W♥M

The Sound Of Arrows

 

The Sound Of Arrows - Danger

The Sound Of Arrows

A couple of months ago I saw an announcement that my favorite record label, Labrador Records, had signed a new band called The Sound Of Arrows. Since I love just about every band on their roster, I was quite excited about this. At the time, Labrador released an mp3 for the track called "Danger!", which I immediately put into heavy rotation in my playlist.

A few weeks ago the debut release from The Sound Of Arrows was finally made available. They are touting this as an E.P. but it's basically the title track, "Danger!", plus two b-sides, four remixes, and "intro" and "outro" tracks. I'm normally not a fan of remixes, but the ones on this E.P. are not too shabby. Also, the b-sides, "A Very Sad Song" and "Winding Roads" are really quite good.

The Sound Of Arrows is a duo comprised of two Swedish lads, Stefan Storm and Oskar Gullstrand, who now live in Stockholm. Together they have differing backgrounds: house music and classical. I think a bit of each comes across in their music. In Labrador's original press release they said "The Sound of Arrows treat their own songs like remixes and will present their releases almost like mixtapes. Their approach to music bare some similarity to Saint Etienne around 'Foxbase Alpha' or The Avalanches, but they never end up sounding like either." I can't wait to get their full-length album, which is due out later this year.

 May 29, 2008 4:50 AM  Randy my♥posts thesoundofarrows.com myspace

Office Lip Dubs

OK, here's something slightly off-topic but still music-related. I first saw this video a few months ago, featuring a bunch of hip young co-workers lip-syncing to Harvey Danger's "Flagpole Sitta". Apparently they decided to have some fun and record this one day after work. It was done in one camera shot, and doesn't appear to be overly choreographed and planned out, which makes it all the better. It turns out this was done in just one take as well.

Lip Dub - Flagpole Sitta by Harvey Danger from amandalynferri on Vimeo.

Flagpole Sitta lip dub

In case you're wondering, the company is called Connected Ventures, and is comprised of Vimeo, College Humor, and Busted Tees. I'm sure by now this video has gotten millions of views, and apparently it's (inadvertantly) served as a great recruiting tool for the company, as they've received tons of resumes from applicants who want to work there. After all, who wouldn't?

Soon after that video was made, Vimeo founder and the video's director Jakob Lodwick coined the term "Office Lip Dub" to describe their creation. That video alone spawned a whole new genre of do-it-yourself videos, and Vimeo has even created a lip dub channel for this this purpose. I've seen a bunch of lip dubs that other people have created, but none can beat the original, in my opinion. There is, however, this terrific one done to "Friday I'm In Love" by The Cure.

OFFICE LIP DUB SUPPORT SAKHAROV PRIZE from Support Sakharov Prize on Vimeo.

Friday I'm In Love lip dub

 

Feb 27, 2008 10:00 PM Randy my♥posts Flagpole Sitta Lip Dub

Club 8 - The Boy Who Couldn't Stop Dreaming

 

 

Club 8 - Heaven

Club 8

It's been a while since my last post, but I figure it's about time I got back into it. Vu's beat me to the punch on Sambassadeur. I was going to talk about their sophomore album, which was released late last year. It's quite good, so go check it out if you like Swedish pop music.

W♥M has mentioned Club 8 before, but I thought we should re-visit this fine band from Sweden. Their latest album release, "The Boy Who Couldn't Stop Dreaming", is one of my favorites from 2007. The duo is comprised of Johan Angergård (formerly in Poprace, currently in Acid House Kings[W♥M] and The Legends[W♥M]) and Karolina Komstedt (formerly in Poprace). The combination of Karolina's beautifully delicate vocals and Johan's instrumentation create what i consider to be a masterpiece of pop music. The album drifts back and forth between songs that are light and melancholic, and others that are more upbeat and happy. The band also shows off a variety of influences, including subtle hints of gospel and country in some of their tunes. Their top-notch songwriting and production really shines as well, due in part to the fact that these two are seasoned veterans when it comes to making wonderful pop music. This is, after all, their sixth album... and what a great one it is.

The song I'm including here is "Heaven", the second single to be released from "The Boy Who Couldn't Stop Dreaming".

 Feb 4, 2008 8:00 PM  Randy my♥posts club-8.org myspace.com/club8

The Legends

The Legends - Darling

The Legends

 

The Legends "Call It Ours" from Up Against The Legends

The Legends is a side project of Johan Angergård, who just might be one of the busiest men in the music industry. A former member of Poprace, he co-founded Summersound Recordings which later merged with Labrador Records, where he currently holds a manager position. Aside from being the sole member of The Legends, he is also one-half of Club 8 [W♥M], and a member of Acid House Kings [W♥M].

Formed in 2003, The Legends have 3 LP releases so far: Up Against The Legends (2004), Public Radio (2005), and most recently, Facts and Figures (2007). Each album features a slightly different style of music, with the first album often described as "garage pop", and the latter two progressing towards "electro pop" or "synth pop" (comparisons with New Order are inevitable). The commonality in all of the releases is Johan's obvious talent for writing catchy pop songs, to go along with his musical and singing abilities.

Interestingly, the early details on the alleged members of The Legends was shrouded in mystery. It was thought that they were a 9-member band, but none of the members' names were ever mentioned. They even made appearances in the music videos from the first album. It was later revealed that The Legends was not a band at all, but was comprised solely of Johan Angergård, who wrote all the songs as well as played all the instruments and did all the singing. What a workhorse!

The song I'm including in this post is "Darling", from the most recent album, Facts and Figures. It's my favorite song off this album, although there are many to choose from. I also love the more down-tempo songs "Closer" and "Nothing on TV", both of which are quite mellow and dreamy. As a bonus I'm also including the video for "Call It Ours", a song off the first album, Up Against The Legends. Enjoy!

 

 December 18, 2007 8:25 PM  Randy my♥posts official myspace

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart

 

Doing All the Things That Wouldn't Make Your Parents Proud

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart

If you're into noisy indie-pop, you will probably like The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart. On the surface the loud, fuzzy guitars may remind one of The Jesus and Mary Chain or My Bloody Valentine, but the underlying melodies and vocals are more dreamy and "poppy". The band's influences include The Pastels, The Exploding Hearts, The Ramones, Black Tambourine, and The Brian Jonestown Massacre.

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart are: Kip Berman (Guitar & Vocals), Peggy Wang (Keyboard & Vocals), Alex Naidus (Bass), and Kurt Feldman (Drums). Kip, Peggy, and Alex are big fans of The Manhattan Love Suicides [W♥M], and got them to play at Peggy's birthday party when they were in the states earlier this year. Before the party, the trio of friends decided to form their own band, which also played at the birthday bash. They have since added a drummer, Kurt, and recorded a limited CD-single on Cloudberry Records and a self-released EP containing 5 outstanding tracks.

The band is playing a few dates in New York and Philadelphia before hopping over to England to play a mini-tour in February.

 

Thanks to Kip, I have obtained a few nuggets of useless trivia about the band:

1. The band got its name from the title of a book by Charles Augustus Steen III. Mr. Steen claims that his book was plagiarized by Dr. Seuss' estate and published as "Daisy-Head Mayzie" in 1995.

2. "There is another Peggy Wang who lives in California who is friends with the Peggy Wang who is in The Pains. Hence, 'Peggy Wang-West' and 'Peggy Wang-East.'"

3. "Kurt (drums) joined our band after proving his worth by being the only person to best me at the 1980s arcade classic, 'Galaga.' We live together in an apartment called 'The House of Pains.'"

 

 December 10, 2007 11:59 PM  Randy my♥posts official myspace

Lucky Dube (1964-2007)

 

Lucky Dube - House of Exile

Lucky Dube

 

Lucky Dube 'House Of Exile'

I was recently saddened to hear of the death of Lucky Dube last month. He was South Africa's most popular reggae artist, and had released 22 albums in his 25-year career. Police reports say he was shot and killed during an attempted carjacking in his hometown of Johannesburg, as he was dropping off two of his seven children at a relative's house.

He was given the name "Lucky" his single mother after she had several failed pregnancies, and didn't expect him to survive. In school, he joined the choir and thus began his love of making music. Lucky then joined his cousin's band, which played the traditional Zulu music known as mbaqanga. They recorded several albums and were gaining popularity, but during this time, Lucky discovered reggae music, and became strongly influenced by legendary artists Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and Jimmy Cliff. He saw that by switching musical styles, he could speak to a wider audience and also spread his message.

Lucky Dube used his music to fight against apartheid, injustice, corruption, crime, and drug use. He was extremely popular not only in his South African homeland, but across the world and even in Jamaica. Though he adopted the Rastafarian ideals, he did not drink or smoke, and was undoubtedly a strong role model for responsibility and social change.

Lucky Dube is survived by a wife and seven children, the youngest of which is only 3 months old. He will be missed, not only as a popular reggae artist, but as a well-respected citizen, father, and social activist.

 

 November 5, 2007 10:20 PM  Randy my♥posts luckydubemusic.com

The Bartlebees - She Loves Monsters

OK... last post for the week...

 

The Bartlebees - She Loves Monsters

Bartlebees, The

The Bartlebees was a trio from Munich, Germany, who formed in 1991 and lasted until 1998. They were Patrik (lead vocals, guitar), Andy (bass, vocals), and Armin (drums, percussion). They took their name from the short work "Bartleby, The Scrivener" by Moby Dick author Herman Melville. Their lo-fi indie-pop/twee sound was often compared to the British post-punk band Television Personalities. I don't know much else about this German band except that they made some pretty catchy tunes, and recorded five albums and released countless songs on 7" singles and various compilations.

Here is "She Loves Monsters" from their album "Urban Folk Legends". You've gotta love the German accents, organ, duelling vocals, catchy baseline, and even the lyrics! Squee!

 

 August 24, 2007 10:20 PM  Randy my♥posts myspace

The Besties - 79 Lorimer Song

I'll take a break from posting about Swedish indie-pop bands, at least for today. =)

 

The Besties - 79 Lorimer Song

The Besties

 

The Besties "Prison Song"

According to their website, The Besties was formed in NYC by childhood friends Marisa (keyboards, vocals) and Kelly (keyboards, vocals), who met in the 2nd grade in Florida. They both learned to play the keyboards in college, which is also where they met Rikky (guitar, vocals). Initially they didn't use a drummer and just relied on synthesized percussions. More recently they've added a fourth member to the band, Frankie, who plays the drums.

Although their myspace page says they're a punk band, they're pure indie-pop in my book. They've released a couple of 7" EPs and a full-length album entitled "Singer". The album is comprised entirely of song-based titles, such as "Pirate Song", "Space Song", and "Zombie Song". They're all quite catchy and fun, and features well-harmonized keyboards and vocals.

Here is "79 Lorimer Song", supposedly from a 7" that pre-dates their debut album which was released early last year. I'm guessing that "79 Lorimer" is the address of the loft where they live in Brooklyn. Also check out the video for "Prison Song", one of the songs on their album.

 August 23, 2007 9:30 PM  Randy my♥posts thebesties.com myspace

The Charade - Monday Morning

 

The Charade - Monday Morning

The Charade

The Charade is an indie-pop band from Sweden, formed in 2004 by Magnus Karlsson (Happydeadmen), and Mikael Matsson (Red Sleeping Beauty^[1], The Shermans). These two are quite the heavyweights when it comes to indie-pop in Sweden, and are credited with influencing many other musical acts from that country. The third member of The Charade is Mikael's wife Ingela Matsson (The Shermans), who does the lead vocals for most of their songs, although Magnus will occasionally take the lead or harmonize along with Ingela.

The Charade released their first album, "The Best Is Yet To Come", in 2005. From what I've read, it sounds like their debut album was very well received, and got tons of great reviews. I suppose it's no surprise considering the pedigree of the founding members. Their second album was released just a year and a half later in the middle of 2006. Entitled "A Real Life Drama", it contains another fine group of well-crafted pop songs.

Take a listen to "Monday Morning" from their first album. If there ever was a perfect pop song for a summertime mix CD, this would be it. It's super catchy. Let the handclappy goodness fill your earholes, people. =)

 

[1] Useless Trivia: Niklas Angergård, one of the founding members of Acid House Kings, was also in Red Sleeping Beauty.

 August 21, 2007 7:50 PM  Randy my♥posts skippingstonerecords.com myspace

Acid House Kings - Say Yes If You Love Me

Due to a combination of busyness and laziness, I haven't posted anything here for a while. In order to make up for it, I've promised Vu that I'll post something each day this week^[1]. So, here goes... post #1...

 

 

Acid House Kings - Say Yes If You Love Me

Acid House Kings

 

 

Say Yes If You Love Me

Acid House Kings has been mentioned here at least once, but no one's done a proper writeup for them (I know... *gasp*). This indie-pop band was formed in Sweden in 1991 by Joakim Ödlund and brothers Niklas and Johan Angergård. They cite the early 90's indie-pop scene in the UK, and many of the Sarah Records bands in particular, as influences. Their sound has evolved a little over time, but they remain a guitar-based pop band writing heartfelt, melodic, and incredibly catchy songs, and have remained remarkably consistent even after 15+ years.

They released their first album, "Pop, Look & Listen" in 1992. "Advantage Acid House Kings", their second full-length album, was released in 1997 and saw the appearance of Julia Lannerheim as a guest singer. She later joined the group full-time as co-lead vocalist for the third album, "Mondays Are Like Tuesdays And Tuesdays Are Like Wednesdays" (2002).

2005 saw the release of their fourth and latest album, "Sing Along With Acid House Kings". The initial release of the CD included a karaoke DVD, apparently the first ever such release. Along with a few music videos, the DVD contains a video for each song, which can be played with or without the vocals, thus allowing you to "sing along", if you so choose. This limited edition is out of print, but if you can't find a copy on ebay or a used record store, you can still enjoy the videos on youtube.

Anyway, the song i present to you here is "Say Yes If You Love Me", from their "Mondays Are Like Tuesdays And Tuesdays Are Like Wednesdays" album. Also check out the live TV performance!

 

[1] The "week o' posts" was supposed to happen last week. Did I mention the laziness?

 August 20, 2007 8:47 PM  Randy my♥posts www.acidhousekings.com