Anyone who has listened to “Godzilla” with Blue Öyster Cult knows what a great song it is. When you hear it as the opening act, with downtuned guitars and a massive wall of sound, on a Fu Manchu concert, you just freak out! I was 30 years old when I saw them at KB in Malmö, but I acted like I was 17…

There is a good chance that Are We Ape also like Fu Manchu. Not that they are some kind of clones, but the sound with downtuned instruments and fuzzy guitar licks has similarities and is just as good.

It’s a kind of heavy rock that the band presents, but with cool riffs, good vocals and melodies, they do a really good job.

I don’t know why, but I have always thought that you have to be an American to make this kind of rock. Well then, now Are We Ape has proved me wrong about this,…unless they have migrated to Malmö from the States. :-)

Time to headbang to some of their tracks:
Magic Tongue
Are We Ape?
Monsieur Falk

Visit the band:
Are We Ape? on Myspace

Keep cool,
Jeppe

(translated by Pär/Blindmen)

When I listen to Jive, an image of a live scene appears in my head: four charged guys, with the guitars and the bass carried high upon their chests, hair swirling around, and dancing intensely…I hope it’s like that when they play live.

There’s such a groove about the Malmö band Jive’s music that it’s hard for me to sit still. The bass melodies are incredibly nice, and the vocals are brilliant. On the high notes the singer “growls” almost in a way like Howlin’ Pelle from the Hives.

Jive is just about to release their first EP, “Nite O’s”, which you can read about on their Myspace page. As a teaser you have the chance here to listen and download two great songs:

Ruby Riot
Nite O’s

Keep cool,
Jeppe

(translated by Pär/Blindmen)

I’m sitting here, the last day at work before the vacations, with a real cold…yes, I usually save them for my vacation. With a heavy head I am going through some tips, sent to us here at Meadowmusic, and finally I land on Highride’s Myspace page. Finally some music that clears up the pipes!

I’m hit by a Rock’n’roll energy that I really feel in my whole body. The singer Peter has a special voice, and sounds almost like he is swallowing the words, or like he is singing from deep inside. Together with grinding power chords from the guitars, this sounds surprisingly unique.

One comparison that strikes me is the one with Danko Jones. Maybe not with the same energy (but who can beat that?), but then again, I haven’t yet seen Highride live.

Listen and download:
Fastlane
Bad Habit
Black

Visit Highride:
On Myspace

Keep cool,
Jeppe

(translated by Pär/Blindmen)

This is three chord rock, this is nostalgia, this is punk rock and this is truly great! The memories from my childhood room with the Swedish punk rock band Ebba Grön on loudest volume possible, charges towards me at high speed. However, this is not Ebba Grön with Thåström at the mic but Ebba with Fjodor screaming “profit” on the recording from an apartment from “Ebba the movie”!

That’s what it feels like to listen to Stefan Lundblad & Hyrda Knektar! I just enjoy it Sooo much and I’m Sooo happy that there are still artists out there creating music like this!

I’ll post three songs for download and listening. I’m afraid that the last creation “För nära kanten” (“Too close to the edge”) is of poor quality, but I’ll include it anyway… anyone who’s heard the bootleg “Where were you at -77” of the Sex Pistols will consider the song high quality stuff ;-)

Now. Turn up the volume and rock out!!!
Napalm
Det jag ser
För nära kanten

Visit the band:
The band’s web site
The band on Myspace

Keep cool,
Jeppe

(translated by Clint Hell)

Inspired by Tarantino, in my last post, I threw myself over a band from Växjö, Zed is Dead. In their new tracks they continue with the type of “draggy” rock that define their music. Yes, I really mean “draggy”, but in a positive sense. The singer Edin Z sings in a cloudy, sensitive voice that fits superbly with the avant garde rock of Zed is Dead.

The new songs are really good, but to me, the real gems lie in the songs “Shadow of My Pain” and “Here By Your Side”. If you think it sounds like Edin Z is lisping on “Shadow of My Pain”, I can tell you that he does indeed. Sources have told me that he missed a front tooth during the recordings.

Here you have two songs from 2007 and one from the new recordings.
Shadow of My Pain
Here By Your Side
Indifference

To listen and download more tracks:
Zed is Dead on Myspace

Keep cool,
Jeppe

(translated by Pär/Blindmen)