Posted in Cd Reviews

SPV/Playground

The title here refers to Lita´s early days of girl band splendor, as well as the bad days of her life. In retrospect I can´t help wondering if it was a call to find out if the other ex-members of THE RUNAWAYS were into the idea of a reunion, which seems to be happening. The aim here is apparently to make music that helps people through hard times, and that requires cozy refrains and a lot of Lita´s 80´s music. Her previous outing, “Wicked Wonderland” was a sleeping pill compared to her glories of old, so I hope this one is destined to see many people out of the darkness and into the light.

Opener “Branded” has some nice energy and a stubborn refrain, but also some gloom. Wee, it sure beats the album before this...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Prime Entertainment/Music Buy Mail/Sound Pollution

WILD FRONTIER releases their fifth album since 1994, one with several meanings to the title. The title actually implies both the birthday of their vocalist Jens Walkenhorst, but also impending doom as 2012 has been prophesized to happen this year. Firering on all six, the five-piece; Jens, vocals/guitars, Mario Erdmann, bass/vocals, Thomas Ellenberger, keyboards/vocals, Sascha Fahrenbach, drums/guitar and Nico Fahrenbach, drums aim to convince with this slice of melodic hard rock.

But alas, this is not what I expected. There is a lot of melody here, loads of flat drums and an overall sound that seems wafer thin. The vocals are mostly good though, and the basic ideas deserve a better faith...

Posted in Interviews

Korpiklaani have just released their new album, Manala. We spoke to Juho Kauppinen, the accordionist of Korpiklaani to talk about the new album…

Festivalphoto: Your new album, Manala has just been released. Firstly where did the name come from?

Juho: Manala means the Underworld. It is a place where you go after you die. Three of the songs on the album are strongly connected with Manala. In addition, the overall feeling of the album is rather gloomy, which is an obvious reason for naming the album after the Underworld.

Festivalphoto: The album sounds great. How would you say it compares to your previous albums?

Juho: To put it simply, Manala is gloomier, heavier and more multi-dimensional than the previous albums...

Posted in Press Releases

EP release: Tiny Teardrops by Lizzie Nightingale
Release date: 6 August 2012
Listen: Click here for Lizzie’s Bandcamp page
Video: Footsteps

”I think it’s a really strong EP, Alone for me being the stand out, grandiose, triumphant and almost cinematic. She has got one damn strong voice.” – Ally McRae, BBC Radio 1

After a successful stint working alongside Libertine Gary Powell, Scottish singer-songwriter Lizzie Nightingale has decided to spread her wings and go solo for the release of her forthcoming E.P Tiny Teardrops, which is available on Lizzie’s Bandcamp page.

Hailing from Glasgow, Scotland, Lizzie spent her early years doused in the edgy sounds of Eurythmics, Kate Bush and Bowie as well as a few Motown classics courtesy of her mother (who was a singer and performer)...

Posted in Press Releases

Goodbye, Labrador release a free download of ‘Memoir’ from their EP, A Thousand Times Before (out August 6th).

With roots in Brooklyn, Barcelona and Prague, the band blend stateside harmonies with distinctly European nostalgia. A Thousand Times Before, their second record, is a dreamy, guitar-driven collection of skilfully textured melodies matched with creative lyrics.

Guitarist Phil says – ”Memoir is a song that really changed and developed throughout the writing process, more than many of the others. The theme was first written in Brooklyn but it didn’t start taking shape until later in Barcelona where we started getting a feel for the rhythms and drones...

Posted in Press Releases

Mode Moderne Announce UK/EU Tour
Album Strange Bruises out September 3rd on Light Organ Records

“Particularly shadowy…” – Pitchfork

”A classic blend of beauty and darkness” – This Is Fake DIY

‘Upcoming ’Strange Bruises’ could be set to push the band to wider acclaim. At times pitch black, their noir songwriting is dominated by shimmering harmonies and guitars that veer out into a universe of fuzz.’ – Clash

‘Gloom pop Canadian bunch Mode Moderne…Artrocker’s very excited’ – Artrocker

Canada’s gloom poppers Mode Moderne have announced the dates of their upcoming EU/UK tour –

September:
18 – Paris – Espace B
20-22 – Hamburg, Reeperbahn
23 – Glasgow – 13th Note
25 – Cardiff – Buffalo Bar
26 – London, Queen of Hoxton
27 – London, TBA

The band formed in late 2008, when ...

Posted in Gig/Festival Reviews

Rörlig publik. Crowdsurfing & Troschock

Hela Knislinge står och gungar när The Sounds drar storpublik. Helsingborg står på flygande mattor då scenen nästan lyfter när dem spelar. Ljudet som är riktigt bra tillsammans med cool ljussättning förstärker deras framfart över scenens alla hörn. Maja springer fram likt en duracellkanin och använder hela kroppen till att framföra sitt känsla till musiken.

Seven Days A Week fåra alla att hoppa i regnet och den taggade Maja lyser rött i mörkret som den stjärna hon är. Hon lägger sig på det blöta scengolvet och ålar sig. Avslutar sen låten med att slänga micken på golvet. Något hon gjorde mellan de flesta låtarna.

Kontakten mellan band och publik är så synlig att man kan ta på den...

Posted in Press Releases

Ladies and Gentlemen…. MR B.B. KING – OUT 24TH SEPTEMBER 2012 ON UNIVERSAL

In celebration of B.B. King’s 50th Anniversary signing to ABC-Paramount Records in 1962, comes this multi-format career retrospective, leading the way with a slick 10-CD, 194 track collection chronicling his entire career from his first recordings in 1949 through to his most recent studio album all housed in a beautiful luxe box including a 72-page silver gilded hardback book, featuring essays from Ashley Kahn and Dick Shurman. The set is also packed with glorious images and memorabilia, illustrating this incredible career, all lovingly assembled and engineered by Grammy Award-winning consultant Bill Levenson.

The title is also being released on a 4-CD Cutdown Version and Digital Deluxe (mirror of 4-CD physical...

Posted in Gig/Festival Reviews

Till tonerna av Björnes Magasin presenterar Norrländska Raubtier sig.

Helvetet brakar direkt loss med synkroniserad headbanging till Det Finns Bara Krig. Trots den hårda, krigiska och råa musiken så framstår basisten Jonas Kjellgren, trummisen Mattias Lind och sångaren/gitarristen Hulkoff som tår tre små mysiga nallebjörnar.

Tidigare såg många Raubtier som ett stort skämt. Nu efter tredje skivan i bagaget så visar Raubtier äntligen tvivlarna om vart skåpet skall stå (för de som fortfarande tvivlat). Deras musik på svenska får många att lyfta på ögonbrynen men om sanningen skall fram vad spelar det för roll vilket språk texterna framförs på, så länge texten är detsamma?

För att vara en trio Så utnyttjar de scenen till fullo...

Posted in Gig/Festival Reviews

SATOR – Festfixarna!

Sator med sitt klassiska 90-tals sound drog massor med folk i alla åldrar.

Sator lyckas hela tiden locka till sig nya fans och det är inte konstigt. Det är så lättsmält och passar in i mångas skafferi. Ingen märker av det lilla duggregnet när Sator pumpar ut sin musik som ljuder bra ur högtalarna. Chips och Kent växlar som vanligt snyggt mellan sången. Det är tight och samspelt och framförallt ser man att de, liksom publiken har väldigt kul.

Stod bredvid en kille som hinkade i sig vin ur en bag in box. Killen på andra sidan mig släppte en ICA-påse full med öl på min ena fot. Att det var fest var det ingen som missat och det var Sator som stod för den.

Gamma Gamma Hey fungerar enligt Kent som deras regndans-låt...