Cover Theme: The Shins covers neil young new mp3

Via Sandwichclub I found these covers done by The Shins. So for the people who havn't had the chance to listen to The Shins new album
Wincing The Night Away - set for release january 2007 - this could calm the pain.
BTW Wincing the Night Away is a terrific album. You can hear the band have developed, and in a great way. They still have the twistedness and the simplicity and of course plays with synths, distortions and lo-fi effects. Find the album leaked on the net, have a listen and buy the album when it's out there...

SubPop label

The Shins - Phantom Limb from Wincing The Night Away

The Shins - The Holiday Song (Pixies cover)

The Shins - Harvest (Neil Young cover)

The Shins - Strange Powers (Magnetic Fields cover)

The Shins - We Will Become Silhouettes (The Postal Service cover)

Cover theme: The Decemberists doing Björk

Our good collegues at Docopenhagen seem to have been inspired by yesterday's post concerning the Coldplay cover. They offer another cover that - to my opinion - far surpasses the original. Curious? Then click here.

Such high quality coversongs are very seldom but equally rewarding. I stumbled over this version of Björk's 'Human Behavior' by the fabolous The Decemberists the other day. I don't know whether it's actually better than the original because that is also pretty darn good but I really love this acoustic take. Turn it up, wait for the piano theme that kicks in at appr. 2:06 and tell me if that doesn't make your spine go bananarama.

The Decemberists - Human Behavorior

Stunning Coldplay cover.

A group of very old, apparently ill folks give the best version of Coldplay's "Fix you", I've heard! What an emphatic voice - it's like Kurt Wagner times two.

Pinto Sweden debut free mp3

After visiting all webpages in the world I finally got stuck on one. It's The Pinto - jolly musicians from Sweden. Pinto is a relatively new band, still trying to find it's place on the indie music scene. Check them out. I quite like the happiness in Iron and Rust. Besides being happy the band declares that they want their music to be free and accessible to everyone. Pop on!

Pinto - Iron and Rust

Pinto - I Belong to You

Visit Idaho

Californian band Idaho - masterminded by Jeff Martin - has been a long time hidden favourite of mine. Although the band has been around for a 15 year period filled with critical acclaim, Idaho has never really shaken anything besides the inner circles of the sadcore scene.

That is a real pity, so here it is: the full frontal attempt to break the sad, melodic chamber music of Idaho on this global reaching blog. Dig these gems from throughout the band's career!

Wondering the fields

Alta Dena

To be the one

Clouded

Just might run

Alive again

When sunday comes

On the shore

Sykurmolarnir / Sugarcubes celebrate reunite blog mp3

The Sugarcubes were the biggest group ever to emerge from Iceland and tonight they reunite in Laugardalshöll in Reykjavík.

So right now it would have been apropriate and maybe even cool to post the 20 minute long talk I had with former groupmember Einar Örn - an interview I did at the Iceland Airwaves in october. But for some strange reason I've the password for my ftp-server. I'll post the mp3-interview in the weekend. It's unique and kind of chaotic!

Sugarcubes or Sykurmolarnir, as they are called in Iceland, had their debut in 1988 with Life's Too Good, which attracted terrific reviews and became a college radio hit, but the band never were able to recapture that sense of excitement. I'm kind of curious what the concert tonight will be like. Maybe it'll be like shit, but well... I'll have to read about it in the papers.
Múm will be doing warm up. What a great night it will be!

Sugarcubes - Birthday

The Sugarcubes with The Jesus & Mary Chain - Christmas Eve

Sugarcubes - Kottur (live - not that good a recording!)

One to watch David Vandervelde mp3

A good colleague pointed me to recordlabel Secretly Canadian and couldn't wait to give me the music tip of the day.
David Vandervelde from Chicago is 22 years old and plays 60s/early 70s-influenced folk pop. It's equal parts song craft and production technique and it just kicks ass! Especially the song Jacket. The guy played his first liveconcert few month ago and got signed shortly after.
There is some immediate resemblance to Marc Bolan, David Bowie, T. Rex and even Brian Jonestown Masacre in his classic rock attitude. Check it out. He is one to watch.
BTW: He has worked on his album in two years, recorded it almost alone using the former Wilco multi-instrumentalist's studio as a big toy instrument

His album The Moonstation House Band is out 23rd of january 2007.

MySpace - Vandervelde

David Vandervelde - Jacket

David Vandervelde - Feet Of A Liar

Genius Sufjan Stevens live and rare mp3

This Sunday I saw Sufjan Stevens perform a brilliant show at Vega in Copenhagen. I was convinced, that he is one of the most original voices on the music scene today. Deeply inspirational concert. Read my review in danish here.

Listen to one of his Christmas-songs from the new 5 cd christmas-box-set to be released the 2nd of november (10,99£ at play.com).

That Was The Worst Christmas Ever mp3 A new brilliant song, which he also played at Vega

Majesty Snowbird Live mp3

Rare song recorded for NPR

The Lord God Bird mp3

And get into christmas-mood with this little video.

Merry Christmas, Mr. Stevens!!!

Sara Grabow - danish act - live mp3 from Copenhagen

Last thursday while MTV Music Award were everywhere around me in Copenhagen some friends invited me to a miniconcert with Sara Grabow at Christianshavns Beboerhus. That place is sneaky and not the place you would expect to present soothing livemusic.
Today we present a little unique session from that evening. Recorded with a Edirol R-09, mixed with shaky hands by me using Adobe Audition and possible only because the artist herself thought it was cool. So this is legal pirate material.

Sara Grabow are promoting her debutalbum 'Blueberries' from where she played two sets alltogether that evening. She was supported - or they supported each other - by another blondish singer-songwriter, Amalie Riis, who also did a nice job.

Sara Grabow is a talented and powerful singer. Her style has the simplicity and feel for much more. Listen to these songs live and bare with the 'production'. It's raw and alive!

Sara Grabow - Stars

Sara Grabow - Travel the World

Sara Grabow - Ballroom

Sara Grabow - Blueberries

Sara Grabow interview i Aarhus Stiftstidende (På dansk!)

Autumn Music

Last sunday we all turned back the clock one hour and suddenly you get a change of mood. It gets colder, darker and perhaps more lazy. No, come to think of it, I was lazy all the time...

Still, the change is here but it's not all bad because this is the time of year when I rediscover the beautiful music styles in the form of sadcore or melancolica... well, introvert stuff. So instead of whining over the summer that's gone, greet this dark season by listening to this eclectic sample of some of sadcore rock's finest:

Red House Painters - "Have You Forgotten"

Red House Painters - "Song For Blue Guitar"

Iron and Wine - "Such Great Heights" (The Postal Service cover)

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy & Matt Sweeney - "Beast For Thee"

Okkervil River - "For Real"

Spiritualized - "Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space"

Mark Kozelek - "Bad Boy Boogie" (AC/DC cover)

Spokane - "The Absentee"

Elbow - "Newborn"

And as a bonus: mad Welshmen playing gorgeous mellow country rock with an electronic twist:

Super Furry Animals - "Run! Christian, Run!"

Björk galore - lot of pics

If you are obsessed with Björk then have a look at this massive photocollection.

Of Montreal - Daytrotter sessions - mp3 from Hissing Fauna

Recorded live at Futureappletree Studio One in downtown Rock Island, Ill, Of Montreal presents here some dirty and alive material.
The Athens, GA, band were among the second wave of bands to emerge from the sprawling Elephant 6 collective. On this Daytrotter sessions, the songs are acoustic and sounds really nice, all naked and stuff.
We await the new album Hissing Fauna: Are you the destroyer? Untill then have a sneak preview at the Daytrotter sessions and some already leaked material. The album should be out in january.

Of Montreal - She's a Rejector - album version from the new album, out january.

Of Montreal - The Past is a Grotesque Animal - album version from the new album, out january.

Of Montreal - Eagle - Shaped Mirror - from the forthcoming Hissing Fauna: Are You The Destroyer?

Of Montreal - Suffer for Fashion - from the forthcoming Hissing Fauna: Are You The Destroyer?

Of Montreal - Lysergic Bliss - original version appears on Satanic Panic in the Attic.

Of Montreal - Requiem For O.M.M.2. - original version appears on The Sunlandic Twins.