Open Your Heart

There is still much left to write about 2007 before I sum up the first half of 2008.

Arcade Fire needs no presentation. I am writing about them only now because I heard the song The Well and the Lighthouse as late as this spring. Arcade Fire were not unknown to me, but the sound on their debut album Funeral did not appeal to me. I therefore never cared about their second album Neon Bible. Imagine my surprise when I heard The Well and the Lighthouse by chance. Incredibly good. Remember where you read it last.

This whole genre called indie rock is quite unknown to me. Los Angeles-based Earlimart are said to belong to the same genre but I am already familiar with their sound. That is probably because Aaron Espinoza and Ariana Murray are from California. Answers and Questions stands out as by far the best track on the album Mentor Tormentor released last year. You can listen to the whole album in good quality here.
In Los Angeles, we also find the hippie quartet Lavender Diamond which plays folk/pop with piano. Open Your Heart is a very beautiful track on their debut album Imagine Our Love.

Swedish Blind Terry also base their music on piano. They sing about burning down the school, but the hit When Prefab Sprout Wrecked My Mind deservedly receives the most attention. Blind Terry would have fit in well in the Rip It Up festival line-up, but they will play at this year's Emmaboda festival instead.
Taste of Honey sound promising with their sweet song Sylvia Said. The same can be said about Susanna Brandin's acoustic music project Winter Took His Life. Listen to When You Said You Headed Home! With the even longer album title You Know What It's Like to Be Alone and Shut Down we have a female counterpart to Sufjan Stevens.

In our neighbouring country Norway, we find Dylan Mondegreen which sound very much like their compatriots Love Dance. You can listen to their entire debut album While I Walk You Home at lastfm. In summer t-shirt weather, British Little Name also charm us with For the Attention of and especially Tracy and I.

Last out is the Minnesota band Gospel Gossip which is the city's main export since the hockey team moved to Dallas. The album Sing into My Mouth, another debut album, wanders between shoegaze and pop with many different sound images. Three short tracks, around a minute each, are reminiscent of What the Snowman Learned About Love, the introductory track on Stars' album Heart. Shadows Are Bent is the best song on Sing into My Mouth. Listen at the band's website and lastfm.