Listening to her music, an otherworldly edge, surprising twists and powerful, haunting vocals make her much more than just another pretty folk-pop-acoustic performer. In other words, in Scandinavian music terms that Americans can understand, she's no ABBA retread and not quite the enigmatic eccentric of Bjork , but carving her own unique and welcome niche in the music world. Atlanta Retro writes about my music, my upcoming show at the Drunken Unicorn [...]
Came across Stiknord recently and have been obsessed every since. It's a beautiful collection of Nordic cultural artifacts and photography. The project come from the Kolding School of Design , their own description of the site follows. The idea behind this blog was to produce a digital mood board to be used as a part of an on going project at Kolding School of Design. By building a collection of texts and imagery dedicated to the aesthetics of the North, we want to ease the often repetitive, time and money consuming process [...]
Up and coming Swedish producer Adrian Lux is back with yet another bouncy piece of electro greatness. For this new release, he teamed up with English pop sensation The Good Natured, with lead singer Sarah McIntosh guesting on vocals. "Alive" seems to be a further step in the more radio-friendly direction Lux took with his previous single, the summer club hit "Boy" , which is still echoing in many clubgoers' ears. With crisp cut-up beats, catchy as hell vocals and a massive rave-worthy hook, "Alive" sure has the potential to be [...]
chamber folk // singer-songwriter Danish-born and Berlin-based songstress Agnes Obel possesses a natural sense of tone and melody as well as a truly faultless voice. The beautifully crafted somber folk melodies of her debut album Philharmonics (2010) linger in the air and stir the heart. While Agnes vocal delivery brings to mind the long-time Aurgasm favourite Ane Brun , the album ranges from romantic quirkiness of Joanna Newsom to echoes of Debussy. European readers might recognize the bright melody of "Just So", as the song was used by German telecommunications company [...]
icelandic composer // contemporary classical The cinematic nature of Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson's work has led him to work on countless soundtracks for documentaries, shorts and feature films. And In The Endless Pause There Came The Sound Of Bees (2010), composed as a soundtrack for Marc Craste's award winning animated film Varmints, embodies ghostly choirs, gentle strings, lyrical piano, all wrapped in the barely perceptible electronic processing that Jóhannsson is known for. Largely orchestral and choral, it is recommended for those of you, who enjoy the electronic synthesis of Fennesz, Icelandic melancholia [...]
icelandic composer // contemporary classical The cinematic nature of Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson's work has led him to work on countless soundtracks for documentaries, shorts and feature films. And In The Endless Pause There Came The Sound Of Bees (2010), composed as a soundtrack for Marc Craste's award winning animated film Varmints, embodies ghostly choirs, gentle strings, lyrical piano, all wrapped in the barely perceptible electronic processing that Jóhannsson is known for. Largely orchestral and choral, it is recommended for those of you, who enjoy the electronic synthesis of Fennesz, Icelandic melancholia [...]
I recommend "Ram Ram" by The Deer Tracks; it's a good mellow song with subdued glitchy beats and a catchy chorus. "Fight For Me" by Wildbirds and Peacedrums is also decent; it is an experimental mix of drums and choir. The rest while not bad, never matches the quality of the first song. &<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">lt</span>;A <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">HREF</span>=" http://<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; [...]
I've selected five fantastic Scandinavian pop artists for my latest Redradar post.
In this morning of unwelcomed labour, burdened by last night's aftermath, it's been a real pleasure to be helped out by the Röyksopp . Three songs, three singers, all of them scandinavian, all of them magnificent. These songs join the elegance of the electronic brushwork made in Tromsø with the character of these three muses from the cold North. The first is masterfully interpreted by Lykke Li , talented singer who's now elbowing her way to the big musical audience with her new album. The song's atmosphere reminds me a [...]
In questa mattinata di lavori forzati schiacciato dai postumi di ieri sera è stato un vero piacere essere soccorso dai Röyksopp . Tre pezzi, tre cantanti, tutte scandinave, tutte magnifiche. Queste canzoni uniscono tutta la raffinatezza delle pennellate elettroniche del duo di Tromsø con il carattere di queste tre muse del freddo nord. Il primo pezzo è magnificamente interpretato da Lykke Li , bravissima cantante che ora si sta facendo strada a spallate tra il grande pubblico musicale con il suo nuovo album. Ricorda un po' quelle atmosfere dei maestri [...]
avant-pop // glam folk-pop By the end of 2010, it's safe to say that British female-fronted pop projects strongly dominated the year's musical landscape. Florence Welch's charming extravagance, Natasha Khan's (Bat for Lashes) dark-ish melodies and Marina Diamandis' sparkling pop debut received critical acclaim on both sides of the pond. Fallulah , a.k.a. Copenhagen-based Maria Apetri, certainly reflects the current musical tendencies. While her debut album The Black Cat Neighbourhood (2010) offers quirky melodies and somewhat dark, richly layered soundscapes comparable the British diva invasion, she adds a [...]
I caught Let's Buy Happiness live a couple of weeks ago on the last leg of their tour and supporting 4 or 5 Magicians (who were great by the way) down in Brixton, and all I knew of them was that they had made their way onto the Guardian's New Band of the Day . It appears I've just been out of the loop then as they've already supported The Temper Trap and Idlewild and appeared at Glastonbury and The Great Escape. Whoops. I can't believe I have been missing out on the indie pop wonders [...]
It's a bit of a cliché to suggest there's 'something in the water' in Scandinavia, some secret additive that helps explain the unnatural beauty/height/musical prowess (delete as appropriate) of all those Nordic types... However, since we've never let pride get in the way of some good old hackneyed bloggery, may we be the first to suggest that the extreme awesomeness of Swedish youngsters Bård Ericson, Elias Smeds, and Johan Vati Graden is all down to some Chinatown-esque water contamination business. Nonsense of course, but the conspiracy theory angle is a good one [...]
Mew's official music video for the track 'Beach', off their 2009 album No More Stories Are Told Today I'm Sorry They Washed Away No More Stories The World Is Grey I'm Tired Let's Wash Away , is finally out! mp3: Mew - Beach ( alternate download link ) The members of Danish dream pop / alternative rock band Mew first met each other in the early nineties, when the four founding members worked together on a 7th grade art project. Their project [...]
contemporary orchestral // epic post-rock Known for his truly unique voice and the use of a cello bow on guitar, Jónsi Birgisson as a frontman of Sigur Rós is no less than a post-rock icon in the music world. The comparison of his solo effort to the ethereal sound of Sigur Rós is unavoidable. While Go (2010) carries those familiar enigmatic soundscapes and hypnotic arrangements, Jónsi takes a somewhat joyfully naïve approach for his solo work. "Go Do", the first single and album opener, evolves from layered vocal textures and graceful flutes [...]
Here's a real treat for all lovers of slick Nordic disco (that's everyone right?)… Prins Thomas ' highly-anticipated debut solo album will be dropping April 4th on his own label Full Pupp . From the days of Major Swellings to the infamous releases with Lindstrøm , this represents yet another direction for the man. What's more we've got hold of one of the album's new tracks for download, and it seriously whets the appetite for the disco delicatessen his self-titled album is sure to be. 'Uggebugg' is a classic Prins Thomas [...]
vocal // jazz With the flood of music coming from Sweden, Josefine Lindstrand's debut might be undeservedly left unnoticed. You won't find much about it on the blogosphere, but by no means mistake not: Josefine is not a beginner in the music world. Swedish singer and pianist, Josefine, has previously collaborated with Django Bates and Uri Caine, as well as indie pop artist Maia Hirasawa and lent her vocals on two of Efterklang's records. "Send Out The Singers", from There Will Be Stars (2009), features [...]
The official music video to the first single of Jónsi's upcoming debut solo album 'Go' has been released as shown below. A dark and glittery affair, the video is too fast paced for my liking but it defines Jónsi's style perfectly. 'Go' is now set to be released on the 5th of April 2010. The North American tour dates have been posted here and the first show is to be in Vancouver; a day after the album is released worldwide. No dates in other continents have yet been announced but [...]
Photography by Edulterado Hi friends! Hey... Wanted to say a little thank you to all the kind words that came my way after yesterday's post through out the various avenues of the internet. I really appreciate it and hopefully I can work through it toward a happy ending, we'll see, there's still a long way to go. I'm very sorry to be so esoteric (is that the right word?) but given who's involved, it needs to be. But, with the issue feeling like [...]
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