“Hard To Be Good” is the new single from Norway’s finest pop-band My Little Pony. The single will be released on October 4th on Spoon Train Audio.
Their second album “Making Marks” will be released early next year. It is produced by Sjur Lyseid (The Little Hands of Asphalt, Monzano), who is responsible for more than the good sound on the album… He had a hard drive-crash on his computer, – lost the entire finished album -, so the band is busy recording the album for the second time these days…
Morr Music seem to find great music to release from all over the world, but Iceland has been a country they have visited more often than many others on their releases. I can mention Benni Hemm Hemm, Borko, Múm, Seabear, Sóley, Sin Fang Bous… Have I forgotten someone? Wonderful artists, all of them. Their new signing is Pascal Pinon from Reykjavík, Iceland.
Pascal Pinon is not a man, but two girls, – the twins Jófríður and Ásthildur-, and together they make the loveliest songs.
Morr Music will release their debut-album early 2011, but already on October 15, you can get the duo’s first release on Morr’s sublabel A Number of Small Things. The single includes 3 really good lo-fi acoustic songs, recorded by the twins themselves in a house they borrowed in the small town of Vogar. All the songs on the single have a cute kind of bedroom feeling, with the twins’ lovely vocals as the key element, accompanied by acoustic guitars, glockenspiels and an occasional organ. If this single is representative for the sound and the quality of their debut album, I think we will have something to look forward to in 2011!
The cover art is by Julia Guther, who have done most Morr covers lately, and who also did a cover for our netlabel EardrumsPop a couple of years ago. Julia is also a part of the band Guther and the collaboration project Joel & Julia, who participated on the latest EardrumsPop compilation “Between Two Waves”.
Here’s a video of Pascal Pinon performing live:
Robert Svensson will release a new single, “Runaway”, on October 6, – the first one from his upcoming album “You’re a wasteland, honey”. The label Nomethod has made an ecard where you can preview 4 songs from the new album here, and they all sound really good. Here’s a free mp3 of the new single for you:
The Swedish electrions are held on Sunday, and The Radio Dept. has once again made a political song to state their views on the present government. The song is called “The New Improved Hypocrisy”, and it is released for free today from Labrador Records‘ website. The first political song they made was “Freddie And The Trojan Horse” from 2008, about “ the untruthfulness of the Swedish right-wing government and how the leading party seized power by portraying itself as supportive of the workers” (quote The Radio Dept.).
The Radio Dept. – The New Improved Hypocrisy
Here are the lyrics:
THE NEW IMPROVED HYPOCRISY
Reallocating property
We engender transformation
We’re not concerned with poverty
Just the rebirth of a nation
No time for hesitation
Not even on occasion
This will be our legacy:
A vengeful population
It’s part of our conspiracy
And our motivation
And who needs integration
When we’ve got isolation?
It’s the rebirth of a nation
The rebirth of a nation
We don’t mind democracy
We have our ways around it
This new improved hypocrisy
Will help us to impound it
An old school education
Will show this generation
Do you remember the little monkey that always followed Pippi Longstocking where ever she went? His name was Herr Nilsson, – mr. Nilsson, and that’s also the name of the band I’m going to present for you today. They’re from Bergen, Norway, and have been around for several years. Their music can probably be described as indiepop with jangly guitars, trumpets (you know I love them), violins, banjos and lots of fun. The banjo/violin elements give their music a tiny touch of americana/country, but not more than you will hear on albums by bands like Wilco, who also is a band they name as an inspiration.
Those of you who read this blog (and similar blogs) frequently, may recognize the name Ragnhild Jordahl in the line-up. You’re right, – it’s the woman behind Soda Fountain Rag. She plays violin and keyboards in Herr Nilsson. The two bands are not THAT far away from each other musically either.
Their first album, “I’m no Elvis” was released in 2005, and since then, they have released the album “Downhill Thrill” and the ep “Tuesday is my birthday”. In april 2010, Herr Nilsson released their third album “Long Live Herr Nilsson”, and it’s an album that makes me want the band to live forever.
The album includes 12 really good popsongs, with good lyrics, good storytelling, and with lots of energy and fun. The trumpets (oh, how I love trumpets in popmusic!) are gorgeous! Their lead vocalist Terje Bringsvor Nilsen is perfect for the job, with his characteristic and expressive vocals. My favourites on the album are “Belly Floor”, with its Spaghetti western-feeling, the rough and jangly “Go Tell Your Mother” (where both the lead- and backing-vocals are ace!), the schizofrenic rhythm-pop-tune “The Fox Eats the Rabbit” which has some lovely style changes during the 3 and a half minute it lasts and, last but not least, the irresistible and warm “Not A Word” – and a bunch of others.
Long live Herr Nilsson, and let’s hope for lots of albums during their long life!
You can buy “Long live Herr Nilsson” in most digital shops (iTunes, emusic etc) or physical from Cd baby (it’s also available digitally from there).
Listen to “Go tell your mother” on Soundcloud:
Herr Nilsson – Tell Your Mother by eardrums
…and here’s “Traffic Jams”:
The Norwegian multi-instrumentalist Silje Nes‘ second album “Opticks” is released today on Fat Cat Records. It’s one of the most beautiful pieces of music I have heard so far this year. “Opticks” sounds both more focussed and more confident than her debut, “Ames room”, which I have to say also was an excellent record.
This time, her songs are more accessible and “pop” than on earlier releases, and it suits her. The melodies are more in front this time, and the structures of the songs are easier to “get” than on “Ames room”. Everything I loved about her debut is still present here, – the fragile, hushed vocals of Silje Nes, the playful experimentations, the simple-but-complex arrangements, the sounds, the beautiful calmness…
The beauty comes hand in hand with elements that some may describe as “ugly”. Silje Nes’ music is hi-fi lo-fi. The sound is perfect, but her arrangements, her sounds and the way it is performed also have some kind of “imperfection” attached to it. I know that Silje on purpose plays more instruments than she actually knows how to play. Sometimes elements that sound like “errors” add so much beauty to the songs.
“Opticks” is, like “Ames room”, a stunningly beautiful album, – an album I KNOW I will love for years. It’s, like “Ames room”, an album it’s not easy to get tired of, because new discoveries are waiting for you every time you listen to it. I doubt that I will hear a better album in this genre in 2010.
Here’s a song we featured last month on Music Alliance Pact, “The Card House”
You can buy Silje Nes’ album in most online music shops, as well as directly from the label (both physical and digital).
Here’s Silje Nes on the Take Away show:
http://vimeo.com/14401529
Cold Mailman has released their new single “Time is of the essence” today on Kråkesølv records. Those of you who have followed Eardrums for a while, may have heard a demo version of the song earlier, but this is the finished and final version of the song. This is the last single the band drops before the release of their second album “Relax; the mountain will come to you” on October 4.
You can buy the single on iTunes or on Platekompaniet.
Highly recommended!
In exchange of an email address, Secretly Canadian shares a new Jens Lekman song with you! It’s a good one, so it’s worth your email and more, – go and get it from here:
http://secretlycanadian.com/blog/2010/07/jens-lekman-shares-new-song/
Swedish artist Tomas Halberstad will release a summer-single on the 10th August. It’s a double-A side called “Summer Love AA”, featuring the songs “Watch the tears” and “Must be in love”. None of these songs will appear on Halberstad’s forthcoming second album.
It’s all about love, but as always with Halberstad, there is a feeling of melancholy in both these songs. The songs show two sides of love. Where “Must be in love” describes the complex feelings of the time before a relationship starts, “Watch the tears” describes the complex feelings at the end of a relationship. These two songs represent a huge step forward in Halberstad’s songwriting as a solo-artist. He use his electronics with a gentle subtleness, and the focus is always on the melody and the song. Two very good songs on this single, and the cover-art is a pleasure to look at.
Keep an eye on Tomas Halberstad’s website for updates on how and where to get this one. It will probably be sent out a tweet from me about it later too, I guess (@eardrums).
I’ve mentioned this song before, so I’ll let the music and the new video speak for itself here. Lovely!
http://www.myspace.com/coldmailman
