Holiday’s coming up...parte secunda...

Tomorrow it’s hello Italy!

And just like that…boxstr is suddenly working again. Obviously no explanation has been given for why the site was down for so long. Not that I really expected it.

Back when David of UK/Swedish trio Tender Objects was in a band called Candy Twins, he (or they - not quite sure what is the most correct) recorded the tribute The Next Big Thing to Northern Portrait. Up to recently it hasn't been possible to download the track, but it has finally been made available. And thank you, as I'd be hard pressed to think of something more gorgeous than one jangling pop group paying tribute to another! Tender Objects has other interesting stuff going on and a debut single is currently being mixed, and should hopefully be out some time later this year.

+ The Next Big Thing

Hopefully I'm not the only one thinking that it's been ages since we heard anything (ANYTHING) from the abovementioned Northern Portrait? Wish I had news to share, but sadly I don't...

+ Life Returns To Normal

My calendar for August is one big chaos, but hopefully I’ll be able to squeeze in the The Pains of Being Pure at Heart concert at Amager Bio on August 19. Especially since it was announced yesterday that Flag White will be the supporting act.

+ Higher Than the Stars

When announcing the supporting job yesterday, Flag White also posted this new demo for streaming as well as revealing that he is working on a full length album.

Asunder by bjoernalexander

See you in a couple of weeks!

Holiday's coming up...parte uno...

Planning (hoping) to post “parte secunda” tomorrow before the girls and I leave for two weeks of pizza, pasta and red wine galore.

Back among the living after suffering for a couple of days from what is now known in Denmark as the “Robbie disease”. But still tired beyond belief...

I'm a Loney Dear fan so of course I have to mention that the track My Heart from the forthcoming album Hall Music is available as a free download. Not blown away as I hoped I would be, but still expecting the album to be nothing but truly awesome! How can it not be?

One of my current favorites is this laid-back and mellow 60'ies inspired track by Starlight Girls.

+ Flutterby

Yesterday, I received my tickets for the Arcade Fire concert in Copenhagen on August 28. Two tickets (yes), on two different rows (what?). Nice work CrowdSurge. Nice work indeed!

+ Wake Up (CrowdSurge! - I'm tempted to add)

Will probably think of more later today - but for now - that's it!

Friday night...

The wife’s out, the kids are watching TV, I’m having a beer and enjoying that for once the computer is mine…aaaaall mine! Really tired tonight, but having a few things I’d like to post and share, so sleep is put on hold!

Boxstr.net still isn't working. Will be quite interesting if they have the nerve to keep charging their monthly fee, but "at least" their support hasn't replied to any of my emails. Great, great service (can you spell sarcasm...s-a-r-c-a-s-m)...Fuckers!

On a far more positive note. Earlier today the always helpful and up-to-date Mikkel pointed my attention to the little known, but nonetheless absolutely brilliant Danish one-man project Flag White. The debut EP, which can be downloaded for free (or for whatever amount you wish to pay) via bandcamp, contains 5 tracks that could be described as electronic indie pop/rock with a twist of shoegaze. Totally likeable stuff!
+ Of Laughter And Forgetting

More positive news comes from The Boombox Hearts, who are in the studio recording a good old-fashioned single (though not so old-fashioned that there will be any physical copies) with an a-side (the hit) and a b-side (which they expect that no one will give a damn about). Btw. Ivan of the band thinks we should all listen to the new single by Halasan Bazar, which indeed is very nice and reminds me a bit of The Rumour Said Fire!
  You Will Know by Halasan Bazar

You've probably all grabbed it by now, but still worth mentioning that Labrador gives away a 22-track sampler called Stockholm.
+ Sambassadeur - Days

She Wants Revenge shares a demo version of the track These Things.
  These Things (demo) by DJ Adam 12

Bikes and golf swings...

Was far too busy yesterday monitoring Le Tour and The Open to post anything!

And two of the four Danish golfers did indeed perform terribly well and probably every Danish golf enthusiast was happy to see Thomas Bjorn facing and conquering his demons on the 16th hole. Now they (Bjorn + Anders Hansen) just need to keep the pace up for three more days; which is a whole lot easier said than done, I know!

The Tour however has turned into quite a dilemma. Should I continue rooting for Saxo Bank Sunguard as I always do, because being the “homer” I am, I obviously hope that a Danish team wins? But when the awfully likeable Schleck-brothers decided to abandon the team following last season and instead sign with Luxembourgian Team Leopard-Treak (run by a couple of Danes!), Saxo Bank as their replacement signed the not at all so likeable and all-eating cannibal Contador, whom I’ve always disliked. But he IS after all racing for a Danish team now, which suddenly makes him somewhat more likeable. So this year I’m cheering for…fuck…I don’t know…the entertainment value of The Tour I guess. And yesterday’s stage certainly was highly entertaining!

And since this is not a sports blog, here’s a couple of theme related songs (of varied quality)…

Silly fathers...

Yeah, yeah I know...I hate remixes. Well RAC remixes being the one exception. Check his latest remix for Rubblebucket...

Rubblebucket - Silly Fathers (RAC mix) by RAC

In the wrong places...

To be honest, I’ve never particularly enjoyed bands singing in German. Probably because they remind how utterly incompetent I was back in school when the blue-eyed teachers tried to beat a little German grammar into my head. But also for the simple reason that it just doesn't sound very good (not offending anyone, really). However as always the really important thing is the music, and when it’s as great as this track by Locas In Love, I don’t care in what language the song is song in. And An Den Falschen Orten (had to use Google translate to figure out exactly what the title meant) is an absolutely wonderful energetic indie rock track with a rather insisting (and quite The Velvet Underground inspired) organ sounding keyboard. Thanks to J.A. for the heads up!

An Den Falschen Orten by Locas In Love

Smoke and mirrors...

New band Shanghai is currently gaining popularity in Denmark with their 80’s inspired sound. Someone even compares the music and vocals to Pink Floyd, though I cannot hear exactly why (perhaps a little around the 2:50 mark, but still....). But great stuff despite whoever you decide to compare it to. As per usual I’m a bit late (but not too late I hope), as the band’s debut EP was released by Sound of Copenhagen on May 23.

Sleep party remix...

Brian Batz (aka Mr. Sleep Party People) has asked a few of his favorite artists to remix a track from his debut album. This has resulted in 4 remixes that have been put together on a remix EP, which was released yesterday via iTunes. As you all know I'm really no fan of remixes; but I'm a fan of Sleep Party People and without being (too) biased the remixes are actually surprisingly (and refreshingly) competent.
SLEEP PARTY PEOPLE - The Dwarf And The Horse (Trentemøller RMX) by Brian Batz

On the radio this morning...

As always I'm a bit late here, as I've just recently "discovered" this rather new (and totally fabulous) track by The Horrors.


The Horrors - Still Life on Vimeo.

Google+...

Spent some time last night (as well as some time today) testing Google+...that "circles" function is really, really useful...miss the "pages" function from Facebook and the updates/news you get that way...

On the iPod this morning...

A hit (from way back when) that probably never was quite the hit, it really should have been...

Lithograph...

Have spent some time tonight streaming the debut album (Cranes In The City) of Toronto band Shoot The Image. I can only recommend that you do the same, if you could imagine yourself enjoying a band sounding like a mix of Blonde Redhead, New Order, Yeah Yeah Yeahs etc. Just to mention a few...


Lithograph - Shoot The Image from Olaf Blomerus on Vimeo.

+ Lithograph

Sightlines by Shoot The Image

Widowspeak...

Ivan of The Boombox Hearts calls Widowspeak his “soundtrack of the summer”. And it’s really, really cool (and quite summerly) stuff I agree and once you’ve listened to the beautiful Gun Shy (twang guitar - yay) it’s hardly a surprise why the band decided to record a cover of Wicked Game!

  Gun Shy by widowspeakband

  Wicked Game (Chris Isaak Cover) by widowspeakband

The Blessed Isles...

Here’s a truly fabulous recommendation from J.A.. The Blessed Isles hails from Texas and originally started out as a solo project of former The Hourly Radio frontman Aaron Closson. But the line-up has since expanded and the band is currently a trio. The music roams around somewhere in the shoegaze (somewhat noisy, slightly dreamy and quite catchy) genre influenced by “the usual suspects” (everyone from MBV to The Verve). A debut EP is expected out some time later this fall.

Like I Am Dreaming by The Blessed Isles

Give by The Blessed Isles

Artificial construct...

Stream the new Cause and Effect EP Artificial Construct - Part Two below or do what I just did; rush over to bandcamp and spend an insignificant part of your weekly allowance buying it! Pretty close to be a "must" for any fan of 80's synth pop.

The Body...

The new video for the forthcoming The Pains of Being Pure at Heart single The Body...

Happiness is alien...

Great news of the day...one of my favorite bands Cause & Effect will put out a new EP called Artificial Construct Part Two on July 26. First track of the EP Happiness Is Alien is absolutely smashing, though the video is somewhat bizarre; which btw. is the band's first since the video for the 1994 single It's Over Now. Preordering begins on Friday, July 8.

Shorties...

Boxstr continues being absolutely useless. Seems like it's (occasionally) possible to download songs previously uploaded, but for the past two/three weeks it hasn't been possible to upload anything. Happy I'm "only" paying for two accounts...

Has Champagne Riot called it quits? Looks like it I'm afraid. You'll be missed guys, though I'm pretty confident that we'll soon hear news from Caspar (at least)! Grab their latest (and last?) song Alcohol Kisses for a tweet.
 Alcohol Kisses (demo) by CHAMPAGNE RIOT

The Junica debut EP is out and now available through iTunes.
Living In My House by junica

According to the Matinée Recordings news page, Scottish duo Strawberry Whiplash plan to release their debut album later this summer...intriguingly the album will be called Hits In The Car...
Looking Out For Summer by Strawberry Whiplash

Delay Trees is expected to release a free-to-download EP called Before I Go Go some time during the summer. An unmastered version of the track All Black Left can be stream at SoundCloud (or below).
All Black Left by Delay Trees

On the radio this morning...

Yes; I know this is a re-post of a re-post. And yes! I do realize that this by no means is a happy song. Still makes my day every time I hear it...



+ The Last Dance

Holidayzzzz...

Socio Peruvian pop musician Francois Peglau shares this new track "for people who want holidays but cannot afford them". Plan to resume posting tomorrow!
Holidayzzz by fpeglau