From the shelf #2

Perfect friday entertainment! I got to write a note about that one of my favorite sit-coms have a new DVD out. That's right. Vince and Howard's third season of The Mighty Boosh (wikipedia article). I discovered this last year and I'm so in love with it. The first season was promising, the second is absolutely fantastic. The third doesn't beat the second series, but it still is pure magic, The Crimp can be their best episode ever, where Vince finds his style copied by another man (it also features a hilarious cameo by Gary Numan). The Mighty Boosh have found it's way to my personal top5 sit-coms of all time (together with Father Ted, Fawlty Towers, King of The Hill and Arrested Development).





The next book I'm going to read is definitely this, Gender On Ice by Lisa Bloom, a must-have for all of us pole-eccentrics. This is a book about Culture Politics based on the ideologies and climate about "gender, nationhood, the politics of imperialism, race, male homosocial behavious and the sociality" at the big polar expeditions (early 20th century) - questions that of course are big subjects of discussions today as well.

C-J Larsgården (article + interview)

CJ and me met for the first time back in 1998 when we studied together. He did an interview with me some years later for his fanzine Salvador where he told that he hated my music back then.

Now we have a band together, A Perfect Friend. We formed it early 2006 and have released one selftitled album (STILLL, 2007) the EP Graduation Day (self released, 2008) and we've almost finished our second forthcoming album Timber and Modern Ways which is going to be released later this year.

He runs and/or is part of a number of projects, currently he's most active as the moniker Ondo, with music best placed in the drone/doom-genre with elements of electronica and indie. The British label Paradigms is just about to release the excellent debut album Mahavishnu. But that's not all, as Ondo he also recently released the split-3" with Austrasian Goat (Burning Emptiness, 2007), The Mini album Alliansen (200mg records, 2008), a split cd with The Machinist (self released, 2008) and soon a new 3" Shields (Tuguska, 2008). More info about his songs, and excerpts from his still unreleased second Ondo album, This is the new era, are available at his myspace profile. CJs other solo project Pacta can be found here.


Thomas: First, could you briefly describe your recent and current projects (solo and collaborations).

CJ: I have a lot of projects and collaborations going on. My solo project Pacta can be described as some kind of electro acoustic music mixed with “post rock” and folk influences. Pacta is my pet project and I have a lot of material recorded. Time will tell if it will be released in some form. My other solo project is called Ondo. It is about distortion and drones. A Perfect Friend is an ongoing collaboration with a Swedish artist called Thomas Jonsson (a.k.a. Dödsboet, maybe you have heard of him?). I have collaborated with German audio maestro Frank Rowenta. I also play guitar in a yet to be named band who play more “traditional” rock….


T: About the end of February you have released 4 single releases this year with your doom/drone-project ONDO plus one with APF. With this pace you will have out 30 cds at the end of the year. What are your creative plans for the nearest future?

C: Yeah, February has been a quite hectic month for Ondo. But, I must say it wasn’t planned. The debut album has been rescheduled a few times and now it finally will be available. I think Paradigms Recordings who will release it has put out some great artists (like Gnaw their Tongues, Jarboe and Angelic Process) so I’m very excited about working with them.

After all the upcoming Ondo releases I don’t have any planned releases. Me and Frank Rowenta will try to release the recordings we did during 2006. We have material for a fullength album but have not found a label yet. I’m very pleased with our recordings and I really hope we can make them public in some form soon.

I have started a micro label called Tuguska Label who will release 3” CDs in limited editions. The first release is Ondo now in February and I have some future releases planned in mind. I don’t have any clear musical profile set for the label but I guess it most likely will set focus on any sort of “experimental” music. Next release will be a 3” with Frank Rowenta.

And, of course, A Perfect Friend has recorded its second album. I hope itwill be released during 2008.


T: I've understanded that you were somewhat of a "mute" artist earlier, very hard or impossible to lure to the microphone. Now, you're a credited vocalist on all 3 APF-cds (The album, the EP and the forthcoming second album) we've made and you're also often doing your voice heard on the ONDO-cds. What happened and what is to expect next?

C: My vocal contribution in APF is very, very limited so I don’t really think it counts. I think I will continue to do some vocals on the Ondo stuff but it will never be structured lyrics or something like that. In Ondo I use my vocals as an instrument.


T: In A Perfect Friend, you're producer, engineer, sampler, beat programmer, musician, vocalist, back projection maker and responsible for our graphic profile. What's my part of it?

C: I think we equally contribute as musicians and producers in APF. And I don’t think I am a vocalist in APF (that’s your job). In APF you are a producer, musician, vocalist, lyricist etc. I guess you work more with promotion than I do which is a good thing since you are “godo” and I am “ondo”…






Ondo - Mahavishnu (2008)




Ondo - Alliansen (2008)




Ondo - Shields (2008)




Machinist / Ondo - s/t (2008)




Ondo / Austrasian Goat - s/t (2007)




A Perfect Friend - s/t (2007)




A Perfect Friend - Graduation Day (demos and outtakes) (2008)

From the shelf #1

Just finished reading Boel Westin's (link in Swedish) excellent and comprehensive biography about Tove Jansson's life and work; Ord, bild, liv. Don't know if this ever will get an English translation. Made me want to dive deeper into Jansson's catalog for sure. Since earlier, I see her novel Sommarboken (Summer book) (1972) as one of the best ever.




I'm currently reading a slightly strange book; Birds as individuals (1952) by Len Howard. It's a book about the author's relationship with the bird colony in her garden. She studies them as individuals and points out each and every one's personality and temperament. She also has vague theories that the birds might be communicating telepathically A very interesting subject. Apparently, she followed this piece with Living with birds, four years later.




I'm still not finished listening to one of last year's absolute best albums; Diskjokke's Staying In (2007). Slick and a little twisted Norwegian techno.

The best friend I've never met

A couple of years ago, I got in touch with Austin-based musician Matt Long aka The Narwhal Invasion over the web. Matt is one of a small group of artistic people (together with Bally and Hollis Brown Thornton) I've come in touch with who are more or less obsessed with the Arctic landscape and wildlife. I'm currently working on an acoustic album about the arctic and polar expeditions and Matt has become such a huge inspiration for me. I followed him put together his debut masterpiece If We Were Constellations, released last year by Ethedrone Muzak (US) and Corps-Mort Records (CAN) which contains elements of drone, folk, indie and experimental stuff. One of my top10 favorite releases last year for sure. He also runs the more traditional folk projekt matthew long is: the pale-skinned son of the earth which also is fabulous. A few days ago I spoke with the man himself.


INTERVIEW: MATTHEW LONG




Thomas: Matt, we've been in touch for years, isn't it time that we do something together soon?

Matt: yes sir. i certainly think we should. i have been a poor collaborator in the past but my perception has recently been shifting. i think that a tree standing alone is beautiful but it is also beautiful to find a tree growing into another tree. we should collaborate. i like trees.


T: I know you're active in both The Narwhal Invasion and your folk projekt The pale-skinned son of the earth. I love them both. What's your closest plans for the two projects? Anything else that you're working on?

M: I have so many: for "the narwhal invasion" i would first like to finish "flyways". i have been recording this album for over a year now. all of the work i had done was stolen with my computer last august. i am going to re-record the album this summer and hopefully get it out soon. when that is finished i'd like to do a chapter by chapter musical translation of the book "bury my heart at wounded knee." i also would like to record and perform live a minimalist/experimental/ folk-rock rendition of mozart's requiem. i think the requiem will turn into a twenty year project. along the way i intend to continue the musical documentation of my process as a human being.

my folk project "matthew long: is the pale-skinned son of the earth" is mostly my avenue to just write and perform some good ol' tunes. i have started playing some shows here in texas and plan on recording the debut for this project this weekend.


T: What are you listening to at the moment and what do you count as major influences to your music?

M: well, some of my favorite unknowns are the last dinosaur, vertigo choir, prince edward island, mariee sioux, blood music, sequins and skeletons, as well as your two projects a perfect friend and deer theatre.

i can't very well list all of my influences but this last week i have appreciated the music of tom waits, radiohead, joanna newsom, daniel johnston, woodie guthrie, clara rockmore, and beirut.

i suppose you can hear the influence of all of these in my creations. i really like to interpret things like the earth, water, wind, migration, and seasons. my ultimate ambition is to create something from nothing, like time and space. i don't really now how to do this yet but i just might before i pass. i'm working on it.



The Narwhal Invasion : If We Were Constellations (2007)


T: We both had cd covers made by Hollis Brown Thornton, which one of ours do you think is the coolest?

M: hollis brown thornton is ingenious, that's all.


T: If I ever make it to the SXSW in Austin again, could I hang out at your place then?

M: no, we should pitch a tent and make a fire.

Hollis Brown Thornton

About a year ago, I got in touch with South Carolina's finest, the artist Hollis Brown Thornton who eventually made the cover art for my latest album "The Lake Acts Like An Ocean". I discovered him through the cd artwork he'd made for the splendid debut of The Narwhal Invasion; If we were constellations and Goldmund's (Keith Keniff, Helios) Corduroy Road. He has tons and tons of amazing stuff over at his website and also on his myspace and flickr. I just love what he does. Of course the art itself, but also his mix of techniques. Apparently he's very busy at the moment for the upcoming solo exhibition The Earth on the Back of the Giant Turtle in June @ Linda Warren Gallery, Chicago, IL. Before that he also contributes to Opening Reception, The Inventory, group show, if ART Gallery, Columbia, SC now in February.




The Narwhal Invasion If We Were Constellations (2007)



Thomas Denver Jonsson The Lake Acts Like An Ocean (2007)

"Punkkulan" by Lisa Bodland

Swedish publisher Seriefrämjandet has put out the small comic book "Punkkulan" by my dear friend Lisa Bodland. This is a part of their series "Lantis" and is about a pony escaping from the stable to become involved in the punk rock scene. Very recommended indeed (all in Swedish though). Lisa is also such a great musician and we have made two shows together; @ The Good Ship, London (May 2007) and Café Mono, Oslo (January 2008).

Dear Euphoria Hits Europe

Elina Johansson (who contributed vocals on the songs Possession and You Were The Holiday to my newest album The Lake Acts Like An Ocean) is doing her first tour in Europe in February with her project Dear Euphoria. Over 10 shows in Germany and Netherlands.

A much awaited album will be released later this year on Stereo Test Kit Records. In October last year, they also re-released Dear Euphoria's since long out of print debut album with a new sleeve and bonus tracks.

More info about this over at:
http://www.myspace.com/deareuphoria