A house full of girls...

I assure you that the above title sounds a lot more interesting than is actually the case. My wife has invited five friends over for an all-girl dinner, and I’m looking after the kiddos. Or sort of looking after, as they are busy watching some Barbie flick. So as long as I’m keeping a low profile and minding my own business everyone should be happy. And since I have my laptop and an (so-so working) internet connection, this is exactly what I intend to do! Though at some point, I’m probably going to risk an eye and try to get my hands on a glass of red wine.

But now I’m going to check out some mails, news, blogs etc. and perhaps add something to this post should anything of interest pop up.

Stick around! Who knows what will happen??

Come April Slowshark Records will release Moto Boy’s sophomore album Lost In The Call in Denmark. The label has mailed me the first single of the album called The Heart Is A Rebel and that’s one pure, sweet and catchy pop song!
+ The Heart Is A Rebel

The promo mails have started to arrive, so I'm slowly beginning to believe that Clinging to a Scheme will indeed be released in April. We've been waiting for so long, so can this really be true?
+ Heaven's On Fire

Hungarians EZ Basic are giving away their new (and absolutely smashing) song May in exchange for your email address. So much worth it and right now I simply cannot stop listening! What the f*ck? Taking the chance and risking the second eye by posting the song. The word on this song needs to be spread (and fast) and hopefully the band will approve this move!
+ May

And while you're busy exchanging your mails address, why not swap it for the new and absolutely lovely (and wonderfully titled) single Our Love Was Saved By Spacemen by The Pipettes?

Things are bloody close to surreal tonight. Just found this track by PaperDoll in a promo mail and for the I don't know how manieth time tonight I'm completely blown away. If this is a dream don't wake me up. Unless it's the red wine that's doing the trick?
+ Anything At All

It's almost midnight, so time to find the bed! A lovely Sunday to everyone!

Ah-ah-ah-choo...

Catching a cold and am sneezing every 30 second; or at least it feels like every half minute. I’m fully aware that right now I’m paying the price for my behavior Saturday evening (and night for that matter), where I was running around outside in the cold drinking and partying like an 18 year old, and completely ignoring that I am in fact a middle-aged man, who should always go to bed before 10 pm, never leave the house when it’s freezing and refrain from drinking anything stronger than mineral water. Luckily I have my own office, so my colleagues don’t have to watch me suffer through my misery. And I felt even worse yesterday, where I was eerily close to dying! I swear I was! Oh man! Will I ever learn? Probably not!

Not being the cleverest of people (the above should provide you with all the proof you need) and incredibly naive as well, I started searching for news on that Clinging to a Scheme album. But there was no unexpected Christmas present for us, as Labrador still lists March next year as the (expected?) time of its release. But please! No more postponing!
+ David

According to Tower of Foil frontman Daniel Björck the band has mailed their debut album to the label. That’s all the information available, but still sufficient to be classified as great news!
+ Faster Than Your Eye

No quite sure if this is official yet, but I’ve been told that Moto Boy will release his sophomore album in Denmark on March 1 next year on Slow Shark Records (and probably in Sweden as well on Song I Wish I Had Written). However it is official that he will be supporting moi Caprice on the band’s Danish tour in February.
+ Blue Motorbike

Continuing the Swedish theme the new single by Karin Ström is free to download from the artist’s webpage.
+ Hon som älskade dig

Danes Tetris = Therapy have announced that they have finished the recordings of an album worth of music and are now working on how to get the record released. Quite eager to get my hands on this one!
+ Big Tasty

Shorties...

My head feels like a boiling kettle right now, so I’m not sure if I can post anything that will make sense to anyone (do I ever?). So I’ll just stick to one of these shorties posts today!

The music of one man band (that expression is plain stupid, but I cannot think of a better one) Kites With Lights, who’s responsible for the fine New Order cover I featured the other day, is rather uncomplicated indietronica/electro pop, but still worth checking out.
+ The Weight of your Heart

Occasional contributor Rodolfo has launched his own blog; Hidden Treasure.

The Matinée Recordings news page has been updated, but basically (and unfortunately) the news is that there isn't all that much to tell.

The Moto Boy website has a new look and to (perhaps) celebrate this, the Regina remix of Young Love is free to download.
+ Young Love (Regina remix)

Download two tracks by Danish "super"-group Ghost Society at RCRD LBL. Will be interesting to hear if this is any good?

The new album by The Raveonettes will be out 6 October and will be called In And Out Of Control.

Indonesians Sunny Summer Day has a lovely new track named In Summer Time streaming at Myspace. Beautiful indie pop and obviously recommended by J.A.

"Live blogging"...

No, no. This is not a case of déjà vu though it probably feels like you’ve seen this before. But the scenario tonight is pretty much the same as it’s been a few times recently. The wife’s out, the kids are sleeping, there’s a beer in the fridge and lots of music (and some music related stuff) that needs to be checked out. Oh and some stuff that has very little to do with music as well. Since I quite enjoyed the last few times I did this “live” blogging thing, I didn’t take much to convince myself to do it again. The disclaimer is the usual; grammar and spelling are secondary or you could say; tonight it’s quantity over quality. The compulsory picture will be up in a few minutes, though I do refuse wearing a Viking helmet, as suggested by this fellow blogger.

Now that IS one red hoodie.

Why the f*ck isn't Boxstr.com working? Since I'm actually paying for their services, this sucks. Will have to use Fileden.com instead I suppose?

Come Monday Night by God Help The Girl, the new project of Stuart Murdoch of Belle & Sebastian, is already quite popular at Hypem. And since it's an indie pop tune of the purest and most lovely kind, it really is impossible (and in a way absolutely pointless) to pretend I'm surprised.
+ Come Monday Night

Are Mew teasing their fans (that includes me) or have they actually just revealed the title of their forthcoming album?

Quoting a promo mail from Nomethod Records; "Also we are giving away a brand new prev unreleased track from Robert Svensson called "I was summer, you were". A perfect song for dizzy summernights. Listen to it, blog it, twitter it, spread it! Enjoy!". Your wish is my...so here it is. Now hopefully IFPI won't mind me posting this (can you sense the sarcasm?)? It really is quite lovely btw.
+ I was summer, you were

Thirsty, thirsty. Time for that beer! Aaaaah - cheers!

Did anyone notice? I didn't swear (or used any other foul language for that matter) when I mentioned IFPI. I didn't. I really didn't!

@Liana who asked about Moto Boy songs the other day. 4 tracks are free to download from the Songs I Wish I Had Written (the band's label) website. Haven't listened to this stuff for quite some time, so thanks for reminding me!
+ What it was like to be with you

Fed up reading about bands that are going to play at Start! Festival? Then read no further or you'll probably be tempted to use those foul words I refrained from using a few minutes ago. Queens Garden sings in Danish, lists bands such as Mew and Kent among their top Myspace "friends" and do indeed write songs that are somewhat influenced by those. And that's definitely not a bad thing. Especially when the songs are this good!
+ Carolina
+ Et Glimt
+ Illusion

Twitter update. I currently have 154 followers, though I know for (an almost proven) fact that quite a few will stop following me, once they realize that I'm not returning the favor.

OK I agree that Susan Boyle must be the "feel good" story of the year. But why is it that the world has to go completely bananas when things like this happens? Suddenly she's the talk of the town, exactly the way Paul Potts was some years ago. Of course it's funny to watch the reaction of those three jerks (sorry judges or whatever they are called), but not THAT funny or interesting. And TV programs like that are still the worst!

Watch The William Blakes performing a really decent version of Secrets of the State live at Backstage.



That will be all for tonight. There's a good chance (risk if you like) that I'll be back right here behind the screen tomorrow night!

This and that...

Thus ends the feuilleton. In May the sun shone for a total of 347 hours and became the sunniest month in Denmark since 1920. And if the weather forecast is to be trusted, the sun will continue to shine for the rest of the week and hopefully make this year’s Vesterbro Festival a much “dryer” experience than last year.

The second Northern Portrait EP Napoleon Sweetheart will be released in July. Opening track will be a re-edited and mastered version of I Give You Two Seconds To Entertain Me, which can now be streamed at Myspace.

June Song by Biker Boy has been published at Myspace and it's business as usual, so the track is free to download during the first week of the month.

Indonesian indie pop quartet Sunny Summer Day has just released a six track EP named Me, Myself & The Empty Soul on Letterbox Records. Promo track So Much Fun is yet another one of those enjoyable catchy pop songs that this band seems to be throwing our way in bunches.
+ So Much Fun

Songs I Wish I Had Written gives away another free single from the Moto Boy album. And a lovely new baby it is!
+ What it was like to be with you

Currently giving the Walter Meego album Voyager a good listen. Mix dance and disco in the big synth-driven pop blender and you'll probably end up with sweet pop music like this. Infectious to say the least and this is defintitely another candidate for the soundtrack of the summer.
+ Forever

Swedish shorties..

A few songs from the inbox.

Minneapolis-based quartet Love In October isn't really Swedish, but two of the band members are Swedish natives, so I believe it's OK to consider the band being at least half-Swedish. The album Pontus, The Devil and Me, was out last month and judging from the two promo tracks below, it could very well be an indie/alternative rock album worth checking out.
+ Circa 1969
+ I Dream Of Marie Antoinette

Jimahl's nearly 8 minutes long remix of Jesus, walk with me by Club 8 is simply superb. Close your eyes, chill-out and make the world stop. 8 minutes later I bet you'll be rejuvenated.
+ Jesus, walk with me (Remix by Jimahl)

The fine Moto Boy single Young Love (released on Songs I wish I has written) has been remixed by Chris Price, whose album Post Pop Parade I embarrassingly forgot to write about last year, despite all my promises and good intentions. As a small consolation I've re-posted the haunting and somewhat New Order inspired And She Was.
+ Young Love (Chris Price remix)
+ Young love
+ And She Was

Shorties...

My body means serious business and it just won't let me forget my age. My back is still a painful mess!

I have too many CD’s - plain and simple. I spent half an hour last night searching for Godspeed Into The Mainstream, and although I found lots of CD's I had forgotten all about, I never did find that Spleen United debut. Perhaps the girls have swapped it for a pair of candy bags? Don’t forget that the sophomore album Neanderthal will be out later this month!
+ Streetfighter (Broken Spindles Remix)

The morning started with some seriously bad news. J.A. mailed the info that Danish The Smiths’ inspired quintet The Cupids has decided to split up, even though a single release seemed to be just around the corner.
+ Tonight
+ Sunday

The new Moto Boy single (to be released next week on Songs I wish I had written) is a gorgeous piece of sweet pop music.
+ Young Love

In A Cyclone Of Stones recommends lovely Swedish indie poppers bakers at dawn. The new 9 track EP anything in particular is up for grabs right here. This stuff is simply too good and too interesting to overlook.
+ hopeful

Flowers of Romance is the title of a brand new track by Green Concorde and it's arguably their best track to date. Stream only.

One event that you shouldn't miss - next Friday (January 18) a few of the Frekvens boys will be DJ'ing at the Beta Satan concert at Musikcafeen in Århus. Read more.
+ Great Moments of Pleasure

This and that (Swedish edition)...

Download the opening/title track Welcome To Our Town from the new EP by Sweden's Cheshire Cat. This is energetic and very catchy indierock inspired by bands like Joy Division, Sisters of Mercy, The Cure etc. So you could say that this is not highly original, but nonetheless it's still really, really great! To be honest I'm not quite sure whether this is new or not. The info received from the label - Stiftelsen - wasn't very specific to say the least. But according to the webpage the EP was released May 10, so I guess this makes it a NEW release? Perhaps re-release is the correct term? The Celestial album I mention further down is new, but features several older, but re-recorded tracks (including the title track). Does that make Dream On a new, old or re-recorded track? Any suggestions?
+ Welcome To Our Town

Swedish label Songs I wish I had written modestly describes the new Moto Boy single Blue Motorbike as "the summer hit of 2007". With its interesting vocals and wonderful haunting tune I'm certainly not the one objecting to that statement.
+ Blue Motorbike

I've finally bought the Celestial debut album Dream On (released a month ago on Skipping Stones Records). This gorgeous album sounds like the perfect lovechild of Brighter and The Jesus And Mary Chain, and certainly is a prime candidate for my "best albums of the year" list.
+ Dream On

Just found these two tracks by Gothenburg based one-man project TRIP. Despite being unsigned, it seems like a trio of EP's is going to be released at some point, but so far no words on any date of release. The music is tagged as indie / psychedelic / shoegaze by the band itself and it is indeed a quite interesting mix of many genres. So instead of trying to describe it (which quickly could turn into mission impossible), I just recommend that you check it out yourself.
+ Drive
+ Ecstasies