Into the night...

The new EP Into The Night by The Raveonettes can now be streamed at Soundcloud (and probably a few other places as well).

 Into The Night by The Raveonettes

This and whole lot of that...

Have exactly 11,794 mails in the inbox. Don’t think I’ll ever get to the bottom of it. Decided to delete 600 mails earlier today just to make something happen. Some of them were from 2010! Remain terribly sorry if you’re still awaiting my reply...

On Tuesday it’s two weeks since I returned from the Marathon trip to Rome. On Tuesday I’m off on my next trip visiting London with the family. This will be the first time I’ll see London in “children’s height”. Should be interesting, though of course this means Hamleys, no concerts and only the occasional pint.

Heard Simple Song by The Shins on the radio this morning. Still think it’s a rather phenomenal song, but have felt no urge to check out their new album. Don’t know why, but I just haven’t. No one leaves comments around here anymore, so I feel safe promising that if anyone (just anyone) posts a comment saying I really should...I will!
Simple Song by The Shins

DR/P3 premiered the video for the truly gorgeous Easter Island by The Eclectic Moniker yesterday. I couldn’t and still cannot make it work, but it’s there. Perhaps you can?

Some interesting new music popping is up – in the mailbox and around the web.

Perhaps more interesting than actually good is the debut solo single Når Lysene Går Ud by The William Blakes frontman Kristian Leth. Obviously interesting because he's singing in Danish. Compared to The Smiths by some, which I don't quite get. Except perharss that the title means "When the lights go out"? Stream it at Soundvenue.

The new single Night Comes Out by The Raveonettes is brilliant. Sounds very “Raveonettes-esque”, so not much new there. Yours for an email (hope the link is working?)!
The Raveonettes - Night Comes Out

Stumbled upon Farewell Decade by Desert Stars in the mailbox some time ago, because they promoted themselves as a shoegaze/dream-pop band. Their music doesn’t exactly fit those genres if you ask me, but the song has a nice 60’s pop feel to it…and I like that!
Farewell Decade by Desert Stars

Voice...

Voice sucks. Plain and simple. I cannot emphasize enough how seriously I hate those "become famous overnight" TV programs. But as much as I hate to admit it, Voice does have its few bright moments. Some of the songs performed by the contestants have been pretty OK and have saved me for some hard work and introduced my oldest daughter (she's 9 years old) to a string of new songs and artists (yesterday she asked if I could put some songs by The Raveonettes on her iPod touch). Finally these two performances by the four coaches are absolutely smashing; no matter the surroundings!

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

One-liners...

Tried to listen to the new Glasvegas album Euphoric Heartbreak yesterday, but got so bored that I gave up half way through!

Unlike the abovementioned album the new album Raven in the Grave by The Raveonettes sounds very promising after just one listen.
+ Forget That You're Young

Frank (my favorite music blogger) wasn’t exactly impressed by Oh Land’s showcase at SXSW.
+ Sun of a Gun

The Entakt concert tonight in Aarhus is cancelled due to illness.

Once again sorry to all of you mailing and never getting a reply, a blog mention, anything!

Scottish indie poppers The Felt Tips will be at Huset on May 5.
+ Treat Me Gently

Really want to post how badly Myspace sucks, but I guess everyone knows that already?

Not sure what to make of this super short video by Junica, but the little music featured in it sure sounds great!

Recharge & revolt...

It’s always thrilling to hear news from The Raveonettes. But after a few listens opening track Recharge & Revolt from forthcoming album Raven in the Grave is a slight disappointment. Oh yes; in every way it does sound like The Raveonettes, but the track is extremely monotonous (though I do like those distorted guitars) and for 6 minutes you’re waiting (in vain as it turns out) for the chorus to kick in. But as always; need to listen to it more times and of course hear it as part of the album.


And here's another new track... War In Heaven by theraveonettes

and of course; don't forget to download this one:
+ Forget That You're Young

Breathe and forget...

The Raveonettes are back and will release new album (their fifth) Raven in the Grave on April 5. When I heard first promo track off the album, the gorgeous Forget That you’re Young, I immediately thought “man, this is so vintage Sharin and Sune”. Then when I received the first promo mail (of probably a dozen), I learned that I was all wrong because “…the familiar bombastic beats and squalls of guitar-noise take a backseat…”. Damn! I never get these things right; do I?
+ Forget That You're Young

So maybe I’ve pigeonholed The Raveonettes, but I doubt I’ll ever make the same mistake with fellow Danish band The William Blakes. Give new single The Light (Plane to Spain) below a listen and then compare it to the title track of forthcoming album Music Wants To Be Free (Breathe), and you’ll probably agree they don’t sound anything alike. But the band has always made a virtue out of doing exactly what they please, which seems to ring true more than ever!
+ Music Wants To Be Free (Breathe)

The Light (Plane To Spain) by TheWilliamBlakes

On the radio this morning...

Yes; I know I've posted this one before... But I really (really, really) love this song!

+ The Last Dance

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!

The Raveonettes cover The Stone Roses...

I've never really been a fan of cover versions, but this is a match made in heaven. Thanks to J.A. for the heads up!

Shorties...

Really short today...

Soundvenue has picked the self-titled debut album by Sleep Party People as the best album released by a Danish artist so far this year. Well done Brian!
+ I’m not human at all

UK duo The Tamborines shares their track CWB in exchange for your e-mail address. Definitely worth it!

Rodolfo recommends Canadian band Les Incendiaries. I'm pretty confident that this is something that Peter will write about at some later point, so instead I simply suggest that you download this Under Electric Light remix of their song Danaé, which I've posted a few times before.
+ Danaé (Under Electric Light mix)

Let's Go Surfing by The Drums has been remixed by The Raveonettes and now sounds like a song by (this can hardly be a surprise) The Raveonettes.
+ Let's Go Surfing (The Raveonettes Remix)

On the radio this morning...

+ The Last Dance

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!

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

New layout...!

Remove the question mark. Unlike Chris (check this comment) I do like the new one better, though I’m not totally satisfied. But this is what the blog will look like...for now!

I was seriously considering writing a “reverse” On The Radio This Morning post earlier today. Normally I write the “On The Radio...” posts, when something great has been aired, but within minutes this morning, Danish P3 played Miley Cyrus and Britney Spears! So from a musical point of view the start of my Friday was nothing but horrendous and I’m still somewhat puzzled why the very same radio station that plays artists like Mew, Band of Horses, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and even Grizzly Bear, pulls a stunt like this and risks its own credibility? Hannah Montana? You gotta be joking!

I’ve been listening to the new Muse album a number of times, and it’s been a rather frustrating experience. Like no other band I can think of, Muse has the “habit” of reaching the highest high and the lowest low on the same album, and unfortunately this is exactly what the band does (once again) on The Resistance.

A friendly soul has mailed me the forthcoming album by The Raveonettes, and although it’s much less pretentious and ambitious than the aforementioned album, In and Out of Control is a far more enjoyable experience. The vast majority of the 10 tracks (I know the album lists 11 tracks, but Oh, I Buried You Today hardly counts as one) are irresistibly catchy pop pieces, and do the songs, as I expect they will, survive the test of time, this album will arguably be remembered as one of the band’s finest efforts.
+ Last Dance

Last Dance...

Yesterday I labeled Explosions by The Mary Onettes the perfect pop song. Not smart I guess, as it means that I need to come up with something completely different, when finding a way to describe the new single Last Dance by The Raveonettes. Every little piece of this song is just right (oh what the f*ck – let’s use that perfect phrase again) and during the 3 minutes and 47 seconds I’m constantly go back and forth between smiles and wobbling lips. To me tears are the highest stamp of quality, as they always seem to come knocking, when I hear or see something of sheer beauty. Not that the band has abandoned their appealing (and trademark) 60’s inspired sound or anything, as the band still sounds very much like The Raveonettes, with those Phil Spector and JAMC comparisons being as valid as ever. So it’s not like they haven’t always been great ballplayers, but suddenly it just feels like they hit that one homerun, you’ll always remember them for.

Last Dance is taken from the band’s fourth full-length album In and out of Control (produced by Danish wunderkind Thomas Troelsen in his Deltalab studios) which will be out October 6 (and one day earlier in Denmark).
+ Last Dance

Various...

Sort of cleaning out the cupboard.

Copenhagen night club and venue Culture Box plans to celebrate its reopening this weekend by throwing a massive party. In detailed information on what will happen this weekend can be found at the official website.

Kashmir mechandise I can easily live without!

Saw a docu last night on Swedish TV about the movie Elegy. The information alone that the Jens Lekman track I'm Leaving You Because I Don't Love You is featured in the movie really, really made want to go see it! Of course you already know that the song can be found on the absolutely wonderful Night Falls Over Kortedala album where you can find these two lovelies as well.
+ Friday Night at the Drive-In Bingo
+ The Opposite of Hallelujah

I seriously need better news feeds, as the super-essential information that Camera Obscura will be playing at Loppen in Copenhagen on September 30 had completely slipped my attention. Tickets have now been bought!
+ My Maudlin Career

I was pretty impressed by Danish girl trio Giana Factory at this year’s Start! Festival and via Soundvenue comes the news that the band plans to release their debut EP in October. As a small appetizer I suggest you download the three demos available from BandBase.dk. Lead singer Loui Foo is the sister of Sharin Foo of The Raveonettes in case her last name has a familiar ring to it.
+ Trippin

Speaking of The Raveonettes. First song from the duo’s forthcoming album In & Out of Control has now been debuted (the term used in the promo mail). Pretty close to brilliant, but who came up with the bizarre idea of naming a catchy and cheerful tune like this Suicide?
+ Suicide

Some of you can probably not stomach any more news on Northern Portrait, but I simply “have” to pass on the information that “the album is basically ready now”. Preview track New Favorite Moment is now streaming at the Matinée Recordings sounds page as well as their Myspace site.

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.

Meet You In The Rain...(an experimental post)...

Yes – I know some of you will disapprove, but today’s post is written in Danish. Let's call it an experiment, but hopefully it will once and for all be a proof (to myself at least) that creating a blog post in Danish is just as much trouble and hard work as writing one in English? Let’s see!

Engelske The Cavalcade har længe været en stadig voksende plet på min radar, men af ukendte årsager har jeg indtil nu ikke fået nævnt dem i disse spalter med et eneste ord. Kvartetten spiller en herlig omgang indie pop af den der klassiske slags, som tydeligvis henter inspirationen hos Sarah Records’ mange udgivelser. Bandets EP Meet You in the Rain indeholder 5 charmerende pop perler og EP’en er så rigelig de 4 pund værd, som den kan erhverves for fra bandets Myspace side. På mandag udgiver det suveræne indie label Cloudberry Records en ganske interessant 3” CD split single, hvor The Cavalcade bidrager med to numre (der begge findes på EP’en) og svenske Boa Constrictor med yderligere to. To af fire numre kan downloades kvit og frit, og disse bør så absolut give enhver indie pop fan appetit på mere.
+ The Cavalcade – Meet You in the Rain
+ Boa Constrictor – Out of Nothing

Husk lige at downloade den nye og ganske fremragende demo fra The Raveonettes. At bandet både løfter sløret for nye (ufærdige) indspilninger samt opfordrer til feedback fra deres fans er et herligt initiativ, som man kun kan ønske flere bands vil lade sig inspirere af. Hent demoen via det hastigt (?) voksende Twitter.

Den irske blog mp3hugger har fattet interesse for danske The Elephants. Det kan kun anbefales at man snarest stryger forbi og downloader Caroline Knows! Fandt så lige ud af, at Martine fra C'est Tout Martine (som jeg så på Start!, og som gjorde et særdeles fint indtryk) også er medlem af The Elephants. Helt igennem unyttig viden, men derfor meget pudsigt alligevel!

Via Coast is Clear (og min egen inbox) er jeg snublet over dette remix. Glem at bandnavnet Strandhotel Markus er komplet åndssvagt og at titlen Disco! Disco! ikke halter langt efter. Glem frem for alt at det hele synges på tysk af en schweizer. Det her er altså super fedt!
+ Disco! Disco! (Youth Back To Balearia Remix)

Jonas lufter sin mening om det nye Nephew album. Undertegnede er endnu ikke hoppet med på Nephew vognen, men måske tiden er moden til at vove pelsen?

Someone Like Me...

Some of you probably agree that countless are the times where I’ve whined about the lack of quality of the music sent to me in various promo mails. And I’ve often asked myself why I even bother checking them out. But then suddenly out of the blue something pops up, which makes it all worthwhile. The most recent example is this energetic, anthemic and catchy track; Someone Like Me; by London quartet glass.ligths. It’s not like this is highly original and it does sound like something you’ve heard times and times before. I mean – it’s pretty obvious that we’re roaming around somewhere in the indie rock neighborhood of bands like Editors, Killers, Kaiser Chiefs etc., but this track has no problems holding its own. Actually it easily outdoes most of the stuff released by said artists. So I guess what I'm really trying to say is that this is a damn good one.
+ Someone Like Me

An Entakt track which didn’t make the På Bagsiden Af Europa album will soon be free to download. It’s named Orkestret Med Det Blotlagte Skelet (which roughly translates to something like; The Orchestra with the Exposed Skeleton) and is said to be somewhat Tom Waits inspired. Check back for more information.

Loney, Dear will be playing at Lille Vega on April 5. Ticket has (of course) been bought.
+ I Am John

Those of us, who actually gave it a listen, probably agree that the debut album Where The Storm Meets The Ground by The Storm was a major disappointment? But the duo seems to be in good spirits and has recently announced that they will soon start recording a follow-up. However I do suspect that everyone’s expectations will be significantly lower this time around. To be honest I’d much rather hear news on the forthcoming Mew album.
+ The Beauty Of Small Things

Last week I posted a pretty good Dave Wrangler remix of the Animal Collective track My Girls. Mr. Wrangler has now set up a small webpage where several other fine remixes are free to download.
+ The Raveonettes - Black White (White Room Remix)

One Weekly Gun is back writing songs again. The first track of 2009 is named The Song that Kills and was inspired by the situation in the Gaza strip. Obviously this is a sensitive topic, which has already led to a heated discussion.
+ The Song that Kills

Labrador gives away the new single by Suburban Kids with Biblical Names.
+ 1999

Tanks and bombs...

US electronic pop act The Antique Toys has recorded an interesting and quite different cover version of Zombie (by The Cranberries) as a small "Halloween treat". It’s currently streaming at Myspace. UPDATE: The song is now downloadable from the band's webpage along with several other tracks.
+ Zombie 13

A Classic Education has just finished recording a new track and a quite wonderful one it is. Not as grand as the songs off the debut EP (First), but instead it's a shorter and “lighter” pop tune.
+ We Can Always Run To Hawaii

Black/White from the new EP Beauty Dies by The Raveonettes is not bad at all. Actually it's pretty good, but it just doesn’t add anything new and somehow it's difficult to shake off that “I’ve heard it all before” feeling. Will be interesting to hear the duo's final EP of the year, which is said to contain versions of a few Christmas favorites.
+ Black/White

Indiecater Volume 3 is out now and features some absolutely wonderful artists!
+ Celestial - Fragile Heart

Really should mention that this episode of Waking The Dead is on Danish DR2 tonight. TV doesn't get much better than this!

Wonder why...

I’ve often asked myself why I hardly ever receive any mails from local Danish labels trying to promote new Danish releases. All regulars to this blog know about my passion for Danish artists, so I’d be more than happy to post (more or less) anything, if anyone asked! A few times I’ve tried to approach the labels (or artists) myself asking for permission to post a track, but often with little luck. So obviously I’m a bit puzzled (and some might even say frustrated) when I start receiving mails (including free songs to post) from labels promoting releases by Danish artists.
Two recent examples are Lust Lust Lust by The Raveonettes (out in the US on Feb 19, next year) and Mafia by EPO-555 (released in the US in May, this year). Two really fine and highly recommendable albums and obviously I'll do the little I can to help promoting them. But without whining too much, wouldn't I have loved getting those promo mails when the albums were released in Denmark?
+ The Raveonettes - Aly, Walk With Me
+ EPO-555 - Maid in China