As a true grunge fan, I find it very hard to dislike Chris Michols. To me, his voice sound very special, even though I can hear pieces of Eddie Wedder, Chris Cornell and Lane Staley in him. In other words: not a bad voice at all.

And luckily, his songs are not bad either. On the contrary, I would say that they are really good. If I have to describe them in words, I would say that it’s about a wonderful kind of laidback grunge with a touch of singer/songwriter. But, it’s probably better that you listen for yourself.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Chris anyday now would be approached by a bigger record label, that want to spread his music all over the world. I rather hope that it would happen soon. Because he’s simply to good to be only heard by a few.

The best part is that Chris allows us to take part of his music for free. He has uploaded his latest album, “The Long Road”, on his home page, chrismichols.com, and set it up free for download. There you can also come in contact with Chris, read about him, see where he plays live, among other things. You can also find him on Myspace.

Here are four songs from “The Long Road”:

These Memories
Fade In Fade Out
I Want to Go Home
Hard to Let Go

Download the entire album:
The Long Road (192 kbps, zip-fil, 58MB)

Andreas Lundgren comes back to us as “Bad Buddha”, his latest album which is free for download on his home page. It is an album that’s rich on influences from various sources; rock, blues, folk music, funk and a lot more; straight into a fantastic mix that I can’t describe in any other way other than that it’s Andreas Lundgren. I’m drawn into the songs with their driving beat, a beat that runs through everything in different ways.

I find an open Andreas, and it feels like a journey into the dark and out to the light, from separation to longing for love. And all the songs performed with Andreas special voice, a relaxed, yes, cool voice that really comes through.

To me, this is absolutely one of the best albums I’ve heard this year and I can only congratulate you for being able to download the entire album from his home page. There you will also find two of his earlier albums “Grande Cocktail Magic” and “Green Loafers & Husky Freaks”, also free for download.

Four songs from “Bad Buddha” to enjoy and download:

Breathing Gas
Purple Wonderlight
What the Hell
Moondance Woman

Andreas Lundgren’s home page “Banned From USA”

Andreas Lundgren on Myspace

I have never really felt for the CD as a physical product. To have the feeling for holding it, looking at it, open and discover it. I have never been anywhere close to the excitement I felt when I finally held a wished-for vinyl in my hands. Nostalgic illusions? Maybe.
And even if it doesn’t explain the big changes in the music industry, it meant that I rather painlessly could lose the plastic in favour of harddrives, memory cards and web streams.

But a couple of months ago, when I got my hands on Pär Edwardson’s CD “Bodybuilding – but with centimetre”, that “hold in a physical album”-feeling awoke. Wisely the ugly transparent plastic plastic cassette had been replaced with a hardboard cover. On the album front the protagonist himself was portrayed in a photo taken in his youth, with hair style and clothes typical from those days. When I opened the album I found a small collection of similar photos from the same era with names below each. “Is that really Kee Marcello? No, surely not, or…” Simply put, a small photo album. On the right there was a pocket containing a folded mini poster. Unfolded it showed me the origin of the album title “Bodybuilding – but with centimetre” and on the back side of the poster, all the lyrics. A mini adventure to sum it up.

It was also an adventure listening through the record. Even though I had listened to Pär Edwardson before, it was somewhat of a surprise for me. I expected a record filled with his great pop songs, late-Beatles-melodic with his special touch and sound, unique in themselves and that really stick in my mind after listening a couple of times. Subtle, satirical lyrics where some frases together with melody form good hooks. And sure, I found those songs, but also a lot more than that: lo-fi blues, hard rock (with Kee Marcello Marcello as guest), a couple of covers (Thunderbolt, Whip It!), interludes, a wiener waltz, long songs, short songs. And also these fantastic pop songs I knew from before. Confusing? Hardly. Instead it formed a whole that I haven’t grown tired of, held together with the feeling Pär Edwardson wanted to convey when he created the album. A real album!

Even if physical containers of music may be on their way out, I do hope that artists continue to create albums. Albums where there is space for more than the most direct songs. Chapters, timebound or not, of the musicians’ artistry which we can read through and come back to and experience. When it comes to Pär Edwardson, I happen to know that he is working on a new album, and I’m grateful for that.

Listen to three tracks from the album “Bodybuilding – but with centimetre?”:

God’s Greatest
Coffee Drops and Lemon Curd
Into the Dark

Visit Pär Edwardson:

Pär Edwardson på Myspace

Pär Edwardson på Allears

Well, I do like powerchords that slides over the guitar neck and licks that dance straight out of the massive sound. Bad Poetry Band offers this in their high energy rock’n’roll.
This is how I remember Fireside or Backyard Babies in the late nineties. Whether it comes with long hair, beards or “proper” hair styles, the music is straight, honest and down to the bone!

Even if Bad Poetry Band is a tight and professional band, it is the vocals by Mula that really make the the difference. Han throws out the words at me like he was Dave Wyndorf. Listen to “Home of the Brave”, and you’ll hear what I mean.

“Home of the Brave” video:

Listen and download a few tracks:
Home of the Brave
Dudes and Dudettes
Just a Little

Visit the Band:
Bad Poetry Band on Myspace

Keep cool,
Jeppe

I’m sitting here in the light of the night lamp, which right now is whiskey coloured. But gee I feel good…well not only from the sweet drops from Ardbeg, more, I would say, from the sweet tones from the Gothenburg-Borås band Giant Wide.

I’m looking for influences from the psychedelic blues of Roky Erickson and from Soundtrack of our lives, where Ebbot’s vocals are more of an instrument than just vocals. But I have to say that Giant Wide sounds like Giant Wide and not like anything else. I feels like this great band has found their own unique style.

THIS IS SO GOOD!!! (whoops, the whiskey voice came through)

This is grinding guitars and a drummer that really has to fight to be heard, but really succeeds in the end. The vocals are sometimes really distorted, but is mixed into the songs, not just like “normal” vocals, but like it’s an extra instrument and offers an incredible feeling to it.

Enjoy the songs of Giant Wide:
See the Road
Our Time Is Coming
Go and Get Done
I’ll Leave You Here

Visit the band:
Giant Wide on Myspace

Keep cool,
Jeppe

(translated by Pär/Blindmen)