is this heaven

Those Dancing Days - Those Dancing Days


Swedes, natch. This just adds fodder to my perm-lust.

Klicktrack, I think I love you.

I learned about First Aid Kit from Brooke. They are on the roster at Rabid Records in Sweden, the Knife's own label, which normally has a policy of never taking on new artists. That should tell you something. I couldn't find it anywhere cause it's not out yet in the US, but thank you Sweden, for Klicktrack. I always seem to find the album or remix that can't be found elsewhere, and it's always so cheap.

mp3: First Aid Kit - Our Own Pretty Ways

Waking up to a new video from Lykke Li is nice. A second for "Breaking it Up," this time live.

Remix Tuesday

Am I still allowed to call it that if I don't do it every week? Well, it's Tuesday, and I want to listen to some satisfying remixes. These remixes. With you.

mp3: Goldfrapp - A&E (Maps Remix)
mp3: MPTP - Jim Morrison (Zeigeist Remix)
mp3: Timbuktu - Låt Nr. 92 (Kocky Remix)

The Electrospiracy: An open letter to The Knife

Dear Karin and Olof,

Really? Zeigeist and The Knife are unrelated? So you didn't just create a new band so you could make an easy dance record without comparison to your dark and creepy past work? When your record is leaked in the U.S. with a song tacked on the end by another band that sounds exactly like you, you don't care? Someone uses you, making the world think their song is by you so people will listen, and you do nothing. Except play that song at your rare live shows? Really? No, Karin and Olof, I believe you are not only the geniuses of The Knife, but you have masterminded Zeigeist as well. Both from Gothenburg, Sweden. Similar programming styles. You both just happen to like synth steel drums and vocal pitch manipulation? Both employ elaborate costumes, masks, and theatrical aesthetics, in the same town, and you aren't at least friends or enemies? Really. Karin, aren't the lyrics "I would let you taste my honey" just a veiled reference to your old band Honey Is Cool? We see through you.

Kind regards,
Jo


Around these parts, the consensus is that The Knife are pulling one over on us. Which wouldn't be a surprise, what with the mystery they have always loved to feed us. I know Zeigeist play live, and Karin is not on stage, but there is an explanation. Karin has a golem! Here is her animatron.There is probably a some info floating around in Swedish that I can't understand (yet) that explains all of this. But would I believe it? Someone who has some insider information, please clear up the mass confusosity. In the mean time, love Zeigeist as you love The Knife.

"Bunny" is incredible. Listen and tell me you don't believe the electrospiracy theory.

mp3: Zeigeist - Bunny

And the one we all thought was "F as in Knife" for a while, is in fact "Tar Heart" by Zeigeist.

mp3: Zeigeist - Tar Heart

theknife.net
zeigeist.eu

relief

I have been having some serious iTunes drama in which it would freeze when playing music from my external hard drive. I had just about convinced myself to get a new computer with a huge hard drive that would hold all my music. But reformatting the drive and uninstalling/reinstalling/rereinstalling iTunes seemed to be the cheaper option. So now I can finally access my music again. Hallelujah!


And a Hallelujah for new Radio Dept.! They'll have a new album, Clinging to a Scheme, out in September. Freddie & The Trojan Horse is the first single. It's scary how good The Radio Dept. is. I would make a movie to let them soundtrack it, I would get married to have them be my wedding band.

mp3: The Radio Dept. - Freddie & The Trojan Horse

dear lykke,

You sort of remind me of Whitney on The Hills (the only good part of that show). Except you can sing and dance. Please keep making bonkers but brilliant videos. Also, I love your huge pants. Bowery Ballroom, here I come.

Jag vet något

Apparently more than 2% of the visitors to this blog view it in Swedish. So maybe one of them knows whether I said that right. My brother, recently returned from Korea, keeps speaking Korean to me. So I practice Swedish on him. He thinks all I ever say is "It's over there." It seems like to get the pronunciation right you have to keep your mouth almost closed and barely move your jaw. That's pretty hard for us loud Americans.

Some new Swedish music has been floating around here too. I only have time to mention one right now, The LK. I like the way they introduce themselves.

The LK is Lindefelt and Fredrik. They are a borderline pop duo from some of the more violent parts of Scandinavia. They are equally fond of bricks, spooky cinemas, rough weather, Mary Wilson, and Merzbow. Lindefelt has a brain condition that makes him confound sounds and colours. Fredrik is a chef. Fredrik is a dog person. Lindefelt isn't. The full name of the band is The Love of Kevin, Colour, Chaos and the Sound of K.

mp3: The LK - Blakboy Vs. The Snow

Hear more at LKspace.

do your voodoo

I've been in a Radio Dept. sort of mood lately. Ambient Swedish pop sits well with all this yearning for spring. Especially Boat Club. Somehow Swedes can get away with trying to sound tropical. Maybe the sound waves will melt the snow by Spring equinox.mp3: Boat Club - Warmer Climes
from the mini-album Caught the Breeze

to the max

Thanks everyone for playing Sad or Sadcore with me. That was fun. Let's do it again soon. If you haven't played, scroll down and rock the vote with your opinion on oversized reproductive organ trophies. Looks like the majority is going with "sad." I agree.

Here's something exciting. Dirk has finally started a blog! It can be found at Forty-one Gorgeous Blocks. It is fresh and slimy from the womb, but it will be a sure spot for entertainment and has been added to my peeps links.

I feel like there is a little catching up to do here, in the music realm. For some reason I want to remind you that when I post music it's because I actually really like it, or love it, or am completely obsessed with it, and want it to be part of your life too. Not just because I need something to post or someone asked me to or whatever. So. A few things that've been in my ears a lot lately...

mp3: M.I.A. - Paper Planes (DFA remix)
Funkosity. There are rumors that she's coming here to SLC to play at the Depot. This is from a decent source, but I have yet to corroborate it.

mp3: Miss Kittin - Barefoot Tonight
My theme song. Having to wear shoes is the pits, especially on the dance floor.

mp3: El Perro del Mar - I Can't Talk About It
I can't decide whether to go to L.A., San Fran, or NYC to see her with Lykke Li in the LadySwede extravaganza. Ayayay!

Hmm this post is ugly without something interesting to look at. I'd very much like to gaze at this for a while.

videosity

I had a little video fest with Dirk the other day. Here are a few we watched that are worth some attention.

Annie Lennox & David Bowie's tribute to Freddy Mercury
Under Pressure is one of my favorite songs of all time. This rendition is spooky and amazing and Annie and David have one intense moment there.


mp3: Annie Lennox & David Bowie - Under Pressure (live)

Revl9n's Someone Like You
A discovery of Dirk's, we like to pronounce it "Revel-nine-en" and of course, they're Swedish. I love it when the beat kicks in and everyone's shoulders are suddenly going.


mp3: Revl9n - Someone Like You

Yelle - ACDG remix
SERIOUS French dance moves here from some noted Tecktonikers. We've been studying the arm-swoop head-loop back-head-thrust arm-hole-punch-through sequence. We owe Jory for this one.


mp3: Yelle - À Cause Des Garçons (Tepr Remix)

she knows your hands will clap

Just in case you were wondering, you can get from London to Stockholm for like 5 quid. If you weren't wondering how to get to Stockholm, you should be after you listen to this.


Lykke Li mania is going round and thank goodness she didn't make us wait any longer for an album. Youth Novels came out last last week in Sweden and you can get it here. Lykke is the one who made this video for "Little Bit" that has gotta be in my top 5 or so music videos ever.

Its not out in the U.S. yet but paying extra to get the import will be worth it. It was produced by Bjorn of Peter, Bjorn & John, in all his Swedish glory, and Lykke herself is full of entrancing wiles. Youth Novels is zero filler and is perfectly ordered. It flows from subtle catchiness that makes you have to shimmy to a slow motion sun-hazed day in the park with a little strategic falsetto here and there, and a touch of dirr'y synths for good measure. Mark my words, this will be on everyone's lists come December.

mp3: Lykke Li - Hanging High

You can hear several other songs on Lykke's myspace.
Jory has given us the heads up about those RIP comments on her page, which had just be some evil hack. Effin myspace.

bow ho

Several weeks ago I was at my mom's house when her Time magazine arrived and we a freaked out. Her dream and my dream, the classic Ferragamo pump in all the colors, was on the cover. This is the perfect shoe, timeless and comfy. I remember my mom wearing it in navy for all my youth, and I've been searching for a good knock-off since I can't quite afford the real thing right now. So what did I find last week?
I had to refrain from getting the hot pink and white ones as well. They were a total steal, on sale and at about 1/15th the cost of the real thing, but still from a quality maker I know and trust. Not shopping for myself during the holidays is not happening this year.

mp3: Jenny Wilson - Let My Shoes Lead Me Forward

Shelflife briefing

Here's something I was happy to see in 2007--a rejuvenated Shelflife records. They are the home of more than milk favorite Majestic, and have an aesthetic of 60's pop inspired twee, shoegaze, etcetera, etcetera, that left us missing them the last couple years during their downtime. But now they have a fresh new online home awhere you can sample the back catalog. Plus they're back in the swing of regular releases with new artists, one of which is Warm Morning, who should be sharing a spot under a tree in the park with Pas/Cal, who by the way have finally finished their full-length with a new title, I Was Raised on Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Laura with an early '08 release promised (I'll believe it when I see it). Anyways, Shelflife are also releasing an ep from Days, who will be opening up for their fellow Swedes Shout Out Louds in December. Can't wait to see what else they're cooking up.

mp3: Warm Morning - Silver Rain
mp3: Days - Downhill

be a Robyn VIP

Robyn.com, home to our favorite crazy Swedish pop queen, has launched a vip area that you can sign up for and get access to exclusive audio and video content, desktops, and contests, among many other things. To see how bonkers her moves are, watch the rehearsal and live videos for Cobrastyle. Check it out here.

mp3: Robyn - Handle Me (Chopstick & Johnjon Remix)

wednesday stream of consciousness

Every time I schlep to or from my mom's place, I pass this little billboard and every time it makes me want to listen to this:

mp3: Snook - Mr. Cool

Apparently, Snook have been playing this live mashed with Seven Nation Army. For the record, Big Danne is still the wallpaper on my phone.


Speaking of mister cool, sometimes I remember Chilly Willy and nobody seems to know what I'm talking about. Refresh your memory and watch the theme song. A rotary phone of ice fishing holes? Genius.

And now twenty minutes later I'm YouTube trapped. But how was I supposed to resist watching The Littles when I haven't seen it in twenty years? The thing about this show is every single character had really great forelocks. I've actually thought about that hair a bizarre amount over the years. Maybe it's a sign for my upcoming cut.

mostly this is for the two of you who i know will freak out over this

Alright. This is it. I'm quitting school and moving to Stockholm.



Anyone who makes a video like this is my idol. I guess I'm just a sucker for that lighting. This is Lykke Li, whom two of the biggest music blogs have been hyping and apparently this week in nyc she blew everyone away. So far it seems she has a lot going for her: the hometown, the producer, the giant bun. Seriously, that hair rocks. And I don't care what comparisons people make, there should be a hundred more Robyns, Jenny Wilsons, and Annies before there's another Bright Eyes. Watch the take away video and if your pants aren't charmed off, we're not friends. And for all those real facts and details and mp3s, read those bigger blogs. I'm ready for what's coming, Lykke.

cheese out

I don't really know how to tell you this cause I can't not be a nerd about it. For as disappointed as I've been with a lot of music lately, I've been reminded why I love it so much. Saying I love music sounds funny though, kind of like, "summer is nice." But whatever. Seeing LCD Soundsystem and Arcade Fire when they finally came to Utah a few weeks ago reminded me what a lucky thing it is to have a perfect moment when you're totally content, which happens often with music. Like the moment during "Someone Great" when I'm transfixed by the patterns cast by the mirrorball. And for all the reasons I listen to music, Arcade Fire reminded me that even just the beauty of the sounds is a wonder. Really it's impossible to explain what I'm trying to get at. Maybe that's why the sincere and happy isn't quite the indie or cool blogging way.


So I guess live music has been kind of a joyous thing lately. Seeing Shout Out Louds open for Interpol certainly was. (They were hard core about no cameras though now that Interpol are on Capitol.) The flow of their set was perfect, even breaking into a little Clash during Very Loud.

mp3: Shout Out Louds - Impossible

mp3: Shout Out Louds - Very Loud

mp3: The Clash - Train In Vain

good morning, free and legal

A few treats were in my inbox this morning. First, a couple remixes from favorite Australian label Modular. This comes via an Urbn blog feature on Modular which is a good way to get familiar with their artists if you aren't yet or get more excited for Muscles' first full length coming in October. Read bios and see videos all in one cute little flash interface. Plus, they've got a couple remixes of Ice Cream (both the NYPC and Muscles variety) for dl. Don't be misled when they call it a sampler, it's just these two.

mp3: New Young Pony Club - Ice Cream (Metal on Metal remix)
mp3: Muscles - Ice Cream (Sly Hats remix)

Second, a new free and legal single from Club 8! It's so good to hear something new from these guys. Plus the cover art feeds my 70s summer park music fetish, which I may have mentioned before and will surely mention again. This comes via Swedish label Labrador.

"Heaven" introduces a hint of Brasilian carnivals with a mix of euphoria and melancholica, percussion grooves and a lyrical death theme. And of course, melodies to die for. Heavenly indeed!

mp3: Club 8 - Heaven

how Lo-Fi-Fnk stole my heart

This is something I would have told you about back in March, but I didn't have very good updating habits around then. So I might as well now, eh? Its the story of how Dirk and I met Lo-Fi-Fnk, because it would have been rude not to introduce ourselves after they had just played us an essentially private show.

I've been a little obsessed with Lo-Fi-Fnk since I first heard them a couple years ago. As soon as Mitch told me they would be playing in Vegas on their first American tour, there was no question I would make the trek from the SLC. And thank goodness for Dirk, who is just as devoted. I was slightly wary because the venue seemed to be clueless. But we were there in plenty of time to see like, 6 of the openers, all unremarkable and pretty far removed from the Swedish electro-pop aesthetic. No matter, I was content to sit and watch Leo (the one next to Dirk in the photo) smoke at the bar with his sunglasses on, waiting for their turn. Finally, it was time. As the boys were setting up, what had previously been an almost empty bar had dwindled down even further to a couple randoms drinking, and a few members of other bands still cleaning up. We felt bad that it looked like nobody was there to see them, so we took places on the empty dance floor. No exaggeration--we were THE ONLY people there to see them. Lucky thing my good friend Kristin, serendipitously home in Vegas for Spring Break, joined us and increased the crowd by 50%. (What are Las Vegas dwellers even called--Las Vegans? Vegasites?) August (the one next to me) was wearing the best outfit ever: bunched up purple sweatpants with a metallic gold chain printed around the waist and down the sides, with wifebeater. As they finished setting up their equipment on the small stage, August turned off the light above his keyboards so that everything was dark except for two small spotlights shining from the front of the stage.

What happened next was maybe my weirdest concert moment ever, despite its subtlety. August bent down and rotated one spotlight around to shine on Dirk, then adjusted the second to focus right on me. So now the stage was dark, and the two of us were lit up like monuments. August stood, smiled at us slyly, and left us on display. I laughed back, thinking he would turn those lights back around, but he never did. Here we were, having just driven over 5 hours to see this band who deserved all the hype in the blogiverse, and now we were on stage for them. Looking back, I suppose one of us could have easily turned those spotlights back around. Why didn't we? No, this lighting scheme lasted their entire set and we did dance our hearts out for them. Seeing them play was my fondest wish fulfilled, which is why it was so boggling that there was not even a handful of other excited kids like us there to see them. Eventually another girl showed up and seemed to be really into it, but it turned out she was there because her band was playing next--Lo-Fi-Fnk didn't even get the dignity of being last to play. And just a few days later they'd be blowing up SXSW. The whole thing was a bit of concert Twilight Zone.

Now, I usually don't care to meet celebrities, in fact I don't think I've ever bothered to try to take a picture with one. But these guys are the kinds of people I would actually like to get to know, and I really admire them. And considering we'd all been watching each other for the past hour, we decided to say hi. They were darling and gracious. Leo was horrified we'd driven so far to see a performance that he didn't think was so great. August apologized for being so sweaty. And when asked about the odd choices in opening bands, he said "I was so angry when I found out," in the calmest, accented, tender tone, like you might use when saying "I think I'll have some chocolate milk." I was, of course, too nervous to carry on the conversation too long. Big geek, me.

We were excited to hear a new song that night, which checks Daft Punk, and was captured on video the night before in San Diego:



...and a b-side from the Wake Up single.
mp3: Lo-Fi-Fnk - The Boxer