Turn Off Your Television

I was feeling a bit down today, missing Julie when I came across the email from Jon to introduce the band, just what I needed, the right mix of melancholy and melody, like missing a loved one – deep sadness mixed with wonderful memories.

There is an unmistakable background sound-track to much Swedish Music, a sense of the enormous space and isolation in a world full of wonder, blended with the confidence of a strong and united perspective, OK that’s a bit simple, but I am not writing about the Socio-Political history of Sweden, but thoughts on Turn Off Your Television, so I’m sure you’ll get my drift.

Preamble over, the trio are exponents of building steps, there is a sense of knowing where the music is heading, in the vein of Bach, so I am taking a guess here, the songwriters are, like Bach, superb mathematicians, with the instinctive ability to create a sound at once new, but seemingly familiar.

To imbibe Turn Off Your Television is to ingest a sense of floating and with a comforting hand the band take the ears away to explore a mystical and slightly dark environment. The wafting guitar and drum are enhanced by the hypnotic vocal and it is thanks to the harmonica that time remains relevant.

The music isn’t all dreamy spaces, as they are equally able to up the tempo and snap the feet in to a gentle tap. Even in this space Turn Off Your Television do not shake the listener out of their reverie.

Technically and I don’t often head in to this area, the band use a range of items as microphones and can often be found playing old instruments, which adds a depth of genuine resonance to the out-put.

Band website

This is music for a sunny day, a gloomy day or just in fact any time you want to Turn Off Your Television.

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Kate and After

Cheerful, catchy rhythms come bouncing out of the speakers, as Kate and After make full use of the Hammond Organ, but far from some soulless tat, they not only raise a smile, but have also managed to craft some well structured sounds.

It has been one of those weeks and it was a real delight to spot an email from Micke Rydbeck, suggesting I take some time out to listen. Many Swedish bands are far deeper in sound and I was expecting this when I played the first track, but the unexpected music was met with an immediate lifting of spirit.

Some of the tracks are of spectacular standard, I would single out The Pretender from the EP, Things to do, which manages to remind me of Talking Heads, while retaining a singularly up-beat tonality.

They describe themselves as a band best seen live, where the freedom to play enables their music to become more expressive, I look forward to that opportunity.

band website

I know this afternoon is going to work out well after having a good time listening to the band.

Things to do by Kate and After is available on *

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They spent over a year exploring their new sounds and lockied in the studio recording their first release which came out in 2009. Currently finalising their album due for release later this year.

This Vision

This Vision blend ’80s New Romanticism with current wave forms to generate flowing melodies which brush gently over my ears. Reminiscent of Steve Strange, the duo producing an engaging sound which has all the ingredients necessary for a chillax at the end of a hard night, as dawn breaks.

A highly creative force, This Vision blend soft vocal with muted electronica, creating music which engages, yet demands little more than open ears. I am led to thoughts of a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis, and gently beating the blood in to its wings. Fresh, enervated and ready for wondrous of experiences to come.

This is precisely the sort of music which can be listened to for hours, yet only minutes seem to pass.

band website

The eponymous debut album by This Vision is available on *

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New Found Land Så Dansade Zarathustra Landet, Sthlm foto Lovisa Lindgren

New Found Land traverse a diversity of musical influence and settling down to hear their out-put takes the listener on a tour of the world of contemporary world music. The distinctive vocal of Anna, superbly off-setting the music, with a lilting voice reflecting the content of each track.

It would be possible to write about the sounds to be heard in the music, though as it is so diverse, it would become a list of genres across the world. One moment the uplifting beat is replaced by an introspective beat as the band explore human interaction and relationships. This nature of material marks New Found Land in a hugely exposed position to criticisms of lack of coherence, but this would only be relevant were they not consummately capable of taking on the range of music and delivering it intense feeling and emotion to the material. Their breadth of material is what makes the band of significant interest.
Life’s in your sight – Live @ Landet, Stockholm 09.11.12

New Found Land | MySpace Music Videos

As a great introduction to the band their debut LP We All Die is a superb starting point *.

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Long Long Showers @ Möllevångsfestivalen (By Hanna Frick)

With a variety of influences the vocals of Petter have the ring of Brian Ferry (Roxy Music) and the music is anchored in the early ’80s sounds of alternative rock. Clever use of the two guitars enable the band to switch between moods with real ease as they are paint the canvass framed by the catchy rhythm of Bass and Drum. Continual high octave guitar can often leave me feeling I am suffering a bout of tinnitus, Long Long Showers however manage to play at the top end of the guitar range utilising the two guitars to dramatic effect.

This is a band with hugely capable musicians who have managed to take the idea of playing for fun, recognize they have a sound which is effective and retained the infectious sound of their early material while adding a layer of control to the out-put. It is of no great surprise that they found themselves approached by a publishing company early this year.

band website

Once I have some more news on plans by Long Long Showers I will get these up on the blog.

Mono Stereo

Mono Stereo took to the stage last night in Camden, having had a week and day that would have put off most people, never mind a band in a new venue. They showed some real determination and good old fashioned spine, to get out and put on a highly creditable performance.

Opening with the The Day Before Science Fiction from the EP released this week, the audience in the bar venue were quickly up on their feet and standing in front of the stage, such is the instant connection with the music that within a few bars people largely unfamiliar with the music were already beginning to move with with rhythm.

The stage at the Flowerpot is dominated by a large pillar almost dead centre, which was carefully negotiated by the band as the powerful loop back guitar breaks, which are the hallmark of the band resonated around the room. I described on my last review the sound of Hawkwind coming through the music, in a live performance I found a strong affinity to that superb Ennio Morricone Spaghetti Western and Mono Stereo have the skills to bring this right up to date and perform it live. The finger work on the bass was relentless and the drumming keeping everything together.

I had not had the opportunity to hear On and On previously, which is a potential US single release, I look forward to it.

The set was rounded off all too soon by a fantastic rendition of  Tambourine Dream which was the ideal showcase for the sound that is at the core of their output.

They only have three shows here in London before heading back to Sweden and one of those is tonight, which is why I wanted to get this review up early today. Most certainly worth an evening out tonight at Proud Galleries or on Saturday at Ryans Bar.

It was great to meet up with the guys both before and after the show and I can hand on heart say they are a genuine group of lads, who really had been through the mill over the week. There was a lost passport earlier on in the week, which resulted in organising an emergency passport which only arrived the day before travelling to the UK and at Stansted , due to the wonderful bureaucratic system of passport control, Lauren who had planned to play keyboards on the tour, found herself back on a plane to Sweden, while the rest of the band waited anxiously for her to emerge from immigration control. Lauren is I believe busy this morning trying to get the red tape sorted out so that she can join the band later this week. So rather than arriving in London with 5 members of the band and relaxing in the afternoon before taking the stage last night, they found themselves hanging around Stansted then had to rework the set in their minds without one member of the band. To their credit they did a great job and the set was all over far too quickly as the last notes drifted in to silence and the audience showed their appreciation to Mono Stereo

Their new EP is out now available from  for more information on Mono Stereo including a review of the EP

Images will follow as soon as I have them from Daniel D’Souza, who will be at the show tonight. Thanks to Danny Sperling for organising the pass for Dan for the Proud Galleries show.

Dinah Wants Religion

A tight and playful style are the hallmarks of Dinah Wants Religion as they play through music which reflects a broad sphere of influences, including Russian Folk, ’60s Beat, ’70s Alternative and a whole sphere more.

Any vocalist who can sound vaguely like Dave Vanian, is on a good run to achieving a seal of approval. The tracks are well played and leave me wanting to hear more. With their broad playing style, they are anything but a predictable band as they play through their output, which is characterised by an emphatic beat and cut back production, which effectively keeps the mood upbeat and provides a distinct sound to their output.

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Mono Stereo

Skillful use of the guitars adds a resonance and power to Mono Stereo. Guitar feedback which has the hallmarks of Hawkwind are neatly controlled as drums and bass keep driving the movement forwards. The two guitars interplay imaginatively creating a sound which is both recognizable yet clearly new, as Mono Stereo are undoubtedly a band of this Century. They use their influences merely as stakes on which to reference their output. Guitar solos are not permitted to wander in to those lengthy asides, which was the hallmark of this genre a generation ago, as the unrelenting drumming maintains direction. Mono Stereo are another of those bands, I can’t pin down exactly what I like, other than to say: The total package is what makes this work; Great use of the two guitars; An energy and direction which keeps the output tight and focused and; Voices which blend perfectly to the music.

The band name makes some sense to me with the music, as the guitars interplay in stereo the bass and drums keep everything running on track, the mono.

band website

Aside from that I am always fascinated by drummers who manage to put in powerful performances, yet have the voice control to provide vocals. I was in a band for a short while  in the early ’80s in which some vocals were provided by the drummer and it always amazed me he could do this, when as the front-man I was completely stuffed just singing. Mono Stereo are soon to release an EP and we will bring you more news of this on the Indie bands blog, together with tour news as it becomes available, at present we have had one date in London for this month confirmed, check back for the dates.

Twiggy Frostbite

The initial idea for the band came about when Elin Lindfors and Anna-Karin Berglund were working on a promotional tour. This led to the formation of ‘Loai’ which went on to release a 5 track EP.

It was in 2006, that Twiggy Frostbite came from concept to reality, the core band members : Elin Lindfors (Vocals); Anna-Karin Berglund (Keys) and Emma Sjöberg (Bass) are accompanied by; Joel Thedéen (guitar); David Kramer (Drums) and Joakim Westlund (Guitar), creating an ethereal sound.

They list as their influences the acoustics of the London Underground and the Swedish coast, which I can well believe as the echo and rising fall of the music is driven forward in waves, with the sharp and clear voice of Elin rising above the backdrop.

Myspace

Debut album: Through the Fire

Twiggy Frostbite, on Indie Bands blog well worth a listen.