A very short one...

Yes, yes, yes...I know...I'm crap. My laptop is about to go oto heaven after only a few months. Damn. A somewhat quick post, as I'm sneaking this in before I run out...

As I haven't posted in a while here's a few to keep you going...

Moi caprice- Daisies
Just because...

Anamia- The Step
(You can also download the entire new album "An extraordinary new fitness product" at www.anamia.dk (under the "numre" area)..if you liek it, go and buy it!)

New Pedestrian's Pets EP- News (Murder. We like them very, very much...

Soryr it's so short, folks...

Help!!

Not often I do this, but some people are so hard to resist, that..well...how could I not. My laptop and internet connection are currently being exterminated by the people at Dell (and I also have a broken heart, but that's another story), so apologies for any inactivity of late...

Danish band Wolfkin are newly featured on a darling little site called Tonspion today...

http://www.tonspion.de/mp3.php?mp3=4061

Please take the time to download the MP3 (just click on...er "Download MP3"..it's well worth it, and you can just stream it if you need to) and thus vote for the band, so they can get into the chart! I know you;re asking whether I've gone out of my mind, but I haven't. Honestly. Wolfkin really are one of teh best bands to have emerged this year, so it's well worth a few minutes of your time to take a sneaky peak at what should/will be coming your way... Don't say I diodn;t warn you!

If you've already listened, do it again... They;re well worth a second...and a third...and a fourth listen...

Oh, and once you;ve done that, don't forget that the amazing EPO-555 are also featured on the site- they're at number 52 atthe moment, and it's worth listening to, if only because 5 minutes could change you life...
Oh, and if you like it, pass this around.... Crunchy love us, so we love them too...
Thanks!
(I'm sure someone will tell me if I've translated this badly....)

Wolfkin wird heute im Tonspion vorgestellt: http://www.tonspion.de/mp3.php?mp3=4061
bitte mal runterladen, damit wir in die Charts kommen und wenn schon dabie gerne auch nochmal Epo 555, die auf platz 52 sind
Gerne auch freunde darauf hinweisen
Danke

Oliver North Boy Choir...

So, after a somewhat extended hiatus in which I got a new job, lost my passport, projectile vomited my way to Hamburg (twice) and felt like running away, here's something new.

After weeks and weeks of promising, I'm finally covering the Oliver North Boy Choir. Consisting of a current member of EPO-555 (Mikkel-MaxHansen), a former member of EPO-555 (the heavily pregnant Camilla Florentz) and the amazingly accommodating Ivan Petersen (who I should thank for providing me with information, support and MP3s to write this piece, and apologise for holding off...)

The band's own description of their story (below) isn;t one that I can really improve upon, so here goes...

Oliver North Boy Choir, the short story. Mikkel and Ivan met in high school where Mikkel tried to make Ivan understand the not very apparent beauty of the French language. As they were young and had lengthy hair the natural outcome was to start a band, which they called Ivanhoe. Mikkel played the guitar and as Ivan couldnt play anything he became the singer. Later on, they both played in Venus and Pierre.They then met Camilla and had a few bloody marys in a bar in Copenhagen. Camilla and Mikkel are now married. Mikkel also plays in epo-555 (and Camilla used to). ONBC is indiepop and melancholy..

Oliver North Boy Choir sound very much like you'd expect them to, given the pedigree- a distinctive Danish pop sound that can't be replicated by anyone anywhere else. Poppier than EPO, but featuring Camilla's distinctively dulcet tones, the songs reference everyone and everything from Eisenhower to Portuguese cigarettes and unhappy love. And ONBC love you too.

In the future, ONBC plan to follow the distinctly rock and roll path of releasing singles, and singles alone...Having heard the first two singles (and the B-sides) I can reassure you that it delivers all that it promises to and more, with tunes that swoop and dive and refuse to leave your brain days after you last listened to them.

I'm afraid I don't have a clue how to up the MP3s (I'll leave that honour to Stytzer in the next few days, and link back if that's OK), but in the meantime, you can hear the demos here

Website

Myspace

There's a lot of Crunchy news today

Just a few quick updates to kick off another flurry of activity... Hopefully I'm back for good, but with the way the new blogger is going, who knows? A lot of the news that seems to be coming my way at the moment seems to be Crunchy Frog related for various reasons, so here's an update...

Firstly, the new Wolfkin vid is available to watch online. It;s well worthj a look...all moody and black and white... Maybe you won't be as terrified as I was when I spent an afternoon watching that and a Powersolo vid...That, however, was mainly because it was during a storm and various power surges meant that things blew up and the power dimmed and fizzled when they were on... (By the way, both Wolfkin and Powersolo have been nominated for P3 awards, so good luck to them..)

Sadly, after an elongated period of inactivity, the fantastic Superheroes have broken up... Word has it that a new band has been formed out of the ashes

After losing Camilla (more on that later), the fantastic EPO-555 have recruited a new keyboardist. You probably all know that, but having heard the reworked version of Grislappan (due out on 7" in January with their track from DMDK- A Danish Tribute to Depeche Mode, and another track that slips my mind..) you really won't be diappointed....

Talking of EPO-555, there's some pretty cool news of a related project coming tomorrow...

In other special announcements, Crunchy Frog are throwing what is going to be an amazing Christmas show at Vega in Copenhagen featuring a cornocopia of the label's best. For one night only (and I think they mean this) the fabulous Sterling, Powersolo, EPO-555 and Wolfkin will be joined by non danish bands Heavy Trash (US) and The Tremolo Beer Gut (DK/S). All of this will be supplemented by the best Crunchy DJs and a few special guests spinning the records all night long... I know I'm going, so maybe I'll manage to catch up with one or two of you there...

And that's just the Crunchy Bands... I'll keep you updated with more of the news later, but, in the meantime...

Death By Kite...

It's like a tight-rope walk, innit?

What?

Life...

I like ignoring most of the bulletins I get. But I couldn't ignore this one.Death By Kite are one of those bands I've had in the back of my mind for a while, but haven't yet covered for whatever reason, but a conversation I had earier today about tight-ropes (don't ask) reminded me that they'd just been signed to Quatermain records, so I'd better cover them before they release anything... The other reason was Ihad a great Myspace bulletin idea to tie in with them...

Death By Kite combine a pop sensibility with alternative harmonies and rock noise. A little bit of everything into the pot using the correct measures means that the broth doesn't boil over, and that the high wire act keeps its balance. Am I talking nonsense? Probably. Death By Kite combine the best of everything into a unique sound that you should go and listen to (rather than reading this)...

Scared of Heights

Hiroshima

More available on Myspace and website

I'm not asking you to sell your soul to the devil today. Nor am I asking you to dance. Instead, I'm asking you to walk the line. Take tight-rope walk between cold war punk, noiserock and indie. You might just like it.

P.S. If you've not yet joined us on Myspace, then go and do so. We produce supper-witty bulletins, dontcha know...

Wolfkin...

I really can't tell you what they sound like... they might steal your soul....

So, kiddos, my original post about Wolfkin was banished into the netherworld of blogger, where it was chewed up and spat out until it resembled a string of nonsense letters in a universe where the letter "q" does not exist and the € symbol is freely used, so I'll have to write it again. Not that I mind, as I like Wolfkin. A lot.

Crunchy Frog's newest signings recently released their debut album in Denmark (I have a feeling that it's out in November in some other territories, although, as ever, you can buy it from Vibrashop), and sound like Tiger Tunes swallowed a bee and decided to become an Americana-Roc-Pop orchestra whilst simultaneously employing two male singers and a dirty drum machine and watching Cinema noir. All whilst accompanied by synths and memories of the '60s guitar pop they heard in the womb, the nights they spent dancing in cemetaries and remembering that, yes, there is room for humour... In short, they're fabulous.

Already voted 'best debut album in 2006' by the Crunchy Frog team of scientists (and who are we to disagree with such a well-mannered achingly hip team?), Wolfkin's "Brand New Pants" (is it just me, or is the Southern British English meaning of that actually pretty pervy when you think about it? Maybe it is just me and my inability to think in either American-English or Northern British English..) will soon become an essential record to cheer up the rainy Autumn afternoons ahead...

A Vacant Heart

Wolfkin, then...Go on. I dare you. Dance with the devil... you might just like it...

Website

Myspace

EDIT 4/10/2006, 12:21pm.. Go and vote for Wolfkin on Liga here if you're in Denmark..

Pato

We might know him as Pato...but his grandmother still calls him Martin...

Back to some kind of reality now, after a brief hiatus due to falling in love, breaking my foot, techniacl problems and all manner of other strangeness... Yesterday's post reminded me of Roskilde, and the fact that I hadn't really said anything about Pato yet... It's not normally my "thing"- I live in somehwhat of an indie bubble, as you may have guessed- but there's something about Pato that makes you want to dance

Formerly a member of the late ska-punk band Furillo, Pato managed to take Roskilde 2006 by storm. On as one of the final acts of the evening, the crowd were dancing, laughing and singing- not something you see too often in the wee small hours in the Pavillion, when the small acts are pitched against some of the behemouths. Normally, there;s a few drunk guys and a guitar, but the Pato (and his band) seemed to be having just as much fun as the crowd, creating an infectious energy that meant, whoever you were, you couldn't help but dance...

I'm not going to even bother with trying to wrote a bio- go check out his bio on Myspace, as its all put far more succinctly and wittily that I could do it... In the meantime, here a link to his website, and a couple of MP3s:

Two Fingah Salute

Blood Bath

Pato, then. Move your feet and dance, cos that's what they're made for...

Bleepy Happy Summer music...

...to mark the end of Summer as the hail stones rain down...

Pato- Bad Situation

Tiger Tunes- Foolio

Popmak- Oh la la

Plok-Snickerpuss

Wolfkin- A Vacant Heart

Tiger Baby- Girlfriend

Enjoy!

Downtime

PPC will be down for a day or two why I try to work out why you guys can't see the most recent posts. It sucks, I know, but I'll be back as soon as I can, and I might even treat you to a mixtape...Keep on keeping on my darlings...Kiss kiss..

Oh dear...

After a week of battling with the blog (and the people who host it) I think we've finally managed to sort out the problem (though we were forced to get rid of a few posts that didn't appear along the way- sorry if that was you, you know who you are, and we still love you, and will write a lovely piece about you on many many blogs...) New posts should start coming from tomorrow (I hope!)Ta all, and thanks for your kind words and patience...

Ouch..

Damn it. I've had to take all posts from the last few days down... for some reason they've been corrupted, and I don't think any of you guys could see them anyway...

**Back up soon**

I promise...

Charlie made me happy...

Apologies for the somewhat enforced absence- I was in Copenhagen for part of the time (and, having heard a sneak preview of the new Nephew album, I can tell yoiu it's pretty darn good) and then trying to teach myself to walk again (don't ask, but it involved falling down the steps in Ideal Bar) for the other part...

It'll be something of a double-header this weekend- new releases by Charlie, Don't Surf, and Wolfkin...

Charlie, Don't Surf's debut EP "How Turkey Turned into Being A Monster" is every bit as good as you'd expect it to be (not that they bribed me by flattering me or anything...actually, I think I'd love them just as much aif they didn't). Collecting together the favourites that I've been raving about for some time- "Friends of French Art", "Breakthrough" et al, the 5 track EP is well worth taking a look at (if only to say that you've got a copy of the CD they released before they were snapped up by a big label...)

Unfortunately, you've missed the contest to win the EP on "Hits In The Car", but that doesn't mean that you should go and buy it now from here for the bargain price of just DKK50 or EU8 now.. I promise you won't regret it

And Wolfkin? Learn about them tomorrow...

Hell Is In Hello...

Anothe rone of those bizarre update stylee posts- this time to do with Charlie, Don't Surf's Rasmus Hedeman's solo project, Hello is in Hello. Although similar to Charlie, Don't Surf's lofi noodlings, Hell is in Hello is a much rawer 4-track sound...

The tracks are all self-produced demos, with Rasmus playing all of the instruments, with a slightly more bedroom recored fell (Ho hum...this could be because they are all bedroom recordings...Enjoy!

Well worth a listen...

Building Goodbyes

I'm Your Toy

More tracks available on Myspace

BSBTA

You'll have to excuse my brief absence- I've been a bit busy pretending be a happy goth, watching London's euivilant of the bizarre Chav love that seems to be sweeping mainland Europe and watching dwarf hardcore bands (don't ask) to write for the past few days...

Today, it's more of a label thing...

BSBTA is a Copenhagen based DIY label worth writing about for just for the fact that its acroynym stands for Bloated Beer Sasquatch Theatre Audio (a fantastic name for a label if I ever heard one!) . The fact that it has a fantastic subscribers series of CD-Rs (split into a “pop” and “un-pop” subsection) is a bonus, as is the fact that there’s connection with the wonderful DIY collective KaninKanon…

I’ll leave you to explore the site here, but here’s a sample in the meantime…

Younolovebunny- King Fresh

Leisure Alaska

If Beck came from Finland and played noise rock...

Video for "Hey There Mr"

Apologies for the lack of post yesterday- my internet connection died, and I've had to spend hours reconfiguring it... I promise y'all that normal service will be resumed...

I was intrigued by an email I received from Leisure Alaska last week about their video for "Hey Mr"... For various reasons (falling in love, trying to find a new job, other things being in the way...) it slipped to the back of my mind...until now, that it. "Hey Mr" is a truly amazing piece of film taht you really should sit and watch (several times) and then share with your friends (it's on Youtube, folks)

As for the music, my favourite song has to be the Dawn of The Replicants-esque (UK readers may remember them for the fact that they released an EP a month some years back...Their recent comeback hasn't been amazing, but I'm talking about the glory days of "Radars" and "Mary Louise") "Transistors in my mind"... As ever, though, I let you decide...

Transistors in my mind

Hey there Mr

Return of the Power

If you like Leisure Alaska, go and say hi on their Myspace (worth it just for the crazy background..), or check out their website...

Green Pitch go rock?

Erm..... not quite.

A news story today, I think (my connection keeps dying).... PPC faves Green Pitch have a side project called "The River Phoenix". In contrast to the gentle lilting sounds of the Ace of Hearts, The River Phoenix are more a rock band influenced less by the quiet sound of water trickling, and more by the

The new album's due to be recorded later this month, but, until then, take a look at their Myspace for more info, and to hear a few of the early demos...

If you're in Copenhagen saturday the 7th of October, they're playing with Veto at Pumpehuset, and all over Denmark...

EPO-555

You'll have to excuse my....floatiness today, my dears, but I think I might be in love. And EPO-555 have been the soundtrack to my long-distance affair...

Le Beat's on fire video

I can't eat, I can't sleep, I can't even concentrate at all. My stomach's full of butterflies, my ear is sore (from a four hour conversation) and I'm trying to remember how to speak German. And it's all been soundtracked by a copy of EPO-555's "Mafia" that he sent me.

Originally, tonight's post would have been headlined with something like "EPO-555-the godfathers of Dexter Fox and the Mafia", but I really can't be doing with that now- my brain is full of mush and sweet dreams of my beloved.... The sound of EPO-555 is amongst the sweetest around, perfect for lying back and daydreaming ot the harmonies that only Danish bands can do so well....

Le Beat's on Fire

EPO-555 are music to fall in love to. Just go and listen, before we have to send the boys in....

Myspace

Website

The Autumn leaves fall off the trees...

Here's a beautiful third weekend treat from the archives of Hits in The Car. I'm going to start compiling these myself, but if anyone has any suggestions (or wants to compile one- actually, that might be a good spin on things!), get in touch!

• Made Of Buildings - The Previews At The Movies
• Tiger Baby - Girlfriend
• Portland - Let Me Get What I Want
• I Am Bones - Building Hospitals
• Figurines - The Wonder
• Gravy - Meltdown
• Carpark North - Transparent And Glasslike
• Sparklin June - The Warning Sign
• Larsen & Furious Jane - Tourist With A Typewriter
• Neon Machine - On What Deserted Island With No Hope Of Rescue Is This?
• Anubia - Goodbye Now
• Swimm TV is TV - Crush
• Heartbreak Disco - Ice Floes
• Sepiamusic - Stone

Enjoy!

Tiger Tunes...

I guess in retrospect, I should have seen it coming forward....

I seem to be having a week where all I want to listen to is irresistably dirty sing-along electro-pop, and the irresistably catchy Tiger Tunes seem to fit into that perfectly, snuggling in between Superheroes and Kids of The Ranch (and going pretty damn well with the indiepop stylings of 1234 and Charlie, Don't Surf too) Angry Kids of The Word Unite is an danceable anthem for the disaffected new generation (and, so I found out earlier, reasonably popular with fussy 8 and 9 year olds...don't ask how I know that...)

Tiger Tunes any band who can sing about a "fuck machine", "she knocked my teeth out, she stole my shoes.." , and, with a Beckish sensibility, sing "if we get thirsty, we'll drink sad champagne", and suddenly youknow you've just heard one of yours... Tiger Tunes are a lot like the friend that you have , who, with their eagle eye for picking out the absurd in the ordinary, constantly has you in giggles...

The band are currently on sabbatical, but are making music in various other guises, including Marybell Katastrophe and Qlauz. Of the tracks that I'm offering you, "Kids of the Word Unite" is a pop anthem of the highest order for the disaffected youth, with the kind of "oh fuck it, just do it" attitude that's essential for a great night on the town. Foolio is the funnest Summer hit that never graced the airwaves in your part of the world, including an infectiously catchy "lalalalalala" ending.... Enjoy, my dears, and then, when you realise this isn't enough, go and buy the album...

Angry Kids of The World Unite

Foolio

Tiger Tunes have ways of making you sing. They have ways of making you dance... why resist them any longer when it's this glorious?

Myspace

Website

Kids of the Ranch.....

They may not seem like great dominatrixes..

I ummed and ahhhhed over including today's act, but in the end, the fact that half of the duo lives in Copenhagen (and the quality of the music) won me over. You might remember that I mentioned Kids of The Ranch briefly yesterday (during a rant of some kind...) so here's your chance to hear them....

Kid of the Ranch are a duo- Imri and Elin. Imri is currently living in Copenhagen where she goes to school in a great big castle, takes hot baths, does some video editing and writes a lot on her computer. Elin, on the other hand, is currently living on the other side of water in Malmö where she is apparently giving books to the poor and spending time in her studio/saloon making woods out of felt...

Indeed.

"Indie Boys are Neurotic" is a genuinely great slice of dirty garage pop , which because it includes the lines "Come to me you bad bad boy/ come to me and feel" and the chant (in skipping-rhyme style) "I might not seem like the great dominatrix/ I'm just another restless soul lost in the matrix" deserves to be on anyone's playlist..

"Sow A Seed" should have been the theme to the best 1980s Twin Peaks spin-off that never was, while "Superiority To Keep" is angular jaunty lo-fi which sounds like it's using instruments from a nursery that are being thrown down the stairs. Yes, that good...

Indie Boys are Neurotic

Superiority To Keep

Sow A Seed

For Christ's sake go and listen before I scream....

Myspace

Website

1234...

1234 sound like Charles Bukowski getting into Diana Ross and the Supremes and deciding to write indiepowerpop songs instead of poetry....

...and who am I to argue with their own description of themselves?

Of all the bands I've written about, 1234 seem to be recommended by a hell of a lot of people, but no-one really seems to know much about them... Maybe that's due to their lack of website and smewhat sparse Myspace profile. Pretty much all we know about 1234 is that they're based in Copenhagen and that...well... there are 5 of them. Sometimes, I guess, it's better to let the music to speak for itself, and it more than does....

"Saddest" is, quite possibly, one of the best pop songs I've heard in a long time, whilst "Demons", which is full of jangly guitars and handclaps went down a storm when I premiered it whilst DJ'ing at a friend's party in a particularly trendy part of London (along with Charlie Don't Surf's "Breakthrough", Swedish/Danish band Kids of The Ranch's "Indie Boys are Neurotic" and Norwegian band Gestapo Bitches' "Danish Boy" which deserves a link just because it's about...ermm...Danish boys)... I really can't argue with their own description of themselves (why meddle with a description that good?) so I'll let you take a look for yourselves:

Demons

Saddest

Coltrane

Judo (Tomorrow's a Long Time)

They've got ex-Hefner front man Darren Hayman (who I very occasionally cross paths with in London) in their Myspace top 4 (and, if I remember correctly, supported him on one of his Danish shows)... if they can create anything like the amount of devotion that Hefner did (and believe me, I saw it all first hand) then they'll go as far as they deserve to go.Unfortunately I arrive in Copenhagen the day after they next play at Rust, which means I won't get to see them...

Sadly my (frankly quite appalling) Danish doesn't go so far as being able to translate the Soundvenue piece about them.... They've also been selected by Liga as a tip for the future, so it's worth watching them...

Go and take a look at their Myspace, join the cult and be transported away in the time it takes to say 1...2...3...4...

Junior Senior..

Move your feet... you know you want to...

The Youtube obsession continues- go shake your coconuts to this...

A slightly lazy one today folks- after yesterday's post about Superheroes, I haven't been able to get Junior Senior out of my head and (as I mentioned yesterday) as the album was produced by Thomas T from Superheroes, I'm sure you can see the lazy connection. I had a great big spiel for you about how Junor Senior aren't quite as annoying as they may seem (annoyingly catchy, yes. Annoying, no. Yes, I know there was a Summer when they were ubiquitious, but let's forget about that....) but then my bloody laptop (complete with q key now, as you ask) crached... Grrrr. It had a great little session from one of the American radio stations and everything, but I can't seem to find it. Damn.

It's cold and windy outside, and it's supposed to be August- a hot, sunny month involving gallons of beer and heat that makes your pores scream. But it's not hot, and it's not sunny, and, I'm sure you'll agree that, while you might not like to admit to liking Junior Senior (they're what we call a Guilty Pleasure- for those of you who question my use of Caps, Guilty Pleasures is a club where you go and confess to liking stuff you're not supposed to and then dance the night away guilt free... only in London...) they sure do bring sunshine into your life... Junior Senior, to me, at least, mean the soundtrack to a few of the best Summers of my life, a couple of amazingly fun festival shows and hot balmy Summer days with friends...and that can't be a bad thing. Any band who can create a masterpiece of pop genius as good as "Take My Time" can't be all that bad...

They need absolutely no introduction to any of you, I'm sure, so here's a few songs to liven up a rainy morning.... Recreate a beach, put sand down on your floor, don a hula skirt and dance about. Go on. There's noone watching....

Coconuts (movie edit)

Happy Rap

We R The Handclaps

Move your feet

C'mon

There's a few Bizarre things around- just click that link. Not sure why it plays the theme to Cheers, but never mind... Their Website is under renovation, so visit their Myspace.

Junior Senior. Go on, admit it...you like them really.....

Superheroes...

They don't belong to the new generation...

Apologies for the lack of post yesterday- I guess Sundays are becoming an increasingly bizarre day of juggling recovery from Saturday night (in the form of sleep), trying to sort out stuff for job interviews, and listening (oh, and Myspacing) for more and more music to cover....And trying to find my lost passport. It pretty much takes up most of Sunday to whittle down the choices, and I've still not managed to thank all my Myspace friends yet... (I fear I'll have to give up personal comments for everyone soon...)

Anyway, it's a great one today. Posts here, here (I've been trying to remember how to speak Dutch- believe it or nor, I was actually pretty good at one point) and here (in Danish) reminded me that I really should cover Superheroes (something that I've had hidden in the back office since I started this..).

Fronted by the beautiful multi-talented (former?) wunderkind Thomas Troelsen (well known for producing Crunchy Frog label-mates Junior Senior), Superheroes are a 6 piece multi-talented band who produce pretty, danceable perfect pop music with an 80s synth vibe. According to various sources, they adopted the sound before it became wildly popular again... Heavy on irony and humour there's also a hidden intelligence, and the odd homage if you look hard enough for it...

Formed in 1996, and signed for one album by Crunchy Frog when Thomas T was just 15 (a deal that's been renewed a few times since), they've since had a few radio hits. In a time when pop music is homogonised beyond all recognition by marketing men (and I speak as a marketer myself, though not a music one) it's refreshing to see a band so free of the self-consciousness that seems to the the pervading attitude. Sometimes I wonder why we don't have more of this in the UK, and then I realise that it couldn't happen...

Unfortunately, they're another one of those bands who are currently making a new album, but...well, that doesn't matter if you need to catch up on what's come before, does it? Superheroes have been hidden somewhere at the back of my mind since their London show in October 2004 (just after I left the city for the suburbs... I haven't yet managed to get back, but I guess that's one for my other blog..)

Someone Else (from Superheroes)

Turn me on

Cool Girl

Johnny and I (from Igloo)

What's Going on

Nightmare

For a list of places to buy, and for more video and audio, visit here. Strangely, they don't seem to have a Myspace, though Thomas Troelsen does...

They're website's pretty fantastic too- full of bizarre facts, videos and the like- well worth a look. One last thing, though (and it's a peculiarly Danish trait) it's refreshingly unusual to read something like the below on a band's website (and actually believe it)...

We are trying to focus on the music and not all the glamour
that surrounds it. We of course did a lot of press to promote the album, but we try to cut down on this as we don't find ourselves that interesting. We like to record songs and we like to play live. And we love the fact that people enjoy our songs and shows.
That's enough for us.

Janteloven in practice? I think so.

BTW, Girl In The Cafe has a pretty good Danish-tagged selection here

Something for the windy weekend...

I admit it...it's the weekend, and I'm a wee bit lazy (and sick... no, this time it's not self-inflicted, and I have all the keys beck on my laptop aside from "q" now, thank you very much...Don't ask...) to think up (or even think about) anything to post, so...it's another mixtape that I've taken from Stytzer (naughty me!)! It's often the best way to introduce you to things I haven't got round to writing about yet (and he makes such beautiful tapes!)... You will notice a slight re-post of a Charlie, Don't Surf song, but it's so damn good that I couldn't leave it out (especially as it's part of the original)...

Moi Caprice - My Girl You Blush

Ruined By Martin - Perfect Sense

Veto - You Are A Knife

Leisure Alaska - Return Of The Power

The New Brand - With You

Cinnober - Fast Machine

Powderdust - Bet You 2

Munich - With Smiling Lips

Mavis - Point Of No Concern

Charlie Don't Surf - Breakthrough

Late Night Venture - Pay The Moon

The Elephants - Autumn Hearts

Girls! - No More Fooling Around

Skywriter - For Heaven's Sake

Salem - I Love The Avenue

Ehlers/Thejsen - Art Of Loneliness

Enjoy!

The Pedestrians Pets...

A one man band who sings like a mockingbird and stings like a bee... (geddit? *groan*)

Just a quick one today- I'm supposed to be preparing for various job interviews, tidying up and answering the multitude of emails, myspace comments and myspace mail you guys have been sending me (thank you so much for your support!) but I really feel like Swedish band Springfactory's "Get out of bed" is about me. *ahem*

Onto the music, anyway... It's not often that anything goes from my inbox straight to the page, but this one will... The Pedestrians Pets is a one man (who generally goes by the name of Nis Pedersen) band from Copenhagen and is enchanting in a very Stephen Merritt/ Lou Barlow kinda way. I'm pretty sure it'll pass the baby test (it's a well known fact-well, in my mind it is anyway, even if it's not a fact, merely a theory, to everyone else-that any music that can make a baby coo, smile, sleep or *ahem* pooh (according to genre) then it's gotta be good...) but I'll let you all know at some point over the weekend...

He has something to do with Kaninkanon (edit:he's actually part of Kaninkanon- a fanzine/label/DIY collective celebrating commercially "purposelessness" and amateurism, trying to establish an underground guerillapopscene in Copenhagen... Sounds good to me) and has appeared on one of BSBTA's fabulous subseries CDs... He also writes lyrics that remind me of re-reading old love letters from when you're 16 with fondness (I finally chucked out piles of them yesterday after 5 years...) such as "Hi Hi"'s...

"..I need you but you don't have time
You are busy
Got too many exams
I understand
All I've got to cheer me up
Are old messages on my answering machine..."

(NB:I didn't link to Hi Hi, as I'm not sure about the host site's bandwidth restrictions. If you're interested, though you can find it here) Anyone who lists their influences as My record collection (probably not updated for a while) on their Myspace is definitely worth a look, I'd say... Decide for yourself by downloading the MP3s below, and visit his site for more music and lyrics...

Happy Together

Watch Out

The Pedestrians Pets, then. From inbox to page in less than 3 hours.... Take a look at his Myspace and webpage...

UPDATE: 25/08 01:02

Myspace is currently having diffiulties, so the downloads might be down for a while. Use one of the other links if it's continuing...

02:00 It seems like it's working now!

Are you going to Reeperbahn?

I've just found out (from the fabulous folks at the German office of Crunchy Frog ) that Hamburg is holding a fabulous festival over three days in September, and there's a hell of a lot of great acts playing. There's even a special showcase on 21st September for Danish music down at Scope (featuring Outlandish, Figurines, Powersolo and Teitur)... If you can get over to Hamburg on 21-23rd Sept, do so, as it looks like it's going to be an unmissable event...

Aside from PPC favourites EPO-555 (the fathers of Dexter Morse and the Mafia) and Figurines, Junior Senior will be there to add to the party mood, and Outlandish are making an appearance to keep the party going...In celebration (like we need an excuse!), here's a sample of the (Danish) bands you should check out...

Spleen United - Video for "Spleen United"

Powersolo- live at SPOT Festival 2006

Figurines- Race You

Junior Senior- Move Your Feet

Music

• EPO-555 -Le Beat's on fire MP3
• Outlandish -Look into My Eyes MP3

Teitur and Sarah Hepburn are also playing, but for some reason I couldn't find any MP3s or videos. Strange...

Munck//Johnson...

Sweet as honey, smooth as silk...

And so from Aalborg and Roskilde, we go back to Copenhagen.

Munck//Johnson is a Danish duo, consisting of singer Camilla Munck and musician Moogie Johnson (who, interestingly, once filled in on guitar for Diefenbach- a band pretty different from Munck//Johnson). After meeting in 1999 as part of the critically-acclaimed alt-country act Wynona, Munck//Johnson decided to go it alone five years later...

In 2005 Munck//Johnson signed to Copenhagen darlings PonyRec, the re-released their debut album ("Unlike you", the band's own label Laura Lee Records, 2004). Second album 'Count Your Blessings' was released on Denmark in February 2006 to (well-deserved) rapturous applause all round.

It's not often that hearing a band for the first time gives me shivers down my spine (it has to be something very, very special), but Munck//Johnson did. The tunes are sparse and minimalistic, haunting even, but punch way beyond their weight in terms of impact. I've always thought that"Ease Me" would make perfect movie music- you can just imagine the scene- a mourning lover dressed in black staring longingly out of a window on a window seat, wondering what to do with her life... In terms of references, I really can't think of many. Rosie Thomas, maybe (but she's a little bit too... well...she's missing the haunting quality) or... I'm lost for words for once...

Munck//Johnson are perfect for the middle of the night when you can't (or won't) sleep and need some time to think. It's perfect journal writing music for those times when you want music to think to.

MP3s...

Please

Ease Me

Slave Song and Last Wish are also available for streaming via their Myspace....

Website

Reliving Roskilde 2006...

The heat, the dust, the music...were you there?

Figurines-Live at Roskilde Festival 2006

Hey folks, it's another non- MP3 post today... This time we're reliving the highlights of this year's swelteringly hot, dusty and sticky Roskilde Festival... Click on the links below to see what went on- each of the band links should lead to a neat little video hosted by the festival website...

Naked run

Spleen United

Nordstrøm

Lis Er Stille

Melk

Pato

Suspekt

Vincent Van Go Go

Figurines

Danish music magazine Soundvenue also covered the festival in their own inimitabel style-click the links below to see more...

Soundvenue 1

Soundvenue 2

Soundvenue 3

Soundvenue 4

That's about it for tonight... I'm pretty impressed that I went to see at least 6 of teh bands in the links above... One last point to remember kids, Roskilde's all for Charity, so you don't have to feel guilty about being muddy, smelly and trying to romance that cute guy or girl next to you.... See you next year!

Charlie Don't Surf...

Catchy Lo-fi for happy Summer days..

Charlie, Don't Surf- Minor Changes- Live in Aalborg

It's not often that I actually bother to add band requests on my personal Myspace page- mainly becuse they tend to be absolutely shocking, and I want to pick up my laptop and throw it across the room when they turn out to be a thrash-acoustic-blood mongering-death metal band from Latvia, or, worse still, a guy with a bleepy laptop and a acoustic guitar from Slough. Eek.

I promise there's a point to this rant... You see, Charlie, Don't Surf are one of the few bands that I have added, and one of the few that has actually invoked a swarm of butterflies in my stomach...

In the balmy Summers before Pavement split (after changing the world forever), before Stephen Malkmus decided to sound like Phil Collins (Ok, that was once, at a festival, and all is forgiven now..) and the lo-fi kings and queens decided that they all wanted to do a Daniel Johnston and hide, there used to be some fun in lo-fi (I guess it'd be kinda like high-fi lo-fi...but that would sound stupid)... Charlie, Don't Surf are on a mission to inject the funny instruments, screams and dancability (I know that's not a word- note to self: if it ever appears in the dictionary, lay a claim to the first coinage) back into the scene at their "notorious" (!) live shows, so they may well just be worth a look if they're ever playing near you... They've already appeared on Liga (music show on Danish TV)- an amazing feat for an unsigned band still in their teens.

It's one of those cases where I feel like starting my own label just to release something by them (and I would, if I wasn't so broke)... There's an EP (Couldn't work out if it's been released) that you have to get hold of if only for the name- "How Turkey Turned Into Being A Monster". Genius. I think that says it all..It's probably best, though to leave the last word to the band themselves:

"...Charlie, Don't Surf are Rasmus Hvass Hedeman, Jonas Andersen, Mikkel
Malmberg and Mads Bøgh, a Danish quartet who, bound by a mutual disenchantment with the state of music, have begun building a brand-new Lo-Fi-Indierock sound for the rest of the world..."

A mission statement if I ever heard one.. Charlie, Don't surf, then - a Pavement for the new generation...

MP3s

Breakthrough

Friends of French Art

All The Girls

Right and Wrong

Here's their Myspace and website

Update: Does anyone know how to sprt this so that non- English characters show?

Spotcasts, not MP3s...

So today I'm going to give you something different- instead of MP3s, I give you streaming videos of some of Denmark's best in action at the SPOT festival in Aarhus... There's not really mush more I can say apart from enjoy!

• Davenport
  
• Powersolo
  
• Spektr
  
• Diefenbach
  
• WhoMadeWho

ALSO: Take a look at I guess I'm floating...Rasmus from Efterklang shares a few of his latest musical obsessions...

Something for the weekend?

I think I'm actually still a bit too drunk to post anything , as I went to see a lovely friend of mine and we spent a good few hours getting drunk on absinthe in London... It night taste like a mix between burning dolly mixture and cough medicine (*ahem* meaning it's a somewhat acquired taste, though not quite as much of an auired taste as Gammel Dansk!) but... well... it's great to take the pain of the long train journey home and make me forget I'm in London (and prepare for my next trip to Coopenhagen- it's less than a month...that reminds me, note to self: find passport)....

On to the music, then... The lovely Stytzer from "Hits In The Car" posted the first of three Danish Mixtapes a few weeks back, and they were just too good to resist (and even taught me a thing or two!)... Here's the original post (let me know if you want me to take this down)... Danish Mixtape 1 ... It offers a really good overview of some of the stuff going on right now...

• Volvoe - Travelling
• The Holiday Show - Snookerstar
• Port Largo - Breakdown Into Fiction
• The Lukewarm - BlackRoom
• Kind Of Girl - Poetry Boy
• Bahnhof - Tanktop Girl
• The Floor Is Made Of Lava - Do Your Sister
• Flying Virgins - Evil Fender
• Windermere - Trailer Park
• Dúné - Go Go Valentina
• Anamia - Butterfly In Paris
• Green Concorde - This Time (Remix by tWAMi)
• Madrigal - Entitled To
• 1234 - Saddest
• Hazey Jane - Bad Wine
• The Ondt And The Gracehopper - When We Dead Awaken
• tWAMi - My Spanish Romance

Thanks again for this...

Diefenbach...

Quite possibly the world's most hyggeligt band...

Before I begin, I really should profess a personal interest- five adorable blokes (it's now four- original guitarist Nikolaj left to continue being a brain scientist...) from Copenhagen slept on my floor (and didn't complain when I tried to poison them with a cooked breakfast) as a favour for a friend, and...well.. we developed an odd kind of friendship. At the time they were a minor post-rock band, but now they're much, much more...Diefenbach are now part of the Wall Of Sound/PIAS stable, and they promise to go a long, long way...

From their beginning as a Copenhagen post-rock band, they've grown into a full-blown phenomenon. Think Beach Boys meets Mogwai meets...well, Diefenbach, actually. (For once, I'm stumped) The worries about changing their sound due to being signed to Wall of Sound? Don't believe a word of it. Don't you just hate it when everyone else discovers one of your guilty pleasures, though?

Debut album "Diefenbach" (released in Denmark only, as far as I'm aware) is jam-packed full of post-rock classics, but it's on the transitional album "Run Trip Fall" (released in 2003 in Denmark and 2004 in the UK) where they've really started coming into their own. A hidden gem which combines both beach-boyesque harmonies and tunes that get stuck in your head in the most amazing way, it's one to go and seek. 2005's "Set and Drift" was another change in direction-layers of guitars and vocals, allowing them to rock out and unleash the rock beats...

In session at Planet Claire :

The Right one from Set and Drift 2005
Streetlights from Set and Drift 2005
It's only love from Set and Drift 2005
Glorious from Set and Drift 2005

Remixes...
Favourite Friend (remix)
Glorious (remix)

Here's their Myspace and website, and I should probably tell you all that a longer version of this article and musch, much more appeared on the lovely Lostmusic a while back... Records available in all good record stores, itunes etc...

Update 18/08/2006 @10:00 Thanks to the lovely person who pointed out that there's a free half hour stream of a Diefenbach gig from the people behind the SPOT Festival here...

Under Byen...

Musik paa Danske Laeber
Beyond the city you'll find the bitter sweet sound of traffic that will make you believe in magic once more. Either that, or you'll want to learn danish.

As the Monty Python boys said, now's time for something different. And, I don't mean a variation on a theme this time. I mean something completely different. Something that you may not have thought of before. Ladies and Gentleman, I introduce to you...Under Byen. The most haunting band you've ever heard. And they sing in Danish.

Just a quick note about the language thing, before I leave you to go and look for fairies at the bottom of the garden (yes, I am obsessed by fairies, I know...). When a senior member of Rolling Stone staff experienced the 8-piece live, he went on record as saying that they were: “...fantastic. Of course I didn't understand a word of the lyrics - but that didn't matter at all..."
And you can see why. Listening to Under Byen, you don't care of you can't understand a word. It's music to fall in love with and to listen to at the midnight hour (which is just as well, as they played to a packed tent at 11pm at Roskilde 2006).

Under Byen (which translates as "Below The City", so I've been told...) are, quite simply, as salty-sweet as a diet of Snegle and Tyrkisk Peber (ask any Scandinavian, and they'll tell you how much they love it... ask any foreigner who's tried it, and they'll screw their face up...).

Imagine if Bjork had been born Danish, trapped in a cage, and her only experience of life was graveyards at Halloween. Imagine what would happen if she then stole what was the original premise of Mono, and then met American Analog Set who were having a miserable day. Imagine what the resulting songs would be if you ran them over, and you'd be half way there. It might interest you that, while their influences are rarely noted, the lead singer has been quoted as saying that she was inspired by traffic. Each to their own, I guess. Not that I'm moaning- if only all traffic sounded this good.

Hjertebarn (from Kyst)
Plantage (from Det er mig der holder traeerne Sammen)
Af Samme Stof Som Stof (from Samme Som Stof Som Stof)
Den her sang handler om at få det bedste ud af det (from Samme Som Stof Som Stof)

Here's their Myspace and website. It's not often that I mention fansites, but as the band themselves have referred to this one, here's Lars Dideriksen's labour of love... On a totally unrelated point, but interestingly all the same, Under Byen's latest album was produced the lovely by Lasse from Diefenbach who I'm planning on covering very, very soon...

Update 19/08/2006 01:54

MP3 links fixed- you should be able to hear what's going on now!

Traening

Traening made theme tunes for Bond films yet to be made, late night train journies, and Monday Morning 5:19 moments...

Traening (Danish for "practice") split last year, but that’s still no reason not to swat up on the gloriousness of their debut album, ‘Better Than This’. After forming in 2001, they’ve decide to call it a day early on, leaving just a few glimpses of what could have been.

After a stellar performance at 2004’s Roskilde festival (on the camping stage) which blew anyone with any taste away and left them dazed in the puddles of mud, things were looking up, but, alas, they’ve left us with just a few gems to remember them by.

Tracks like ‘Only You’ is the theme song to an as-yet unmade Bond Movie, sounding both impeccably glamorous and claustrophobic at the same time. ‘Swim’ is the sound of the somewhat balmy weather we’ve been having recently that makes me grouchy. ‘Over and Out’ is the night-time comedown song that you’ve been looking for at 3am, or the antidote to what the late British band Rialto would have called a ‘Monday Morning 5:19’ moment (I can't find the link for this one)

Still, it's not an entirely lost cause, one of them has popped up in EPO-555 (more on them to come..). In the meantime, though, here's today's MP3s:

Only You
Swim
And Somewhat Younger

It’s a shame they had to leave us so soon- it could have so easily developed into a love affair...

Buy here or here.

Enjoy!

Update:18/08/2006@01:00 It's really odd... Better Than This is finally getting a well-deserved UK release at the start of September 2006!Order here or here. Also available in US$ or € here...

http://danishmusic.blogspot.com

Green Pitch...

Sometimes the smallest things have the biggest impact. And so it is with songs, too- Green Pitch manage to make a BIG impression with their delicate songs.

There's a certain naivete that's missing from pretty much every band at the moment- I guess that's OK, but it's unashamedly self-conscious and tends to breed a generation of cocksure tossers. Harking back to a folk (no, that's not a dirty word) tradition is not a bad thing, trust me. In a break from some of the noisy stuff currently on my playlist, I offer you one of the world's quietest bands.

Now, if I truly wanted to come across as a wanker, I could waffle on about sonic soundscapes and all the rest of it, but I think you may have heard that a few too many times before, written by some toss-for-brains wannabe music journo (yawn).That said, though, if, as they say, the Devil's in the detail, then Green Pitch must be satanists, as it's spilling out all over the place- if you listen for it...

Critically acclaimed for their last album in Denmark, Green Pitch's mix of bass, delicate guitar and male and female voice is like a trip to a netherworld somewhere far far away from the hustle and bustle of city life. While that might be a trip to the bottom of the garden for some (that's where the fairies reside, isn't it?) Green Pitch have the power to transport you to somewhere completely different, away from the work hassles, the bosses, the bills and pills of modern life.

Excuse the hyperbole, but I tend to get carried away with these things, and it is in the early hours. I'm off to bed, but in the meantime, here's a few MP3s:

Erratic Day
Recently May
Liverpool

You'll have to excuse me if anything goes wrong- I' m fairly new to this MP3 blogging thing, so any help would be appreciated (especially with linking to MP3s).

Here's their Myspace and website...

So... this is my first post. I was going to explain exactly why I'm doing this, but no doubt more will come out about that in future- I'm not sure how this is going to pan out, but if I can do Danish music as much justice as Craig does Swedish music over at Swedesplease, I'll be happy...