Country: Denmark

MP3: The Dead Radio - Make it easy

It's been ages since I've heard from Jeppe Foldager, frontman for "Reader's companion" alums The First Miles, but now he's back at long last with a new band called The Dead Radio. Less Americana-influenced than his previous act, but just as solid. A bit more ambitious perhaps? They're definitely going for a bigger, more grandiose pop sound, that's for sure. Check out "Make it easy" below and then head to their website for another cut.

The Dead Radio - Make it easy

Back from vacation

skalleströmming
Tattoo by Jonas at Göteborg Classic

I'm back home again and back at work after a two-week Swedish excursion -- thanks to all my friends, new and old, for hanging out and being awesome! In the meantime, I've got myself a mountain of junk to climb out from under so expect updates this week to be terse. I'll be back on top soon enough.

Best of 2012 (so far)

Best of 2012 (so far)

Been meaning to get this written up for over a week now, but I haven't found the time and now that I'm about head out on vacation to Sweden for a couple weeks, I figure I need to get at least something up. So without further ado, here's my picks for the best releases of 2012 so far (in alphabetical order):

Agent Side Grinder - Hardware ()
Beastmilk - Use your deluge ()
Diskoteket - Det ska se ut som slutet ()
Magnus Ekelund & Stålet - Supernova EP ()
Nitad - Rastlös & vild ()
Susanne Sundfør - The silicone veil ()
Tvärvägen - Staring directly into the sun ()
Vånna Inget - Jag ska fly tills jag hittar hem ()

On the cusp/too early to tell:
Anchorless - Every nook and cranny ()
Norra Kust - s/t ()
Westkust - Junk EP ()

Reissues:
Missbrukarna - Zooma in en zombie ()
Ratsia - Jäljet ()

Listen to a selection of these records below via Spotify:

Dangers of the Sea - Sheer desperation (video)

New melancholy folk from Denmark, worth checking out.

Christian Hjelm - Lang vej igen (live video)

Watch Figurines frontman Christian Hjelm perform a live version of one of the songs from his upcoming solo record.

Melting Walkmen - Broken glass

Danish postpunk act Melting Walkmen are currently streaming their upcoming 7" EP "Broken glass" at SoundCloud.

Tambourhinoceros signs Birthgiving Toad

has announced the signing of new act Birthgiving Toad, the moniker of young Danish artist Lasse Bækby Buch, and will be releasing three of his records this coming year -- the full-length albums "For awkward company" and "As fruit hat" plus the EP "Music for young centaurs".

Efterklang - Piramida (trailer)

Check out this trailer for the upcoming Efterklang album "Piramida", due out this September via /. The clip features footage of the band in the abandoned Russian island of Spitsbergen, an Arctic island near the north pole where the namesake ghost town of Pyramiden is located.

Järtecknet going vinyl

Göteborg-based experimental/dark music label is expanding beyond their existence as a cassette-only label with their very first set of vinyl releases which will feature LPs from Krökta Rum, The Copper Roof Houses and Blodvite. Details http://www.järtecknet.se/news.html

The Boombox Hearts - 100 (the latest flame)

Paisley pop from Danish act The Boombox Hearts.

Halasan Bazar - Tin foiled (video + mp3)

Download the new single "Tin foiled" from Danish psych/pop act Halasan Bazar right here.

Express Night Out: Nordic Noise

The Washington Post Express offers up a quick preview of the excellent Nordic Jazz Fest taking place in Washington DC this weekend: http://www.expressnightout.com/2012/06/nordic-noise/
Though I know it's not possible to attend for many of us, it is worth noting that a number of the artists appearing will be doing other US dates while they are over here so check local listings.

The Floor is Made of Lava - Lost in the woods (video)

The Floor is Made of Lava, getting a bit folksy with their new single "Lost in the woods".

Pitchfork reviews Lower

It appears that Pitchfork is open to reviewing 7"s now, that is if you are affiliated with critical-darlings Iceage: http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/16817-walk-on-heads-ep/

Oliver North Boy Choir - Shadows (video)

Here's the video for that new Oliver North Boy Choir single "Shadows".