Do you remember the Swedish band JJ? They’ve been gone for a long time, – at least it seems that way. In may, they will be back with a new album, and of course it will be called jj nº4. It will be out May 8th on Secretly Canadian & Sincerely Yours. Here’s a preview, “Beautiful life”, and you can download it via Soundcloud.
http://vimeo.com/18860039
Breaking the silence with the first post of 2011, and it’s a post that has forced it’s way into the blog. I did not intend to start blogging so soon, and I am absolutely not sure if this will be a very active year for the blog, but I am considering many options. This post had to be written. It’s about an amazing band and an amazing album, and the album is out today.
Norway’s My Little Pony is now called mylittlepony, and their second album “Making Marks” is released today on Spoon Train Audio. It’s a beauty, full of great melodies, charm and wonderful lyrics. I did enjoy their debut a lot, but I like this one better. Don’t ask why, – I don’t want to analyze too much, – I just want to keep on enjoying this one. The album should be available in most good digital shops from today.
The band has made several videos for the songs on the album, and they all show the charming and fun side of the band. Have a look!
http://vimeo.com/18394359
http://vimeo.com/18597128
http://vimeo.com/15236089
You can download the track “A Miracle” on Spoon Train’s Soundcloud page:
Spoon Train – Free Downloads by spoontrain
I’m taking a short break from my blogging-break to tell you about our two new EardrumsPop releases from Oláfachada (Ola from My Little Pony + Bernando Fachada from bFachada) and another new EP from Insect Guide. You can download both for free at http://www.eardrumspop.com/releases-2/singles/
I would also like to invite all of you who have heard some or all of our EardrumsPop singles to answer this little year-end survey of ours. We want you to tell us what your favourite EardrumsPop release from 2010 has been, what your favourite ePop song is and what cover-art you liked the best. We don’t want any names or email-addresses, just your votes.
The result of your votes will be published in January, probably in the form of a special playlist.
Listen to this! Horse Shoes have made an amazing remix of Champagne Riot’s wonderful song “A friend of a friend”.
Champagne Riot – A Friend Of A Friend ( Horse Shoes Remix ) by horseshoesmusic
…and the original:
A Friend Of A Friend by CHAMPAGNE RIOT
Johan Brännström, the singer in Sweden’s Heart-Sick Groans has released a new free EP on Bandcamp today. Brännström gives us 4 really good acoustic pop songs, slightly different than what he usually do in his main band. His warm voice combined with the acoustic instruments reminds me a bit of artists like Ron Sexsmith or Martin Stephenson, both personal favourites of mine.
“Annabella” and “Just Another June” are the highlights for me on a strong 4 track EP.
Northern Portrait is back with a new single on Matinée Recordings, “Life Returns To Normal” with a cover of Cliff Richard‘s “Some People” on the b-side. The lead track is one of my favourites from their debut album, with those lovely, bubbling guitars underneath Stefan’s rich and powerful vocals. The lyrics are also outstanding, as usual, and the chorus gives me the wonderful warm feeling inside that only GREAT songs can.
Their cover of “Some People” is maybe the most interesting on the single for most listeners. I guess most people who buy this one already own the band’s debut-album, so the lead track is already in their music archives. “Some People” is definitively worth buying the single for on its own. It’s one of those covers who manage to show you the great songwriting that lies behind a dull original recording. It sounds far from the glossy 80s version of Cliff Richard, and the band has managed to make it their own. It sounds like Northern Portrait, not Cliff Richard. Their label-mates Cats on Fire did the same thing with White Town’s “Your Woman” earlier this year, on their brilliant “Dealing in Antiques”-album.
The single is limited to 1000 hand-numbered copies pressed on clear vinyl and comes with a free MP3 download code. You can order it now from the Matinée shop.
Here’s the lead track:
Northern Portrait – Life returns to normal
Burning Hearts have made a lovely cover of Arthur Russell’s “The Letter” available for streaming via Soundcloud. The band is currently working on their second album.
Have a listen here:
Here is a link to Russell’s original on Spotify.
Burning Hearts singer Jessika Rapo and drummer Ville Hopponen are also in another band, Le Futur Pompiste, who will release their self-titled second album in November on Shelflife. The cd is available for preorder now on the label’s website, and if you buy the mp3s, you will get them instantly. I just did!
Here’s a free track from Le Futur Pompiste’s new album:
Le Futur Pompiste – Five Hundred Heartbeats (via Shelflife)
One of my favourite bands from Norway, Casa Murilo, is just finished recording their debut album with Monzano/The Little Hands Of Asphalt’s Sjur Lyseid as the producer. The album will be released on Spoon Train Audio in January, and I am really looking forward to it. The first single from the album, “Breaking Ranks”, was made available for free today, and it’s even better than I expected (and I expected a lot!). Have a listen:
Casa Murilo – Breaking Ranks (radio edit) (the link takes you to CM’s urört pages)
Labrador Records share an mp3 of a new song from Club 8, “Closer Now”, which will be the band’s new single. The single will be released on November 23, and is described as “a melodic fusion of High-life, psychedelia, Stone Roses guitars, West African chants and rhythms … all gloriously mixed with Club 8′s special blend of Swedish pop hooks.”
The song is not one of the 10 on Club 8′s recent album “The People’s Record”, but it has “the new sound” of the band. I must admit that I prefer the “old” Club 8. What do you think of this song?
