Hallowe'en

Today, listening to music, it occurred to me that it’s kind of interesting that I have songs for almost every holiday (including multiple songs about Mothers’ Day) -- except Hallowe’en. At least none that I can think of.

Maybe if I listened to the Misfits more, this would not be the case -- didn’t some punk band have a whole album called Halloween? The sad thing is, three years ago, I would have totally known the answer to that.

Now, the closest to Hallowe’en I can get is a David & the Citizens song which mentions a mean witch, and which isn’t really close at all. But anyway. It’s called Now She Sleeps in a Box in the Good Soil of Denmark, which is one of my favorite song titles ever. Go and listen to it here.

To be perfectly fair, there are actually an enormous number of songs in my library which could be vaguely connected to Hallowe’en. However, the only other one I’m going to mention today is not really related at all. I was listening to Billie the Vision & the Dancers earlier, and I realized that the Pipettes were playing in Portland tonight. In fact, they might even be playing right now. (Although maybe not -- I hear they go to bed early.) But, uh… anyway, if you haven’t heard this one yet, you can have it for free to keep, because the Billies are just that nice.

--DL--
A Beautiful Night in Oslo (Billie the Vision & the Dancers)

I fredags

Fredag nat, jeg gik næsten elleve timer af søvn. Efter det, jeg arbejdede hele weekenden, og i går, jeg havde ikke kun en, med to, eksamene, og arbejdede også. Så, når...

Her er fredags spilleliste:

1. Cut Your Fingers Off – Electrojuice (DK)
2. Hey Eleanor – Casiotone for the Painfully Alone
3. I’m Happy But You Don’t Like Me – Asobi Seksu
4. Die All Over Me – The Kingdom
5. The Ostrich Approach – I Am Bones (DK)
6. You’re So Great – Blur
7. Dreampoppers Tribute – Rumskib (DK)
8. Plantage – Under Byen (DK)
9. Your Name Here – The Bear Quartet (SV)
10. Your Sweet Voice – The Reindeer Section
11. Lisa Could Die for Elvis – Yellowish (DK)
12. Don’t Be Afraid, You Have Just Got Your Eyes Closed – Múm (IS)
13. Dance 2 – Kiss Me Deadly

Og du må lytte til det her.

--DL--
Ashtrays Podcast (10-26-2007)

The Charade

Along with a number of other unproductive things, I decided to spend my weekend (this was written several days ago) reviewing various Scandinavian artists people have suggested to me over the past few months, but who I have, for one reason or another, mostly ignored. This is a weird fault of mine -- because almost always when something is suggested to me, I wind up enjoying it at least a bit. Even so -- today, I’m only going to write about one of them: The Charade, my favorite of the lot (aside from Kent. But I’ll talk about them later).

Within the first five seconds of the first song, Monday Morning, I could tell I was going to be in love. Fairly quickly, their sound reminded me of Club 8 (and right now, comparing someone to Club 8 is about the highest compliment I give) but after further listening, I decided they were akin more to Club 8’s labelmates Sambassadeur -- who, by the way, release their newest album, Migration, TODAY. They also remind me quite a lot of Free Loan Investments, a sadly now-extinct band from Sweden. The Charade (who, coincidentally enough, are also from Sweden) have a very lush, poppy sound, which at the same time is more jangly than smooth and sweet. I’m not very good at describing music -- but I do wish I’d discovered this band in spring or summer, rather than mid-fall; they seem more of a warm-weather band. On the other hand, there’s nothing wrong with listening to summery music in the wintertime.

In addition to to the aforementioned Monday Morning, you can listen to three songs -- two from their most recent album, A Real Life Drama, and another guest spot which will appear on an upcoming album by Beatfanatic -- on myspace… There’s also the option to buy more music, which is incredibly tempting -- I’d like very much to hear a lot more from this band.

--DL--
Monday Morning (the Charade)

Kan ingen sorg for mig (Göteborg)

Last night I did sound for the Modern Age, where I also (unfortunately) slammed the end of a microphone stand into my chin. It hurt a lot -- but nowhere as much as this morning did.

Also, you may perhaps be interested in yesterday’s show... A couple people told me they thought I’d done a particularly good show, although that may have just been the influence of Elliott Smith -- he always goes over well.

Fredags spilleliste:

1. Strangers With the Same Dream – Particle Zoo
2. Twilight – Elliott Smith
3. Let’s Pretend – Cinerama
4. What I’m Dreaming of is Something I Could Have – Club 8 (SV) -- a gorgeous
new website!
5. Subtle Changes – Sambassadeur (SV)
6. Turn Into – Yeah Yeah Yeahs
7. Crazy Eights – Tapes ‘n Tapes
8. Bosphorus Bridge – Tiger Baby (DK)
9. War Is Over (Marybell Katastrophy Remix) – Speaker Bite Me (DK, DK)
10. Wildcat – Ratatat
11. A Man of Happy Solutions – My Friend George (DK)
12. Hounds of Love – the Futureheads
13. Stick to You – Billie the Vision and the Dancers (SV)

Due to some awesome scheduling weirdness, I have the whole weekend, as well as Monday night, off from work. I don’t know what I’m going to do with all this time -- but expect at least one more (probably long) post in the next day or so.

And please go here to listen to Håkan Hellström's Don't Cry for Me Göteborg.

--DL--
Ashtrays Podcast (10-19-2007)

Mere gode nyheder

This is something I’ve actually known about for a while now but have been, for some reason, (mostly) keeping to myself. The release date -- and title -- of Sambassadeur’s new album, Migration, has been announced: 24. oktober. If you preorder the CD, your copy will be signed. But you can also go over to last.fm and preview the whole thing. It’s only nine tracks -- just over 34 minutes long -- but God, are those 34 minutes gorgeous. I wish it would snow.

Unfortunately, this means that the upcoming Radio Dept. album has been pushed back to a spring 2008 release. The Bear Quartet will also have a new album in 2008. And -- this I just noticed -- Mew has re-released their second album, 2000’s Half the World is Watching Me. It’s packaged with nine -- yes, nine -- previously unreleased tracks. Wow awesome.

--DL--
Subtle Changes (Sambassadeur)

Jeg lovede

I dags spilleliste:

1. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
2. The Partisan – Electrelane
3. Ooh La La – Goldfrapp
4. Where Is My Mind? – Frank Black Francis
5. One Night Is Not Enough – Snow Patrol
6. Locked In Tight – The Flaming Stars
7. Where Birds Don’t Fly – Club 8 (SV)
8. The Air That We Breathe – Figurines (DK)
9. Overture – Patrick Wolf
10. Song for No Ears – Memoplay (SV)
11. The Seething Rain Weeps for You – Mew (DK)
12. Mom and Dad – The Bear Quartet (SV)

I am in love with the Bear Quartet right now. Particularly Mom and Dad. Aside from the extremely addictive harmonica part, I think what I like best is a line that comes very early -- actually the very first:

I caught Mom and Dad making out
Realizing for the first time they were real

It’s deliberately unclear, I think -- I’ve never been able to decide for sure whether it’s the child or his parents who are only then realizing that they’re real. I like to think it’s the adults.

As you may or may not know, It’s A Trap! features a weekly Bear Quartet posting. You can read about and download one of their songs every Saturday. You can also stream one or two songs from each of their albums and EPs (this makes about 45 songs) on the official Bear Quartet site. You can also download Birds Are Singing Deep in the Greenery -- although it’s one of my least favorite of their songs; I’d try one of the other avenues first. Oh, and by the way, if anyone has the All Your Life EP -- I WANT TO BUY IT. Preferably on vinyl, although I have a feeling that that doesn’t exist, so I’m willing to accept it on CD, too. I guess.

Now, for my two readers in Portland -- upcoming Modern Age shows:

19. October:

Portland General Electro, the Hugs, the Bugs, the New Bloods -- doors at 7.30, show at 8.

2. November:

Southern Belle, Ghosties, 40 Hundred Thousand Locked-Up Guns, Starfucker, Kickball -- doors at 6.30, show at 7.

Both of these shows are going to be awesome. I’m particularly excited for 2. November -- a couple of my friends’ bands are playing, and, well, there are five (!) bands, and... it’s just going to be awesome. If you’d like to learn more about the Modern Age, look here. Or ask me.

Finally, I think I mentioned there might be some badmouthing of the workplace. This perhaps was a bit misleading -- it’s just a song that has IKEA in the title. (Yes -- if you didn’t know, I do work at IKEA. Can you say ‘obsessed with Scandinavia’?) I can’t pinpoint anything specific, but it does seem kind of derogatory toward the company…

Anyway, in anticipation of the release of The Floor is Made of Lava’s new album, All Juice No Fruit, Hits in the Car has been posting a bunch of their promo tracks this week. You can download all five, including the aforementioned IKEA Did a Job on You, over there. The album itself will be out 15. oktober. The music sounds just like what you’d expect from a band who first grabbed my attention by releasing a song called Do Your Sister -- very hyper, energetic, dance-y. They sound like they’re having a whole lot of fun.

--DL--
Ashtrays Podcast (10-12-07)
Birds are Singing Deep Within the Greenery (The Bear Quartet)
Do Your Sister (The Floor is Made of Lava)

Jeg har ikke nogle begreb af tid

I seem to have fallen behind. Last Friday’s playlist here:

1. Gone Under Sea – Electrelane
2. Life is a Game – Rebecca Phinney
3. Fidelity – Regina Spektor
4. Tammy – Jens Lekman and El Perro del Mar (SV, SV)
5. Stop in the Name of Love – Bang Gang (IS)
6. Liar – Valerian (FL)
7. John, Let Me Go – Sondre Lerche (NW)
8. Du og Meg – of Montreal
9. You Can Make Him Like You – the Hold Steady
10. Surrender – Cheap Trick
11. ADHD – Jonas Game (SV)
12. Friends Now – Unicova
13. Dance With Me – Adam Green

I always become very excited when somebody asks me what I’m playing, or even better, asks how they might acquire a copy of it. This happened with Bang Gang’s cover of the Supremes' Stop in the Name of Love, a song I’ve loved since the first time I heard it. (I can do the dance, okay?) Actually, though, I find I prefer the Bang Gang version. The first Bang Gang review I read -- don’t remember where I found it or who the author was -- suggested that Stop in the Name of Love was a foolish and gratuitous inclusion on the album, Something Wrong. I don’t think so -- in fact, it’s one of my favorite songs. If you haven’t heard it yet, do yourself a favor and check the lovely thing out. It's on the From Nowhere myspace (that's the label), or you can listen here, on the podcast.

I have more things to say, but I’m supposed to be studying for a test (yeah, right) or going to bed early or something. Tomorrow, though: Modern Age updates, my precipitate (yes, it is a word; yes, it is used correctly -- look for the second adjectival definition) love of the Bear Quartet, and possibly even a bit of me talking bad about my place of business. Don’t get too upset, though. I still love it -- just not when I’m required to be there.

--DL--
Ashtrays Podcast (10-5-2007)

Vinyl er vinyl

The new-ish Figurines album, When the Deer Wore Blue, is out now on vinyl. It’s limited edition -- only 1000 copies -- so act quickly, I guess (as it’s been out, actually, since 24. September).

Unlike a one-sheet CD or something, the packaging is really, really nice. It’s a double LP, although it’s only three sides -- the fourth is a nifty etching. It also comes with a pull-out poster, and the design overall is quite eye-catchy. Colors and patterns and yeah. You can look at it here, download The Air We Breathe there, and buy it (the vinyl) here. Figurines will also be bringing copies of the album on tour; dates are here. Maybe, if we are both lucky, you will see me at the Portland show.

Speaking of shows, I think I was supposed to/meant to put this up a long time -- well, at least a week -- ago. The Modern Age lineup for tomorrow night (that’s 5. October): Junkface, Bright Red Paper, and Autistic Youth. And it’s Arya’s birthday, too. If you’re in Portland, you should come.

If you don’t know where the Modern Age is, go here to find out. (Last paragraph.) Or ask me, because I can probably give better directions. Future Modern Age shows will be posted on here pretty soon -- probably over the weekend.

--DL--
The Air We Breathe (Figurines)