(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!