Dick4Dick

Polish Dare no. 2. Last time I gave you traditional instruments, so to balance it off, I am going to give you some pop electro (but please do not get used to the label) in the shape of Dick4Dick. These four guys come from the North of Poland, which might explain the freshness of attitude coming with the Baltic sea breeze. Here is how they describe themselves:
D4D was formed in 2004, and since then has been incessantly changing the stiff music scene in Poland. Instead of cramp-inducing poses, a grey outlook and songs about nothing, D4D undertakes to create an artistic effigy linked to sexuality, pastiche and colour. Whoever may not understand this game leaves a D4D concert shocked and disgusted, and at the same time missing the opportunity to participate in an unforgettable show. D4D have released 4 records and have played over 250 concerts in Poland and elsewhere. They have won many awards and are heroes of a few scandals. They produce their own genial videos, and carefully utilise various visual enhancements in everything they do. They create beyond the borders of multimedia, bringing together various artists. They always follow their motto, which is "change constantly!". This is all true and here is a glipse of what it is all about, but bear in mind that "Love is Dangerous".

D4D_Love Is Dangerous (official video)

DICK4DICK | Myspace Music Videos

D4D- Your Sweet Feet by D4D

Very Far Away from the Main Road

So, we have our first post by our fabulous Polish blogger, Marta. She will be blogging about the Polish music scene from time to time, as well as about other music. For the moment, I am publishing to post on her behalf while she gets settled into the blogging routine:

One could say that to promote a b-side album for bands that hardly anyone had heard of outside of the mazowsze voyievodship might be a tad too grand an enterprise. Nevertheless, the Lampa magazine, the bible of everything that is indie and artsy in Poland, undertook this amazing feat by producing the Daleko Od Szosy (Far Away from the Main Road) album.

The leader of the (in)famous band Muzyka Konca Lata (literally and for all other purposes translates into Music of the End of Summer) together with a bunch of other bands got together and compiled a mix CD of all their misc goodies and organized a launch show to boot. Before you start going over the bands and tracks, bear in mind how un-singable the Polish language is and still how surprisingly good the overall album was. I am not going to defend the poor vocal skills and the sometimes atrocious mastering, as well as the fact that some of the bands have not left the 90s yet, even though some other bands have managed to already leave and post-modernly revisit that decade during the same time. Also, believe me, dear reader, when I tell you that the lyrics are positively hilarious with topics ranging from boy meets girl to a 00s version of Joplin's Mercedes Benz anti-capitalist anthem.

This entry will cover only the five bands that performed during the launch gig, in order of appearance: Ballady i Romanse (Ballads and Romances), Maki i Chłopaki (Poppies and Guys), MKL (mentioned earlier, who will soon release their second album), Przepraszam (I'm Sorry) and Płyny (Fluids). So, from the top: the two sisters somehow remind me of a minimalist version of cocorosie, but without all the sounds and instruments, getting their inspiration from some Polish folk and other such gems. Maki, on the other hand, live by the rule that if you don't know how to play and, more importantly, sing than at least your performances should be entertaining. And at that last part (as at the two previous ones) they never fail! MKL, which can boast of a larger band and at least one amazing singer in the small body of the female vocalist, managed to be both musically capable and entertaining.

Przepraszam is yet another example of a disturbing practice common among young(ish) Polish bands, where a very good female vocalist remains unmatched and disturbingly overshadowed by the questionable efforts of the lead singer (if this is not a flagrant proof of Polish pervading patriarchy than I don't know what is). She a trained opera singer: he a Jim Morrison wannabe – judge yourselves. Płyny are probably the most mature of the set with some of it's members having a history in jazz ensembles and other genres that require both skills and talent (as pop and rock may run on talent only, it would seem). So dive onto the polish crowd, if you dare.

Internation Finds: Izabo

Izabo is from Tel Aviv, and will be making their US debut at CMJ this year. Their songs are catchy and danceable. If you like bands like the Ting Tings, The Bravery, Hot Hot Heat, etc, you are sure to like these guys. Below is a new music video that, though it's kinda cute, looks a little bit like a giant iPhone commercial...

International Finds: The Fumes

Those of you who know me know that I loooove me some gritty blues-rock, so I was quite pleased to discover The Fumes in my inbox today. These Aussies really know how to rock and I just can't resist moving to their sexy blues riffs. It just so happens that they will be in NY for the next week or so (and then on to MN! Woot!), and I think I may find myself out dancing to their grooves in person. Dates below:

08/26 - Rockwood Music Hall - NYC - 10pm

08/27 - Rockwood Music Hall - NYC - 10pm

09/01 - Death By Audio - Brooklyn - 11pm w/ She Keeps Bees and Forest Magic

09/02 - The Rock Shop - Brooklyn - 8:30pm

09/03 – Saint Cloud, MN – White Horse
09/04 – Minneapolis, MN – Palmer’s Bar

Automobile [mp3] - ( Amazon / iTunes )

Note from Abroad: Kino (St. Petersburg, Russia)

After a week in Russia and several solicitations, somehow the most passionate recommendation I've received for a Russian artist is "old-school rockers" Kino (Кино, Russian for "film"). Oddly enough, it comes from a bunch of 16-year-old kids who weren't even born when the band existed. (They're also quite fond of Metallica.)

Kino was founded in the early '80s in St. Petersburg (then Leningrad) and initially had to keep a low profile, as rock music was considered "bourgeois" in the USSR. They found considerable underground success nonetheless, and with Perestroika in the late '80s their popularity increased and they were able to tour the USSR and even travel abroad. But then in 1990, lead singer and songwriter Viktor Tsoi died in a car accident. His death was seriously mourned in the Soviet Union (the image above is a wall in Moscow covered with graffiti in his memory), and the band released their final, untitled album with a funereal all-black cover, à la AC/DC.

Included below are the title tracks from their two most popular albums. This also counts as a "Flashback Friday," if you happen to have grown up in the Soviet Union.

Gruppa Krovi (Группа крови – "Blood Type") (1988) [mp3]
Zvezda po imeni Solntse (Звезда по имени Солнце – "The Star Called the Sun") (1989) [mp3]

International Finds: Real Ones

Real Ones are childhood friends from Bergen, Norway who have apparently been performing together since their teens. In listening to them, you would never guess they're Norwegian. Their lyrics are all in English and their music is part country, part psychadelic pop, with hints of influences from around the world - Africa, China, India, and more. Often compared to The Flaming Lips, I think that's an apt comparison, though I think they're a little TOO country to be all that closely compared. But they definitely have that everythings-amazing-let's-all-group-hug-good-trip psychadelic pop sound that Flaming Lips is infamous for. Here's a song off their (upcoming?) US debut, All For the Neighbourhood (though I can't seem to find a release date or really any information about it whatsoever...)

Every Dog Has His Day [mp3]

International Finds: Bridezilla

In addition to amazing band names, I’m always a big fan when orchestral instruments are used in contemporary music, and particularly rock music. So you can imagine that I am a big fan of Australian band Bridezilla’s debut EP, which I would venture to describe as a bit like Ra Ra Riot meets a (slightly less angry and bitter) Fiona Apple but less polished. The EP starts out with my favorite track, the catchy “Brown Paper Bag,” then moves to the slightly edgier, “St. Francine” which I also really like, but from there the EP slows down quite a bit with “Forbidden.” The forth song, “Chainwork” is quite dramatic and pretty and reminiscent of the Tori Amos I knew and loved in my adolescence (who sadly no longer exists), and the EP finishes up with the instrumental-only “Mr. Young.”

All in all I’d say it’s a solid debut, and we could be seeing great things to come from them in the future. And I should add that most (or all) of the band members are only 18 years old (they started performing together when they were 16 I think). The EP recently came out in the US, and they have an LP due to hit the states early next year.

Brown Paper Bag [mp3] - (iTunes)

New video from The Lovely Feathers

Loving this song.

Tour schedule:
Sept 29th - Tasty World - Athens, GA
Sept 30th - Club Downunder at FSU - Tallahassee, FL
Oct 3rd - Duke Coffeehouse at Duke University - Durham, NC
Oct 4th - Rock N Roll Hotel - Washington, DC 
Oct 6th - Garfield Arthouse - Pittsburgh, PA
Oct 7th - Bowery Ballroom - New York City, NY
Oct 8th - The Middle East -  Cambridge, MA
Oct 9th - Higher Ground, Showcase Lounge - South Burlington, VT
Oct 10th - Iron Horse - Northampton, MA
Oct 11th - Soundlab Buffalo, NY
Oct 13th - Schuba’s - Chicago, IL

Flashback Friday: Frontier Psychiatrist

Ok, so this isn't that much of flashback because the song came out in 2000 but I had forgotten it existed until I was reminded of its awesomeness in Lise's car the other night. From Australian band The Avalanches, this song is definitely the one of the best uses of sampling and scratching I think I've ever heard. Plus the video is pretty spectacular too.

Frontier Psychiatrist [mp3] - (iTunes)

Kitty, Daisy and Lewis

Nothing like some old school blues to get down to on a beautiful summer day like today (particularly their beach-themed "Honolulu Rock-A Roll-A"). That's why I'm listening to UK trio Kitty, Daisy & Lewis. They recently rapped up a North American tour with Coldplay, which I have to say is maybe a rather surprising match to me, but I'm glad they're gaining notoriety on this side of the pond. Their simple, gritty, self-titled blues album sounds like it was recorded 70 years ago (or maybe more), and they look like an interesting amalgamation of then and now. But their music will have you dancing, tapping, clapping, and bopping for sure.

Going Up The Country [mp3] - (iTunes)

International Finds: Robyn

A native of Stockholm, this songstress is quickly climbing my personal Top 100 charts. Robyn is happy, peppy, and undeniably summer.

Now, I don't know how much of a find this is, as it is a re-find. This Robyn is the self same who sang Show Me Love, the peppy, poppy song of the mid-90's. When listening to Because of Boys, you should be able to hear strains of her former mainstream-pop days. I, for one, am ridiculously happy that she's taken the leap to more mature, more complex indie rock--without totally eschewing her happy-music roots.

Because of Boys [mp3] (iTunes)

Headlights and Loney Dear @ The Cedar

Sunday night I had the pleasure of seeing a show with my co-writer Lise at the Cedar here in Minneapolis. The Cedar is a nice space and I think it's really cool that it's a nonprofit, though I wished that this show hadn't been a sit-down affair since Headlights' music is very danceable.

The show started rather late because apparently Headlights' van broke down on the way to the show. They seemed a little stressed about it still when they performed, but they managed to have fun nonetheless and I had a lot of fun watching them. They played a very upbeat set with a lot of energy (maybe it was adrenaline left over from rushing to the show) and danced around, which made me wish that I could get up and dance but the audience was pretty laid back and I didn't want to be the only one. As much as I prefer a too quiet audience to a too loud audience, I kind of wished this audience had more energy and had thrown the chairs to the side to dance. Or had at least been moving around in their chairs a little more. Oh well. Headlights played all my favorites, including an old favorite ("Put Us Back Together Right") that I had kind of forgotten about since their new album came out, so that was delightful. They seemed like really cool, chill people who seemed really grateful (and relieved) to be there and be performing for us.

Cherry Tulips (TJ Lipple Remix) [mp3] - (iTunes)

Next up was Swedish band Loney Dear. I have to say, after the Headlights' dancing, high energy performance, Loney Dear seemed a little stiff. They still put on a good show though. Their music sounded really good and they masterfully played songs both calm and quiet (which sometimes started out without microphones) and full and fast. Frontman Emil Svanängen looks like a a big ol' teddy bear but he's got a memorable, powerful voice. And as for his band, you can tell these guys are all very talented musicians, despite the trouble they seemed to have keeping their guitars in tune, and they're very humble about it.

Airport Surroundings [mp3] - (iTunes)

More photos HERE.

Ólöf Arnalds ticket giveaway! (NYC)

Here's a contest for our NYC Guilt Free Pleasures readers - 2 free tickets to Icelandic singer Ólöf Arnalds' show at Union Hall tomorrow night. To enter, email us with "I want Ólöf tickets!" in the subject by 3pm tomorrow (Tuesday). Check out a video of her live below.

And congrats to Judy and Michael, our two Beast CD winners! Thanks to everyone who participated.

Við og Við [mp3]

Ólöf Arnalds from Dig For Fire on Vimeo.

It's A Musical!

It's A Musical! is Ella Blixt and Robert Kretzschmar, a duo that makes sparkling indie pop music with organs, synths, pianos and drums.No guitars allowed here, ladies and gents. The Swedish/German band has an untouchable element to their music that is both seemingly full of child-like imagination and a dreamy sugar glaze, probably because most of the time the synths feel like they're straight from those awesome 8-bit Nintendo games. Sounding like an early Mates of States on songs like "Lazy" and a stripped aesthetic version of Georgie James, It's A Musical! have much going for them. They are currently taking a European tour with two other bands, Sin Fang Bous and Borko.

The Music Makes Me Sick [mp3] (iTunes)

International Finds

Pato Fu is the name of a Brazillian band from Belo Horizonte that makes pop/rock music with a electronic influence. They started getting things going back in 1992 and their latest and ninth album, Daqui Pro Futuro (From Here to the Future), takes vintage sequences and synthesizers and wraps it up in modern music goodness. The song below is about the problems of everday relationships and features an electric piano bopping with lead singer Fernanda Takai's lovely silky voice sailing along. An added plus? They'll be at SXSW this year.

Nada Original [mp3] (iTunes)

Asa (pronounced Asha) just released her first self-titled album in the US this year and it will probably be on a lot of people's "Best of 2009" lists, as this guitarist/songstress weaves soul, folk and jazz together with a smooth and strong smokey voice. Asa, who was born in Paris and grew up in Lagos (the New York of Nigeria), was raised on the sounds of Aretha Franklin, Bob Marley, and Fela Kuti, and sings in both English and Yoruba on her album. I've had her album on repeat for a while now, and it's hard for me to choose the song I like best, so I just went with the first one I ever heard. Enjoy!

Fire On The Mountain [mp3] (iTunes)

An Horse is an Australian band that's already generating buzz with their debut album, Rearrange Beds, which hits stores next week on the 17th. Rolling Stone called it a "killer breakup album" and Spin magazine said that the album churned up "a poignant fervor" and has labeled them as one of their special SXSW picks. The sound is loud fuzzy indie pop that has seemingly been thrown into a tornado of upbeat energy, and I've been finding myself singing "oh my god you're a handful" from their song "Little Little Little" these past few weeks, its catchy stuff. The first selected single off of the album is posted below, but make sure to check out their myspace to see if you can catch them when they come to a town near you.

Postcards [mp3] (iTunes)

Videos that Look the Same

I know the title of the segment is usually "Bands that sound the same" but I couldn't help but see this video and be reminded of another slightly freaky Scandinavian dance-song video I posted a while back and so I thought it deserved a post. Observe:




This new one (the first one) is by Norwegian band Casio kids. The one I posted a while back is by Swedish band Peter, Bjorn & John.

And once again, don't forget about our giveaway contest! The deadline is Sunday!

Glass Pear

Glass Pear debuted their first EP in September and it's finally getting the recognition it deserves, as major network shows like Grey's Anatomy are featuring the stellar collection of songs. The brainchild of Yestyn Griffiths, the 5 songs on the EP are smartly melodic, with well constructed rhythms for the drums and fresh arpeggios that echo the influence of Radiohead, Coldplay and Keane (case in point: the song "Come Alive.") Yestyn's vocals are sturdy, comforting and assured amongst the raw keys and euphonious guitar, but they absolutely shine on the song "My Ghost" (which was composed after the EP came out, but can be heard on myspace). I can't wait for the debut album and when the tour is finally brought over to the states. Oh, and fun fact: Yestyn's sister is Jem.

Last Day of Your Life [mp3]
Support the Artist: buy the EP on iTunes

International Finds 12.15.08

Today I'm going to do a Swedish edition of our new segment that we now call International Finds.

First we have a new video from Peter, Bjorn & John. The video is kind of... terrifying... to be perfectly honest. But the song is great! A catchy dance number, it's a lovely little taste of their upcoming album, due out next year. If I could read Swedish I might be able to tell you what the song is called, but I can't...


Here is a video and a song from another Swedish band, Fredrik. Both songs are beautiful, calm and pleasant.

Fredrik - 11 Years from The Kora Records on Vimeo.

Black Fur [mp3] (iTunes)

And I know I've already written a lot about Ane Brun, but she's just so good, I can't stop wanting to promote her. So in the posts from the provided link, you will find video and songs to enjoy (I don't feel like re-posting them... Sorry, I'm a bit short on time).

International Finds

Kate Miller-Heidke is an Australian singer-songwriter who is well trained in Opera but has now crossed over to pop songs. Her second album, Curiouser, was released in October and has become quite successful with its bumps and flares spouting from each and every which way. Her songs are catchy, quirky and humorously honest- in "Can't Shake it" Kate laments, "I execute the moonwalk like I stepped in shit." In many ways, I think this song was written specially for me.

Can't Shake It - Kate Miller-Heidke [mp3]

Caro is a jazz singer from Amsterdam who incorporates beats, popish hooks, and a carefree-swing to her sound, resulting in music that you can't help but dance to. She's super new to the scene (if the 760 views on myspace are any indication) and has only officially released one single, but it looks like this girl is quite able to bring something wanted, new and fun to the music realm. I hope to hear more from her in the future.

Back It Up - Caro [mp3]


Why are there so many amazing artists named Regina? This Regina hails from Finland and is actually composed of 3 people- Iisa Pajula, Mikko Pykari, and Mikko Rissanen. Regina blends electro-pop, folk, and wonderfully repetitious piano hooks in a delightful way that I just can't seem to get tired of. They debuted in 2005 and are currently working on their third album which will be released in 2009.

Saanko Jäädä Yöksi? - Regina [mp3]

Ane Brun @ Union Hall

Last night I had the wonderful pleasures of seeing Ane Brun play at Union Hall. She was everything I hoped she would be and more - incredibly talented, sweet, funny. It was really a great show. She played all of my favorite songs of hers, including Song No. 6, The Puzzle, Rubber & Soul, and more. In between the songs, she would tell us about what the songs were about, her inspirations, her experiences. For example, I learned that The Puzzle is actually about a friend of hers who was dumped by a pop star. Her voice sounded even richer in person than it does on the recordings. In my review of her album, I said one thing I missed was the simplistic beauty of some of her older songs, as this new album has much more complex arrangements (and they're gorgeous arrangements too but there was something captivating about the spareness of some of her older music). This show was the perfect showcase for how high a quality her music is because it was just her and her guitar, but the music was so full and engaging. That simple beauty that first made me love her music was there in spades and she didn't need an orchestra behind her for the songs to be completely stunning.

The Puzzle [mp3]
Purchase "Changing of the Seasons" on iTunes