band Anamia a good listen today. Sadly the band is no more, but several of the old songs are still out there. Free to grab and enjoy!
+ The Silence And The Thoughts
+ I'm Your Matador
+ So Close Now
+ Hard To Realize
+ Talk is cheap
+ Death of the chain-smoking man
+ As I walk into the fight
+ Waiting for moonlight
+ The Step
+ Temptation Puzzle
+ Towards The Wind
+ Butterfly In Paris
+ Butterfly In Paris (Remix)