Television Keeps Us Apart//Parent's House in '99

In '99 I was 16: Monday Mail.
What is Monday Mail?

Sometimes you have an itch and you just have to scratch it. Sometimes that itch is synthy music that’s kind of emo. Apparently that’s the itch I had to scratch today.

This reminds me of lots of things. The Anniversary, The Postal Service, Pedro the Lion, even The Magnetic Fields at certain parts of the song. The lyrics are nostalgic and sweet, a little naïve. They fit the music nicely.

Television keeps us apart aka Carl and Axel hail from Sweden. I can’t really tell you much more about them, except that you can download their whole EP for free here.

If you’re here you know how gray and rainy it is today. This track should keep you good company.



Parent’s House in ’99.mp3

We were young.

The Cardigans, Black Sabbath, Four Tet//Iron Man

I can’t resist doing this. I’m going to be doing taxes tomorrow, so please accept today’s song, tomorrow’s song and a bonus song for your troubles…and the fact that you are going to have to do your taxes too.

Yesterday’s eulogy for Mark Linkous made me think of The Cardigans (he often worked with Nina Persson). Remember First Band on the Moon? I kind of loved that album, all full of sugary Swedish pop, including the single, “Lovefool,” which was featured in everyone’s favorite onscreen version of Romeo and Juliet. I remember reading an article about them (probably also in Rolling Stone—oh, high school) and how even though the band played 60s-inspired pop music, they were secretly all super metal nerds! That explains their fantastic cover of Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man”.

Then, I thought, if I was going to give you The Cardigans version, I should probably also give you the original, because of how I feel about covers. A little background, from Wikipedia:

The title of the song was conceived by Ozzy Osbourne. Geezer Butler took to writing the lyrics around the title. To avoid copyright infringement involving the superhero of the same name, he made it the story of a vengeful villain instead of a hero…
The lyrics tell the story of a man who time travels into the future of the world, and sees the apocalypse. In the process of returning to the present, he is turned into steel by a magnetic field. He is rendered mute, unable verbally to warn people of his time of the impending destruction. His attempts to communicate are ignored and mocked. This causes Iron Man to become angry, and have his revenge on mankind, causing the destruction seen in his vision.

After reading that, I really felt like “Iron Man” was the right song to post here as I prepare to do my taxes. Hopefully my frustration with my W2s won’t render me mute and then force me to bring about massive revenge on mankind in the form of complete destruction.

To solve that potential problem, I wanted to include a decidedly mellower version of the song here as well. I stumbled across this really beautiful instrumental cover by electronic musician Four Tet and thought he might help The Cardigans balance out the METAL DESTRUCTION. If tax time is getting you down, consider listening to the covers. If you already got your refund, crank up the original and thrash about thinking of how you have destroyed that which has spurned you (the government?).

Also, you might want to one check out of the (many) other covers. Why so many versions of this iconic heavy metal song? Probably because it’s got one of the best, most memorable lead guitar riffs ever. If a measure of greatness is directly correlated to the number of YouTube videos spawned, eat your Goddamn heart out, darling little British kids. Metal has destroyed you.



Iron Man.mp3 (Cardigans)



Iron Man.mp3 (Black Sabbath)



Iron Man.mp3 (Four Tet)

Nobody wants him
He just stares at the world
Planning his vengeance
That he will soon unfurl

Stina Nordenstam//Winterkilling

It just keeps snowing. Is it ever going to end? I am kind of freaking out about it. When I was a kid, it used to snow like this, but we haven't had this kind of winter in quite some time and I am not used to it anymore. If I was in Michigan, I would expect it. I would feel prepared for and even welcome the nights spent in, drinking whiskey and playing board games. But this is New York. It's so out of context. I can't wrap my head around it.

There's something else I've been trying to wrap my head around this week. It seems possible that A. might be going to school in California next fall, which means that I may be living in California in a year. If a constantly snow-filled season is unexpected, the prospect of me living in Southern California is downright foreign. Still, at least right now, I am feeling like the former may justify the latter. 70 and sunny's sounding better and better!

This song, by reclusive Swedish artist Stina Nordenstam, is about hating winter and moving somewhere for someone (although in the narrator of this song's case, maybe not for the right reasons). Although the actual situation described in this song has little to do with my own, I feel you, Stina. Winter is killing me.



Winterkilling.mp3

You say winter's killing you
And you can't stand the season.
It has no smell or flavor.
I left the city for you.
There was no other reason.

Ida Maria//Oh My God

Oh! My! God! I can’t stop listening to this album. I have absolutely no idea where it came from or how I heard about it, but it’s amazing.

Although the sound is a little glossy for my usual tastes and the songs are written a a bit weakly, Ida Maria has impeccable timing, borrowed obviously but not annoyingly from ‘70s garage. She’s also got a voice that would sound like Rosemary Clooney if she were singing American ‘50s standards, but in this context, hits these amazing graveled-out snarls and screams, more Mick Jagger than Mambo Italiano.

From Norway, and currently living in Sweden, Maria has won many awards in Europe. She’s also a synesthete, which I think is awesome.

Despite some recent controversy over her performance on Perez Hilton’s music fest (yeek), I am still hoping she’ll end up in New York soon. She’s sadly cancelled the rest of her tour, officially citing exhaustion, with rumors of drug/alcohol problems swirling unofficially around the internet. Console yourself by buying her album and listening very loud through headphones (preferably over a roaring A train).



Oh My God.mp3

Find a cure,
Find a cure for my life.
Put a price,
put a price on my soul.
Build a wall,
Build a fortress around my heart.
Oh my god!
You think I´m in control?
Oh my god!
Oh, you think it´s all for fun.
Is this fun for you?

El Perro del Mar//Change of Heart

I’m goin’ for to buy me some Monday|Monday Mail
What is Monday Mail?

Another Gothemburg export (like Jens), I’ve really enjoyed what I’ve heard from El Perro del Mar (literally "The Dog from the Sea" in Spanish). My friend Kirstin introduced me a few years back (thanks, LastFM recommendations!). Honestly, my biggest issue has been that some of the music is slightly repetitive and…cutesy…cutesy/sad…? Is that the right word?

Naturally my ears (er eyes) perked up when I saw this email from Myles at Sneak Attack:

We're going to keep descriptions of the new El Perro Del Mar music video to a minimum and let the video speak for itself. What we can say is that we'd be surprised if you've ever seen a music video like this. And please note, the entire video was shot in ONE TAKE.

The video (see below) is REALLY amazing. Also amazing is the song and the sound. I see it as a vast departure for EPdM. This sadness isn’t cute. It seems more complex, with a darkness, melancholy and a sort of 70s groove. I’m excited to check out the album, Love is not Pop.

You can catch her here in NYC on 11/9 at Webster Hall.



Change of Heart.mp3

Your voice in my ear,
Carry me back home.

The Tallest Man on Earth//The Gardener

When we went to see John Vanderslice play on Friday night at The Music Hall of Williamsburg, I was genuinely pretty disappointed with how he sounded. I had been super excited to hear his big five-piece rock band setup. Unfortunately, unlike some of his outstanding live shows I had seen previously, this band seemed to just flatten his songs, making them all sound kind of the same and well, kind of boring. Also, am I the only one who felt like JV was a bit cracked out? He seemed manic onstage. Maybe he’s just not used to THE ROCK.

REGARDLESS, one great thing about going to see JV on Friday was getting to see his opener, The Tallest Man On Earth. I’ve been reading some interesting things about him lately and the fact that he’s out with one of my idols speaks volumes in his favor.

We caught the tale-end of this Swede’s set (man—lots of Swedes here lately) and Karl remarked, on the money as usual, that he had seemingly captured the essence of Bob Dylan, without stealing too much or sacrificing his originality. Indeed, TTMOE was just Kristian Matsson and his guitar, a strangely charismatic combination. Matsson, who sports a thin mustache and an old timey James Dean-like look, belted his heart out throughout his rousing folk songs.

Perhaps this song is simply about hiding your dark secrets or your past so you can stay perfect in the eyes of the one who loves you. But I like to take the more literal interpretation in this case—that it’s literally about killing the competition…and then burying the competition in a garden and watching the competition grow into beautiful flowers. That’s way more jaunty.



The Gardener.mp3

I sense a runner in the garden,
Although my judgement’s known to fail
Once built a steamboat in a meadow,
Cuz I'd forgotten how to sail.

I know the runner's going to tell you
There ain't no cowboy in my hair,
So now he's buried by the daisies
So I could stay the tallest man in your eyes, babe.

Fanfarlo//Luna

Hey guys! This weekend was awesome! We had a super fabulous time playing The Northside Music Festival and seeing a million amazing bands. This week, I’ll try to focus on some of the best artists I saw. But today, let’s stick with tradition and unwind from the weekend of killer music with Monday Mail:
What is Monday Mail?

Lauren from Sneak Attack says

There is no doubt that all of Fanfarlo are clever, bookish coves, but when they come together to make music, they function on a gut level.
For a band that comes from all over – frontman Simon Balthazar is himself from Gothenburg - there is that restless, furtive artistry. A keenness to avoid the constraints of home, battling with the longing of the heart…

A little extra research proves that this London-based outfit was produced by Peter Katis, who also produced Interpol and The National (respectively, one of my favorite Joy Division rip-offs and one pretty marginal Joy Division rip-off, although I know some friends will disagree). Fanfarlo doesn’t sound derivative of Joy Division at all, much to the relief of all of us who fear this sound, which was so forward-thinking at one time and has now become so bland. The fact stands, homigos--we can’t all be Ian Curtis. In fact, I think only Ian Curtis was actually Ian Curtis.

What we get instead is plenty of distinctive sounds, winding melodies and dynamic shifts in tone. Oh yeah, and some horns. And a saw. You got me, guys, you totally got me.

Besides being from Jens Lekman’s hometown, Simon Balthazar also has a nice voice. The way he sings his vocal melodies isn’t too far off of a more controlled and deeper Alec Ounsworth of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (who, in turn, owes much of his style to Gordon from the band featured in the previous post). I can appreciate this, since I like this style but enjoy the more reigned-in version, for the most part.



Luna.mp3

Pre-July 4th, you can get Fanfarlo’s first album for just one buck. Whoa, now. For a UK-based band, that sure is American. Details here.

Lykke Li//I'm Good, I'm Gone

Oh Hell Yes Please and Thank You: Chain Reaction Week!
Yesterday’s last word was: Good.

Sweden’s Lykke Li’s (real name: Li Lykke Timotej Zachrisson, so you can see why she doesn’t go by that) first album, Youth Novel, got a lot of hype upon release. I have to say, I think it was all just that; hype.

To disagree with the “blogosphere” (I’ve always hated that term) at large, I don’t like this album. To me, it feels flat, poorly written and somewhat shoddily produced—catchy, but fluffy; mostly unremarkable. Or maybe it’s just that I don’t particularly love the “mix of soul, electro and ‘powdered-sugar pop’” (Pitchfork, duh) that her style embodies. I think, if you’re looking for good indie music coming out of Sweden, there are plenty of people doing it way better than Li.

That said, Li might have just one really, really good idea in her life and that idea, I think, is this song (no surprise that her album was produced by another one-hit-wonder Björn Yttling of Peter Bjorn and John--maybe it’s contagious). I heard this track first, loved that sexy, bassy piano line set against her willowy-but-solid voice, thought she was awesome and got the album. Learn from my mistakes. Just download this and feel good about it. The word of the day is good and this is really good…but it’s also as good as it gets.



I'm Good, I'm Gone.mp3

You’ll be calling but I won’t be at the phone.

Chain Reaction is also a 1996 movie starring Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz, Morgan Freeman, and Fred Ward, a game show, an episode of the television series Stargate SG-1 and a BBC Radio 4 chat show. Ha.

The Knife//Got 2 Let U, We Share Our Mother's Health, You Make Me Like Charity

Friends, I’ve been slacking. Things have been A LITTLE crazy and so I’ve been a little unreliable about getting you your OSSs (no post tomorrow, thanks to a conference that will keep me from being at a computer). Shit. I feel bad about it. But I want to make amends with not one, not two, but THREE sweet ass songs from one sweet ass group, Sweden’s favorite masked brother-and-sister duo, The Knife.

Ali and Ange brought me The Knife, and I will always think of them when I listen to their songs. As I am gearing up to go visit those two incredible moms, I think of them even more. I believe it all started with this awesome video back in Ann Arbor. I thought it was cool, but I wasn’t that impressed until I finally got the whole Deep Cuts album, which kind of blew me away. I remember sitting in the back back of Ange’s car, driving around Chicago, blasting this thing; the weird vox-effects making me feel engaged, if disturbed and the bass permanently damaging my hearing in a way that reminded me of the joy of BEING ALIVE!...Pondering just who exactly was singing under all that pitch-manipulation...Wondering if that was a bad translation or did they really mean to say that?!...Yelling “HUH!” (see “Got 2 Let U”). Yes!

The Knife is cool because they hate playing ball with the mainstream music machine and the media. They are mostly photographed in masks and rarely play concerts. They also have a record label, Rabid Records, which releases a slew of awesome Swedish music, including the truly lovely Jenny Wilson (featured on "You Take My Breath Away" off Deep Cuts).

Also, it strikes me (especially when listening on headphones) that The Knife has formulated a way to almost bottle certain emotions, specifically a disturbing mix of human joy and despair which flows freely in the music. Almost like a sonic car crash, it's kind of shocking, adrenaline-pumping and transfixing to behold.

This first song might be slightly relevant to certain aspects the last few days; take it as you will…



Got 2 Let U.mp3

We Share Our Mother's Health.mp3

You Make Me Like Charity.mp3

I got to got to let you down
But in an hour I will change my mind.
I got to got to let you down
But in an hour I will change my mind.
It taste like magic to me,
Making mistakes and be forgiven easily.

Jenny Wilson//A Hesitating Cloud of Despair

Monday, Monday, Monday. What better way to start the week than with weird dark Swedish pop stuff? No better way, that I can think of, anyway.

I think Jenny Wilson was an Angelina find. If you know Ange, this makes a whole lotta sense. Wilson is sort of poppy, sort of sardonic, sometimes danceable and extra weird. This is Ange’s favorite combo: weird and fun. Wilson also has a pretty serious The Knife connection (she’s signed to their label and turns up on tracks from time to time).

This song is about the moment between childhood and adulthood where you notice how everything sucks. The end of youth; the beginning of decay—or at least, the beginning of this perception. Of course, the fact is that the depressing decay was always there and in a way, this revelation is perhaps even more depressing.
Obviously, Wilson finds a more eloquent, narrative and poetic way to say this than I just did.



A Hesitating Cloud of Despair.mp3

Wilson's second solo album, Hardships, is due out in February 2009.

Let's steal some wine, mom won't notice anything.
And while the music melted down,
We heard her steps, she was staggering.
We were bored, but you know,
You're not supposed to play at that age.

Jens Lekman//Higher Power, Pocketful of Money and It Was a Strange Time in My Life

Ok, a disruption of the plan kept me from posting yesterday and will keep me from posting Monday too, so in lieu of a LMF (and in celebration of my trip today to the newly opened Red Hook IKEA), please accept these three truly stunning tracks from the King of Swedish Indie Pop, Jens Jekman.

I love Jens Lekman. No. I mean, I loooooooooove him. I actually once told a friend that if I were going to be super radical and have my own gender pronoun, it would be Jens. Is that creepy? I was mostly being flippant.

Oh! What an amazing combination of sweet sentimental pop, fantastic songwriting and modern sampling. I think you will become obsessed, if you're not already. I'm pretty sure this man cannot release bad music. As a testament to this, please find here three tracks from his three albums, all stunning:



Higher Power.mp3
from When I Said I Wanted to be Your Dog (2004)

Those violins? That french horn? That beautiful expressed nostalgia for young naive rebellious love? Oh, I melt.

Pocketful of Money.mp3
from Oh You're So Silent Jens (2005)

This is my favorite Jens song. Wow. It just has such a unique feeling to it, right down to the harmonized-over Beat Happening sample.

It Was a Strange Time in My Life.mp3
from Night Falls Over Kortedala (2007)

I like the samples in this track and the melody is undeniably strong. That said, the lyrics are really the the major hook here. This song has made me cry. Of course, there are those giant violins at the end to drive home the melodrama. They might help.

Chances are this will not be the last Jens post, as he has scores of worthy tracks, but I think this serves as a suitable introduction, to say the least. I also urge you to see this man live, if you ever have a chance. He delivers.

I'll leave you with this supremely cute video for Sippin' On Sweet Nectar, off his latest. Yes, he is actually flying that plane!:




I had a good time at the party,
When everyone had left.
I flirted with a girl
In sign language cuz she was deaf.