Henric De La Cour - Grenade

Grenade takes some heavy heavy Depeche Mode inspiration and runs it through a shoegazing filter to stunning results. Simply a great single. The B-side, a punky goth'ed up cover of black metal legends Venom's Harmony Dies is also cool. This delivered on clear vinyl with a great cover? Me gusta.

But the best thing is the video. It's a real contender for video of the year and takes one part corpsepainted synth-king and mixes him with some of Sweden's best beach-volleyball players for an epic standoff in Portugal. The result is brilliant.

The School - Never Thought I'd See The Day

Finally The School released their comeback single. I'm a huge fan of their first album, Loveless Unbeliever, which offers shimmering indiepop that draws heavily on Northern Soul and 60s girlpop while still sounding fresh. Never Thought I'd See The Day sounds familiar to anyone who heard their first album, yet more assured. While none of the four tracks are a match for the best Loveless Unbeliever tracks the EP offers 4 slices of cute, retro indie pop that is guaranteed to leave a smile on your face.

EP highlight Where Does Your Heart Belong also got a nice b&w video! 

Hi blog!

It's amazing how the end of a five year long relationship and serious illness in the family can zap away the inspiration to blog.

Anyhow. I should try to get back into the record-blog saddle again. Here are a list with 12 of my favourite songs from last year to tide people over. Links only where I could find songs in decent quality...

M83 - Midnight City
After School - Shampoo
Les Demoniaques - Teenage Lust
Invasionen - Martyrskap
Brown Eyed Girls - Sixth Sense
The Devil's Blood - The Thousandfold Epicentre
Nicola Roberts - Cinderella's Eyes
iamamiwhoami - ; John
Mariachi El Bronx - Poverty's King
Girls' Generation - The Great Escape
Amanda Mair - Doubt
Lykke Li - Sadness Is A Blessing

And my six favourite 2011 albums

PJ Harvey - Let England Shake
The Devil's Blood - The Thousandfold Epicentre
Invasionen - Saker Som Jag Sagt Till Natten
Nicola Roberts - Cinderella's Eyes
Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes
Girls' Generation - Girls' Generation (the Japanese album)

Ahead of the Lana Del Rey curve...

My apologies if what I'm about to say sounds a tad hipsterish, but when it comes to Lana Del Rey I was way head of the internet. Already back in December last year I posted about her, and the magnificent Diet Mnt Dew, hoping she would resurface. It has been slightly surreal to see her blow up over the summer and become something of a phenomena. And slightly depressing as many comments seems more focused on her suspiciously large lips, her video aesthetic and her first release under her real name, Lizzy Grant, than the songs themselves. My stance is that I don't care if Lana is someone Lizzy invented because she wanted to, or if Lana Del Rey was invented with the help of managers and she's a "product" (Really? We're still going on about authenticity? It's 2011. Get over it). What I care about is that Blue Jeans sounds like a David Lynchian take on Chris Issak's Wicked Game. Video Games is an amalgam of pop culture in 2011 set to some stunning orchestration.

When Lana's first release was announced to be a 7" picture disc I instantly pre-ordered and today it reached me. Nearly a year and a half after falling for her voice, I finally had something tangible in my hands.

 

The most anticipated album of this year?

Last Friday a lovely little note laid in my mailbox. My package from Amazon had finally arrived! For some strange reason the package was not delivered to either the small convenience store 10 minutes away or any place in the nearby larger city. Instead they chose to deliver it to a small town half an hour away that I never pass in my ordinary life. Post logic for the win?

Anyhow, inside was one of my most anticipated album of 2011 in its glorious special edition box! This is the back of the box. And the front?

 It is folk-queen Laura Marling's A Creature I Don't Know, her third album.

Here next to the special edition of her first album. I realize I lack the special edition of her second... E-bay, here we come!

The box opened. My anticipation for this album was high before I heard any songs, but once the bait-and-switch of Sophia was released it sky-rocketed. The first three minutes, fragile melodies of glass searching their way towards the sky, wouldn't be out-of-place on her previous album. And then the band kicks up a bluesy groove, transforming what was an ethereal song into rollicking country-rock.

The picture disc vinyl is a mirror anamorphosis with the guitar slide doubling as a viewer! Also included is the album, a bonus DVD, a poem and a digital download code. As for the album itself, it seems to be the rare beast that only gets better the further along it plays. The beginning with jazzy tones is a little weak but the last half, starting with Led Zeppelin III-esque The Beast effortlessly showcases every facet of Laura's brilliance.

Personally, I blame Dachau for this.

I got a friend who has raved about Low every now and then. Upon finding this album on sale at the local record store I quickly asked him and asked if this would be a good starting point to the band. The reply I got was "Not really...", but by then my mind was already made up. Drums and Guns it was! 

The album strikes a very percussive, minimalistic tone that matches the cover. Experimentation with glitchy beats and guitar feedback. Some of the songs even remind me of Einstürzende Neubauten in their slower moments. Which is a good thing. I'm enjoying Drum and Guns quite a bit, it's a very singular album but they work hard on exploring as many aspects of that one sound as possible. 

Favourite tune is the last track, a beautiful hymn of distortion called Violent Past. 

Post for the leftovers.

Here's some records I've picked up over these last months and never gotten around to make proper posts for. Shame on me!

Quite easily the best Swedish pop album (alongside Lykke Li) of the year, this far.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Belong

In which TPoBPaH indulge their inner Siamese Dream fandom. Good indie.

Remember Just Dance? Before Bad Romance, before Pokerface, before all the crazy interviews, outfits, stage shows? Seems like so long ago now, doesn't it?

Some cheap 7"' picked up second hand. XTC, Kate Bush and a weird Japanese band that sounds a tad like Beach Boys!

Perhaps the best looking album cover of 2011, thus far? Good too, Raveonettes embrace their inner goth mixed with the usual 50/60s rock and Jesus & Mary Chain influences.

My shrine of worship.

This is the latest addition to my wall. A shrine for my k-pop amazingness.

Flawless, if I may say so myself.

Och nu blir det tutti frutti! (NSFW if your workplace doesn't approve of black&white boobs)

Feedback, sex and flexidisc. Les Demoniaques are Dum Dum Girls' leader Dee Dee Penny and Tamaryn who've come together to make feedback-filled music. If anyone is actually surprised by that artistic direction, raise your hand so we can have a laugh at your expense. Their first release is a cover of Jesus & The Mary Chain's classic Teenage Lust. Stripped down, drum-less but dark, pensive, sexy and potent. Really good.


Les Demoniaques- Teenage Lust by truepanther

The release itself is limited to a 1000 copies and comes on a one-sided post-card flexi disc. Yes, the vinyl groove is cut on plastic covered cardboard and it sounds like it with constant additional white noise in the background. But there's a download code to the MP3 included and really, this release is all about novelty and coolness value. I doubt I'll play this one very frequently. On the other hand the MP3 has seen substantial play this last week.

She grew so lonely in the end, the angels picked her for their friend

Fact 1. 60s girlbands has some of the best pop ever recorded.
Fact 2. The Shangri-Las could make the most camp subject sound like a matter of life and death.
Fact 3. Out On The Streets is better than most of The Beatles work.

So buying this nicely packaged double CD wasn't a choice. It was something I had to do in order to complete my life. I'm now one step closer to nirvana. 

 

(better than A Day In The Life)

Modesty. Blaise.

Lately I've had the worst of luck with my local record store. I keep going there to buy Veronica Maggio's latest album on vinyl. It is constantly sold out. Finally I caved in and got something different. Something very different. Swinging 60s different. 

Kitch, no? If it's good enough for Gorillaz to sample, it's good enough for me.

Don't be stupid, be a smarty...

C'mon join the Nazi party! 

This is hands down the funniest vinyl I own. To Be Or Not To Be (The Hitler Rap), a novelty rap-tune by the great Mel Brooks, released in the early 80s. Mel Brooks owe his career to the Nazi-spoofing The Producers so it only made sense that he'd return to the subject someday. And what a return!

From the back-up vocalists breathlessly singing "Sieg Heil" in the intro, the incredibly cheesy disco-rap sounds, the fact that the lyrics actually are a pretty decent rundown of Hitlers rise to power and the entire WW2 to the simple fact that this is Mel Brooks. Rapping. In character. As Hitler.
Madness.

Here's a taste of the lyrics for you!
"Like humpty dumpty offa that wall all the little countries they began to fall
Holland Belgium Denmark Poland -- the troops were rockin' and the tanks were rollin'
We were swingin' along with a song in our hearts.
And "Deutschland uber alles" was making the charts"

The video is "classic" as well. Female dancers straight out of Cabaret and leather-clad male dancers straight out of the nearest gay club. All with Third Reich regalia. And Mel Brooks breakdancing. It will blow your mind. And possible scar you for the rest of your life, but that is the sacrifice we have to make.

This was actually a sizeable hit. #12 in both the US and UK, #3 in Australia and a #2 in Sweden! Insanity. But a good reason to debut my "from the vault" tag. For those posts when I feel like digging up something old from my collection.

Hey hey, my my, 80s retro will never die

No retro like good 80s retro! And Stephen Falken is good 80s retro. Imagine if John Carpenter had made the soundtrack to an 80s action/comedy movie. Analogue sounds, no annoying singer trying to send a message. Just perfect analogue synthness. Unfortunately the cover looks more like something out of William Gibson's cybernetic dreams, rather than the Miami Vice nu-disco it is.

 

Unfortunately The Shadow of the Wind, his best song, isn't on youtube, but Visions is also splendid.

This is the kind of stuff I could listen to forever.

Evil. Sparkly evil.

Oh Nick Cave. Your sense of humour is one of the more appealing things with you. But you also got a keen sense of design. Take a look at this Record Store Day exclusive 12" of Evil, from the latest Grinderman album. The cover looks soo good. Matte black and then reflective big red EVIL. Nothing else on the front, just some tiny label-info on the back. The vinyl kept in another matte black cover sleeve.

The vinyl itself? Red. But not just red. SPARKLY red. Is this Nick Cave taking a subtle dig at Twilight? Very possible. Photos can't capture the full sparkliness of it, but trust me when I say it sparkles like Bowie in the morning sun.

And the the final touch is the catalogue number. 12MUTE666. Because what other number could it be? None, I tell you. None. And a bonus CD with all the tracks is included as well. Good consumer service, goood consumer service.

The video is cool too. Very very simple. There is a vampire squid (yes, that is a real species) and a yellow bird. That is all needed for Evil.

Long forgotten blog of mine!

Jag hade en gång en blog, men det var för länge sen, så länge sen...

After a long period of silence, I'm back with some posting material! Starting with this lovely artwork to Dum Dum Girl's latest, great, EP. I love this design, simple but artful. The tunes are good too, showing a more fuller sound compared to the first album, and ending it all with a There Is A Light That Never Goes Out Cover that actually is superb! They breathe new life into one of the most overplayed covers simply by doing it straight-up, without losing the energy and atmosphere of the original. And remember, everything sounds better with a touch of distortion.

Spoils of war?

No, I won't talk about the latest, superb, PJ Harvey album here. Instead I want to show off some yummy treats found in Singapore. Yes, this will be very pop-heavy. Here's what I came home with after a recent visit.

From the top left we have 4Minute's first album Diamond with a bonus DVD. Containing the poppiest song ever about losing ones virginity. (Yes. K-pop is weird. I thought I'd made that clear before.)
The original Sugababes first and only album, on glorious vinyl. Unfortunately somewhat abused in the travel but still worth having.
Below 4Minute is BoA's Hurricane Venus and to the right of Sugababes is GD&TOP's selftitled debut.
And in the bottom row there's a Japanese Girls' Generation single, the oversized Secret single, Kara's Jumping in Japanese and finally a break from all of that K-pop with the Tommy February6 compilation. Tommy February6 is Tomoko Kawase, front-woman for the Japanese band The Brilliant Green as well as two different solo-projects. There is the free spirited, Halloween-inspired emoish rock of Tommy Heavenly6 and the subtly decadent electropop of Tommy February6. I already own the CD+DVD compilation from Heavenly6 but now the collection is complete!

Nasha - Narsha!

Narsha's debut EP is a prime example of k-pop packaging going above and beyond the norm. Narsha is a member of Brown Eyed Girls, one of the biggest girlbands not associated to the three main Korean talent agencies (think "major labels"). She went solo last summer with a 7 track EP which came in an extravagant 7" sized package.

The bottom third is actually a slip-over that can be taken off in order to access the disc and booklet. Once opened up and the disc removed, this is what meets the eye. One golden booklet for lyrics/credits and one additional booklet for the photographic concepts.

Narsha plays around with gothic and religious themes in her artwork. One spread has her dressed up as a stylish nun, another as an enchantress who literally has feathers for hair (with smoke coming out her eyes), one as an innocent sultry redhead. The album-cover goes for an Alice In Wonderland vibe. She is a tempting witch or a white clad madonna. And one is just a feral birdlike creature. I wish I had a scanner so I could properly share more of the artwork, it really captures a gothic feel and sense of mystery, bewitchment and magic.

The feathers are a theme that goes through the entire design, in the video to lead track Bbi-Ri Bop-A Narsha even sprouts wings. Versions of other characters from the booklet also show up. Bbi-Ri Bop-A is my favourite k-pop single of last year, it's such a simple track but filled with atmosphere and small tweaks to keep it interesting. And of course the hook that sounds like someone casting a spell on you. It's an uplifting tale that lets us know that all our memories, all our sorrows can be erased. We just need to give Narsha our soul first... a cheap price to pay, if you ask me. If there wasn't a goth r'n'b-pop subgenre before, there is now!

Banana Erectors - s/t

Hey, remember when this was supposed to be a blog about my record purchases and artwork? Well, we're back on schedule with a post about Banana Erectors. If the cover didn't give it away, Banana Erectors worship on the altar of Ramones. They're a female fronted Japanese punkrock band that released their only album in 1999.

In the booklet every member gets a page to introduce themselves. Among other details we find out their stage names, real names, gender, real jobs, hobbies (except for ROCK'N'ROLL), favourite colours and of course favourite band (except for RAMONES). Guess which member worked at a factory and who was an optician! I also dig the yellow CD-case, lets take the Banana metaphor to its fullest!

They do a few covers and some originals. The best original tune is "Fed up with high school days", which is far from a masterpiece but still a fun enough diversion.

Top 21 albums of 2010!

Why 21? The answer will become clear at the end of this list.

1: Basia Bulat - Heart Of My Own
In 2010 no album had a stronger opening track than Go On. No song was more beautiful than The Shore, or more enchanting than Heart Of My Own. No melody soared like Gold Rush's and nothing broke my heart quite like Once More, For The Dollhouse. Simply put, Basia's strong but quivering vocals, her autoharp and violins, the feel of Canadian wilderness and old folk music knocked me over and despite being released last winter, nothing else have come close to taking its spot on this list.

2: The School - Loveless Unbeliever
Splendid joyful indiepop/ 60s girlband revival. Like the best Pipettes songs, but without the kitsch packaging.

3: Masshysteri - Masshysteri
Too punk to be indie, too indie to be punk. Absolutely superb powerpoppunk with deadly melodies and lyrics. Might also have the best cover-art of the year.

4: Laura Marling - I Speak Because I Can
Laura continues being the worlds oldest 20 year old. And ups the folk side of her singer/songwriter.

5: Ghost - Opus Eponymous
Equal parts 70s metal and occult doom atmospheres baptised in unholy pop. Huge melodies.

6: Marina & The Diamonds - Family Jewels
Not a robot, a woman filled with opinions and thoughts that she eagerly shares. Even the rare moment when she falls on her face becomes interesting.

7: kent - En Plats I Solen
kent steps out, sees the sun and goes lighter, brighter, more personal again.

8: Säkert! - Facit
A step down from the debut, but no one writes Swedish lyrics like Säkert!

9: My Chemical Romance - Danger Days
Sparkles like Bowie in the morning sun.

10: Hurts - Happiness
Epic synthpop of epic epicness.

11: Robyn - Body Talk
Song for song Pt. 2 is the best, but the compilation collects most of the highlights.

12: Tove Styrke - Tove Styrke
Like Robyn's poppier little sister.

13: Håkan Hellström - 2 Steg Till Paradise
A tad too 70s laidback but some of the sharpest lyrics Håkan's written.

14: Johnossi - Mavericks
Drum&guitar duo that out-U2's (in a good way!) most full bands.

15: Steget - Förändrar Allting
Naive and simple but very honest, Steget is like reading someone diary.

16: Familjen - Mänskligheten
Scania 4-ever.

17: Ga-In - Step 2/4
Tango-pop with more than a hint of heat.

18: Anna von Hauswolff - Singing From The Grave
Finds the connection between quiet piano and later-day Neubautenish noise.

19: Scissor Sisters - Night Work
Uneven, but the good parts soars.

20: Zombiekrig - Undantagstillstånd
Thrash metal in Swedish, melodic without being weak.

21: 2NE1 - To Anyone
2NE1 should rule the world. Fact.

Day 6: The wonders of Mishindie

Many years ago I got to know an Australian named Misha. We connected over love for music, old movies and quirky stuff. Since then we've been in contact, sometimes a little bit, sometimes a lot, but we really reconnected during the spring this year. And part of that was sending tonnes of music back and forth. Misha, being an indie queen, sent me all sorts of indiepop and I sent her more electronic things. And while it is a tad unnerving how much better than me she knows Swedish indiepopbands, I've found myself loving a lot of her recommendations.



My favourite Mishindie comes in three distinct flavours. There is the updated 60s girlpop, there's the fuzzy shoegaze/noisepop and then there's the 80s flavoured variety. My Favourite (who obviously formed pre-Google) goes for all out 80s love. New Order and The Smiths meet under the burning mushroom cloud of Hiroshima. Insanely strong song, amazing lyrics and there are at least 4-5 other My Favourite tunes of this calibre.



The School (whose Loveless Unbeliever will rank very high on my Best Albums of ´10 list) go for updated 60s girlband. And do is splendidly. I Want You Back might have my favourite chorus of the year.



So logically the third song would come from the noisepop. The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart aren't that noisy though, despite loads of layers, feedback they're more like a John Huges movie than anything else. Dreamy recollections of teenage joy and life.



The Blanche Hudson Weekend is both proper noisepop *and* 60s girlband revival! One of the better mutations of the "Be My Baby" beat and the simple line "I could have been your baby, but now I want you dead" would make this a perfect soundtrack to some 60s exploitation flick. Preferably in black and white.



Speaking of movies, Linda Linda Linda is the kind of film that makes me believe in life, music, happiness and Ramones-inspired punkpop! It might, in fact, be my favourite music movie. Some of that comes how deftly it avoids the cliches but also from the 4 actresses actually playing the songs themselves, and doing a pretty decent job of it. Like this Ramonesy popsong.



And finally Wild Nothing's dreamy dreamy "Live In Dreams". For some reason I keep thinking of a kent song every time I hear this. Odd, as kent could never be this light and breezy. So that'd be my six favorite Mishindie songs. Even though Trailer Trash Tracys deserve an honorary mention.