‘Slaraffenland’ is a word used in Denmark and Norway for a fantasy-place, a paradise where there’s no need to work and the food flies into your mouth. ‘Slaraffenland’ is a place where lazy people gets all that they need without doing too much to get it, - the land of milk and honey.
‘Slaraffenland’ is also the name of an interesting band from Copenhagen, Denmark. Their music is created in interaction between composition and improvisation, and they borrow from all styles that attract them; postrock, shoegaze, alternative rock, noise and freeform jazz. Some have compared them to bands like The NoTwist and Sonic Youth, and in some ways I agree, but there is definitively something unique about their sound.
Their new album (released in may 2007 on Hometapes and Rumraket) is called “Private Cinema” and will have worldwide distribution.

Here is some music:
Slaraffenland - polaroids (from “Private cinema”- 2007)
Slaraffenland - cockaigne (from “Jinkatawa” - 2005)

Loch Lomond is a band from Portland playing some kind of rough but nice folk-inspired indie rock, not so far from the sound of bands like The Decemberists or My Latest Novel. The band started as a solo recording project of Ritchie Young in 2003, and after the first album release the band grew into an orchestra of some size. Actually I don’t know the number of members today, - the photos I’ve seen show from six to eight members, and the press releases say 6 in one of them and 9 in another… So, let us just say that they are many.
They’ve got a beautiful EP out now called “Lament for children” and their second album is planned for release later this year. If the label hadn’t called the “lament…” an EP, I would have said that it was an album. 8 tracks, 40 minutes of great music. Not the ordinary EP size…
I’ve listened to the EP over and over again today, and I like it a lot. It is out on Hush Records and can be bought through their webshop.

Loch Lomond - bird and bear (I am the bird)
Loch Lomond - Tic

When I was younger I had heroes. I still do, but now my heroes are the ones I meet in life and not the cool rockers with weird hairdo’s and bad attitude.

Some of my biggest heroes were Jim and William Reid. I admired their style and their attitude, but most of all their music really turned my world upside down. I bought “Psychocandy” right after its release in 1985, and I had to love it alone because my friends hated it… I remember I tried to make them hear the wonderful melodies beneath the carpet of noise and feedback, but no… I remember we argued if The Jesus and Mary chain was “POP” or “ROCK” ;-). They meant rock, I meant pop because of the melodic focus. I guess they were right, and I was still desperately trying to make them hear the pop-melodies…

I adored “Darklands”, and some of the songs there are still among my all time favorites. The title track, “April Skies”, “Happy when it rains”, “Nine million rainy days”, “About you”. Perfect pop music for me.

In 86 I had this hard-synth (EBM) band called (don’t laugh) Serve me a Head. I was the “singer”, and my stage appearance was very inspired by Jim Reid. At least I felt a bit like that on stage, but I guess what people saw was a shy teenager trying to be cool. Someone threw lady’s underwear on stage once, so I hope that meant something good…
After “Automatic”, I guess the hero-part was over. I really didn’t like that one, - but one of my friends thought it was kind of OK…
My heart still beats a little faster when I hear those old songs from the Psychocandy/Darklands period.

-
So why am I writing all this?
Because I just got an album from SISTER VANILLA in the mail, “Little Pop Rock”.

Sister Vanilla is Jim and William’s little sister Linda + the two brothers + JAMC member Ben Lurie. The idea of the Sister Vanilla band started ten years ago, when Linda participated on the “Munki” album by Jesus and Mary chain. Since then, we have heard some stuff through the net now and then (I’m not sure if there has been any singles or comp.tracks), and now this debut album. It will be released on Chemikal Underground on april 3-2007, about the same time as JaMC reunites to headline at the Coachella festival.

How does it sound? (This is my first impression and not a review!)
It is quite easy to hear who has been involved here, still its a bit softer and a bit different than most JAMC stuff. The album is quite diverse, - some songs are pure pop and others seem bluesy with guitar licks that sounds out of rhythm and as wasted as the brothers seem to be sometimes. Some people would not like it, but I do. It is so good to hear new songs from Jim and William, and Linda sings really good on these songs. Jim and William also sings on many of the songs. There’s a lot of really, really good songs in here, - some are almost perfect, like the duet with Stephen Pastel, “the two of us”. Beautiful. Now I’m listening to it for the second time, and I like it more and more. The things that made me think “What??” the first time, are things that I really like this time. Sometimes it sounds like they have played guitars and keyboards wearing thick gloves and sunglasses that can’t be seen through, but it sounds good after all.

Here are two songs from the album, - not the best songs on the album, but the ones that were made available for sharing:
Sister Vanilla - can’t stop the rock
Sister Vanilla - Jamcolas

…and what a song! “I love you you imbecile” is Pelle Carlberg’s first single from his upcoming album, “In a nutshell” (released on Labrador records on march 28), and it is a catchy upbeat pop duet with the norwegian singer Ida Maria (who we wrote about recently here in Eardrums). The lyrics are always a joy to listen to on Pelle Carlberg’s songs…
Enjoy!

Pelle Carlberg feat. Ida Maria - I love you you imbecile
- from labrador records

And here’s a couple of older ones from Pelle Carlberg:
Pelle Carlberg - Go to hell miss Rydell
Pelle Carlberg - Oh no! It’s happening again!

…and BTW:
There has been some massive Hefner releases lately, - unreleased material and stuff. Their singer Darren Hayman runs a website for the band http://www.hefnet.com.