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″