Radio scheme...

New track Heaven’s on Fire from the much talked about, highly anticipated and long delayed Clinging To a Scheme album is all over the blogosphere. I preferred (and still prefer) the Pet Grief version of The Radio Dept. rather than the Lesser Matters one, and the first two tracks off the album (David being the first) do indicate that Clinging could very well end up being a close relative to Pet Grief. If true that is definitely great news. Not so great is that the release date has once again (but hardly surprising) been pushed further back. But as a small consolation an actual release date (April 21) has now been set, which I believe must be the first time happening ever since we started talking about the album. When was that exactly? Early 2008?
+ Heaven’s On Fire
+ David

Shorties...

I fucking hate the stupid firewall at work. Because of it I’m unable to watch the video of Mikkel Max og Drømmenes Bodega performing a live version of De Sidste Glade Dage af Romerriget in a submarine!
+ De Sidste Glade Dage af Romerriget

Mr. Skatterbrain thinks new track Again by Sad Day For Puppets sounds like gold and so do I! It can be found on the band’s forthcoming 7” single, which will be out on Cloudberry Records very soon.
+ Again

J.A. recommends the new brilliant single by Sundae. Released by digital single label Beko and it's free to download (don’t we just love that?)!
+ Fascículo nº 7

Heard new single All Outta Love by The Floor Is Made Of Lava on the radio this morning. Hmm!

Our Falling Snow...

Lots of nice words have already been written about the self-titled Sleep Party People debut album (exhibit 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) and deservedly so. Adding anything to this is virtually impossible, though I cannot help being a bit baffled that the term shoegaze has been mentioned a few times. The music is indeed both dreamy and introspective, but those trademark distorted guitar sounds are really nowhere to be found. Personally I like the “modified” “electronic shoegaze” term a lot better, as my first thought, when I listened to the album, was that it was closely related to an ambient Sigur Rós universe, focusing on creating atmospheric and beautiful sounds rather than on writing memorable melody lines. However upon further listens, I’ve numerous times caught myself humming various tunes off the album, thus adding another (interesting) dimension to my first impression, as well as prompting the question; what should this be called exactly? Playful electronic pop with an experimental edge perhaps or? To be honest I really don’t care and cannot be bothered searching for (or perhaps even inventing) a more accurate description. Instead I’ll stick to what I do know; that this is a gloriously beautiful album.
+ I’m Not Human At All

Blue Foundation shares the Zeds Dead Dubstep Remix of their track Eyes on Fire.
+ Eyes On Fire (Zeds Dead Remix)

Due to popular demand the post with download links to all (?) Death Valley Sleepers songs has been updated.

Shorties...

Stuff is piling up again!

My conscience is black. I promised to write a few words on the Sleep Party People debut album, but won’t be able to do so, before it’s released on Monday. Shame on me! Will try to make amends next week!
+ I’m Not Human At All

Scottish trio AirSpiel shares a brand new recording named Freerider. A really nice anthemic indie rock track and the first taste of things to come, as the band is preparing a single release in March.
+ Freerider

So far the new album Vexations by Get Well Soon has failed to impress me. But I'm certainly going to give it plenty of chances to win me over, before the band's concert at Loppen on March 23.
+ 5 Steps / 7 Swords

Tower of Foil shares the track Driving North from the band’s forthcoming debut album of the same name. Lovely stuff as always and great that the band will finally be releasing an album!
+ Driving North

Music bloggers everywhere have joined forces (or at least so it seems) and made up their minds that Swedish duo, with the close to ungoogleable name, jj is the next big thing. Personally I'm still trying to figure out exactly why!
+ Let Go

Chris writes about a new alliance he nicknames “A Champagne Portrait”. Think I'd prefer “A Northern Riot”, but I definitely share his excitement!

Chromewaves gives us the lowdown on the much anticipated third album from The Radio Dept.

Chief of the Tribe by Blue Swan is currently topping the “most played track” chart at BandBase.dk. The track was originally published in August 2008, so where did this sudden increase in popularity come from?
+ Chief of the Tribe

Aldrig Ensam...

Was zapping through the TV-channels last night and stumbled upon Swedish award show P3 Guld exactly at the very moment when Jonathan Johansson began performing his breathtaking acoustic version of the song Aldrig Ensam. Never been happier for having a hard disc in the TV, so I could rewind and re-watch! Here’s an older video clip of the acoustic version plus the video for the original version (which is equally awesome)!





+ Aldrig ensam (Boeoes Kaelstigen Remix)

Finally a video of the performance at the aforementioned award show is up. Truly spectacular!

xx...

Still all smiles following The xx’s performance at Vega Friday evening. I truly enjoyed the concert and I left the venue with the feeling that the band delivered exactly what I expected they would. Quiet and introverted (shy?) on stage, and instead letting the music speak for itself. I thought they did so rather convincingly, but scanning through reviews and comment sections, I can see that not everyone agrees. However when reading the inputs, it really strikes me that I’m not sure exactly what people were expecting! Okay, it was Friday evening, so perhaps a few were hoping for loud dance beats to kick off the party. Though partying isn’t the first thing that comes to mind (not my mind at least), when listening to the album. Perfectly illustrated by the band’s cover version of the close to unbearable Teardrops, which, for the first time ever, sounded as melancholic and depressing as the lyrics indicate it should. Admittedly the sound throughout the concert was a little too low (though it was quite nice not needing the earplugs), but since I wasn’t standing close to any of the bars, the ignorants, who stayed there chatting instead of paying attention to the music (why some people buy tickets and then opt not to hear the band is simply beyond me), never became a nuisance to me. So I’m sorry, but nothing could really spoil my evening, and here’s to hoping that the band will pay us another visit some time soon!
+ Basic Space
+ Stars (Dave Wrangler Remix)

The sophomore album Howl To The Moon by Danes The Floor Is Made Of Lava will be out on March 22. I quite liked the band’s dance rock dominated debut All Juice, No Fruit, but according to the press release, the band will be more “classic rock” sounding on the forthcoming release. First single All Outta Love (out February 1) should be first indication of whether or not there’s any truth to this. As a blogger I still fondly recall, how 5 tracks from the debut were okayed for promotional use, but a repeat of that scenario seems highly unlikely. Just for fun I checked, and it seems like all 5 download links are still working, so why not...
+ You Ain't a Bitch (Bitch)
+ IKEA Did A Job On You
+ Sucker Love
+ Told Her I'm From Compton
+ Do Your Sister

No Blood In Bones...

Danish duo No Blood In Bones announced its existence in May/June last year, and it didn’t take long before the band caught a lot of people’s attention and among other things was featured as “band of the week” at BandBase.dk. A few months later the band was signed by Morningside Records, and now the duo is ready to release a self-titled debut EP, which will be available on vinyl as well as digital download some time in February. If you (by any chance) recall my first short take on the band, I called the music "more pop and less rock", when comparing it to Green Concorde, which back then seemed like an obvious thing to do, as that band used to be fronted by Morten Espersen Dam, who makes up half of the No Blood In Bones duo (Sven Busck Andersen being the second half). But Green Concorde split up and to Mr. Dam that meant a goodbye to the darker, post-punk influenced sound and a hello to a more playful and diverse pop-inspired sound. At least that’s the impression you get when listening to the two promo tracks posted below, as Headphones is energetic and insisting, whereas Safe Way Out is a more dreamy and repetitive electronic piece. A third track I am a Statue can be streamed at Myspace and reveals that the duo has a quiet and melancholic side as well! I haven’t seen a track-list, so I don’t know if all three tracks are included on the EP. If they are, the release could very well end up being a rather varied experience, but as long as all songs are this good, the duo can pretty much do whatever they want to for all I care.
+ Headphones
+ Safe Way Out (download link disabled)

Inspiration (or rather a lack of)...

Wrote Monday that my to-do list was rapidly growing and somehow I still ended up posting nothing (or close to nothing) yesterday. D’oh! So time for more catching up and why not start with the best piece of news? Fairly new Danish band The Boombox Hearts (still my first and only post on the band is nearly 6 months old) has been busy recording and is giving away two new tracks. Still have no clue whatsoever how to label this stuff, but since the band itself continues to use the description “We try to play: 60ies pop / melancholic lo-fi / country / indie. If we don't, we're sorry”, why not stick to that? And who cares about tags and labels anyway? Far more relevant is that the pounding Everything (which features Line of Cody on cello and definitely is the standout track of the two) has left quite an impression and continues to grow on me for every listen. Now one can just hope that we don’t have to wait another 6 months for the next piece of news?
+ Everything
+ Secrets/Girls

Heard fine new single Oh Solitude by RebekkaMaria on the radio last night and today the Anderson mix of said track arrived in the mailbox. Hard to imagine a better timing! The original version of the track will be included on her sophomore album Sister Sortie, which will be out on March 1. The remix is pretty good by the way!
+ Oh Solitude (Anderson mix)

Danish duo Stoffer & Maskinen shares their second single Flader mod Flader. The band was signed last year by Speed of Sound and according to the press material a debut album will be released in March. The first two singles (the first release was called De Eneste Tilbage) are (here we go again) creating some serious headaches, when trying to find a fitting description. But think cool, powerful, energetic, somewhat noisy and still really catchy electronic rock, and maybe (just maybe) we are closing in on something.
+ Flader mod Flader

Words are hard (even harder than usual) to find today. So no more updates I'm afraid!

On the radio this morning...

Came on while I was emptying the dishwasher and immediately turned a gray morning into a bright one! Has to be one of the best songs released by a Danish artist in 2009. If NOT the best one! Unfortunately I cannot find any video for the song, so this streaming will have to do!

Various...

My to-do-list just keeps growing and growing, so time for some catching up!

I have promised myself that I need to come up with a better description of the music of Death Valley Sleepers. The new song is definitely more inspired by various 60’s bands than by The Raveonettes, so I believe time has come to re-discover my creative vein (if I've ever had any).
+ Turn Out The Light

Ginger Ninja doesn’t have an official webpage, but has a Myspace profile instead, which has just been updated. A clock is counting down the days (hours etc.) until the band’s debut album is release. Exactly 13 days, 8 hours, 51 minutes and 57 sec..no...56...hang on...55 seconds...oh well...a little more than 13 days left!!

So far information is sparse, but new Danish indie pop festival Copenhagen Popfest will take place from April 16 to April 18.

French band Exsonvaldes are giving away a brand new track from their forthcoming album There’s No Place Like Homes.
+ Everything I See

And though they split up some time ago, Swedish band Kamera shares a remix of the track Asleep.
+ Asleep (Prada Means No Harm Remix)

News from the Valley...

Following Christmas and New Year’s where the flow of interesting mails stalled completely and the number of visitors to the blog nosedived (can something already incredibly low actually nosedive?), things have finally started to heat up again. The past 24 hours a string of interesting mails have arrived, but since this is the time of year, where I’m actually worth my salary at work, keeping up with it all is quite a challenge. But I’ll try to work my way through everything step by step and hopefully I’ll eventually get around checking it all out. First out is this brand new recording by Death Valley Sleepers, and as always it’s a great joy to hear news (any news) from Mr. Winberg and his project. All regulars are probably familiar with (and fans of) Death Valley Sleepers by now and if you hoped for any surprises or changes, you’re bound to be disappointed, as Turn Out The Light follows smoothly in the wake of previous recordings. So for the billionth time I'm going to use that old description (cliché?) that Death Valley Sleepers sounds like The Velvet Underground meeting The Jesus and Mary Chain and The Raveonettes, as it remains quite accurate and therefore can see no point in trying to come with something better. Though I do have to "borrow" a quote from Facebook, where someone used the phrase “timeless spaciousness”, which describes incredibly well how 5 decades of inspiration are blended together in the music! Should you happen to enjoy what you’re hearing and want more; holler and I’ll re-post some of the older recordings.
+ Turn Out The Light

The Matinée Grand Prix...

The Northern Portrait debut wasn’t the only album included in that parcel I received from Matinée Recordings on New Year’s Eve, and though I make sure to get my daily dose of Criminal Art Lovers it’s high time to listen to the rest of the contents. First “pit stop” is the compilation The Matinée Grand Prix, which contains 11 brand new recordings by some of the label’s finest. Normally I shy away from these kind of releases, as the quality of the entries often vary at little too much for my liking (bands seem to be "saving" their best efforts for their own releases). But be it the new track by Northern Portrait (which of course is downright wonderful) or the last song (ever?) recorded by The Lucksmiths, there really doesn’t seem to be one weak moments on this one. The Strawberry Whiplash contribution is exactly as noisy as expected, The Electric Pop Group shows that the “pop” is there for a reason, Clay Hips does indeed deliver their best Pet Shop Boys impression and on it goes! So basically what I’m saying is that “Grand Prix” is an absolutely amazing collection of indie pop tunes and darn close to being the perfect gateway to the genre as well as the Matinée roster.
+ Simpático - Australian Idle
+ Cats on Fire - The Hague

Various...

Wasn’t able to keep my promise and post something yesterday, as we had a server breakdown at work. Therefore I couldn’t access any files and since all my music files are stored there, I was handcuffed. But since I couldn’t access any work files either, the situation was bearable.

I’m currently giving the song of Irish indie rock 5 piece Elspeth some good listens. Lots of potential and the influences ranging from Jeff Buckley over Radiohead to Manic Street Preachers really shines through. Definitely have to keep an eye out for this band. 6 songs are free to download at Soundcloud.
+ Old Age

In late December The William Blakes frontman Kristian Leth wrote at his Facebook profile that he was going to celebrate New Year’s in Sweden as well as record a new The William Blakes album while being there. Unable to find any official information on this, but knowing the band’s rapid work pace, a new release is probably no more than a few months away? Admittedly this belongs to the category “rumors”, but since it “came directly from the horse’s mouth” there has to be some truth to it?
+ Violent God
+ Like a Dream

Have you streamed the 4 new tracks by Sambassadeur? Pretty good ones, but compared to the band’s own standards they are somewhat underwhelming. First single Days of the forthcoming album European is certainly the best of the bunch.
+ Days

Check the track Loved-Up by Korallreven posted by the Shelfllife blog. Besides being a real fine track, I do think it’s quite interesting that the project includes one (or two?) member(s) of The Radio Dept.

The Number...

Used to label UK band Kni9hts the “best unsigned band in the world”, but as mentioned in February last year the band is now working under the alias The Number (though the band mysteriously remains unsigned, thus holding on to that label). Up until a few days ago, the band had been awfully quiet since announcing the new name, but then the band finally broke the silence and uploaded 3 new demos to their Myspace page. (Luckily) the change of name didn't mark the beginning of a musical transformation for the band, as the quartet simply continues writing the same type of (rather fantastic) indie rock tunes, as they’ve “always” done. Knowing the band’s willingness to offer their songs as free downloads (and Myspace continuing being absolutely useless on this matter), I thought contacting the band might be a good idea and was rewarded by immediately receiving the files. So please go ahead and grab the new babies, and should you happen to be the last visitor to this blog, who has yet to be introduced to their previous works, they are all still available for free right here.
+ City of Gold
+ The Landings Have Begun
+ Trapped Tiger

A new year...

Was hoping to find the time to post something during the Christmas break, but found no time at all. However, being back at work hopefully means that things will soon return to normal. This correlates very well with the ranking of the important things in life (family first, blog second and work third). Sadly work pays the bill! Therefore, better late than never, A Happy New Year to everyone!

The old year ended in the best possible way, as the Northern Portrait debut album Criminal Art Lovers arrived in my mailbox on New Year’s Eve. I’ve decided not to write anything about the album, and instead encourage you to click the Northern Portrait label below this post. Once you’ve read those other 49 posts containing words on the band, do I then really need to write how much I love Northern Portrait? And how incredibly fabulous the album is? Do I? Instead I’d much rather complain about the release date. Technically it’s a 2009 release and thus it belongs in “best of 2009/00’s” lists, but the timing of its release pretty much made it ineligible. Most people will probably say that it didn’t belong there anyway, but I’m quite happy that I didn’t make any lists, as they would forever be incomplete.
+ New Favourite Moment

More stuff tomorrow – still trying to get back in gear!