A Musical Kiss

2006-10-13T09:49:00.000-07:00

J. Kleinberg
Pow! Like a ninja I suddenly appear from the dark and deliver a striking round house kick to your ears. A roundhouse of love and music. All this thanks to J. Kleinberg.

Tomorrow I'll find out if he's as good live as he his recorded when he plays at På besök in Malmö. According to a friend it's a must see. So I will.

Fiddle music. Indie fiddle music. Indie pop rock fiddle music. Brilliant indie pop rock fiddle music.

His website is here and his space is here. And tomorrow you should be there.

J. Kleinberg - Crazy Bird Whistle
J. Kleinberg - Princess Leia

2006-09-14T00:51:00.000-07:00

The Bicycles
Drive all cars off cliffs. Cut the wings off of every plane. Steal the tracks from the trains and weld the doors shut on all the buses. Put the motorcycles on boats and sink them deep into the oceans. Skateboarders and rollerbladers put your gear in the bin. Puncture all the hot air balloons. Why? Because the only transportation you need right now is The Bicycles. They will take you to the sunny California in the 60's. From Toronto, Canada they will take you everywhere you want to go. To Australia, Paris, Ghost Town and Montreal. To space and to a site.

The Bicycles - Paris Be Mine
The Bicycles - Gotta Get Out

2006-09-12T10:18:00.000-07:00

Lara May
Some parts of the song Order In The Nothing by American Lara May sounds very dramatic and like someones life was depending on it. Well, all of the songs available at her space sounds like that. In the best possible way. It sounds so classical, there are some things that remind me of Joni Mitchell. Lara May has the same ability to spellbound me. I've tried to not compare bands that I blog about with other bands, but this time I just had to break a rule and do it to get you to understand.

Lara May is living in Nashville at the moment. Some recordings are being made for an album with no release date. I hope its sooner than later. Now listen to this.

Lara May - Fire Freezer
Lara May - Order In The Nothing

2006-09-09T23:49:00.000-07:00

What is happening with AMK?
Well, it's been almost a month since I last posted something here. I wish I could say that I've been too busy to blog but that would not be completely true. Sure, I've been working like crazy the last couple of months but that is not the main reason for the lack of entries. I guess I just got fed up for a while. Things have been too crazy for a while now. This morning when I woke up I suddenly felt like blogging again. So here I go again.

To make this comeback easy for myself I'm gonna set you up with some people that I know. If you have been a frequent reader of this blog you remember the Swedish band Lucky Lucky Pigeons. They have put up a new song on their space. It's as catchy as all their songs and leaves you charmed and eager for more.

Lucky Lucky Pigeons - Keep on Kingie

Bobby Baby has released some new stuff at her website. Two new songs plus an acoustic version of one of the songs. As always it's music that get your heart going, your feet shuffeling and your ears smiling.

Bobby Baby - But How

This is turning out the be an all Swedish blog. I also want to point you to another old favourite of mine that has been blogged about before. Tanzmusik are Swedish but sing in German. Their melancholic pop songs make me long for Berlin.

Tanzmusik - Berlin

I don't know if I will be blogging every day again. Probably not. But I'm back. At least a few times per week. So tell your friends to come here if they need a tip on good music.

2006-08-14T02:03:00.000-07:00

Muut Ramonia
Mutt Ramon goes electronic. This is what this autumn will sound like. I wrote about Mutt Ramon here. Muut Ramonia is funky. Muut Ramonia is just as good and playful as it's indie brother. But with more basslines and snare drums. Just as they wanted it. Pump up the jam! Pump it up!

Muut Ramonia - Sorfolk and Nuffolk
Muut Ramonia - Flexible Thumb...

2006-08-09T03:28:00.000-07:00

The Stamps
Today I broke my coffee maker. I was going to clean it, but instead I broke it. Maybe that's good for me. I need to drink less coffee. On my day off from work I finally have time to update this blog and present you to something wonderful. The Stamps are Caroline, Sarah and Ali. And a bunch of instruments. It's very twee. It's very sweet. It's very good. Now I'm off to a café...

The Stamps - Jean Paul and Simone
The Stamps - Wisdom Teeth

2006-08-03T21:16:00.000-07:00

I'm Only Sleeping
Nathan is I'm Only Sleeping. I'm never sleeping these days. Too much work. If it wasn't for the music I would probably have lost it weeks ago. I don't want to sound corny, but isn't music just great this year? Band after band, artist after artist making every day so much easier to bare through when it's a crappy day, and making the good days so much better.

Thank you Nathan for making such wonderful songs. Thank you for making me smile. Thanks for making me shuffle my feet in a little dance. Thank you for making me wanna cry. Thanks for sharing your music with us.

I'm Only Sleeping - Syntax Error
I'm Only Sleeping - Letter From Your God

2006-08-02T21:11:00.000-07:00

Ohbijou
After busy days I just love to sit down with a cup of coffee and listen to something soft and slow. To something that is kind to my ears. Music that sounds like cotton. Or a blanket. Made of cotton... A few days ago I found a new favourite band for moments like these. They are Canadian. They released an album in July. They are six people with fantastic song writing skills. Give me a call if you want to enjoy them together with me and some coffee.

Ohbijou - Misty Eyes
Ohbijou - Steep

2006-08-02T02:00:00.000-07:00

Audiator
The sweet sweet melodies that makes your heart beat faster and faster until you have to burst out in a big smile and scream. I'm a sucker for the lo-fi pop songs with a twist of the 60's. Audiator delivers. Behind the name Audiator stands someone called Shonea from Belgrad, Serbia.

Audiator - A Picture With You
Audiator - The Girl With The Smile

2006-08-01T00:04:00.000-07:00

Chukimai
Even pitched kids voices sounds sweet. But also creepy. I'm glad that the music of Dutch Chukimai is not as scary as the sample in the song Kids. It's funky and jazzy electronica that want you to listen up. At this site there is 261 songs by Chukimai available for download... Begin with these two songs.

Chukimai - Suture
Chukimai - Kids

2006-07-31T01:08:00.000-07:00

Origami Ghosts
I never learned how to fold decent paper planes. I remember how the talented people used to fold the paper to planes looking like fighter jets. I never managed to do that. My planes just crashed and burned a meter away from me. I guess my paper planes was more like the first aircrafts that was built. You know the silly looking ones that you can see in old movie clips, with people trying to fly but everyone just ends up face down in a bush...

Origami Ghosts must be masters at folding paper. If they are half as good as they are making music, they could probably make a living out of it. This six piece band from Seattle, USA is about everything you need this week. The use of other instruments than the ordinary pop/rock band would use is what makes the gold that is Origami Ghosts shine. Four wonderful songs are available at their myspace site. Their website is not really finished yet, but you can find it here.

Origami Ghosts - Peace Smells Nice
Origami Ghosts - Clouds Look Down

2006-07-28T01:20:00.000-07:00

Psapp on books
My friend Zac Fors writes for several different publications, both on the web and on paper. During interviews with bands for those publications the topic books has been discussed. And now the book talks will be published here on this blog. First out is the oh so fantastic Psapp. /Daniel

The last Psapp album is one of those records that will follow us during the whole summer, over the autumn and into the cold Swedish winter. It's like a warm cat that hangs around and you just can't help loving it. When they came to Stockholm earlier this year I met Galia Durant and Carim Clasmann to ask them about their relationships to books.

Carim - I usually read a mixture of really sad geekie books about electronics because I build some stuff on my own and some odd novels like Paul Auster. At the moment I read the original Cervantes Don Quijote. I also read a lot of books about politics.

Galia - I love Evelyn Waughs book 'The Loved One' which is one of the funniest books I've ever read and I keep buying it to everyone I know. And the book written by the Rolling Stones manager is quite a good book as well but not as good as the Julian Cope autobiography.

Carim - It's a good book and he admits being shitty to everyone. If he would have written how good and great he was then it would have been boring but choosing to be the absolute opposite makes it so much more interesting.

Galia - There's another great music book I read at the same time called 'Ripit up & start again' by Simon Reynolds, it's about the history of post punk. It's a really great book and I really recommend it.

2006-07-26T00:54:00.000-07:00

Clara Clara
Yesterday I wrote about Francois Virot. I forgot to mention that he is also a member of the very energic band Clara Clara. It's rock ´n roll. Instrumental greatness. Heavy distortion. Feels like my speakers gonna crack. Even if I play it at a low volume, it's still very loud. And that's good, because you want to hear this. Website and myspace.

Clara Clara - Dans Mon Smoking
Clara Clara - Richmond

On Friday this blog will have a guest star. My friend Zac did an interview with Psapp earlier this year. Zac is a guy that reads alot. He talks about books. So check in again on Friday and you'll get a reading tip from Psapp for the weekend.

2006-07-25T01:18:00.000-07:00

Francois Virot
From Lyon, France comes the sounds of Francois Virot. Sounds that reminds me of The Beach Boys and Guided by Voices. As Francois says himself, it's very lofi. But poor sound quality has never been something that stopped me from liking good song writing. Monsieur Virot recorded four tracks on his four-track tape recorder and we want you to listen to them. Check out his myspace.

Francois Virot - Yes Sun
Francois Virot - Cascade Kisses
Francois Virot - Fishboy

Since the move I've been buried in work. I've only been home to sleep. At the most. Next month will be a little bit better, so be patient with me. The blog will return to normal as soon as possible. Now enjoy Francois Virot.

2006-07-17T00:21:00.000-07:00

Tishiná
Swedish electronic duo. Sofia Jansson and Christoffer Aldin. The song provided below is a true gem. Full of creative and emotional wonders. I believe the band is formed qute recently. There's only a myspace site to visit. And only two songs. At first I was thinking I should wait to post about them until more songs were added. But I could not do it. I just had to share this with you.

Tishiná - As Long As You Remain...

By the way, I have moved. At the moment I'm using some neighbours wireless internet connection. I don't know how long that will work. It's a very unstable connection so I don't even know if I will be able to post this post. So, I guess the activity on this blog will go down for a week or so. Maybe. Depending on my neighbour... But I do have something else that might interest you. More about that later. If it works out.

2006-07-13T02:39:00.000-07:00

Crazy For Jane
Brother and sister Josepha and Philipp Conrad is the core of Crazy For Jane. The Germans sound in the song Romance something like a band playing at a night club in some old movie. Josepha in a black dress moving slowly across the stage, while the band smokes tons of cigarettes. Red velvet curtains. A dramatic scene takes part somewhere in the crowd. No one reacts, the music is getting all their attention. When the song stops, a loud iiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeiiiiii is heard and the crowd moves awayfrom something on the floor...

Crazy For Jane - Romance

2006-07-12T01:30:00.000-07:00

The Way Forward

Zac and Helena wrote todays post as a response to my post about women and music a couple of days ago. They believe that the personal is political; they are also the founders of the new Swedish online publication emmet that deals with all the important things in life.

Daniel asks the question why music made by men is the music that gets most space, acknowledgment and cheering. The question can be answered with the conclusion that it's the man that is the norm in this society and that goes for both politics and philosophy as well as for culture. Daniels says that one of the reasons that his blog has been focusing on men is because he is one and therefore identifies himself with other men. That is probably true but we believe that there is more to it.

It's not only men that identify themselves with men, also women tends to identify themselves with the males. Everything around them, from a very early age, teaches girls that men are human and the universal while women are the odd ones. That is why we compare music made by women with music made by men and not the other way around. That is why we, in pure surprise, cheer when a woman makes as good music as a man. And that is why women are playing in the second division and not in the first division where the men are enjoying the game. And this is the reason why men, and not the women, decide what's good music and what music has got quality.

This creates a musical environment for men. More men than women gets signed, more men than women gets reviewed, more men than women gets celebrated and more men than women gets long articles and interviews in the media. When a woman gets attention then we are very aware of the fact that she is a woman. Especially since that the "she is a woman" factor usually is one of the main reasons that she is put in the spotlight.

All of this will of course affect the consumer. If we are not aware of what music we like and why we are listing to it we will certainly end up with a record collection built around men. It has nothing to do with what style of music we are into or what age we are in. Nor does it matter if it's records we have in our bookshelves or if it's music on mix tapes handed to us by our friends. If we are not aware, we will end up with mostly male artists as our favourit company.

Not even feminism is a guarantee for a more equal mix of male and female. A lot of feminists haven't got a genre perspective of the music they are listening to. And even when you as an eyes-wide-open feminist are fully aware of all of this it's still hard to be correct in what music you choose to read about, listen to and tell your friends they need to hear. This is because of the numbers of female artists that gets media attention are so few compared to male artists. However, awareness is the only way to change the norm just as Daniel did when he realized that his blog was dominated with music made by men.

We believe strongly in awareness and we are absolutely sure that things will change for the better. Because it has to, because it's absolutely absurd to ignore 50% of the world population and because it's the only way for us all to move forward as humans.
// Helena Österlund and Zac Fors

2006-07-11T01:21:00.000-07:00

Pleased
It's very cool and emotional at the same time. It's scary but also very sweet and soothing. Sardelle Leim and Asym Fever from Italy is todays treat. Unsigned so far. Just a matter of time before they get picked up. Enjoy.

Pleased - Eirlon Vui Desen
Pleased - Relaxing Today

2006-07-10T02:38:00.000-07:00

After looking through the past two months of blogging I’ve come to some conclusions. It’s time for change. Of all the bands and artists featured on this blog there are more than twice as many men as there are women. This is even though I’ve actually tried to not fall in the same trap as many other music media have done before me. The last two weeks I’ve tried harder to even things out, and succeeded. But almost every interview I’ve done have been with a guy. That’s not good enough, folks. Things just has to change.

Why does it look this way? I’ve thought about it alot and I’ve talked it over with friends. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly why, but below are some of the ideas I’ve got. I’ve tried to summarize it to a readable lenght...and therefore some ideas are not fully explained or discussed. I am quite aware of that I may have missed many explanations, so please don’t hesitate, comment or email me your ideas.

I belong to the gender category Male. Therefore I have easier to relate to other male artists expressions. This is of course debateble but I believe it’s true in many ways but, and this is important, not in all. There are so many other categories to take into consideration. But due to the fact that I am a male blogger, there is a big risk that I subconsciously favorize male artists. Like the male dominated press has done since the first word was published. Sadly, as my friend Moa points out, female culture journalists do this too, only to fit into the community of men writing about men.

One can also easily see that the pop (rock, hip hop, country, jazz and so on...) music estethics is a very masculine expression... This comes from years and years with predominately male artists occupying the scene. For a female artist the choice stands between rolling up her sleeves and get into the masculine game, or try to find an other way risking to be ignored as a sweet girl trying to make music.

Female artists has to be better than male artists to be considered talented. I believe that I (and many other) tend to listen to and judge female artists in a way that is more cynical and criticizing than with male artists. As if they have to be so much more original than any other musician. Like this: a girl makes great music but her voice reminds me of Björk. I turn it off and thinks that this girl is just trying to copy Björk. I do this with male artists too, of course, but not to the same extent. Why? Maybe it’s because there are less references for women to be judged by. Maybe it’s just because I’m a guy and I’m socialy programmed this way by years and years of male norms.

There are more men making music. I don’t have any proof of this, but I’m pretty sure that it’s the case. At least men seem to be more interested in getting their music public. The reason for this might be found in low self esteem with female artists. Among with lots of other explanations, of course. But this runs side by side with the first problem. Since the music press is also dominated by men (writing about men) the chance for a female artist to get noticed is slim. The more female artists getting attention for their music, the more female artists will follow. Just look at the boy band phenomenon. Or the sad-guy-with-guitar dito. According to a survey done in Sweden there are actually more women than men playing an instrument. My experience is that women mostly play instruments like cello, violoin or any other classical instrument. Think about it, all the bands using a string section consisting of women only.

I’m not sure if this post made any sense to you. It’s hard to discuss these things in Enlish since it’s not my native language. But at least you should have gotten the point that I’m not happy with music journalism as it looks today. Therefore I promise you, dear dear reader, that I will try even harder to be a part of the changing of it. How? Well, one solution would be to stop writing. That would even out the conditions. But i wont do that. Instead I will make a bigger effort trying to find the best indie music out there. This does not mean that I will stop promote male bands. Not at all. But in the choice between two bands/artists the choice will from now on automatically fall on the women. You might not notice the difference, but I will know it’s there. By the end of the day, I can at least say that I tried.

At first I was not sure if I should post it, or just change the blog without saying so. Thanks to Ella and Moa for ideas and kicking me in the ass to post it.

Oh, the sweet irony. I was listening to the band Man Man while writing parts of the post...

Now, send me suggestions on female artists to write about. The email adress is found in the profile section.

2006-07-09T23:18:00.000-07:00

The Rainbowmonkey
No information available. Except for: Always on the run, looking for the right shine. Currently in vietnam - feeding the rain. Inspired by shiny colors twinkling over the horizon.

Is this nonsense? Not at all. It's just monkey music. The world is filled with sock monkeys. This is one of the best. The Rainbowmonkey.

The Rainbowmonkey - HitHat
The Rainbowmonkey - Elevation in Pink

2006-07-08T01:03:00.000-07:00

Isen Biter
Swedish folk pop by Emma, Stina and Hanna. Wonderful and creative songwriting. I'm going insane to Insanity. The lalalala's is in the right spot. And the oooohh's aswell. Only thing left to say: thank you.

Isen Biter - Insanity
Isen Biter - What if The Sun Goes Down

2006-07-07T01:21:00.000-07:00

Skirt
No, it's not the same band as I posted about earlier. This time Skirt is German Ursula Maurer. But she's equally good. Really cool electronic sound mixed up with lo-fi electric guitars and innovative drumming. I also like her voice alot, in Senses Rubicund there's a cool delay that really tickles my eardrums. Sometimes she reminds me of Sonic Youth.

Skirt - Senses Rubicund
Skirt - Here She Comes

2006-07-05T13:13:00.002-07:00

The Classic Brown
Stacey Brown-Downham is the one to thank for the songs below. I fell in love with her voice at the first Here in Pret A Proceder. It's one of those voices that at once feel unique and interesting. But it's not only the voice, it's the way she uses it. In a relaxed, I am bored-kinda way. But still with a feeling that every word is the most important one. And such fantastic songwriting. I can't really decide on which songs to recommend. There seem to be something wrong with the songs at her myspace, they wont download. At her website you can get the two below. But you really should bookmark her myspace to get the other songs tomorrow.

The Classic Brown - Pret A Proceder
The Classic Brown - Proud Private, Give Leave

2006-07-03T23:40:00.000-07:00

Brother Sister
Dante and Xavia Nou is brother and sister. They grew up surrounded by artists and musicians, while travelling around Australia. All grown up they have been separated but thanks to modern technology they have been able to produce alot of great music. Thank god for the internet. It's electronic and acoustic pop with excellent singing from both Dante and Xavia. The brother and the sister. I wish I had a sister to sing with. Website.

Brother Sister - Likewise
Brother Sister - Solid

2006-07-03T02:36:00.000-07:00

A.A. Wallace
Canadian. Very prolific. Music to cry to. And of course enjoy. There's something about it that makes me so sad. His voice is heart breaking. Not in the Elvis way. It's more honest. The song structures of the songs below are really my cup of tea. Such wonderful melodies. I wish I had more time to tell you about how good this is, but I have an apointment for a hair cut. Read the interview instead. Myspace, website. Sleepless.

A.A. Wallace - I Can Beak Your Heart
A.A. Wallace - Spike
A.A. Wallace - Kristen is a Germaphobe

What does the A.A. in A.A. Wallace stand for? I know one is for Aaron.
Aaron Alexander Wallace. Although I am changing my name soon to Cheval Gary Wallace. Gary was my deceased fathers name and cheval is the name most people know me by because it was the name of my old band. So as a performer i'll either by known as Cheval again or A.A. Wallace is dead.

Is Toronto a bad place? Why?
I was there for the first time last week and it wasn't terrible. I just don't like the idea of toronto. Everyone thinks it's some kind of mecca for everything. I know alot of my friends parters are moving there. 3 from my band at least.

Whats your take on the Canadian indie scene?
The Canadian Indie scene is as strong as it's ever been. I blame that on the internet and even since myspace things have started getting better. Alot of it seems to be community based.

You are recording an album at the moment? When will it be done?
I'm always recording an album. I have 14. the new one is almost done and will be finished by August. When I have enough songs I just compile them.

Your EP released this year is sold out. How does that make you feel?
Good. I'm a sell out. hehe. I didn't make many copies of it because it was a covers ep and I didn't want to get in any publishing trouble.

I was trying to do some research but I just got confused. You used to be in the band Cheval? Youre in The Sleepless Nights and now you are also doing the solo thing?
All true. I usually get down on what i'm doing. I'm very self critical so alot of times shit just falls apart but in the sleepless nights the other members pick up my slack. For which I am eternally greatful.

Sleepless Recordings. Do you have anything to do with it?
Yes indeed I do. I started it with my friend Thomas/Richard. Initially we did it because we didn't fit in with what our friends were doing so we decided to try and create our own community.

If it was up to you, what band would you like to open for on a world tour?
Casiotone for the Painfully alone. If I were gay i would stalk him.

2006-07-01T01:34:00.000-07:00

A Day For Kites
Today is my birthday. I'm gonna celebrate it with working from noon to midnight. Fantastic. It's a very hot day today, and it's only 10:30. I'm not sure if it's really a good day for flying kites, but the day when this Canadian indie rock band formed apparently was. I don't have time for a big post about what they sound like so just grab the song and enjoy. Visit their myspace for more downloads.

A Day For Kites - Bobby Pin

Also, Tanzmusik got a new song up on their myspace site. I think it's about driving on the autobahn. I know it's good.

Tanzmusik - Baustelle

2006-06-30T01:29:00.000-07:00

Pepito
Mexican Ana Machado and Cuban Jose Marquez living in Spain but are on their way to the US makes wonderful things as Pepito. Intense and dramatic, well programmed but with a spontaneous feeling to it. Some songs are more electric, twisting and turning like a drunk mosquito. Other songs are more straight forward but still with a variation in the song. Well, you will hear for yourself as soon as you've downloaded the songs. They have released their third album this year The New World, so this might be old news to you. But for me this is brand new and something to stand at rooftops screaming about. At their website there's lots of songs and videos for you to grab.

Pepito - The New World
Pepito - Por Que

2006-06-29T10:01:00.000-07:00

Mutt Ramon
Back from twelve hours of heavy labor. Christ. And only a crappy radio station to listen to in the background. Twelve hours without good music. But now I'm back home. Listening to Stuart Staples solo album. But this post is not about him.

Yesterday I re-discovered an old favourite. Mutt Ramon is Simon Lancaster and Neil Johnson. Mutt Ramon is also brilliant melodies and loads of big smiles. The album Utterly Mutterly was released earlier this year. From the album there's two songs available (although one is edited and you miss the ending...). Wow, it's only 7 pm and I'm thinking of going to bed. Maybe Silver Moon Boots can get me going again. Check out their website and myspace.

Mutt Ramon - Silver Moon Boots
Mutt Ramon - Derek Jarman's Garden (edit)

2006-06-27T15:58:00.000-07:00

Kelly Slusher
I'm getting nervous about next week. I wont have any internet connection. I'm addicted to it, you know. Without this high speed stuff I would not have found Kelly Slusher. And then I would have missed out on some superb songs. It's så förbannat jävla bra as we would say in Swedish. It's so fucking good as we say in English. Great pop music from Brooklyn, New York. Check out her website for further info on this brilliant songwriter.

Kelly Slusher - When You Said
Kelly Slusher - All Thru The Day

2006-06-26T15:36:00.000-07:00

Compute
When beginning a post, I sometimes find myself thinking about the first sentence for way too long. I want to be witty. I want to be interesting. It's stupid, I know. I don't have to be anything but informative as long as I keep finding such fantastic music for you. And what fantastic music I stumble upon sometimes. Since my back is still giving me tremendous problems with walking, dancing is totally out of the question. What a pitty. I would give my left leg to have dance to/with Compute.

Think of the best pop melodies you ever heard. The synth pop ones. Think of the funkiest sounds you ever heard from a video game. Think of dancing. Think of Swedish Ulrika Mild who is Compute. Oh my god. Every Chance is on at the moment. I wanna dance!!! I'm not gonna bore you with too much info. Just visit her website if you wanna know more. Or the label that released the Computopia EP. And, yeah, read this interview after you've downloaded these tracks:

Compute - Every Chance
Compute - Dance With Me
Compute - Turn Your Head

In an interview you got the question what song you wished that you had written. You answered Dance With Me by Alphaville. I think your Dance With Me is so much better. Why is dancing so fun to do and sing about?
First of all, thank you, I think Alphaville made an amazing song, managing to sound sad, romantic desperate and hopeful at the same time. And it's catchy. Then to answer your question, I think dancing, at least for me, means letting go and only feeling the music, nothing else. If you're angry, happy, sad whatever, dancing's almost always the best way to spend a Saturday night. Or any other night.

Does it happen (I can't see that it's possible, though) that people wont dance when you play live? How does that make you feel?
Yes, it actually does. We've played a couple of times for sitting audiences, it's horrible. I think the audience is half the show, if they look happy it makes us do a better job. And if they don't look like they're enjoying it I usually end up not playing half of the songs I had planned.

Do you think it’s possible to make futuristic music? Listening to alot of bands today, it’s easy to find some retro feeling to their stuff. Is it possible to make music without looking to the past?
It might be possible if you grow up without ever hearing music. Otherwise no, I don't think it's possible to make music without looking to the past. It’s possible to think you’re not looking at the past, though.

How does the future look for Compute? What do you think will happen? What do you want to happen?
I have no idea, I never do. Things just happen, or in some cases don't happen. I don't have a plan; I just want to make music, music that I like. I would want more people to hear my music, spread it more I guess, so that's how I hope the future looks.

If you could choose, what band would you like to open for on a world tour?
That's a hard one... It might be fun opening for Client, I think our music would be different enough from theirs to make it interesting, and still similar enough not to confuse. And they’re not too big, they don't play on stages where you feel like you're an ant who's lost your ant-friends when you were out searching for whatever ants search for.

2006-06-23T02:08:00.000-07:00

Skirt
Well folks, the sharing part of this blog did not work out at all. So now it's just me. Well, it's been that way since the start so I don't think you will notice any difference... Anyway, there might be some additional writers for this blog at least during the summer. I am moving in a couple of weeks so my internet access will be minimal until the new ISP do their magic.

Enough about the boring stuff. Let's check out todays great band Skirts. The Americans Shana Falana and Nicole Pinon describe their sound like this:

"something beautiful that you heard when you were dreaming last night, rocking back and forth like a boat out at sea, birds swirling on a brooklyn rooftop, your childhood memories smell sweet, and the sounds of the singing siren's echoing chorus's sing you to sleep again......."

I could not agree more. It's rather minimal. In Heaven it's just one guitar and the two perfect voices of Nicole and Shana. Yeah, that is maybe what heaven is like. Listen.

Skirt - Heaven

2006-06-22T03:01:00.000-07:00

True Adventures
Mia might be her name. Playful is what she is. And Brittish. Crazy songs from this artist almost makes my ears bleed from the chaos. But then the bandaid of perfect pop melodies stops it. So if you're bleeding, get this song and then call the ambulance.

True Adventures - Pipelines

2006-06-21T00:04:00.000-07:00

Solitary Extraction
Bubble beats and twisting melodies. Multi instrumentalist Brad Weber has released two albums on his own label Crony. The third album is on it's way, due to be finished this summer. There's a song from the album at his myspace site plus some old ones. At his website you can get more. This Canadian is full of beautiful songs. If you liked Pulka, then you will also dig this. The new album will be superb. // Dandy

Solitary Extractions - Hand of Slight

2006-06-19T15:25:00.000-07:00

Tam Lin Music
New Yorker Paul Weinfield sounds so very New York. Yeah, I know, I probably wouldn't have heard it if I didn't knew it. But still, when you know it, he sounds very New York. He even looks New York. He also reminds me of Reclinerland and his song My New York.

Anyway, listen to this New Yorker. Wow, only one sentence without mentioning New York. // Dandy

Tam Lin Music - Judas Tree
Tam Lin Music - Floating World

2006-06-19T14:12:00.000-07:00

Tanzmusik
The Swedish duo has finished the work on their new song and it's now available from their myspace site. In July they will have an EP ready for us. Now hurry, get this new song. Why? Because pop is nicer auf Deutsch. // Dandy

Tanzmusik - Fxxk Mich

2006-06-18T15:31:00.000-07:00

Knife-Like Objects
I'm trying real hard to not write things like: this band is cutting edge and very sharp. Obviously I failed. Knife-Like Objects reminds me of Aspidistra Fly. The same dreamy landscapes of sounds. The melodion almost makes me wanna cry. Sometimes they rock, sometimes they gently roll. Canadians Lauren Yakiwchuk and Paul Duchnay are busy people. Lauren also plays in the band Winter Equinox. Paul plays in Zefangus and Microphones in the Trees. The couple also run the label Karate Mart Records. Their website and their space. You should get this song. // Dandy

Knife-Like Objects - Sassy Officer Killed

2006-06-16T15:06:00.000-07:00

Lets Get Baked

I just love it. Read this:

"Lets Get Baked is a Vegan Friendly Radio Baking Program. Each week Mat and Dave bring a different band into the kitchen to help cook up a delicious recipe. Radio personalty Tom Westoll is always on hand to guide you through and of course make sure you learn something along the way."

So, head over to their kitchen and download the radio shows and print the recipes. Some great bands have been baking with Mat and Dave. // Dandy

2006-06-15T15:22:00.000-07:00

Amida
It's Manchester. It's pop. It's those perfect guitars that our parents think sound weird. "Those guys can't play". You know. These guys can play. And they do. In a briliant way. // Dandy
Amida - Class of 2000
Amida - It Started In Naples

2006-06-15T01:11:00.000-07:00

White Shoes & The Couples Company
I got some help from the doctor yesterday. It still hurts like hell, but at least it feels like I some day will be able to walk again. And dance. And when I do, I will dance to White Shoes & The Couples Company from Indonesia. I'll give you two songs. The first is for dancing. The other is for dancing too, if you like it slow. It's the soundtrack to the movie Berbagi Suami. Maybe it's the song I should start with... At their space you can get yourself some cool looking merchandise. 70's style. // Dandy

White Shoes & The Couples Company - Tentang Cita
White Shoes & The Couples Company - Bersandar

2006-06-14T02:32:00.000-07:00

Winter Took His Life
The backache continues. I watch alot of movies and of course listen to alot of music. Today I want to share something that has been very good for my back. It's something very still. It won't make you dance, and that's good because I can't really move.

Winter Took His Life is Swedish Susanna Brandin. She makes soft music. Perfect for lying down staring at the ceiling. Perfect to close your eyes to. Dreamy songs that make the pain easier to bare. Recently back from a tour in th US with Cedarwell. Planning an album. Until the work on that album is finished, get these songs. It will do you good. Get more songs here. // Dandy

Winter Took His Life - Time
Winter Took His Life - Lucky Star

2006-06-12T23:53:00.000-07:00

The Answering Machine
My back is killing me. Something weird have happened. I can't walk. I can't stand straight. I can hardly sit down. It even hurts when I'm lying down. I didn't go out yesterday. I'm trapped in my apartment. Crap. Well, enough about me.

For you who actually can move and move yourself to a park and enjoy the summer: you need to bring some music. I've got it for you. I've found that guitar is the best instrument to make park music with. Usually the sound system that I bring to parks is not that good. Too much bass in a song and it's useless. Therefore trebble sounds like electric guitars sound good. It cuts through loud crowds aswell.

The Answering Machine is perfect for the park. Although they are not Scottish. Scottish pop is my first park music choice. TAW are Brittish and do songs perfect both for the park and for the car, going on vacation. The bands first EP called Cities and Sorries will make you dance on that blanket. Their very Brittish pop is mixed with something American that I can't put my finger on. Now, enough talking about music. Now listen. // Dandy

The Answering Machine - Oklahoma
The Answering Machine - The Hold Up
The Answering Machine - Answer Me

2006-06-11T15:47:00.000-07:00

Hotels
I like hotels. Even if it's a crappy hotel, I feel special sleeping in a hotel bed. Even though I find it yucky when I think of how many people who have slept (and...yeah) there before. I don't like hostels. I stayed in a hostel in Singapore some years ago. There were bunk beds and the guy who slept in the bottom one was smoking all the time and watching the TV he had bought. I guess he was living there for a while. Maybe he thought of me as an intruder. I dont like hostels. I like hotels.

I like Hotels. I like their synths. I like the instrumental and playful sounds. You guys who are acquainted with the Swedish band Bob Hund can think of Bob Hund without the crazy singing. And bit more tamed. To all the rest, think of good music and you will get a pretty good idea. Now read this interview with Blake. And get the songs. // Dandy

Hotels - Atlantic
Hotels - Cinemascope

If you guys would run a hotel, where would it be located? And why? What would it be called?
An excellent question, to be sure. It is in fact in our future plans to build our own underwater Hotel, "The Maudlin". It will be encased in a very large glass dome, and have the biggest casino in the world. We wrote a song about it called "The Maudlin".

Who do what in the band?
Blake plays bass, Rich 1 plays guitar, Rich 2 plays synths, Max plays drums. And we all contribute to the synth blood bath.

You are situated in both New York and Seattle, right? How does that work? Webcam rehearsals?
It's a bit of a tricky situation, and it's still being ironed out. Between the four of us, we live in three different states separated by a lot of land. But Max and I fly into NY as much as we can to play shows and record. These days, we usually practice one to two times every three months, usually for just a few hours before a show. The last time we played, we learned a new song three hours before the show. It's a bit crazy, but we know the songs and each other well enough to make it work somehow.

In the meantime, I'm writing music for our next album(s) in Seattle, and forming a west coast version to play new music I've written out here. It's not a new band, it's not a different band, it's not the same band with the members replaced. It's a different take on the same idea; what Hotels would be (and is) if it were based out here. At the end of this year, we hope to have two different parts to the same album completed, a side of east and west music respectively. I believe we'll all be situated in the same place again at the same time in the future. But being truly bi- coastal is the goal. Extensive travel is part of our image, you know.

There is a surf feeling to some of your songs, where does it come from? Do you surf?
I don't think any of us surf, although I won't deny the influence. I think it comes from not giving the same focus to vocals that a lot of other pop music does. Some people (musicians and listeners both) need to have vocals over every part of a song, but to me, some of the most catchy, memorable, poppy music ever written (surf music) never had any vocals at all. Even my dad knows the Ventures. It's more interesting for me to have a strong melody and a well crafted song, than one buried under vocals. You can attach your own meaning and emotions to a good melody instead of being told how to feel. Besides, we love the sound of reverb on a guitar, or anything for that matter.

The album "Thank You For Choosing... " Did you release it yourself? How is the Pralaya label connected?
Initially we released it ourselves. In the interim, Rich 1 and his bandmate from another band (Friendly Bears) Matt Filler started up Pralaya as a means to put out their record. In a short time, Pralaya has morphed into something else, namely an experimental pop label with a roster of a handful of bands with close relations, although different aesthetics, but similar enough in our feelings that "pop" is not a dirty word; at its core it simply means catchy, well written, melody driven music, in all its forms. We even have our own in- house producer, Justin Colletti, an enigmatic figure who gesticulates a lot.

If you could choose, what band would you join on their world tour and open for? Why?
That's a tough one. There's a few dead/ and or broken up people out there that it just wouldn't quite work for. Right now, maybe DEVO. We are already competing with them in our own minds in terms of synth mastery. I think we have them beat on sheer number (at one point we had 6 synths on stage at the same time, all used in one song) and depth, but no one will ever be as tight a synth bass player as Jerry Casale. The whole band is still sharp as a metronome and they're probably in their fifties now, right? Other than them, maybe Yellow Magic Orchestra or Prince in their respective heydays. YMO has a literal arsenal of synths and electronics when they play. They have a person whose sole job is to switch synth patches on a huge upright board. And Prince, what can you really say about Prince that hasn't been said already? That guy's a genius.

2006-06-10T14:42:00.000-07:00

The Robot Ate Me
The new The Robot Ate Me album Good World is probably one of the best albums this year. I have not even heard it, but I know it's something spectacular. It has to be. There's a song from the new album available at the TRAM website. It is so so so what your ears need. So let's go go go and get it. // Dandy

The Robot Ate Me - Djien

You should also take a look at the video for Cripsy Christian Tea Time.

2006-06-09T11:44:00.000-07:00

O H M Sthlm
This Swedish bands history is crazy. I don't believe it. Do you?

Unknown to the outside world until now! The band O H M Sthlm started playing music together ten years ago in a dark cellar of Stockholm Sweden. Since then they have kept their music in secret dark places all around Stockholm. Mostly in train tunnels and old underground spaces. The band have never sent a tape to a record company, instead they carefully packed it and put it were no one can hear it. This strange behaviour ended a year ago when the band members discovered one of their old recordings on the roof of a forgotten subway train. The band decided to save the recording from being eaten by the rats and launched a rescue operation. The recording was saved after a major operation. Then, one of the band members started a record company, and now the recording is mixed, fixed and ready to be released in 2006.

But it does not matter. I know. There are other things to concentrate on. Like the wonderful piano in Follow My Fate. Or the coolness of Spoon Me. Get the songs and have a really good day. // Dandy

O H M Sthlm - Spoon Me
O H M Sthlm - Follow My Fate

2006-06-08T00:57:00.000-07:00

The Arrogants
This blog is starting to attract some readers. Thank you all for writing. I'm glad you like the same bands that I do... There is hope.

Some days ago I recieved an email from Letterbox Records saying that the new The Arrogants full length CD is released. It's called You've Always Known When Best To Say Goodbye. The band was totally unknown to me. I listened to some songs from the CD... and I'm glad that I got that email. Six songs from the album are available for download here and here. Cool Shoes, I Want You and Wishing Well are three very very good songs.

The Arrogants make upbeat happy music. The Arrogants make slow, sad, sad songs. The Arrogants make my day. Soon they will make your day too. The bands previous releases can be downloaded from their website. Do it now. // Dandy

The Arrogants - Cool Shoes
The Arrogants - Wishing Well
The Arrogants - I Want You

2006-06-07T03:37:00.000-07:00

Lucky Lucky Pigeons
The birds has made a new website. In English. Go check it out. Here. The EP Happy Birds Day was released yesterday. Things are happening. They were on the Brittish radio show The Rachel Neiman Experience yesterday. They are getting gigs. Cool. // Dandy

2006-06-07T00:51:00.000-07:00

MC Swiss Cheeze
Ferenc Stenton is a genius. Or just crazy. Maybe both. I'm thinking of devoting this blog completely to his music. This time it's some kind of rap music. But not hip hop. Really. Is it even rap? Anyway, this is a cool song. // Dandy

MC Swiss Cheeze - Snap Crackle Pop

2006-06-05T15:30:00.000-07:00

Skeleton (me)
The following can be read at this site:

Step 1: Press stop. Step 2: Plug in headphones to cpu. Step 3: Press play. Step 4: Close eyes.

Luke LaLonde thinks music is best heard through headphones. I sort of agree. But I'm easy to scare, and while listening to music through headphones one could easily sneak up from behind and scare the shit out of me. Anyway. The music that Luke make sounds good no matter the technical stuff. And if someone scared me, Skeleton (me) would calm me down with these three fantastic songs:

Skeleton (me) - Play It By Ear
Skeleton (me) - Drunk Or Dreaming
Skeleton (me) - I Know This Trucks

Mister LaLonde also plays guitar and sing in Born Ruffians, something you definately should look up aswell. It's louder. Until they got their website ready, listen here. Now take a minute to read the interview. // Dandy

Born Ruffians - This Sentence

What do you prefer, being drunk or dreaming?
When I'm drunk I dream alot more so it's real win win. Being drunk can be messier than dreaming. ...sometimes... I can fly in my dreams, and I mostly fall when I'm drunk. Lately I've been dreaming alot more than drunking. I prefer dreaming.

Is less more?
Subtraction is harder than addition. I think it's really easy to add more, but to know when to stop or remove is a far greater talent in my opinion. Some of my favourite songs and bands are filled with layers upon layers of vocals and instruments, so I don't poo-poo using large arrangements by any means. But I definitely live by the less is more mentality, sometimes by necessity... In Born Ruffians we're limited by only having three people so I have to find new ways to do things with less.

I read on your myspace blog that you know Ferenc Stenton. I've written about both Go Green and The Drumbeat Architects. And now you. Do you know any other band connected to Ferenc that we should hear?
I know Ferenc from the town we both grew up in. He's in Brazil now, soon to be back in Canada. One of his first bands was named Sirkus and we played a show or two together. I think Ferenc is in 216 bands. He was probably in my band at some point.

What band would Skeleton (me) go on a world tour with as the opening act? If you could choose.
If I could go on tour with any band, it would be the Band, so I could try and sneak in and sing harmonies. I'd show them my loop pedal I brought back in time and Robbie Robertson would probably write some cool loops. Then I'd bring the loops back to the future and tell people I did them... like when my dad used to draw pictures and I would tell people I drew them. But he would probably get mad and kind of rap at me real soft and slow and Id give him his loops back and come clean to the world. It would all end with a song and dance routine with the ghosts of Richard Manuel and Rick Danko.

Is your music best heard through headphones?
All music is best heard through a good pair of headphones. You hear so much more and experience the atmosphere and intended nature of a song. Music is so much more intimate through headphones, I love hearing someone take a breath or sniffle in between lines.

If you had to choose one intrument to bring to a deserted island, what instrument would that be? The trombone?
Thanks for the suggestion, but I would bring a cooking/killing instrument. Maybe a big pan that I could conk things on the head with to eat and then cook over a fire.

2006-06-05T00:43:00.000-07:00

IWATSW
I Was A Teenage Satan Worshiper. Sometimes weird band names just bore me. As if the band has realized they suck and are in desperate need of a name that at least makes them slightly interesting.

I Was A Teenage Satan Worshiper is a weird band name. I would not say that I'm crazy about it. I don't care. They don't need a cool name to get my attention and cheers. Their electronic based pop is catchy, dancy and most of all: like a musical kiss. Kiss me all over. This band is from Finland. Their website is not very informative. But from this site you can download many moore songs than the ones listed below. But start with Go Home Pandatron. // Dandy

ps. For some reason you need to left click to download in both Firefox and IE. ds.

I Was A Teenage Satan Worshiper - Go Home Pandatron
I Was A Teenage Satan Worshiper - Surfer Rocket Girls

2006-06-03T04:40:00.000-07:00

Do you ever feel normal?
I was just being lazy. I was not supposed to post anything today. But I just had to show you something. I searched for "indie music" under the video section in one of the big internet search engines. This is what I found. Sometimes I feel like a freak. But I'm not. At least not compared to these guys... Oh. Remember, I'm not saying that I like it. // Dandy

Bad Luck 13 - Bats On The Dancefloor

2006-06-02T09:23:00.000-07:00

Music. Right.
Did you see this? Funny. A list of 50 conservative rock songs. I dont know. If anyone got a list of liberal or left wing music, please share it with me. The Clash. Conservative? Is that right? // Dandy

2006-06-01T22:34:00.000-07:00

Shugo Tokumaru
Today Japan. I have no words today. To stressed out. Too much. // Dandy

Shugo Tokumaru - Mist

2006-05-31T15:04:00.000-07:00

Tummy Toast
Shut up. I'm not kidding. You have to shut up. It's the only way. If you want to hear these delicate master pieces you really have to shut up and concentrate. It's not easy, I know. But if you try real hard you will find gold by the end of the rainbow.

Yeah, yeah. I know what you are thinking. "He's just trying to be so fucking indie". True. I am. But listen to the songs! They deserve it. Hush. Listen. // Dandy (the remix version of So Cute Damnit is more hi-fi...)

Tummy Toast - So Cute Damnit
Tummy Toast - So Cute Damnit (Bunny Toast remix)
Tummy Toast - Very Long Song

2006-05-30T15:37:00.000-07:00

The Drumbeat Architects
This is the last post of the first month. Looking back I can see that I've been posting about bands from all over. Good bands and good music. Bands who share their music with us. And their time. Thanks to all you guys for taking your time to answer my questions. I'm looking forward to June and what it may have in store for us.

Do you remember Green Go? Ferenc Stenton who is Green Go also makes music together with Dan Pélé as The Drumbeat Architects. I've been listening to their song A Thousand Miles while riding my bicycle around town. It makes me calm. It makes me pedal at a less dangerous speed. Thanks for saving my life! It's melancholic. It's too short. // Dandy

The Drumbeat Architects - A Thousand Miles

2006-05-30T01:28:00.000-07:00

Frase
This Kiwi makes love songs. Not video games music. He wanted to start a synthpop band but didn't have any synths. So instead Frase uses some old Commodore 64 computers and a drum machine. Now get this love song. // Dandy

Frase - He's Going To Art School

2006-05-28T22:47:00.000-07:00

Busrider
It was a very busy weekend. Oboy. But now things will hopefully settle for a while. I've got something special for you today. The Taiwanese band Busrider has been on my mind for a while now. Melodies that stick on you like glue. Such talented songwriting. Yuchain took the time to answer some of my questions. Read this interview and then download. Happiness!! is my favourite, but they are all good. // Dandy

Tell us about the pop scene in Taiwan. I don’t know anything about it. Are there more bands from Taiwan that sound as good as you do? I don’t think it’s possible though.
The main music scene in Taiwan is all conquered by pop-idol culture; you can barely find music other than that on TV, mass media, or record stores. There are actually many people playing in bands but are mainly into metal or hard rock stuff, also lots of people playing cover bands as far as I know. Luckily there are still some people love indie music and have developed a small music scene in Taipei during the past few years, now we have live houses, several music festivals (Spring Scream and Formoz are the most famous ones,) and some nice music labels, everything’s getting better and better. But to be honest, I personally still haven’t found many music groups attracting me here. If you want to get to know the scene, don’t forget to check labels like 7inch Vinyl (funded by our good friend Wanting. She’s also in two awesome bands called Varo and Tin Pan Alley) and White Wabit, the latter releases compilations covering lots of choices of the scene every year.

The band was formed last christmas. You seem to be very productive. You have quite a lot of gigs. Where will Busrider be next christmas? On a world tour? Who are in the band?
Busrider currently comprises Wensan, Chaka and me. At first I was trying to write and record songs that I can listen to during my everyday commutation on bus and subway. It wasn’t until I got a chance to play live that I started to think about gathering people to fulfil my music idea for live actions. So I asked my girlfriend Wensan, who has deep classical-music influences and muti-instrumental talent to help me with the live performance. Soon Mr. Chaka, a good friend of mine also is the singer and guitarist of a band called Smol, joined us to add more organic sounds on top of our original laptop-based music. Then we had lots of chances to play live, but they kinda eat out all our weekends (Chaka and I was also touring for our other band during that time), therefore we didn’t really have time to arrange new songs and record. Now the only thing I really want to do is making a good record. Not likely, but I wish we could. If there is people love our music and want to see us perform, we’ll be more than happy to travel around the world and play!

Are you recording your songs on your own or are they recorded in a professional studio?
We record everything in my flat. Actually it’s almost impossible to find a studio in Taipei that fits our music. Studios here are most commercial-oriented and only good on making pop stars; indie bands have no choice but recording music by their own. The bad thing is that you always cannot find the gear you want for recording here, also you’ll feel helpless when you wish there is somebody else can help with mixing and mastering.

If you would go on a tour as the opening act for another band, what band would you like that to be? And why?
My personal choice now would be Lali Puna. Recently I was hooked instantly by their new release I thought I was over that and wondering what will be their live performance. Wensan’s choice is Bright Eyes, their music and live is just too awesome! Chaka would like to tour with Jicks with Stephen Malkmus, he’s also a huge fan of Pavement.

Please tell the readers of this blog something you think they should know about Busrider.
We’re now working on a new EP, which will probably be done this summer (though I cannot promise because there is always an accident and we’re all busy with work, study, or other things.) We’ll release it through the Internet so please keep checking our homepage. And I’m also in a band called Green!Eyes playing mainly emotional-rock stuff, and we’ve released a split EP with Chaka’s band Smol under the Randommind Records this February, check it out if you’re interested.

Please tell the readers of this blog something you think they should not know about Busrider.
I always dreamt to be a painter and used to paint a lot but now my life is full of computer stuff as I now major in computer science and work as a programmer. I have problem of communicating people and arranging time; they confuse me all the time. Wensan is also college student majoring in journalism, and actually Chaka is from Japan, currently working in Taiwan for a multi-national corporation. We don’t really know when he will go back to Japan. Anyways, these things are all nothing to do with our music.

Busrider - Happiness!!
Busrider - This Is How The Story Ends
Busrider - Christmas
Busrider - System Of Life

PS. Only Happiness!! is in the Mp3 format. The other songs are in M4a. If it does not work on your media player visit this site for trouble shooting. DS.

2006-05-27T15:14:00.000-07:00

Busy busy busy
There is no time for music. There is only time for work. There is no time. Check out those links to the right... I'll be back on Monday. With something fantastic. From Taiwan. Something so very very good. Check back on Monday. Don't forget. // Dandy

2006-05-25T23:37:00.000-07:00

Babamars
This band have a cool looking website. You should go check it out. Maybe you can get some information out of it. I did not. I failed completely. All I can offer you is that they seem to be a French band. They released an album in 2004 called Whatever Happened To All Our Pioneers. And in september this year they will release the next, called Surprising Twists. Below is two songs from the new album and one from the old. The music range from surf rock to indie pop to electro. I can't really decide what I like the most. They make very good music. That's all I guess. And that is alot. // Dandy

Babamars - Surfin' Nagoya
Babamars - We've Got To Make It Tonight
Babamars - Freeze

2006-05-25T02:42:00.000-07:00

Shorty Cat
I woke up this morning feeling very pissed off. I don't know why. Does not matter why. What matter is that it made me want to listen to some Korean punk. You recognize that feeling? I thought so. Therefore I prescribe (yeah, just like TYM) a good healthy dose of Shorty Cat. They will take me through the day. Like they have done many days before. This is what they say about themselves at this site: cute and never cute. happy and never happy. whatever let's get more fun!
You try to be pissed off listening to TV Show. If you succeed, please email me. Then you need something stronger. Maybe I can help you out. Meanwhile, check out this label Skunk. // Your pusherman Dandy.

Shorty Cat - TV Show
Shorty Cat - Riot Girl
Shorty Cat - I Hate Her

2006-05-23T22:58:00.000-07:00

Aaand if God?
Say hello to French electronics. Sometimes it's minimalistic. Sometimes it's rather bombastic. It's always fantastic. Or should I say fantastique? Pardon my French.

Aaand if God? has released some Cd-r's at Concrete Curving Records and a Mp3 album. Free for download. Thank you very much. Although something was not working properly when I tried to download some songs last night. The songs listed below should work. Check out Aaand if God? at myspace and at his website for further reading and downloading. // Dandy

Aaand if God? - Plants and Trees
Aaand if God? - Downt

2006-05-23T00:23:00.000-07:00

Mark Warren
So, it's tuesday. Let's do the interview thing today instead. Read the following Q's and A's and you will get to know Mark Warren a little bit. He's an American living in Prague, Czech Republic. But first download these songs. Listen to them while you read this. Here they are:

Mark Warren - Winter State
Mark Warren - Johnnie
Mark Warren - Friendster

Download the complete album from this site.

What is the album called?
Well, it doesn't have a name just yet. I've thought about Zizkov Television Tower (a monument in Prague) or maybe Mark Warren's Lonely Planet (like the guide book).

You spent eight months recording it. Have you done everything yourself?
I did have friends help me choose which songs to keep, and give me some general creative advice. But other than that it was just me. There were some frustrating times when I kinda wish I had somebody else to mix and maybe record some. But in the end it was satisfying to have something pretty much all my own.

What are you doing in Prague?
Right now I'm a living cliche... an American ex-pat teaching English. Hopefully, I'll be able to begin playing out in the next few months. But things have been so busy, I'm not really sure when that'll be.

How is the music scene in Prague? For some reason, the Czech Republic is to me connected to 80's heavy metal. Dunno why. Tell us about it.
I think if you look up Prague bands on Myspace you'll get like 80% metal bands. I haven't been able to see too much music. But, from what I can tell, there's alot of House, Hip Hop, and Jazz. I'm not too sure about the quality of Jazz, but I actually saw a pretty great blues duo here, which I thought would be impossible. And Lou Reed came through not too long ago, so there is some variety.

If you could choose, what band would you like to open for on a world tour?
You probably couldn't tell from my music, but the Rolling Stones. The only problem would be that the older audience would probably boo me offstage. I was also a Radiohead freak for some time, so I'd enjoy opening for them.

Tell the readers something that you think they should know about you.
Either B.B. King or Louis Armstrong (I forget who) once said that there are only two kinds of music... good and bad. I think this sums up my take on music and alot of other things.

2006-05-22T00:09:00.000-07:00

Over The Atlantic / Skallander
Nik Brinkman and Bevan Smith is Over The Atlantic and Bevan Smith and Matthew Mitchell is Skallander. I tried to find some things out about them but my head is a mess and I didn't have the energy to do a lot of research. It's up to you from here. All I know is that this Bevan Smith guy is very productive. If you want to learn more then visit Over the Atlantic and Skallander at these sites. A lot of good songs. Here are four songs. It's acoustic and it's electric. It's electronic and it's brilliant. Enjoy.

Over the Atlantic - Starsign
Over the Atlantic - 35 Black and White
Skallander - Fine Words
Skallander - Coleei

Today was supposed to be interview day. But some bands just need some extra time to answer the questions. Let them have it. It will be worth the wait. // Dandy

2006-05-20T00:34:00.000-07:00

FM Belfast
Let's stay in Iceland for a while. What do you say? Maybe we could spend the weekend here? We can check in to a cheap hotel and then hit the streets of Reykavik. Tonight we should go see this band called FM Belfast. They are supposed to be pretty damn good. They have some songs available for download at their very minimal website. Check out their myspace if you want to know more. Even though you wont get much out of it either. Now lend your ears to a cover version of Technotronics Pump up the Jam. // Dandy

FM Belfast - Lotus
FM Belfast - Pump
FM Belfast - Tropical
FM Belfast - Face

2006-05-19T01:47:00.000-07:00

Dýrðin
This is starting to look like a world tour of the web. Like a backpacker I travel around the world discovering exciting things to write home about. Well, I was in Iceland a while ago and stumbled upon this very good pop band. They make me dance even when all I want is to sit on my ass and drink coffee. The bastards. Try to sit still to these songs. It's raining but Dýrðin makes it ok. Thanks. // Dandy

Dýrðin - Brottnumin
Dýrðin - Honungsdropar
Dýrðin - 17 Júní

2006-05-18T01:44:00.000-07:00

Bobby Baby
The Swedish pop wonder, loved by every German, has now released her first EP on CD. It's called Loves To Dance and is a great collection of songs. Order it from Red Letter Day Records today. // Dandy

2006-05-17T02:40:00.000-07:00

Gotye
Today I give you something special. Something different from the other bands promoted here. Today I give you Gotye from Australia. No need for a long presentation. Just listen. It's really good. // Dandy

Gotye - Thanks for your time
Gotye - Learnalilgivinanlovin

2006-05-16T06:14:00.000-07:00

Musical Kisses
This is sweet. I found this website today, and I thought you might be interested. If you have a child, go to www.musicalkisses.com right away and have them make a song for your kid. We who for some reason don't have kids, we'll just listen. // Dandy

2006-05-15T23:31:00.000-07:00

Green Go
Canadian Ferenc Stenton lives in Brazil and makes music as Green Go. It has a very playful feeling to it. And a dancy feeling. And a drunken. Sometimes it feel out of control.

One of my favourite songs available at his myspace place is Brains For Breakfast. A steady beat and a guitarr that pushes the song forward. Enough talking. Just listen.

It's raining. I guess I'll find a lot of new music today... Check back tomorrow and I will present something nice. Have a good day. // Dandy

Green Go - Brains For Breakfast
Green Go - I Shot The Albatross

2006-05-15T00:43:00.000-07:00

Pulka
The music of German Frank Szardenings could perhaps be described as riding a pulka down gentle slopes with your friends. The weather is nice, you’ve got your hot coco with you. But it's just as much putting your face in the middle of a bouquet of edelweiss.

The album da, released by Sunday Service, is full of melodies, beats and harmonies. But it never gets messy. It's always offering you something. The use of woodwind, strings and odd sounds is perfectly put together. By mailing with Frank I now know that he's working as a sound and light technician at theater in Berlin. And that he's got a friend with a mountain cabin that he likes to visit. I don't know if any of it has anything to do with the way Pulka sounds, but I think it's a interpretation as good as any.

If you get the chance to see Pulka live you have to take it. On stage Frank is joined by friends helping him out making it a night to remember. Now, download the songs and then read what Frank has to say.

Have you ever been in a pulka?
Unfortunately not. I have been in Sweden and Norway a couple of times, but only during the summer. I'd love to do it and one day I hopefully will.

How was the music on "da" recorded? In a professional studio? At home?
Most of it was recorded in my flat – big thanks to my neighbours on this occasion – only the drums were recorded in the rehearsel room. They were played by Jann Thoben from Gaston, a brilliant band from Berlin I strongly recommend!

If people see you perform, they will see a very talented musician. Do you have like a masters degree or something in vibraphone playing? I was totally impressed by it.
Thank you very much. But to be honest, I never studied music or got any other proper education in this field. Actually, I started quite late doing music, I was 21 already. I took some bass-lessons and performed in several bands until 2003, when I started with Pulka. That was when I started playing other instruments, too – without adequate knowledge, I have to admit. For the live gigs a friend of mine offered me his vibraphone. I was always fascinated by that instrument and so I adapted some of the electronic voices for the vibraphone. The songs were already written at that time, so I learnt to play the vibraphone by my own songs, not by a teacher or a songbook...

If you would go on tour as the opening act for another band, what band would you like that to be? And why?
I would choose the band Him, the american band, not the finnish metal band. First, because I just like their music, and second, because I have never seen them live. It must be amazing, they combine african rythms with jazz, dub and postrock in a special way...

Please tell the readers of this blog something you think they should know about Frank and Pulka.
Frank and Pulka are working on a new record! At the moment I am experimenting with different musicians to develop new songs. Apart from that I started several side projects, from free improvisation to indie-pop.

Pulka - Imp
Pulka - Flips

// Dandy

2006-05-13T23:01:00.000-07:00

Farewell Isobel
Twee anyone? From the Philippines? Yes. Nice music to have a hang over to this Sunday. Or just go to work, as I will. I need to go now. Quick. Download this song and then go to their myspace site and listen some more. // Dandy

Farewell Isobell - Summer Dreams

2006-05-12T00:09:00.000-07:00

Bleulel
It's crazy. The weather. We're having summer in Sweden. In May. The parks are already filled with people. This might be a good summer.

It's friday and the plans for the weekend is being made. Tonight we'll probably go see Like Honey ad then later on go see Lo-Fi-Fnk and then end the night at Pinebox.

Another place with great summers is South America. Therefore, let's turn our heads towards Argentina and the band Bleulel. Nice downtempo electronic stuff that is perfect for listening to when you get home after partying and need something to relax to. Listen to these two songs and you will know what I'm talking about. Have a nice weekend. // Dandy

Bleulel - Piani
Bleulel - Floteg

2006-05-10T22:34:00.000-07:00

Tanzmusik
I forgot to tell you that Johanna who is The Shiny Heart also makes music together with Malin and they call it Tanzmusik. The song Auf Deutsch will be released on the german net label Corpid in June. I guess it's time to dance again. You wanna? //Dandy

Tanzmusik - Auf Deutsch

2006-05-09T10:19:00.000-07:00

The Shiny Heart
I hope you have danced and danced to Lucky Lucky Pigeons the past 24 hours. Now sit down and rest to the music of The Shiny Heart. I really like the song Crush. But all the songs are great. It took me a while before I realized it though. I know, I'm slow. Now, download these songs. Now. //Dandy

The Shiny Heart - Crush
The Shiny Heart - If We Make It To Sunday
The Shiny Heart - China Moon
The Shiny Heart - Red Tambourine

2006-05-08T01:38:00.000-07:00

Lucky Lucky Pigeons
Spring has come to both Malmö and Urbana. People are eager to get the BBQ´s started. The birds are singing. And in such a wonderful way these birds are singing.

Lucky Lucky Pigeons are Amna Maksumic, Elin Pärsson, Hanna Olsson and Arte (the drum machine) from Borlänge, Sweden. The band was formed in November 2005, got their first gig after rehearsing only once and has now recorded their first demo. They should be the soundtrack to every BBQ this spring and summer. The song Who Smells Marshmallows has been on repeat for some time now. I can't get it out of my head. Download their songs and bring out the grill.

Who smells marshmallows?
We don't know. A guy asked us this at a Slagsmålsklubben concert. The second verse in Who Smells Marshmallows is about that guy.

If you could choose a band to open for on a world tour, what band would that be?
We can't really decide. But we have sort of agreed on Belle & Sebastian and Lo-Fi-Fnk.

You entered this music contest a while ago, and did pretty well. Is it possible to be best at music?
No. Music is all about mediating emotions. We think it’s important to have the guts to do your thing even if you’re not the best at that thing. We love performing, and it’s developing the band too. We had our first gig after only two weeks of rehearsing, so we’ve never been afraid of doing our thing on stage.

What do you want people to know about Lucky Lucky Pigeons?
That we should be taken seriously! After gigs, and especially after we had gone through to the next round in the music competition, people talked about us as those silly marshmallows girls. We are not silly or foolish! Shure, our lyrics might seem odd, but there’s always a thought behind them. It’s probably that do whatever you want on stage thing that makes people feel that we are not serious about it. We are not afraid to do what we want, no matter what people think of us.

Write whatever you like below this line:
Well, it might be fun to know, and probably no one have understood this, that Lucky Lucky Pigeons is a translation of turturduvor (wich is Swedish for lovebirds). Tur = Luck. Lucky Lucky Pigeons. But don’t ask us why lovebirds, it’s a too long story to tell.
// Dandy

Lucky Lucky Pigeons - Who Smells Marshmallows?
Lucky Lucky Pigeons - N to the ICE

2006-05-05T23:15:00.000-07:00

Cake on Cake
I can't really say why, but Cake on Cake was a totally new experience to me when I stumbled upon the music of Swedish Helena Sundin some days ago. She has released an album before. A new one is being recorded. I just don't get it. It's so good. It must have been hidden from me. Get these songs. //Dandy

Cake on Cake - Sparrow Parade
Cake on Cake - Francoise
Cake on Cake - Sun-chairs

2006-05-04T23:20:00.000-07:00

Hush
Todays post is not about a band, it's about a record company. Hush houses bands like Blanket Music, Kind of Like Spitting and Reclinerland. There is a new album out by Blanket Music, one of the songs is available for download from their website. Go to Hush here. I give you some songs that I like. Get them. And all the rest. //Dandy

Blanket Music - I Love You
Reclinerland - My New York
Toothfairy - Kicked Outta The Band

2006-05-04T00:13:00.000-07:00

Echoes from Elba
Ok, let's leave Hong Kong for a while. I'm sure there will be more posts on great Hong Kong music in the future. Now, turn your heads to Japan and Echoes from Elba. Listen to Laotree Jacksons folk indie lo-fi pop. I know nothing about Echoes from Elba, except that it sounds good. I guess that's all we need to know, anyway. //Dandy

Echoes from Elba - Doubloons
Echoes from Elba - Devil on the Porch
Echoes from Elba - Soiled Believers

2006-05-02T23:37:00.000-07:00

Stealstealground
Made in Hong Kong pt 2. By coincidence (or not) this post looks very much like the last one. Another duo from Hong Kong. This time it's brother Wing and sister Pennylane who breaks my heart every time their songs end. Last year they released their debut album on 66nopoor. Check out the bands website and their myspace for more info. Download these songs and your day will be a good one.

Stealstealground - Bad Waves of Paranoia
Stealstealground - Swimming Bird

// Dandy

2006-05-02T01:15:00.000-07:00

My Little Airport
Made in Hong Kong. My Little Airport have released two albums and are working on the third. I had never heard them before I stumbled upon their myspace site. Go check it out. Maybe it's old news to you, but they are wonderful. There are also some songs available for download at their website, but it seems to be something wrong with those. And unfortunately you're not able to download the songs from their myspace. So I guess we have to buy the music... Or just keep visiting their myspace and listen to the songs there. // Dandy

2006-05-01T02:05:00.000-07:00

Aspidistra Fly
The gentle sounds of rowing a boat in the middle of an ocean at night. The sounds of waking up way too early in the morning, and deciding to sleep some more. The sounds of reading a very good book and then realizing it’s too close to the end, so you stop, trying to get it to last just a little bit longer. It’s the sounds of Aspidistra Fly from Singapore.

I heard the song Dear Sylvan a couple of years ago. I was hooked. The melody and the production. After two minutes the drums drop by for a visit. They are rather shy though, so they stay in the back. 3:30, the guitar is left alone. Then the melody reaches out. And then, Aprils voice. So wonderfully melting into the melody. And then the guitar is left there, in the corner. Alone. Then it’s over. So I listen to it again.

I sent them some questions. I needed some answers. Here’s what I got.

It has been quite a long time since the last release. Can you tell us why?
Yeah we realised it’s been quite awhile…since July 2004. Besides music, both of us have separate full time creative careers as web and graphic designers. So while we are not working on our music as aspidistrafly, we are actually busy with our artistic double-life at “Kitchen”, a design office set up by the both of us. So although we are serious about making music, I guess you can also say that we do it on a part time basis, as a break from work. But both are still equal in importance to us.

To me your music is very filmic. I get lots of images in my head while listening to the songs. Is this a deliberate thing?
Thanks! We are glad that our music gives you this impression. The band started out making background music for our own photography works, so it was started out as a project and we didn’t set out to be musicians. Until one day people were writing to us and willing to pay money to buy our cds. Without us knowing, we are suddenly known as musicians or a “band”. Both visual and sound are equally important to us and has an influence on each other.

How do you write your songs? Are both equally involved? Who do what? How do you record? Do you use a professional studio or is it home made?
The both of us make parts of each track and usually very gradually. Our style, texture or recording methods changes from time to time but the only thing that doesn’t change is the melodies. We record and mix our music on our own in our humble “bedroom studio”. This is also the same place where we work. April works with her voice and softwares for sounds. I play most of the guitars.

The songs available for download at your website are all around 1 minute long. How come?
Those are samples from our albums….we make our cds available only through our website and live shows.

Please, tell us about the upcoming release! When will it be done?
We only just started recording in March 2006. Hopefully it will be done by year’s end. We are challenging ourselves for this one trying out new things but also expect some songs and melodies.

We will also be collaborating with Thera, our friends from America on a photo and music project. Each band will be composing a track inspired by the photographs we had sent to each other. Christy Romanick from the band does wonderful photography which inspires us greatly. She also contributed her works for the cover of the new Windy & Carl album. So this is very exciting for us as Windy & Carl is also one of our favourite bands too.

What do you want the readers of this blog to know about you?
We are regular bloggers too, the links are at our website…I guess thru these, people can know us better. Also please drop us a line when you do visit! We get mistaken a lot that we come from Japan, Thailand or China! But really…we are from Singapore.

What do you want the readers of this blog to not know about you?
I actually hold an honours degree in Materials Engineering. But that’s kind of like useless info eh?

Aspidistra Fly - Dear Sylvan
Aspidistra Fly - No Chance Of Reconciliation
Aspidistra Fly - Sea Glass

// Dandy

2006-05-01T02:01:00.000-07:00

A Musical Kiss

This is the first entry of A Musical Kiss, a blog shared between Shandy in the USA and Dandy in Sweden. We will try to become your best friend with the best taste in music. That friend who you always can give a call when you're lost and don't know what to do. When you are at the record store and don't know what to buy. When you are staring at your mp3 collection and feel that something is missing. We will try to help you out.

To give you an idea of who we are, take a look at our Weekly Top Artists list at last.fm. (16th-23rd of April)

Shandy:
Tahiti 80
The God Box
The Beach Boys
The Russian Futurists
Blue October
Gene Estribou & Jean Paul Pickens
Ella Fitzgerald
Tom Waits
Don Lennon
Iron & Wine

Dandy:
Tralala
Busrider
Beth Orton
Man Man
Archer Prewitt
Barbara Morgenstern
Aloha
Crystal Skulls
Little Wings
The Chap

Feel free to recommend stuff you think we would like. We are always looking for new musical kisses. Ok. Let's start blogging.

// Shandy & Dandy