News archive: Media
“EN LJUMMEN I GRÄSET” + MP3 SINGLES RESPONSES
Tomorrow, Thursday June 25th, Liminals will performance their second concert so far, which also is their first in Stockholm. It’s outdoors at the “En ljummen i gräset” event in Stockholm, together with Rafael Anton Irisarri and Paddington DC.
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A selection of www responses to our latest mp3 single releases:
Sail A Whale “Find me a boy” / “See you inside”:
CyberFM, Digfi, Intuition Told Me, bleek spook, Uliuli, Music Is The Scenery,
The Dreamers “Någon annan” / “My stupid heart”:
Pop ‘n Cherries, Pipas’s blog, Too Much Apple Pie, Music Is The Scenery, Eardrums,
[Concerts, Media, Releases, The Dreamers]
RELEASE PARTY FOR “SPLENDID ISOLATION”
We’ve already announced it, but here’s the details:
On Tuesday May 6 it’s time for the second night of our monthly Friendly Noise club at Sugar Bar. The address is Kammakargatan 9, Stockholm. This time it’s also the release party for our “Splendid Isolation” compilation. Erik de Vahl will perform some live music, his first concert in 18 months. DJs: Friendly Noise + “Splendid Isolation” contributors, such as Most Valuable Players and Robotboy. It will go on from 8 to 1 pm, and cost SEK 40 to get in. You’re very welcome!
This great video, by Örjan Markusson, is for the song “Shout It Out” from Erik de Vahl’s latest, self-released album “Oh! My Spine”:
Things written about Friendly Noise lately:
http://www.soundofmusic.nu/0709/pages/rec_actionbiker0801.php
http://www.undertoner.dk/article/articleview/artikler/1525
http://popncherries.skynetblogs.be/post/5796929/action-biker
http://readlisten.wordpress.com/2008/04/22/action-biker/
http://community.livejournal.com/i_am_rare/481242.html
http://sondera.blogspot.com/2008/03/splendid.html
http://toomuchapplepie.blogspot.com/2008/04/lights-camera-action-biker.html
http://www.listentoeurope.com/action_biker/hesperian_puisto
[Events, Media, Most Valuable Players, Releases]
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.
ACTION BIKER LIVE + LISTENTOEUROPE APPRECIATION
On Friday 18 January Action Biker will perform live, together with Paddington DC and Park Hotell, at Klubb Spark at Debaser Medis in Stockholm. DJ:s in the restaurant during the evening: Stefan Zachrisson of Friendly Noise together with our friend and Sonic writer, Johan Jacobsson.
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“Une Teinte Intense” by Testbild! has been selected by ListenToEurope Television as one of the best European albums 2007. Here’s their message to us:
“We congratulate that the album of your band has been selected among the best European albums of 2007 by ListenToEurope.
ListenToEurope is a project aimed at the promotion of the best music Made In Europe, and it connects media from 8 different European countries (Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden).
A total of 40 albums were chosen (5 from each country) and 1 video from each album is broadcast by ListenToEurope Television.”
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And some blog attention for Friendly Noise lately:
Bibadi and Elefanten (Sonores) about MVP, BBCCHICKENROBOT about Robotboy, Home On The Fringe and Talk About The Past about our “New Year’s Eve” song, Tobydammit & Co about our mp3 releases, The Jet Set Junta about The Dreamers and Erik De Vahl, and Eliek about Testbild!
[Action Biker, Concerts, Media, Most Valuable Players, Testbild!, The Dreamers]
MORE FRIENDLY NOISE RELATED LINKS/WRITINGS/THINGS RECENTLY
Pictures from the FLM/Friendly Noise night. MVP:s recent radio interview is now available in the P3 Pop archive. Home On The Fringe is a new blog that has written lots of nice things about Friendly Noise lately, here’s some entries: (best) Friendly Noise, the inexplicable feeling of testbild!, …and i’ve got to be free, FYN 62, sjoberg vs. testbild!. Another blog that has been very supportive is Talk About The Past, here’s what they’ve been saying about MVP, Testbild!, Flow Flux Clan and Erik De Vahl. More blog attention: Beneath A Steel Sky about Flow Flux Clan and Erik De Vahl, and Sally Cinnamon about MVP:s “Rondo”. Music Is The Scenery and Hiroshima Deathmatch on Action Biker.
[Action Biker, Events, Friendly Noise associates, Media, Most Valuable Players, Testbild!]
FYN 62: “RONDO” VIDEO BY SEBASTIAN ROZENBERG
Most Valuable Players admit to having done hundreds of takes in the process of recording their brilliant song “Rondo”. With one of the most sophisticated song structures we’ve heard to date, “Rondo” is built on a pattern of different sounds in renewed combinations throughout the song.
A beautiful video for “Rondo” is now available online. It’s made by Most Valuable Players’ friend Sebastian Rozenberg, who says that he has attempted something in the line of the song’s musical structure with his film.
Watch the colourful adaptation here. It’s also available on Youtube.
Extra material: Some appreciative writing about “Rondo” at Sondera. And on Monday, 3 December, Most Valuable Players are interviewed by P3 Pop.
[Media, Most Valuable Players]
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]
THE DREAMERS RADIO INTERVIEW
On Monday, 5 November, there’s an interview with The Dreamers on the P3 Pop show at Swedish national public service radio. The show is between 22:00 and 00:00 PM central European time, and you can listen to it not only on your transistor but also on the web streaming while it broadcasts or later, every show is archived for 30 days.
LINKS LINKS LINKS LINKS LINKS LINKS
Nils Johansson is a man of good taste, he’s made not only a Testbild! interview but also written a positive review of The Dreamers record, both in NSD, the biggest daily newspaper for the north of Sweden.
More attention for The Dreamers: they were number one on Lars Jämtelid’s weekly Digfi chart , the Belgian blog Pop n’ Cherries and the Japanese blog Music Is The Scenery wrote nice reviews, and P3 Populär also recommends “Day For Night” in a big way.
And the never ending attention for Testbild!s “En gång i Stockholm” continues at Toby Dammit & Co. More Testbild!: Louis Philippe about “Une Teinte Intense” on his message board: “‘Une Teinte Intense’, the new Testbild! CD, is gorgeous. ‘The Moorish Café’ is especially more-ish. Graceful, daring, inventive, full of charm and elegance.”