Meadow Music

I know it’s maybe a month away or less, but imagine a fierce autumn night when the winds blow cold and hard. You come into a warm house and sit down in your favourite sofa and long for summer. But when you listen to the melancholic and beautiful melodies from Amandine your thoughts just stop wandering away and you start enjoying the present.

With a mix of Swedish folk and americana arrangements, edged by vocals not far away from José González , Amandine brings impressions and warmth that digs deep into my soul.

The band begun 2001 in Sandviken, Sweden, under the name Wichita Linemen, but moved to Malmö in 2004 and changed their name to Amandine. In autumn 2004 they got a contract with the Brighton label Fat Cat Records, and 2005 they released the debut album “This Is Where Our Heart Collide”.

After this the band has released some EP:s and a second album, and toured around Europe and in the USA.

Here’s a video clip from Amandine’s concert in New York 2005:

Enjoy some songs from Amandine:
Heart Tremor
Secrets
Soldiers Hands

Visit the band:
Amandine on Myspace

Keep cool,
Jeppe

Do you feel your thoughts are gathering speed, inventing more and more stories about the future and the past, slowly building up to anxiety?

Well here’s a remedy that could work:

Find a comfortable armchair, sit down, close your eyes, breathe deeply and listen to “Not Your Child” first, and then “In Your Arms” and why not the entire album “Wash Away the Past” which Karl invites you to download for free.

Karl is sometimes called a Swedish Peter Gabriel, and partly this is how I hear it also, as he sometimes produces the same feelings from his music. Wonderful. But I do feel that there is something else, another kind of closeness in Karl’s music and lyrics that gives a different kind of experience from listening.

One obvious example of this you’ll find in the song below “När jag blev mindre igen” where Karl sings in Swedish. This is a song that’s not part of the album, lyrics by Niklas Aurgrunn and that makes me dive into a feeling as if my entire life passes by in a few moments.
From the album “Wash Away the Past” you’ll also find below his collaboration with singer Sara Dahlgren : “Song to the Frozen People”.

Listen and enjoy:

Not Your Child
In My Arms
Song to the Frozen People (med Sara Dahlgren)
När jag blev mindre igen (text av Niklas Aurgrunn)

Ladda hem “Wash Away the Past” från Last.fm

Karl på Myspace

Dream pop Jon Rinneby calls his music. And I think that’s a good description of the music. It’s dreamy, airy and slightly sleepily melancholic.

This is about Jon’s latest album “I’m In a Sideshow”, a 12 track album, that was released this spring/summer. The entire album can be downloaded from his home page.

To me this is pure pop music at it’s best, according to my definition. And pop music to me is first and foremost about melodies, melodies that flows like honey into my head when I listen. This happens all the time as I’m listening to the songs on “I’m In a Sideshow”. “Simple” melodies, so obvious and pleasant, but not recognisable from other songs. It’s just Jon Rinneby and it’s great.

The melodies are whistled, sung, crooned, sometimes almost whispered. On a couple of tracks (20 Million People, Let’s Dig a Hole) he’s helped by Maria Andersson and on a couple of other tracks, Karin Verbaan (Do You Still Need Me, Butterfly) which brings a nice contrast into the songs. Karin is also doing backing vocals on other tracks. It’s in some way minimalistic but still not, and often the verses lead into big sounding refrains with nice backing vocals. Well, I think it’s best you listen for yourself.

Dreampop according to Jon Rinneby:

Do You Still Need Me?
20 Million People
If You Want Me To Stay
I’m In a Sideshow

Download the album from Jon Rinneby’s home page

Jon Rinneby on Myspace

Planet Trash is from the left: Wille, Kåre, Myran and Parne.

Planet Trash is a band that always puts me in a good mood. This is oldschool hardcore punk. Their direct lyrics with their very clear way of expressing themselves shoot like arrows into my heart. They are not afraid of criticising the USA and their wars. The guys have been playing together since 1994. A few changes of members, but they have kept the pressure, the pace and the aggressiveness. They sing in both English and Swedish, but personally I prefer the English songs better.

During the years they have recorded quite a few songs and also participated on some collections. One of my favourites is on “Röjarskivan 2 (andra spyan)“: “I’m only here for the booze”.

In the music world of today you’ll seldom find punk rock in the nice rooms. Does it belong there? Well, you can decide for yourself. Planet Trash do belong in my nicest room anyway.
This autumn they’re going into the studio to record some more songs.

Here is a taste of punk rock at it’s best:
Chaos inside
God’s army
Now it’s our turn
Skolan är tråkig

Planet Trash on Myspace

BB

Juka Soma has a very special voice. A voice I know I’ll be able to recognise among thousands of other voices. And he uses it in a way that reminds me of old heroes like John Hiatt, Van Morrison, Willy de Ville and Curtis Mayfield. He doesn’t follow some kind of template, he just let the song and the feeling of the song pass through his voice. It’s human and warm.

Musically I find myself in the States, where the influences from the mentioned heroes is recognised in the songs to various degrees. The lyrics have a personal feeling and it feels very close. It’s beautiful, with nice melodies that lead into refrains that hook me up the first time I hear them.
This is feelgood rock with a big touch of soul, a type of soul that the masters from before delivered.
It makes me happy to listen to Juka Soma. I hope you will feel the same.

Richest Man Alive
Stay In the Circus

Visit Juka Soma:

Juka Soma on Myspace