J.A. Recommends...

One could easily be fooled to believe that the weather would be so great in Spain these days that J.A. would have all kind of difficulties to find enough time to be searching for new music. However (or perhaps luckily) that doesn't seem to be the case (or he simply doesn't care about his suntan?), so this morning I found some nice recommendations in the mailbox.

Today I'll only post one of his recommendations and (the obvious reason aside that the music is really great) the main reason for picking this one is that the band has a perfect name - Sunny Summer Day. And since the sun IS shining today, what would be more perfect than to listen to a couple of great indie pop songs from this Indonesian band? Both tracks are demos recorded this year and some of the main influences include The Field Mice and The Stone Roses, so you should know what to expect. According to the band's Myspace page they are signed to a small US label called Little Pocket Records, but no information is available on any releases. But certainly worth keeping an eye on!
+ You're The One For Me
+ Something In Your Eyes

Follow-up...

Thanks to all of you, who posted comments on my Friday blurbs. I guess it has been vetoed that I should continue writing in English, so I'll let the discussion rest...for now.

@ Sara - saw your small plea in your blog, and it will be added to the blogroll very soon.

@ Tolga - your blogs will be added as well.

@ Strangeisthenewfruit - sadly I never found out more about The Fridaynight Club. But it still is a fantastic song - isn't it?
+ Aeroplanes

Friday blurbs...

Recently I’ve been thinking more and more about switching language and start writing my posts in Danish instead. Let’s be honest for second. My English isn’t really any good and these posts are taking me forever to write. Writing in Danish would save me a lot of time and I’m pretty certain that the posts will be funnier and a tiny bit more interesting to read if written in my native language. But the obvious reason why I’m rooting against this switch is that I, pretty much like every other naïve blogger, hope that someday the entire world will be knocking on my bloggerdoor. Then it would be plain stupid that the world couldn't understand what I was writing - wouldn't it. And furthermore I'd probably risk loosing the two non-Danish speaking readers I have, if I made such a change? So for now the blog will continue being written in English and the dictionary will remain my loyal and trusted companion.

I wrote it earlier this week and I’m happy to repeat it. The more I listen to Our Love To Admire the more I like it.

Handily Supertroels has posted a compilation of all his freebies.

Some might ask what's there to be excited about, but I'm really, really looking forward to see Spion and The Holiday Show in concert tonight. Family obligations make it pretty difficult to fill my calendar with concert dates, so for obvious reasons I have to treasure the ones where I get the opportunity to go.
+ Spion - Dine Øjne
+ The Holiday Show - Put Me On A TV-show

This has already received plenty of blogger love, but I think that the great initiative deserves my recognition as well. The independent label Autumn Tone (run by Justin of An Aquarium Drunkard) has reissued the debut album Shadows Rise by post-folk duo Travel By Sea, as an “appetizer” for the band’s second release – due later this summer/fall. And a beautiful album it is. So quiet and mellow that you almost get the impression that it was created especially for the rainy days spent on the couch with a smoking cup of coffee in your hand. Despite truly deserving it, the album probably won’t appeal to the masses (these kinds of bands just never seem to do), so I very much doubt that it will propel the band (or the label for that matter) to stardom. But I assume at lot less will do just fine? However should I be wrong; then it's possible to buy the album here. Finally - am I really the only one who easily could imagine Lindsey Buckingham performing Brightside?
+ Brightside
+ Complete Shakeup

Chris posted it yesterday and I'll post it today. The new (AND free) track by Iron and Wine is excellent. His new album will be released September 25.
+ Boy With a Coin

Celestial - Somedays We Are

Swedish one-man indie pop/shoegaze inspired band Celestial released a limited edition 3" CD-single on Cloudberry Records earlier this year called Somedays We Are. The single is now sold out, so the band has generously made the title track available as a free download. If you (just like I am) are a fan of the band's other stuff, this excellent track certainly won't disappoint you!
+ Somedays We Are

Two to look out for (maybe?)...

Dan Wallace will release his new album Culture of Self on July 19. His music is pretty hard to label (a rocking version of the typical singer/songwriter?), but the four freebies of the album are pretty good.
+ Perfect Weather For A Superhero
+ The Heap

Swedish indie pop/rock band This Year's Model will release their debut album The Clock Strikes Ten in the rest of Europe on August 3 (already released in Japan and Scandinavia me thinks - how I wish bands were better at giving accurate information). The two sample tracks are short, but definitely not without potential (thanks J.A.).
+ Ten O'Clock Murder
+ O, Heaven Help My Foolish Heart

Obviously the burning question in both cases is, whether the rest of the album is any good! Will let you know if I ever find out...

Two nice ones...

Did a quick Myspace search this morning and found these two fine tracks:

+ Daylight - The Morning Call
Gorgeous guitar pop song by an Indonesian five-piece. Soon to be found in the right column.

+ Cézanne Grand - Iowa Fields
Wonderful and charming indie pop piece from this Swedish one-man band.

Don't expect any more updates today.

J.A. Recommends...

Norwegian synth/powerpop/electronic/futurepop trio The I. Sounds like Mew (vocals) meeting The Knife (visually) and Nine Inch Nails/VNV Nation (sounds). Or something close to that! More songs can be found here.
+ Senser
+ Make It

Spies on thin ice...

Danish rock quartet Spion (the Danish word for spy) wasn't picked as Gaffa's demo of July, but the review of the band's 2007 demo Tynd Is (Danish for thin ice) was still pretty good (4 out of 6 stars), so I decided to give it a listen. A rather good idea it seems, as especially the pulsing title track has blown me away completely. The drums sound like something that Mew could have recorded during the And The Glass Handed Kites recordings, and the chorus is one of those that will be stuck in your head for the next many, many days. Please don't let the fact that the band is singing in Danish scare you away, as this is excellent stuff! The band has recorded two more demos/EP's and both of them are available for free from the band's webpage.
+ Tynd Is
+ Lydløs
+ Når Du Kommer Hjem

This Friday the band will play a double concert at Lades in Copenhagen where my old favorites The Holiday Show will be performing as well. I'll be there....
+ Snookerstar (New mix)
+ Island Of Lonely People
+ Traveling minds

Probably should add that the demo by The Holiday Show was reviewed as well and received 5 out of 6 stars (pretty good and the band was compared to my old heroes Gangway). Demo EP of the month was by alternative rockers Up In Arms.

This and That....

This is old news, but remember to download the new (and excellent single) Hey, Girl by Figurines. The expectations for the album When The Deer Wore Blue (out later this month in DK) are sky high!
+ Hey, Girl

The more I listen the more I like Our Love To Admire!

If I ever meet Soko "I swear I'll kill her". What started out as a sweet little novelty thing is now all over the airways and for every listen that French accent annoys me more and more!

I've been listening to a lot of radio the past two weeks and it was great to hear P3 play songs by Kind of girl, Turboweekend and The Floor Is Made Of Lava (songs here).

FALK recommends this great new track by German new wave/gothic band Curious.
+ Resurrection

And J.A. recommends this catchy one by US electronic/powerpop trio Iris. Taken from the band's 2005 album called Wrath.
+ Appetite

Finally a nice one from the mailbox. The Lion by NY one man project Goodbye The Band reminds me (in a very positive way) of of Montreal.
+ The Lion

Back again...

After two weeks in the rain (how I wish I was writing "sun" instead) I'm back and typing this with (highly unexpected) pale fingers. Everything around here is pretty much as I expected; the mailbox is cluttered, the number of visitors has dropped and all my favorite blogs have posted zillions of new and interesting songs the past few weeks. So it might take some time before I've read my way through all the messages and listened to all the songs, as I do have plenty of work (you know - the boring and unimportant real-life stuff) to take care of as well.

A while back when I wrote the post on OMD covers, Oliver North Boy Choir mailed me their version of the classic Enola Gay. Back then I made a promise not to post it, and despite being quite a challenge I managed to keep my word. Now the band has decided to distribute the song to a few blogs, so I guess this means that I'm released from my vow? Actually this is an older piece recorded in the days when the band was named Pierre, but still intended to be used as a b-side. However something went wrong (won't try to give the technical explanation), so this ended up being the final version (and a damn good one I might add). One a side note; Ivan of the band has set up a blog called In a cyclone of stones (soon to be added to the blogroll).
+ Enola Gay

I've done my share of whole-hearted attempts trying to get into Stars, but Elevator Love Letter aside the band has failed to impress me. But I have to admit that the new track (which is already all over the blogosphere) is really, really sweet.
+ The Night Starts Here

I somehow completely missed the release last month of the Moonshine Heights EP by Stars In Coma on Music Is My Girlfriend. Freebie Spring Rain Song takes a while getting into, but is a real grower.
+ Spring Rain Song

But probably the best news of all is this new wonderful indie pop tune by Sweden's The Electric Pop Group. The band continues the formula from the album and has written yet another irresistible and charming tune (thanks to Coast is Clear).
+ My Only Inspiration

More tomorrow...I hope!