Hackneyed, Baby!

We Forgot That We Loved Each Other

2006-05-30T22:44:00.000+02:00

I'm sorry for delaying the Popaganda post and pictures, but that will surface tomorrow. As a token of my regret, I shall here give you a collection of goodtimes you can't hardly resist. I dedicate this to Hannah for spawning the idea. Press each letter from left to right.

T H E N I N E T I E S

Props to Youtube and the people who uploaded these videos for existing!

I Paint The Things I Wanna See

2006-05-25T16:38:00.000+02:00

Popaganda has taken off, and despite the horrid weather I hope it should be a good crowd out there already. It would suck bum if they went into red because of bad weather. But I'll be there later tonight to watch some goodies at least. I might even buy something to support the cause. Powah to tha peeps!

Mew should be interesting, and so will Henrik Berggren. Apparently he's doing an acoustic show, and I suppose the weather is perfect for the mood that will set anyway. Some pictures and reviews shall follow tomorrow, as well as all the weekend hopefully. See you there.

For The Rest Of My Life

2006-05-24T16:40:00.000+02:00

Today I got my wuvely, wuvely CSN money of the month. The last of them, sadly, but I intend to put it to good use - starting tomorrow. Today I went for a quick visit to Sound Pollution, mainly because they had some sort of sale (garbage sale, prolly) and I picked up some stuff there before heading for SF Bookstore and picked up some nicer stuff.

My loot:

CD
Franz Ferdinand - Walk Away CD-S
Marit Bergman - Adios Amigos CD-S
Marit Bergman - This Is The Year CD-S
Timo Räisänen - Don't Let The Devil Ruin It All CD-S
Very Ape - Kosher Boogie

DVD
Kikujiro

Books
Stephen King's Nightmares & Dreamscapes
Stephen King's On Writing

Harmless As A Dove

2006-05-22T20:34:00.000+02:00

Since I really don't have anything to do with my life, I felt like I could use this spare time (not really spare time, I'm just a lazy fuck who tends to focus on insignificant shit such as what follows) to write a translation of Kent's brand new song "Nålens Öga" ("The Needle's Eye"). So here you go, kids, and remember this will contain some mistakes, but you'll have to live with it:

Kent - The Needle's Eye

Someone is standing in the hallway
breathing smoke
The shadow across the yard
reaches into our kitchen
Here comes the fear, old friend
When all the butterflies in your stomach wakes up
whispering Welcome home

I'm counting; three, four, five
(Lie to me, yeah lie to me)
It's not the punches that hurts
(Lie again)
There's an invisible line
(Lie to me, yeah lie to me)
through the eye of the needle

Someone is standing in the doorway
while listening silently
The shadow across the threshold
reaches into my room
Here comes the fear, again
When all the butterflies gets needled down
to a pattern on my bed

I'm counting; three, four, five
(Lie to me, yeah lie to me)
It's not the punches that hurts
(Lie again)
There's an invisible line
(Lie to me, yeah lie to me)
through the eye of the needle

And a big freaking CONGRATULATIONS to Lordi who won the 51st Eurovision Song Contest this saturday. My campaigning might not have played much of a role in this, but I like to think my ~20 votes mattered a little at least. See you in Hell-sinki!

Then He'll Settle Down

2006-05-20T20:31:00.000+02:00

10,000 Days is growing on me, slowly but surely it is. Especially when people bring these kinds of things to my attention. That's typically Tool though, isn't it? I love the amount of work that goes into their albums, and even though 10,000 Days isn't my favorite son just yet, I can't deny the sheer love and blood/sweat/tears that has evidently gone into every part of its production.

This is a short entry today, so I'll just leave you with one quick note. Which is as follows:

Blue Öyster Cult is the shit.

Like I Woke Up In Wonderland

2006-05-17T19:23:00.000+02:00

Time for a piece of sad news on my behalf. Spel2 is now officially on, what seems to be a permanent, hiatus. The entire site is gone, replaced with a short letter exclaiming the reasons we decided to put it to sleep: Time and motivation, and the lack of both. Emil Lindgren, who we all know as Gadden, was a great supervisor for us. Dedicated and friendly - mostly - he would make us work our hardest, he would listen to our ideas and he was the engine for the site. He's now becoming a dad which of course has taken up all the free-time he had, and when he gave this news we all pretty much understood where things were going.
It's a hard thing to tackle, since I loved Spel2. I loved it a little bit more in theory, maybe, but it was still a competent site for games that could have been fantastic if we'd had more time on our hands, and if we could have made an income through it. It's sad to say, but money was what in the end forced us to stop.
Our majestic plans was never fulfilled to 100%, but we still made a mark, I'd like to think. I hope so, at least. Right now, it's time for us to move on and take a good look at our own personal futures in the business. I haven't applied my CV to another site just yet - don't want to just try at the first site I can think of - but I probably will soon. Henrik and Olle - who pretty much were the two brightest shining stars of the lot - seems to already have plans for the future and I wish them and the rest of the cast the best of luck. I hope that someday, when Gadden's kids are old enough to wipe themselves, I've finally managed to grow facial hair, and we all feel a bit more balanced in life, that we can make the site we dreamt of when we started this project.

For more sentimental posts about the death of Spel2 I recommend you read through these blog posts, made by Johan and Henrik:

Johan writes "Ashes to ashes, Dust to dust: In Retrospective"
Henrik writes "Sp3l.se? eject2.se? Nej, inte den här gången."

All The Butterflies In Your Stomach

2006-05-15T18:51:00.000+02:00

Dagens Nyheter reports that Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins will announce the reunion of the original Genesis tomorrow at a joint press conference. Until tomorrow there's no telling if this has any truth to it, but imagine just how fucking sweet that would be. They mave have lost their awesome prog-rock hair and recorded one or two or seventeen cheesy love ballads, but I still believe they could pull out an amazing show from their sleeves if the motivation (=money) existed. I'm trying to keep myself calm until tomorrow, but with news like this that's proving to be harder than it seems.

Patrik Isaksson released his fourth album last week. It's a self-titled one, which usually means it's a "back to roots"-deal and this album does little to change that prejudice. What we have is a lovely little disc with some great summery music somewhere right inbetween Lasse Lindh, Coldplay and Kent. It's definetly Patrik's best effort to date and I recommend it now that the summer seems to really take off nicely. Opener "Innan Klockar Slår" ("Before The Clock Ticks") has also been chosen as the song used in the new Pripps Blå-commercial which usually means plentyful of cash and musical immortality (Who is ever ever ever going to forget Tommy Nilsson? No matter how hard we try..).

This just killed me. Almost as good as Tetris: The Movie. Someone really have to make these.

Pain Has A Bad Reaction

2006-05-12T20:53:00.000+02:00

You who have not been following the latest news about Kent may have missed that they have recorded a brand new song (well, it has borrowed a little from an old Jones & Giftet-song, but it's more new than old anyway) called "Nålens Öga" ("The Needle's Eye"). It's written for swedish organisation - probably international too, but I don't know the international name - Rädda Barnen. All benefits from the song will go directly to them, which is nice. The song itself is actually really good. Rather than sounding look anything from The Hjärta & Smärta EP or Du & Jag Döden it sounds more like something recorded around 1997. It's very Isola, and very melancholic. What I love about it is that for the first time in forever Jocke uses his very nasal, high voice that almost blends in to the guitars, an effect that hasn't really been used much in their music since around the time of Isola and Hagnesta Hill.
Overall the song is great, and even though I hate to pay for downloads I suggest you go to CDON.com and buy it. The you should toss that wma-file to hell and download a mp3-version instead. That way you support the cause and can still play the goddamn thing in any program you wish without having to slow the whole computer down.

Jarno wanted me to do some sort of summer music-post, and I will do that but not today. Today hasn't been all that summery, but I'm having hopes for the weekend so keep checking in then.

Oh! Almost forgot to bragg that Timo Räisänen has posted my review of his album I'm Indian over at his MySpace. I'm not usually a cocky person but I thought that was pretty neat.

Drowned In The Ocean

2006-05-09T19:22:00.000+02:00

Today is a hard day for me and my family, the typical day where a close relative - my uncle - passed away very suddenly from a heartattack. In his spirit today will be dedicated to his favorite artists The Beatles and my own beloved Gerry Rafferty.
I was going to start typing up a review on Hyde's latest album but that will have to wait. If you have any good songs about death then please comment - I know not a lot of people read this, but the few that do; it wouldn't kill you (mortality-humor, fu fu).

Before I go of on a walk in the sunshine I will tell you this about the new single from Muse - Supermassive Black Hole - sounds like Martin Gore remixing Black Eyed Peas. YOU FAIL, MUSE!

Two Feet Meet The Cold Floor

2006-05-07T16:09:00.000+02:00

Just to make sure, you are following the online video blog made at the shooting of Hot Fuzz, right? If not, then do so immediatly. It'll probably be on the DVD, but it's a nice little way of kicking up the hype for what could be a really great movie. Quite possibly the best cop-comedy since... Ever? I'm just trying to not expect anything in the league of Shaun of the Dead (if anybody has missed this; Hot Fuzz is made by the same director, writers and main cast as Shaun) but team Wright/Pegg/Frost seems to be able to pull almost anything off so I have full confidence in them.

There has been all too few reviews at this place lately. I'm going to change that, but I'm also going to change the format of the reviews a lot. I'm thinking shorter, more precise and with a brand new, exciting grading scale. Stay tuned.

I Wake Up, And I'm Alive

2006-05-05T17:46:00.000+02:00

Lots of sweet music to tend to, in due time. Stadium Arcadium, of course by RHCP, is making its entrance to record stores worldwide soon. I have not downloaded it in advance because this is one of those albums I want to own before I enjoy it. Sometimes that alone can enhance a musical experience. People say it's good but uneven, and I can believe that. Putting 28 songs onto two cds and getting them all on the same wavelength of goodygoodness must be pretty impossible, even for Frusciante and company.

However, I did see the Casino Royale teaser trailer. I did not put my hopes high for this movie, since I've never enjoyed Daniel Craig, and Bond movies have been going downhill drastically for the past three movies. Although, now I'm a bit excited again. From the looks of things it really is a more back-to-basics experience with less Mission: Impossible and a little more... Bond. Mads Mikkelsen as the ruthless bad guy, yowza. He only flashes through quickly in the trailer, but the mere thought of it makes my blood do backflips - and for fluids to make acrobatic manuovers, it takes a lot - Mads Mikkelsen as a Bond villain. Genius.

When the hell is Mikael Persbrandt going to star in a blockbuster anyway? The rest of the world needs him as well. I feel bad that Sweden's been hogging him for this long, as it is.

Bring A Smile To Survive

2006-04-30T18:50:00.000+02:00

Angels & Airwaves has almost managed to smitten me completely with their splendid debut album. It's always nice to be overwhelmed once in a while with an album that's close-to solid for nearly 50 minutes. Sadly, it doesn't quite budge the entire stretch to the finish, but as an overall ride it's fresh, daring and often it's downright heavenly. Being a minor fan of Blink 182 back in the day, I still never though mr DeLonge had this sort of ace up his sleeve. I'm very impressed, and I'm already looking forward to where he's planning on riding this spaceship to.

I haven't forgotten about Kasabian. They still do it for me, and I still slow-motion dance to "LSF (Lost Souls Forever)" whenever I get the chance to. Now I just want a new album, fawr facks seiks. And maybe consider changing the artwork?

Evanescence finally has the new album title and date officially announced. It's a big "finally" for me, having loved Fallen for what feels like fifteen years now. The new album has an equally pointless title though; The Open Door. It's release date is set to october 3rd, but I believe I can manage it. Let's hope that the departure of not-missed Ben Moody will lead to less Avril and more Amy. My excitement-meter has been activated.

And If The USA Doesn't Bomb You

2006-04-28T18:41:00.000+02:00

It's been a while, which has given me some time to swallow what little pride I have left.
Morrissey's latest album Ringleader Of The Tormentors is actually quite good. No masterpiece, but coming from a place where everything Morrissey smells fishy, then it's a big surprise for me. Everyone is talking about "Life Is A Pigsty", rightly so. It's one of the best depression songs in some time. But the album opener "I Will See You In Far Off Places" is my personal favorite as of yet which is a very good combination of all things dirty and all things stylish. Like marble covered in rust. Yaowza!

Angels & Airwaves. Nobody told me! Why? You bastards. As I speak I'm listening to their debut We Don't Need To Whisper and I'm blown away. What the fuck? You know the feeling when you hear songs so good you can't sit still, but you shake in excitement. Enter Tom DeLonge. I knew he was underrated, but that he could pull this off? Wow. Good shit.

Purchase that made me the happiest this week: cinnamon roll incense! RIP Mitchy-boy.

PS. I added Hackneyed to bloggkartan.se right over here. So now you know, and I have successfully deleted some other knowledge from your brain. Poor you.

Your Mum And Dad Are Scared Of Me

2006-04-16T00:50:00.000+02:00

I never said I was legal, but I "got" Tool's new single Vicarious from a friend earlier tonight. First impressions: disappointment. It saddens me to say, but I was expecting a little more from Tool than a mash-up mix of Schism and The Patient, mixed with a little bit of The Grudge. It's not a bad song per se, but it doesn't tickle my balls in any particular fashion. My thought at the moment: if Lateralus had had any fillers; Vicarious could have easily been one. But I wont judge to harshly just yet. There's still an entire album to go, and these are just the very first thoughts. It might be a "grower", I hope it is.

Thanks to the magnificent game Guitar Hero, I've discovered what seems like a pretty sweet band; The Exies. I've taken me time to listen to a little bit of their stuff and it sounds promising. Anyone like these folks? Let'me know.

You Finished My Sentences

2006-04-12T14:43:00.000+02:00

Proof apparently got shot to death yesterday. Obviously a very tragic event, but I was not in any way into D12 or his solo music. However, the irony that he gets shot to death when just last year he was depicted getting shot to death in Eminem's "Like Toy Soldiers"-video is almost freaky. I was going to write "spectacular", but not even I reach those degrees off assholism quite yet.

Happier news, bitte! Good news indeed, for us who have the very pleasant pleasure of being able to visit this year's Popaganda festival. Henrik Berggren has been booked to play, which should be interesting one way or the other. Why he doesn't round up his goddamn band at the same time? Hell knows. But it could still be a good show. I know Christopher is almost crying with joy. Cutie.

Even better news. Tyskarna Från Lund is releasing an updated version of their four year old classic World Cup-anthem "Global Fussball OK", which I still mark as the best football song ever written. The new version has been named "Global Fussball 06" to suit the upcoming championship. Since the oversexual musical terrorist Tomas Ledin is recording the official song, I think Sweden will need all the musical help they can get.

Different People Have Different Needs

2006-04-11T15:29:00.000+02:00

As you will notice the Google Ads will disappear from here right about a second after this post has been made. Apparently Google thinks I've been using the service badly and therefore erased my account, and the money I had earned on it. I haven't done anything wrong, and I haven't gotten a single chance to get a valid explanation or even to argue my point of view. But no, the money's returned to "the affect advertisers", even though I helped those "affected" sites with quite a lot of advertising. Apparently, it's up to them to erase my earned money because of a reason they can't even name. Apparently, I have either encouraged people to press my ads via this site (Nope), or I have used a clicking program to generate automatic clicks (Nope) or I have in any other way violated the terms of use.
I feel pretty fucked over right about now, I must say. Sure, I have clicked the ads, but only - ONLY - when there has been something there that has interested me. Since the links refer from my site it's only natural that I'll find links that I like and click them. Apparently, doing so makes it okay for Google to erase my account with 85 made dollars on it, without giving me a chance to explain, or even to get a warning before.
If any representative from Google happen to stumble upon this, please know that I feel very cheated by your service. I worked hard to use the ads as wisely as possibly, and I was close to getting a very much needed finanicial boost from it. If you perform a job for a few months and earn a decent stack of money, but don't cash them, and you suddenly get fired - it's still your money. I've done this work for your company, and I earned money to your company. Money, which I was going to get a very small percentage from. Unfortunaly, internet companies such as Google Adsense apparently feel it's up to them to fuck their users in the ass and then drop them like dead cats without an explanation or a dime to show for it.
. Today's song is dedicated to the people that decided to fuck a broke student in the ass for no reason.

Dope - Die Motherfucker, Die

It's Time To React

2006-04-02T02:29:00.000+02:00

This entry is going to start with a minor adjustment of something I wrote a month or so ago. The Radio Dept.'s newest single "Worst Taste In Music" is really, really, oh really good. Was about time they kicked out the My Bloody Valentine-style guitars and applied some New Order:ish synths instead. Greatness! Can't wait for Pet Grief now.

Loveninjas is one Sweden's coolest indie-bands. This is just further evidence of said fact.

Supercar. Ever heard of? No? Thought so.
I'll be quick about this: Supercar is fantastic. Supercar debuted in the late 90's and released a number of albums, in different genres, before splitting up just last year with - like all japanese bands - a massive Last Live.
Shame that, since they managed to release quite a lot of amazing albums along the way. It's hard to try and describe the general sound since it varies from laid back pop on Jump Up to explosive garagerock on OOYeah!! to electronica on later works such as Futurama. Nonetheless this is a band you have to discover. Since I'm such a fantastic guy I'm going to tell you exactly where to start as well.

Download these songs: (I don't support illegal downloading, blah blah.. - hah! there, now you can't sue me)
(Am I) Confusing You?
Be
Love Forever
Lucky
My Girl
Walk Slowly
Wonderword

When you have, your life will have gotten a little bit better than it was before. Trust me.

Tragic Waste Of Skin

2006-03-30T21:52:00.000+02:00

I think it's time to recognise Timo Räisänen for real now. He's no longer "Håkan Hellstörm's sidekick". He's no longer just the brain behind Her Majesty. He is Timo all together. And now let me tell you why.
Lovers Are Lonely was an adorable pop album when it arrived last year. Filled to the top with catchy melodies and great choruses it was one of the most underrated releases of the year. Many referred to it as "Good, but not as good as Håkan Hellström". I do not agree. Lovers Are Lonely was not in the same league. Surely, they both performed euphoric pop songs like it was the end of the world, and all the euphoria had to get out. However, Timo played in a different sport altogether. It's like comparing Kent and Jumper (not quality-wise); both are similar but still not quite comparable.

Well, the final step away from his old days as a session guitarist can now be put into the history books. The new album is called I'm Indian and I'm blown away.
Take Lovers Are Lonely and add edge, then add some garage and then add a wider sound spectrum. Voilá. I'm Indian features some of the best pop songs I've heard recently. The title track might be the best pop song of the year so far even, and then there is of course the downright great single Fear No Darkness, Promised Child, the explosive Let's Kill Ourselves A Son and the painful When My Tear Hits The Floor. Timo manages to take his music to the next level without losing his unique charm. I hoped I'm Indian would be as good as Lovers Are Lonely. But I'm Indian proved to be better than anything I've heard in the genre for a long time.

I Could Never Be Beyond Repair

2006-03-23T19:13:00.000+01:00

A long hard week of stress, frustration, bad news and such similar shittyness makes Rikard a bad blogger.
However, it's the perfect week to get a hold of the seventh Katatonia album The Great Cold Distance, which frequent visitors of this blog (yes, all two of you) will have noticed that I've been very excited about. It's hard to buy an album that you're excited about, because there is always the anxiety. You know what I'm talking about, don't you? You've waited for the goddamn cd for what seems like age, it better be fucking worth the wait.
The Great Cold Distance has been worth the wait. The mood of it is darker and heavier than on Viva Emptiness, which is a vast improvement in Rkard's notebook. What Katatonia pulls off, which very few bands can, is that they create a very thick atmosphere althrough their albums. Listening to TGCD brings out a desserted, windy landscape with pale grey skies, covered in desperation and, what seems to be neverending, pain. The only thing to remark on is that there are very few individual tracks that stand out. However, this was also the case with Discouraged Ones, which I still hold as my favorite Katatonia album.
So no hits, but a solid effort. The band has regained the dark energy from works such as Discouraged Ones and Tonight's Decision and ordered in the supersized depression-combo meal. The perfect soundtrack for a shitty week.

Right Under My Door

2006-03-12T03:06:00.000+01:00

The last semifinal for the swedish branch of the Eurovision took place tonight, and just as suspected the homophobic fundamentalist bitch Carola won a place in the finals next week. The always cute Björn Kjellman managed to follow her, despite a horrible outfit and a dorky song.
Carola - horses will neigh - seems to be the huge favorite for the finals but I really hope that Andreas Johnson will do a good performande in Globen next saturday and win every heart over on his side. I can't bare thinking about sending a christian fundamentalist to the Eurovision. Andreas is cute, has a fantastic song with a anthemic chorus. And black eyeliner. Gawd, that's cute.

I just heard The Radio Dept.'s latest single "The Worst Taste In Music" and I was pleased but not blown away. They haven't added much to their successful recipe, but I suppose it's not really called for either. I liked the song but it doesn't "fuck my ears" just yet. Maybe tomorrow, though.

If anyone here plays Maple Story; my nick is RockyDennis. Look me up!

1 fucking day 'till The Great Cold Distance

Below A Broken Cloud

2006-03-11T18:29:00.000+01:00

Since the news concerning Ed Harcourt, with the new album, single, possible tour and whatnot, I've been pretty much having sex with my Here Be Monsters CD. I can't tell you how good this album is using human language. You'll just have to get it yourselves and trust my judgement (since I am right about this).
I've been dying to see Ed live ever since I missed him at Arvikafestivalen last year, and then a secret gig he held in Stockholm a few days later. So I downloaded his gig from Hultsfred 2002 and also a gig he held in London the same year. Especially the latter is a really good gig. Dimmed lights, a performer at the very peak of his... everything, and fantastic songs. Sadly, these were all oldies but goodies. I can't wait to hear the fantastic songs from From Every Sphere and Strangers live. Maybe in a smokey little room, maybe I'll be having wine. Sigh.

2 fucking days 'till The Great Cold Distance

Rest Assure I Won't Fail You

2006-03-09T12:58:00.000+01:00

Big nee-juws coming in. The tracklist, title and release date for Ed Harcourt's brand new album has finally been announced. The title is The Beautiful Lie and will be released on June 5th, following the first single - which is said to contain three exclusive b-sides, woho! - which should be released soon. Of course this piece of news makes me happy happy joy joy all over the place. Fantastic news, and I'm naturally bouncing off the walls for that first single. And as you can see, Mr Harcourt himself seems very excited about the CD.

Hit me, tiger!

4 fucking days 'till The Great Cold Distance!

Everything But Safe

2006-03-07T16:14:00.000+01:00

It's time to give credit to a couple of fantastic human beings, who's dedication and passion is beyond what most people can even imagine. It's time for everyone who hasn't yet heard of Chrono Symphonic to head over to their site and download the whole two discs. I'll just let the artists themselves describe their labor of love.

It’s been a labor of love for everybody that has been a part of it. Initially designed to be the soundtrack for the long-desired Chrono Trigger movie (no, the movie doesn’t exist and probably never will), it encompasses 18 different artists' takes on the way such a film should sound in an orchestral setting, and many more on how it should look and feel. Never has such an abundance of talent been thrown into such a powerful calling, and never has the game Chrono Trigger, which many of us grew up playing, known so much love.

The new version has been worked on by several remixers (all from the excellent site OCRemix) since 2004 and just two months ago they finished the project. As mentioned above, they turned the Mitsuda-san's original pieces into more epic, cinematic versions. A truly admirable quest, and the result is astonishing. Get over there and listen to some magic right now.

And oh;
6 fucking days 'till The Great Cold Distance

You Want The Total Adaption

2006-03-06T18:43:00.000+01:00

Tool's new album will be titled 10.000 Years. Seriously, that sounds a lot more like a fucking Nickelback-album than Tool. But I suppose the title doesn't matter, but fuck's sake...

Happier news; Only a week left until Katatonia releases The Great Cold Distance (a good album title) and my expectations are pretty much climbing the ceiling at the moment. After reading some reviews in Classic Rock and Kerrang, it's hard not to get overly excited.
So hereby I start the countdown for what could be the best album of this year (told you: the ceiling!), just to beef up the hype a little and to keep myself busy.

7 fucking days 'till The Great Cold Distance

Heard This Information Before

2006-03-02T18:35:00.000+01:00

After being somewhat dead for almost a week both me and my iPod seem to be relatively back to normal. I don't know what it is about sickness that makes me lose control over my ears. I can't listen to anything. It's like my ears get too tired to bother with music at all. So I've mainly been listening to comedy albums, which is a nice change of pace I must admit. Some old Hassan anc Rekordförsök was brought up, and of course I celebrated the 12th year anniversary of Bill Hicks' death by listening through some of his classics.
Mitch Hedberg is another dead comedian which my dad introduced me to. Not at all in Hicks' league, but a more laid back, stoner-type comedian who's short and silly jokes are perfect giggle-material. His albums Strategic Grill Locations and Mitch All Together are definelty worth a check-out.

Water In Your Car

2006-02-21T23:20:00.000+01:00

Quickie, like so often. My good friend Jarno showed me this earlier and everyone - yes, you too - has got to see it. I'm too stunned to tell you how good it is. Notice how not only Peter Gabriel is really hot, but Phil Collins as well! Oh, man.

Somewhere More Familiar

2006-02-18T21:41:00.000+01:00

Katatonia just put up three new t-shirts on their handsome new site. They all look really neat, cool designs and lots of black and red goodness. However, the last one of the bunch now competes with In Flames' "The Adventures of IN FLAMES"-shirt as being the coolest official band-shirt. Just take a peak at the beautifulness itself and see for yourselves (But don't order any because I'm broke and I need them to have a copy left when I get my paycheck):

Front

Back

I am speechless with facing such coolness.

Also; big cheer for Kaiser Chiefs that won 3 Brit Awards a few days ago! Very well deserved I shall say. Employment is a great album, and it should definetly be showered with prices and such.

Don't Try To Fix Me; I'm Not Broken

2006-02-16T23:10:00.000+01:00

Since no one gave a shit about my enquiry earlier today I decided to round up some really, really good and sad songs that I've been listening to today. Since this is not a blog-blog I won't get more personal that this - ever.

Jens Lekman - How Much You Mean To Me
Some people may argue that "Do Impossible Things" is a bigger tearjerker but I disagree. I think this is the one song that defines the pain of losing your love the very best. It somehow feels as if this song was not written, but rather that it was sung in a weak moment, only to be slightly edited afterwards. Absolutely beautiful.

The Motorhomes - Into The Night
With the video it's sadness incarnated. Without it, it's still a harmonic and frail song that always pops into my playlist when I feel like snot.

Nine Inch Nails - Hurt
I have recently become more and more liking of Johnny Cash's version, but to me it's Trent Reznors broken voice that does this song the most justice still. No further comment is needed, I believe.

Katatonia - Saw You Drown
This song is one of those songs that, when listened to in the exact right moment, becomes more than a song. It becomes the very veil that clothes your emotions. I always feel like this song surrounds my sadness, saturating it, but at the same time comforting. That sounds so pretentious, but I'm down and I blog - so sue me.

Nobuo Uematsu - Anxious Heart
Might be the single best piece of music lifted from a game ever. To me it's no question about it. It's nothing epic or grand, but it's a small, soft piece. The feeling of melancholy and despair is unlike anything on any of Uematsu's other works, and it's so bloody perfect.

Evanescence - Hello
As most people know; Evanescence is at their greatest when they tone down and let Amy alone with a piano and her voice alone. This particular ballad is my favorite, and also the one where she seems the most open. She sings with a frail but fantastic voice about when she lost her little sister at a young age and every word seems to be sung with an almost eerie openness. Stunningly good, indeed.

The Only White Dove From NYC

2006-02-16T18:28:00.000+01:00

Send me the saddest song ever made.

The Only Baggage You Can Bring

2006-02-14T17:33:00.000+01:00

Chester Bennington is postponing his solo project's - Snow White Tan - debut album for almost an entire year. Sad news - or so I thought. Because it seems that this is because he's going to be working on Linkin Park's third real full-length CD all spring and summer, shooting for an earlier autumn release. Great news, indeed. Rick Rubin and Mike Shinoda (Who recently turned 29 by the way. Congrats!) will be producing the album together. Yes, THE Rick Rubin.
Is that my crotch exploding in delight? Oh yes. Yes, it is.

After growing more and more bored with my playlist I decided to dig deep in my collection to find something to freshen up my musical ears. Truly, I struck gold. I found my old Fight Club soundtrack, produced and performed by The Dust Brothers. A brilliant little piece of movie music. Well worth checking out for anyone who has even the slightest affection for good trip-hop (Is it trip-hop, though? I'm not sure, but it does lean in that direction at least..).

Also, My Chemical Romance is growing on me slowly. Sometimes it's just nice to jump around and scream carelessly together with some pale, black-haired college emo-howler. "It's Not A Fashion Statement, It's A Death Wish" is a fantastic song title as well.

Cross The Waters

2006-02-11T16:40:00.000+01:00

So I've been extremely busy lately, since school has started out for real this past week. This is why I haven't been writing as much this week, but I hope next week will be slightly less horrifying.

I'm not going to talk so much about music today actually. I want to talk about some movies quickly, the first of these being Silent Hill, which I've been looking forward to for some time now. After watching the trailer my hopes have gotten a quick boost, since the atmosphere from the games seem to be almost intact in the movie. The story seems to be lifted from the first of the games while the estethics are more a blend of the second and third games of the series. This combined with the wall-zombies from the fourth game, and a pinch of new elements it seems like Christophe Gans has actually made a good - maybe great? - game-adaptation. I certainly hope that it's as good on the screen as the trailer promises. I really thing it could. Did I mention Sean Bean is in it?

The other movie I would like to mention is the long awaited Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest. I gladly position myself amongst the bunch of people that loved the first movie, and seeing the trailer for the sequel I can't restrain myself from the expectations growing. The main reason? Because the first movie was very entertaining and with some great acting and scenery. The second reason? Stellan Skarsgård is in it. Yes. He is. Stellan is my hero. Stellan is God. Stellan is Sweden's finest. Stellan is in Pirates of the Caribbean 2. Which totally rocks balls.

Finally, Marilyn Manson is preparing to start working on his directorial debut. He's writing, starring, directing, producing and scoring the movie Phantasmagoria - The Visions of Lewis Carroll. Not much is known except it with intertwine the story of author Lewis Carroll with his famous poem Phantasmagoria. When I read this I couldn't help but feel a bit intrigued. Manson has always been a very creative and original artist, both lyrically, musically and visually, and with him getting almost no restrains to make such a twisted story come to life in a movie might result in something quite extraordinary.

As a last note; Ian Haugland's cover of Black Sabbath's "Changes" is so many times better than the original that it's almost silly.

Soulmates Never Die

2006-02-06T01:28:00.000+01:00

Late night quick post. I fixed some things in the design, and the Ads are back in the right column. Do whatever you want with them.
Now, it's time for me to lie down - finally - and fall asleep listening to Belle and Sebastian. I got Tigermilk today on a hunch, and I hope it's as good as my good friend claim they are. I'll give you my worthless opinion tomorrow. Until then, sleep tight. I will.

What Else Could We Do

2006-02-05T18:11:00.000+01:00

After being in hibernation over the winter, I finally decided to get this shit back on track. New design, slightly modified to suit my precious needs. Still some glitches to fix, and I don't know how it wil look on some resolutions. It should work fine in anything that's not 800x600 though, and Firefox should also be somewhat compatible. If anyone finds any bugs or anything else PLEASE comment on them so I can fix them quickly.

Until then, I'll leave you all in wonder over my fantastic - and glitchy - new layout and eat some fucking dinner, finally. Then I shall return and spew out some more useless opinions about what's spinning me 'round like a record at the moment. I know you all love it to death.

PS. Google Ads will be back later tonight. I just can't be bothered at the moment.

I've Got Another Confession

2005-11-19T14:59:00.000+01:00

Since I'm overloaded with work and other stuff like university-applications I haven't had much time to waste over here but here's a short updater.

It's now been finalized that I'm going to at least two great concerts next year and those are Foo Fighters at Hovet in Stockholm and Robbie Williams at Ullevi in Gothenburg. Next year seems to be a good one. I'd love to go see Franz Ferdinand as well but money-shortage will put an end to those plans, shamefully enough.

I'm falling in love with Calle Rydberg. His cover of NIN's "Hurt" is a magnificent little piece.

And finally I have to mention Savage Garden. Why? Because the collection Truly, Madly, Completely should be used as a textbook for every mainstream-pop act anywhere. It's simple, but not banal. It's catchy, but not irritating. It's perfectly balanced. It's sweet as sugar with a pinch of salt. It's brilliant.

God Is Wearing Black

2005-11-12T18:57:00.000+01:00

System of a Down - Hypnotize
Sony, 2005

This might be the first legal review of Hypnotize, thanks to the delightful little store called Record Hunter that was sneaky enough to sell a very early copy of this second half in System Of A Down's Mezmerize/Hypnotize-album. Mezmerize is easily one of this year's best albums, and since the guys themselves claim that the second half contains the best songs the expectations on my behalf have been hard to hold back.

The beginner "Attack" stomps the foot down immediatly. This is an overall even more hardhitting and uncompromising journey. It feels more straight-forward and accelerating than it's older counterpart. Mezmerize was the start-up and beginning of flight, Hypnotize is decent and dropping of the bomb. Throught songs such as "Kill Rock 'N Roll", "Tentative" and "Stealing Society" we get guided into a landscape of war, terror and lies. Our world, more precisely. Mezmerize was to soften us up for the message, to get us ready for the blow. Now Hypnotize is here to finish us off. Beautiful riffs transport the silly but strangely poetic lyrics forward, and snatches the listener with them. What's so odd is that it works just as well to listen to while sitting perfectly still, while headbanging and while dancing and that has to be a fairly unique thing.

It would be so easy for anyone to compare Mezmerize and Hypnotize, analyze the differences and decide which part is best, but that shouldn't be done. Each CD is a half-circle and together they form a unity that's extreme, scary but at the same time it lives up to the name more than anyone could have thought. You get mezmerized, and you get hypnotized, and you open your eyes. System Of A Down gets closer than many other bands when it comes to changing the world through music. Unless we stop them, they probably will. There is so much to be said about this album, but I will stop here and just let you all listen to the finished product yourselves. I feel a bit weird for saying it, but right now it feels unfair not to: Hypnotize is the best metal-album of the year.

ten out of ten

Wait, Wait For Me

2005-11-12T13:40:00.000+01:00

Later today I will post a very, very special review of a very special album. But before that I just wanted to give some words about Limp Bizkit's recently released best of-collection entitled Greatest Hitz (sigh). The album contains a broad variety of Bizkit-classics and many of my favorites are on it. I was surprised to see that many really good songs very represented even though they aren't huge hits. Such songs as "Boiler" and "Build A Bridge". Out of the 17 songs on the album 3 are new unreleased ones. These are slower, radio-rock:ish tunes. Competent, but pretty boring. But I must mention the last one of the trio: the mash-up between Mötley Crüe's "Home Sweet Home" and The Verve's "Bittersweet Symphony". I cannot decide whether I like or dislike this song, and it feels so odd. I don't know if it's built in because it's Fred Durst that's doing the vocals and because it's two such great songs... It's definelty a check-out to make though. It's an interesting, however slightly boring, version.
But all in all I should advice people to check out this collection since it does feature some of the band's best songs, and it goes to show what underrated musician they are, standing in the shadow of the always-all over the place-Durst.

And don't forget to check in tonight. Then the big bombs will fall over planet Hackneyed!

Breaking Guitars

2005-11-09T22:42:00.000+01:00

Here are some of the better photos taken by me during last night's concert. The band is called King and are apparently working on getting a site with songs online soon. Until then this is what I can offer for you. I'm sorry for the blurryness but my camera sucks and the lighting in there was not very good. I hope you like the photos.

Tomorrow I will try and toss up a new review and I haven't decided for what album yet. But I think you'll like it anyway. I'll do something different. In the meanwhile: Calle Rydberg - "End". If you ever thought you knew what sadness was and how it translated into music, you're world will be overthrown. If you can find it, that is.

If You Don't Mind, Don't Mind, Don't Mind

2005-11-08T23:10:00.000+01:00

Just got home from King live at Mondo. Really really awesome gig, and they seem like a promising band. I can't wait for their site to open up and mp3-goodness to unload. Pictures from the gig will be posted tomorrow I think.

I got Gackt's new album Diabolos. It's going to be sweeeet! More on that later.

Afraid Of All The Science

2005-11-07T16:33:00.000+01:00

Somewhere inside me it hurts to admit this, but it has to be said. Start From The Dark by Europe is a much better album than my first impression lead me to think. It's not a masterpiece like Jarno thinks, but a handful of songs are of a very high quality. Amongst those "Flames", "Hero" and "America".

Hyde has released a new solo single called "Countdown" and it's rockier than L'arc~en~ciel's usual material. It does, however, resemble Hyde's own album 666 which I've also listened to a lot today. I still think that Laruku generally are better but I still can't ignore Hyde on his own. His first album Roentgen is extremely dull and I lost patience after just listening twice, however both the follow-up 666 and this new single interests me a whole lot more. I hope the upcoming album will be just as good.

Also, Hyde's hot. Oh, so hot.

Nothing Starts, Nothing Ends In This City

2005-11-06T19:44:00.000+01:00

I went to UppCon:05 last week and had oodles of goodtimes. It's always nice to get away and do something with your friends that's a little out of the ordinary. Read more and see some pictures at the official or read my article on the whole thing at Spel².

Not much new music to talk about really, except I finally found The Drama's EP Nothing Can Tear Us Apart which I've been searching for for a while. It's very good but the best song is still "Feed It To The Dogs". Also, I've discovered Autolux, which sounds like a mash-up of loads of different genres. Industrial, odd indie-rock. Future Perfect is a very neat album, especially for people who like Kill Hannah and similar stuff.

The TRAX has released a new single called "Blaze Away" with one new b-side and a re-release of "Over The Rainbow... (Rock Version)" retitled "End of The World". Funnily enough they seem to have dropped their visual style already, which I don't mind really. They didn't pull it off anyway. The songs are all very competent and catchy. Very good hard pop, indeed. Yoshiki can be very proud.

The Air Hurts When We Inhale

2005-10-31T11:55:00.000+01:00

Kent - The Hjärta & Smärta EP
RCA Records, 2005

Just a little over six months after Du & Jag Döden Kent strikes again with an EP mainly written during their successful tent-tour. Well, one rubs his hands in delight, puts the five tracks in his playlist, blasts away the first track and then... Nada.
I'm sorry to say it but The Hjärta & Smärta is a huge disappointment. Five tracks and amongst them only one that really leaves a mark on me and that is "Amsgar & Evelyne" which is bound to be a hit. The rest are all transparent and uninspring. It's a somewhat pleasant listen through, except for the second track "Dom Som Försvann" ("Those Who Disappeared") where an awful children's choir shows it's ugly face. If Pink Floyd or Alice Cooper can't pull it off then neither can anyone else.
The opening track "Vi Mot Världen" ("Us Against The World") is as slow and colorless as a Kent song can be. Not a single line or note etches into the mind. If you asked me to hum it now, after 20 listens, I probably couldn't. The last tracks, "Flen/Paris" and "Månadens Erbjudande" ("Offer Of The Month") are almost ecually faceless. "Flen/Paris" sounds just like a mash-up between "Max 500" and "Palace & Main" and "Månadens Erbjudande" is a harmless ballad from the same corner of Jocke Berg's mind that spawned "Ett Tidsfördriv Att Dö För" ("A Pastime To Die For").
It's sad to see idols miss their mark. Again. Next time Kent; put some effort to it!

five out of ten

* * * * *

Babyshambles - Down in Albion
Rough Trade, 2005

How about I don't mention Kate Moss, crack, bar-fights and scandals in this review and focus on the album itself? Everyone good with this? Sweet.
Babyshambles has turned into a myth way before this album was even recorded, and fair enough, with Pete Doherty headlining the group you're bound to attract attention. Could the music live up to the hype? Course it can. The brilliant single "Fuck Forever" caught my attention early on. It has a nerve that I've seen many british bands sharing lately and you could easily trace footsteps from both Franz Ferdinand, Libertines, Kaiser Chiefs and even Arctic Monkeys amongst the 16 tracks this CD consists of. It may not be so fresh and so clean or even particulary innovative, but the rough edge and many powerful songs will keep this album alive probably longer than the singer himself. Of course, there are downsides. 16 songs is a lot, especially when they all sound very alike. Many could easily have been doomed to b-side hell without anyone paying a care. Such songs are "The 32 Of December" or the plain "Loyalty Song". But with tracks like the mentioned "Fuck Forever" and the opener "La Belle Et La Bete" Babyshambles deliver a solid debut. And try to enjoy it while it lasts.

seven out of ten

Stare At The Wall

2005-10-25T23:00:00.000+02:00

The b-side to Korn's new single "Twisted Transistor" is called "Eaten Up Inside" and it surprised hell out of me. It's exactly what I've been dreaming about how Korn would sound anno 2005. It has a very heavy sound but it's not the boring kind of heavy that showed it's ugly face on Take A Look In The Mirror. It's good old Korn at their best, but with a slightly new angle. Jonathan Davis actually sings - no pretend-growl - he SINGS. And he does it so well. "Eaten Up Inside" has become a motor of my expectations that "Twisted Transistor" failed in being.

They Never Played This On The Radio

2005-10-25T18:12:00.000+02:00

Two new reviews will come the next few days. And I can allow a little sneak-peak on my views on one of the album I'll be examining. Robbie Williams' new album Intensive Care is a very competent pop album and I've been listening to it almost all day. Like a good friend said: it's no new Sing When You're Winning, but that's far too high expectations to have. Following the release of this neat little album I've been listening to his older albums and I was surpised to find that ever his first album Life Thru A Lens is still so very good. I remember every line, every melody and it's just as good as mainstream pop ever gets.

Jens Lekman's new tour EP, simply named USA October 2005, is a little masterpiece timing in at just under 17 minutes. Two brand new songs, one cover (in japanese) and a swedish version of his classic "Maple Leaves". It's a beautiful little package and much better than the rather boring The Opposite To Hallelujah EP. Few artists today can be so heartbreakingly open with their sorrows and still manage to put a smile on your face like Jens can. Quite fantastic, it is.

Don't Look Surprised, Don't Be In Shock

2005-10-24T15:46:00.000+02:00

Alice Cooper is in my life once again. The might trio Brutal Planet, Dragonland and Dirty Diamonds (I have to get The Eyes of Alice Cooper, I really do) have been spinning my iPod senseless today. I should also seriously consider listening to something else from his back catalogue. The thing that stops me is that it's not easy to pick out which albums to listen to when he's released around 30 of them. Dad has most of them on vinyl and CD so I could ask him for advice. Anybody have any tips?

I'll be getting Robbie Williams' latest album Intensive Care today and examine it thoroughly. It'll be interesting to see what it will be like minus Guy Chambers. I've heard from some people that it's a disappointing album but I'm keeping my chin up. It could also be great. A review should follow.

Speaking of the reviews. I've written two here now and they're going to change a little next time. I'll start with a 1-to-10-grading system instead because I felt like I couldn't give a fair grade to Playing The Angel below. It's more like a 3.7 than a 3. I hope the changes makes them better.

He's A Smooth Operator

2005-10-19T21:53:00.000+02:00

Depeche Mode - Playing The Angel
Mute Records, 2005

Very few bands stay together for longer than 25 years. Some do, however. U2 does. Rolling Stones has. Oasis probably won't. When a band do stay alive and kicking for 25+ years this means one of two things. Either the air and creativity died years ago and the band is releasing records devoid of any artistic intention - if there is such intentions however, then it's horribly misguided into thoughts of "going back to the old days"-nostalgia and the result very smelly.

However, it could also mean that even after 25 years of records, tours, b-sides, fighting, divorces and hallucogenic drugs there is still gold in the mineshaft of musical creativity (I love my metaphors). Such seems to be the case with Depeche Mode, despite what you might think.

I didn't like Exciter. It had a few decent tracks but overall it felt uninspired, tiring and boring. You could feel that this was not so much a band as three people going into a studio - most likely seperate from each other - doing their everyday thing and then leaving. No heart, no soul and a mediocre album to show for it. After that a crappy tour and then silence. Dave Gahan released an equally shitty solo album, Martin Gore did a slightly better album and Fletch hasn't really been doing anything so it's hasn't been much change of pace for him.

However, five years after Exciter comes a brand new bag of fun from the british trio. Playing The Angel is not a brave new world of electronic music, but it's a new deck of cards in the hands of Depeche Mode. I can't help but thinking about when you first listen to Songs Of Faith & Devotion and the brilliant, scratching first guitar riff of "I Feel You" explodes onto your ears. The exact same procedure this time around. This time the song is called "A Pain I'm Used To" but the message is the same. The message: This isn't ust any bunch of amateurs. This is Depeche-fucking-Mode.

And it is. It most certainly is. But things aren't always what they used to be. It's very much a rough album, much like said SOFAD. The entire album has a very dark tone, almost Nine Inch Nails-like at times. You want a comparison? The first single "Precious" is the most upbeat song on the album. The rough edge ads a new dimension to the usual DM-sound. There are however no real hits, at least not after a few listens. No "Everything Counts" or "It's No Good", and somehow this could well be a concious decision. No anthems, but a pile of good songs. Nobody can deny the intensity of "John The Revelator", the beautiful (Gore-sung) "Macro" or the Gahan-written pearl "Suffer Well".

As an album this is a perfect product. It's a work that's bigger than the sum of it's contents which is of course a very good thing. PTA has a mood, a very special mood. It's dark blue compared to the greyish green that was Exciter, and everyone is thankful for it. But call my old-fashioned and crazy but I miss the old anthems. It would be nice to have a song to hum. Some chorus to have on my mind when I'm not listening. But of course, this is only a minor defect in this steel-enhanced battlecruiser. It's a fine piece of musical craftmansship, and it should be considered their greatest work in a long time.

But I do miss the humming.

R R R R R

And They Want Us To Grow Up

2005-10-18T15:11:00.000+02:00

It's been some time since my last post. Sorry about that but I've been rather busy lately. Spel2 is up and running so for you with basical knowledge in swedish and an interest in games should definetly skip on over there and check it out. I'm very proud to be part of it and I hope the masses enjoy the site as much as I do.

Many new albums on the way. Today is the american release date for Depeche Mode's new album Playing The Angel. I took the liberty of giving it a little listen and a full review will follow as soon as I've listened to it a few times more and can give a nuanced opinion. But it does sound good and relatively fresh which I didn't expect really. The roughness from Ultra clashed together with the melodies and softness of Violator in a modern suit. Goodness.

Lasse Lindh is a cute little fella who makes swedish pop, and anyone who reads this blog at least once a month knows I have a thing for cute swedish pop artists (Håkan Hellström. Marit Bergman, Jens Lekman etc.) and Lasse Lindh is a very interesting addition to my "likes"-list. His latest s/t-album has really grown on me a lot since I got it a few days ago. His lyrics are simple but amusing, much like I believe pop lyrics should be. I shall have to listen to his two previous albums as well.

And finally we've reached the end of this post and I'm going to end it all by giving a shout-out to my pal Jarno who sent me Robbie Williams collected b-sideography. Over 70 songs and the ones I've heard so far has been really good. Now I'm even more excited about Intensive Care. My opinion on that little bugger will be given to you as soon as physically possible (i.e. depends on how fast my dc++ decides to work).

Into The Pale Moonlight

2005-10-11T14:52:00.000+02:00

My Google Ads are more fucked up by the minute. If it doesn't stop promoting Shaggy's new album I'm going to scream. But of course, it would be worse. I just wish I could have some sites that actually fit with the subject of this page.

Anyways babies, Fort Minor is releasing two singles at the same time and I'm guessing "Petrified" is the american debut and "Believe Me" is the european. I saw the video for the second one on MTV yesterday and it was pretty boring I thought. Mike Shinoda is a visual genius in many ways and should really be able to bring something a little more exciting than five guys rapping into a camera in a green-lit factory-like enviroment. But the song is good, not super-good but a nice little track nonetheless. "Petrified" is a lot more exciting and that video is also a lot nicer looking.

The Rasmus playing at Klubben in Stockholm a few days ago. They played a cover of Kent's "Saker Man Ser". Tee-hee-hee! If anyone has a bootlegged mp3 of that song then you have to contact me!

Intellectual Tortoise

2005-10-09T19:11:00.000+02:00

I finally snatched a copy of the episode of Conan O'Brien where U2 were the guests. 40 minutes of pure U2 means goodtimes all around. Four songs played, a few sketches (In the Year 2000: The Edge Edition!!) and two very good interviews; once with the full band and once with just Bono. If you get a chance, you have to see this episode. Very good stuff both if you love Conan and if you love U2. TV at its best.

I was going to review Franz Ferdinand's new album You Could Have It So Much Better but since my pal Jarno at A Fair Judgement already did, and pretty much summed up my feelings about it as well, then I'll just tell you to check out his review.

And finally; Kent's new EP. Yes indeed, Kent isn't through with this extremely successful year. They have announced a brand new EP with five new songs to be released at the beginning of November. You can pre-order it on their official site and I will as soon as I have the money to do so.
The title is The Hjärta & Smärta EP (The Heart & Pain EP. It's a play with lame teen angst poetry.) and the song titles are as follows:
"Vi Mot Världen" ("We Against The World")
"Ansgar & Evelyne"
"Flen/Paris" (Flen is a small swedish town)
"Månadens Erbjudande" ("Offer Of The Month")
"Dom Som Försvann" ("Those Who Disappeared")

Of course this is fantastic news and I'm literary jumping in my seat to hear these babies. They offer a sneak-peak listen to all who pre-order on October 28th and they will play on of the songs live at the Nordic Music Awards the day after. Seems like this year will both begin and end with complete Kent dominance.

You Would Self Destruct Eventually

2005-10-04T19:18:00.000+02:00

Fort Minor is definatly a project worth mentioning it seems. After listening to three of the song coming up on the album The Rising Tied (sic) it sounds like a very interesting new act. It's hiphop, sure. But it's creative and inventive. It may seem a bit too safe still, for those most hardcore but to me it sounds really good so far. The songs are "Remember The Name", "Petrified" and "Believe Me" and can all be heard streaming on the official site. Go over there and check it out.

Tickets to Franz Ferdinand are running out and I'm still completely stripped for cash which sucks, of course. I'd love to see them live but I have to choose other priorities. It's a shame though. I hope someone bootlegs it, or someone hands me oodles of money before the tickets disappear.

I hate you if you're going. Hate.

The Boy Who's Lost His Soul

2005-10-02T22:29:00.000+02:00

Nothing to write right now except Depeche Mode's new album Playing The Angel has apparently leaked, but I swear I won't download it in advance. This album is way too important for me.

Just to make this post a little more robust I can tell you that the song "Cut Me" by Her Majesty is probably the best song I've heard in several weeks.

These Are Truly The Last Days

2005-09-28T15:36:00.000+02:00

There shall be more reviews - mainly because I like writing them but also because a review seems a lot more "official" than just saying "oh, this album is a completely pile of dung" or "oh, this album is pretty nifty". The next one should surface before the end of the week. I have a little something-something in mind.

But anyway, moving on. I decided to bring out the big guns last night which meant I brought out good ol' Godspeed You! Black Emperor yet again. Let me tell you a little something about them (from now on referred to as GY!BE); GY!BE makes postrock. Very very good postrock to that. They've become the very epicenter of the entire canadian postrock-society with so many sideprojects in the same genre their entire estethic formula and fragments of their sounds lives in pretty much ever living canadian postrock-act - and there are plenty of those. Some people would say that the biggest of these little on-the-side things - A Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra and Tra-La-La Band - is better, but to me GY!BE remains king of that throne.

As I was saying; I decided to listen to GY!BE again for the first time in quite a while. This is mainly because this kind of postrock often needs a very special and definite state of mind to be able to give the most emotional value for the listener. Sure, it's always good but it's not exactly giving to listen to a 28 minuter long track without having set your mind to it. But I went into that "phase" last night and I feel fucking cleansed. It's music bordering on being more-than-music. Something a little bigger than "music", really.

Oh, just get Lift Yr. Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven and see for yourselves. I doubt anyone following this piece of advice will ever regret it.

I'm A Pop Sensation!

2005-09-26T15:25:00.000+02:00

Bloodhound Gang - Hefty Fine
Geffen Records, 2005

Five goddamn years. That's how long ago Pennsylvania's finest released their masterpiece Hooray For Boobies, leaving the world with hits such as the infamous "The Bad Touch", "Mope", "The Inevitable Return of The Great White Dope" and a whole lot more where it came from. It's been five years since I bought that album and since then I've gone through some very big changes in life, and mainly in taste. But Hooray For Boobies remained with me all this time. An album making an impact like that is hard to find, and the hunger for more has grown in me for five freaking years now. Tomorrow is the release date for the new delivery named Hefty Fine. I "got" my copy early and it is time for me to see if five cock-rocking Ville Valo-hangarounds can deliver the liver once more.

The first thing that surprises me is how short the album is. Only 9 real songs and three skits timing in at little more than 39 minutes. Well, good things come in small packages I guess. I click Play on my expensive iPod and we're on.
The second thing I realize is that this album sounds a lot more "worked on" than I'm used to when listening to BHG. It's also very much an electronic album, which is a new lane for them to travel as well. It's no surprise that the boys have a fondness for synthesizers - they did start out as a Depeche Mode-coverband after all - but never have they actually used electronic devices so much in their music. The old sound is still there but now it's been paintbrushed with synthesizers. A very nice touch that's far from original but it's a cool intiative.

Overall it seems like this album is a little bit more serious (I won't use the word "mature" because that generally means that's it's boring, and this album is NOT boring) than their previous efforts. I mean that in all ways positive; it's not the attitude or the lyrics that has changed - quite the opposite - but it just seems to me that BHG more so than before wants to seem like musicians rather than comedians, but naturally with the comedic parts as the main pillar for the whole album's structure. Jimmy Pop's lyrics are still wet-yourself-kind of funny and clever as well, but now he's also backed up by geniunly good backtracks as well. Everyone will probably reckognize the classic BHG riff-that-ain't-quite-riffs in songs such as "Ralph Wiggum" (a brilliant tribute to a very underrated character), "Pennsylvania" and "Balls Out".

You can find shards of genius in pretty much every song and although they aren't always as genuinly hard hitting as their older cousins on Hooray For Boobies this is still an album that kicks every ass nearby. A little less Jackass-with-guitars and a little more feeling, but still an extremely funny 39 minutes - now with synths!

R R R R R

You're Taking Everything For Granted

2005-09-25T16:59:00.000+02:00

Now that spam-safe word identification thingee has been activate. I've been getting plenty of spam comments and I guess this works to filter away those.

This is just a very quick entry. I'll probably post more later but I just had to mention 30 Seconds To Mars which I heard for the first time last night when they visited Conan O'Brien. I've always had my doubts regarding bands with actors in them since that usually works out very badly on all accounts. But after seeing them live I was blown away. I have to check these guys out! And it really doesn't matter if Jared Leto is a smoking hottie or not (he is), it's the music that blew my mind.

The House Was On Fire

2005-09-24T14:19:00.000+02:00

After listening to a few songs from Kaiser Cheif's album Employment I've grown quite fond of it. It actually sounds sort of like a very neat mix between Blur and Franz Ferdinand (which are two of the finer things in life, obviously). So far, it's a pretty freakin' good album. Not as good as Franz Ferdinand's new one though. The Franzes stand their ground pretty well with this one.

On my first un-musical related matter I've become very excited about seeing Lars von Trier's new movie Manderlay which is, for those of you who missed it, the sequel to his masterpiece Dogville. I loved Dogville when I saw it on DVD quite some time ago. It's still the most depressing piece of film I've ever seen and by far Nicole Kidman's best performance ever (which is saying a lot). If anyone missed that then I really urge you to look out for it. It's as far from a feel-good feature you'll ever come but it's very moving and an interesting experiment that works out better than you'd think.
Sadly, Nicole Kidman did not sign on to do the sequel because she didn't like working with von Trier (something almost everyone that's worked with him has said afterwards) so Bryce Dallas Howard (Ron Howard's daughter) has slipped on her dirty slippers for Manderlay. But hopefully that wont matter when I see the film itself. I have my hopes up now so I just have to wait for it to be released on DVD - you can't watch movies like that in overcrowded cinemas.

Doesn't It Feel Good Now, Hurricane?

2005-09-23T23:28:00.000+02:00

I have some quick sad news to share with everyone that's unaware and living in the Stockholm area with at least a slight knowledge of the record store-scene. Frizzle Records is officially closing down for good on September 29th which means the best record store I've ever visited will disappear into thin air just like that. Frizzle is a huge part of my life and I've loved every visit I've made in that store over the past few years. It's much thanks to Frizzle that I've become such a record fanatic and now it's going away forever. It's very sad and it makes me all kinds of emotional. I went there today, probably not the last time (it felt like a wake though, everyone was so happy but with sad undercurrents), but it still felt like a goodbye. I bought two 7'' (indie-points!) singles with Foo Fighters; "All My Life" and "Times Like These". It was a very nice visit and I had a chat with Ilhan (the man who IS Frizzle) about Kent's new bogus single and I'm going to miss those very short chats about some random band or release.

R.I.P. Frizzle Records

So anyway;

I "got" Franz Ferdinand's new album You Could Have It So Much Better today and I must say it's very good this far. It feels a lot more "loose" than the debut. It feels like they've roughened up the edges a bit and gone a bit more wild in the studio. It sounds very good so far.

And just to finish off I have to say that Ett Kolikbarns Bekännelser by Håkan Hellström is this years best swedish album, even beating Kent - Du & Jag Döden. You didn't see that opinion coming, huh?

I Am Still An Open Book

2005-09-17T18:23:00.000+02:00

I've gotten lots of complaints regarding my last entry about Kaizers Orchestra. Close friends that was insulted because of what I wrote. Since it was a touchy subject I decided to listen to the song again and now I feel I want to clarify my views of it:

I still hate Kaizers Orchestra.

There. Now we can move on to other things.

I finally got my ordered Ed Harcourt - From Every Sphere in the mail today which was really nice. I haven't listened to it yet but I figured I could listen to it on the stereo and have a bit of a rest. I think it's the kind of album that is only enhanced if you listen to it while lying dead still the entire time.

I also made another sweet purchase today. A Foo Fighters-shirt with a nice One By One-print on it. I'm going to order a Jens Lekman-shirt next week so I'm starting to build a nice little collection of good bandmerch. By the way: if anyone knows of a place where you can get Ed Harcourt-shirts or other merch; CONTACT ME.

What's That Supposed To Mean?

2005-09-15T17:42:00.000+02:00

When I was travelling on the bus home from work today I felt like doing a big entry to this very blog and write about some of the nice music I've heard over the pass few days. I got a new album in the mail (will mention which in another entry, it's not of any significance in this one) and I was in a particulary good mood. Then I came home and choose to listen to a song someone sent me a while ago that I hadn't listened to yet, and then this entry's future was re-written in an instant.

Now, let's bring up Kaizers Orchestra. This band originates from Norway and have recently struck some fame and fortune (?) among the type of music people that are aware of "what is the shit at the moment" and I decided to check them out and so my friend Mats sent me the song "Ompa Til Du Dør".

Is this serious? People listen to this? Haha, really?

Is it a case of "it's so bad that it's good"? Doesn't appear so.
People actually seem to like - LIKE - this band. I have listened to "Ompa Til Du Dør" about 5-6 times now and it still baffles me. Who the hell did they murder to get the keys to a record studio? Why didn't anyone with taste put down their foot before this reached the general masses? How the f-word can music be this bad?

This is where we are at. Seven (I think it's seven) random norwegians bang everything they can see and sing a song about a norwegian dance and people - defying all laws of taste - actually listen to it. PAY MONEY to hear more. It's insane. It blows my goddamn mind. Kaizers Orchestra's "Ompa Til Du Dør" is easily one of the five worst songs I've heard in my entire life and I've heard quite a few so that's saying something. Is it me? Am I not seeing what's to see? It seems so obvious to everyone else, but I can't see what the freaking deal is. Goddamn it.

Nagisa Ni Te sings "Me, On The Beach" and that heals me...

Just Like Bonnie & Clyde

2005-09-08T22:29:00.000+02:00

I'll just give you a little shortlist of the songs that currently makes my heart sing and dance.

Ed Harcourt - Alligator Boy
Ed Harcourt - Sugarbomb
Foo Fighters - Miracle
Foo Fighters - Times Like These
Fort Minor - Petrified
Jens Lekman - Rocky Dennis' Farewell Song (To The Blind Girl)
Mötley Crüe - Sick Love Song*
Nagisa Ni Te - Me, On The Beach
Social Distortion - Reach For The Sky
The Motorhomes - For Whom It May Concern
Vanity Beach - Take Me To Tokyo

* = Yeah, I know... But it's a really good song nonetheless.

And I want to close off with showing off my first won eBay auction:
This is some good shit right here!

Too Romantic To Fall In Love

2005-09-06T20:52:00.000+02:00

Head over to Bergman Rock's homepage now and download a brand new free song! It's called "Even Endlessness Begins (With An End)" and is pretty damn good. I actually heard it live and now that I hear it again it's got all these details and cool synthesizer-noises that I've fallen in love with. It's really more of a "bob hund in english"-song than a typical Bergman Rock-track. Be sure to check it out!

I went to Pet Sounds (indie!!) and bought the maxi-single for "Speed of Sound" by Coldplay with two nice b-sides. I love the cover so it was mainly because of that I wanted it, the CD itself is copy controlled so I had to download the songs anyway. Good ones though, but you could tell why they were b- and not a-sides.

On a hunch I downloaded Stakka Bo's album "Jr." yesterday. It was a very positive surprise actually. Electropop with a touch of Kent really, and Jocke is actually featuring on one of the better songs of the album; "Killer". If you like Kent and Nåid you should really check out this cd.

In An Empty Cinema

2005-09-04T18:06:00.000+02:00

Not much to report today, except Doktor Kosmos seems like a band I should probably check out further.

Also, I've been bidding on a few eBay-auctions for Ed Harcourt-related stuff. Keep your fingers crossed I'm winning!
I really need a Bill Hicks-tee as well. But I have to save some money now so that will have to wait, sadly.

You Learn To Love Again

2005-09-03T20:44:00.000+02:00

New albums bought, new concert visited and a song that blew my mind. All coming up below this cheesy introduction.

I bought the third, and latest, album by a certain Håkan Hellström a few days ago and I was surprised to find that it's just as good as his first album. He has lost the samba, the bateria and al the annoying choirs. Ett Kolikbarns Bekännelser (The Confessions of a Colic Child) is mellow, mostly acoustic and filled with beautiful songs like the gorgeous love song with the strange title "Gårdakvarnar & Skit" (Farmmills & Shit).

I also bought my very first album over iTunes Music Store. I've always been suspicious when it comes to buying music over the internet because so much of the charm with buying music disappears. No strolling through endless amounts of record stores, picking out the CD you want, browse through the booklet and so on. But since the album in question was a internet-only release I had to swallow my pride. The album was Ed Harcourt - Elephant's Graveyard which is a collection of rare songs, unreleased songs and b-sides. Most of the songs are really neat and surprising. I was completely baffled by "Alligator Boy" which is a led-heavy blues rock track. It's overall an awesome album and definetly worth the £7 I gave for it. I had lots of trouble converting the shitty m4p-files to mp3 so I could listen to them in Winamp but apart from that it wasn't as bad as I thought buying records from iTunes.

I still hate iTunes though.

I also have a new obsession: Foo Fighters. I loved In Your Honour. I think it's a fantastic album and it makes so much sense to divide it into two different cds. In Your Honour is one of the best albums of the year, no doubt. But the song I've been completely nuts about the past few days is the acoustic version of "Times Like These". The original is a good song, the acoustic version makes me wet myself in pleasure. I can't begin to describe how awesome it is and how much I love it.

I still love Dave Grohl.

Undress Your Eyes

2005-08-31T19:18:00.000+02:00

The albums that kick the most ass at the current moment:

Broder Daniel - Broder Daniel Forever

Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand

Jens Lekman - I Killed A Party Again EP

Stars Are Falling From The Sky

2005-08-29T17:45:00.000+02:00

I'm discovering Achtung Baby! Finally!!

Just 2 more days until Depeche Mode lets me know who to see live this coming year. Come on, be nice with the prices! As much as I love you; I just can't pay 500 for one concert. Pretty please?

A Picture Of Something You See

2005-08-26T20:03:00.000+02:00

X&Y is definetly one of the best albums this year, there's simply no need to deny that fact anymore. "Talk" is the song I've fallen for the most. A beautiful adaptation of the old Kraftwerk track "Computer Love" (If I mix two songs up now, please let me know. But I'm pretty sure it is in fact "Computer Love") with vivid and powerful lyrics. The entire album should be listened to by anyone who enjoys a good portion of slow rock every now and again, and especially "Talk" and the almost equally enchanting "Low". I would also mention "Fix You" and "Speed of Sound" but that seems pointless since everyone has heard those two already.

I'm suffering a hard dilemma at the moment. I'm rather poor right now and of course, that's the time when all the good bands decide to visit Sweden. Within a year Coldplay, Depeche Mode, Franz Ferdinand and The Rasmus all play here. I think I might be able to see two of these concerts and I'm currently waiting for the 31st (The day when DM announces exact date and location for their gig) and after that I have to make up my mind. Any spontaneous suggestions in this matter? Right now it feels like the bands I'd most like to see live is Franz Ferdinand and Coldplay, but I keep changing my mind.

It's hard, yes it's haaard!

I'm No Longer In Command

2005-08-25T18:32:00.000+02:00

Today was a very gray and wet day. One of those days that just feel wet, humid and damp but it doesn't rain. It just feels like rain. What better day to listen to Anna Ternheim? It feels like her entire debut album Somebody Outside was recorded solely on gray, wet days like today and this has been taken advantage of by myself. The song that I listened to repeatedly was "My Secret" which is probably my favourite on the album. It feels very genuine and balanced emotion-wise. The biggest problem with her album in general is that it just feels so heavy to listen to. So many bad feelings concentrated into the lyrics and the melancholic music brings you down immediatly, but "My Secret" manages to be a little pearl sparkling in the darkness. It's not a particularly happy song but it's one of those songs that you can level with so easily, especially on gray days like today.

In other news: Franz Ferdinand is still the coolest band in the world.

Things Get Damaged

2005-08-24T14:56:00.000+02:00

egar said...
You cannot be serious when saying that "När det blåser på månen" is a mediocre song, it's one of their best. ;)

Okay, I'll be honest. It's not a mediocre song, I love it. But in the old album version it's just so badly produced and Jocke Berg's voice is hardly what it is today. I never thought of it as a "bad" song but considering the new version performed live on the recent tour was such an improvement, the old version's shortcomings get more obvious. But as you say, mediocre is really the wrong word. Time just hasn't been kind on the album version.

Apart from that there's loads of talking going on about Depeche Mode and their new single and upcoming album. The single which most people should have heard right about now is called "Precious" and it sounds pretty much like something grabbed from the studio floor inbetween Violator and Songs of Faith and Devotion. A combo which reinvents an old sound and thanks to Martin Gore's genius making it seem fresh again. The song itself isn't a masterpiece, but it certainly leaves much to hope for when the album Playing the Angel is released in october.

Okay, Okay, Okay, Okay!

2005-08-23T18:29:00.000+02:00

New Franz Ferdinand single! I'm so happy I could dance, and I have. Oh yeah. I so danced.

So the song is called "Do You Want To" (or is it "Do You Wanna"? I've seen both in magazines and on DC. Anyone that's sure?) and it sounds exactly like Franz Ferdinand sounded on their s/t album, but in this case that is not in the least a bad thing. FF has a sound that's simple but crystal-clear in the sense that it's so obviously FF and nothing else. No other band sounds like FF and therefore the sound remains fresh. And quite frankly, I don't want them to change "just because". Way too many bands want to reinvent themselves and it just ends up in shit (U2:s Zooropa and Pop) so it's nice that some bands stay the same. The song itself is really cool as well. It's the kind of song you start singing along to already in the second chorus and then you put it on repeat for hours and hours.

Another song has slipped into my playlist and that is "Politix" by Mattias Alkberg BD - a band I've been meaning to check out for some time now. The song was playing on the TV and it's really sweet. Considering the chorus consists of two words repeated 4 times each it's a incredible little pop-wonder. Definetly a band I will check out deeper.

And a last note to whoever wrote this comment to my previous entry:

Anonymous said...
Oh, dude, your so fucking sad. Do you seriously listen to Kent? Just get yourself a nice warm kevlarsjäl and bury yourself beneath it.

ANONYMOUS DOES NOT 4GIVE

15:56

You gave me the biggest gut laugh in days, haha! Keep commenting me, I love that stuff.

Am I An Astronaut?

2005-08-22T18:35:00.000+02:00

The past few days I've mostly been listening to an excellent bootlegged concert with Kent. It's from their second gig in Stockholm (I was attending the first) and the quality is mindblowing for a amateur-made bootleg. The stand out-track is the superior new version of the old classic När Det Blåser På Månen (When It's Windy On The Moon) performed mostly only with Jocke Berg on an acoustic guitar only to have the rest of the band filling in the long instrumental part at the end (this was made so that Jocke - who was standing on a piedestal in the middle of the audience - could be brought back to the stage). It's a mostly mediocre song turned into a splendid one with just a few adjustments of the original song. Genius, I tell ye!

Apart from such illegal stuff I've been occupying my ears with mainly Bloodhound Gang, much because of my beloved girlfriend whos' newfound love for Hooray For Boobies awoke my dozed off love affair with the Gang, which is nicely timed since their new album (the first one in five frickin' years!) Hefty Fine is released in little over a month and I'm very curious to hear it.

Intro

2005-08-22T16:06:00.000+02:00

hackneyed

repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse;.
The sermon was full of hackneyed phrases and platitudes.