New Music From Kellermensch and Penny Police

Two important pieces of news from the Danish music scene: A new song by Penny Police, and a new album by Kellermensch.

First, Penny Police has been laying low for a little while. But now she's back with a new single, 'No Horizons'. The song is about the impression a news report on refugees seeking asylum in Europe made on Marie Fjeldsted, Penny Police's civilian name. The video is also up on YouTube.

After an eight-year long hiatus, Kellermensch are back with their eagerly anticipated second full-length album 'Goliath'. The first single, 'Bad Sign', has gained considerable traction already, and it appears that the long break from touring and public appearances hasn't damaged the band's popularity. On the contrary.

Check out Penny Police on Facebook and on Spotify.
Check out Kellermensch on Facebook and on Spotify.

When digital meets analog

Contrary to what one might think, it seems that the emergence of digital streaming services like Spotify actually facilitates increased vinyl sales in stead of cannibalising it.

This article from the BBC highlights the most important points. One of the more interesting facts of the poll done by ICM for the BBC is that sales of vinyl records is at a 21 year high. Another interesting fact is that people between the age of 15 and 24 buy more vinyl records than people between the age of 55 and 64 - the group which is presumed to have most nostalgic feelings toward the medium.

The poll, however, does not state how exactly it arrived at these conclusions, so one must - as always - be critical. But, as the artists are - rightfully, in my view - complaining that they are not getting a big enough share of the revenue generated by streaming services, vinyl records seems like a nice companion to The Cloud. Artists like Jake Bugg, Sir Elton John, Shaznay Lewis, Carly Rae Jepsen, according to the article, agree on vinyl's superiority.

The Resurrection of Martin Hedegaard

The annual P3 Guld (Danish national radio's award show) kicked off the weekend. And there was a big surprise in store: The resurrection of Martin Hedegaard who was believed by most people to be another creative casualty of X Factor - the show that actually manages to drown and destroy any talent in its contestants.

Martin Hedegaard - under the name Saveus - wasn't revealed to the audience (and television viewers) at first. So people were gradually captivated by the music, which was a heavy dose of electronica and quiet piano segments. Think a mix of James Blake and Muse, perhaps.

When he was on X Factor he was just 15 years old and shortly after released his X Factor album to mixed reviews, although most critics agreed that Martin Hedegaard was among the more talented contestants of the show.

He's now 23 years old, and his voice has matured well. Long gone are the Justin Timberlake impressions, and has been replaced with a more hoarse, deep and warm voice that would suit both soul, rock and blues ensembles.

See his performance here.

Stream the song Levitate Me on Spotify here.

Eight days of music, beer, and fun? Roskilde is the place to be.

The amazing Roskilde Festival has just begun. If you've never heard of it that's a shame, but luckily it's never too late to discover new things. So check it out here. This year's headliners include The Rolling Stones, Arctic Monkeys, Damon Albarn, Outkast, Drake, Major Lazer, and Trentemøller. Also on the bill: Deftones, Haim, Lykke Li, Rob Zombie, and Manu Chao.

For the first four days, however, it's mostly about having fun with your friends in the camping area. Four days of boozing should do it before the music starts.

So check out Northern Europe's biggest - and best (it's all for charity!) - music festival - if you're not already there.

Made in Esbjerg: Local acts, local talent

Hi there
Just to advertise for the great, local festival in Esbjerg, Made in Esbjerg.

As the name suggests, the festival focuses primarily on bands and artists originating from or near the city of Esbjerg. I have posted videos by some of them, e.g. Kellermensch and Penny Police.

Check out the Facebook page here. The most recent version of their website will be launched here. As you can see, it's a pretty good line-up: Kellermensch, Mads Björn, Go Go Berlin, Julia Lykke, and the Eclectic Moniker.

If you have the chance, stop by the festival. It's usually pretty cheap. Last time I believe it was appr. DKK 100 for three days of music and events.

Today's picks: Go Go Berlin & Kashmir

Hi there
Here are today's picks: Go Go Berlin & Kashmir.

Go Go Berlin are a relatively new Danish band (here's their Facebook page), but I saw a live performance of theirs the other day, and it was great. The lead singer has an irresistible, Janice Joplin-like voice (but he's a guy), and they truly are great performers. At closer scrutiny, the songs - particularly the lyrics - come off as a bit cliché, but who minds that when you're at a concert surrounded by happy people completely caught up in the moment. Think Thin Lizzy meets Janice Joplin. Definitely worth a check-out.

Kashmir is a well-known favorite among Danish music fans. They've been around for a long time (early 90's), and in my opinion they peaked on their second album, but with loads of good singles since then. Genre-wise they're all over the place, but give them a listen. Here's their Facebook page.

That's it for now. See you later.

Better Than Hype: Blaue Blume

The other day I stumbled upon this band. Blaue Blume, they're called. Or 'Blue Flower', in English. I heard them at the Offspring in Tivoli; the magical garden in the middle of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Tivoli has create a two day festival dedicated to new - primarily Danish - music. Among the bands were Blaue Blume and Mads Björn (another favorite).

Blaue Blume played on an elevated stage at the section of Tivoli called 'Biergarten'. A crowd of about 100 people were gathered (including Tim Christensen - one of Denmark's most famous musicians who also played in Dizzy Mizz Lizzy). The short concert - all acts played 30 minutes - was a fascinating affair. With their impeccable musical skills, they used a basic setup: drums, bass, two guitars (at times), and a vocalist. Its main characteristics were the guitar sound bathed in luscious chorus-effects, and the intense glare and antics of vocalist and guitarist Jonas Schmidt whose theatrical and opera-like voice had a hypnotic effect on people. The rhythm section - comprised of the excellent Peter Bøgvad on bass and Søren Jensen Buhl on drums - was tight, disciplined and yet generous with details. The main guitarist - Robert Jensen Buhl - didn't miss a note (as far as I heard), which was impressive in itself due to the complexity of the songs, which for the guitar part was in some ways similar to what you would find in a progressive metal band like Dream Theater. 

It's hard to compare Blaue Blume to anything I've heard before. Gaffa's Kim Lykke Andersen compares the vocals to those of  Nicolaj Vonsild of When Saints Go Machine, which makes a little sense. He also mentions The Smiths, but I don't know. I think Blaue Blume sound pretty unique.

After having heard only half an hour of them, I certainly look forward to their ep 'Beau and Lorette', which will be released in June.

Blaue Blume's single 'In Disco Lights' can be heard below. Get ready for the next - durable - big thing. Think Nirvana.

Album launch: 'How to Giggle and Give In' by Mads Björn

One of my favorite artists, Mads Björn, released his second album on 31 March. It's much more extrovert than his debut album, Monolith. This time around, he has joined forces with Rick Astley and Fallulah, and it works pretty well.

Mads Björn is an excellent musician (he plays most instruments himself), but also manages to keep the structures of his songs relatively simple and tight. Though Simon's Tune is like a huge canvas of sound. Unlike Monolith, the new batch of songs also triggers the listener to get up and dance and party - 80's style. Sounds corny, but in this case it's a compliment, because the music inspires happiness and openness - a bit like Pharrell's Happy, though the two artists don't have much in common.

The album is in every way well thought out and convincingly executed and adds more perspectives to an already versatile artist's repertoire. Highly impressive.

You can listen to the YouTube version of Looping Your Life from How to... below.

Future Islands on Letterman: Seasons (Waiting on You)

Future Islands' performance on David Letterman created quite a buzz. There wasn't much pyrotechnics or anything, but lead singer Samuel T. Herring's agility and near-thrash metal growling got some attention.

His style seems to belong more in the traditional punk and/or metal genre, but I feel it's refreshing to see this kind of passion performed by a singer in what's basically another synth-pop electronica band. These bands usually go for a more distant, cold, mechanical delivery of their songs, so kudos to Future Islands for a more energetic performance of a song that also communicates deeper feelings of longing. Also their looks are refreshingly non-hipsterish; the lead singer looks like a middle-aged insurance broker - and that's a good thing because it's breaks the mold of the stereotypical synth band look.

For some reason, the voice of Samuel T. Herring reminds me of The Cult's Ian Astbury's. The band's line-up was simple enough; a singer, a bass player, a drummer, and a synth-guy, but they managed to have a more detailed sound landscape than most synth bands. This, in part, I think is because of the bass player who not only adds the bottom of the track but also provides a melody line.

I don't know anything about the band and only jumped on the bandwagon after following posts about the singer's antics on stage. But the song itself is worth a listen.

Winners of the European Border Breakers Awards 2014

The E.U. has its own music awards, namely the European Border Breakers Awards (EBBA) (as I briefly cover on my other blog, Across the Pond). So, here are the winners of this year's awards:

Gugabriel from Austria

Lukas Graham from Denmark

Woodkid from France

Zedd from Germany

Asgeir from Iceland

Kodaline from Ireland

Jacco Gardner from the Netherlands

Envy (who have since changed their name to Nico and Vince) from Norway

Icona Pop from Sweden

Disclosure from the United Kingdom

Congrats to the winners!

Today's picks: Tool and Invocator

Welcome! It's Saturday, so it's time to hit the ground running. So, why not indulge in some sophisticated, hard rock. Not the usual genre on this blog, but who cares about genres anyway? Here goes:

Tool: Lateralus (full album)

I attended a concert with Tool at Roskilde in 2006 at the Orange Stage, and it was mesmerizing; one of the best shows I've ever attended. Tool isn't a band I listen to often at home, for reasons I don't really know. I'm a musician (I play guitar) so I truly appreciate the band. They are technically very skilled, melodic, honest (not much pyrotechnics at their shows), powerful, humble, and hypnotic. They demand the full attention of their audience, but it's all worth it. In other words: a class act. Can't wait to experience them again.

Invocator: Kristendom

A Danish act (they're from Esbjerg), Invocator is a bit like tool, and yet not quite. A more traditional heavy band (long hair, headbanging, and 'the attitude' - at least when this album came out), they nonetheless impress me by their powerful, yet groovy, guitar riffs. The drumming, too, is excellent; lots of little details and creative use of the hi-hat. But still heavy all the way. Oh, yes; guitar harmonies, too. Bonusinfo: the vocalist and guitarist Jacob Hansen since went on to produce the album Outlaw Gentlemen and Shady Ladies by Volbeat (and much other stuff, too).

Have a great weekend!

Today's picks: Marie Key & Little Yells Alot

Hey there

So far, many of my music picks have been Danish acts. Why is that? Primarily because these are the acts that I have actually seen live. Plus, there have been many pretty good ones lately that have made it out of the rehearsal studios. It strikes me that more and more acts are also becoming more ambitious in terms of making proper videos and having a professional "feel" about them, though they (presumably) still have small budgets.

Today's picks: Marie Key and Little Yells Alot

Marie Key:

Little Yells Alot:

Enjoy.

Today's picks: Passion Pit and Agnes Obel

Hello, there.

Today's music picks: Passion Pit and Agnes Obel.

Passion Pit play highly melodic music with catchy choruses, and they seem to be competent musicians. I personally like the drummer.

Agnes Obel is a Danish pianist, singer, and songwriter. Low key and subtle, her songs create a quite thoughtful atmosphere.

That's it. Have a nice day.

Today's picks (none of which are Miley Cyrus): Joan As Policewoman & Alison Krauss and Union Station

First off; No, I won't be discussing anything related to Miley Cyrus ;)

In stead in today's picks: Joan As Policewoman and Alison Krauss.

Having experienced both of them live - Joan As Policewoman in Copenhagen about seven years ago when she opened for Rufus Wainwright and played in his band - and Alison Krauss (and her band Union Station) when they played at the Roskilde Festival in 2012 - I can testify to their great abilities to play convincingly live.

Joan As Policewoman:

Alison Krauss and Union Station:

That's it; give 'em a listen.

Music picks of 9/11: Robyn & Bodebrixen

Hey there; welcome back. Here is today's music picks: Robyn and Bodebrixen.

First, Robyn. She started her career as a typical 90's pop sensation, but has fortunately evolved into an independent artist with something to say, and who also surrounds herself with creative producers.

Danish Bodebrixen seems at first to be a light, bublegum-ish pop band. But having followed their progression for a couple of years and seen them live, I can testify that they have real chops. This song is not their newest, but extremely catchy.

That's it for today. Take care.

Picks for Monday: Kellermensch & Penny Police

Hello, there. Two picks for today and both of them are from Denmark: Kellermensch and Penny Police.

Kellermensch have been around for a while and they opened the Orange Stage at last year's Roskilde Festival.

Penny Police is the stage name for this young, talented artist.

Enjoy.

Today's picks - Hot Knife (Fiona Apple) and Alt er Tabt (Under Byen)

Hello there. Time for today's music picks.

Great music and a great video. Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson - who also directed Magnolia and There Will Be Blood, among others - the video captures the complexity of the many vocal performances in the song.

Under Byen - a Danish ensemble of violinists, percussionists, etc. - produces original (in the very sense of the word), uncompromising music unlike any other. Like Sigur Ros, Under Byen's singer sings in her native tongue (Danish), but even if you don't understand a word of it, the music will give you a worthwhile experience.

Welcome, friend! Today's picks: Mads Bjørn & Chvrches

Hi there! Thanks for stopping by.

This is a blog dedicated to music I like and want to share with the world. No more, no less.

First pick of the day: Mads Bjørn.

Second pick of the day: Chvurches.

Quite different types of music, but both excellent I think.

Enjoy!