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.

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.