Bandprofile

The Leisure Society signs with Full Time Hobby

Posted on July 10, 2009 by Knut in Bandprofile, Recommended Releases | Comments Off

One of my absolute favourite albums of the year is “Sleeper” by The Leisure Society. This warm, melodic folky pop gem has received far too little attention. It’s a brilliant album from start to finish, and one of the few that I never seem to get tired of…. So, – my intention with this post was not to write a love letter to The Leisure Society, but to tell you that they have signed with one of my favourite labels (here I go again…) Full Time Hobby, – a label I feel suits them perfectly. Full Time Hobby will be re-releasing “Sleeper” on October 5th in brand new packaging and with an extra bonus disc of previously unreleased material as well as issuing the first-ever vinyl release of the album. If you can’t wait until October, the album is available on iTunes, and I bet you will love it!

Here’s a track from the album:

MP3: The Leisure Society – We Were Wasted

…and a couple of videos:

The Leisure Society – The last of the melting snow:

The Leisure Society – Short weekend (live at Bandstand Busking)

Hearts!Attack

Posted on July 9, 2009 by Knut in Bandprofile, Recommended Releases | 2 Comments

Hearts!Attack

Hearts!Attack is Alexis, Darren and Sam, and if their myspace-bio is believable (which I for some reason doubt, wonder why?), we are dealing with some great personalities here… According to this bio, Alexis used to be the best rapper alive, Darren left his Norwegian death metal band after they won Eurovision and Sam has a past as a member of the highly underrated late 90s boy band “BoysRFun”…

What I KNOW is true, is that they have made a 3 track ep, and that they have done everything themselves “using some acrylic paint and a laptop”. Their songs are great fun to listen to. It’s very rough and jangly, but with a fantastic energy and some great tunes. Think Esiotrot with boy/girl vocals, an even janglier Los Campesinos! or something like that…

MP3: Hearts!Attack – If You Were Dead

The band has just set up a digital shop at bigcartel, so now you can go here and buy their ep for 1,50£. Worth it, – it’s good!

Telekinesis

Posted on July 8, 2009 by Knut in Bandprofile, Recommended Releases | Comments Off

One of the albums I have really enjoyed lately is an upcoming release on the Morr-label from their new artist Telekinesis. The album is called “Telekinesis!”, his debut, and the official release date is in August on Morr Music (it’s released on Merge in USA), but you can already now get it on iTunes. On record, Michael Benjamin Lerner is the sole member of Telekinesis, more or less. He writes, sings and plays the songs. His music is not the kind you would normally associate with Morr, – but what is? Morr’s releases the recent years have shown a move from the semi-electronic to a more eclectic style, but always constant in high quality.

I am often reminded by Ben Gibbard and Death Cab for Cutie when I listen to Telekinesis (and doesn’t Michael Lerner look a bit like him too??). There are more DCfC-references here: Death Cab’s Chris Walla has produced this gem of an album, and he also plays on it.

Here’s “Coast of Carolina”

Telekinesis – Coast of Carolina

…and here is a brand new video for “Awkward kisser”:

Lulu and the Lampshades

Posted on July 3, 2009 by Knut in Bandprofile | Comments Off

These are the few facts I know about Lulu and the Lampshades. (… and since everything I know is taken from different unconfirmed sources on the internet, I’m not even sure if I know anything at all):

1. Well, I KNOW this for sure: They sound brilliant, got a wonderful name and play a kind of indie/folk/pop with a lot of soul and playfulness, and I want to hear more! I also know for sure that if you are in London on the 5th of July, you may see them play at Bandstand Busking in Northampton Sq. Islington and that I would love to be there…

2. They are from the UK, and I’m not sure but I think they are from Bristol.

3. The band is main vocalist Lulu (who also plays ukulele and melodica + some rhythm-things as you may see in the video below), second vocalist Heloise (who also plays accordian, violin and the same rhythm-things as Lulu), Jemma (who their myspace says is an actual musician, and who plays bass and guitar) and Dan (who is banging sticks and drums and pots)

4. They used to call themselves Helouisa.

5. They sometimes use dancers dressed as lamps on their concerts.

6. Some of them are zombies.

7. Lulu and Heloise have probably played a lot of handclapping games when they were at school…

Watch this amazing performance by Lulu and Heloise:

Chariots of Tuna – my new favourite band…

Posted on July 2, 2009 by Knut in Bandprofile | 2 Comments

I think I have found a new favourite band, a band that has such an effect on me that I want to listen to their songs over and over again and I still want more.
The beautiful songs of Chariots of Tuna are the works of Ben Morss, who actually started using the bandname almost ten years ago on various indiepop compilations. At the close of 2008, he started the project again, after having played with bands like Cake, Wheatus and the Pilgrims, made two children’s musicals and played piano in Ed Burns’ feature film Sidewalks of New York.

Chariots of Tuna make super-melodic pop songs with 60s influenced falsetto harmonies and very clever arrangements. The music is full of sweet lightness, but there is nothing made easy here. Ben Morss’ songs are full of interesting arrangement-details and it is easy to hear that these songs are made with care and planning, and with a heart that probably beats for music both from our time and from some decades back. Ben makes the songs, but he is not alone in Chariots of Tuna. He is joined by Dan Davine, Shawn Setaro and Rus Wimbish.

I have heard three of their new songs (all available on myspace) and I want more! Can’t get enough of this music…

Here is the wonderful “War Hero” for you:

MP3: Chariots of Tuna – War Hero

The Pastels and Tenniscoats working together in new project

Posted on June 25, 2009 by Knut in Bandprofile | 2 Comments

Just as I launched the new Eardrums collaboration project, the news about a collaboration between two of my personal favourites arrived. Just to make it clear, – these are not part of our collaboration compilation (but it would be fantastic if…).

THE PASTELS from Glasgow and TENNISCOATS from Tokyo has recorded some songs together. The project, Two Sunsets, will be released on vinyl, cd and download on September 7. A double-A single with the songs Vivid Youth and About You will be released on August 3rd, and The Pastels and Tenniscoats are playing at the Moseley Folk Festival on September 4 and Bush Hall, London on September 6 with more dates to follow.

This is what the pressrelease says:

“Recorded in Glasgow over a two or three year period usually around Tenniscoats UK touring, the album started out casually from a simple idea of booking some studio time to see what happens. Songs seemed to arrive as needed and a group mode was established, usually Saya and Ueno from Tenniscoats with Stephen, Katrina and Gerard Love from The Pastels with Tom Crossley, Alison Mitchell, and sometimes Norman Blake and Bill Wells dropping by. The sound is sort of compact but not too earth-bound; it opens out with graceful notes, odd notes, the melodic clang of cars and trees in the summer, and birds, trees, slopes, adventures. It’s melodic, optimistic, brilliant.”

The Pastels/Tenniscoats collaboration will be released on Geographic/Domino Recordings.

Great news!

Andrea Perdue – beautiful “dream folk”

Posted on June 11, 2009 by Knut in Bandprofile | Comments Off

It’s a very early morning here on my little island, and the seagulls haven’t even started their “morning serenades”. Very quiet. That’s the perfect setting for the music of Andrea Perdue. I am totally in love with her music after being introduced to her song “birds” by Cecilia on the fine music blog I Am The Crime yesterday.

I can’t find much info about the artist on the net, but she seems to have released only one EP, “Handscape”, which is available for free on last.fm. She is originally from Lawrence, Kansas, but is now living in Paris. On Last.fm, someone has tagged her songs “dream folk”, which sounds like a very good description.

You can and should get her 7 track EP “Handscape” on last.fm. Andrea Perdue is also on myspace and twitter.

Andrea Perdue – Birds

Andrea Perdue – Making Lists

The Melting Ice Caps

Posted on June 3, 2009 by Knut in Bandprofile | Comments Off

This is a band I really don’t know much about, other than that they come from London and that they sound very nice. All their singles are given away for free on their website at http://www.themeltingicecaps.co.uk/ and they are all worth a listen or two. The Melting Ice Caps have just released their 4th free single, and they have also made a video for one of the songs. Here it is, – enjoy!

The Melting Ice Caps – Misa En Scene

The Melting Ice Caps – Night School

Thieves Like Us – “Play Music” – electronic pop from Shelflife

Posted on March 6, 2009 by Knut in Bandprofile, Nordic music, Recommended Releases | 2 Comments

Whenever I hear the name Thieves Like Us, I think about New Order (this song, if you have Spotify), but from now on, all of this will probably change. Thieves Like Us is also the name of a band, – a trio -, where two thirds are from Sweden and one third is American. They met in Germany, but consider Paris, France their home.

Their debut album, “Play Music”, will be released on March 10th on Shelflife Records, which kind of surprises me. This is quite different than most other artists on the label, who’s roster consists of pop-bands like Burning Hearts, Language of Flowers, The Ruling Class, A Smile and a Ribbon, Days and other artists with strong POP melodies as their trademark. Shelflife has released several records flirting with electronic pop earlier, like Kawaii, Champagne Riot and partly Kuryakin, but these have always had a sweetness and “niceness” to them, – pretty and with mostly happy melodies. Thieves Like Us definitely have the good melodies, but they show a darker side, – sometimes more experimental side of the label.
-You see it on the cover, you hear it in their lyrics, you hear it in their sound.

I find it really refreshing.

“Play Music” is a really good album, – varied, consistent and full of surprises, never boring. This is one that lasts.

There is more than the band’s name that reminds me of the 80s in TLU’s songs. On the song “Drugs in my body”, the vocals in the chorus remind me of Wire, the twangy guitars on the same song remind me of Tuxedomoon. There are a lot of very early synth-pop/new wave references in the way some songs are sung, the analogue synths, the “riffs”… I hear Kraftwerk, I hear Gary Numan, I even hear old, old XTC. On “Miss You” we hear some delightful New Order/Pet Shop Boys-like rap-singing. Love it!

Check out these two songs, and buy the album from the Shelflife shop. At the moment, this is only avalable on vinyl LP, but CD will be available soon.

Thieves like us – Drugs in my body

Thieves like us – Your heart feels

Teeny Grownups – Epic Rock

Posted on March 1, 2009 by Knut in Bandprofile, Nordic music, Recommended Releases, Reviews | 1 Comment

Teeny Grownups from Stavanger, Norway is ready with their second album, and for some reason I was not surprised when I saw the title, “Epic Rock”. I am sure the band had a laugh when they decided the title, but in many ways I would seriously call this epic rock, – or maybe epic pop?

Their new album is full of fine, playful pop songs with just the right amount of cute-ugliness. Think c86, the pastels, bmx bandits, television personalities, the wedding present, but also newer bands like Art Brut are easy to compare them with.

This is such a loveable band, – everything about them, – the jangly pop-songs, the attitude, the nice people, the lyrics about everything from libraries, ferries, campfires and substitute teachers to girls kissing backstage. Per Ebbe Helberg is a wonderful storyteller, and he manages to tell full stories over just a few textlines. The rest happens in the listeners head. The repeating line “I’m so sorry I forgot your wedding day, I’m so sorry I forgot the day you went to church, of course I should know, I should have known, I should have remembered your wedding day” in the song “Wedding day” is so simple and naive, but at the same time, it includes so much more than just the simple text-lines. It might just be me and my strange head, but I instantly start to wonder about things like “what’s the story behind this” and “what happened after” and “what’s the relationship between the persons mentioned in the song”. A whole new story starts to emerge, and the simple song suddenly gets a whole new dimension. It is something with Helberg’s lyrics that gives me a feeling that the whole story isn’t told yet. All the songs are focussed on everyday life, sometimes naive, sometimes strange, but always very enjoyable.

The first time I heard this band was quite some time ago when I heard their lovely, superjangly song “Belle and Sebastian”, and since then I have kept my eyes and ears on the Stavanger group.

I just have to mention an example of the band’s wonderful, subtle, nerdy humour: On their myspace, you will find a live-photo in their pictures section. On the photo, the band is on a quite big stage, they really seem to be intensely rocking, and the audience has their hands in the air. A typical rock festival photo. The only problem is that there are only 5 people watching the concert in front of the stage. Not exactly crowded. The band has tagged the photo, like you usually see on the new social media sites. Usually peope tag the important persons/things in the picture, – like “this is me”, “this is my brother”, “cool guitar” and things like that, but try to go to their myspace, mouse over the live-photo and see who Teeny Grownups has tagged with names… At least I found it quite charming!

Here’s a song from “Epic Rock”, – “Merry Ferry” + a song from the band’s first album, the before mentioned “belle and sebastian”.

Teeny Grownups – Merry Ferry

Teeny Grownups – Belle and Sebastian