Showing posts with label The National. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The National. Show all posts

June 26, 2013

Ting tager den tid...

...som de nu engang gør. Fornemmer nok lidt, at processen med at genfinde bloggerglæden godt kan gå hen og blive en anelse uskøn. Jeg kan så finde trøst ved, at jeg ikke længere har nogen læsere tilbage, så eventuelle frustrationer desangående kan jeg holde ganske for mig selv. Burde jo så være dobbelt motiverende, at jeg af samme grund kan skrive (næsten) hva' fan' jeg lyster, uden at skabe postyr eller på anden måde have indvirkning på nærtagende sjæle. En situation som vel tilnærmelsesvis kan kaldes en slags frit slag i bolledejen uden konsekvenser...

Nyheden om min isolerede ø i cyberspace er dog (endnu) ikke nået hele vejen rundt, for mails tikker stadig lystigt ind med ønsker om at jeg skal lytte til dette og hint - alt fra mormors serenader på redekam til juniors udskejelser på blokfløjte. Og her har vi nok kimen til bloggens uigenkaldelige march mod den digitale kirkegård; lysten til med åbent sind at lytte til ny musik fra den dybeste undergrund er tæt på at forsvinde. Flammen, som fik mig til at bruge timer på at lide mig igennem lort for måske (eller som oftest; måske ikke) finde en lille perle, brænder stadig; men det skal godt nok være den sorteste nat, hvis man skal gøre sig håb om at få øje på den.

Hvor leder det alt sammen hen? Tjah? Var aldrig god til at spille fodbold, men klarede mig nogenlunde takke være et stort fighterhjerte. Lykkeligvis kan dette også anvendes udenfor grønsværen, så før hullet graves og låget bankes i permanent, vil der blive ofret endnu en smule hjerteblod. Og uanset hvordan man vender det, så fylder musikken jo stadig en del i livet...på godt og ondt!



Synes at Trouble Will Find Me er et rigtig fint og nydeligt album. Desværre lidt lige som en lille dreng med butterfly. Fin og nydelig...og så ikke ret meget mere.

Gider ikke høre mere om eller til Daft Punk. Og Get Lucky driver mig ganske enkelt til vanvid!

Så er Kveikur en anderledes behagelig oplevelse. Som sædvanlig er det umuligt at fatte en klap af noget som helst, men smukt det er det skisme!

Ved ikke rigtig hvad jeg skal synes om det nye Frida Sundemo nummer A Million Years...lidt skuffende? Spørg jeg...mig selv!



Slutteligt et velmenende vink med en vognstang om at give den nye Helsinki Poetry video et kiggelyt. Tænker højt...mon Ebbes løbetur er uploadet til Endomondo?


November 12, 2010

Last night...

Obviously the quality of the video isn't the best, but this was a bloody marvellous experience. And these (I promise) will be my last words on The National for quite some time.



Some reviews:
Gaffa (6 stars)
Soundvenue (4 stars)
Ekstra Bladet (5 stars)

November 11, 2010

On the radio this morning...

Almost impossible to express how much I’m looking forward to the concert tonight. As Anyone’s Ghost was on just before 7 o’clock this morning the timing of P3, once again, was impeccable.



If you didn’t download the cover by Silver Swans of the track the first time I posted it, this is your (second) chance. Not half as good as the original version, but that has more to do with the quality of the original.
+ Anyone's Ghost (The National Cover)

Every morning when the girls and I are having breakfast the radio is on, and from time to time it does happen that some really fine stuff is aired, thus helping to make the start of the day a good one. The “On the radio this morning” posts are my humble attempt to make your start a good one as well!

November 10, 2010

Various bits...

Been feeling awful since Friday, but seems like the cold is retreating. Perfect timing, as I’m going to see The National at KB-Hallen tomorrow night. Wouldn’t really be the same if I was sneezing, coughing and having a stuffy nose! Should be (definitely will be) a blast!
+ Bloodbuzz Ohio
+ Fake Empire

New single Zimmerman by Entakt has been added to the P3 and P4 playlists. Unfortunately it's yet not available for streaming (or buying if anyone does that anymore) anywhere, but the video for the song will be published next Saturday (November 20). Worth noting as the band has have difficulties in the past getting airplay!

This is somewhat unusual. A Danish band singing in Danish has a song remixed by a fellow Dane. OK perhaps that’s not quite unusual. But said remix being released by a major US music website certainly is! Though you can of course argue that no one understands a word what Under Byen is singing anyway, thus making the whole "singing in Danish" part irrelevant. Download the Kasper Bjørke remix of Alt Er Tabt at Stereogum.
+ Alt Er Tabt

June 11, 2010

Being national...

The National will be at KB-Hallen (Copenhagen) on November 11. I’m still trying to figure out why everyone seems to be so high on this band, but I’ve bought a ticket nonetheless. And if Frank is right (he usually is) we should be in for something awesome.
+ Bloodbuzz Ohio

The 2010 FIFA World Cup begins today (surprise, surprise) and as always I dream of the Danes conquering the world. But if I just this one try to be realistic and take off those red and white colored glasses, it should be rather obvious that Denmark’s chances of making an impact are close to zero. But didn’t we think exactly the same in 1992 and 1998?

New album Into The Great Wide Yonder by Trentemøller was released last week (in Denmark) to rave reviews. Here’s one more artist, whose popularity I don’t quite get. This remix of Sycamore Feeling is brilliant, but the rest…???
+ Sycamore Feeling (Trentemøller Remix Edit)

Efterklang and Turboweekend have decided to swap remixes.
+ Full Moon (Turboweekend remix)
+ Sweet Jezebel (Efterklang remix)

Here’s a track I probably would have posted no matter how bad it was, as Illinois quartet Elsinore share its name with the English name of my hometown. As it turned out the song is a pretty decent pop rock piece, which to be honest is quite a relief!
+ Yes Yes Yes

May 3, 2010

On the radio this morning...

Still think it sounds a lot like Learning To Fly, but that doesn't prevent it from being a great song! Not official video seems to be available, so this live version will have to do!



+ Bloodbuzz Ohio

April 28, 2010

If only...

…I wasn’t such a lazy sod, I’d probably be writing something about:

Young Danish duo Forgotten Fields of Fire and their charming pop tunes.
+ Live By Heart

The excellent debut album (download only) Acquaintances by Tetris = Therapy.
+ A Lack of Concentration

The amazing 180 song Peace compilation published by Buffetlibre in support of Amnesty International.
+ CartridgeBlack Roads

The new interesting and free to download Between Two Waves Volume A compilation released by Eardrums Pop.

How Clinging To A Scheme is getting better and better for every listen and how much I'm looking forward to (finally) seeing The Radio Dept. performing live.
+ Heaven's On Fire

How I quite like the new Band of Horses album, but still not completely won over by High Violet.

The William Blakes releasing a new album in September called The Way Of The Warrior, which will be the band’s third album release in the span of just 2½ years.
+ Violent God

Plus ???

March 25, 2010

zzz...

Yesterday went by exactly as predicted, as I spent the entire day trying to recover from the lack of sleep. Find it difficult not being somewhat bitchy about it, as I think it’s pretty close to impertinent to let people pay for the tickets and then let the main act enter the stage at 11.15 p.m. I know I’m getting older, but I cannot help considering this as a message to people like me, who have to go to work the next day or even worse have children that must be at school at 8 a.m., that we are not really welcome. Whether this was a decision made by the venue or the band I don’t know, but a rather irritating one it was. And for the first time ever, I was forced to leave a concert before it finished (at 0.30 a.m. – and my friend and I weren’t the first ones to leave), as I could hardly keep my eyes open any longer plus knowing that we had the pleasure of a 45 minute drive ahead of us. The concert you ask? Nice, very nice, but as you probably have figured out, I didn’t really enjoy it!

Had a beer and a (much longer than expected) chat with the always friendly Jonas (of Entakt) before the concert, and got the latest updates on the band. Things are brewing, but precisely when we’ll hear something new from the band is still far too early to tell.
+ Kunsten at Slippe Taget
+ Orkestret med det blotlagte skelet

You bet this will soon be all over the blogosphere in an instant (it already is), but since I (like just about every other music loving human in the universe) am looking forward to High Violet, I have no other option than to jump on the bandwagon and post the first appetizer from the album.
+ Bloodbuzz Ohio
Now that I’ve listened to it a few times, I do think it’s absolutely glorious, but don’t parts of it sound like this one?

Was it completely wrong of me expecting a band named Dazzle Ships to be at least somewhat inspired by OMD? Guess so, because they really are not!
+ Least Resistance

Speaking of old favorites OMD. I probably knew that the band was still around, but certainly not that the original line-up is back together. And I definitely did not know that they plan to release an album this year (to be named The History of Modern). A demo version of the very Enola Gay’ish Sister Mary Says is free to download (you do have to register and all that) from the official webpage. Oh, those memories!

March 5, 2010

While I was cleaning out the mailbox...

...lots of other things happened!

I finally bought myself a ticket for the Get Well Soon concert at Loppen on March 23.
+ If This Hat Is Missing I Have Gone Hunting

The new album by The National was announced. To be released May 11 and will be named High Violet. Frank says it's awesome! I’m almost prepared to wager next month’s salary that no song on the new album will be as fantastic as Fake Empire. If there is, then it will definitely be worth the price!
+ Fake Empire

Band of Horses quickly sold out their concert at Vega on April 18. And, as I expected, announced that they are about to release a new album. Infinite Arms will be out on May 17 (or 18 depending on your location), but sadly not on Sub Pop.
+ The Great Salt Lake

New song Andalucía by Doves was played on radio for the first time.

I received a promo mail with a copy of Plastic Beach. Stylo is a nice one, but the rest is definitely not my “cup of tea”.

The band formerly known as Ruined by Martin okayed a “in retrospect” post. So hopefully a post will be up next week containing every track ever recorded by the band.
+ Kaiser Star

Jeremy Sparrow mailed me a copy of his debut EP This Summer Was Just Such A Bore. I’m looking forward to giving it some thorough listens.
+ Outrunning Paper Tigers (demo version)

Received the rest of the Call Signs EP, I requested yesterday! At times the lead singer of Wires in the Walls really sounds like Angie Aparo, and that combined with some great songwriting makes this a truly fabulous EP!
+ Twin Jet Engines

Two decent cover versions of The Raveonettes' Heart of Stone landed in my inbox.
+ Dum Dum Girls - Heart of Stone
+ Amazing Baby - Heart of Stone

August 23, 2007

This and that...

3 new demo tracks by Danish quartet GimmiJapan were published during my holiday, so this information could have been posted nearly 2 months ago (had I known and had I been close to a computer). Info on the new tracks is sparse, and since all members seem to be involved in various other projects, it's difficult to tell how serious the band is about this. But the tracks (Chasing Shadows especially) are really fine melodic alternative (and somewhat dreamy) pop/rock tunes that probably will remind some of Cocteau Twins. Two of the new tracks are posted below, so off to Myspace you go if you want the third one as well.
+ Chasing Shadows
+ Suprising Chills

Fine Danish indie/alternative rock band Mono is now called Noar. Cannot say that I like the new name, but since (at least!) a thousand other bands/artists are called Mono a change of name was obviously the only logic thing to do. Lots of stuff seems to be happening and I'm very much looking forward to the band's next output!
+ Our Dawn

Hopefully none of you wasted any precious minutes of your lives watching Denmark being completely ousted by Ireland in last night's soccer/football game? Embarrassment is the only word I can think of!

I think that I've mentioned a few times before that my boss is a quite knowledgeable jazz fan, who never wastes any opportunity trying to turn me on to legendary acts like John Coltrane, Miles Davis etc. Yesterday we spent a little time in my office listening to A Love Supreme and though I doubt that I'll ever quite grow to like it, it's always fun listening and discussing music with someone who shares the same passion. As a small retribution I mailed him The National's Fake Empire giving him the same advise he's been giving me over and over when I should try listening to jazz music - follow the instruments. He later replied that he liked it, but he's known to be quite well-mannered, so?
+ Fake Empire

It's always interesting to check the Out Clicks stats to see what songs people are downloading. Unfortunately they reveal that there aren't that many visitors interested in unsigned Danish indie bands. But it also reminds me how difficult it is to keep up with/remember all the bands I've mentioned over the years. Like for example brilliant UK inde rock act Indigo that I've sadly forgotten all about.
+ Get In There

I'm once again a Last.fm subscriber, so you can no longer poke around my profile without me knowing it!

June 7, 2007

The National Bahnhof...

The past week I've been listening a lot to the (in my opinion) really fine debut Reverse by Danish alternative/indie rock band Bahnhof and as I always do, I checked a couple of reviews, but was quite surprised to see that neither Gaffa nor Soundvenue liked the album. What really stroke me when reading was that both reviewers seemed to focus far more on the press material in which the band compares itself to The Raveonettes, Mew, Kashmir, Figurines, than they did on the music. And of course it is quite something to compare yourself to those highly regarded bands, when you're about to release your debut album. But rather than being irritated, I think they should have simply ignored this confident statement and instead reviewed the album on its own terms (which they hopefully tried, but clearly failed to do)...
A highly original/groundbreaking album it isn't (being familiar with the band for some time now, I certainly didn't expect it to be) as the music sounds like a huge (but very good) mix of bands like Kent, Muse, Interpol, The Killers etc. But most importantly all of the songs are enjoyable with catchy melodies, and as a whole the album is a lot better than those reviews gives it credit for.
+ A Brighter Day

On a completely different note, I still don't like the way some albums are (over-) hyped, but Boxer by The National is really, really great and deserves all the nice words and fantastic reviews. Fake Empire is one of those unique songs that just seems to be getting better and better - despite that I've already listened to it a 100 times. And another fabulous track of the album is Apartment Story, which can be found here.
+ Fake Empire