vänbloggen

VF: Lana Del Rey - Born to Die

2012-02-12T07:35:00.000-08:00

Något otippat fast mycket glädjande resulterade min "one-offrecension" på Songs for The Sleepwalkers i en fast plats bland Värmlands Folkblads skivrecensenter. Den här publicerades den 10:e februari.

Lana Del Rey - Born to Die

NYRETRO

Öppnings-, tillika titelspåret från Lana Del Reys andra fullängdare Born to Die är en fullständigt glimrande historia som på många sätt härmar framgångsreceptet från Emmylou Harris skiva Wrecking Ball. Nashvillekryddade stråkar samsas med programmerade beats och samplingar, dessutom innehåller låten den bäst motiverade sågen sedan Mercury Revs formidabla Deserter’s Songs. Mitt i allt sveper Del Reys mörkt kyliga röst fram, som i tonläge, fraseringar och melodier andas tidlöst av såväl Nancy som Frank Sinatra.

Men därtill måste också nämnas att allt verkligen inte är lika bra. Born to Die balanserar nämligen oupphörligen på slak lina över smaklöshetens neonblå lagun. Redan andra spåret Off to The Races totalhavererar, som så ofta är fallet när väna popartister försöker leva ut sina hiphopkomplex. Samtidigt är det just de bisarra genremötena som lyfter skivan till dess höjdpunkter. När allt stämmer, när det uppblåst plastiga möter det 60-talsestetiskt utbroderade samtidigt som texten lyckas undgå de värsta klyschorna blir det stundtals riktigt bra. T ex det bästa spåret Radio som har en hook som jag tror såväl The Knife som Enya gärna hade velat kalla sin. Jag kan inte låta bli att tänka på Del Rey som skräpkulturens Feist, en kittlande tanke som gör att jag gillar skivan ännu mer.

Recension i Värmlands Folkblad: Songs For The Sleepwalkers

2012-01-15T10:28:00.000-08:00

En recension av Songs for The Sleepwalkers debut "Our rehearsed spontaneous reactions" som jag fick publicerad i Värmlands Folkblad den 13/1

SONGS FOR THE SLEEPWALKERS

OUR REHEARSED SPONTANEOUS REACTIONS

(PAPER WINGS RECORDS)

Jag minns Christian Kjellvander säga i en intervju i DN för några år sedan att han trots försök aldrig hittat ett enda bra band från Italien.

Jag hoppas verkligen någon tipsar honom om Songs For The Sleepwalkers, som dessutom är klädsamt nära hans egen genre. Andrea Caccese, nu boende i Västerås, har nämligen fyllt sitt föredömligt korta debutalbum med delikat alternativfolk.

Det är inte helt olikt Bon Iver, men ännu närmare akter som Benoit Pioulard, Radical Face eller isländska Seabear. Cacceses mörkt släpiga röst backas upp av såväl cello och gitarr som electronicainslag, allra bäst sammansatt på albumets starkaste låt We Are Still Here.

Thomas Jonsson

My Favorite Album: Mercury Rev's Deserter's Songs

2012-01-09T11:50:00.000-08:00

Christmas Speed

When you’re young and into music, you’ll eventually discover albums that will spin your preferences into a whole new direction. That’s something that never really happens when you’ve become a more mature music lover. Last time I fully experienced it was 13 years ago when I was 19. During early winter of 1998, while I was going by car with my best friend through the small Swedish industry town where I was living was when I heard Mercury Rev’s third album Deserter’s Songs for the first time. Though I’ve considered music as my biggest passion, both before and after that moment, Mercury Rev did, after some intervention, turn most of my previous favorite music into rubbish. When thinking today about favorite albums I could easily mention a few solid contenders, like Transfiguration of Vincent, Bryter Layter, I See a Darkness, Come on Die Young or Sleigh Bell's Treats from 2010. They would all fit in, but are without exceptions results of a natural progress of me following a certain musical path. Neither of them have ever made me try to turn the Atlantic liner that your accustomed music taste is. Not like Deserter’s Songs. Rather sadly actually, I’m thrilled by the idea of ditching the thousand or so albums I’ve bought over the years and begin on a blank page as a fan of speed metal or Eurovision Song Contest.

I might not do that though, because when I hear the strings of the very first seconds of Deserter’s Songs, it affects me so profoundly with memories the same way a certain scent or taste can. Like how a really good meringue can bring me all the way and time back to my grandmother’s kitchen. Likewise, Deserter’s Songs’ huge and organic arrangements brings back much of the feeling of approaching Christmas when being 19, a few years from being really exciting like when you’re a kid, but close enough in mind to give you a comforting, yet melancholic chill.

On a musical angle, you have to remember that 13 years ago, albums did rarely sound this way. If not for else, just in sheer fear of being classified as symphonic rock. Even if the band started with doing some really neo-progressive stuff, I hear no or little echo of Pink Floyd in this album. The production is quite freaked out at times (hell, it takes only two minutes before a musical saw enters), but the song structures and the performance is closer to references like The Band with a Tim Burton filter. The single Opus 40 from the album features a BBC session as bonus tracks where material by among other Neil Young and Bob Dylan is covered. When you hear how well the Rev’s tone suits the songs, it makes the folk roots even more obvious than the fact that Levon Helm and Garth Hudson from The Band actually appear on the album.

Though both Deserter’s predecessor See You on The Other Side and its follow up All is Dream have their big moments, it’s obvious that all the stars were in the right positions when the Rev’s grand opus was made. Their last decade has been a disappointment to say the least, they just seem to lack songs nowadays. On Deserter’s Songs on the other hand, they had material with such quality I think they had unlimited options how to arrange them.

I don’t know how many times I’ve listened to the brief piano intro of Goddess on a Highway and getting chills down my spine knowing that the sturdy beat and the hook of a perfect pop song were about to come. A familiar situation throughout the whole record, anticipated and unique small bridges and solos enter and take place without outshining the songs fundaments. The same goes for the way the individual tracks, despite each one carrying its own universe, together form such a well compiled overall feeling. It’s consistently pierced with highly dynamic instrumentation, as much rooted in pop as in jazz and classical music, ready to shatter what’s been built up, always close to drift off in a long and odd solo, always connected to the songs’ core. Other highlights, just to mention a few, are the psychedelic and deeply melancholic song The Funny Bird, the ethereal opening track Holes with the singer Jonathan Donahue chanting about holes “dug by little moles”. Not to mention Adam Snyder’s organ solo in The Hudson Line together with the woodwinds of whom the title refers to, Garth Hudson.

I hope people still take time to discover this album, because it’s an open minded, yet highly accessible piece of art. It would’ve sounded as intriguing, unique and good if it were released today, side by side with Fleet Foxes and My Morning Jacket instead of its contemporaries back in ‘98 like Lauryn Hill or Pearl Jam.

Deserter’s Songs’ echoes of December’s spirit are not only a result of the hook from the song Endlessly, shamelessly yet brilliantly stolen from Silent Night. It’s about the whole package, the choirs, strings and Donahue’s flawless, high pitched and hugely affecting voice. With the speed of last Christmas and its predecessors in fresh mind, Deserter’s Songs blends in perfectly.

Essärecension: Like Me av Chely Wright

2011-12-17T01:22:00.000-08:00

Homofobi i Nashville

KD Lang kom ut som homosexuell redan 1993. När Chely Wright sjutton år senare valde att göra detsamma i och med sin självbiografi Like Me (2010) är hon inte som självutsagt den första countryartisten att göra det men är ändå en i en försvinnande liten skara. I boken beskriver hon hur identitetssökandet under uppväxten och som vuxen till slut satte fingret på ett djupt problem som Amerika i allmänhet och countryindustrin i synnerhet har med acceptansen av homosexuella.

En av min första tankar när jag läst en bit in i boken är att det är obegripligt att ett land som USA som så tydligt värnar om demokratiska och jämställda värderingar har sådana problem att erkänna olika sexuella minoriteter. Detta är ett land där toppolitiker kan uttrycka offentligt att HBTQ-personer är syndare och där det oftare talas om tolerans mot dem snarare än acceptans. Ett exempel är militärens till nyligen rådande Don’t Act Don’t Tell-policy där homosexuella avskedades ifall deras sexuella läggning avslöjades. En andra tanke var är att vi åtminstone har kommit längre i Sverige men jag får bita mig i tungan en aning. På samma sätt som USAs syn på sig själv som världens största demokrati ibland ekar ihåligt tenderar Sverige stundtals luta sig tungt mot frasen "världens mest jämställda land". Men homofobi är något som är utbrett överallt, inte minst i Sverige. När Anton Hysén tidigare i år kom ut som öppet homosexuell fotbollsspelare var han liksom Wright också en av de första att göra det i en miljö med stark homofobisk jargong.

Nyutgåvan av Like Me innehåller en utförlig intervju med Chely Wright om tiden efter bokens släpp där hon berättar att många arrangörer nu vänt henne ryggen, något som sägs orsakas både av ängslighet och av ren motvilja. Samtidigt snuddar slutet av boken och just intervjun fjäderlätt vid ett annat faktum, nämligen att Wright på grund av svikande försäljning redan 2003 blev av med sitt stora skivkontrakt på MCA Nashville och fortsatte karriären på småbolag. I New York Times recension av Like Me beskrivs Wright av skribenten Jon Caramanica som ”A minor country star” tydligt på fel sida av sitt bäst före-datum. Problem med bokningarna skulle därmed också kunna vara ett resultat av att hon helt enkelt tappat mycket av sin popularitet. Samtidigt, som också Caramanica nämner, kan man inte bortse från Wrights gedigna inblick i den kultur där hon liksom många av hennes gamla fans finns. En kristen konservativ miljö som hon så starkt både är en del av och avviker från.

Även om Like Me inte alltid är helt välskriven och ibland är ganska upprepande så är den också något så ovanligt som en artistbiografi där det musikaliska ofta är medvetet underordnat. Den musikaliska karriären blir istället ett slags tidslinje som håller samman historien om hennes identitetskamp. Trots vissa svagheter bränner boken ändå till tillräckligt ofta för att den ska hålla näsan ovanför vattnet hela vägen. Den stora smärtpunkten är Wrights beskrivning av den egna familjesituationens komplexitet, där den varma familjeidyllen beskrivs lika påfallande ärligt som mammans kallsinne och pappans alkoholism. Föräldrarnas kraftiga pennalism mot den ena dotterns övervikt nämns nästan i förbifarten men det gör det hela mer skrämmande än om Wright valt att vältra sig i detaljer.

Det är också just på familjenivån som grundtemat blir som mest nära och smärtande. Ett mycket gripande avsnitt av boken beskriver hur Wright berättar om sin homosexualitet för sina föräldrar och sina syskon och möter vitt skiljda reaktioner. Det finns något hoppfullt i hur hennes far på allvar inser sin egen del i dotterns skam på sättet som han talat nedsättande om homosexuella. Därefter hur han på ett ögonblick förstår både det djupt plågsamma och även det absurda i situationen. Det kanske är lika sentimentalt som en sämre countryballad men det värmer mig överraskande mycket när den nyktre alkoholisten Stan L Wright bedyrar att han inte älskar sin dotter trots att hon är lesbisk utan på grund av.

- Thomas Jonsson

2011-12-09T04:41:00.000-08:00

Uppgift för kursen i musikkritik som jag läser, en essä på 3000 tecken om kritikens betydelse.

Musikbranschen beskrivs ofta som om den ligger i dödsryckningar. Det är nog sant att tiden för de stora skivbolagens extravaganser i mångt och mycket är över, men jag tror inte man behöver dra så svartmålande slutsatser för det. Jag känner nämligen att situationen för själva musiken aldrig har varit mer välmående. Billigare inspelningsteknik och enklare exponeringskanaler har medfört, förutom att vi blivit översvämmade av allsköns bråte, att fler band kan spela in, turnera och faktiskt tjäna pengar än vad som var fallet för bara några decennier sedan. Detta är en viktig orsak till att det under de senaste femton åren, enligt mig, har producerats de bästa albumen någonsin. Det ges visserligen ut mycket dålig musik och mer musik än vad det finns efterfrågan för, men det borde också innebära ett stort behov av såväl analys som sovring. Kort sagt, musikkritikerna borde uppleva sina glansdagar nu.

Förhoppningsvis inser kritikerna denna makt att kunna lyfta fram musik oavsett var den producerats eller hur den ges ut. Eftersom alla nya album bara ligger ett knapptryck från digital världsdistribution kan ett band från Västerås eller Senegal lika gärna vara relevanta för en publik som en ny dagslända från Warner. Självklart hittar även storbolagen bra musik, men det är samtidigt märkligt när tidningar som Aftonbladet ofta ägnar sitt lilla utrymme åt att blåsa upp tre ljumna recensioner av storbolagsreleaser samtidigt som mindre släpp - ofta inhemska och mer uppskattade - förpassas till nätupplagorna. Om kritikens roll drar mot att bara bli en avspegling av vilka skivor som haft störst marknadsföringsbudget, om det utbud som exponeras blir för likriktat, vad finns det då för anledning att överhuvudtaget ha kritiker - i plural?

Recensioner är en viktig kugge i marknadsföringsmaskineriet för lanseringen av album och artister. Rätt sorts recension kommer alltid att överträffa köpt annonsplats (och förmodligen också citeras i annonserna). Däremot så tror jag det är viktigt att man skriver med läsarna i fokus, och inte försöker bli ett bollplank för musikerna. Utmaningen måste ligga i att på runt 650 tecken kunna vara underhållande, motivera någon att upptäcka något nytt och skriva på ett sätt så att ens åsikt blir som ett subtilt skohorn för musikörat. Som inte skriver lyssnaren på näsan utan ger henne en egen relation till musiken.

Jag har rötterna i Värmland, där musiksfären är så isolerad och snäv att musiker, lyssnare, recensenter och skivbolag ofta sitter på många eller alla nämnda stolar samtidigt. Det är ett extremförhållande där, men jag märker att fenomenet existerar överallt. Människor med samma intressen kommer alltid att börja umgås. Sen kommer de som spelar i samma band med de som driver ett skivbolag att skriva recensioner på varandras musik innan de delar en öl på krogen. Att det är svårt förhålla sig objektiv till varandras roller i det läget är uppenbart, men det är en grundläggande och nödvändig strävan.

Top albums of 2011 revised

2011-12-07T01:58:00.000-08:00

1. Earth - Angels of Darkness, demons of light

2. Mogwai - Hardcore will never die, but you will

3. Bon Iver - Bon Iver

4. My Morning Jacket - Circuital

5. Eleanor Friedberger - Last Summer

6. Bill Callahan - Rough Travel for a Rare Thing

7. James Blake - James Blake

8. Loney Dear - Hall Music

9. The head and the heart - S/t

10. The Deer Tracks - The Archer Trilogy Pt.2

11. Jonathan Johansson - Klagomuren

12. Jessica Lea Mayfield - Tell me

13. Tennis - Cape Dory

14. Ondo/Nekrasov - (Split LP)

Blaze of Steel

2011-12-05T09:55:00.000-08:00

Vem kan slå Blaze Foley?

Vid en bröllopsmottagning på en bakgård någonstans i Austin står en man med vildvuxet skägg och spelar på en liten scen. Han ser betydligt äldre ut än sina 35 år, huvudet gungar lätt och hans blick riktas omväxlande mellan gitarrhalsen och mikrofonen, sällan ut mot publiken. Året är 1985 och även om mannen egentligen heter Michael David Fuller är det som Blaze Foley han är känd, må så vara mycket lite känd. Mitt i gästernas sorl sjunger han sin låt If I Could Only Fly och inte ens den i slutet vilt wailande kvinnan i publiken löser upp klumpen i halsen som jag känner. Det är helt enkelt så öronbedövande vackert när han värker fram ord efter ord. Kanske spelar även vetskapen in att han bara några år senare blir skjuten till döds av en bekants far som misstar honom för att vara en inbrottstjuv.

Hemmavideoinspelningen av Blazes framförande på sina vänners bröllop finns med på den nya dokumentärfilmen om honom, Duct Tape Messiah, som hade USA-premiär i år. Titeln syftar på att han för att retas med de modemedvetna countryfansens guldtåförsedda boots satte en bit gaffa på tippen av sina egna. Han lär även ha tillverkat en hel kostym åt sig gjord av just silvertejp.

Liknande märkliga detaljer om andra artister kom att bli viktiga för mig när jag fördjupade mitt eget musikintresse efter tonåren. Inte så att det egentligen varit ett självändamål i sig men jag har alltid varit extra tilltalad av de lite mer udda fåglarna. När jag som bäst grävde efter undangömda guldkorn från den amerikanska rockscenen började jag lägga märke till att Foley nämndes i diverse forum på nätet. Det tog ytterligare ganska lång tid innan jag började lyssna på honom, men jag insåg snabbt därefter att Blaze kanske är så obskyr som en artist kan bli. Han får Gram Parsons att kännas som Lill-Babs. Sällan har en artist varit lika dömd till att falla i glömska - när han dog fanns inga album alls tillgängliga med honom. Beakta även det faktum att hans första albums mastertejp blev konfiskerad av myndigheterna när skivbolaget hamnade mitt i en drograzzia, den andra blev stulen, den tredje försvann och hittades först långt efter hans död och tejpen till ett fjärde och sista album som aldrig hann släppas rapporteras nu ha försvunnit i en översvämning.

Trots detta, sannolikt tack vare internets intåg, började hängivna lyssnare under 90-talet att intressera sig för hans musik igen. De få inspelningarna som fanns började spridas och Foleys avskalat bitterljuva musik, tassandes någonstans mellan country och folkmusik, är ett udda och hjärtevärmande exempel på en låtkatalog stark nog att överleva sin upphovsman med råge. Hans begynnande erkännande har också förstärks av andra framstående artisters hyllningar. Merle Haggard lät t ex If I Could Only Fly vara titelspåret på sitt album från 2000, John Prine spelade in en annan av Blazes låtar, Clay Pigeons, för sin grammyvinnande skiva Fair & Square från 2005 och Lucinda Williams egen låt Drunken Angel från hennes utmärkta Carwheels on a Gravel Road (1998) handlar om just Foley.

Troligtvis beror det nyväckta intresset också på vilken stad det var som Foley verkade i. Jag var själv på plats i Austin under SXSW Festival för snart sju år sedan och var det något som slog mig i denna dieseldoftande kulturella oas i hjärtat av Texas är det hur Austinborna slår vakt om sina kufar och knasbollar. Detta var 2005, året då den ockulta rockhjälten Roky Erickson gjorde storstilad comeback efter att äntligen fått bukt med sin schizofreni. På samma festival trängde en månghövdad publik ihop sig i lilla studentfiket Cactus Cafe och följde med stor värme en annan artist med psykotisk bakgrund, lofitrubaduren Daniel Johnston. På väggarna hängde posters från gamla spelningar som ägt rum där, inte minst med Blaze Foleys nära vän, den musikaliskt näraliggande Townes Van Zandt.

Blaze Foley, Townes Van Zandt och Rex Bell

Vid sin död var Blaze Foley nära 40 år, han hade spelat musik länge men hade ändå inte lyckats nå ut till en större publik, särskilt inte utanför Austin. Man kan därför inte direkt säga att han stod på tröskeln till berömmelse när han blev skjuten, men han gick ironiskt nog bort vid en tidpunkt nära större exponering. Han hade ett nytt album inspelat vars mastertejp ännu inte råkat ut för någon bisarr olycka och han skulle öppna för Townes Van Zandt på en turné i Storbritannien. Ett fatalt missförstånd i en väns vardagsrum satte alltså stopp för detta och medförde även att skivan aldrig släpptes. Därefter spolades mastertejpen, som bekant, bort av en översvämning.

Kevin Triplett, regissören till Duct Tape Messiah, svarar mig via mejl att han planerar svenska visningar av filmen i april 2012. Det är med stora förväntningar på att detta tillsammans med ett förmodat DVD-släpp kan skänka lite extra ljus på Foley på samma sätt som liknande dokumentärer gjort för ovan nämnda Townes Van Zandt (Be Here to Love Me), Roky Erickson (You're Gonna Miss Me) och Daniel Johnston (The Devil & Daniel Johnston). Tills dess, vem i hela världen är obskyrare än Blaze Foley?

DUCT TAPE MESSIAH - Trailer

CLAY PIGEONS

IF I COULD ONLY FLY - Bröllopsvideon

Soldat på permission - intervju med Helena Arlock

2011-11-28T02:14:00.000-08:00

Soldat på permission

Text: Thomas Jonsson

Foto: Petter Ericsson (ovan), Barbara Ködel (nedan)

Jag ringer Helena Arlock en vecka efter att hon spelat med sitt band Me and My Army tillsammans med Göteborgssymfonikerna, en konsert som också betydde en åtminstone tillfällig paus för den hyllade gruppen, frontad av Andreas Kleerup.

- Det var egentligen tänkt att vi skulle börja spela in ett nytt album redan nu, men vi kom fram till att vi ska göra lite andra saker ett tag istället, spela in soloalbum och så, säger Helena. Hon riktar nu istället tillbaka sin uppmärksamhet på det soloprojekt som hon höll på med innan Me and My Army ”kom i vägen”. Studioinspelningarna är redan i full gång av både ett engelskspråkigt album och en EP på svenska. Idén att skriva på svenska kom då hon tidigare i år skrev en låt för ett tänkt medverkande av Me and My Army i en stor reklamkampanj. I slutändan blev det dock ingen reklamfilm men det sådde ändå ett frö till ett fortsatt skrivande på modersmålet.

- På skånska, förtydligar hon.

Trots sitt ganska tystlåtna sätt beskriver Helena med precision sina tankar och mål med musiken. Många känner till henne i just Me and My Army, färre vet kanske om att hon även är väldigt produktiv på egen hand. Hon har redan släppt en EP och en singel i eget namn och gjort hundratals konserter runt om i Europa och Nordamerika. För fem år sedan chockstartade hon sitt soloprojekt då hon packade väskorna och gav sig av tillsammans med två andra musiker, en cello och diverse elektroniska instrument på en halvårslång egenbokad turné. Detta medförde att hennes första år som soloartist innehöll många fler spelningar än vad de flesta band åstadkommer under hela sin karriär. Då jag själv redan 2008 gjorde en e-postintervju med Helena tar jag tillfället i akt att få återkomma till en fråga som visat sig ha klarnat betydligt efter tre och ett halvt års extra betänketid.

- Då beskrev du din musik som "jazzig indie pop snedstreck något något. Är du fortfarande inne på det spåret?

- Jag har faktiskt kommit på det nu, replikerar hon en aning triumferande. Du kan ta bort jazzigt, jag vet inte riktigt var det kom ifrån, men för ett halvår sedan insåg jag att det är ju beat pop jag håller på med. Det är poppigt och bygger på beats och syntar. Det är så skönt att ha ett svar på just den frågan.

Jag får känslan av att det inte är första gången hon svarar på detta och jag fortsätter intervjun med ett annan föga originellt ämne som ändå känns relevant. Jag ber Helena berätta om musik som hon själv gillar och hon nämner då, vid sidan av nya upptäckter som Lekverk och Ratatat, ett långt musikaliskt förhållande med bandet Radiohead.

- Ända sedan 90-talet så har varje skiva de gjort gett mig ett bredare musikaliskt spektra att jobba vidare på. När nästa album sedan kommit så har det passat perfekt in för det som jag har kommit fram till och gett mig en ny skjuts framåt. Och så har det faktiskt fortsatt, skiva för skiva.

Helena beskriver ett sätt att skriva låtar som skiljer sig åt från andra musiker som hon känner. Hennes musik byggs nämligen inte upp i replokalen utan under tiden som hon spelar in. Det sättet att arbeta med musik kommer sig av att hon debuterade med att göra electronica, en genre som mer än någonsin formas av själva inspelningsprocessen. Något som också är starkt förknippat med Helenas musik är cellon och faktum är att hon är en av få musiker utanför den klassiska sfären som integrerar instrumentet så tydligt i sin musik.

- Den har blivit som en kroppsdel för mig, jag har spelat cello under längre tid än vad jag inte har gjort det. Jag kan inte se något negativt med den, förutom att den är så ömtålig när man är ute och reser. Jag har fått nog av hjärtattacker av flygplatser, så jag har köpt en el-cello nu.

Det bästa med att turnera, säger hon, är när hon träffar människor långt hemifrån som det ibland känns som om hon känt hela livet, folk som kanske har åkt flera timmar för att se en spelning.

- Och när musiken som man har suttit och rattat på hemma får följa med ut på turné blir den som en kompis. När man märker att den når ut till publiken får det en att ta sig själv på större allvar.

Hon poängterar återkommande vikten av att turnera för att nå framåt och i takt med att det har blivit enklare att spela in och ge ut låtar och att skivförsäljningen gått nedåt, så har det lett till att artister måste bli smartare eftersom konkurrensen är så hård. Hon menar att det till en viss del ligger på musikerna själva att anpassa sig till lyssnarnas nya vanor men om folk helt slutar att betala för konserter och skivor så kommer ny musik att bli sämre eftersom ingen längre kommer att ha råd och tid med det stora engagemang som krävs.

- Man har inte råd längre att ställa in en spelning, och är det något som jag har lärt mig är att man klarar av så mycket mer än vad man tror. Som att sova i en frostig minibuss eller att göra en konsert på kvällen även om man tidigare under dagen blivit så akut sjuk att man fått åka ambulans till sjukhuset. Jag läste en artikel nyligen där turnerande musiker beskrevs som den nya tidens elitidrottare. De har inte tid att supa och knarka längre, man måste träna istället för att det är så himla hårt att hålla på.

Helena Arlock - Pink Bubbles (live on Balcony TV Hamburg)

Me and My Army - The Only One

Winter's Tone

2011-11-09T05:25:00.000-08:00

Jonathan Johansson

Klagomuren (Hybris, 2011)

Första gången jag hörde Jonathan Johansson var för tre år sedan då han framträdde live för bloggen PSL. I videoklippet därifrån spelar han nylonsträngad gitarr uppbackad av bl a orgel, klarinett och xylofon. Vid en jämförelse med hans syntmättade debut En hand i himlen överraskar det mig fortfarande hur bra han är även i en akustisk sättning. Faktum är att jag också gärna vill spegla hans senaste album Klagomuren i just denna inspelning, eftersom det blir så tydligt hur hans låtar grundar sig mer i musikalisk känslighet än i strikt genretillhörighet.

Trots sina ofta repetitiva melodier och rytmer trampar Klagomuren aldrig vatten utan är hela tiden på väg att upptäcka något nytt. Inte sällan samsas en syntetisk ljudfond med gitarrer eller andra akustiska inslag som tillsammans med den svävande sången skapar en förvånansvärt organisk helhetskänsla. Hans inkännande och lätt svulstiga fraseringar berör oavbrutet och påminner inte så lite om en skånsk Mauro Scocco (vågar man hoppas på att omnämnandet av Seven Eleven i avslutande Min ljusaste röst är en blinkning åt just det hållet?). Johanssons språkliga talang imponerar också stort och till skillnad från många andra artister med lyriska ambitioner hittar sången en bättre plats i mixen här än vad som ofta är fallet. Orden ligger alltid tillgängliga för lyssnaren att ta del av men dominerar inte ljudbilden helt, textens tyngd blir snarare större med hjälp av musikens kraft. Den överhängande känslan av förlorade chanser och hopp om en snart infriad längtan blir som tydligast på Centrum, såväl Klagomurens bästa låt som Johanssons starkaste stund hittills. Det vill inte säga lite.

På ett liknande sätt som den inte helt obesläktade debuten av James Blake eller den betydligt mer avlägsna kusinen Deserter's Songs av Mercury Rev blandar Klagomuren en kylslagen upprymdhet med en suggestiv intimitet. Allt, absolut allt, talar för att skivan kommer att bli en betydande del av vad som kommer att ackompanjera min kommande vinter.

- Thomas Jonsson

Innan vi faller (akustisk version för PSL, 2008)

Centrum (från Klagomuren, 2011)

Pärlan i ostronet

2011-11-03T04:29:00.000-07:00

June Tabor & Oysterband

Ragged Kingdom (Topic/2011)

När brittiska folksångerskan June Tabor för första gången sedan 1990 ger ut en skiva kompad av Oysterband för upplägget tankarna till Johnny Cashs sista skivor. Traditionellt material samsas med folkmusiktolkningar av mer moderna låtar, i detta fall av t ex P J Harvey och Joy Division. Tabors senare soloskivor är av ett drömskt akustiskt snitt, tillsammans med Oysterband blir musiken stadigare uppstyrd men tyvärr upplever jag att energin snarare sänks ju mer bandet vrider upp volymen. Det blir aldrig tråkigt, men det känns påfallande ofta jämntjockt i jämförelse med briljansen och dynamiken som lösgörs i albumets mer avskalade låtar, t ex i den andäktiga "The Hills of Shiloh". Jag kan därför inte släppa tanken att det är en större vinst för Oysterband att samarbeta med Tabor än tvärtom.

- Thomas Jonsson

Roxy Revised

2011-10-30T12:54:00.001-07:00

This is another excerce for the music writings' course, which is to revise the imagined sleeve notes for Roxy Music's debut album I wrote a week ago.

Batterin' Glam

Wow, what just happened? While listening to the eponymous debut of Roxy Music, one thing that will strike you is the way it's prickled with unexpected turns and surprising elements. Still, if you think it's far out of left field now, then try to imagine how it would've been to listen to it when it was released in 1972. Given that you first had to cut off all the genre clashes and degrees of ‘musical awareness’ provided through the last four decades of music history. It's hard to pinpoint exactly what it is that makes this album remain that edgy and poignant. Instead of just shallowly 'hailing it as a masterpiece', perhaps it's time to get a bit more analytic. Evidently, it has a lot to do with the musicians' combined conviction but I will also dare to imply that the album's evergreen feel is much a result of its reluctance to ‘fit in‘. The difficulty to label it instead becomes what truly defines it. Roxy Music surely contains a lot of glam and progressive rock but it's way too progressive to be glam and too glam to be prog. It definitely adds a lot of rock'n'roll into it but is far from rock'n'roll as we know it. Truth is that even Bryan Ferry a few years after the release was quoted expressing the debut's production, signed by Peter Sinfeld, to be too far off. Luckily, nothing could be changed at that point, allowing this remarkable musical document to still prove how well it stands the test of time. And to be honest, the unorthodox angle of Roxy Music is not at all an issue of production matters, it dives deeply into the band's own arrangements, the song structures and the use of instruments and vocals.

Let us take it from the beginning, here we have an emerging band being active a few years, achieving some sprouting acknowledgement but being constantly rejected by the leading music biz. The journalist Peter Frame describes the situation strikingly in Crimson & Roxy (one of his famous Rock Family Trees) as “Ferry's demo tape was greeted with universal thumbs down ... but Melody Maker and John Peel were sufficiently interested to give them national exposure". So how insane it may sound now, Roxy Music were not currently having a record deal when they entered Command Studios in London to record their debut album in March 1972. Even when being helped by EG Management, their budget forced them to limit themselves to merely two weeks of studio time. This is far from the situation indie bands with convenient bedroom studios have got now, not to mention the unlimited studio excess the biggest names in the music business at the time could enjoy. Roxy Music had two weeks, no more.

And guess what? It turned out just lovely and maybe the limitations were just what kept the sextet on their toes, that kept their minds and creativity fresh and what made them aware of how crucially important the weeks of preparations prior to the recordings would be. The album starts off with placid murmur, actually a sound sample taped at their very first stage appearance, at the Friends of Tate Gallery Xmas Show in London, only three months before entering the studio. Subsequently, the chattering becomes interrupted by a brief piano intro, giving way for the band to show not only The Friends of Tate, but the whole world what they've got. Brass instruments, electric guitars and Ferry's characteristic vocals are fiercely running through the opening track Re-Make/Re-Model. The song reaches a climax before weird micro solos from all individual members, small snippets of other songs like Peter Gunn Theme and Day Tripper, end the song. The lingering aftershock transits into Brian Eno's eerie keyboard intro of Ladytron. His spacey drone notes eventually meet a bit more conventional song style here and all of a sudden the album's variety reaches all over you. From the laid back rock'n'roll of If There Is Something to the sophisticated brass section's bridge midway through 2HB. Then on the flipside, we hear Ferry trying out his vocal's vibrato limits to the maximum on The Bob (Medley) before the album eventually reaches a bit more normal grounds again on Would You Believe? At the very last part of Roxy Music, the slow orchestral ambience of Sea Breezes is turning into an experimental and noisy crescendo before all ends with the amusingly bizarre rendition of the 60's pastiche Bitters End. That song not the least proves that Roxy Music is an album taking you absolutely everywhere. When music journalist Sid Smith wrote an extensive article on the subject in Classic Rock Magazine, his list of acts who've influenced Roxy Music included, side by side with Bowie, King Crimson and Pink Floyd, the usually ever so unholy alliance of Velvet Underground and The Andrew Sisters.

Shortly after the master tape was finished, Roxy Music got signed to Island Records and the rest is history. Roxy Music reached a striking number #10 on the UK album charts and the single Virginia Plain went even further to a #4. The band and Bryan Ferry, as we know, made their way to world fame. Now, when 40 years have passed since their debut's release, its legacy remains obvious as a favourite album of listeners all over the world and it has served as a solid influence for countless emerging bands through the following decades to come. Not at least during the new-wave movement of the 80's and the late 90's bloom of neo-symphonic rock fronted by bands like Mercury Rev, Flaming Lips and their ilk. Musical history would scarcely have sounded the same if not six unsigned English musicians had decided to give their music a shot in the Command Studios in London in March 1972. Happy 40th birthday, Roxy Music!

Like a Keef in the night

2011-10-14T01:50:00.000-07:00

KEITH RICHARDS - LIFE

"This is my life. Believe it or not I haven't forgotten any of it”, står skrivet i rött på baksidan av Keith Richards årsgamla memoarer Life. Det finns anledning att häpna över att minnena fortfarande är intakta då detta lika mycket som en bok om musik är en skildring av ett narkotikamissbruk av närmast episka proportioner. Richards själv menar att hans musik kvarstår oinfluerad av drogerna han tog. Samtidigt är boken nästan som en manual för hur en musiker med missbruksproblem kan fortsätta vara produktiv.

The Observers Sean O' Hagan verkar följa denna tankebana och delar sonika upp sin recension av boken i en drog- och en musikdel. Om än kanske inte stående med vattentäta skott emellan, men som beskrivs var och en för sig. Dagens Nyheters kritiker Kerstin Gezelius ger å andra sidan inte narkotikadimman samma stora utrymme som O’ Hagan, samtidigt är den ständigt återkommande i korta omnämnanden texten igenom. Tankar väcks om det överhuvudtaget är möjligt att hävda att någonting i livet skulle kunna stå sig opåverkat av ett sånt tungt missbruk som Richards sänkte ner sig i.

Dock är både Gezelius och O' Hagan rörande överens om att det är den skildrade musiken som är bokens stora behållning. Hur Richards klarar av med briljans att beskriva ackordföljder och influenser, hans närmast erotiska förhållande till sina gitarrer eller hur låtskrivandet växte fram och frodades tillsammans med Mick Jagger i en ständigt friktionsfylld vänskap dem emellan.

Något som jag saknar i båda recensionerna är en diskussion om spökskrivarens (i detta fallet James Fox) roll. Hur mycket återspeglar boken Richards eget språk egentligen? Är autencitet överhuvudtaget viktigare än en bra historia i den här genren? Möjligen svårt att nå en absolut sanning men faktum kvarstår, Fox kvarstår oomnämnd såväl i texterna som i faktarutorna. Gezelius skriver i alla fall om en liknande "förvanskning", nämligen om den stagnerande skärpan i den svenska översättningen.

-Thomas Jonsson

A hairy tale of New York

2011-09-29T03:37:00.000-07:00

PATTI SMITH - JUST KIDS

(2010)

Inledningsvis formulerar en ung Patti Smith en rädsla, inte över att behöva utstå de prövningar som ett konstnärsliv kan medföra, utan för att inte ha själva kallet. Detta blir en programförklaring i den nyligen polarprisvinnande Smiths självbiografiska roman som handlar lika mycket om hennes liv med Robert Mapplethorpe som om den tålmodiga utblomningen av sitt eget konstnärskap. Just prövningar är ett kännbart återkommande tema genom boken, såväl under skildringen av de inledande svältande åren i New York som av det mångbottnade förhållandet till konstnären Mapplethorpe. Genom Smiths mycket observanta och närvarande språk befästs en skarp bild av staden under slutet av 60-talet till mitten av 70-talet, denna populärkulturens guldålder som skapat mycket av dagens New York-romantik. En av "Just Kids" stora behållningar är sättet som Smith framställer sig själv på, lika mycket som en betraktare som en del av stadens kulturella elit, till lika stora delar en beundrare som en utövare.

- Thomas Jonsson

Radioaktiv poppärla

2011-09-22T04:40:00.000-07:00

M. Ward - Transistor Radio (2005)

M. Ward brukar nämnas som en nyckelpersonerna i den alternativa amerikanska folkgenren jämsides med musiker som t ex Cat Power, Bonnie "Prince" Billy och Jason Molina. Efter att ha nått en betydande kultstatus på independentscenen med en rad kritikerrosade släpp toppade portlandmusikern Matt Ward sin patenterade ljudkollageproduktion med sitt fjärde soloalbum, den varma, akustiskt aviga skivan Transistor Radio. Som många vet övergick han därefter till mer bandarrangerade soloalbum, samt de mer eller mindre ofokuserade samarbetsutflykterna She&Him och Monsters of Folk (som otroligt nog ibland verkar få mer uppmärksamhet än hans egna album).

Har man följt indie/folk-musikern M. Wards katalog både före och efter Transistor Radio vet man att han alltid har fantastiska låtar i rockärmen och ständigt en extra dimension redo att delge lyssnarna. Frågan är dock om inte just Transistor Radio är albumet där han mest kommer till sin fulla rätt. Karln har fullkomligt proppat in idéer, melodier, referenser och ljudkollage på det här sexton spår långa mästerverket. Det är tydligt märkbart att hela skivan är en hyllning till de oberoende radiostationernas guldålder på 50- och 60-talet. Detta inte bara på grund av det Beach Boys-aktiga plingandet i "Fuel for Fire" eller den raffinerade melodiplankningen av The Beatles "Here Comes The Sun" i outrot av hans egna "Here Comes The Sun Again". Inte heller de många textmässiga referenserna till sjutumssinglar, radiokampanjer och wall of sound, utan framförallt i M Wards egna och unika släpigt värmande ton som ljuder genom både hans röst och gitarrspel, som tar med oss på ett svindlande ljudlandskap. Bland spåren märks den olidligt vackra balladen och livefavoriten "Lullaby + Exile", den Jerry Lee Lewis-stompiga "Big Boat" och den självreflekterande turnéobservationen "Paul's song" där namnet i titeln möjligen refererar till Paul Brainards (Richmond Fontaine) sockersöta pedal steel som väver in låten.

Transistor Radio var en tydlig vattendelare i M. Wards karriär. Efter att tidigare ha befunnit sig främst i den akustiska indiepopscenen, tog han med Transistor Radio ett tydligt steg mot en mer folklig och traditionell terräng. Det var en riktning som fortsatte med de nästföljande albumen. Även om M. Ward aldrig fastnat i något träskigt gubbigt så var det just Transistor Radio - där en stor del av hans vitala indie-nycker fortfarande fanns närvarande - som på ett imponerande sätt belyste hans fulla spännvidd. Från "One life away" som låter som hämtat från Alan Lomax inspelningar, till den akustiska poppärlan "Hi-Fi" och texmex-hasande innerliga "Fuel For Fire".

Vi som haft den stora äran att se mannen livs levande på scen vet att vi har att göra med en av popvärldens mest egensinniga och flinkaste gitarrister. På albumen låter han däremot bara det göras som tjänar låtarna bäst. Detta gäller även när han får fritt spelrum på skivans hela tre instrumentala låtar; den surf-twangiga "Regeneration #1" samt de två tolkningarna på klassisk gitarr som ramar in albumet.

M. Ward är inte bara en briljant musiker och låtskrivare, han är dessutom en mångsidig lyriker av rang. Personligen tycker jag han är som allra bäst och gripande när han har en räv bakom örat. Detta gäller såväl spexiga "Big Boat" (He says he's got a fast boat / talking 'bout light speed / get your oars back in the water, kid ...//... It's just a ferry boat / no faster than a gold fish" som den popnaiva "I'll be yr bird" (I'll sing statistics, & hide the truth, I'll tell your dad anything that you want me to, I'll hide your locket under the dirt, I'll be your bird.) Det gläder mig också att lägga märke till nickningar till stora alternativhjältar inom genren. Den alltför tidigt bortgångne Vic Chesnutt namndroppas kvickt i tidigare nämnda "I'll be your bird" och Daniel Johnston parafraseras med raden "Love will get you in the end" i skivans förmodligen allra bästa spår "Lullaby + Exile". En mening, som visserligen är lika unik i en popsång som reklamavbrott är i en tv4-produktion, men om man känner till Wards vurmande för Johnston med flera släppta covers på skiva så vet man nog att den syftar på Texas mest udda fågels största hit "True Love Will Find You in The End".

Transistor Radio är som Roy Orbisons och Phil Spectors mest aviga och krumbuktande popdröm och är ett album som så väl förtjänar att bli erkänt som ett av pophistoriens starkaste. Man kan bara ana att tiden som går kommer att tjäna det väl. Detta är nämligen ett album av yttersta toppklass, som möjligen med undantag för den lite väl endimensionella "Four Hours in Washington" lyckas hålla sig fläckfritt från dalar. Skivan visar inte bara på möjligheterna som kan göras i en akustisk genre som ofta håller på att halta, utan hur popidealen som sattes upp på 50- och 60-talet kan låta mer nutida och angelägna än någonsin.

- Thomas Jonsson

M. Ward reveals new song "Hold Time" on his website

2008-12-15T01:44:00.000-08:00

As you might have found already, the title track from M Ward's forthcoming and much awaited sixth album "Hold Time" is available on his website. By clicking on the featured tv set's switch, it changes from the video of 2006's "Chinese Translation" to the new song. Enjoy! This will doubtlessly be one of the best albums of 2009.

A talk with Emma Adbåge

2008-12-10T02:14:00.000-08:00

I got to know the illustrator and author Emma Adbåge back in 2006 and I can't in word describe how much I like the things she does nor how much I appreciate discussing creative issues and such with her. I could start a blog solely for writing about her. I don't have to though since she's got one of her own. Her very recommended blog (in english) with sketches, photos, art/book/music-references and more (where I also borrowed the photos and sketches for this post).

Since 2001, she's been very productive with four own children's books and countless collaborations and illustrations. This year she had three very nice books out, first her own "Jag var superhjälte säger vi", plus the illustrated short story "Limited Edition", available in the anthology "Samtidigt". She also illustrated the book "De ovanligaste barnen i världen", written by Inger Edelfeldt.

Currently residing in Mjölby, I know that she has just finished new material and some details have just begun to leak out on the big Swedish book sites. I wanted to make an interview with her and I'm very proud to have her aboard on my blog now.

Emma, you seem to have been furiously productive 2008 with the new two books that are put out. They're amazing. What can you tell about the future, if you're allowed to talk about it? (I just found this on Bokus).

Thanks! Both of them were made last year though (you know, there is so much work between me and the book stores) - so let’s say that I was furiously productive 2007!
-Seriously speaking, among other things, I have been working with two children's books this year as well so, OK. Your link mentions one of them: “Vi hittar Smulbert” (“Finding Smulbert”). The other one, which I’m just about to finish the cover for, is called “Fylla år” (which is hard to translate into English but I will call it “The birthday book”). Both of them are my own – both text and illustrations.

“Finding Smulbert” is a quiet story about two siblings at the beach, a hot summer's day. They get up early, squarrel in the backseat and do all that beach-stuff, like pretending they’re dolphins and having packed lunch on a blanket. Then, they find this bug and call him “Smulbert”. Smulbert gets a big castle made out of sand and they bathe him - to death!
The summary: play, picnic and death and joy

The other one – “the Birthday book” – is more like a philosophical book about having birthdays. Why do we (in Sweden) call it “fylla år” …like “fill the years”? -With what? And isn’t it unfair that while some of us can have like hundreds of birthdays in a lifetime, the dragonfly, for example, only lives for a couple of days (NO BIRTHDAY PRESENTS!)! Both books are expected to be out in the stores 2009 (“Vi hitter Smulbert” – Eriksson & Lindgren AB & “Fylla År” – Alfabeta Bokförlag).

Apart from the children's books, you also do comics for a more grownup audience. Is comic the correct term? You had an illustrated short story, "Limited Edition" published recently in the anthology Samtidigt. Which is brillant, funny but very moving too. Is this something you're planning to do more in the future?

Oh, interesting that you question the word “comic”, 'cause I really hate using that word. “Cartoon” as well. It makes me think of comic strips. Stuff that makes one laugh (not me though, I’m whining!). It can be so much more than just those funny strips that you can read in your daily paper. “An illustrated short story” feels more correct so let’s use that term.

Now I will answering your question: THANK YOU. And yes, definitely. I’m working on a couple of stories when I got some time left. I really like to tell a story that way – you can get so much out of an illustration instead of trying to explain it all in just words – an amazing tool! Maybe in the same way that you use the music to your lyrics? -I wish that more grown-ups weren’t so afraid of the “comic”-genre, cause like I said, there is so much more than just a punch line and then it’s over.

I read the Tove Jansson biography "Ord, bild, tanke" and was reminded of your stuff. Mostly because both of you do illustrations where you first get an instant impression and then after a while discover tons of details in the background. Does Tove Jansson inspire you?

Yes, oh yes. Her work really is amazing! I don’t think you can see it in my work, but there is a difference between “inspired” and “influenced”? She inspires me in the same way that a great movie can inspire me, or a great song or a book. Or a person who is really good at something - that amazes me and gives me the inspiration to create, to use colours and to tell stories. She does that for me, Tove, she gives me that inspiration, definitely.

More, what are you inspired most by? Other illustrations or something else? Would also love to hear what other artists you like.

There are many things that inspire me; music, movies, friends and books. You know, the common things. And to spend time with children and look into their world - they are so uncomplicated and open minded, unaffected! And of course - other childrens books and artists. I just told you about Tove Jansson, so I can do some fine namedropping of artists that makes me feel inspired and elated: Nigel Peake, Carson Ellis, the Swedish illustrator/autor Eva Lindström, Owe Gustavson, Stina Wirsén, the fantastic ! Jockum Nordström and the genious David Shrigley of course - I love his humour and simplicity, so relieving! I also have to mention another person that inspires me: the Swedish actor Gösta Ekman, what a man huh!

-except other illustrators and artists I collect inspiration from other stuff: this summer I got introduced for real, to the work by Bauhaus. Me and my man visited Bauhaus archive in Berlin. He already loved the Bauhaus works and took me there. It was the best, I fell in love with the Bauhaus-stuff for real. The colours and the shapes. Wow!

If I’m allowed to name one more thing that ispires me (I can make a long long list that never ends) I wanna tell you that I actually get inspired by ugly things, and stuff that makes me say: “EEH? Ha ha!? What the hell!?” Like strange fashion trends, home styling and ugly party photos. A giant source of ideas!

What's your favorite book + cd album of 2008

Book: Since I do read a lot of childrens books I will choose “Nu är vi gorillor låssas vi!” (“Let’s pretend we’re gorillas!”) by The Great Swedish author Barbro Lindgren. IT’S AWESOME. I laughed and got all warmed up when I read it. Really fell in love and Barbro is also one of my biggest idols. If I would choose one novel this past year it would be the actor Jonas Karlsson’s debut “Det andra målet”. If I have to choose ONE except your music dear friend… - Fleet foxes, the self titled debut (?) !

That stray cat we met this summer. Have you figure out if he got a home or not?

That poor thing. I’m sorry to say that I do see him around sometimes – but I still do not know if he’s got an own apartment… But I can tell that he has two cat friends hangin’ around and he looks quite strong and healthy. -I will sure look after him now when it gets colder.

According to the accordionist

2008-12-10T02:00:00.001-08:00

My friend Kristoffer Hedberg recently released his second album "Ett helt vanligt ögonblick" consisting of Swedish-spoken acousticdriven pop and troubadourism. The album features guest appearances by big names in the Swedish pop genre such as Peter LeMarc and Lasse Lindh. I was happy to get invited to contribute with something and I chosed the accordion which I play on the song "I haven't felt the heat". Kristoffer is currently promoting his album but also reveals that he has a followup-album in mind already that he hope to get out before the end of 2009.

So Kristoffer, how would you describe me as an accordion-player?

I would describe you as an exquisite accordion player. With a huge amount of fragile feelings in his style of playing. You gave the tune "I haven't felt the heat (älskar, äskar inte)" a french touch. If you imagine yourself at an amusement park i France during the 1920s, if you do that you know which feeling I mean.

Cheers mate, it was a pleasure. What's your thoughts about the new album of yours? Can you tell me a little about the topic and musicians?

I'm very pleased that I've finally got the album out. After almost two years of hard work. There's been a few bumps on the road such as a hard drive failure etc. I think that musically I've taken a further step since the debut in 2006. The arrangements are bigger and better. It's called "ett helt vanligt ögonblick" ("a regular moment", maybe that's a bad translation), my attempt was to catch all these moments that all the time passes us by and collect them and put them in to a prison called "ett helt vanligt ögonblick". I don't know if these moments enjoy to be locked into this CD but that's another question. When you read this text a moment has passed, when you listen to the CD a moment has passed, when you write songs you try to catch the moment, simple as that.
.

The Wolf is in

2008-11-25T00:25:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago, I got in touch with the Gothenburg musician Anna Von Hausswolf who is doing very sincere and minimalistic piano based music. I also notice one of my favs Joan as a Policewoman writing a very raving comment on Anna's myspace-profile so I had to have a chat with her. Also, of course hear her music such as the lovely song "singing from the grave" there. Apparently more songs are on their way too, why a revisit soon is strongly recommended.

* Anna, thanks for the cd you sent me. I think it's really nice. How long have you been doing this kind of music and how would describe it?

-I think I've been doing this kind of music since I was a child, but it ain't until now that I find myself comfortable with it. I would describe my music as a very dramatic expression which is changing depending on my mood. It is warm and cold, intense and soft. I like to express myself in many ways, so I think variation is a key.

* I heard you've made a show in Frankfurt recently, and now you made a concert in Gothenburg's house of Bamboo - Kontiki. How was it?

-The concert in Frankfurt took place at Städelschule, the academy of art, and it was arranged by my sister( who is a student there). It was a big hall with a lot of candles, and I didn't need a microphone because the acoustic was fantastic(the audience as well)!!But my most important gig was the one here in Gothenburg at the small tiny house of bamboo-Kontiki. That was my first solo concert where I could perform to my closest friends. They really make me want to play more.

* What's your favorite album of 2008?

-My favourite album of the year 2008 must be Fleet Foxes “Fleet foxes”. Their music is magic, and I just love them!

* And which are your nearest plans for the future musically?

-I want to continue to experiment with my sound and my voice. I want to write more music, work with good musicians, and make a lot of concerts.

Top of the pop

2008-11-08T02:30:00.000-08:00

My list for 2008 best cds, concerts, movie. Still be a matter to change during the last month. But here's my go for now.

BEST ALBUMS

1. Fuck Buttons - Street Horrrsing
Fantastic debut of this Brisol duo. Produced by a member from one of my favorite bands Mogwai. A perfect blend between raging noise, tribal shouts and some more easy accecible elements. Released early this year, and my absolute favorite.

2. Parken - Länge leve parken
I opened for Parken and my fav Swedish band Loney, Dear at a lovely day in Stockholm this summer and in cheer joy for discovering a great Swedish act who also sings in Swedish just takes me put Parkens debut album as number two on my list. Pelle, whom I interviewed here puts himself in the same garden as Håkan Hellström but with a slightly more hard chewed approach, with electronic backgrounds and saxophone. That, plus my favorite pop song of the year "Jag har varit vilsen lisa" and the cool sidekick Henric von Euler makes this a must-have.

3. James Yorkston - When the Haar rolls in
Irishmen James Yorkston's fourth album is as lovely as last year's Year of the leopard and 2003's debut "moving the gospel". His songs always go right into me and is actually very catchy and witty in all it's somberness. The cover art is also very great, for a ship fetischist such as me that alone is a reason to buy the album instead of nicking it from Pirate Bay. I've been humming a couple of weeks now on "Summer's not the same without you, I know it's a bitter old cliche...". James' albums always reach very high on my year-lists but I keep forgetting him when thinking about my favorite artists, got to be a change on that.

4. Bon Iver - For Emma, forever ago.
An aptly titled album and a very welldeserved hyped band. Acoustic and both quite experimental and psychedelic in all it's minimalism.

5. Cat Power - Jukebox
Cat Power's only getting better and better. This album is not as good as 2006's absolutely gorgeous The Greatest, but comes in awefully close. I went see a brilliant (if maybe a little too long) show at Berns Salonger in Stockholm in July. A very revealing and warm soul moment.

6. Mogwai - Hawk is howling
Probably my favorite band and the best show of the year. However, despite a really good album, it makes you more want to put on Young Teem, Come on Die Young or for that sake, their last album Mr. Beast. However, Mr Beast, the soundtrack to that Zidane movie and The Hawk is howling is a great come-back from their weak period (after Come on Die Young and some years ahead).

7. Lil Wayne - Da Carter III (deluxe edition)
Together with NAS my favorite hiphopalbum of this year. Very well achieved of him and the bonus disc with the deluxe edition features some of the best songs of this album.

8. Justus Köhncke - Safe and Sound
Slick and warm disco from Germany. Buy it and you will love it. The guitars from feuerland send chills down the spine. Perfect travelling music.

9. Fleet Foxes
You know all about them; akron/family meets My Morning Jacket in a delicate way. Actually this is a better My Morning Jacket album than the original's Evil Urges album. Brilliant.

10. St Thomas (box 4CD+1DVD+1BOOK)
This far down on the list, simply because it's in many matters a re-issue. The box set of the very missed St Thomas is a fantastic way to discover the norwegian cowboy who sadly passed away one year ago, aged 31. This box set captures his whole career, one cd with his best songs, one cd with outtakes and rarities, two cds with other artists doing cover versions of his songs (including Lambchop, Ai Phoenix and Grasshopper of Mercury Rev), one book and one dvd. The DVD is brilliant by the way with a lot of documentaries, live material and music videos. Stupidly cheap too and the whole gain goes to charity. A must-have.

+ Some good stuff from good friends

Björn Kleinhenz - Quietly Happy and Deep Insde
Viarosa - Send for The Sea

My friends and brothers, Björn and Richard, did really good albums with their projects this year. Richard is btw supporting Leonard Cohen in the O2 Millenium dome within days.

+ well done of Nas, The Kills, Flying Lotus, Justus Köhncke, Lindstrom and more.

BEST SHOWS:
1. Mogwai, Mejeriet, Lund Nov'08
2. Efterklang, Arvikafestivalen Jul'08
3. The Havenots, Leicester Oct'08
4. Parken/Loney, Dear, Trädgården, Stockholm Jun'08
5. The National (+Efterklang), Vega, Copenhagen Sep'08
6. Cat Power, Berns Salonger, Stockholm Jul'08
(I still at least have Damien Jurado, Parken and probably Lambchop to catch
before the year is over)

BEST MOVIE:
La graine et le mulet
I know this french movie is from 2007, but it was up on the cinemas in Sweden this year. A fantastic slow told story about food, love and dreams. It's brilliant and it would be a must-see to everyone who likes John Cassavetes Opening Night and a Woman under the influence.

Låt den rätte komma in
Best Swedish movie since... maybe forever. Vampire based love drama. Fantastic.

Water into Wine

2008-10-26T02:54:00.001-07:00

One good thing about releasing albums (maybe the best) is if you get the chance to swap your massfabricated piece of plastic into sweet signed books of great people. Luckily I've been able to do that a couple of times recently.

Brit/Canadian Crime novelist Peter Robinson earlier wrote some good things about my music on his website and a week ago I got his newest book in the mail along with a very friendly note. Thanks! I was earlier more into the crime genre, but still after widening my book diet, Peter's books are still among my favorites. Great stuff.

I befriended Swedish author Emma Adbåge a couple of year's ago, and since I'm releasing something only once in a blue moon and Emma's keeping a furious productive pace, the balance is in her favour... or mine since I've got all of her fantastic children's book and some comic offerings, and she has only got one or two cds of mine.

Kristiansand's finest, the comic author Roy Söbstad. I got his amazing collected works-book while being on tour in Norway. We met a couple of times and I always have enjoyed. I became hugely impressed when seeing his work.

Photos from the tour

2008-10-24T09:24:00.000-07:00

>>European Tour Autumn 2008 (UK/Netherlands/Sweden/Norway)
17 Sep - 23 Oct 2008 (more will be uploaded)

LIVE @ VORTEX JAZZ CLUB, LONDON (w Richard Neuberg on second guitar)

BACKSTAGE @ ST BONAVENTURE, BRISTOL

ON TOP OF THE WORLD. Above Edinburgh.

NAME IN LIGHT @ PUSTERVIKSBAREN, Göteborg, Sweden.

NO STRINGS ATTACHED. Guitar maintaining in the hotel room
in Leicester.

THEY'RE ALIVE! Morning after the last show. Recording with
the side project Topeka Twins to follow up 2003's mini album
I Never Heard Her Sing

ANNOUNCING the show in Kristiansand, Norway.

BACKSTAGE View & rehearsing, York (UK)

LOADING after show @ Vortex, London (UK)

THE MUSICIAN, Leicester (UK)

MISTY AFTERNOON, Den Haag (NL)

INTERIOR, De Rode Pimpernel, S' Hertogenbosch (NL)

WARMING UP @ GET BACK MUSIC, Dordrecht (NL)

LOKAAL VREEDEBREUK, Den Haag (NL)

CHARLEE PORTER, Support for the 9 shows of the
Netherlands leg of the tour In Lokaal Vredebreuk, Den Haag (NL)

BEFORE THE SESSION IN MIDVLIET (radio & local tv), Leidschendam (NL)

BOEKHORSSTRAAT FESTIVAL

CROSSING BORDER SALON, DEN HAAG

ONE CUP OF COFFEE @ Cul De Sac, Tilburg (NL)

MORE FROM THE TOPEKA TWIN SESSION. Björn Kleinhenz.

BACKSTAGE @ PUSTERVIKSBAREN, GÖTEBORG

FRIENDS Eva (middle) & Vanessa Peters (right)

Ground Control To Mayor Rob

2008-10-02T00:04:00.000-07:00

One of my fav upcoming UK-acts is without doubt the lofi/flaming-lipesque/electronic-indiepop-act Spaceships Are Cool. Behind the name is Rob Maddison who I've came to know during the last years. We did a show together in Nottingham in 2007 and only a week ago we shared the bill again. Since last year Rob has been through some dramatical times and it was really good to see him back on the stage again.

1) Rob, I was worrying sick about you when you got into an accident earlier this year. So glad to have you on board again and I'm so proud to do a show together with you in Nottingham. What can we expect from the venue, The Golden Fleece?

this will be my first live show as spaceships are cool since the injury to my spine in february this year. the injury means that i've had to learn how to play again nowi'm in a wheelchair. the golden fleece in nottingham is a really nice intimate venue that has a good track record for putting on acoustic gigs and dj/mc nights. i've not been in since my injury, so i'm hoping that the wheelchair access is ok!

2) I absolutely love your songs with Spaceships are Cool. What's the nearest plans? Do you have much new ideas? I know you're also a frequent contributor to Yunioshi. What's going on there?

i'm currently working on a 'sampler' lp of spaceships are cool instrumental work. the lp is aimed at some of the tv advertising agencies i am in contact with. so hopefully you'll be hearing spaceships tunes on a mobile advert soon! there is an ep comin out this month, and that should be up on itunes soon too. as for YUNIOSHI, i'm now a full time band member as their drummer, i go under the name of HAKUSHI YUNIOSHI. we are doing loadsa shows in the uk at the moment and then we will be off to iceland early next year to play some gigs with icelandic electro band BLOODGROUP.

3) What's your favorite album of 2008?

i think it has to be 'seventh tree' by goldfrapp. i had this on my ipod and played it constantly during my 6 months in hospital. it's an incredible lp full of beautiful layers that really take you places.

4) You also have a connection my home parts in Wermland in Sweden. You were staying here, right? When, for how long and why? I remember I've seen a picture of you with the road sign Torsby.

I was producing an lp for a uk singer songwriter at the time and we recorded all the tracks in the uk & iceland, then i contacted a friend of mine who worked in a small studio in torsby and he suggested going out there to mix it. we spent about 2 months in total in the studio in torsby, doing loadsa edits and even re-tracking a few vocal dubs. I loved every minute of it, and we went to some good parties out there too!

5) And please let me know the story again when you were touring in Spain and had the chance to eat dinner with the "city's mayor".

My partner Helen and I used to play in a nottingham indie band that had a small deal in madrid, so we wnet out there to do a 6 day mini tour. we played one night at the civic centre in a town called adra. after the show we went to a party on some boat nearby. a few of us got talkin to this guy at the end of the table who we thought was the mayor of the town. so after about ann hour of sayin 'what a cool town you've got' etc. it turned out that this guy was just someone off the street who had just gate crashed the party and couldnt really understand any english either!

so thats how we didn't meet the mayor of adra! the really funny bit was when me & helen left the band about a month later we even got airbrushed out of the press photos!

Sweet tunes from the city

2008-09-11T10:10:00.000-07:00

It's always such a treat when you get to know someone making music and when you finally hear some songs you really like it. Also really nice when you find someone from your home city making good stuff. Alone with a porta studio, Davin Andersson has taken the first steps with his folk/psych/pop-project A Stoic Gone Berzerk. This is a nice new friend and his music can be heard at his myspace-page

David, I was very happy to hear your songs with your solo project A Stoic Gone Berzerk. They sound amazing. What are your plans with it? Have you more material to reveal?

Thank you very much! Well, from the beginning I had no other plans but to try and record some songs for a myspace-site. It was something I really wanted to do, but at the same time it was kind of scary because when you do everything yourself, you also tend to be extra hard on yourself. But it seems like peple have liked the two songs I've recorded so far, so now I just want to keep writing new ones. I have two more songs on their way, and a couple of ideas I'm working on. Then if it turns out I have enough songs, of course it would be very nice to present them live with a few more instruments, and - of course - to record them in a studio.

A friend of mine compared you to Paul Simon. Is that a favorite of yours? What are your biggest influences?

Really? Wow, that's a comparison to be proud of I guess. But actually I've listened very little to Paul Simon. I’ll just have to check him out. I think the most important musical influences came to me when I was about 20-23 years old. Up ..til then I had only listened to hard rock and heavy metal (that’s how it is when you’re growing up with a big brother). So when I heard artists and groups like Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne, Buffalo Springfield, The Jayhawks, Aretha Franklin, The Flying Burrito Brothers and Van Morrison I responded like you do when you hear something for the very first time. And I don’t think any music will ever have that kind of impact on me again, no matter how good it is.

You also fronts the delicate alt.country-band Leaving Fort Lumber. Could you tell more about it and other projects you're involved in

Yeah, we started playing about a year ago. It was little bit of a challenge, we had very different musical backgrounds and influences but it turned out to work very well. Our drummer is going away to India for a couple of months now, but I really hope we can pick it up from where we left it when he returns.

If you would mention a song you'd wished you had written yourself, what would that be?

Hm.... there’s a couple to choose from. But probably You’ve Got A Friend with Carole King. It’s a fantastic song from one of my favorite albums.

We spent some time together now. What's your favorite memory together with me?

Well, we’ve had some nice chats over a cup of coffee in Karlstad, don’t you think. Seems like we have a couple of things in common, both musically and otherwise. And of course it was great to see you play at Glada Ankan a couple of weeks ago.

Yeah, it's also where I had my moment from you. When I wrote "David from Leaving Fort Lumber" on the guest list and you didn't understand that was you.

Long Live Parken

2008-09-08T23:42:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, the much awaited debut album of Parken "Länge Leve Parken" is released. Parken is a solo project of Pelle Lindroth (Moder Jord Massiva, Riga) and I heard him play on a great evening at the Trädgården Festival in Stockholm in June. The songs have been available for streaming at his myspace-page for a while now and it was as good as I remembered it. One of my top10 albums this year and definitely the best Swedish album for a very long time. Songs like "låt mig få följa dig ner", "jag har varit vilsen lisa" and "Åt helvete med himlen" has an instant approach that both gives me chills of happiness and a very moving feeling in my heart. Good combo.

- Pelle, congrats to a fantastic album. I can't wait to lay my hands on this on the release date. What are you thoughts about it?

I think the album came out exactly the way I wanted it too. We have worked and reworked on the sound for a long time but it really payed off. I'm happy with everything about it.

Can you tell about your musical background, I've understood you're part of both Moder Jord Massiva and Riga? What influenced to start Parken?

I've sung with MJM since 2000, in the beginning I was just improvising but when we started to put out albums I had to get a bit more structured. The first lyrics I wrote in Swedish was "Rödljus" on the first MJM album "Ur djupen", and after that I have written maybe two or three songs in swedish per album.

Rigas is actually my friend and producer Henrik von Euler. He has made two albums on which I have written some lyrics and sung a bit. I play guitar in his live band.
Rigas' wicked production is definitely a large part of the album's appeal, I think.

My first idea with Parken was to make sort of an "All Pelle" MJM album, collect beats from all the producers and sing over them. But I wanted it to be more of a pop album, a mix between MJM and my other band The Chrysler, so I started writing songs on guitar and made demos in the studio and I kind of wrote the lyrics as I recorded them. This made them simple and direct, and a bit unpredictable too. In the end Henrik wound up producing the whole album, we had a common vision where we could go with these songs and I think we made it!

- You did a really great show at Trädgården, Stockholm on June 6th (together with one of my other big Swedish favorites, Loney Dear). Who is your handsome side-kick? Is he a steady part of Parken? Does he still wear a moustache?

This is Henrik von Euler. Does he still wear a moustache? Yes, I believe he is. I met him today. Funny, I can't say for sure if he's still wearing it. Anyway, I'll make him grow another one before you see us again. I have also handpicked another member of MJM to do some additional keyboard, sax and vocal work. His name is David Giese and he's just a sweetheart.

- What are your favorite albums of 2008?

Thomas, it's really sad, but I don't think I've heard a whole new album for a very long time. The last one was the latest Nick Cave cd, I got it for my birthday. I'm a huge fan, and I kind of got into the album after hearing the songs live, but I'm not listening to it anymore, and I guess that's a bad sign. The albums I have listened to the most in 2008 are (if you except my own album with all the different mixes) actually one old favourite, "Bibeln" by Strindbergs, and two landmark albums that I missed out on in the eighties, the first Guns n' Roses album and "Actually" by the Pet Shop Boys. All eighties for Parken, then!

What are your next plans with Parken and your other musical projects.

I am going to play live a lot this fall, the tour is being scheduled and I will put the dates up on my myspace page as soon as they're done. I will probably come to Lund and play, I would be delighted if you came!

A Spiderman Lost - Jari Huotari

2008-09-08T06:08:00.000-07:00

After a couple of months absence, I start up with this blog for the season with some new interviews. Back in 1998, when studying media, I learnt to know Jari Huotari, a musician, songwriter and poet. Eventually his influence was what made me start doing music at all. Now ten years later his work with projects such as Pseudoplotinos and Lofi For Dummies really has stood the test of time and is still fantastic. We shared space on the compilation cd UTÖKAD FAMILJ VOLYM 1 (Alltid Hela tiden) 2002 but the last years the man seemed absorbed by the earth. When we released the debut album of mine and C-J Larsgårdens (who also were in the same class) duo A Perfect Friend, we named one of the tracks after him.

All of a sudden Jari recently came to one of my shows, which was just great. So I thought I should make a talk with the man to see what's happening. This is a great honour.

This was made before the time of myspace and it was very hard finding some material online, eventually I found some downloadable goodies from a last.fm-page

MP3:
PseudoPlotinos - All The Lofi In The World
PseudoPlotinos - Spiderman Lost

1) Jari, without you I wouldn’t have started playing music and in the continuation this blog wouldn’t exist. What are your thoughts about making your voice heard here?

I was very flattered in the interest to tell you the truth.

2) So what's the story about your amazing projects PseudoPlotinos and Lo-fi for Dummies. Do you have any plans with them or are they waiting like sleeper cells? (ok, enough of terrorist references). Also, are you still active writing poetry?

Oh, dear. This question is many in one. Splitting the forces…

a. PseudoPlotinos is my solo stuff. The name I sort of inherited from a former band in Uppsala back in the 90’s. We were heavily into the music of the spheres: PseudoPlotinos is a combination of the names of two great philosophers, Pseudo-Longinos and Plotinos. I cannot seem to get rid of that nick now. Lo-fi for Dummies is a two-man band I formed with some random weirdo I met in a bar in Värnamo. Our greatest merit is that we got sued by EMI & Axl Rose for playing some stuff on the radio with stolen lyrics from the song Perfect Crime. By Guns’n’Roses. Otherwise, we just mainly got drunk together and played Puyo Pop on his Dreamcast. And we both have a special relation to salt. The other half of that band is still active I think. Morgan Train. Solo. Great stuff.

b. As for terrorism, Lo-fi for Dummies is a sleeper cell. I am currently trying to get some stuff together, guess I’ll try to skip the PseudoPlotinos name this time too. And fail. Miserably.

c. Yes, I do still write poetry. Mostly in Swedish though.

3) You also introduced me to Roky Erickson, whose music made a huge impact on me back in 1999. Do you have any other aces up your sleeve?

Nope. That’s it.

4) We even made a song named Jari Huotari with my side project A Perfect Friend. I keep on stalking you but you only seem to like it. What on earth would I have to do to make it hurt?

Wow. No idea. It’s nice to know that I am not forgotten. Stalking is the purest form of love.

5) What's your favorite animal and why?

Apes. And monkeys. And no, they are not the same. I have a special connection to these creatures on an astral level. Or perhaps I should say I have a connection to astral apes and monkeys. My favorite here on earth is the dwarf silk monkey. They are the cutest. And they have small merry agile hands that can give you the finger!

Crush of the day

2008-08-01T01:31:00.001-07:00

Tom Rush - The Child's Song (from the DVD "Festival Express")

Best of 2008

2008-06-26T05:48:00.000-07:00

Halfway through 2008, there have been some really good cds coming out this year.
These are my favs of this year.

Top 5 (in no particular ordeer)

Fuck Buttons - Street Horrsing
marvelous indie/noise/postrock, very distinct
in all it's droneness. Tribal shouts!

Bon Iver - For Emma Forever ago. Subtle and slightly
psychedelic folk, but very minimalistic. Lovely voices.

Cat Power goes against common artistic progress and
after more than 10 years in the biz she makes her two
best and most interesting albums, this year's Jukebox
and last year's The Greatest

Fleet Foxes - s/t. Like a meeting between My Morning Jacket
and Akron/Family. I couldn't imagine any finer describtion of
a band.

Justus Köhncke - Safe and Sound
Slick and warm disco from Germany. The guitars
in Feuerland are just perfect.

Just outside...

My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges

The Kills - Midnight Boom

Blast from the past - newly discovered

2006's solo outing for Jason Molina, the album
Let me go, let me go, let me go is such a great album.
Would've made it into my top10-list if I just bought
it in time.

Honorable Mentions
...and some friends who made really nice albums this
year.

Charlee Porter - s/t

Björn Kleinhenz - Quietly Happy and Deep Inside

Bobby and Blumm - Everybody Loves

A chat with Firstnighter

2008-06-21T01:29:00.000-07:00

I've had the pleasure of sharing a show with Sofie Larsson of Firstnighter a couple of times, a delicate pop/folk-act from Linköping, Sweden. Most recently, three weeks ago. After the show I asked her some questions:

- Sofie, you really have remarkable melodies in your songs, and your voice is kind of a very personal blend between Jason Molina and Joni Mitchell. What has been influential for your music? What was your favorite cd of 2007?

First of all; thank you very much for the compliments! Well, I’ve never heard that I sound like a mixture between Jason Molina and Joni Mitchell before, but that’s nice. 2007 was acctually the year I started listening more to Joni Mitchell and perhaps it’s already starting to show in my own music. I’m influenced by a lot of things: movies, poetry, things I hear people talk about on the bus or on the radio. My friend’s lives are also a big source of inspiration but I try my best not to reveal too many details about them in my songs.

- Thanks for the EP I got from you. I really like that one, when was it from and do you have plans for recording something new soon?

You’re welcome Thomas. The EP you got is from 2007. Right now I am recording my new songs and hope to finish a new EP by the end of this summer.

- Our first show together was in an old chapel, the next one in a dance venue from the 70's, what to expect next?

Haha! Maybe at Harrys in Linköping? Oh no, let’s hope not.

- You've studied music for a year now, seems like a dream. Sometimes though, I feel like that I never get in the mood for writing when having time for it. All of a sudden when you're working or don't have time or a pen, stuff starts to happen. How was your experience about productivity during the year, was it good for your music?

Worries about creativity trouble me as well, but this past year I’ve been forced to develop a new way of looking at my creativity. Almost every week we’ve been given new tasks in school. We’ve been told to write different types of music, pop/rock/classical/jazz or folk or we’ve been asked to put a melody to a poem or write a song that would suite on of our classmates etc. Sometimes we’ve had 20 minutes to finish the task, sometimes a week. While doing this I’ve had to learn not to be too serious about things, and I’ve tried to write music without judging myself during the process. I think I’ve become a braver songwriter but I’m still not brave enough.

- Finally, what song do you wish you had written yourself?

Oh, there are so many songs I wish I had written. One is Hjärta av Guld, written by Eva Dahlgren. I love it, especially when Nina Ramsby sings and Martin Hederos plays the piano.

Various Activities

2008-06-13T03:45:00.001-07:00

>>Various Activities pre-summer 2008
April-May 2008





LIVE @ Linköpings Kulturdagar 31 MAY
Photo: Richard Gustafsson





HANGING OUT IN THE STUDIO with Helena Arlock and
Gustav Haggren recording guest appearances on their
both upcoming cds

Teenage Kicks - Oh No Miriam

2008-06-02T01:17:00.000-07:00

I recently stumbled upon the music of the Swedish indie/lofi-act Oh No Miriam, and I really liked to see that on her myspace-page she listed France Gall as her influences and revealed that "Sometimes when I listen to music I like I imagine in my head that it is my music". I kind of do the same thing myself so it was no big surprise that I liked this minimalistic acoustic lofi-pop. I e-mailed some questions to her:

I've just discovered your music, how long have you been active with "oh no Miriam" and who are you? What intstruments do you play?

Not for so long at all. For one and a half year, or maybe more like two. My sister (Rebecka Ingrid Simone) has played and I guess I got inspired by her. I don’t know how to describe who I am. Ehh I am seventeen years old and I live in Stockholm. I like vulgarity, and criticism. I can’t really play anything, but I hit on the piano and blow in the harmonica and sometimes I hit things in the table in a rythm. That's kind of it, but if there is anything in my recordings I have forgotten that's also me, I have done everything in my recordings, except that my sister sometimes sings in the background and I have also done a duet with Mitchell Rathberger.

I did some research about you (checking google) where I found an article about you over at Swedesplease. net where the writer compares you and your music to the movie Juno and the music of Kimya Dawson's. What would you say are your most important influences? How would you describe your music? I really like it, it kind of reminds me of Daniel Johnston and Bobby Baby. Have you heard them?

I haven’t heard Daniel Johnston, but I have listened to Bobby Baby quite a lot before. Once she wrote something nice about my music to me at myspace and I was so happy and told my friends. My influences are teenage movies and everything in my life. Actually everything that has to do with teenagers. Sometimes I also get inspired by things I hear in stores or on the bus, songs that goes sort of like ”Sexy, sexy, sexy” or ”Shake my hips yeah yeah” of some reason. I guess it’s because I like shaking my hips and I like when people are sexy, but I like when they aren’t to. I have no idea how to describe my music. It’s kind of like my diary, very honest. Parts of it is probably to honest.

So... are you planning to do an album? Do you think it's important to release cds these days?

I think it’s important that people do albums. I love to buy cd’s and almost never download. But I don’t know if I want to do an album. If someone offers to help me I wouldn’t say no, but it’s not one of my highest priorities.

My blog is really a blog about my friends, but you're the first I've done this kind of micro interview that I don't know at all. Do you think I should change the name of the blog? If yes, to what? thomas-using-his-big-ego-for-
an-excuse-to-stalk-people-who- do-music-he-rather-
would-do-if-he-could. com?

I don’t think I could give a better proposition than that. I like the name vanbloggen and I could concider to accept being called one of your friends, that..s okej:)

Slow - new 3"cd by ONDO

2008-05-26T06:39:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in my article about CJ Larsgården here he as been releasing new material, primary with his solo project ONDO, in a furious pace since Paradigms released his debut album in January. The newest is a very limited 3" CD released on Tuguska entitled SLOW. Very dark indeed. I can also reveal that more will come during the year, hopefully also our second album timber and modern ways of our duo A Perfect Friend. We had a label on the hook that unfortunately was forced to turn us down. We've got another offer now that we hope will turn out well.

An interview with Charlee Porter

2008-05-22T04:42:00.001-07:00

Just laid my hands on the debut album of the Stockholmian songbird Charlee Porter whom I done a couple of shows with and mosten often hang out with whenever I visit the Swedish capital city. We first met at a jazz concert last summer and recently played together in an urban church in Stockholm. I was very pleased to see that the album was released (on Seagull Songs) and I'm also quite thrilled to be mentioned in the thank you-list. The music is clearly influenced by country and bluegrass and really nice; check it out at: http://www.myspace.com/charleeporter now.

Me and Charlee on stage

Charlee, you're one of the funniest persons I know and we've come to the conclusion that we're very much alike, right? But which one of us is really most like you?

Well, dear Thomas, I have my moments when I sort of shine through your great personality, and that gets you in the shadow, and then you shine through mine.. So you know it's such a thin line, I can't really seperate us. I'm you, you're me. It's just the way it is. Live with it.

Sometimes it's hard. Like when you call me.. wooo, that's me talking...How is that possible? Is this real. No? Am I totally lost. Who's talking. Which one of us is thinking. Who are you. Me?
And that's when I put whipped cream on my nose and say Mjao.

Charlee Porter - s/t (seagull songs 2008)

You've just released your debut album. What are your thoughts about that? How would you describe it? What influence your music? Why doesn't it have a title?

Yes, finally an album!

All the fun, and struggles, I've had writing, giving birth, recording and singing these songs over and over, finally they've come together as one. I can leave them behind me, though I'm out playing and singing these songs. Now it's time for new songs to arise!

This record is a mix of pop, country and taditional folkmusic. What influences me is all the music I've ever heard and all that I've experienced in my life. A cliché! Well, music I'm listening to right now is Fleetwood Mac, Jewel, Allison Krauss, Kasey Chambers, Gillian Welch, M.Ward.. And I'm really into Flight of the concords!! And also...maybe what influenses me the most- my imagination!

When I pick up my guitar and start singing, I'll go anywhere I want. Like in so many fairytales, there is always a portal into an other world.. I see myself as a fictional person with this superpower to travel different worlds!

Thomas, I don't feel like the record needs a title. It's my first, and Charlee Porter says it all!

I know you made a musical trip to Nashville some year ago, how was that? I heard a story about Jewel?

I had a great time in Nashville. I've met awesome people and listened to a looot of music. It was such an inspiration for me to get on a plane away from the cold winter in Stockholm, and to get off in a warm and sunny Nashville. I wrote the song "My great grandma" on the plane. I also wrote an article about my trip, sort of a diary, for a Swedish music paper called "Studio". So I was kinda reporter/writer on my trip! I've got a good look into the music scene in Nashville, and made contact with a publisher company, Bluewater music.

I met Nicolette Fontaine, an artist manager and music promoter, who's about to promote my music in Nashville. And about Jewel.. Well, I spend some time with a swedish bass player called
Victor Brodén, and he knew about this place called "Fuel" and that Jewel was going to make a secret guestperformance there. She was great and at one point she needed an extra Capo.. so I lend her mine, which I always carry in my purse. That's it. Not a big story. But now I'll never go to sleep without it. Don't tell Jewel.

You have taken some pictures of me (not naughty but VERY silly), what do I have to do to make sure you don't spread them?

Not naughty? Well I believe we have different definitions of what's naughty
then.. Nooo, we would never do the naughty ones!! Hmm, I'll have to think about that..

Finally, if you would make a cover version of a song what would that be and if you would have a dream-date for making a duet (living or dead person) who would that be?

Oh, you so want me to pick one of you songs now, right? No no no, I'm the one who's got the silly pictures you know! The song would be "Brand new key" with Melanie. I love that song. She's so
funny. The melody is wild. Hmm, duet. Ok, Dolly. I would love to meet her. Don't know about the dating part though.. And if I would pick a dead one, it would be Johnny Cash.

Home from England

2008-05-22T04:33:00.000-07:00

>>UK TOUR 2008
May 3-11 2008

Some memories from last UK Tour



Thomas & Helena Sundström @ What's Cooking, London


Live @ Ruby Lounge, Manchester




Thomas @ The Chattery, Swansea


Bonding with Richard Neuberg of Viarosa in Hampstead Heath


Hmmmm...ysbyryswydd

From the Shelf#6

2008-04-28T02:44:00.001-07:00

Things I like really much right now:

Daniel Lanois - Shine
Everytime the summer comes there's a time to re-discover this
fantastic album.

+ Stallhagen Dark Lager
Great local beer from Åland, impossible to get in Sweden

Arctic#1

2008-04-16T01:29:00.000-07:00

Except following the trails of friends and collaborators and mentioning stuff I really like, another purpose with this blog was that I wanted to do somewhat of a vague (b)logbook on the progress on my next album. The 12 songs are written, and next step would be to do acoustic demos at home to give to my producer, something I intend to do this weekend. The album which I hope I can have finished by the end of the year is some kind of an acoustic indie/blues theme album on the arctic and polar explorers and wildlife. Still, with contemporary details. Last year, I decided that this album would go under a new moniker; namely Deer Theatre. That was a year ago and it still feels very good to do so, I'm giving it some more time though.

Well, that was the first step, next step is to replace the capo I broke yesterday. I don't plan to write extensive details about recordings and thoughts and such, just a little now and then. Til' next time, here are some youtubes of the songs:

A lost Continent - Home recording Nov 2007 (sorry bout the hat, it's silly)

Peacock Color Song - Home recording Feb 2007

Peacock Color Song's outtro captured live @ Mejeriet, Lund (S) Apr 2007

The original Topeka Twin - Björn Kleinhenz (On Tour)

2008-04-13T23:20:00.000-07:00

Björn Kleinhenz is a Swedish indiepop artist that I came across in the beginning of this century. I think we started to noticing each other when getting our first stuff reviewed at the same places. Later we formed the duo The Topeka Twins and made a couple of shows and a mini album on vinyl (I Never heard her sing). After releasing two cds in less than a year around 2003-2004, it has been a long wait for the brand new "Quietly happy and deep inside" , from what I heard (although I haven't heard all songs yet) is sure to be both Björn's best and one of the finest things to happen this year. In May, Björn will go on a 2½ week long tour on the European mainland with a full band.

Björn Kleinhenz - Quietly Happy and Deep Inside (2008)

08 may - Din Nye Ven, Copenhagen (DK)
09 may - Fundbureau, Hamburg (DE)
10 may - AZ Mühlheim, Mühlheim a.d. Ruhr (DE)
11 may - TBA, Groningen (NL)
12 may - TBA, Nijmegen (NL)
13 may - Schlachthof, Wiesbaden (NL)
14 may - D:Qliq, Luxembourg (LX)
15 may - Mariaberg, Rorschach (NL)
16 may - Kaserne, Basel (CH)
17 may - KIFF, Aarau (DE)
18 may - Chelsea, Wien (AT)
20 may - Stereo Wonderland, Köln (DE)
21 may - Forum, Bielefeld (AT)
22 may - Römer (TBC), Bremen (DE)
23 may - Magnet, Berlin (DE)
24 may - UT Connewitz, Leipzig (DE)

I also met Björn on a cup of coffee last week, also did a small interview. Be sure to visit his myspace-profile and website.

Björn, I think you're Sweden's best male pop artist and you're touring a lot in Germany. How come you're doing so few dates in Sweden, aren't we good enough for you?

of course you are. I just love germany so much and after all it is quite hard booking a full tour in sweden. it..s small compared to germany I guess. plus I'.m half german so I have to make a choice now don..t I.

One of my own proudest moments in my musical carreer was when we made the Topeka Twins' mini album 2003. What's your favorite memory from our duo?

I still have a very vivid memory from the song take of "diana" when we sang in the same microphone in one take and you kept creeping up from behind for your parts. I really liked that.

The Topeka Twins - I Never Heard Her Sing (2003)

You got your new album "quietly happy and deep inside" recently released. What can you tell about it? What can we old time fans expect from it?

a good strong album with a wide variety in song material and production. well worked through and dense. I hope...

You name-dropped me in a song, what's the story about that?

hehe. that song was written the day before I met you the first time. I think we had been in touch over email or so before and then you were coming down to meet up and I wrote that song the evening before. it's a song about two people being in love for the first time.

From the shelf #5 (best of 2008 this far)

2008-04-10T07:05:00.000-07:00

Some great albums from 2008 that I've discovered recently. Mostly in the indie/noise/techno-genre. I got to give these more time before ranking and judging
but they really hits a nerve in me. Great stuff.

The Kills - Midnight Boom

Fuck Buttons - Street Horrsing

Justus Köhncke - Safe and Sound

Also want to give a big hand to Nail Team Sweden in Gothenburg who fixed my broken nails before the show yesterday! I don't use a pick when playing guitar, and I have a constant fright about damaging your fingers on tour. So... my new nail extension is the biggest source of joy right now, I'm so glad it's actually works. Apparently it's made of a material that is stronger than natural nails.

From the shelf #4

2008-04-08T01:54:00.000-07:00

Or miscellaneous things I like right now... The Swedish novel Synopsis by poet UKON. Fantastic. Nominated for the August-prize last year. Buy it here

and T (Cafe @ Drottninggatan, Karlstad, Sweden) Best coffee in town. See more about it here

From the Shelf #3

2008-03-25T03:45:00.000-07:00

... or rather in the mail! Speaking of the devil, just got the new Bobby & Blumm album in the mail from Ella who I wrote about just the other day. It's lovely and finally a release from this year that is worth listening to. Sad to say but I haven't discovered new music in months. I will check out the new stuff from Justus Köhncke, Fuck Buttons, Borko and Mumlers soon though.

Bo-bo-bo Bo-bobby Baby! (Melody: Barbara Ann)

2008-03-23T07:43:00.000-07:00

My favorite Swedish artist is probably Ellinor Blixt. I run a small vinyllabel; Going Places and we got a tip about Bobby Baby and both me and the girl I run the label with was stunned. And we were so proud to have her on our first (and still our only) 7". Later, I also got to know the woman behind the alias and we've done a show together, also made some songs together and she sings on the song "Saved By The Bell" on my latest album "The Lake Acts Like An Ocean".

I've followed her musical progress with pleasure, besides the Going Places 7" (still available!) she also released the EP "Loves to Dance" 2006 on Red Letter Day and she has made all kind of lovely material available on her website. All with a blend of "real" instruments and electronic sounds. Ella's got a lovely and slightly odd voice and a tremendous sense for pop melodies. Since we first met she has moved to Berlin as well as launching a couple of new projects such as the band It's a musical and Bobby and Blumm and she has toured a lot. I have been waiting so much for a new physical release (though the free downloadable IAM-EP "The music makes me sick" is fantastic) but now it seems like the waiting soon is over. First up is a Bobby/Blumm-album on one of my favorite labels; Morr

* Ella, I know you're active in a number of projects, for an example Bobby Baby, Bobby & Blumm and It's a musical. I think your new band It's a musical is fantastic, probably the best you've done this far. Can you tell me a little of what you're into nowadays and also what the nearest plans are.

”Bobby & Blumm” have finished an album that will be released on the Berlin label ”Morr Music” on the 4th of April. I’m very excited because it’s my very first album release ever and I’m very happy with the result: songs, production, artwork and everything! It’s very thrilling and developing to work together with F.S. Blumm. I think he’s a genious in guitar playing and producing. In spring we plan to do some touring in Germany and Italy.

With ”It’s a musical!” we are just about to record an album, that will be released in early autumn. This will be the first time for me in a proffessional studio and I’m very much looking forward to get this experiance. We plan to make a wonderful pop album:) After the release we want to tour as much as possible! We love to play live and we know that we’re really good live:)

After I moved to Berlin 1,5 years ago and I met these wonderful persons to play with, the project ”Bobby Baby” has more or less fallen into a deep sleep, though I have toured quite a lot with it the last year. Instead I have been concentrating on writing songs for for ”It’s A Musical!” and singing in ”Bobby and Blumm”. This is what I always wanted; nice people to play with. I don’t know what will happen for ”Bobby Baby” in the future but for now I’m very much into these two new bands.

* You've been touring a lot. Which show of yours have been your own favorite and why? I myself love Italy. Do you enjoyed playing there?

I have played twice in Italy and both times were very nice. Or, what was the best thing about it was not the concerts but everything around it: travelling, see new nice places and people! That’s always awesome about the touring (when everything work out the way it’s supposed to, and it almost always did so far).

I have a favourite: the very first show I did in Berlin as ”Bobby Baby” in 2006. The venue was in ”Rundfunk der DDR” (a huge old building used in the GDR for doing radio). They told me that I was the first official concert there in 50 years! Nowadays they use it for recording symphony orchestras, since it’s brilliant acoustic in the hall. That was awesome! If I remember correctly I think around 250 people came.

* What are you currently listening to? Anything you feel special inspired by at the moment.

Since I got into the Morr Music family I have by curiousity been really enthusiastic about listening to the other artists on the label, which I like very much. Favourites are Guther, Seabear, Radical Face, The Go Find.

* We had a short-lived duo together, Liepaja. I get the feeling that you broke up our band as a punishment to me when I didn't dare to enter Tomas Ledin's dressing room (and say hi to him from you) at Storsjöyran Festival 2006? Could you confirm or deny this?

OK. I should have told you then but I was so furious. I’m sorry. But I really hope we can go on at some point, maybe after you moved to south of Sweden, where there actually are some possibilities to travel south in Europe..? We should at least record our perfect version of ”time after time”!

* I still have some unsold Bobby Baby 7"s at home. Do you have any idea what I could do with them?

You should keep them until I am a famous popstar and then you can sell them really expensive on ebay!

The Going Places vinyl EP. With two songs of Bobby Baby on one side and the US indie/folk-artist Daniel Smith on the other.

Helena Arlock + Gustav Haggren hits Europe

2008-03-21T05:28:00.000-07:00

Songwriter, musician and designer Helena Arlock is soon to be out on the European roads again together with Gustav Haggren (whom I wrote about here). Last year they made over 100 shows in Europe and US. As I also wrote, I met Helena and Gustav at a show in Uppsala, Sweden and since then we've talked about doing stuff together. Helena also made the music video for my song The Border.

MAR 28 - Eisen, Bremen (DE)

MAR 31 - Ä, Berlin (DE)

APR 01 - Desmet Live, Amsterdam (NL)

APR 02 - t'Elfde Genot, Sint Niklaas (BE)

APR 03 - Café Carnot, Kruibeke (BE)

APR 05 - Tonenburg, Höxter/Albaxen (DE)

more info over at http://www.gatss.com/tour.html

Interview with Helena Arlock

* You have your music featured in different Canadian tv shows. I'm very jealous. How have you managed to do that?

It's my wonderful publisher in Vancouver! He met the guys from Marilyn Records (SWE) at Popkomm in Berlin and since he didn't really work with the genres they had on the label,
Marilyn gave him my demo. Last year he came to one of my shows in Vancouver, BC, Canada and after that we signed a deal.

Publishers can be great, since they won't tell you what to do - as a label could - and they could almost be like a manager. Especially if you sign a non-exclusive deal, where you can have
several publishers that work at the same time in the same regions...

* You created my music video, saved my rather average performance in Uppsala with the delicate adds of cello, and you have agreed to play cello on my upcoming album. Are you that kind to everyone?

I love projects, I couldn't live without them! To be inspired by different songwriters and try to add something to the music is amazing. Both as a musician and as a designer. And especially when the music is very good.

There's so much competition in music these days, especially in Sweden. We should cooperate instead of fighting for the spotlight. You grow very much as a person and musician when you work with other people - and in different genres than you usually play..

* I've understood that you've made your first show with the solo project only about a year ago. Now, you have made over 100 shows. Exactly how much have you improved between show 1 and 100?

Well. it's been an intense year! And to compare my last show with the first one in Feb. 2007 - I guess a huge difference.

My solo project started out as a duo, making electronic lounge-pop. As I was going to tour USA and Canada bringing only my cello and Gustav (Gustav and The Seasick SAilors) and his guitar, I had to come up with something. I got myself a loop-pedal and nagged at Gustav until he brought his delay and waoa pedals.

The songs that I came to write last year became a bit more acoustic. Naturally - because on tour, you write on that out-of-tune piano in the backroom of that dirty venue somewhere in Virginia - compared to writing on a piano versus the computer before. That way I would also be able to play the songs live without having the audience surprised when they came home and listened to the CD. And the duo transformed into just me about half a year before we left
for the first tour. I guess my acoustic inner-me stepped out in the light then.

Since I've been playing in bands for many years, I was used to the stage - but not to the talking.
It feels like that has improved a lot during last year, at least I'm not as scared of the audience between the songs anymore.

* Last, how would you describe your own music? Which instruments do you play?

I guess it's a jazzy, indie pop something something. Always a hard question to answer yourself - as you know! I'll leave it there.

As for instruments...

I've been playing the piano since I was tall enough to reach the keys, my mother was trying to teach me how, but I was too stubborn - resulting in bad technique but a good ear for learning on my own.

When I was 8 years old I went to the school of music to see what instruments the had there, hoping to find a harp. Since there was no harp-teachers (my back is grateful for that today,
imagine touring with that as well...) I walked into the tiny room at the end of the corridor at the top floor. The smell of wood and a stream of sunlight hit the black knob - I was in love. I've been playing the cello since then.

When I was 18, I went on a trip to Gambia, Africa, with four other students from my school, a trip the school organizes every year. Except from learning the djembe, the songs and the dancing, we could choose one instrument to focus on a bit more. And there it was - the african "harp", the Kora.

I also play guitar, violin, a dinosaur flute, and a bit of other instruments I can get my hands on and find time to learn. Challenging and exciting!

Interview with Elina Johansson (Dear Euphoria)

2008-03-18T02:57:00.000-07:00

Me and Elina Johansson got to know each other a couple of years ago and we've done some stuff together since then. We've guested on some of each other's shows and Elina sung on two songs on my latest album "The Lake Acts Like An Ocean". Elina's solo project Dear Euphoria has been going on for some time now in different constellations, last year Stereo Test Kit re-released her 2005 debut album, this time eponymous (originally For Everything of Worth) and with new sleeve and bonus tracks (such as the lovely Falling Behind). Later this year they will also release a brand new album. Last autumn, she did a show at The Luminaire in London and now she has just finished a three week's tour (which I wrote about here) in Europe. I took the opportunity to ask her how it went.

* Elina, you just came back after a 3-weeks European tour, what was the weirdest thing happening on the trip? I read you performed in Hamburg television, what did they make you do? Did you notice any differences between touring abroad compared to doing shows in Sweden?

Many weird things happened. How to tell without anybody being exposed..? Mmm.. Maybe taking care of a half-unconcious bandmember in Amsterdam. Or sleeping in a sunchair after a soldout show in Leipzig. Or when the guy who we were the support-act for in Giessen (with whom which we shared a hotel-flat that night) entered our room and I was alone, unaware that somebody had put on porn on mute on the tv and left the room..

We performed 3 songs on a balcony on local tv in Hamburg.

One of the differences is that there is a bigger interest abroad. You get to do silly things such as sign autographs on the albumsleeve, posters etc. Fortunately Swedish music has a good reputation and the fact alone that you are a Swedish band gives you a head start. Other differences is that for example the Germans wants you to play really long sets and after that almost always wants two or three encores.

* I've understood that you're up to releasing an album later this year on the UK-label Stereo Test Kit, what's the news about it?

I guess the only thing I really know about it myself is that it will be released in September, latest October. Will have 11-12 songs on it. Maybe be followed by a new tour in Germany and UK.

* Your music in Dear Euphoria to me feels like a mixture of all kind of things, indie, pop, cabaret, avantgarde, electronica, jazz etc.. How do you label your own music, what bands or artists have been most important to DE and if you would record a cover version of a song, which one would that be?

Funny that you hear so many styles in the music. Hate labelling. Especially since maybe then I really have to accept the gap between what I would want it to be and what it is. But I think I would say it is a mix between Lowfi indie and athmospheric pop. Sigur Rós, Stina Nordenstam, Radiohead and Björk has been dear to my heart for a very long time. Oh covers.. Sensitive topic. According to me, If one do a cover it should be really great and personal.. Otherwise I don’t think one should bother.. So I don’t know if I would.. Can I get back to you on that one?..

* Thanks for singing on my album, you're the best! You have such a special voice, exactly how does it feel to be able to hit those high notes?

Thank you Thomas! It was my pleasure.
They are not really that high.. The trick is to make it look difficult.

White Brus

2008-03-16T03:40:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in last blog, I was recently re-introduced to a guy I've been in touch with years ago. Back then I was singing in Swedish and did horrible music while he made about as great music as now, though maybe slightly simplier. Delicate but rough electronica. I suggested to do music together back then and he was quite interested in that but nothing came out of it. Some years later we both played at Arvika Festival 2005, but didn't meet then. Now when we finally got the chance to hang out thanks to Helena who I wrote about in last post, I can say that Andreas Wallgren aka Brus (Noise) is one of the friendliest persons I know (and as always I measure friendliness in amount of beer given to me without claiming something in return).

* We talked about doing music together around 2000. Last weekend me met for the first time, how long do you think it will take before we make our first rehearsal?

Let's hope it won't take another seven years. Perhaps this summer?

* How would you describe your music? Could you mention some of your influences and what are your closest plans for the future?

My emotional output, and being overly full of positive and negative feelings I'm glad to release them sometimes. My most important influence would probably be OMD. They've meant a lot to me. My closest future plan is to release a CD album in late summer, most likely on my own label. The CD has already been offered distribution and promotion in the UK, so the preparation is hot.

* I'm currently very much into electronica and techno with DiskJokke and Justus Köhncke amongst my latest discoveries. Any of your favorites?

I haven't heard any of them, but I look forward to further introductions to them, Thomas. I myself is pretty badly little up to date with electronic music nowadays, and I often enjoy the same CD:s for years. As for electronica goes, I'm very fond of Autechre.

* You were played in BBC recently, what's the story about that?

The producer of the show contacted me and asked me if he could feature my song in his show. Later on I got to know that he'd heard my stuff through his girlfriend who was actually and old fan and friend of mine.

* Do you also have the feeling that we're two sides of the same coin?

Yes, and that coin is one of those collectable ones, and it's not one of those national coins. We really should duplicate a bunch of them.

trees, cats and panic - The music of Mine to Keep

2008-03-13T05:18:00.000-07:00

One new-found friend I've enjoyed very much collaborating with the last 6 months is Helena Sundström who makes music in her solo project Mine to Keep. She lives in the small city Trollhättan and after some correspondence digitally we met up in Gothenburg last year when Helena sung a duet with me on Sticky Finger's stage. We did a show together in February in Karlstad and last weekend we recorded a duet together, Ice Ferns, for Helena's upcoming cd. We will do another show together in just a week and I'd really love to hear her on some stuff on my next album. I liked her first self released EP from last year but the new material is a big step forward, really great. She also has introduced me to other great creative people from her area such as her man, the poet Johan Lindblom and the electro-musician Brus (whom I've been in touch with ages ago, but that's a topic for a future post).

* It was such a great evening when we shared the bill at our show in Café August in Karlstad (where I live). Did the 20 paying in the audience destroy my image as a big local rock star?

Yes, it was great. Thank you for inviting me! But oh no. I just think that people found it hard to believe that such a big rock star would play in their little town! That's probably why some of them stayed home and missed the whole thing.

* I'm also very proud to get the offer to cut harmony vocals on the song "Ice Ferns" from your forthcoming cd. Your music is very delicate and spans over several genres. How would you describe it and what do you count as key influences?

I find it very hard to describe music. Even my own. I would never make a music critic! Various reasons of course... It's in my head and then I try to transform it into tunes and chords. I think I kind of work backwards in a way. I always start with the lyrics, then I come up with a melody, sings it into my dictating machine and then try to find the right chords. My influences so far are people I love, people I don't love so much, loneliness, trees, cats, panic attacks, indifferences, hope, impossibilities, how to construct a life… But the songs are not always about me. I like Patti Smith, Interpol, Morrissey, Bright Eyes, Martha Wainwright, Rilo Kiley, The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Velvet Underground to name a few. And the last couple of years I have listened a lot to Arcade Fire and Antony and the Johnsons. I also love the Ramones although you may not be able to hear that in my music. Inspiration also comes from films, art and poetry…It makes me very happy that you wanted to sing with me on "Ice Ferns".

* You have your roots in poetry. Which are the biggest differences between writing poetry and song lyrics?

Not a big difference. I am kind of a word-collector. I do it even when I think I don..t want to. Always run around and write things down. Though I used to write my poetry in Swedish of course and it's a bit of a challenge to write lyrics in a different language like English. But I think it's much better that way. More words to choose from.

* You live in Trollhättan, it's a city that seems to be very proud of it's culture life. Thanks to you, I'll get the chance to hang around a lot there this spring. What are the best things the city has to offer?

Nothing really haha…I like the peace and quiet so I can focus on my songs and recordings right now. But yes, it's really good when it comes to arranging things like gigs or poetry readings and there's a beautiful art gallery in this city. We have a great poetry festival each spring and there's a lot going on in the film industry in Trollhättan. I have most of my friends and family here and I love the water, trees and fields just outside of the city.

Interview with Gustav Haggren

2008-03-12T10:51:00.000-07:00

I've been humming on Gustav Haggren's song Devil When You Cry for a good three months now. Gustav - solo or with his backing group The Seasick Sailors - has toured in almost enormous proportions last year when he launched the Indienational tour concept when a core of three artists shared a stage, occasionally with local acts for an in-the-round show. Whilst one artists play, the others is backing him up. In this very democratic and DIY-esque method Gustav last year made over 100 shows in US and Europe together with Helena Arlock and Christian Cuff. On the very last show Christian got to head back to the US, why yours truly got the chance to join Gustav and Helena on stage in Uppsala, Sweden. I had a great time, although it made it painfully obvious how weak a improvisation musician I am. Not the ordinary-fast-finger-finding-the-tune-in-no-time-artist there mister.

I know that Gustav is working on new material as well as working with his label Marilyn Records (with among others Rachelle Van Zanten and Shooting John on the roster). I took the opportunity to ask him a couple of questions to the blog.

Devil When You Cry - single, 2006

* My god, you made over 100 shows last year. Did it feel like a very long or very short year? Which show was the best, worst, strangest?

It was the longest year I have experienced since I started playing music. At the same time I feel I could have done 100 more. I have learned that it gets so much easier to play live when you play a lot. When you play the 5th gig on the 5th day it starts to feel like you go up on stage to spend some time with your friends. I noticed that I started to talk more and more with the audience. It felt sort of an exchange, if they were interested in hearing me play; I was as much interested in who they were and why they were there.

One of the best shows: Café Carnot, Kruibeke, Belgium. October 18

A great small dive bar outside of Antwerpen with the warmest atmosphere. It is run by a couple and they are there everyday until 5am. I’m going back in spring and I can’t wait. You sit there for a couple of hours and you get introduced to so much great music. This was the first show we booked for the European tour so it was nice it turned out to be one of the best.

Worst Experience: Scandinavian Folk Festival. Jamestown, NY. July 20

Don't get me wrong, this show was great, the people were brilliant and people were dancing. A great show but a bad experience. The problem was that we flew over with the seasick sailors to do a one week tour and this show was going to pay for our whole trip but the same morning I lost my voice. It turned out I had bronchitis and a good friend Desmond took me to a witch-doctor. After been drinking silver all day I was good to go…a miracle. I lasted for 50 minutes and so I was relieved I pulled it off. However when we are going down from stage a guy runs up to me and says that we are supposed to play for one more hour! So we did.

Strangest Show: IOTA, Washington DC. March 01

When we were travelling around in the US we paid for buses by selling cd’s mostly and one night we had a night of in DC and decided to play an open mic at this really cool place. I remember we were so broke that night and we were only allowed to play 2 songs. I don’t remember how many cd’s we sold that night night but it totally saved the financial issues for a while. That was very strange and very un-Scandinavian to me.

* You're working on your third album right now. What can you tell about it? After what I heard, it seems like the elements of European folk music is bigger than before.

The new album has been mean and turned its back on me many times. I think I finally got it now. Yes maybe there are some stronger influences from European folk, I have tried to move away from the Americana and focus on Folk as I see it…if that makes any sense. The album is also darker and more personal than anything I have done before. I have produced a lot myself and taken my time to throw away songs and write new ones. I think all of them have been written on last year’s tour. Since I toured a lot without band it might be less of a band-album than my previous ones.

* And now you're off for a new string of shows in Europe. Where do you play and what can the audience expect?

Well this tour is a follow-up from what we did last year. We call it Indienational Tour and it is a tour collaboration between musicians and songwriters. Anyway, this time Gustav and the Seasick Sailors and Helena Arlock and Shooting John will tour together but not with full bands. Me, Helena and Peder from Shooting John perform together with Patrik and Jon - the drummer and bass player from the seasick sailors. 3 shorter sets and the lead mic gets passed around.,.We will perform in Germany, Belgium and Netherlands.

THE SHOWS (29 MAR - 8 APR) GERMANY, BELGIUM, NETHERLANDS: HERE

A cheery wave from stranded youngsters - A talk with Hans Bally

2008-03-11T01:26:00.000-07:00

2001, I studied philosophy in Gothenburg. I met Hans Bally there, a multi-instrumentalist who earlier played in bands like The Mole Session, but last 5-6 years has made wonderful and complex music in his solo projects Bally and Po' Lazarus. His music consists of strange tunings and harmonies with twisted themes (such as the arctic and angel moth) that makes one think of giants like John Fahey and Nick Drake added with an indie pop twist. Definitely someone I want to work with, Btw probably the main reason for my blog in the end, to give my favorite musicians the feeling that they owe me something - something that will benefit my next album A LOT harharhar (evil laugh). Seriously though, most of Bally's catalog such as the magnificent two Lazarus-albums In Memoriam and Angel Moth, as well as the lastest Bally-offering From Discard to Derivation can be downloaded here. All of them are big favorites to me and deserve wider spreading.

* You have a collaboration project with Raymond Bally. Can you tell a little about that story? Could you consider collaborating with someone that doesn't have the same name as you?

B: We discovered each other on MySpace and liked what the other Bally was up to. We're not related even if we share the same rare surname. He send me a cd with him playing acoustic guitar and singing and asked if I liked to add a little something to his music. I gave it a try and thought that I could add a guitar or two, but when I got started on recording I ended up with recording everything from drums, bass guitar, electric guitars, backing vocals, organs, mallets and all other kinds of percussions. He liked what I did to his songs and asked me to produce his coming record. So that's what I'm up to right now. Recording more of his songs and having a great time. I love to be able to experiment as much as I like and he really inspires me to do that. The first result can be heard on his MySpace site www.myspace.com/raymondbally. He's releasing a single in the US now and an album later this year.

And, YES, I would love to collaborate more with other musicians, if I like their music!

* I think I've got all the cds with your solo projects Bally and Po' Lazarus and I think you're getting greater and greater all the time (and I really loved it from the beginning). You recently presented a piano piece about angel moth, could you tell a little about your two solo projects and what the plans are for the future?

B: I will release a new Bally album this spring. It will be less folk oriented than my last one. More electric guitars, piano and organs. I'm deeply in love with old 60's organs right now, building up a small collection of cheap organs. My new love is a Philips Philicorda GM752 that I bought last week. Nice! I don't know when I will record some new Po' Lazarus stuff. Everything I record under that name are always improvisations over musical and figurative themes and the recordings are made when I'm in a mood for longer instrumental improvisation. I have an obsession about nature's micro cosmos and arctic life. Moths are really interesting creatures. There are some lovely looking species that we rarely see due to their night activity. The music on Angel Moth was recorded during four or five rainy days and started out as a 17 minute improvisation on piano. That piece became the cornerstone for Angel Moth. Soldier bug, that is the second part of the album, started with a improvisation on acoustic guitar.

* You have a very unique guitar technique, I want to be that good myself, how did you do to learn that?

B: I don't think that I'm so good really. My guitar technique is all made up by myself. I have never taken any guitar lessons, but I had a history of music lessons in flute, violin, trombone and mandolin before I started playing guitar. The sound I create is basically build on me never using plectrums, always finger picking, and experimenting with all kind of odd tunings of my guitar. I'm always looking for new ways to play guitar and love to experiment on ways to play all kind of instruments.

* Which leads me to the last question. I'm currently working on an album about the arctic. I've come to that idea after listening to your cd "in memoriam", which in many ways makes me an idea stealer. Can we still be friends?

B: Ha, ha, I love your idea of recording an album build on the arctic. The world needs more arctic related music! The arctic life and the history of it's explorers are amazing. We will continue to be friends of course and I would love to be a part of your arctic adventure!

* (Hmmm, note to self: must write songs about angel moth)

Poster art of Lisa Bodland

2008-03-11T01:18:00.001-07:00

A picture I got tailor-made the other day from Lisa Bodland, whose book I wrote about here. I'm going to use this for a tour poster.

Last weekend, I've visited Trollhättan to hang around with my friend Helena Sundström. I also cut some harmonies for her upcoming astonishing cd. Her project Mine to Keep has a myspace-page.

Datafilm #1

2008-03-04T08:26:00.000-08:00

John Fahey - Lion (Live in Hamburg 1978). One of the greatest guitarist ever. The songs was originally on his fantastic album The Yellow Princess (1968) and this song has been my cell phone signal for a year now. If you like this one, you should also check in the album The Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death, which definitely makes it to my top20 album list.

Tom Waits - Cold Cold Ground (Live 1987)

Eminem's Åbro Commercial as seen on Fredrik Strage's top 100 youtube-clip list. I love this clip, Eminem and his crew are doing a kind of "commerical film" about the Swedish beer Åbro while being on tour. Of course they pronounce it "Ay' Bro'".

From the shelf #2

2008-02-29T00:32:00.000-08:00

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)

2008-02-25T04:01:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-21T00:49:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-20T01:05:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-14T06:52:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-13T01:11:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-13T00:40:00.001-08:00

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