Et helt år

Hard to believe I’ve been doing this for a year. But Friday marked the one-year anniversary of the day I started this blog. Wow. And, of course, me being me, Friday I had family here and was unable to find the time to do anything neat. Yesterday I was at work all day. So, yeah, I missed my blog’s first anniversary. (Unfortunately, there’s no less cheesy phrasing for that). However, in this case, that’s a good thing -- because now I have these. Happy anniversary / birthday / occasion of your desire, with love from Ashtrays, and courtesy of Said the Shark…

To be honest, I don’t have a favorite song, and I don’t think I ever have. From time to time I’ll announce one (usually pulled from an ever-changing roster of ten or so at the very top), and right now I have absolutely no qualms about saying that All You Want is still my favorite song. I can’t see how anything can get any better than that.

For those of you unlucky enough to not recognize it at once, All You Want is a song from Said the Shark’s first album (Always Prattling On About Wolves). Their second album, Silly Killings, comes out tomorrow -- 17. march. And while it’s already been established that no song will ever be better than All You Want, this new stuff sure comes pretty close.

I’ve heard just a little more than a third of the album (if that makes any sense), and this third, at least, is pretty gorgeous. It feels, in some places, a bit heavier than the previous album, with electric guitars taking a more prominent place than before. The distinctive Said the Shark sound is still there, however -- the chimes and soft percussion, the balance of the echo-y string quartet sound with stripped-down, often almost inaudible instrumentation -- and Maya Saxall’s vocals are as whispery and ethereal as ever. But her voice also sounds like an orchestra. I still can’t quite get my head around the fact that one of the best Danish vocalists right now is actually Canadian...

So. Another thing that’s already been established is that I am terrible at describing music. I am not even really that good at describing what music makes me feel. But if ever there was a perfect bathtub-and-candles album, then, from what I can tell, Silly Killings is it. And here are two tracks to keep: Paper Girl, which is the heavier of the two, and All the Rules, which I slightly prefer. Both, however -- actually, that should be all -- are easily preferable to the majority of the other songs I’ve heard this past year.

Please keep in mind that these will only be up for a few days, possibly a week, per the band’s request. If you miss(ed) the time frame -- or if you’d just like to hear more -- there are several songs streaming on the band’s myspace. And another of the new songs, the painfully gorgeous Shaky Heart, my favorite of the five I've heard, has just moved up to -- yes! -- number two on the Elektriske Barometer (‘alternative’ top 10 in Denmark) list. You can listen to (and vote for) it here. The text is all Danish, but you should be able to figure it out -- click the speaker-looking link. Unfortunately it opens only in WMP, so far as I can tell.

And, of course, remember the album is out tomorrow. If you’re in Scandinavia, you should be able to buy it in shops; if you’re elsewhere, you can buy it through Targetshop (if you’re able to bear the amazingly bad exchange rate).

Enjoy this. I am.

--DL--
All the Rules (Said the Shark)
Paper Girl (Said the Shark)