On The Cinnamon

Old Amica – “Old Oaken Pond”

The duo Old Amica have been our guests several times before here on Meadowmusic. Now they are preparing to launch a new album, “Fabula”, on the 26th of March. “Old Oaken Pond” is the first glimpse of the album and beside their own special indie-sound there is a nostalgic vibe in this song, as the song title implies. A bit like if  Hotennany Singers made a comeback and started playing folk indie.

Other People – “Somewhere Far Away” – album

Other People is an alias for the composer Jakob Lindhagen and his solo project. His new album is called “Somewhere Far Away”, an instrumental album focusing on Jakob’s minimalistic piano playing. Every tone seems carefully devised in these melancholic melodies, which sometimes are accompanied by a gentle cello or an ambient pad. The ambience and the melodies make me think of Björn J:son Lindhs “Bilder från en ö” and of music from some of the Swedish TV-drama series.

Up The Hill

Up The Hill is a four man strong band, who so far have released an EP with six tracks.  I can’t come up with a band to compare them with as they sound so special. Both in the way they mix their influences and in the way they build the songs. The soulful vocals is a strong characteristic of the songs, but in the end I feel that the songs still have a strong focus on the instrumental parts, where I hear progressive seventies’ vibes, Dire Straits-guitars, blues and folk indie. Quite dynamic songs which build up a strong groove sometimes. Here are two of them:

On the Cinnamon – “Indecency”

When the songwriter Jonas Lindsköld told me about the band On the Cinnamon’s debut single “Indecency”, he also wrote that they sound like their band name. I scratched my head and started wondering if he was referring to “Cinnamon Girl”, because there are certain Neil Young-vibes in the song: the simple sound, the guitars and the touch of Americana. But no, I found the explanation further down in the mail; the bandname was a direct translation of the Swedish expression “(att vara) på kanelen” (an old Swedish expression saying that someone is a bit drunk). I’m not quite sure how I should interpret this either as the song is a charming, warm and close pop song with a certain sheen of unpolished indie. And it fits quite well with the sunny, early-Spring weather we have here now.

Hurula – “22”

Hurula is releasing another single from his upcoming album ”Vi är människorna våra föräldrar varnade oss för”. It’s called “22”, a punkish pop-melodic track with a great rough sound. I really like the chorus, and it’s the best song I’ve heard from Hurula so far.

The space travellers and folk-lofi-indie-pop duo Old Amica have released the second part of “The Burning Dot”, which I wrote about in February. Here they are with the starting song “Dunes” from the five-track EP.

Old Amica’s site – on Facebook – on Spotify – on Bandcamp

I’m happy to see that the duo Old Amica is back with a new EP, “The Burning Dot pt. 1”, which is available on their site. Later they will release a second part also, on the same theme. They write about the EP:

A post apocalyptic journey through space. Away from ourselves. A story about lost love and the inevitable consequence of a life behind closed eyes. Inspired by Carl Sagan, Tangerine Dream and the upcoming storm.
(transl. from Swedish)

Old Amica’s site – on Facebook – on Spotify

A New Star

The duo Old Amica, which I wrote about earlier this year, have now released their debut album “Debris”. They continue to explore their special sound landscapes they introduced us to in their earlier releases. They write that although there are no overall theme for the album, many songs is about loosing the feeling for a home.

And the music in itself has no obvious genre home. There is a feeling of folk music and influences from for example Neil Young, but the acoustic parts are equally interwoven with electronic pads, sound figures and beats, in songs that can be experienced as ambient as well as traditionally built melodic songs. It’s mellow and reflects solitude and vast landscapes, but there is also a warmth and softness, well maybe humility is a better word, like if they have covered everything with a nice blanket to rest on.

Johan Kisro, one half of the band, tells that the band name originally comes from a sailing boat named “Amica” that his family owned when he was a kid. When they duo started playing together he found some old photos of the boat and thought that it would fit as a band name. Old Amica, which could be translated to “old friend”, refers to the two members as well as a symbol for people and events that pass by in life. A nostalgic feeling in other words, which is reflected in the music.

You can listen to the album on their site or on Spotify. They also have a Facebook page. Here are two songs from “Debris”:

New Start
Summer Morning Light

Support the artist: Buy “Debris” – on iTunes – on Amazon

I wrote about Old Amica in the beginning of the year. They have recorded a couple of new songs they want us to enjoy during summer, and you can download these below. They continue to develop their concept of nordic ambience, singer/songwriter and electronica, and I love it.

You’ll also find a video below to the wonderful song “Operation Table”, taken from their EP, a video made from clips from fans and listeners in a collaborative effort.
You’ll find Old Amica on their site.

Ocean Beach
In the Trees