Ok, back to Sweden, - this time with some summery tunes and bands who like to clap their hands. Just today, I discovered the band HELLO SAFERIDE at the great new weblog SWEDES PLEASE. This “band” is an alias for singer Annika Norlin, and, as I said, she likes handclaps. I guess… Annika/Hello saferide will release her first album on Razzia records later this year, and the first single, “My best friend!” is due for release in April. “Highschool stalker” is on the soundtrack of a Swedish film called “Som man bäddar…” by director Maria Essén, and Annika tells in her FAQ that the lyrics is about a movie she wants to make.
Nice, sweet and summery, - comes complete with handclaps!

Another band from Sweden that claps their hands sore, is The Acid House Kings. Girl vocals, - reminicent of a nice, breezy guitarpop-version of Saint Etienne. Feels a lot like summer. Pianos, strings, acoustic and clean electric guitars and…eh… handclaps. The band was started in 1991, inspired by the anorak/twee movement from especially the great & legendary Sarah Records. The name “Acid House Kings” comes from a song by The Pastels, so I guess they are at least inspired by The Pastels. 10 years after they started, their latest album “mondays are like tuesdays and tuesdays are like wednesdays” was released on Labrador Records, and now, the band has a new, fresh single out on the same label. Probably with handclaps.
MP3s:
Acid House Kings - sunday morning
Acid House Kings - this and that
Acid house kings - this heart is a stone

Enjoy!

Just a quick recommendation before i go to bed:
Norway’s ambient electronica master Geir Jenssen of Biosphere is the current artist of the week on norwegian radio NRK p2. This makes me so happy that I will declare him artist of the day here at eardrums!

Biosphere is currently about 80% finished with his new album, which is said to be a bit more rythmic and accessible than his last two albums. There are also plans for some re-releases of his older stuff on Beatservice records, Cirque and Substrata.

Geir started making electronic music in the early 80s in his bedroom in Tromsø, - then he became a part of electronic popband Bel Canto (together with Anneli Drecker and Nils Johansen, - both still a part of the band). When the house scene started in 88, he started experimenting with this kind of music, and his first soloalbum came by the name BLEEP, “the north pole by submarine”. Soon after, he changed his name to Biosphere, and have released several acclaimed albums to this date. After one of his songs was the soundtrack for a LEVI’S commercial, he decided to change his style drastically. He left the rythms, and started making pure ambient music. His long and scenic music is never boring. It constantly gives you auditive images, and it both relaxes and scares. On his website, he has a generous amount of mp3s available, - but none of them are from his releases. This one gives an impression of where he is now, but you should check out the streams on Musikkonline to get a better impression. The streams are short, and Biosphere’s songs are long, - so it’s not that much better… Biospeheres music should be heard in good quality, full size, so go on and buy his music!
Biosphere on the web: www.biosphere.no

mp3: Biosphere - Kill by inches soundtrack

I promised some great stuff from Norway… Here it is!
I feel like I’m faking a bit now, because I’m the webmaster for this band and it is kind of like self-promotion, BUT I am also a huge fan of their music and I really, really want them to succeed. Who am I talking about? //delaware !

//delaware released their acclaimed debut cd “…and everything reminds me” on Sony in Germany in 2003. Musically they’re some place on the melancholic alternative pop road, - beautiful melodies, great vocals combined with guitars and a large sound. They are currently in the studio with Zeromancer’s Alex Møklebust as a producer, and their new album will be a lot harder and rougher, but still with the melodies in focus.
On the website at www.delawaremuzic.com, you can download some of their songs, stream the whole album, watch videos and join the mailinglist or the forum. Please leave a message if you like the band!

MP3s from //delaware:
//delaware - always (demo version from 2000)
more songs on the website.

I really should start this blog with something about what’s happening in my own country, Norway, - and I assure you; there will be new norwegian music posted here… but right now, my eardrums are focused on the swedes.

A lot of interesting things are happening in the independent music scene in Sweden at the moment. I got an eyeopener by DUNGEN, who released their magnificent third album “ta det lugnt” (=take it easy) in 2004. They have recently (march 16-2005) re-released their debut album “Dungen”, and it can be ordered from their website. What does it sound like? Very melodic, 70s inspired, psychedelic rock, - lots of guitarsolos and riffs, a quite groovy jam-like sound. The lyrics are in swedish, but the band has fans from all over the world, so it doesn’t seem to bother people. Great music is universal. The label, subliminal sounds, has some lo-fi mp3s (56 kbps/ 1 minute samples) you should check out. My favourite is sadly not available for free: “du e for fin for mig”. Beautiful song!

MP3s from subliminalsounds:
Dungen - “Panda”
Dungen - Ta det lungt
Dungen - festival

This is the start, - I have pressed play!
Eardrums will be a music blog, where you will find recommendations and reviews of new, alternative music. Alternative music comes in many forms, - so there will be both rock, pop, electronica, folk— you name it. Everything that I find worthy of writing about.
I might also do some interviews and write some longer articles sometime in the near future.

I hope you all will feel welcome here, and that you’ll discover new music and new artists in here.

Thanks for reading!

Send me tips on new bands or websites I should see: eardrums@lindbjor.net

- Knut-