November 30, 2011

Spock...

Someone has uploaded this radio rip of Spock; the first track released by the Vince Clarke/Martin Gore collaboration VCMG...teaching my kids these days that they must keep quiet, when they have nothing nice to say, so I'm not going to comment on it...



and a SoundCloud stream...

VCMG - Spock by Mute UK

November 29, 2011

Dating demons...

Since this track by Alaska In Winter was uploaded to SoundCloud just yesterday I thought it was a new one. However I’ve just found out that it was included on an EP that was released as far back as in June (I received thousands of emails, but why didn’t any inform me about this release?). Also learned that Brandon Bethancourt has been battling all kinds of personal problems, probably explaining the EP title? Demons sounds pretty good mixing electronic sounds with Balkan vocals (or at least so I hear it)…
Demons by alaskainwinter

Check out this new track by the great (but horribly named) The Sexual Outlaws.
+ Adventures In Dating

Seems like Danes On No Ono have decided to split up. Whether or not this decision was ignited by the studio run by two band members was robbed last month, I obviously cannot tell, but still sad no matter the reason(s)…
+ Helplessly Young

Anyone heard any track(s) from the forthcoming Vince Clarke/Martin Gore (VCMG) release EP1/Spock? I’m expecting the worst and fearing (if possible) even worse. Hopefully I’m going to be proven wrong here!

December is coming and the Xmas tracks have started to arrive in the mail. Guess I’ll make a kind of Xmas compilation again this year including the best of previous years plus a few of this year’s new arrivals.

Chorus Grant (which I mentioned in a brief post on Friday) has posted a new track for streaming at SoundCloud.
Big Guns by Chorus Grant

November 25, 2011

Chorus Grant...

Check out brand new Danish artist/band/project Chorus Grant...described as "from computer-grunge pop, to 50's do-do run run and Dylan’esqe folk", though I'm not quite sure what that is supposed to mean exactly...but it sure is interesting...more songs can be streamed at Reverbnation...


ComScore

November 24, 2011

Kitchen on fire...

This is sweet, nice, cool etc....Hannah Schneider performs a stripped down live version of recent single In The Line Of Fire in a (don't think it's hers) kitchen...



In The Line Of Fire by Hannah Schneider

November 23, 2011

Darn, dang, dammit...

I know I’ve written this so many times that it’s beyond tedious. But nonetheless I’m happily going to repeat myself and utter to the world “I receive far too many emails”! Reading, listening, deleting and every once in while replying and posting eats up far too much of what precious little time I can dedicate to this blog. Consequently it has happens more and more often that I take a quick look at the mailbox, shake my head and sigh “not tonight baby…” So the mails from those days probably never will get a closer look meaning that there’s an outside chance of something interesting eluding me. Obviously I cannot tell how often it happens, as I normally just delete the unread mails after some time, but when I, as I just did today, finally find some time to check out older mails and discover a message from one of my recent favourite bands, I feel rather pissed off…and all my rage is turned toward the many, many promoters, bands etc. jamming my inbox with their useless garbage and thus drowning the very few interesting mails that happen to come my way! The email causing this outburst was mailed on September 28 informing that Psychic Powers had put out a free to download virtual 7” single on EverythingIsChemical. And though the track isn’t among their better ones (too long, too electronic and not quite catchy enough) and never would have fitted in on the band’s smashing debut album, I still feel devastated to have missed out on this release by nearly two months…watch out for an updated spam filter…
+ It’s All Around You

This and that...

The Azure Blue debut album Rule of Thirds is out today...stream the whole thing on SoundCloud...incredibly catchy stuff...
+ The Catcher In The Rye

Socio Peruvian pop musician Francois Peglau shares new track Lonesome Café. Good one!
+ Lonesome Café

Been a while, but seems like my filehost boxstr.net is (sort of) working again (crossing fingers)!

Danish favorites tung_nem has posted a new track called Evident...not one of their best tracks I'm afraid!
Evident by tung_nem

New band on my radar is UK duo The Approval...normally something I'd shy away from as it perhaps looks a little too "boy bandish" and the lads definitely have "poster boy" potential...but the duo's (free to download) EP Time Will Tell contains some really charming pop tunes, so I'll be a fan for now before they are discovered by the teenage hordes...
+ Hide & Seek

Datsyuk hasn't had the best start to the new (NHL) season, but luckily his namesake (obviously called) Datsyuk continues to record nice dreamy electronic pop tunes.
+ Turquoise (Ft. Derek Coburn)

November 22, 2011

Flowers bloom...

Watch the new video from High Highs for their track Flowers Bloom...both video and song are dreamy and beautiful...or as I wrote some (10!) months ago: "Imagine lying comfortably on your back on a carpet of soft green grass gazing at the clouds drifting by while listening to this"...


High Highs - Flowers Bloom from Video Marsh on Vimeo.

High Highs - Flowers Bloom by rocketmusic

Days of thunder...

Check out the new Spleen United single Days Of Thunder...I used to love this band, but not a fan of the direction the band has taken since the debut album...

November 21, 2011

Lights are out...

Check out this new track by Sweden's Loud as Light...it's grand, it's epic and it's simply beautiful!!!

Lights are Out by Loud as Light

November 18, 2011

Stranded...

Check out this new video from Morning Tapes (heck - yet another band I had never heard of before opening the mailbox this morning)...not sure if it's supposed to make any sense, but quite funny (and a tiny bit scary) to watch. And the song is rather pretty good as well (uptempo, guitar driven pop/rock thing)...download the self-titled (debut?) EP for free via SoundCloud...



Stranded by Modern Tapes

November 16, 2011

Space March...

Straight from the inbox...until this morning Australian one-man project Space March was completely new to me...but having just finished streaming the new (and the band's/project's third) album over at SoundCloud, I'm glad I finally got introduced to it, as Monumental is a pretty nice collection of 80's inspired (and I'm a sucker for that) synth-pop songs. Definitely recommend you check it out...



Space Cowboy by Space March

November 14, 2011

Future gold...

J.A. recommends this energetic and catchy new track called Future Gold by Victories At Sea...swap your email address for an mp3 (apparently I misread something, as the song is free to download with no strings attached)...



FUTURE GOLD by victories at sea

And it hurts...

Brand new video from Junica...great video and fantastic song (pop music doesn't get much better than this)!



And It Hurts by junica

Two rings...

Check out the pretty cool new video for the equally cool single Two Rings by The Ice Choir (out now on Shelflife and yesboyicecream). Wonderful 80's inspiration...



+ Two Rings

Crank it up...

Check out the video for new track Crank It Up by The Boombox Hearts. A sort of "in-between" release as it wasn't included on the debut EP and won't be included on the album, which the band (this comes straight from the horse's mouth) has begun recording. Crank It Up is sad, beautiful and lo-fi, sounding quite Iron & Wine(ish).

November 11, 2011

Ranting...

Just need to get this off my chest. Please, please, please (multiply by hundreds if you like) stop sending me promo mails where I have to go to Pitchfork or some other ridiculously huge music site to download the track you want me to post/share/mention/feature/(or more likely) give a listen and then delete. I know this is a pretty shitty and lame excuse of a music blog, and no one really gives a rat’s ass anyway about anything I think of anything. And you’re probably right that the blog should have breathed its last breath ages ago. But stubbornly I continue to believe that it has a right to exist, because unlike the bigger mainstream copycat blogs, I do try to focus less on my statcounter and from time to time try to give little known (yet brilliant - mind you) artists some of the attention I think they are deserving but rarely are getting (use yesterday’s post as an exhibit if you like). So no – I don’t care about Pitchfork and seriously have no interest in learning that Coldplay has hit no. 1 in 517 (or is it 518 – sorry if I haven’t been paying attention) different countries. I’d much rather receive a mail introducing me to a band no one’s ever heard of and then find one of the best songs ever written as an attachment. Doesn’t happen very often (if ever) I know, but that dream is the fuel that keeps this blog going…fuck mainstream!

November 10, 2011

Never enough...

From the department of obscure and unnoticed bands comes this....Check out new track Never Enough by Swedish pop noir (not entirely sure what the definition of this is, but it's the term used by the band itself) act Mono Noir. A somewhat dreamy and sweet little pop song...I like it...hope you do as well...

Mono Noir - Never enough

+ Never Enough 

November 8, 2011

Thirst...

Via It's A Trap…check out the new Choir of Young Believers single Patricia’s Thirst. Interesting though rather different (quite 80’ish inspired isn't it?) when compared to the songs on the debut...

Never been...

In a perfect world Play People would be everyone's favorite pop band. Sadly this isn't a perfect world...check out the band's new track Never Been and help make the world a little less imperfect...

Never Been by Play People

November 5, 2011

Hold my hand...

Pete White continues to give away some of his older recordings over at SoundCloud. Yesterday he upload these two tracks that (can you believe it) were the first of his songs I ever posted...as long ago as back in January 2006! Great music stands the test of time and they still sound fantastic...

  Hand signals by Pete White

  Go by Pete White

November 2, 2011

Happy go lucky...

Many a long time ago Pete White used to be my favorite singer-songwriter. But then he wandered on to become a member of country folk trio Navaro and his solo stuff was sort of put on hold. Yesterday he shared a couple of tracks at SoundCloud and though neither are new recordings one could always hope that this is a sign of him reviving the solo project (at least he promises that lots more will follow).

 happy go lucky demo by Pete White

Time by Pete White

Why don't we...

Check out this new video from Mint Julep. According to Peter (though he has yet to publicly state it on his blog) this is the best song of 2011! And it is indeed pretty bloody fantastic