A Fine Mess
Crime Waves
Crime Waves
Aug 3rd
~ Pinkshinyultrablast – “Blaster” ~
And we’re off! While dreamy and shimmering as any other shoegaze/post-rock/whatever you want to label this, this track certainly lives up to its name as it blasts off right from the beginning. Sharp and soft at the same time.
~ Lissie – “Wedding Bells” ~
While I like her album Catching a Tiger, I find it a bit too slick and controlled at times. This track however sounds much more stripped and – dare I say? – real. It’s simple yet completely captivating and very, very beautiful. Plus is makes me think of a really sad scene in the movie “River Queen”…
~ The Dreams – “Better Dead Than Brian Adams” ~
I already featured The Dreams when writing about BEKO but I had post this track as well. No only is the title funny, but the song sounds like a forgotten track by The March Violets (pre-Some Kind of Wonderful soundtrack, thank you very much) or some other 80′s goth band.
~ Nick Jaina – “Another Kay Song” ~
Your standard singer-songwriter material, perhaps, but also a very nice track. Added to my list of songs that would be perfect on the soundtracks of various TV-dramas. Don’t worry though, the list is only in my head.
~ Wolf Parade – “What Did My Lover Say” ~
Rawr! No, seriously, that’s all I’m gonna say about this song.
Crime Waves
Jun 6th
~ Sugar Army – “Tongues In Cheeks” ~
Nice surprise from Australia. Quality alternative rock with good hooks and melodies, and the singer has a voice that stands out. From their debut The Parallels Amongst Ourselves.
~ Low Sea – “Save My Soul” ~
A lazy, hazy shoegaze tune that feels like a cool breeze on a day as hot as this. From the Irish duo’s album Las Olas.
~ Pascal Pinon – “I Wrote a Song” ~
Cozy folk-pop from Iceland. Several of their songs are in Icelandic but a couple – like this little wistful tune – have English lyrics. I absolutely recommend their self-titled album.
~ 800Beloved – “1992″ ~
This shoegaze/post-punk band shouldn’t need much of an introduction, I hope (I’ve featured them before, after all). They completely won me over with their debut and while their new effort is still growing on me, this track was love at first listen.
~ Dark Dark Dark – “Wild Goose Chase” ~
The closing track on their EP Bright Bright Bright, “Wild Goose Chase” is nothing but stunning in its tentativeness. Love love love.
Crime Waves
Apr 28th
~ First Aid Kit – “Hard Believer” ~
Though they’re usually dubbed as folk I think this song has more elements of alt country, which for a Swedish band should be completely wrong but this is gorgeous in so, so many ways.
~ David Cronenberg’s Wife – “Sweden” ~
I might as well admit that it was their name that initially made me curious. Slightly bizarre and the lyrics are pretty much just spoken yet it manages to be a pretty catchy tune. Their song “My Best Friend’s Going Out With a Girl I Like” is also really good, check out that one as well.
~ Stornoway – “I Saw You Blink” ~
Now that spring has finally arrived (although it’s pouring down outside as I type this) it’s time to listen to some spring-like songs, and that’s what this is to me: cheerful, cute and danceable indie pop.
~ The Jezabels – “Hurt Me” ~
This one is very much on edge; it feels like every instrument is tense and on the brink of breaking, which is what I love about it. As the title (might) imply, this is not a cutesy song but pretty dark and intense.
~ Therese – “Shed My Skin” ~
Beware, euro dance! Well, it’s better than that I think. Therese tends to make pretty slick house music, which is what “Shed My Skin” is. Don’t get me wrong – it’s highly disposable but a really nice listen as long as it’s still fresh.
Crime Waves
Feb 18th
~ Paul and the Patients – “Tiny Red Light” ~
A very good song, but perhaps a bit too commercial as I instantly can imagine it being used in any prime time American teen drama (maybe it already has, what do I know?). But since I like it very much, I’ll overlook that. Nice contrast between male and female vocals. Kinda Snow Patrol-ish?
~ Mirrors – “Look At Me” ~
This is so deliciously 80s/New Romantic to me. And this trio hails from the home of New Romantic – Britain – so they should know what they’re doing. Lush and cheesy, all at the same time. Synthesizers and electric drums, ahoy!
~ Hancock Basement – “We Started Something” ~
One listen and you’ll be singing “No no no no no, it don’t mean nothin’!”, I swear. Upbeat indie-pop from Australia that’s hard to resist. A catchy, feel-good song. From their self-titled EP.
~ Best Coast – “Wish He Was You” ~
Surf pop is something I usually don’t listen much to; the noisy, jangly guitars and abstract vocals usually give me a headache no matter how good the hooks are (and they’re often really good). Best Coast isn’t much of an exception, but this song I really like as it manages to have that cute surf pop sound without splitting my eardrums in half.
~ Dag för Dag – “Ring Me, Elise” ~
The gritty guitars, infectious chorus and the female singer’s Swedish-tinted accent while belting in English is what makes this track completely awesome.
Crime Waves
Jan 24th
~ PNAU feat. Ladyhawke – “Embrace” (Fredrick Carlsson Epic Mix) ~
Is there such a thing as sci-fi pop? Well, if not then that’s what I’m dubbing this. The synthesizers make me think of a spaceship so if they were to make a video of this version, that’s where it would take place: on a cool spaceship with white interior. The song was great to being with but I really like what Carlsson did with it. It is indeed rather epic.
~ Terribly Empty Pockets – “Drunk On Gasoline” ~
I might be completely off on this one, but I think it sounds like something that very well could have been on The Go-Betweens’ 16 Lovers Lane album. The strumming guitars, the sing-a-along melody… It was the first thing that popped into mind anyway. Can’t deny that it’s a good song though!
~ Isolation Years – “Michael (If You Cannot Row)” ~
Swedish band that I personally think are a bit underrated here. This is from their 2005 album Cover The Distance which is probably my favorite thanks to this song as well as “Nurse Hands”. Took me awhile to get used to the male vocals as I found them a bit drab at first but now I quite like them. But if you haven’t heard these guys before then this might be a good song to start with as it also has some nice female vocals in it.
~ The Muttering Retreats – “Awkward Poetry” ~
Quirky pop with a touch of twee. The album is rather uneven in song- as well as vocal quality depending on who’s singing. Generally I find the female vocals more engaging than the male on this album, but this song is actually an exception.
~ Seabear – “Lion Face Boy” ~
Icelandic Seabear’s name is as cute as their jangly indie-pop. This one has a rather carefree and cheerful feel to it. A feel-good song basically that also happens to be their latest single.
Crime Waves
Nov 9th
~ Big Spider’s Back – “Perfect Machine” ~
A bit of an odd song, with lo-fi mixed with heavy electronics. Grows in that slow kind of way that make you notice the little things, even though it’s a very repetitive song, both musically as lyrically. Like I said, a bit odd perhaps but very, very good. From the debut EP Warped.
~ Language-Arts – “White Socks in Birkenstocks” ~
A quirky little tune that I just love. The singer has cute voice that suits perfectly to the sort of bohemian pop sound. From their album Where Were You In The Wild? which is good, but gets a bit watered-out towards the end in my opinion. But this song is a keeper!
~ Will Stratton – “Lying In The Dark” ~
Singer-songwriter Will Stratton has been getting quite a lot of attention amongst music bloggers lately, and no wonder. His soft folk-pop style combined with his pleasant voice is basically like drinking a nice cup of warm tea and reading a good book materialized into music. You can download his EP Vile Bodies for free here, and make sure to keep your eyes and ears open for his new album No Wonder.
~ Makthaverskan – “Vi var människor från början” ~
Woah. Listening to Makhaverskan is like being transported back to the good old 80s post-punk scene. The band hails from Gothenburg and even though their name and this song title is in Swedish, the lyrics are in English. Just so you don’t skip this in case the thought of hearing an odd language usually puts you off. Excellent track with kick-ass female vocals.
~ Joshua Jesty – “Speak To Me” ~
It was rather difficult decided what song by Joshua to feature, as he has a quite a knack for making catchy tunes. I finally settled on “Speak To Me” as it did just that – it spoke to me immediately, and I really like the dreamy feel it has to it. From his new record Girl.
Crime Waves
Sep 23rd
~ Electric Tickle Machine – “Part Of Me” ~
Immediate brain-looper, for me anyway. Got hooked first time I heard it a few weeks ago, lord knows why it took me so long to post it. Sorry. Catchy rock – as simple as that. From their album Blew It Again which sounds very promising.
~ Last Tide – “W.Y.C.” ~
Shoegaze-ish psychedelic rock from DC. Rather fast-paced and easy to dig along to. The vocals sound a bit slurry which I also like for some reason. Fits the overall sound. From their debut EP The Broken Places.
~ Must Have Been Tokyo – “Blood In The Water” ~
Irresistible post punk/new wave from Switzerland. Sure we’ve heard it before but I doubt I’ll ever get tired of these Joy Division inspired bands.
~ Autopilot Is For Lovers – “Whale Belly” ~
Holy vibrato! The only thing competing with her voice in this song is perhaps the accordion. Dragging indie pop with a good dose of blues and whiskey in it. Beautiful.
~ The Twang – “Barney Rubble” ~
This is definitely in the competition of the title of “Most Infectious Track of The Year” for me. Upbeat and fun British rock. From the album Jewellery Quarter that’s packed with songs in the same vein.
Crime Waves
Aug 28th
~ Anders Parker – “Calling Out To You” ~
A sweet song, with a simple but effective chorus. I like the layers of instruments and the female background vocals. Pretty! From Parker’s upcoming double concept album Skyscraper Crow which seems very promising from what I’ve heard so far.
~ Southside Stalkers – “Robert Downey Jr.” ~
Another fun, upbeat tune by Sweden’s Southside Stalkers. I’m guessing the lyrics are supposed to be from Robert Downey Jr’s point of view, or his name is a metaphor for someone’s who’s been on drugs but cleaned up. And yes, it is a fun song!
~ The Lord Dog Bird – “The Gift Of Song In The Lion’s Den” ~
Has a bit of a Band Of Horses feel to it (mostly due to the vocals), except perhaps a bit rawer and lo-fi. This is the solo project of Colin McCann, otherwise guitarist of Wilderness. Great song.
~ Cold Cave – “Youth and Lust” ~
Cold indeed. Chilly (but not in an ambient way) electronica with a bit of 80s throwback mixed into it. The monotone male vocals kind of make the electro sound even sharper I think, same with the speaking woman. From the album Love Comes Close which is pretty good as a whole.
~ Amanda Zelina – “Midnight Train” ~
This is Amandas second appearance in Crime Waves, “Obsessed” being the previous song I featured. Lovely singer-songwriter stuff. She finally has a full album now, Love Me Till’ I’m Me Again, which will be out this November.
Crime Waves
Jul 29th
~ Liam Frost feat. Martha Wainwright – “Your Hand In Mine” ~
Great upbeat track from Liam Frost’s upcoming album We Ain’t Got No Money, Honey, But We Got Rain. The song definitely stands on own but the fact that Martha Wainwright appears on it makes it even better.
~ Russian Red – “Cigarettes” ~
Russian Red is actually Lourdes Hernández took her stage name from a lipstick color. This song is – suitably with its title – addictive with it’s simple guitar structure and Lourdes’ unique singing style.
~ Desire – “Under Your Spell” ~
I think this might be one of those songs you’ll either love or hate. I was a bit weary towards it at first but it won me over pretty quickly with its slightly eerie electronical sound. The vocals are a bit dorky, at least when she’s talking, but it reminds me of 80′s band The Flirts so even that turns out good.
~ Arms – “Kids Aflame” ~
Such a great song, indie rock with a big folk element and a good clap-a-long melody. From his 2008 album with the same name.
~ William F. Gibbs – “Come Back To Me (For My Love)” ~
I’m not sure how long I’ve had his album, but for some reason I didn’t listen to My Fellow Sophisticates until last night. Shame really, because it’s quite good and this song in particular is a sweet little tune.
Crime Waves
Jun 10th
~ Alessi’s Ark – “Simple Man” ~
I adore Alessi Laurent-Marke’s voice, it’s so sweet and endearing which is more evident than ever on this beautiful cover. Seriously, her voice and a guitar is all this girl needs to get your full attention and spellbound you for a long, long time.
~ Keats’ Handwriting – “Little Reminder” ~
Indie-pop duo with heavy electronica influences, Keats’ Handwriting were kind enough to send me a couple of their tracks and this one immediately stood out. What can I say, I’m incredibly weak for synth-ish electronica fronted by female vocals.
~ Matt Walters – “Echo On” ~
Australian singer/songwriter who sounds much older and wiser than his mere twenty years of age. A very pretty song, calm and soothing. This is the title track from his EP which is due to be out in July. Something to look forward to!
~ Max Justus – “Bending Space and Time” ~
A new original track from one of my favorite electronic artists. As I’ve mention before I’m usually not much for instrumental dance tracks, but Max Justus is obviously the exception. I love the strong synths and his usual 80s inspired style on this one.
~ Andrea Perdue – “Birds” ~
Such a sweet little folk-tune. The lyrics are both in English and French which just makes it even sweeter. If you like this then I urge to head over to her Last.fm page and download the whole Handscape EP for free.
