treemelody

Album Releases in 2012

2011-12-27T16:32:00.014+01:00

A list of albums I'm looking forward to! US dates.

JANUARY

1st
Guided by Voices - Let's Go Eat the Factory;

Stream full album on Spotify!

24th
First Aid Kit – The Lion’s Roar
Nada Surf – The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy

31st
Leonard Cohen - Old Ideas

FEBRUARY

7th
Air – Le Voyage Dans La Lune
Dr. Dog – Be The Void
Lindstrom – Six Cups of Rebel
Mark Lanegan Band - Blues Funeral
Mount Eerie - Distorted Cymbals 7"
of Montreal – Paralytic Stalks
Sharon Van Etten – Tramp
The Lemonheads - Hotel Sessions
The Twilight Sad – No One Can Ever Know

14th
The Cranberries – Roses
Field Music – Plumb
Shearwater – Animal Joy

21st
Archers of Loaf – Vee Vee reissue
Cursive - I Am Gemini
Damien Jurado - Maraqopa
Dirty Three – Toward the Low Sun
Lambchop - Mr. M
Memoryhouse – The Slideshow Effect
Perfume Genius – Put Your Back N 2 It
Tindersticks – The Something Rain

28th
Dirty Three - Toward the Low Sun

MARCH

6th
Andrew Bird - Break It Yourself
Bowerbirds – The Clearing
The Magnetic Fields – Love at the Bottom of the Sea

19th
Spiritualized - Sweet Heart Sweet Light

20th
Lee Ranaldo - Between the Times & the Tides

APRIL

3rd
Allo Darlin’ – Europe

MAY

9th
Codeine – Barely Real EP, Frigid Stars, The White Birch reissues

To Be Announced

The Avalanches
Beach Fossils
Best Coast
Black Sabbath
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band
Cat Power
Dan Deacon
Dirty Projectors
DOOM, Ghostface
Fiona Apple
GY!BE
Johnny Marr
Pearl Jam
Regina Spektor
Rufus Wainwright
Sigur Rós - Spring
The Beach Boys
The Knife
The Mars Volta
The Offspring
The Sea and Cake
The Shins
The Veronicas
The Wrens
The xx
Xiu Xiu
The Walkmen

Eight Miles High

2011-11-22T18:35:00.006+01:00

I recently came across several covers of the Byrd's gem Eight Miles High and thought what better than to share my faves in a blog post! Kicking things off with the original...

Download: Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians - Eight Miles High

And ending with a softer version...

Download: The Postmarks - Eight Miles High

((( Disclaimer: The songs are posted for sampling purposes only. If you like the music - support the artist! If you want something removed please leave a comment below. Thanks )))

Have you found any other good covers of this song? What are your favourite covers? (I feel a blog theme coming on...)

I just called to say...

2011-10-11T13:31:00.003+02:00

treemelody is on an indefinite HIATUS but will be back with more concert reviews and music docs.

Until then I leave you with one of the greatest pop songs ever written.

Phil Collins "the world won't listen"

2011-06-12T21:34:00.009+02:00

It's a sweltering day in June and visiting a museum is perhaps not the first thing that comes to mind, especially since that kind of weather is more exception than rule in Stockholm. However it proved to be the perfect setting in which to visit Phil Collin's exhibition in an old chocolate factory turned art museum in Sundbyberg, just north of the city. Outside the entrance you are greeted by the vista of a beautiful park which reminded me of an English garden and inside there is a café serving tasty lunches.

the world won't listen is a video piece in which Smiths-fans from Indonesia, Turkey and Colombia sing karaoke versions of the songs from this famous album. The exhibition is divided into three screenings in the same room although divided by walls so that the music and three different karaoke singers are played simultaneously. Then you can choose which one you want to watch or walk between them. My friend and I were alone in the exhibition so we ran back and forth and sang along and danced! The room was pitch-black and sound-proofed with the volume of a rock concert.

It was fun to watch all the men and women in different ages sing the songs in their own way. You could tell that most of them had very personal ties to the Smiths and lost themselves in the music whilst others were a bit embarrassed. Morrissey's lyrics manage to capture the different emotions and experiences of a human being which the singers expressed through their performances. One that stuck with me was a mid-twenties Colombian guy who sang "Asleep" with such intensity that you could see the tears in his eyes. Another is the sixties-styled Indonesian couple singing "There is a light". (See clip above... There are more on youtube but I really recommend you to visit the exhibition if you get the chance!).

Spending warm summer days inside... as Moz croons put me in the mindset and flunged me back to my seventeen year old self when I first discovered them. What I find fascinating is how The Smiths have gained an audience in all corners of the world which shows that we all can relate to the themes of the lyrics in some way. The Swedish television programme "Kobra" recently did a piece on the the band's popularity in Mexico.

Phil Collins shares this fascination for how mass media and popular culture affects and shapes the lives of its consumers. He uses pop culture, low budget tv and reportage-style documentaries to explore these relationships. In a day and age when everyone can be a star the need to be unique becomes more desperate.

The theme of fandom is also visible in the series of letters that a young Morrissey wrote to music magazines in London. There are also some large prints of defaced posters of Britney Spears photographed in New York's subway.

the world won't listen is on until 24/7. For more info visit Marabouparkens website.

Primavera Sound 2011

2011-06-04T22:10:00.020+02:00

Warning! Grainy, shaky footage...

A late night summary of my second visit to Primavera Sound in Barcelona, Spain!

DAY ONE
The festival got off to an unfortunate start due to the new ticket card system crashing. In an effort to create a better festival experience, electronic cards were used instead of paper tickets for drinks, food and ticket reservations. The system relied on wifi which when tens of thousands of people used simultanously gave way. However the lack of information was the most irritating aspect as people were queing to charge their cards with money they couldn't even use. I'm just glad that none of my must-see bands weren't playing on the first day! The first band I saw was Ducktails who surprised me with a more poppy sound than the experimental lo-fi I was expecting. Grinderman aka Nick Caves side-project was powerful with his familiar voice bellowing out dark lyrics over the crowd at the largest stage. Then on to cult-icons Suicide whose tunes were rather haunting played live. I stook around for "Ghostrider" and "Cheree", then peeked into the hut to see Las Robertas before heading back to the little Jägermeister stage where Ty Segall tore the place apart and I got to hear my fave tunes. Flaming Lips ended our evening and we were just in time for the big extravaganza that is their live show; confetti rain, huge balloons, sirens, girls dressed as Dorothy from Wizard of Oz cheerleading, blow up dolls... you name it! Somehow I felt like their songs didn't hold up as well live and perhaps that's why they need a lot of visuals. Coyne kept prompting the crowd to "Come on" as if they weren't giving him as much energy as he was giving them. Perhaps the card disaster had taken it's toll. The singalong to Yoshimi was nice though.

DAY TWO
I arrived early to collect my tickets to Sufjan Stevens that I won in the draw (yet another annoying change in routine). My friends had never heard him so I gave the other ticket to a happy fan from Portugal (hi Fernando!) and we managed to get seats in the front row! Sufjan's show was amazing!! Not having listened much to his latest album I was still blown away by the visuals and the band's outfits. In the middle of the show he paused to tell us about the inspiration for "The Age of Adz". It was a tender portrait of a man named Royal and Sufjan shared his own spiritual voyage with the audience which gave me a better understanding of him, both as an artist and as a person. The big finale was "Chicago" when people rushed to the front of the stage to dance and play with big balloons, perhaps borrowed from Flaming Lips?!

After Sufjan I met up with my company and had dinner on the hill at the main stage in the evening sun whilst M. Ward was playing. Add a spectacular view of the ocean to your left and the mountains with Tibidabo in the distance to your right and you've got a setting that's difficult to beat. I was curious to see the Pitchfork stage which had made a come-back from past years where James Blake was playing but you really had to get close to the stage to hear him over M. Ward. Instead I kept trekking to the far off stage Llevant which was partly on the beach where the National were playing. They did several songs from my fave album "Boxer" except for Ada (which Sufjan sometimes plays the piano on live as he arranged it!). Or maybe they did and I had already left...

Caught some songs of Jad Fair and Half Japanese and then wandered to the front of the ATP stage where Low where about to C'mon ;) It felt special to be close to the stage and get a stronger connection to them as their music encapsulated and lulled me into that soft, safe place. I then dashed back to the beach to catch a bit of Deerhunter whom I'm sorry to say, must be one of the world's most boring bands in my opinion. When they're good they're great but otherwise just meh. I felt the urge to shout "Micromix 13!" instead of one of their own songs...

Then I headed to Ray Ban to catch the last of Explosions in the sky which seemed atmospheric live but I probably had to be closer to the stage to really get into them. This year I chose quality over quantity of shows mainly because the distances between stages seemed vastly longer than before and there were people everywhere.
One of my highlights of this year's festival is a band who hadn't played a show in 15 years; PULP! Jarvis was like a new born foal in spring, running all over the stage and showing off is dance moves. It was a great big happy disco and a perfect end to a spectacular day!

DAY THREE
Always seems strange how fast the days fly past. Kicked it off with yet another dinner on the hill with the soundtrack provided by Fleet Foxes. Due to a mile-long que for the loo (those times you wish you were a guy) I missed a spot at the front of Kurt Vile & the Violators but wow, it was so great! My only complaint and others with me, is that the set was too short. However, they're coming by Stockholm in August! I was stunned that he wasn't booked for a bigger stage but glad he played Jäger which was probably my favourite stage of the festival. The rock 'n' roll party continued with Costa Ricans Dávila 666 (thanks for the tip Kelsi!) who I couldn't stop dancing to! They're coming over on Midsummer to rock the boat on Söder Mälarstrand - weehoo!

Amazingly I was just in time to see the end of Dean Wareham's set in which he played the two songs I wanted to hear the most; "Tugboat" and "Ceremony". He held up the big ATP stage very well and the sound was great. Was curious to see what Swans were all about but a craving for food won my attention mid-set. I was pretty geared up for Animal Collective having had "My Girls" on my brain radio the past month but their slot on the main stage at prime time was not well suited to their show. It never really picked up and felt introverted and just plain boring. On I strolled to Pitchfork were a happy surprise awaited; The Black Angels with a Brian Jonestownsy sound. This year was definitely in the key of rock for me.

As I waved goodbye to the festival site after another edition of fantastic music it felt good to know that I had one more show the next day before it was time to go home... Mercury Rev at the Poble Espanyol! Magical show in a fairytale setting. Just wished I'd arrived earlier on the Wednesday so I'd been able to see Comet Gain and Echo and the Bunnymen (why scheduled outside the main venue??).

Still, Primavera remains one of the best festivals in the world!

It's doc time!

2011-04-19T17:53:00.003+02:00

Can't wait for the festival season to kick in? The good people at the Primavera Sound festival in Barcelona have compiled footage from last year's edition to get you in the mood. It's a scramble of shots of performances, audience and general ambience with some interviews thrown in. Find them here.

I've been on the look-out for music documentaries to blog about when I came across Gail's post on Chickfactor. There you'll find docs about Nick Drake, Kirsty MacColl and one from 1967 called "The London Nobody Knows".

PLUS! I just found two more about the 13th Floor Elevators and Roky Erickson, available on Youtube.

If you want more regular updates from me then follow me on Twitter!

Vimeo Awards

2011-02-13T12:44:00.005+01:00

Take a look at the winners of the Vimeo Awards! Among them is The Bottle by Kirsten Lepore who won the Community Choice award for best animation. It's a wonderful stop-motion about overseas correspondence. Watch it in full-screen, HD, Vimeo quality.

I had the pleasure of seeing Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan last night. They were accompanied by guitar and contrabass, no drums, but that made their voices stand out even more. So breath-takingly beautiful!

You Won't Let Me Down Again (Hawk, 2010)

How I long to feel that summer in my heart

2011-02-04T17:03:00.012+01:00

Jonny = Euros Childs and Norman Blake. What a perfect match!
The album is out now on Turnstile where you can download an EP for free.

Here's an oldie but a goldie:
Gorky's Zygotic Mynci - Spanish Dance Troupe (audio only)

Artifacts

2011-01-16T10:43:00.007+01:00

by Adam Cadwell

The handy mp3 search engine, Hype Machine, has presented the top 50 artists, albums and songs of 2010 which they call Music Blog Zeitgeist. 950 top ten lists don't lie - this is the cream of the crop. You can read all about how they calculated the lists on their site.

But what's more, Hype Machine have collaborated with 50 visual artists who have made a drawing each for one of the top 50 artists. Inspiring stuff! You can also stream full tracks off the albums via Grooveshark.

If you want more eye candy I can recommend Daytrotter who do illustrated portraits of their featured artists. Music still loves art in the age of mp3:s!

R.I.P. Trish Keenan

Fresh! It's 2011

2011-01-10T19:48:00.008+01:00

New year - new releases! These are the ones I'm looking forward to the most. More to be added so check back.

JANUARY
11th
Tapes 'N' Tapes - Outside
Wire - Red Barked Tree

18th
The Decemberists - The King Is Dead
ROBERT POLLARD - Space City Kicks
Tennis - Cape Dory
White Lies – Ritual

25th
Cloud Nothings - Cloud Nothings
Deerhoof - Deerhoof Vs. Evil
Destroyer - Kaputt
Fujiya & Miyagi - Ventriloquizzing
Gang of Four - Content
The Get Up Kids (!)- There Are Rules
Iron & Wine - Kiss Each Other Clean
Monotonix - Not Yet
The Radio Dept. – Passive Aggressive: Singles 2002-2010

31st
The Go! Team - Rolling Blackouts

FEBRUARY
1st
The Dirtbombs - Party Store

9th
Cut Copy - Zonoscope

14th
P.J. Harvey - Let England Shake
Mogwai - Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will

15th
Bright Eyes - The People’s Key
The Dears - Degeneration Street

22nd
The Low Anthem - Smart Flesh
Tahiti 80 - The Past, The Present & The Possible
Toro Y Moi - Underneath The Pine

MARCH
8th
Lupe Fiasco - Lasers

15th
J. Mascis - Several Shades Of Why;

22nd
Bill Callahan - Apocalypse

29th
Hunx And His Punx - Too Young To Be In Love
Mountain Goats - All Eternals Deck
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Belong
Radiohead - The King Of Limbs

APRIL
4th
Bibio - Mind Bokeh

5th
Ray Davies - See My Friends

12th
Crystal Stilts - In Love With Oblivion
Elbow - Build A Rocket Boys!
The Feelies - Here Before
Low - C’mon
Meat Puppets - Lollipop
Panda Bear - Tomboy
Sonny And The Sunsets - Hit After Hit
TV On The Radio - Nine Types Of Light

26th
Julian Lynch - Terra
Thao & Mirah - Thao & Mirah

MAY
3rd
Architecture In Helsinki - Moment Bends
Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
Stevie Nicks - In Your Dreams
Gruff Rhys - Hotel Shampoo

10th
The Antlers - Burst Apart
Booker T - The Road From Memphis
The Cars - Move Like This
Okkervil River - I Am Very Far
Raphael Saadiq - Stone Rollin’
This Will Destroy You - Tunnel Blanket

24th
Thurston Moore - Demolished Thoughts

31st
Eddie Vedder - Ukulele Songs

JUNE
7th
Black Lips - Arabia Mountain

14th
Junior Boys - It’s All True
Woods - Sun & Shade

Gallerista

2010-08-26T23:01:00.007+02:00

by Piermario on Flickr

One of my favourite pastimes is browsing photos on Flickr while listening to music and when I see an image that I particularly like, I make it a "favourite". My collection of faves is always growing and from time to time I display some of them under certain themes in "Galleries" on Flickr. Please take a look if you have a minute, there are so many talented photographers out there and it's very inspiring to be able to share one and other's work!

Welcome to my galleries!

Keepin' it real-uh!

2010-08-17T17:26:00.006+02:00

It's documentary time again! Featuring a man who is "attitude personified" to quote Tony Wilson. He is both controversial and inspiring for his refusal to conform and need to speak his mind and deliver the uncensored truth. I am of course talking about Mark E Smith of The Fall. It all began with him reading his poetry with his mates providing a live soundtrack of bass, guitar and drums. Sprouting from the punk movement it grew into a roaring engine fueled by fiercer lyrics which the music seemed to mirror with raw, aggressive playing. They started to get noticed as an interesting, chaotic live act but the music and Smith's distinct vocals seemed almost as controversial as his lyrics and wasn't everyone's cuppa. What became clear though was that Smith had talent.

The band got a few tv performances and tours abroad and had a lot going for them but it didn't take long before the typical dilemma arose of some members wanting to go for the gold and play to a broader audience. The charasmatic front man's resistance to selling out and other conflicting visions within the band has led to him being the only constant member during their long history of several decades! And MES is showing no signs of throwing in the towel yet. He'll probably keep making records as long as he's alive. And thank goodness for that because to me he is such a refreshing element in a music scene where (almost) noone seems to dare or care to voice their opinions on important issues, whether it's unemployment or the recording industry. However the documentary portrays the struggle of holding on to your ideals and staying true to yourself when at the same time needing to maintain appreciation from your audience, especially in the later days of the band. Although I think Mr. Smith can rely on his loyal following of both old and new fans, drawn in by Mark E's anti-star quality and fantastic rock music, and empowered by the punk spirit.

The first of 9 parts available on the tube.

The (24) Peel Sessions are mighty!

Heavenly Pop Hits

2010-06-19T22:19:00.009+02:00

I just found a great documentary about the New Zealand music scene during the eighties and nineties. It tells the story of the legendary label Flying Nun Records whose DIY work ethic gave birth to the famous Dunedin sound and is home to bands like The Chills, The Bats and The Clean. All of them still tour and release records, much thanks to people like Stephen Malkmus and other bands listing them as important influences. The documentary also shows the strengths and limitations of releasing music the DIY way without large funding or big company bosses trying to interfere with production. Although mistakes were made and many of the bands unfortunately didn't reach their full potential, the label won international acclaim for its unique sound which captured that era and can be recognized as an influence on today's music. The label has recently started up again with the ambition to put out re-releases and take on new kiwi bands, yay!

There are nine episodes available on the tube. Here's the first one, followed by a couple of videos.

Gimme the awesome!

2010-06-13T18:39:00.011+02:00

I missed Owen Pallett's early performance at Primavera Sound in Barcelona, except for the last song which happens to be one of my faves; The CN Tower Belongs To The Dead. When searching for vid's from the festival I came across his cover of Caribou's 2010 hit Odessa. It sends chills down my spine, it's so cleverly crafted!

Primavera Sound was heaven and I wish I could go there every year for the rest of my life. For a selection of pics; Flickr. Plus a mix:

My latest musical crush are The Feelies! Velvet Underground meets 80's jangle pop with Crazy Rhythms (which is also the name of their cult classic). Check 'em out!
Fa cé-La (via Hype Machine)

Laaaaaaater

Showtime

2010-05-14T16:46:00.001+02:00

I've recently had the privilege of seeing two great bands!

Caribou was a wonderful surprise! I didn't know what to expect of Dan Snaith's experimental music in live format. His latest album took a lean towards house music as a change from his signature mix of indierock riffs and electronica and so the possibility of it just being Dan and some machines struck me. Therefore I was pleased to see the stage set up with two drum kits, guitars and pedals galore, keyboard etc. The venue was far from crowded, perhaps due to an unusually early show or the strange idea of hosting a reggae club afterwards. It made for an intimate gig and a real treat for the audience.

I was absolutely blown away by the performance! The band had a great dynamic with Dan and the drummer up front and the bass player and guitarist/keyboard player at the back, creating powerful build-ups that developed into insane jams. The drummer looked like Ian Curtis on drums and was soaked after the encore, and when Dan broke out a recorder I almost fainted. They really gave it their best efforts.
Here is some footage from the 2010 tour to give you an idea of what it was like. It wasn't as dark though.

Plus a mini documentary as this is what my blog seems to specialize in now!

The second gig I saw was the Brian Jonestown Massacre! I had been gearing up for this show all week by watching the documentary; DiG! (a must-see even if you've never heard them) and youtube clips. Again, not knowing what to expect from this band live added to the excitement. Anton is notorious for his outbreaks on stage that sometimes lead to fights with the band members and/or audience. Debaser Slussen has quite a small stage and the place was packed. The crowd was roaring and the atmosphere full of anticipation! The 8-piece band came on at the announced time and did a fantastic, tight set with almost all their best known songs. Anton was in a good mood despite technical problems with mics and some idiots mucking about in the crowd to which he just said "No fighting!". They played for a little over two hours, no encore, and really got into it towards the end and were more talkative. I've understood that Matt Hollywood and Mr. Tambourine Man don't always tour Europe so I'm glad I got the chance to see them!

Here is the last song from the show and you can hear me shouting a faint "woo" after Matt joking about how many girls it would take to get his shirt off haha (which read "i <3 swedish girls"). WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

I Need That Record!

2010-04-20T18:07:00.002+02:00

...is a documentary about the decline of record stores. It informatively covers the factors that have forced them out of business and features interviews with the store owners, independent labels and musicians like Thurston Moore and Ian MacKaye. It caused me to feel both heart-broken and angry but also made me think about how I listen to music. I miss vinyl and CD; the fuller sound and artwork that comes with them can't compare to an mp3. The latter is less tangible and I'm afraid that I'm going to lose my Ipod library one day! Still the powerful effect that music has on people is the same, no matter what format.

This is one documentary you don't want to miss. Pitchfork are offering a free streaming of the entire film, for one week only so hurry! Or buy it...

Below is a video of the Black Keys performing at an in-store gig of which a short clip was shown in the documentary.

Enjoy!

I'm really into Wilco's latest release (the camel record) and they have a solid back catalogue to delve into :) Looking forward to seeing both these bands this summer!

The Magnetic Fields Documentary

2010-03-09T11:26:00.009+01:00

The directors are documentary film maker Kerthy Fix and Gail O' Hara who has been photographing the band for years. See her fantastic photos on flickr! The world premiere is on March 15th at SXSW.

Also here is a recent interview by The Quietus with the one and only Stephin Merritt.

I look forward to seeing them play a church venue in Stockholm on March 24th!

The Morning Benders - Excuses

2010-03-06T13:19:00.011+01:00

I'm probably the last person to post this video but it's soooo good!
Their new release Big Echo drops on March 9th but you can already stream it HERE.

Releases in 2010

2010-02-14T13:21:00.024+01:00

My pick of (confirmed) new releases in 2010 that I'm looking forward to or seem interesting... Loads more to be announced so watch this space!

JANUARY
Owen Pallett – Heartland
Spoon – Transference (Merge)
Eels – End Times
Citay – Dream Get Together
Magnetic Fields – Realism
Beach House – Teen Dream
Charlotte Gainsbourg – IRM
Four Tet – There Is Love In You
Basia Bulat - Heart Of My Own;

FEBRUARY
2nd
Midlake – The Courage of Others (Bella Union)
Mount Eerie – Black Wooden EP (Latitudes)

9th
Massive Attack – Heligoland
Hot Chip - One Life Stand
Gil Scott-Heron - I'm New Here
Watson Twins - Talking To You, Talking To Me

11th (UK)
Fionn Regan - The Shadow of an Empire

16th
Adam Green - Minor Love
Juliana Hatfield - Peace And Love
Tindersticks - Falling Down a Mountain
Field Music – Measure
Wu-Tang - Return of the & Friends

23rd
Brian Jonestwon Massacre - Who Killed Sgt. Pepper?
David Byrne and Fatboy Slim - Here Lies Love
The Radio Dept. - Clinging to a Scheme
Shout Out Louds - Work
Xiu Xiu - Dear God, I Hate Myself
Rocky Votolato – True Devotion
Eluvium – Similes
Shearwater – The Golden Archipelago

MARCH
1st
Sam Amidon – I See The Sign

2nd
The Besnard Lakes - The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring Night

9th
Frightened Rabbit - The Winter Of Mixed Drinks
jj - jj no3
Liars - Sisterworld
Pavement - Quarantine The Past: The Best Of Pavement
Josh Rouse - El Turista
The Morning Benders - Big Echo
Broken Bells - S/T

22nd
Laura Marling – I Speak Because I Can

23rd
She & Him – Volume 2
Jonsi (Sigur Ros) – Go
Black Tambourine – Complete Recordings
Radar Brothers – The Illustrated Garden
Autechre (Deluxe Edition) - Oversteps

30th
Erykah Badu – New Amerykah Part II: Return of the Ankh

APRIL
6th
Lali Puna - Our Inventions
Sally Seltmann (formerly New Buffalo) – Heart That's Pounding

20th
Roky Erickson (13th Floor Elevators) - True Love Cast Out All Evil
Caribou – Swim
Apples In Stereo - Travellers In Space And Time

MAY
4th
Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record

11th
The National – High Violet
Phosphorescent – Here's To Taking It Easy

18th
Club 8 – The People's Record
THE BLACK KEYS - BROTHERS

JUNE
8th
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Before Today
Teenage Fanclub - Shadows
Olafur Arnalds - ...And They Have Escaped the Weight of Darkness

14th
Mountain Man - Made The Harbour

15th
Cowboy Junkies - Renmin Park
Devo - Something For Everybody
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Mojo

22nd
Stars - The Five Ghosts
Kele Okereke (Bloc Party) - The Boxer

JULY
6th
Robert Pollard - Moses On A Snail

13th
Danger Mouse And Sparklehorse - Dark Night Of The Soul
(Listen here!)
Sun Kil Moon - Admiral Fell Promises

20th
Department of Eagles – Archive 2003-2006

AUGUST
3rd
Wavves - King Of The Beach

24th
Eels - Tomorrrow Morning

31st
The Clientele – Minotaur

SEPTEMBER
7th
Interpol - Interpol

14th
Of Montreal – False Priest
The Vaselines- Sex With An X
The Walkmen – Lisbon

21st
Latitia Sadler – The Trip

28th
Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest
No Age – Everything In Between
Women – Public Strain

OCTOBER
5th
Clinic -Bubblegum

Banksy hits the big screen

2010-01-24T12:13:00.005+01:00

Today is the premiere of Banksy's film Exit Through The Gift Shop at Sundance! He (she?) is one of my favourite artists for so many reasons and a true inspiration. I think the work speaks best for itself; loud and clear! It will be interesting to see if the movie reveals more of Banksy's persona, not neccesarily his/her appearance but hopefully an interview...

I just found out about Howl, also showing at the festival, starring James Franco as Ginsberg! Golden.

Another up-coming feature is The Runaways with Kirsten Stewart playing Joan Jett and Dakota Fanning as Cherie Currie. 2010 is definitely K-Stew's year.

So many movies to look forward to this spring!!

Music Appreciation Society

2009-11-01T16:11:00.011+01:00

I can't get enough of this cover of Nick Drake's classic "One Of These Things First". Or La Blogotheque's Take Away Shows as you can see from past entries! Anyway, this is pure brilliance. The way Camille uses her voice like the mulitfaceted instrument it is, harmonizing with Pier's soft vocals and gentle plucking of the guitar melded with the warm sound of Dominique's cello. I really like this slowed down version.

Staying on the topic of covers, there seems to be a sudden explosion of musicians covering both old and new songs. Are they beginning to run out of material or has the time come to pay homage to artists who are an inspiration to them? Captain Obvious offers up several examples of this (1, 2) and there are numerous blogs about covers such as Blowin' Your Cover. I like covers if they are done with respect for the original song. It can be interesting to hear a new take on a track and in some cases the cover outshines the original, in others it's a cringing disaster you wish you'd never heard.

Here are some good ones on Spotify. More to come.

Among trees - a gallery curated by... me!

2009-10-29T20:00:00.008+01:00

I've been wanting to showcase my favourite photos by other people on Flickr so I had to try out the new Galleries function. Flickr has limited the amount of photos in a gallery to 18, making it very difficult to choose! But with a specific theme in mind I decided to go with the initial feeling that an image evoked in me, which in some cases is mixed and hard to put your finger on. That's what I love about photography; a picture can say more than a thousand words. I've found a creative outlet for my thoughts and feelings and the opportunity to get a glimpse into other people's worlds, both real and imaginary. There are so many talented, creative, kind souls who inspire and encourage and who have helped me develop tremendously since i started my Flickr. I think I've explored every possible setting on my little digital camera and so I'm looking into getting a more advanced camera which I'm of course very excited about! It will probably be a more powerful digital but given my love for film (as you can see from my favourites) I might get an analog... too. If anyone with an interest in photography happens to read this, which DSLR is best value? Which is your favourite analog camera?

Click the thumbnail photo to visit the gallery. Some of my other galleries on Flickr: All is dream, Let's go hiking!, Amazing black & white or all galleries.

Motion Picture

2009-10-18T00:02:00.006+02:00

I made a Vimeo account where I have uploaded some short video clips.

♫ Cover Your Wounds With The Sky by Six Organs Of Admittance from their new release Luminous Night (Drag City)

Catch the wave

2009-09-18T20:16:00.005+02:00

Apparently a new genre called Chillwave has arisen. Here is a taste of it!

FRESH!

2009-09-03T21:02:00.005+02:00

The gift of sound and vision!
New album: Two Sunsets.

Dr. Stringz

2009-05-07T19:47:00.001+02:00

If you ever get the chance to see Andrew Bird then all I can say is take it! He is such an amazing musician and performer. The rich blend of music styles, intricate melodies and heartfelt lyrics of scientfic nature make for a unique experience, without being pretentious. This charming man has the ability to leave the audience fully satisfied yet curious for more... Spellbinding! Did I mention that he's a professional whistler?

Stockholm, 2009-05-03

Two pics from the concert can be found on my Flickr.

Tenderly

2009-04-10T11:31:00.001+02:00

Musique Automatique

2007-12-14T02:18:00.000+01:00

Take Away Shows

I found this link the other day and was instantly captivated... What a thrilling idea! It's like a sound riot, nay wonderful music. You would expect more people to follow musicians like Andrew Bird through the streets... Paris is where it's at.

Cream of the crop

2007-11-20T03:14:00.000+01:00

Last night I watched a dvd of Blind Faith's concert in Hyde Park anno 1969. The sound was suprisingly good and the footage of a hundred thousand shiny people was fun. Ginger Baker!!!!!! Their version of Stone's "Under my thumb" is brilliant. Check it:

Peace V

Cooling by sound

2007-11-15T17:14:00.000+01:00

Snow has come blowing a breath of fresh air. Lo-fi pop from darlings Pipas and the ethereal tunes of Brittle Stars (all of which are streamble at Last.fm yay)!

Pipas: Home|Myspace|Last.fm
Brittle Stars: Home|Myspace|Last.fm

Seen live

2006-06-27T10:46:00.015+02:00