Thursday, August 31, 2006
Soon...
In 24 hours Club Indigo at Blekingska nationen will open. About 25 hours from now I hope to hear Marie ...
Strip Squad - Meat of Lamb
A new pop club has just opened the doors. It is January 31. Tonight someone will be at the first concert in life and become introduced to a whole new world. Someone less fortunate will ruin a potential love and then go home and cry on the pillow. The small cafe scene at Mejeriet in Lund is usually a place for intimate and cozy concerts. Strip Squad make their third gig ever and introduces themselves by shouting If you don't take me right away you might as well fuck off to the audience. The band plays around through the concert and ends the show with Cucumber while throwing carrots to the audience. Singers Björn and Malena have charmed many more than those who stood at the front. Jenny has debuted live as a bassist.
Seven months later, I discover a new song on Strip Squad's website. It is called Meat of Lamb and I can not stop laughing. The song title is almost as fun as the album cover. It is hard to take a band seriously when they release their self-founded record on a label named Fuck Music/The Mobile Element (Mobila Elementet).
When Strip Squad left the scene after their gig at Mejeriet, Björn started an mp3 player and encouraged the audience to listen to the lyrics. A moment of confusion and a wounded ego later, the DJ responded by playing his sound system at the highest level. The stone heart never listened to Down and Out and Away. If he did, Mark and Christopher would be allowed to finish singing their song.
Seven months later, I discover a new song on Strip Squad's website. It is called Meat of Lamb and I can not stop laughing. The song title is almost as fun as the album cover. It is hard to take a band seriously when they release their self-founded record on a label named Fuck Music/The Mobile Element (Mobila Elementet).
When Strip Squad left the scene after their gig at Mejeriet, Björn started an mp3 player and encouraged the audience to listen to the lyrics. A moment of confusion and a wounded ego later, the DJ responded by playing his sound system at the highest level. The stone heart never listened to Down and Out and Away. If he did, Mark and Christopher would be allowed to finish singing their song.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
The Snow Fairies - Firefly
It is so sad. The Snow Fairies have confirmed rumours that they quit. It was almost a month ago but I am still a little sad when I think about it. Especially as no one seems to care. The Snow Fairies' debut album Feel You Up was my comfort and joy in everyday life. Feel You Up was like the world's best book with an ending so fine that I went back and re-read just to prevent the book from ending. And then you should know that I rarely stick to books.
Firefly is a cover of the much calmer Cat's Miaow original. I do not know why I put it up. Maybe because I was so happy to hear The Snow Fairies again. They are a gem that shines among all the other crap on terrible myspace. The Snow Fairies are like that favourite friend who you always support whatever she is up to. I hate that The Snow Fairies soon are pop history. I am reminded that nothing lasts forever.
I can not just pull this link without giving credit. Today's song is taken from a collection by Excellent Online. More on that here.
Firefly is a cover of the much calmer Cat's Miaow original. I do not know why I put it up. Maybe because I was so happy to hear The Snow Fairies again. They are a gem that shines among all the other crap on terrible myspace. The Snow Fairies are like that favourite friend who you always support whatever she is up to. I hate that The Snow Fairies soon are pop history. I am reminded that nothing lasts forever.
I can not just pull this link without giving credit. Today's song is taken from a collection by Excellent Online. More on that here.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Brittle Stars - This Trip
It has been raining all month. It is cold and I am freezing. I understand how you feel, Louise. It has been a while since we last met. I hope to see you before the year is over. I think about you sometimes. If you happen to read this, you get a song that maybe, just maybe can warm you up for a moment. I really wish I could do more but I do not even know where you are. You are on your own now. Life is a difficult journey.
Monday, August 28, 2006
The Arrogants - Lovesick
Which band has shaped my taste in music more than any other band?
I thought about that tonight. It would be easy to say Belle and Sebastian, but I would lie to myself then. I could go back further in time and name The Field Mice or Heavenly but that is not true either. I then understood...
THE PRIMITIVES, of course! And more than anything Crash, one of the world's best songs.
I have been asking people for years about bands similar to The Primitives but never received a good answer. Now I know better. I found a fan page of The Primitives in the spring but it feels like years ago. There was a link to a song by The Arrogants in the section "misc mp3".
Lovesick is perhaps the best song of the 2000's. We will see where it ends up the day I make a new list. The trashy live acoustic version of Lovesick is so beautiful that it creates an illusion of happiness even on the darkest of days.
I thought about that tonight. It would be easy to say Belle and Sebastian, but I would lie to myself then. I could go back further in time and name The Field Mice or Heavenly but that is not true either. I then understood...
THE PRIMITIVES, of course! And more than anything Crash, one of the world's best songs.
I have been asking people for years about bands similar to The Primitives but never received a good answer. Now I know better. I found a fan page of The Primitives in the spring but it feels like years ago. There was a link to a song by The Arrogants in the section "misc mp3".
Lovesick is perhaps the best song of the 2000's. We will see where it ends up the day I make a new list. The trashy live acoustic version of Lovesick is so beautiful that it creates an illusion of happiness even on the darkest of days.
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Language of Flowers - Don't You See
today, the sun shines all around us
as we're running through the trees
and this is the way I want our memories to stay
they can't take them away
you and me
we're never gonna be
the ones they dream about
don't you see?
it's really gonna be all gone
when you fly away from me
Listen, admire and love this song.
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Let's Stay Alive
It could have been one of those happiest days of our lives club nights, but only 40-50 people showed up at the club. Blekingska may bring in 250 people. I was dj at Blekingska in January when almost 200 people came to the club.
I really felt the difference in number of visitors. It was difficult to dj this time but the night still ended up pretty good. Those who dared to enter the dance floor seemed to have fun. The last song was played at 2:20. This is the upbeat part of yesterday's dj set, starting around midnight. The last three songs are in order, the rest are a bit mixed (there is no chance that I remember the order as I did not write down this part of the set):
Brainpool - Bandstarter
Morrissey – First of the Gang
Saint Etienne – He’s on the Phone
My Favorite – Absolute Zero
The Hidden Cameras – Ban Marriage
Bloc Party - Helicopter
Interpol – Obstacle 1
The Strokes – Last Nite
The Tough Alliance – Koka Kola Veins
The Stone Roses – Made of Stone
Belle and Sebastian – Dirty Dream Number Two
Razorcuts – Jade
The Undertones – Teenage Kicks
Ramones – Sheena Is a Punkrocker
Language of Flowers – If It’s Not You
The Pipettes – It Hurts to See You Dance So Well
The La’s – There She Goes
The Smiths – This Charming Man
The Primitives – Crash
Oasis – Some Might Say
The Knife – Heartbeats
The Libertines - Can’t Stand Me Now
The Magic Numbers – Forever Lost
Pulp - Disco 2000
Blondie – Hanging on the Telephone
Of Montreal – Disconnect the Dots
Tralala – All Fired Up
Looker – Hope and Anchor
The Knife - Listen Now
Saint Etienne - Sylvie
Stone Roses – She Bangs the Drums
The Essex Green – The Late Great Cassiopia
Popsicle – Not Forever
Pulp – Common People
Joy Division – Love Will Tear Us Apart
The Smiths – Panic
Lush – Single Girl
Mew - Mica
My Favorite – Let’s Stay Alive
Cyndi Lauper – Girls Just Want to Have Fun
The Field Mice – Canada
Bloc Party - Banquet
Tralala – The Girls Say
The Arrogants – Lovesick
The Arrogants - The Distance Between Us
My Favorite – Le Monster
Listen Now made people look really handsome when dancing, as always. The Late Great Cassiopia, All Fired Up, Hope and Anchor, Common People, and Girls Just Want to Have Fun also worked fine. But I forgot to play Lucky Soul - Lips Are Unhappy. I will play it the next time I dj.
I really felt the difference in number of visitors. It was difficult to dj this time but the night still ended up pretty good. Those who dared to enter the dance floor seemed to have fun. The last song was played at 2:20. This is the upbeat part of yesterday's dj set, starting around midnight. The last three songs are in order, the rest are a bit mixed (there is no chance that I remember the order as I did not write down this part of the set):
Brainpool - Bandstarter
Morrissey – First of the Gang
Saint Etienne – He’s on the Phone
My Favorite – Absolute Zero
The Hidden Cameras – Ban Marriage
Bloc Party - Helicopter
Interpol – Obstacle 1
The Strokes – Last Nite
The Tough Alliance – Koka Kola Veins
The Stone Roses – Made of Stone
Belle and Sebastian – Dirty Dream Number Two
Razorcuts – Jade
The Undertones – Teenage Kicks
Ramones – Sheena Is a Punkrocker
Language of Flowers – If It’s Not You
The Pipettes – It Hurts to See You Dance So Well
The La’s – There She Goes
The Smiths – This Charming Man
The Primitives – Crash
Oasis – Some Might Say
The Knife – Heartbeats
The Libertines - Can’t Stand Me Now
The Magic Numbers – Forever Lost
Pulp - Disco 2000
Blondie – Hanging on the Telephone
Of Montreal – Disconnect the Dots
Tralala – All Fired Up
Looker – Hope and Anchor
The Knife - Listen Now
Saint Etienne - Sylvie
Stone Roses – She Bangs the Drums
The Essex Green – The Late Great Cassiopia
Popsicle – Not Forever
Pulp – Common People
Joy Division – Love Will Tear Us Apart
The Smiths – Panic
Lush – Single Girl
Mew - Mica
My Favorite – Let’s Stay Alive
Cyndi Lauper – Girls Just Want to Have Fun
The Field Mice – Canada
Bloc Party - Banquet
Tralala – The Girls Say
The Arrogants – Lovesick
The Arrogants - The Distance Between Us
My Favorite – Le Monster
Listen Now made people look really handsome when dancing, as always. The Late Great Cassiopia, All Fired Up, Hope and Anchor, Common People, and Girls Just Want to Have Fun also worked fine. But I forgot to play Lucky Soul - Lips Are Unhappy. I will play it the next time I dj.
When the Sun Hits
Here is a list of the early songs in yesterday's dj set. This list is in order song by song (although it is possible that I have mixed up the order of a few tracks).
22:00
Air - Sexy Boy
Ladytron - Playgirl
Au Revoir Simone - The Disco Song
Stars - Elevator Love Letter
Brittle Stars - Four Words
Second-Hand Furniture - People Like You
Jesus and Mary Chain - Just Like Honey
House of Love - Christine
Slowdive - Machine Gun
Slowdive - When the Sun Hits
Pipas - Mental
Fibi Frap - Where'd You Learn to Kiss That Way
Katie Goes to Tokyo - Unbelievable
Heavenly - Cool Guitar Boy
Red Sleeping Beauty - Don't Say You Love Me
Postal Blue - The World Doesn't Need You
Go Sailor - Fine Day for Sailing
The Softies - Charms Around Your Wrist
David Bowie - Starman
Architecture in Helsinki - The Owls Go
The Cardigans - Good Morning Joan
Like Honey - Sad Song
Language of Flowers - Where You Belong
The Ladybug Transistor - The Places You'll Call Home
Sambassadeur - Marie
Mates of State - Along for the Ride
Headlights - TV
Apples in Stereo - Rainfall
The Concretes - Seems Fine
Popsicle - Hey Princess
The Cure - Friday I'm in Love
Pulp - Mis-Shapes
Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out
Le Sport - Business Girls
22:00
Air - Sexy Boy
Ladytron - Playgirl
Au Revoir Simone - The Disco Song
Stars - Elevator Love Letter
Brittle Stars - Four Words
Second-Hand Furniture - People Like You
Jesus and Mary Chain - Just Like Honey
House of Love - Christine
Slowdive - Machine Gun
Slowdive - When the Sun Hits
Pipas - Mental
Fibi Frap - Where'd You Learn to Kiss That Way
Katie Goes to Tokyo - Unbelievable
Heavenly - Cool Guitar Boy
Red Sleeping Beauty - Don't Say You Love Me
Postal Blue - The World Doesn't Need You
Go Sailor - Fine Day for Sailing
The Softies - Charms Around Your Wrist
David Bowie - Starman
Architecture in Helsinki - The Owls Go
The Cardigans - Good Morning Joan
Like Honey - Sad Song
Language of Flowers - Where You Belong
The Ladybug Transistor - The Places You'll Call Home
Sambassadeur - Marie
Mates of State - Along for the Ride
Headlights - TV
Apples in Stereo - Rainfall
The Concretes - Seems Fine
Popsicle - Hey Princess
The Cure - Friday I'm in Love
Pulp - Mis-Shapes
Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out
Le Sport - Business Girls
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Dj at Blekingska
Yesterday I got an email with a request to dj at Blekingska this Friday. That was an easy decision so I accepted and then wrote a brief post on the guest book of the club:
Blekingska starts with a pre premier Club Indigo this Friday and I have been honored to dj this night. I run some info on what kind of music to expect.
The first hour will be warm soft pop music. Come early and you will be welcomed by Au Revoir Simone, Red Sleeping Beauty, Like Honey, Heavenly, Sambassadeur, Second-Hand Furniture, Softies, and Slowdive. Then the tempo is raised - obscure b-sides, and the likes are put aside.
Select a pair of stylish shoes that are good to move with - it will be difficult to stand still. Come and dance to Lucky Soul, Pulp, My Favorite, Language of Flowers, Saint Etienne, Stone Roses, Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party, Camera Obscura, Looker, Primitives, and much more. See you!
Funnily enough, I was also dj on the corresponding pre premier Club Indigo last semester. One more time and DJ Mati opening the club season will become a tradition. Now I am about to write down the track numbers of songs I want to play, so I do not stand in the dj booth confused with a complete blackout wondering if the hit on The Long Goodbye is the first or the second track. I will put up a list of the dj set here afterwards. If people enjoyed it and had a fun night.
Blekingska starts with a pre premier Club Indigo this Friday and I have been honored to dj this night. I run some info on what kind of music to expect.
The first hour will be warm soft pop music. Come early and you will be welcomed by Au Revoir Simone, Red Sleeping Beauty, Like Honey, Heavenly, Sambassadeur, Second-Hand Furniture, Softies, and Slowdive. Then the tempo is raised - obscure b-sides, and the likes are put aside.
Select a pair of stylish shoes that are good to move with - it will be difficult to stand still. Come and dance to Lucky Soul, Pulp, My Favorite, Language of Flowers, Saint Etienne, Stone Roses, Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party, Camera Obscura, Looker, Primitives, and much more. See you!
Funnily enough, I was also dj on the corresponding pre premier Club Indigo last semester. One more time and DJ Mati opening the club season will become a tradition. Now I am about to write down the track numbers of songs I want to play, so I do not stand in the dj booth confused with a complete blackout wondering if the hit on The Long Goodbye is the first or the second track. I will put up a list of the dj set here afterwards. If people enjoyed it and had a fun night.
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Anna Ternheim again
On this fanpage, you can listen to audio recordings of Anna Ternheim's visits to Berlin and Hamburg in March this spring. I heard You Mean Nothing to Me Anymore already in May but never understood that it would appear on the new album.
In the pause between the songs on the recording, Anna says that Halfway to Fivepoint was the first song that she wrote for the new album. I have now heard three songs from the new album. It does not feel good yet and I am actually a little worried. I want more upbeat tracks.
Moreover, I should wait longer instead of listening to parts of records before they are released. I should at least wait until they leak. As by now, I have listened to a few songs months before I hear the rest of the record. It is thus hard to conclude if a song sounds good because of its real quality or just the fact that I have already heard it before.
In the pause between the songs on the recording, Anna says that Halfway to Fivepoint was the first song that she wrote for the new album. I have now heard three songs from the new album. It does not feel good yet and I am actually a little worried. I want more upbeat tracks.
Moreover, I should wait longer instead of listening to parts of records before they are released. I should at least wait until they leak. As by now, I have listened to a few songs months before I hear the rest of the record. It is thus hard to conclude if a song sounds good because of its real quality or just the fact that I have already heard it before.
Marit Bergman - No Party
I do not need to write anything in this post. The picture to the left speaks for itself. Marit Bergman makes me happy. She can be serious and she can fool around, but she can not do wrong.
No Party is an obvious first single from the new album I Think It's a Rainbow. Strangely, I had to listen twice. I normally only need to listen properly once to like her stories about life.
I was probably too hard in the beginning because I compared No Party with This Is the Year, From Now On and Place Your Bets. I often compare with the best and forget that it is enough with fine melodies. No Party works now and it will work just as fine on Friday nights in the fall. The B-side Heavyweight Champion is good enough to be on an album. This bodes very well.
In addition, No Party summarizes my summer in a deserted ghost town. That alone is fantastic.
Girl Laying Down
Anna Ternheim chose the fast track to the big stage when she made a cover of Broder Daniel's Shoreline. It is very unfortunate that it is possible to profit on the work of others when you do not add anything yourself. Anna Ternheim's version of Shoreline does not feel honest. Anna Ternheim has never been Henrik Berggren. I thought it was a shame that she ended her debut album Somebody Outside with Shoreline whereas her own fantastic songs Wedding Song and All for Me were hidden on a limited edition EP released by her own do it yourself label Only Records.
I hate that Ternheim has chosen to belong to a record company that spreads commercial crap music. I wish that things were different, but I can not ignore that I love Ternheim's music. I love when she goes her own way. About a week ago I bought the thirty-second issue of the Swedish lifestyle journal BON only for the interview with Anna Ternheim. Seven pages confirmed what I already knew, she should not give any interviews. I had to wait some time to get a clue about how her second album Separation Road would sound. Girl Laying Down was played on the radio program The Music Journal (Musikjournalen) on P3 (the third channel of the national Swedish radio) earlier this weekend. I have listened to it from a stream afterwards, unfortunately in poor sound quality.
Only Anna knows what Girl Laying Down is about. I do not know if I will bother to read the lyrics in the booklet. Girl Laying Down is not a new A French Love. It is hard to believe that this is the same artist who convinced me with My Secret that she was the future and the best Swedish singer/songwriter who has ever entered a scene. Anna Ternheim comes to Malmö on October 28. I am not certain that she will leave me breathless this time. If it does not sound better than this, she might as well give away the piano to someone who needs it more.
At the same time, I know that I only have heard one song from Separation Road and that the other songs may be the best of the year. The uncertainty makes me crazy.
I hate that Ternheim has chosen to belong to a record company that spreads commercial crap music. I wish that things were different, but I can not ignore that I love Ternheim's music. I love when she goes her own way. About a week ago I bought the thirty-second issue of the Swedish lifestyle journal BON only for the interview with Anna Ternheim. Seven pages confirmed what I already knew, she should not give any interviews. I had to wait some time to get a clue about how her second album Separation Road would sound. Girl Laying Down was played on the radio program The Music Journal (Musikjournalen) on P3 (the third channel of the national Swedish radio) earlier this weekend. I have listened to it from a stream afterwards, unfortunately in poor sound quality.
Only Anna knows what Girl Laying Down is about. I do not know if I will bother to read the lyrics in the booklet. Girl Laying Down is not a new A French Love. It is hard to believe that this is the same artist who convinced me with My Secret that she was the future and the best Swedish singer/songwriter who has ever entered a scene. Anna Ternheim comes to Malmö on October 28. I am not certain that she will leave me breathless this time. If it does not sound better than this, she might as well give away the piano to someone who needs it more.
At the same time, I know that I only have heard one song from Separation Road and that the other songs may be the best of the year. The uncertainty makes me crazy.
Dream booking!
I thought the chance to hear The Late Great Cassiopia live this year was gone when I dropped my plans to go to the Accelerator festival due to the expensive ticket price. Some people who attended Accelerator were disappointed with The Essex Green and said it was a boring show.
Sometimes you have more luck than you deserve. Kulturbolaget in Malmö has made a dream booking with Camera Obscura and The Essex Green on scene the same night. I am not sure about Camera Obscura though. I suspect that they will be as boring as The Concretes.
Write down October 7 in the calendar. The tickets go on sale tomorrow and it will probably take at least a month before they run out.
Sometimes you have more luck than you deserve. Kulturbolaget in Malmö has made a dream booking with Camera Obscura and The Essex Green on scene the same night. I am not sure about Camera Obscura though. I suspect that they will be as boring as The Concretes.
Write down October 7 in the calendar. The tickets go on sale tomorrow and it will probably take at least a month before they run out.
Saturday, August 19, 2006
My name is yours
Is it easier for you to remember song titles than names of people you meet?
I get introduced to a little group of three people. Five minutes later I have forgotten two of the names. I feel stupid when asking twice about the name. Ironically, I sometimes remember the names of people I have not met instead. I unconsciously create my own images of people that seem to be exciting.
It is the same with people that are named in song titles. Last night I experimented with my play list and made a mix cd with songs that all had names in the titles. I chose songs that would work at a club on a night out so I had to skip some favourites like Suzanne Vega's Luka and Simon and Garfunkel's Kathy's Song. It is fun to make mix cds and I was happy with the selection. Check out the songs and listen. Make your own mix cd based on the name theme and post the list here. Be inspired!
01 Friday Bridge - The Lady Julie
02 Mew - Mica
03 Fibi Frap - Catherine
04 Sambassadeur - Marie
05 The Cardigans - Good Morning Joan
06 House of Love - Christine
07 Belle and Sebastian - Lazy Line Painter Jane
08 Saint Etienne - Sylvie
09 Language of Flowers - Tara Mascara
10 Razorcuts - Jade
11 The Aislers Set - Catherine Says
12 The Sea Urchins - Pristine Christine
13 The Field Mice - Emma's House
I get introduced to a little group of three people. Five minutes later I have forgotten two of the names. I feel stupid when asking twice about the name. Ironically, I sometimes remember the names of people I have not met instead. I unconsciously create my own images of people that seem to be exciting.
It is the same with people that are named in song titles. Last night I experimented with my play list and made a mix cd with songs that all had names in the titles. I chose songs that would work at a club on a night out so I had to skip some favourites like Suzanne Vega's Luka and Simon and Garfunkel's Kathy's Song. It is fun to make mix cds and I was happy with the selection. Check out the songs and listen. Make your own mix cd based on the name theme and post the list here. Be inspired!
01 Friday Bridge - The Lady Julie
02 Mew - Mica
03 Fibi Frap - Catherine
04 Sambassadeur - Marie
05 The Cardigans - Good Morning Joan
06 House of Love - Christine
07 Belle and Sebastian - Lazy Line Painter Jane
08 Saint Etienne - Sylvie
09 Language of Flowers - Tara Mascara
10 Razorcuts - Jade
11 The Aislers Set - Catherine Says
12 The Sea Urchins - Pristine Christine
13 The Field Mice - Emma's House
Laurel Music - Since You Have Gone
Laurel Music is a dream band. Laurel Music is also the best kept secret of the Swedish pop scene.The debut album This Night and the Next was released two years ago. This Night and the Next was a 27 minutes and 36 seconds long journey from nowhere to pop heaven. Tobias Isaksson wrote twelve songs that really made me believe in music again. Malin Dahlberg sang with the most beautiful voice in the world.
Lately it has been very quiet on Laurel Music. The latest update on their website is from December last year. The guestbook is closed due to attacks by dreadful spam robots that seem to attack the websites of all bands signed to Labrador Records.
Laurel Music was the opening act to Language of Flowers in Gothenburg in May. I knew about it but did not travel to the show. I still get sad when I think about it. I am hoping for another chance.
Since You Have Gone is taken from the Labrador Records collection The Sound of Young Sweden. A lost song from a band that deserves more fans.
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Review: Katie Goes to Tokyo - Katie Goes to Tokyo
I was also a bit worried when I wrote this review. Sometimes it is hard to put words to feelings. I want everyone to love this album. Katie sings about her life with simple lyrics. I recognized my own life in the opening song Moving from This Town.
this town was never meant to be gentle
see, it wasn't made for people like me
so hold your breath I'm on my way
I'm going now, to my friends in my hometown
back to my friends in my hometown
Alone in a new town in a new life. With a bus ticket to family and friends in my hometown I went aboard, and promised myself not to come back. Then I stood there again on Sunday, at the front door to the future. The train back to school in Lund was overbooked. Perhaps there were more people than me who wondered if there really was no room for us. It was difficult to fall asleep and I did not know what I wanted with my life.
feel so tired I can’t sleep
I have so much to figure out
cause everything is different now
I needed something warm. Katie's album has given me more than that. Each song is special. It is difficult to pick favourite songs. If I had to pick one song, I would choose Until She Breaks. I want to tell you so much, but you should listen and create your own memories.
I think I will find my place in life at last. In the future, it is possible that Katie's debut album will remind me of a time in my life that only created wounds. Katie will still be there. As a friend in life in a world that was far too harsh. It may sound like clichés, but every word is true. I will never forget this album. It was more beautiful than life.
Nine out of Ten
(Originally published on July 25, 2006)
Half year summary 2006
I will remember the first half of 2006 as the time I discovered Language of Flowers. More than a year had passed since the release of their debut album Songs About You, but I still discovered the band in time to attend my most amazing concert ever. Spring 2006 was also the time I took farewell of Belle and Sebastian. It was time to move on, but I did not start over here and now. I have spent the spring trying to fill my music gaps in the 2000s. My pop heart beats rapidly to twee and softpop. The Snow Fairies, The Arrogants, and Brittle Stars are my new favourite bands.
Albums
I have not taken the time to listen to that many new releases. For the first time in life I am beginning to feel tired of the album concept. I find it hard to keep up the interest after forty minutes with the same record. I thus only include six albums on my list as I want to be honest with myself. With an eye on the fall, I look forward to new albums by Laurel Music and Like Honey.
1. Katie Goes to Tokyo - Katie Goes to Tokyo
2. Mates of State - Bring It Back
3. The Charade - A Real Life Drama
4. The Essex Green - Cannibal Sea
5. My Latest Novel - Wolves
6. The Pipettes - We Are The Pipettes
Songs
Sambassadeur make me feel comfortable. They are there every spring ready to deliver. Coastal Affairs is only an EP between two albums, but Marie is the best song of the year so far. For me personally, the lines you know we were scientists, every conversation was a test means everything
1. Sambassadeur - Marie
2. Belle and Sebastian - Another Sunny Day
3. Vapnet - Färjemansleden
4. Camera Obscura - Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken
5. Katie Goes to Tokyo - Until She Breaks
6. The Essex Green - Penny and Jack
7. Firefox Ak - City to City
8. The Charade - My Song to You
9. Rainer Maria - Catastrophe
10. My Latest Novel - Pretty in Panic
(Originally published on July 2, 2006)
Like Honey - New York (Demo 06)
I got so happy! In fact, I only wanted to check out which songs Like Honey had posted on their Myspace page when I got to see the fantastic news.
I heard Like Honey for the first time on one of this year's last January nights when they played at Mejeriet. Ironically, I was sitting at home in front of the computer instead of being at their show. I had just fallen in love with the song Airport. The things you do not know about can not hurt you, until you find out the next day.
Melodies and vocals mean the most to me when I listen to music. Combine a fantastic voice with the right feeling in each word and you get a pretty good description of Like Honey's singer Johanna Cromnow. Her vocals interact with instruments which find the perfect balance between jangle and noise. Sandra Svensson deserves a special mention thanks to her weird and wonderful synth sounds.
New York in this version is an early demo from Like Honey's new album which is released when it is completed. If you want to hear more new songs you will have to go to their shows. See you on September 3rd at Emma's house at Mejeriet!
Like Honey - For A Reason
Like Honey - Airport
Like Honey's debut EP So Silent is available for free download on their website. Myspace is worth a visit to hear the track Sad Song.
(Originally published on June 22, 2006)
Language of Flowers - Lund May 27
I haven’t felt this way for a long time
how long will you stay tonight?
Language of Flowers open with the beautiful intro of Where You Belong and I have not felt this strongly for a band for a long time. I am not the only one. When Tara Simpson sings the first two lines for us, it is just as much we in the audience who ask how long her band will stay tonight.
I have been waiting for this moment. I think back and try to understand. It all started a day in September 2005. I thought I was tired of music. I was convinced I could no longer admire a band in the same way as I had loved Pulp, Oasis, and David Bowie in my teenage years. That naive adoration felt like a relict from a lost age. By chance I happened to hear the song Le Monster by My Favorite. After a week of listening, there was only one band in my life. My Favorite disbanded ten days after I discovered them. My Favorite had existed for fifteen years and I never got to see them live. It only happens a few times each decade, but sometimes a band can change everything. My Favorite was such a band. I became bitter.
It was so obvious that I needed a new band to adore. Language of Flowers came out of nowhere. Their debut album Songs About You was released in late 2004 but I heard Language of Flowers for the first time as recently as February this year. After a few months with Songs About You, I had fallen in love with all songs except Christmas. Songs About You is still the best album I have heard and my love for pop music as strong now as ever. Outside it had become dark. This concert evening had started two hours earlier.
Emma's House at the venue Mejeriet is not empty. Instead, it is warm and welcoming. It feels unreal, and my expectations for the evening are so high. The audience is interested in music, the atmosphere very good, the"everyone is there"-feeling comes even before the support band starts to play. The Budgies are a quartet from Lund and thus play in their hometown tonight. Their super-fast twee with 1:40-songs charms the audience. It would be wrong to say that their sound is unique, but it strikes me that I never hear this kind of music live. The band plays so fast on the instruments that the drums and guitars would probably break if it were not for the music being soft and kind.
Merz then comes in and performs his more electronic songs. He says that the stage is bizarre and he certainly got a point. The concerts are held at the small room at Mejeriet. That is a wise choice, but it is still absurd to have a stage two meter above the floor in a rather small room. Merz seems to be a nice guy but he does not play my kind of music. I try to be discreet when I look at the watch.
Tara along with the four boys of her band enter the stage sometime after eleven pm and we are back where this text started. Where You Belong sounds like a dream until it stops and Tara says "We are Language of Flowers...from Belfast". As the second song, the drummer starts to play the great intro of If It's Not You. "Their best song", I think before they change their minds, instead playing Who You're With. I close my eyes and hear Tara sing won't you come back to me, because i wanna be the one who you're with. The big pop dream is then realised. Many of us have been waiting for If It's Not You. There are no lyrics to this song on the website but the pop kids know the song text anyway. The sound during the show is very high, at our loudest we in the audience almost outsing Tara. There is spontaneous dance and sing along to my favourite song. It is so easy to love tonight's audience. If It's Not You is the best song in the set and I am satisfied. They can play anything afterwards. We get to hear three new songs. The last is the best one.
Tara picks up a guitar after that. Someone behind me whispers "big guitar for a little girl" and I can not help but smile. "Songs About You" is added by another boy who apparently has seen the band before. Langauge of Flowers then end the concert with Tara Mascara. A boy and a girl on my left sing along throughout the whole song and it is so beautiful. I like them.
Language of Flowers have written so many perfect songs for their debut album. Some of them are left out of the live set. Many people get sad because the concert does not last longer, but the band is applauded back to the scene where they play the happy Botanic Gardens as the encore. I miss I Don't Care at All, but it does not matter. The Popaganda festival got to hear seven songs by Language of Flowers. We got nine and I heard my two favourite songs Where You Belong and If It's Not You.
After the concert, I see Tara in front of the stage. I walk to her and thank her for a wonderful concert before she goes to the interview with the student radio indie program Tandem Pop. I can not describe how happy If It's Not You made me.
Three days later, I realise that Language of Flowers' show at Mejeriet on Saturday May 27 was much more than the finest concert of my life.
Ten out of Ten
Setlist:
(Originally published on May 30, 2006)
how long will you stay tonight?
Language of Flowers open with the beautiful intro of Where You Belong and I have not felt this strongly for a band for a long time. I am not the only one. When Tara Simpson sings the first two lines for us, it is just as much we in the audience who ask how long her band will stay tonight.
I have been waiting for this moment. I think back and try to understand. It all started a day in September 2005. I thought I was tired of music. I was convinced I could no longer admire a band in the same way as I had loved Pulp, Oasis, and David Bowie in my teenage years. That naive adoration felt like a relict from a lost age. By chance I happened to hear the song Le Monster by My Favorite. After a week of listening, there was only one band in my life. My Favorite disbanded ten days after I discovered them. My Favorite had existed for fifteen years and I never got to see them live. It only happens a few times each decade, but sometimes a band can change everything. My Favorite was such a band. I became bitter.
It was so obvious that I needed a new band to adore. Language of Flowers came out of nowhere. Their debut album Songs About You was released in late 2004 but I heard Language of Flowers for the first time as recently as February this year. After a few months with Songs About You, I had fallen in love with all songs except Christmas. Songs About You is still the best album I have heard and my love for pop music as strong now as ever. Outside it had become dark. This concert evening had started two hours earlier.
Emma's House at the venue Mejeriet is not empty. Instead, it is warm and welcoming. It feels unreal, and my expectations for the evening are so high. The audience is interested in music, the atmosphere very good, the"everyone is there"-feeling comes even before the support band starts to play. The Budgies are a quartet from Lund and thus play in their hometown tonight. Their super-fast twee with 1:40-songs charms the audience. It would be wrong to say that their sound is unique, but it strikes me that I never hear this kind of music live. The band plays so fast on the instruments that the drums and guitars would probably break if it were not for the music being soft and kind.
Merz then comes in and performs his more electronic songs. He says that the stage is bizarre and he certainly got a point. The concerts are held at the small room at Mejeriet. That is a wise choice, but it is still absurd to have a stage two meter above the floor in a rather small room. Merz seems to be a nice guy but he does not play my kind of music. I try to be discreet when I look at the watch.
Tara along with the four boys of her band enter the stage sometime after eleven pm and we are back where this text started. Where You Belong sounds like a dream until it stops and Tara says "We are Language of Flowers...from Belfast". As the second song, the drummer starts to play the great intro of If It's Not You. "Their best song", I think before they change their minds, instead playing Who You're With. I close my eyes and hear Tara sing won't you come back to me, because i wanna be the one who you're with. The big pop dream is then realised. Many of us have been waiting for If It's Not You. There are no lyrics to this song on the website but the pop kids know the song text anyway. The sound during the show is very high, at our loudest we in the audience almost outsing Tara. There is spontaneous dance and sing along to my favourite song. It is so easy to love tonight's audience. If It's Not You is the best song in the set and I am satisfied. They can play anything afterwards. We get to hear three new songs. The last is the best one.
Tara picks up a guitar after that. Someone behind me whispers "big guitar for a little girl" and I can not help but smile. "Songs About You" is added by another boy who apparently has seen the band before. Langauge of Flowers then end the concert with Tara Mascara. A boy and a girl on my left sing along throughout the whole song and it is so beautiful. I like them.
Language of Flowers have written so many perfect songs for their debut album. Some of them are left out of the live set. Many people get sad because the concert does not last longer, but the band is applauded back to the scene where they play the happy Botanic Gardens as the encore. I miss I Don't Care at All, but it does not matter. The Popaganda festival got to hear seven songs by Language of Flowers. We got nine and I heard my two favourite songs Where You Belong and If It's Not You.
After the concert, I see Tara in front of the stage. I walk to her and thank her for a wonderful concert before she goes to the interview with the student radio indie program Tandem Pop. I can not describe how happy If It's Not You made me.
Three days later, I realise that Language of Flowers' show at Mejeriet on Saturday May 27 was much more than the finest concert of my life.
Ten out of Ten
Setlist:
(Originally published on May 30, 2006)
Isobel Campbell - Lund May 24
Yesterday I only had to look at the audience to understand that things change. The staff at the venue Mejeriet had set up round tables with lighted candles to create a more intimate atmosphere. Unfortunately, it rather felt like I attended an awkward after work. It is not intimate when the closest table is placed ten meters away from the stage. The venue felt empty, there were at most eighty people in the crowd.
Isobel played mostly songs from her latest album The Ballad of Broken Seas. In other words duets. Luckily, we were spared Mark Langegan. Instead Eugene Kelly of The Vaselines stood next to Isobel. Eugenie looked a bit like Morrissey and they both probably had their best years at the same time - in the 80's.
Time Is Just the Same was the only greatly performed song in the regular set. Fortunately, there was an encore. For once it did not consist of hits saved for the end of the concert. Isobel told us to sing along and then sat down in her chair while picking up her cello. Apparently it was a song in Swedish. Isobel performed the Finnish-Swedish traditional folk song Who Can Sail Without Wind (Vem kan segla förutan vind) with a pronunciation very similar to Finnish, and for the first time in the evening it felt really charming.
Before the final song, Isobel said that people at her concerts usually do not know who Eugene is. I suspected what was going to happen. As expected, The Vaseline's old pop hit Son of a Gun was played, and it sounded really good. Isobel's voice can lift any song.
Six out of Ten
(Originally published on May 25, 2006)
Belle and Sebastian - Malmö May 13
At the final moment I cried
I always cry at endings
Everything that has a beginning also has an end. This is not a concert review. These are the words which conclude the most wonderful of fairy tales. But let us by all means begin with the first chapter.
The Stars of Track and Field was the first song I heard of Belle and Sebastian. If You're Feeling Sinister the first album. Like so many others, I immediately fell in love. There are so many memories. I lay on the bed and looked through the booklet while I was amazed by how beautiful everything was. The piano in The Fox in the Snow. The third verse of Like Dylan in the Movies. The back of the booklet: "But Isobel, who's going to support us when our dreams crash against the rocks?
It was so long ago. I was so young. A lot has changed and still nothing at all. A boy's room has been replaced by a student room. Reflection on life has become ... thoughts about life. I still miss Isobel Campbell but Belle and Sebastian have always been there anyway. Strange though, I have never seen them live. Even my diary notes fail to explain what I did those nights when I had the chance. I personally think that I was in a coma. Apparently, I woke up late last summer. A new tour followed with the latest album The Life Pursuit, and I knew I would get another chance to see Belle and Sebastian live.
Finally the big day came. At friends Elisabet and Cecilia's home, we whistled our way through Asleep on a Sunbeam and Dress Up in You before we stepped on the bus to Malmö. We came to the venue Kulturbolaget just before nine o'clock and was welcomed by the dj playing Language of Flowers - Where You Belong. I was instantly in love with life again. We ordered at the bar and headed toward the stage. Although the support act Suburban Kids With Biblical Names already had played, it was surprisingly no congestion. We settled closed to the stage, full of expectations and dreams.
Stuart and his band soon wanders onto the stage to the audience's applause. I count to six men and two women. Only recognize Stuart, Sarah and Stevie. The introduction is brilliant. I smile a little more when The Stars of Track and Field opens the show. Stuart raises his voice, and while the guitars roar at the end he tries to convince us that the stars of track and field are beautiful people. Though it is obviously us he sings about. When the band follows up with Another Sunny Day everyone in the crowd gets a ridiculously charming smile. It should not be possible, but my favorite song on The Life Pursuit sounds better than on record. We are so happy. Wonderful. Stuart goes on to silly talk but soon mentions The Belle and Sebastian Song Book, and we who are near the stage see that he holds up the cover of Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasent. Many thoughts are running through my head. The Model? There's Too Much Love? I Fought in a War? In one second's time I calculate the probabilities for each song to be played only to reject the science and decide that it is better to wait and see. It became Women's Realm. The strings are so beautiful. Then we hear Belle and Sebastian's theme song from their first EP Dog on Wheels. The concert really feels perfect.
I did not really want to hear more songs from the new album but you may not always get as you want. Sukie in the Graveyard is a filler in this set. After that, a laptop is activated and the screen is shaking. It could only be one song.
"I still do no like it", Cecilia tells me. She is not alone. But those who fall, they fall really with a thud. Belle and Sebastian run over half the audience and I love it. After that, one expects higer tempo but unfortunately Electronic Renassaince also begins the bitter end. The fillers are stocked in and it suddenly feels uninspirational. Belle and Sebastian are too good to play songs like The Loneliness of a Middle Distance Runner and Funny Little Frog. Had I brought a note with my song wishes to Stuart, I would had written down Sleep the Clock Around, String Bean Jean, Another Sunny Day, Dirty Dream Number Two, Get Me Away from Here I'm Dying, Lazy Line Painter Jane, I Could Be Dreaming, There's Too Much Love and Le Pastie De La Bourgeoisie on it. I got two of them. The rest of the gig does not quite appeal to me. All that is good on record sounds better live and vice versa. A Century of Fakers is magic. Your Cover's Blown is garbage. And I am starting to get disturbed by the bouncing balls next to me. The two idiot girls who jump up and down to the quiet songs make me move closer to the stage. They have apparently also paid entrance but I wonder how people can have such a lack of self-awareness that they do not understand they spoil others' pleasure when all people give you the mean eye.
The spotlights are aimed at the entire scene but all light falls on Stuart. Even before the first song played he sets the bar by jokingly saying his newly purchased shirt is too short. We hear a brief chorus of Mamma Mia and Stuart is also trying to get a girl at the front to shed a tear, but she just laughs. He should have asked a young boy to sigh instead. But it does not seem to bother Stuart who dances on as if he were in his own world. He and many others.
After the encore The Boy With the Arab Strap is played and the crowd is bouncing up and down clapping the hands. This time more justified and they look happy. Belle and Sebastian leave the scene for the second time and it was long since I heard an audience applaud so convincingly. It is over. I cry inside. It hurts so much to write it but I am a little disappointed. It was good. So much better than almost anything else. Yet something is missing. I want to run past all the guards into the backstage room and shout at Stuart to play SLEEP THE CLOCK AROUND. I was hoping for more than happy pop to whistle to. I wanted seriousness.
May 2006 was to become the best month. We are halfway through. Belle and Sebastian is still one of the world's best bands. But not the best. A dream came true this evening, while another died. When I got off the bus in Lund, it rained. It would not end like this but it is probably best that we go our separate ways. I am grateful that I got to see Belle and Sebastian.
But Isobel, who's going to support me when my dreams crash against the rocks? I will ask her when she comes here in a couple of weeks.
Eight out of Ten
Setlist
(subject to minor mistakes)
The Stars of Track and Field
Another Sunny Day
Women's Realm
Belle and Sebastian
Sukie in the Graveyard
Electronic Renaissance
The Loneliness of a Middle Distance Runner
To Be Myself Completely
Piazza, New York Catcher
Funny Little Frog
A Century of Fakers
We Are the Sleepyheads
Your Cover's Blown
Le Pastie De La Bourgeoisie
I'm a Cucko
Jonathan David
White Collar Boy
Me and the Major
Encore
If You Find Yourself Caught in Love
The Boy With the Arab Strap
(Originally published on May 15, 2006)
Review: Sambassadeur - Coastal Affairs EP
The first time I heard Sambassadeur I fell head over heels. I am still a little sore. In spring 2004, Ice and Snow was a wonderful song by an unknown band yet not signed to a record label. Acknowledgements in indie fanzines were followed up by gigs at pop clubs. Sambassadeur's first EP Between the Lines was released on Labrador Records one year later. The title track was lovely. The hallmarks of Sambassadeur were unsually great lyrics and beautiful melodies. Everyone can probably relate to a text line like it's my favorite song but I don't like the crowd. Sambassadeur soon released their second EP New Moon and the self-titled debut album.
Sambassadeur now returns with a new EP. The title Coastal Affairs, the beautiful cover and the girl name theme make me think of The Field Mice. Sambassadeur do, indeed, sound cute and sweet on this EP. To my disappointment, the song is divided as usual between Anna Persson and Daniel Permbo. I am in love with Anna's voice, but Daniel is a very mediocre singer who never manages to touch me at all. I wish that Anna would sing on every track.
Nevertheless, the first song Kate tells that something is different now. Where previously clear there would only be one voice per song, Anna and Daniel both sing on Kate. The intro of Think Nothing of It sounds very much like the intro of Song for the Songs by The Concretes, but overall Sambassadeur mainly sounds like themselves with a more developed sound. As far as I am concerned, they could have excluded the boring Think Nothing of It, but all is forgiven when third track Marie starts playing.
It is soon time to prepare for the last exams of this semester. It is good to have bands like Sambassadeur when the anxiety starts coming. I leave the lecture at the break, lie down on the grass in the park, put on the headphones and dream about Kate, Marie and Claudine. I feel relaxed and the burden is eased for a moment.
It is finally spring and Sambassadeur are here again. Welcome back into my life, I have missed you so.
(Originally published on May 3, 2006)
Firefox Ak and Hello Saferide - Lund March 11
I hand over my ticket and the staff at the entrance puts a paper bracelet around my right wrist. I realise that the concert is open for all ages. It is not ideal, but you can not have everything you want.
Andrea Kellerman looks so cool with her electric guitar when she opens her live set with City to City. Andrea is more known under her artist name Firefox Ak. Andrea has got the charisma, the songs and the voice to make the audience fall for her, but she does not really succeed this time. Tonight the audience is waiting for the next live act.
Introducing... Hello Saferide:
Have you ever had the feeling no one really knows what you're all about
And when you try to show them
They all have things to do tonight
Tonight
(I Thought That You Said Summer Is Going to Take the Pain Away)
Annika Norlin's debut album was the second one on my year list of 2005, but numbers can not desribe what Hello Saferide meant to me last fall. In a period in life when I felt that everything went wrong, Hello Saferide came from nowhere and wrote sad songs that touched my heart. I Thought That You Said Summer Is Going to Take the Pain Away was a comfort when no one else was there. I got a record with painfully honest lyrics in which I actually could believe. Hello Saferide reached me from the first listening.
There were some nervousness and unpredictability when Hello Saferide played on the small stage at Mejeriet last fall. The atmosphere and uncertainty of what to expect made me shudder when I heard the first chords of Long Lost Penpal.
A lot has changed since then. I still play If I Don't Write This Song, Someone I Love Will Die when I want to get happy, but I have left the first stage of love behind me. Annika Norlin has had a real breakthrough with Hello Saferide. Mejeriet is full of people tonight but Annika shows no signs of uncertainty when she enters the stage. In the middle of the show she says that this is a special night since a friend of hers is here. Firefox Ak comes back on stage and it is impossible not to get moved when Annika and Andrea perform Long Lost Penpal together.
If my memory serves me right, there was no encore the last time Hello Saferide played at Mejeriet. Tonight it is a given. When Hello Saferide is clapped back to the stage and closes the evening with I Don't Sleep Well I get so happy that I give her a rose which I take from the boquet of flowers at the edge of the stage. She accepts it and I walk home with a smile on my face.
(Originally posted on my lastfm on March 12, 2006)
Andrea Kellerman looks so cool with her electric guitar when she opens her live set with City to City. Andrea is more known under her artist name Firefox Ak. Andrea has got the charisma, the songs and the voice to make the audience fall for her, but she does not really succeed this time. Tonight the audience is waiting for the next live act.
Introducing... Hello Saferide:
Have you ever had the feeling no one really knows what you're all about
And when you try to show them
They all have things to do tonight
Tonight
(I Thought That You Said Summer Is Going to Take the Pain Away)
Annika Norlin's debut album was the second one on my year list of 2005, but numbers can not desribe what Hello Saferide meant to me last fall. In a period in life when I felt that everything went wrong, Hello Saferide came from nowhere and wrote sad songs that touched my heart. I Thought That You Said Summer Is Going to Take the Pain Away was a comfort when no one else was there. I got a record with painfully honest lyrics in which I actually could believe. Hello Saferide reached me from the first listening.
There were some nervousness and unpredictability when Hello Saferide played on the small stage at Mejeriet last fall. The atmosphere and uncertainty of what to expect made me shudder when I heard the first chords of Long Lost Penpal.
A lot has changed since then. I still play If I Don't Write This Song, Someone I Love Will Die when I want to get happy, but I have left the first stage of love behind me. Annika Norlin has had a real breakthrough with Hello Saferide. Mejeriet is full of people tonight but Annika shows no signs of uncertainty when she enters the stage. In the middle of the show she says that this is a special night since a friend of hers is here. Firefox Ak comes back on stage and it is impossible not to get moved when Annika and Andrea perform Long Lost Penpal together.
If my memory serves me right, there was no encore the last time Hello Saferide played at Mejeriet. Tonight it is a given. When Hello Saferide is clapped back to the stage and closes the evening with I Don't Sleep Well I get so happy that I give her a rose which I take from the boquet of flowers at the edge of the stage. She accepts it and I walk home with a smile on my face.
(Originally posted on my lastfm on March 12, 2006)
At last fall!
September 1, Blekingska nationen in Lund: Sambassadeur.
September 3, Mejeriet in Lund: Like Honey + The Lucksmiths.
I have really missed the concert nights. At last something is happening again. See you there!
September 3, Mejeriet in Lund: Like Honey + The Lucksmiths.
I have really missed the concert nights. At last something is happening again. See you there!
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Soft revolution
Did you shed a tear when you found out that My Favorite broke up? Do you think Shelflife is the world's best record label? Do you lighten up when the radio in the supermarket is playing Hello Saferide? Do you dream about discovering a new Belle and Sebastian? In that case, you will probably feel at home here.
There are a thousand different ways to write an introductory text. I choose the short version. After all, you are here for the music. This blog is a tribute to all the wonderful bands that make life easier to live.
There are a thousand different ways to write an introductory text. I choose the short version. After all, you are here for the music. This blog is a tribute to all the wonderful bands that make life easier to live.
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