scandinavia

For our precious friend Emre Yerlikhan babel whom we lost today at the ripe age of 34. A devout literary fanatic and a bright mind, his place won’t be filled. May his ideas & ideals live on through his friends, and may he rest in peace.

Swedish psychedelic combo Dungen is back with a new one on Subliminal Sounds. Their 4th album aptly titled “4” is an extremely well crafted album of eclectic influences such as psychedelic pop, 60s soul, swedish folk, acid jam rock and jazz. The ingredients might sound a little awkward. Swedish folk, jam rock and soul?

Hunted from last years, The Silent Ballet’s end of year list, Tuna Laguna is one instrumental rock band from Norway that didn’t garner much attention from music press and blogs. Not surprising as well all know the music press tends to ignore bands that make solid music without bells & whistles or scene buzz.

I’ve been listening on/off to the UK release of Norwegian singer-songwriter Silje Nes‘ Ames Room released on Fat-Cat, and it’s about time to talk a little bit about her music now that the European release of her debut is due.

15 Battles – Mirrored (Warp Records) : Everybody’s been talking about “Mirrored” this year, and they kind of deserve it for getting their oddtimed dissonant music to find strange acclaim from mainstream circles as well as mathheads.
14 Deejay OM – Reheated Naan and Curry (Galapagos4) : A fine hybrid of Indian samples mixed with beats. Somehow liked it much more than Madlib’s take. Past

* Taxi Taxi – Maps and Legends : NY indie rockers Taxi Taxi have presented a solid album with lots of good songs, I even have second thoughts about how it may have deserved a higher spot.
* Odd Nosdam – Level level wires (Anticon) : Released on California’s Anticon, this album blends minimalist electronics with soundscapes and beats.

Another freejazz variant that I’ve been watching since a long time ago is Shining, once again hailing from Scandinavia. I guess the libertarian social atmosphere must help creativity flourish in the north of Europe

When I ponder on extraterrestrial life, I almost always think if they’re as selfish and crochety as our race the oh so self-righteous humans. Just look at this list on wikipedia – the list of active autonomous and secessionist movements, there’s not even one country who’s not having a problem with a minority group.