The music year 2010 has been a brilliant time for softpop but otherwise left much to be desired.
I had really big plans for the blog this year, but the lack of posts is obvious now that there are only a few hours left until 2011. It is what it is and my lesson is to not promise more than I can hold. I still have the ideas I mentioned one year ago, but this time the plan is to post when the inspiration comes back.
Records
1. Very Truly Yours –Things You Used to Say
2. Allo Darlin - Allo Darlin
3. Katie Goes to Tokyo - My Naked Heart
4. The Soft City - The Soft City
5. Sambassadeur – European
6. The Jezabels – Dark Storm EP
7. The Secret History –The World That Never Was
8. Stars – The Five Ghosts
9. Will Driving West – The Breakout
10. Standard Fare – The Noyelle Beat
Also good: Minipop - Automatic Love EP, Now Now Every Children – Neighbors EP, The New Pornographers – Together, Säkert! – Facit, Seapony - Seapony EP
Songs
1. Katie Goes to Tokyo - Before You Fell in Love With Her
2. Sambassadeur - Stranded
3. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Say No to Love
4. Standard Fare - Love Doesn't Just Stop
5. Allo Darlin - Dreaming
6. Very Truly Yours - Your Funeral
7. Shrag - Rabbit Kids
8. Allo Darlin - My Heart Is a Drummer
9. Trembling Blue Stars - Cold Colours
10. Katie Goes to Tokyo - The Apartment, The Cat and The Dress
11. Minipop - Into the Night
12. Betty and the Werewolves - Paper Thin
13. The Jezabels - Sahara Mahala
14. Forest City Lovers - Minneapolis
15. Wild Nothing - Summer Holiday
Showing posts with label Sambassadeur. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sambassadeur. Show all posts
Friday, December 31, 2010
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Sambassadeur - Malmö January 25
In order to move on, you sometimes have to accept the phrase "kill your darlings". In exceptional cases, the darlings kill themselves.
Sambassadeur's Coastal Affairs was the best EP of 2006, but now I also know that Coastal Affairs was the beginning of the end. I adored and still love Coastal Affairs, but the EP inevitably brought Sambassadeur in a new direction characterised by a luxury and orchestrated sound. Last year's album Migration was a huge disappointment and another victim of the sterile, overproduced sound landscape which Jari Haapalainen and like-minded producers, in this case Mattias Glavås, have made their own. The Sambassadeur that are on tour this spring does not have much in common with the band I once fell in love with.
Last Friday, Sambassadeur played in Malmö in front of Southern Sweden's worst crowd on a stage that was far too big for the band. Nothing could save the gig under those circumstances and I should probably give up attending concerts at the venue Kulturbolaget. When Sambassadeur played New Moon as their first song I knew that the concert would be my definite farewell to the band. In all honesty, I had not expected anything else, but I wanted to be there to be sure.
Sambassadeur is not exactly known as a strong live band, but I still can not understand why you play live when you show no interest in the audience. The songwriting core of the band, Joachim Läckberg (guitar) and Anna Persson (vocals), looked uncomfortable in the spotlight in the center of the stage. The bassist Daniel Tolegård and the other guitarist Daniel Permbo stood on either side and at least made an effort. A band must realise though that something is wrong when their guest drummer is the most interesting person to watch.
Sambassadeur will certainly have more success in the future, but I am not particulalry interested when the production has become more important than great melodies. Sambassadeur wrote fantastic songs some years ago. Sambassadeur did not play If Rain, Dead Leaves or even Between the Lines at the show. The only song that really made me shine was my song - Marie. In the end, Marie alone made it worthwhile to take a Friday trip to Malmö after all.
Four out of Ten.
Sambassadeur's Coastal Affairs was the best EP of 2006, but now I also know that Coastal Affairs was the beginning of the end. I adored and still love Coastal Affairs, but the EP inevitably brought Sambassadeur in a new direction characterised by a luxury and orchestrated sound. Last year's album Migration was a huge disappointment and another victim of the sterile, overproduced sound landscape which Jari Haapalainen and like-minded producers, in this case Mattias Glavås, have made their own. The Sambassadeur that are on tour this spring does not have much in common with the band I once fell in love with.
Last Friday, Sambassadeur played in Malmö in front of Southern Sweden's worst crowd on a stage that was far too big for the band. Nothing could save the gig under those circumstances and I should probably give up attending concerts at the venue Kulturbolaget. When Sambassadeur played New Moon as their first song I knew that the concert would be my definite farewell to the band. In all honesty, I had not expected anything else, but I wanted to be there to be sure.
Sambassadeur is not exactly known as a strong live band, but I still can not understand why you play live when you show no interest in the audience. The songwriting core of the band, Joachim Läckberg (guitar) and Anna Persson (vocals), looked uncomfortable in the spotlight in the center of the stage. The bassist Daniel Tolegård and the other guitarist Daniel Permbo stood on either side and at least made an effort. A band must realise though that something is wrong when their guest drummer is the most interesting person to watch.
Sambassadeur will certainly have more success in the future, but I am not particulalry interested when the production has become more important than great melodies. Sambassadeur wrote fantastic songs some years ago. Sambassadeur did not play If Rain, Dead Leaves or even Between the Lines at the show. The only song that really made me shine was my song - Marie. In the end, Marie alone made it worthwhile to take a Friday trip to Malmö after all.
Four out of Ten.
Saturday, November 11, 2006
My 2006
Concerts
The Au Revoir Simone show on November 17 will be a nice ending to an absolutely amazing year of concerts. In total, I spent 22 nights at concerts this year. It is pretty much given that I did not attend any real festival this summer. You find my concert stories in the right column labelled as Concerts.
01 Language of Flowers - May 27 at Mejeriet, Lund
02 Hello Saferide - March 11 at Mejeriet, Lund
03 Like Honey - September 3 at Mejeriet, Lund
04 Belle and Sebastian - May 13 at Kulturbolaget, Malmö
05 Camera Obscura - October 7 at Kulturbolaget, Malmö
Songs
01 Laurel Music - Winter Slow
L A U R E L M U S I C.
Pop hearts never die! I have heard the future and it sounds wonderful. Laurel Music is worth waiting for.
02 Sambassadeur - Marie
I was convinced that Marie was the song of the year when I wrote my half year list. Marie was actually more than a song to me. Things have changed since then and Marie thus only gets an honorable second place on this list.
03 Language of Flowers - You're The One
My beloved Language of Flowers do not seem in a hurry with the sequel to Songs About You. They have a lot to live up to. With You're The One Language of Flowers show that they can still deliver spellbinding "girl meets boy"-stories. And I listen to every word.
04 Lucky Soul - Lips Are Unhappy
I heard Lips Are Unhappy in early June and thought it was a good pop song, but it would take another month before I really fell in love. Five months later, I am a little sad that there were no promoters in southern Sweden who wanted to set up a show with Ali Howard's band but you can not have everything you want. SHAKE SHIMMY SHIMMY SHAKE SHIMMY.
05 Katie Goes to Tokyo - Alone
Katie has meant more to me than anyone else this year. She was there when I slides and she was still there when my life collapsed. I try to rebuild it, piece by piece. I no longer know what I want but I know that Katie makes it a little easier to wake up in the morning.
06 Camera Obscura - Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken
07 Hello Saferide - 2006
08 Katie Goes to Tokyo - The Girl Who Ruined Your World
09 Lucky Soul - The Great Unwanted
10 Belle and Sebastian - Another Sunny Day
11 Anna Ternheim - Tribute to Linn
12 Mates of State - Beautiful Dreamer
13 The Magic Numbers - Take a Chance
14 Firefox AK - City to City
15 The Charade - My Song to You
16 Vapnet - Färjemansleden
17 Headlights - TV
18 Morrissey - You Have Killed Me
19 The Pipettes- Because It's Not Love (But It's Still a Feeling)
20 Those Transatlantics - Whiskey and Tea
21 Acid House King - Keep Your Love by The Loveninjas
22 The Essex Green - Penny and Jack
23 Like Honey - New York
24 The Positions - Back to Me
25 The Tidy Ups - Lack of Nourishment
Albums
There seem to be unspoken rules which determine that a year list shall contain 25 albums. That are just too many albums for me. It is rather pointless to list more records than you will remember when you look back on the year later. I present a top10 this year. I could have done a top15 instead, but no more records than that.
01 Katie Goes to Tokyo - Katie Goes to Tokyo
02 The Positions - Bliss!
03 Those Transatlantics - Knocked Out
04 Mates of State - Bring It Back
05 The Charade - A Real Life Drama
06 My Latest Novel - Wolves
07 Anna Ternheim - Separation Road
08 The Essex Green - Cannibal Sea
09 Marit Larsen - Under the Surface
10 The Pipettes - We Are The Pipettes
Also good: The Besties - Singer, The High Violets - To Where You Are, Math and Physics Club - Math and Physics Club, Ms. John Soda - Notes and the Like, The Weepies - Say I Am You, Firefox AK - Madame Madame, Tilly and the Wall - Bottom of the Barrels.
Not evaluated: The Snow Fairies - Voila!, Friday Bridge, Tralala - Is That The Tralala.
EPs
01 Sambassadeur - Coastal Affairs
02 The Tidy Ups - Dizzy Heights
03 Hello Saferide - Would You Let Me Play This EP Ten Times A Day?
04 Gentle Touch - Gentle Touch
05 The Postal Blue - Road to Happiness
Not evaluated: Lucky Soul.
2007
Next year's best album will most likely be the the sequel to This Night and The Nex. I can not see how any other band would compete with Laurel Music. There is a good chance that all bands on the top3 album list will be sorted under the letter "L". Lucky Soul, Like Honey, and Looker all release debut albums. And although I doubt it there is a possibility that even Language of Flowers are recording a new album. Architecture in Helsinki and Sambassadeur are working on new albums. Shelflife Records returns with new releases.
There is a basis for 2007 to become the best record year of the 2000s.
The Au Revoir Simone show on November 17 will be a nice ending to an absolutely amazing year of concerts. In total, I spent 22 nights at concerts this year. It is pretty much given that I did not attend any real festival this summer. You find my concert stories in the right column labelled as Concerts.
01 Language of Flowers - May 27 at Mejeriet, Lund
02 Hello Saferide - March 11 at Mejeriet, Lund
03 Like Honey - September 3 at Mejeriet, Lund
04 Belle and Sebastian - May 13 at Kulturbolaget, Malmö
05 Camera Obscura - October 7 at Kulturbolaget, Malmö
Songs
01 Laurel Music - Winter Slow
L A U R E L M U S I C.
Pop hearts never die! I have heard the future and it sounds wonderful. Laurel Music is worth waiting for.
02 Sambassadeur - Marie
I was convinced that Marie was the song of the year when I wrote my half year list. Marie was actually more than a song to me. Things have changed since then and Marie thus only gets an honorable second place on this list.
03 Language of Flowers - You're The One
My beloved Language of Flowers do not seem in a hurry with the sequel to Songs About You. They have a lot to live up to. With You're The One Language of Flowers show that they can still deliver spellbinding "girl meets boy"-stories. And I listen to every word.
04 Lucky Soul - Lips Are Unhappy
I heard Lips Are Unhappy in early June and thought it was a good pop song, but it would take another month before I really fell in love. Five months later, I am a little sad that there were no promoters in southern Sweden who wanted to set up a show with Ali Howard's band but you can not have everything you want. SHAKE SHIMMY SHIMMY SHAKE SHIMMY.
05 Katie Goes to Tokyo - Alone
Katie has meant more to me than anyone else this year. She was there when I slides and she was still there when my life collapsed. I try to rebuild it, piece by piece. I no longer know what I want but I know that Katie makes it a little easier to wake up in the morning.
06 Camera Obscura - Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken
07 Hello Saferide - 2006
08 Katie Goes to Tokyo - The Girl Who Ruined Your World
09 Lucky Soul - The Great Unwanted
10 Belle and Sebastian - Another Sunny Day
11 Anna Ternheim - Tribute to Linn
12 Mates of State - Beautiful Dreamer
13 The Magic Numbers - Take a Chance
14 Firefox AK - City to City
15 The Charade - My Song to You
16 Vapnet - Färjemansleden
17 Headlights - TV
18 Morrissey - You Have Killed Me
19 The Pipettes- Because It's Not Love (But It's Still a Feeling)
20 Those Transatlantics - Whiskey and Tea
21 Acid House King - Keep Your Love by The Loveninjas
22 The Essex Green - Penny and Jack
23 Like Honey - New York
24 The Positions - Back to Me
25 The Tidy Ups - Lack of Nourishment
Albums
There seem to be unspoken rules which determine that a year list shall contain 25 albums. That are just too many albums for me. It is rather pointless to list more records than you will remember when you look back on the year later. I present a top10 this year. I could have done a top15 instead, but no more records than that.
01 Katie Goes to Tokyo - Katie Goes to Tokyo
02 The Positions - Bliss!
03 Those Transatlantics - Knocked Out
04 Mates of State - Bring It Back
05 The Charade - A Real Life Drama
06 My Latest Novel - Wolves
07 Anna Ternheim - Separation Road
08 The Essex Green - Cannibal Sea
09 Marit Larsen - Under the Surface
10 The Pipettes - We Are The Pipettes
Also good: The Besties - Singer, The High Violets - To Where You Are, Math and Physics Club - Math and Physics Club, Ms. John Soda - Notes and the Like, The Weepies - Say I Am You, Firefox AK - Madame Madame, Tilly and the Wall - Bottom of the Barrels.
Not evaluated: The Snow Fairies - Voila!, Friday Bridge, Tralala - Is That The Tralala.
EPs
01 Sambassadeur - Coastal Affairs
02 The Tidy Ups - Dizzy Heights
03 Hello Saferide - Would You Let Me Play This EP Ten Times A Day?
04 Gentle Touch - Gentle Touch
05 The Postal Blue - Road to Happiness
Not evaluated: Lucky Soul.
2007
Next year's best album will most likely be the the sequel to This Night and The Nex. I can not see how any other band would compete with Laurel Music. There is a good chance that all bands on the top3 album list will be sorted under the letter "L". Lucky Soul, Like Honey, and Looker all release debut albums. And although I doubt it there is a possibility that even Language of Flowers are recording a new album. Architecture in Helsinki and Sambassadeur are working on new albums. Shelflife Records returns with new releases.
There is a basis for 2007 to become the best record year of the 2000s.
Monday, September 25, 2006
Your covers blown
I came to think about cover songs I never get tired of. Some of my favourite covers are listed below, but I do not rank the songs this time. Covers should be fun. Pretensions are saved for future posts.
Eva Cassidy - Over the Rainbow
Introducing this list with anyone else than Eva Cassidy would be like forgetting Dennis Bergkamp while you are talking about great football players. First, you buy the compilation Songbird. Then you play the tenth track Over the Rainbow. 3:19 into the song is heartbreaking. I could fill this entire list with Eva Cassidy, and not a single song would be a filler. After you have dried your tears you may as well continue with Fields of Gold (by Sting) and cry some more. Then Kathy's Song (by Simon and Garfunkel). Eva Cassidy is for us who believe that music can be larger than The Embassy and their laptops that froze just in time for the encore at their so called "concert".
The Maybellines - This and That by Acid House Kings
Say Yes If You Love Me is fantastic, but any band can make one hit. It is therefore ironic that a cover song made me understand the greatness of Acid House Kings. After further listening, I realised I had discovered two good bands at once.
Sambassadeur - La Chanson de Prévert by Serge Gainsbourg
The soundtrack of spring 2005 is still played with pleasure, with "skip track" on the remote within reach. Sambassadeur made half a record to love forever.
Pet Shop Boys - Always on My Mind
If I made you feel second best, I'm so sorry, I was blind
You were always on my mind
You were always on my mind
Tell me, tell me that your sweet love hasn't died
Give me one more chance to keep you satisfied
Satisfied
I do not know the whole story behind Always on My Mind, but I know it was recorded by Elvis and that he never did justice to the song. When I think of Pet Shop Boys I think of two songs, It's a Sin and Always on My Mind. The DJs at the discotheques should play Pet Shop Boys more often.
Saint Etienne - Kiss and Make Up by The Field Mice
Some people have made up their mind in advance and already decided to hate. There is no point in trying to reason with people who call Saint Etienne "worthless, braindead euro which only worked because the girl was hot". It is their loss. Saint Etienne is the only British band from the mid-nineties I still listen to a lot today and that is hardly a coincidence. Kiss and Make Up is a brilliant cover of the sleepy original by The Field Mice.
The Arrogants - Shellshock by New Order
It is unusal that good covers do not sound more or less just like the original. Shellshock in this version sounds so much The Arrogants that not even the most hardcore New Order fans would recognize it. That is good for me as I adore The Arrogants while I rate New Order as a good band only.
Kathryn Williams - Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen
You don't really care for music, do you?
Laura Watling - Sunday Came and Went by The Castaway Stones
Laura Watling is perhaps the new Amelia Fletcher of the 2000s. This comparison may sound stupid to most people, but to me it is ingenious here and now.
The Shermans - Plastic Bouquet by Tara Emely Needham
I really need to find the original. The Shermans' version sounds like music to grow up to in a nursery. That is of course a compliment.
Belle and Bebastian - Poupée de Cire, Poupée de Son by France Gall
Sorry ... Sorry if my French was bad.
Ohh lovely Isobel, you have nothing to apologize for. Unlike France Gall, you can sing this song.
The Lucksmiths - There Is a Light That Never Goes Out by The Smiths
Everyone will sooner or later come to a time in life when one discovers The Smiths. The Smiths have not been and will never become the most important band in my life. In the same way I stopped listen to The Cure, I have also left The Smiths behind me.
The Lucksmiths cover reminds me though about what I saw in The Smiths. No other band can describe a miserable night out better. And this version brings a new meaning to the lyrics. I have always wondered if they were about a very good friend or love.
Honorable mention for their good effect on a dance floor:
Blondie - Hanging on the Telephone by The Nerves
Supergrass - Some Girls Are Bigger than Others by The Smiths
Eva Cassidy - Over the Rainbow
Introducing this list with anyone else than Eva Cassidy would be like forgetting Dennis Bergkamp while you are talking about great football players. First, you buy the compilation Songbird. Then you play the tenth track Over the Rainbow. 3:19 into the song is heartbreaking. I could fill this entire list with Eva Cassidy, and not a single song would be a filler. After you have dried your tears you may as well continue with Fields of Gold (by Sting) and cry some more. Then Kathy's Song (by Simon and Garfunkel). Eva Cassidy is for us who believe that music can be larger than The Embassy and their laptops that froze just in time for the encore at their so called "concert".
The Maybellines - This and That by Acid House Kings
Say Yes If You Love Me is fantastic, but any band can make one hit. It is therefore ironic that a cover song made me understand the greatness of Acid House Kings. After further listening, I realised I had discovered two good bands at once.
Sambassadeur - La Chanson de Prévert by Serge Gainsbourg
The soundtrack of spring 2005 is still played with pleasure, with "skip track" on the remote within reach. Sambassadeur made half a record to love forever.
Pet Shop Boys - Always on My Mind
If I made you feel second best, I'm so sorry, I was blind
You were always on my mind
You were always on my mind
Tell me, tell me that your sweet love hasn't died
Give me one more chance to keep you satisfied
Satisfied
I do not know the whole story behind Always on My Mind, but I know it was recorded by Elvis and that he never did justice to the song. When I think of Pet Shop Boys I think of two songs, It's a Sin and Always on My Mind. The DJs at the discotheques should play Pet Shop Boys more often.
Saint Etienne - Kiss and Make Up by The Field Mice
Some people have made up their mind in advance and already decided to hate. There is no point in trying to reason with people who call Saint Etienne "worthless, braindead euro which only worked because the girl was hot". It is their loss. Saint Etienne is the only British band from the mid-nineties I still listen to a lot today and that is hardly a coincidence. Kiss and Make Up is a brilliant cover of the sleepy original by The Field Mice.
The Arrogants - Shellshock by New Order
It is unusal that good covers do not sound more or less just like the original. Shellshock in this version sounds so much The Arrogants that not even the most hardcore New Order fans would recognize it. That is good for me as I adore The Arrogants while I rate New Order as a good band only.
Kathryn Williams - Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen
You don't really care for music, do you?
Laura Watling - Sunday Came and Went by The Castaway Stones
Laura Watling is perhaps the new Amelia Fletcher of the 2000s. This comparison may sound stupid to most people, but to me it is ingenious here and now.
The Shermans - Plastic Bouquet by Tara Emely Needham
I really need to find the original. The Shermans' version sounds like music to grow up to in a nursery. That is of course a compliment.
Belle and Bebastian - Poupée de Cire, Poupée de Son by France Gall
Sorry ... Sorry if my French was bad.
Ohh lovely Isobel, you have nothing to apologize for. Unlike France Gall, you can sing this song.
The Lucksmiths - There Is a Light That Never Goes Out by The Smiths
Everyone will sooner or later come to a time in life when one discovers The Smiths. The Smiths have not been and will never become the most important band in my life. In the same way I stopped listen to The Cure, I have also left The Smiths behind me.
The Lucksmiths cover reminds me though about what I saw in The Smiths. No other band can describe a miserable night out better. And this version brings a new meaning to the lyrics. I have always wondered if they were about a very good friend or love.
Honorable mention for their good effect on a dance floor:
Blondie - Hanging on the Telephone by The Nerves
Supergrass - Some Girls Are Bigger than Others by The Smiths
Saturday, September 2, 2006
Sambassadeur - Lund September 1
The tambourines are shaking but I don't hear the song
It's my favorite song but I don't like the crowd
I came to Blekingska, hoping to hear Marie and If Rain. The audience was, for once, quiet during the songs and it made me happy. Still, I managed to ruin yesterday's concert myself.
Sambassadeur played at Blekingska an October night two years ago. I was there, and I really hated the crowd for showing the band such poor respect. Neither sooner nor later has a concert become so destroyed by annoying, talking people who primarily were out to get drunk as hell. I can understand the need to drink booze, but it is so unnecessary to spoil the pleasure for other people.
Yesterday, most things were as usual at Blekingska. I met a lot of acquaintances, but I did not go out to experience There Is a Light That Never Goes Out. I was there for Marie and hopefully this fall's best concert. I had high expectations. I was welcomed by Red Sleeping Beauty's wonderful song Stupid Boy. The club was full of people but it was no problem to get a place at the front row. Apparently, people only care about that when the band is called Tough Alliance or Le Sport.
I got confused when I looked at the scene. I counted to a female singer and four men. I had always thought that there were only four band members in Sambassadeur. Evidently, the drum machine was replaced by a man who seemed to have a good time behind his drum kit. If Rain started the show and I should had loved it. It was the autumn's first concert and one of my favourite songs, but I still felt that I missed something. I started to get nervous about the concert, but all doubts disappeared when the crowd became silent for a moment and always waiting for something more to come opened the evening's second song. New Moon is always pleasant to hear and it was so sweet yesterday when Anna sang like i believe in you du-du du-du-du. Claudine from the latest EP Coastal Affairs completed a fantastic start of the show.
The right conditions were there, but I did an incredibly stupid mistake. The band had put out a setlist on the floor. It is of course a common thing to do, but setlists never use to be visible to the audience. I could not help but peek at the setlist. After that, it did not feel as great as it should when Anna said that they would play French pop, but in English.
Marie has been more than a song for me this summer. The lines you know we were scientists, every conversation was a test have been a support every time I doubted myself. In the recent summer, it suddenly struck me one day ay work, when I was reading the acknowledgement of an article, what Sambassadeur meant with do you have the time for me, do you still believe in Pierre and Marie. The couple Curie would had been honored. Played at Blekingska as the sixth song, Marie was not as great live as on the EP. It is probably impossible to recreate the same magic. Marie was anyhow the best song of the night and that is still a good enough mark.
Between the Lines was received very well by the audience. Ice and Snow is also a favourite song of mine, but Sambassadeur could had performed it better. Then a rather weak ending followed, but it did not ruin the show. It could had been a wonderful evening, but I do not know why it just became "nice". I did not actually recognize Anna's appearance, but she was of course the same singer of the very same band which I fell in love with a spring day two years ago. Now Sambassadeur go into the studio and it is only a matter of time before I fall again.
Seven out of Ten
Setlist
If Rain
New Moon
Claudine
In the Calm
Dead Leaves
Marie
Between the Lines
Ice and Snow
Whatever Season
Kate
One Last Remark
It's my favorite song but I don't like the crowd
I came to Blekingska, hoping to hear Marie and If Rain. The audience was, for once, quiet during the songs and it made me happy. Still, I managed to ruin yesterday's concert myself.
Sambassadeur played at Blekingska an October night two years ago. I was there, and I really hated the crowd for showing the band such poor respect. Neither sooner nor later has a concert become so destroyed by annoying, talking people who primarily were out to get drunk as hell. I can understand the need to drink booze, but it is so unnecessary to spoil the pleasure for other people.
Yesterday, most things were as usual at Blekingska. I met a lot of acquaintances, but I did not go out to experience There Is a Light That Never Goes Out. I was there for Marie and hopefully this fall's best concert. I had high expectations. I was welcomed by Red Sleeping Beauty's wonderful song Stupid Boy. The club was full of people but it was no problem to get a place at the front row. Apparently, people only care about that when the band is called Tough Alliance or Le Sport.
I got confused when I looked at the scene. I counted to a female singer and four men. I had always thought that there were only four band members in Sambassadeur. Evidently, the drum machine was replaced by a man who seemed to have a good time behind his drum kit. If Rain started the show and I should had loved it. It was the autumn's first concert and one of my favourite songs, but I still felt that I missed something. I started to get nervous about the concert, but all doubts disappeared when the crowd became silent for a moment and always waiting for something more to come opened the evening's second song. New Moon is always pleasant to hear and it was so sweet yesterday when Anna sang like i believe in you du-du du-du-du. Claudine from the latest EP Coastal Affairs completed a fantastic start of the show.
The right conditions were there, but I did an incredibly stupid mistake. The band had put out a setlist on the floor. It is of course a common thing to do, but setlists never use to be visible to the audience. I could not help but peek at the setlist. After that, it did not feel as great as it should when Anna said that they would play French pop, but in English.
Marie has been more than a song for me this summer. The lines you know we were scientists, every conversation was a test have been a support every time I doubted myself. In the recent summer, it suddenly struck me one day ay work, when I was reading the acknowledgement of an article, what Sambassadeur meant with do you have the time for me, do you still believe in Pierre and Marie. The couple Curie would had been honored. Played at Blekingska as the sixth song, Marie was not as great live as on the EP. It is probably impossible to recreate the same magic. Marie was anyhow the best song of the night and that is still a good enough mark.
Between the Lines was received very well by the audience. Ice and Snow is also a favourite song of mine, but Sambassadeur could had performed it better. Then a rather weak ending followed, but it did not ruin the show. It could had been a wonderful evening, but I do not know why it just became "nice". I did not actually recognize Anna's appearance, but she was of course the same singer of the very same band which I fell in love with a spring day two years ago. Now Sambassadeur go into the studio and it is only a matter of time before I fall again.
Seven out of Ten
Setlist
If Rain
New Moon
Claudine
In the Calm
Dead Leaves
Marie
Between the Lines
Ice and Snow
Whatever Season
Kate
One Last Remark
Wednesday, August 16, 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)
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