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!