Back from the dead

The blog has been recessitated and will be coming back to life in a matter of days.

Shout Out Louds - The Comeback (Big Slippa Remix by Ratatat)

Hump Moonbabies Day? Wait...

While avoiding my mountains of homework and perusing emusic.com, I found out that they have an advance release of whole Moonbabies' At the Ballroom album! Unfortunately I've used up my downloads for the month and need to wait two days until they refresh themselves to buy it myself, but the 30-sec snippets sound great. Apparently it’s also up on itunes also, so definitely check it out!

Moonbabies - At the Ballroom [Buy on emusic] [Buy on itunes]

And just because I love you, here's an amazing mash-up of both the original The Knife version and Jose Gonzalez cover of "Heartbeats" mixed with some relaxing ocean sounds. Hopefully it wil help release some of your stresses from work or school.

The Knife - Heartbeats (Remix feat. Jose Gonzalez)

Happy hump day!

(Seventy) Six degrees

The weather is beautiful, spring has sprung, and I've been enjoying lots of new music outside. Since the artists and songs seem to span the gamut of genres and styles, I thought I would tie them together with six steps of the "Kevin Bacon game" (from Jay-Z to Ratatat to Shout Out Louds to Peter Bjorn and John to Laakso to Moonbabies).


Brooklyn-based duo Ratatat is coming out with a new remixes album in the near future, and everything I've heard from it has already made its way onto my party playlist. Definitely pick it up; it features great newer songs along with rap classics like Notorious B.I.G.'s "Party and Bullshit." However, of what I've heard so far, the standout song for me has to be "Glock Nines", featuring Beanie Sigel and Hova himself.

Beanie Sigel & Jay-Z - Glock Nines (Ratatat Remix)

Last year, Ratatat remixed "The Comeback" by Swedish band, Shout Out Louds, who have now released a video for the first single, "Tonight I Have to Leave It" off their own new album Our Ill Wills that was released last week in Sweden, in Denmark - 21 May, in Switzerland/Germany/Austria - 25 May, Australia/New Zealand - 7 July, and finally in the US/Canada - September 11.

Shout Out Louds - Tonight I Have to Leave It (video) [Buy]

The album is actually being produced by Björn Yttling of indie superstars Peter Bjorn and John, who headlined a British tour last year with Swedish-based, Finnish-named Laakso. Their recently released album Mother Am I Good Looking? is already one of the best of 2007, mixing twee, synths and rock elements with darker, more ironic lyrics. One gem off the album shares its title with an Abba classic.

Laakso - Dancing Queen [Buy]

Finally, the last song I've had on repeat this past week has is from Laakso's Scandinavian V2 label-mates and fellow Swedes, Moonbabies, also coming out with a new album, Moonbabies at the Ballroom released in the US/Canada on May 29. After first hearing the band's song "War on Sound" featured in a Grey's Anatomy episode, I immediately downloaded their album War on Sound, and have been a fan since. "Take me to the Ballroom" off their upcoming release is the ultimate chill, yet up-tempo song to listen to outside while relaxing with friends on a beautiful spring day with the sun shining onto your shoulders and a cool beverage in hand.

Moonbabies - Take me to the Ballroom [Buy]

Now to try to get some work done despite the weather...

Flapjacks are made of love

Sorry it's been so long since my last post, I've been swamped with work. Apparently, in college senior spring is not the cakewalk most people make it out to be.

Before going to study abroad in Copenhagen over a year ago, I decided to try and find some Danish music beyond the three Danish bands I knew of, notably Aqua - of "Barbie Girl" fame, Junior Senior - whose song "Move Your Feet" off of the album D-D-Don't Stop the Beat became a Dance Dance Revolution staple, and The Raveonettes - featured on the first O.C. Christmukkah episode. I ended up stumbling upon the song "(Angry kids of the world) unite" by Aarhus-based Tiger Tunes and was instantly smitten, only to find out that the band was unfortunately on permanent hiatus.



Tiger Tunes plays a sort of lo-fi electronic indie rock, however you want to classify it, with some amazing song titles and lyrics. Their music sounds like a more electronic cousin of the band Of Montreal, combining a range of emotions and experiences in their uptempo songs.

The amazingly-titled song "Kirsten is a F*ck Machine" retells an experience with a manipulative, vindictive now ex-girlfriend. In "Pancake America", the narrator trips on mescalin, journeys across the ocean, gets insomnia and does more drugs, and finally tries to booty-call his ex, realizing he needs her "for some comfort and sex" and offers to reconcile and "make [her] some flapjacks." Mind you, American pancakes are wholly distinct from Danish pancakes, which are much closer to crepes, making the American version more of a special treat for Danes (however, I am especially partial to Danish 'pankager med chokolade' from a cart off Strøget, Copenhagen's main walking street).

Tiger Tunes - (Angry kids of the world) unite
Tiger Tunes - Pancake America

Also, check out the band's new project Beta Satan.

When there's nothing left to burn... do you trust your friends?

The Canadian band, Stars, is releasing a cover/remix album titled Do You Trust Your Friends, coming out on May 22. The artist line-up looks stellar; featuring groups such Montag, Apostle of Hustle, Junior Boys, Metric and The Stills. It's already become one of my most-anticipated new albums after listening to it earlier this week.

"A collection of re-mixes, re-interpretations and re-imaginings of Set Yourself on Fire. Would you let your friends redecorate your apartment, or do your homework for you? Would you let them buy your clothes or groceries? Would you leave them in charge of your kids? And if you did, what would they change? Does one of them secretly think you wear too much blue, or eat too much yogurt? If you let them rearrange your house, would they just slap a new coat of paint on the wall, or would they gut the whole damn place and start again? If you made a pop record, and then gave it to them to make again, what would they do to it?" - Dead Child Star, Vancouver, February 2007

The Final Fantasy version of "Your Ex-Lover is Dead" is especially ethereal and hauntingly beautiful. On the original the drums, guitar, French horn and trombone coupled with the piano and strings leave the song with a greater orchestral notion of defiance and resurrection. In contrast, the Final Fantasy version is stripped down to the vocals layered with a build-up of the original's piano and stings, giving it a feeling of penetrating tragedy and lasting sorrow. It's a testament to the depth of the lyrical and musical composition and the talent of the artists this such change in orchestration transforms it from being a song about deriving growth and strength from a failed relationship to a eulogy on despair, both conveying very moving, yet different, visions in the same words.



Final Fantasy - Your Ex-Lover is Dead (Stars Cover)

Preview the more of the album on the Stars' myspace and make sure to by the album in May!

Kan du lugte det?

Welcome to the inaugural posting on my new (mostly) music-related website, "Kan du lugte det?" ("Can you smell it?" in Danish).

You might be thinking, inaugural post, doesn't that imply the first posting on the website? Then whats going on? Well, I have decided to begin by journeying back in time to the end of January to re-live with you all several amazing concerts I had the privilege to attend.

Assuming (hoping!) I find a job in the near future, I'm looking to head to Scandinavia this summer with a friend of mine to check out one of their huge music festivals, most likely the Roskilde Festival (taking place in a midieval city outside Copenhagen) or the new Hove Festival (taking place on an island in the south of Norway). They're about a week apart and both boasting sick lineups, so it will probably come down to timing and cost. Roskilde is infamous among Danes and Hove looks really promising (can't beat a beach!), so hopefully I'll be able to attend one of them and recount the leadup, the festival experience and post-festival impressions here. If anyone has any ideas/thoughts/recommendations, I'd love to hear them!

I'm planning on updating the blog at least once a week (but likely more often) with my latest musical passions, assuming schoolwork doesn't get too much in the way. If you're interested, I've included on the right links to several music blogs I frequent and an updating last.fm list of the artists I've listened to most in the past week. I'll leave you with a cartoon.

Cheers!

Mew with Oh No, Oh My! @ The Double Door

Great concert at the Double Door in Chicago.



Will write more later, but for now here's a review of the concert in Danish and a review of their New York show in English.

Of Montreal with Mixel Pixel & Grand Buffet @ Irving Plaza

Was finally able to see one of my favorite bands in concert and they did not dissapoint.



Will write more later, for now, here's a review or two (with great live audio!).

Under Byen with El Perro del Mar & Frida Hyvönen @ Boston MFA

Was lucky enough to have front row seats for one of the coolest, but definately the most strange/unique/trippy, shows I've ever been to. The friend who accompanied me to the show ended up describing Under Byen (pronounced Ooo-naah Boo-in, Danish for "under the city") as an "emotional Danish jam band" for lack of better descriptors, but I don't think he is that far off. They've been labeled "post-rock" band and the band describes itself as a rock group using anything but guitar (including two drum kits and, to my delight, a saw!). I've also heard them often called a louder Sigur Ros or Bjork, which you can probably attribute to their use of Danish, rather than English, in their songs, which read like poems.

Tindrer	Sparkles
Vi tindrer, vi raser	We sparkle, we rage
Vi gløder vi	We glow... we
Falder ikke til ro	Do not calm down
Slår os ikke ned	Do not strike us down
Vi er gale	We are crazy
Og fine	And fine
Skøre som glas	Fragile as a glass
Som parfurmeret papir	As a perfumed paper
Vist	Aparently
Vi mister	We lose
Hinanden	Eachother
Og kan ikke klare det	And cannot handle it
Og kommer aldrig over det	And never get over it
Fortabes	Forfeited
Begraves	Buried
I fremmede byer	In foriegn towns
Men husk vi er stadig i live	But remeber we are still alive
Vist	Apparently
Er vi det	Are we it

But it is band's live performance that really seperates Under Byen from their Nordic contemporaries. The projections seemed almost like a Marimekko kalidoscope on acid, every loud note of percussion would bring a flash of the strobe and while the band members weren't playing, they were either absolutely still or silently rocking out in their own little world. However you characterize the band, the combination of the moving projected visuals and stobe light timed perfectly to the music and the theatrics surrounding the whole performance made for a very cool and special experience.

These videos from other Under Byen concerts can give you a small sense of the multi-dimensional performance.

"Samme Stof Som Stof"

"Pilot"

Unfortunately, I arrived too late to see El Perro del Mar, but did make it in time to see fellow Swede, Frida Hyvönen. She was decent, but not as good as her in-studio albums, however her stage presence was rather uncomfortable. Blogger Data Jockey at sickoffood.com has a good reveiw of both and nails Hyvönen spot-on.

If you can imagine Rita from Arrested Development playing the piano, well - I checked out the mens room and the merch table during her set. For real - “This is a song about poodles” which was actually about crickets and split ends.

The moral of the story is, stick with the CD for Frida Hyvönen, but if you have a change to see Under Byen play live, definately take advantage. They will blow you away.

Peter Bjorn & John with Born Ruffians and White Rabbits @ The Mercury Lounge

Great concert combining two bands I've been wanting to see for a while. PB&J and Born Ruffians put on an awesome show. Even Drew Barrymore was there (later seen wearing a PB&J shirt on SNL).



It wasn't until the week of the show that I realized one of the most-frequently played songs on my itunes, "This Sentence Will Ruin/Save Your Life," was actually a Born Ruffians song, so needless-to-say, I was very excited to see the band perform live. They played the obligatory "This sentence" and a few other songs off their first EP, but also a great cover of Grizzly Bear's "Knife" and some more of their own gems that are not yet released. It's crazy to think how talented this guys are, given they're barely old enough to drink. It should be interesting to watch the progression of the band in the future and I can't wait for their next album to come out.



Check out Born Ruffians playing "Kurt Vonnegut" and "Knife" live on KEXP and go to iTunes to buy their album.

Born Ruffians - Kurt Vonnegut (Live @ KEXP)
Born Ruffians - Knife (Live @ KEXP)

Also, here's Brooklyn Vegan's review of PB&J.