News archive: Differnet
RADIO: TESTBILD! PÅ P3 POP IKVÄLL + EN TIMMES LIVE MED DIFFERNET PÅ P4
Testbild!-intervju i P3 Pop ikväll, kl.22:00:
“Testbild! har funnits sedan 1998 ungefär, när Petter Herbertsson började jobba med ett musikprojekt utan regler där han helt fritt skulle få blanda noise och ambient med sin förkärlek för jazzig, lättlyssnad pop. Sedan dess har projektet vuxit, både i storlek och ambition, och i höstas släpptes det fjärde Testbild!-albumet, “Une Teinte Intense” där Testbild! vanan trogen utifrån en befintlig berättelse tecknar ett musikaliskt landskap där precis allting får plats.
I P3 Pop träffar du Petter och bandmedlemmen Douglas Holmqvist, och så hör du massor med Testbild!-relaterad musik – Testbild! är nämligen inte bara ett av det här landets kanske allra bästa band i sin nyfikna, experimentella genre. De har massor med sidoprojekt också!”
Mer radio: nu på onsdag (13 februari, kl. 12:00) är det en timmes live i direktsändio radio med Differnet i P4:s Uppland Lajv. Programmet sparas på internet i 30 dagar.
OTHER MUSIC
Good news for our American friends, our six latest CD releases are now available at Other Music, the legendary and super friendly record store and mailorder. Here’s what they write on their website:
“In our endless quest to try to introduce you to interesting sounds ahead of the curve, we bring you six new titles from Friendly Noise. Based in Skarpnack, Sweden, the label’s output combines the styles and sensibilities of imprints like Morr Music, Karaoke Kalk, Type, and Hapna. You can also detect a sort of post-Belle and Sebastian charm in their artists, the musicality and orchestration bolstered by an overall sophistication that unintentionally seems to reference Les Disques du Crepuscule.
One of the most recent Friendly Noise releases, Testbild!’s Une Teinte Intense is a good one to start with to get an overall sense of the label. Excellent production qualities showcase a variety of modern, trans-continental pop thanks to old-fashioned songwriting decorated with sampled bits and field recordings. What results sounds like the United Nations of Antena: a little dubby indie tropicalia here, a little Arabian ambient pop there, a little mod-pop Free Design/ indie-lounge a la Sea and Cake there; but Testbild! maintain a skilled balance of sweet and mature throughout.
The Dreamers’ Day for Night is another great release for trying out Friendly Noise. Featuring a male/female duo with the vocal texture and cadence of Broadcast’s Trish Keenan, but with its own musicality, personality and atmosphere set in a breeze-blown, sun-drenched pasture, the record is really charming and full of self-assured confidence — light on its feet in that Brazilian way and positive in that modern indie way, but solid and thoughtfully written. The Dreamers are very easy to like but definitely not just another guilty pleasure.
I really wish I had the time and space to elaborate on all the releases but listed below are some other great Friendly Noise titles that we’re carrying. (Click on the title to add to your shopping cart.) [SM]
MOST VALUABLE PLAYERS: You In Honey $12.99
Excellent post-Dntel electronic songs with exceptional variety, subtlety and charm.
DIFFERNET: Collapsing Universe $12.99
Also excellent female-led pop-tronica that has slightly more abrasive electronic sounds but still maintains the label’s overall qualities. They’re almost like a Friendly Noise version of the Knife, but more personal. Includes a killer cover of Eurtythmics’ “Savage!”
VARIOUS ARTISTS: Are You Scared to Get Happy? $12.99
Includes tracks by the Field and Radio Dept., as well as Flow Flux Clan, Testbild! and Kuryakin…not a bad place to start!
TESTBILD!: Imagine a House $12.99″
[Differnet, Distribution, Media, Most Valuable Players, Testbild!, The Dreamers]
LATEST
* The Dreamers’ long Swedish national radio interview from last week can now be found in the P3 Pop archive, where they store broadcasts for a month. It’s the show dated 12 November and you can listen via Real Player or Windows Media Player.
* Differnet has a brand new song, “Collapsing Universe” (no, it’s not on their album with the same name!), on the Stupid Dream label’s CD compilation “Elektronisk kompilation” released a week ago.
* Lots of things have been written about the Friendly Noise stuff lately. Links extravaganza:
Heaven Is Above Your Head writes about Testbild! and The Dreamers, more from Louis Philippe on “Une teinte intense” by Testbild!, and a great 4/5 review of that same record by Ned Raggett at Allmusic. Soundvenue and NWT reviews “Day For Night” by The Dreamers.
Feedback on our new Most Valuable Players mp3 single: “songs of the year” according to The Embassy, “huge disappointment” says Swedesplease, and more at The Jet Set Junta, Ondskans mp3-blogg, Digfi and Talk About The Past. Rockomondo likes Robotboy and so does 78s and Swedesplease. Add Some Music writes about Friendly Noise.
[Differnet, Media, Most Valuable Players, Testbild!, The Dreamers]
DIFFERNET CONCERT
Differnet will perform live in Göteborg this Saturday, 3 November, at Klubb Populär. Don’t miss if you live near Feskekörka!
ERIC M. NILSSON
På söndag, 21 oktober kl. 22:20, visar SVT1 den nya dokumentären “Hur och varför?” av Eric M Nilsson. En av huvudpersonerna i den är Gabor Bora (som skrev omslagstexten till Differnets obetitlade album 2005, FYN 026), och enda soundtracket i filmen är Differnets “Mycobacterium Tuberculosis” som Eric M Nilsson gjorde en video till 2003. Kvalitet!
AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEW
The following Friendly Noise artists are currently available for interviews, on topics such as ADHD and death:
The Dreamers
Testbild!
Enheten för musik och melodi
Differnet
Most Valuable Players
Kissing Mirrors
Action Biker
Email us at friendlynoise@gmail.com to request an interview or review copy, or for any other media enquiries.
[Action Biker, Differnet, Friendly Noise associates, Media, Most Valuable Players, Testbild!, The Dreamers]
HAUTE CULTURE 2007 FESTIVAL
We also want to advertise and recommend the Klubb Republik curated, annual Haute Culture festival. It’s this Saturday, 29 September, at Glömskans museum in Norrköping. Among the bands playing are Differnet, Friday Bridge, Unai, The Rice Twins and Discolor, all friends of ours. Peter Fernold, the main guy responsible for the Haute Culture festival, also wrote a fine review of Differnet’s “Collapsing Universe” at the Fin du monde blog.
[Concerts, Differnet, Events, Friendly Noise associates, Recommendations]
DIFFERNET LIVE IN LUND
Last Friday Differnet was the secret first act at the opening for Uppsala Konsert & Kongress and tomorrow, Friday 7 September, they will play live in Lund for the first time in three and a half years. At Blekingska ! Don’t miss out if you’re nearby.
TOP 10 MP3 DOWNLOADS: AUGUST
Here’s the top 10 most downloaded songs from our mp3 singles series during August:
1. Viktor Sjöberg - Caryatides
2. Viktor Sjöberg - (Jack) Lullaby
3. Band In Box - Elevator Theme
4. Testbild! - En gång i Stockholm
5. Testbild! - Dedicated to Therese Holm
6. Differnet - Curriculum Circular
7. Differnet - Upprepade
8. Differnet - Dialogue Number Two
9. Band In Box - Leaving Smears
10. Ved - Stratoscope
And two new, really good, reviews of “Collapsing Universe” at Eardrums and Undertoner.
ALLMUSIC REVIEW OF “COLLAPSING UNIVERSE”
Great review today by Ned Raggett.