Category: Music

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Lily & Madeleine share their favourite Swedish artists

Lily & Madeleine London 2014

In recent years, the young American duo Lily & Madeleine have been firm favourites of mine. In fact, I saw them three times in 2014: in Oslo, London and Stockholm.

The duo is habitually compared to the Swedish band First Aid Kit in the Swedish press in particular. This is not least because the Jurkiewicz sisters were discovered performing First Aid Kit’s “Our Own Pretty Way” on YouTube.

The problem with the comparison ‘the American answer to First Aid Kit’ is that it’s inaccurate. There’s nothing wrong with First Aid Kit — in fact, quite the opposite — but their sound is distinctly Americana. Lily & Madeleine are usually categorised as folk pop, but I’m not sure. Perhaps ‘indie pop’ would be more appropriate?

However, if you listen to both bands side by side, you’ll see that the similarities aren’t that great.

So what is so special about Lily & Madeleine? For me, listening to them is like drinking clear water — it’s a pure, liberating feeling. I think they are two very strong songwriters whose musical styles complement each other in a unique way.

I recommend listening to Lily & Madeleine, who have just released a new album. ‘Keep It Together’ is their third full-length album.

Speaking of comparisons with the Swedish band First Aid Kit, it’s not just that Lily and Madeleine like them – they are very fond of Swedish music in general.

Here is a Spotify playlist of Swedish songs by Lily & Madeleine:

Photo

Photo of Lily & Madeleine in London 2014 taken by Magnus Nilsson.

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Lars Cleveman live at Guldtuban in 2008

Lars Cleveman Guldtuban 2008

Here is a video of Lars Cleveman performing some of his songs at a café in Årsta on 13 February 2008. Guitarist Håkan Soold also joined him on stage.

When Bob Hund guitarist Conny Nimmersjö released his first solo album, he and Lars Cleveman each performed at Guldtuban, a now-defunct café in Stockholm’s Årsta district.

At the time, Lars Cleveman was recording his own album, “Voices in My Head”. Håkan Soold, guitarist from The Plastic Pals, was deeply involved in the production and participated in the last three songs of Lars Cleveman’s 25-minute set.

I had borrowed a video camera at the time and took the opportunity to test it out. Today, I found the old recording and, with Lars Cleveman’s kind permission, posted it on YouTube:

The clip is a bit shaky at first, but settles down once I’ve sat down on the chair next to the piano. I think it’s perfectly acceptable as a record of the event. In any case, Lars and Håkan’s performance is excellent.

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Beautiful madness with Finnish band Oranssi Pazuzu

Oranssi Pazuzu Stockholm 2013

The Finnish band Oranssi Pazuzu paints pictures with their music. The images that come to mind are drawn with madness. Their music is dynamic and beautiful, yet painful to the ears.

Since the late 1960s, rock bands have been competing to play at the highest volume, either seriously or as a joke. The crown jewel is probably the metal band Manowar, who have repeatedly tried to prove their claim to be ‘the world’s loudest band’.

Oranssi Pazuzu could well compete for the title, judging by my hearing after their concert at Püssy a Go Go in Stockholm on Saturday. However, the high volume does not seem to hold the same macho significance for the Finnish quintet as it has traditionally done throughout rock history. The volume is there and has its own value, but it mostly contributes to the soundscape.

Formed in 2007, Oranssi Pazuzu has just released its third album, “Valonielu” (Svart Records). Their music is described as psychedelic black metal. The Püssy a Go Go concert was like a journey into one of H. P. Lovecraft‘s short stories. I am also reminded of Hawkwind: Oranssi Pazuzu evokes the same sense of grinding space travel and science fiction adventure running amok.

Otherwise, the black metal genre, like so much other music, is stuck in explicit and implicit rules, musts and prohibitions. In my opinion, all of these kill the interesting aspects of music. However, Oranssi Pazuzu defies expectations, and is an example of the opposite. There is a great dynamic to the band’s music, which is particularly evident in their live performances. The intensity rises and falls, but the members are not necessarily in sync. When four of them tone down their playing, the fifth can play wildly and passionately.

Highly recommended!

Photos from Oranssi Pazuzu’s performance at Püssy a Go Go in Stockholm

All photos taken by Magnus Nilsson.

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Kai Martin & Stick! are back with a bang

Kai Martin & Stick! Stockholm 2013

When Kai Martin & Stick! reunited to perform the album “Röd Plåt”, they proved the band’s enduring greatness, a quality that has only grown since their split in 1985.

Kai Martin and Peter Bryx formed the punk band Stick! in 1977. However, it was under the name Kai Martin & Stick! that they made their recording debut in 1979, going on to make a name for themselves in the Swedish post-punk scene.

They were one of the first bands in Sweden to move away from the simple energy of punk towards a more sophisticated, artistic style. Appearing on the über-aesthetic TV programme Chrome 22, Kai Martin wore an elegant suit and tie — a provocative choice in über-simple 1980s Sweden. However, Kai Martin & Stick! also had a political edge. Amidst a rather hazy and introverted mass of lyrics, the 1982 album “Röd plåt” contained an unexpectedly clear political message:

Move, move, move now!
Now is the time to live!
Demonstrate, demonstrate!

Kai Martin & Stick! “Rör, rör, rör dig nu” from Klubb Död in Stockholm 2018.

This combination was difficult to digest at the time and was opposed by both the prog scene and the rather lacklustre Swedish punk scene.

As a teenager, I thought the group was a little too aloof when Kai Martin & Stick! released their groundbreaking album “Röd plåt”. There was too much posturing for my passionate teenage heart, and looking back, perhaps you would agree that I didn’t understand them. But I also remember how the group’s records circulated among my friends, how we discussed them, and not least, a wild gig at Kolingsborg in Stockholm.

Kai Martin & Stick! broke up in 1985, having released four LPs and five singles during their time together. Now, almost 30 years later, the group has reunited to breathe new life into “Röd plåt”. For the first time ever, they will perform all of the album’s songs live. Four of the six members are from the 1980s line-up.

I found out by chance yesterday, Saturday 6 April 2013, that Kai Martin & Stick! were going to perform “Röd plåt” at Scandic Grand Central, a hotel in central Stockholm.

I suspect it was intended as a rehearsal for today’s gig at Pustervik in Gothenburg, which was much more widely advertised. Reunions always risk becoming mired in nostalgia and the idea that ‘it was so much fun back in the day when we were young’, so I approached the hotel on Vasagatan with a certain scepticism.

At the same time, I have gained so much distance over time that the teenage angst I felt at the time has disappeared, and I now see completely different qualities in the band’s albums.

I can only conclude that, in 2013, Kai Martin & Stick! actually feel current and relevant. I was particularly impressed by Kai Martin’s singing. A singing voice has to be kept in shape, and Kai Martin sings with the same energy, authority and precision as ever.

It was a dignified comeback – above all, it was a good album performed by a good band.

Photo

Magnus Nilsson