Athens66: Exploring MySpace

A hand in the Sky (En Hand i Himlen) from Jonathan Johansson

Yes, I got into this one as well. Jonathan Johansson is the new pop sensation from (where else) Sweden and his single En Hand i Himlen is just amazingly addictive (you've been warned). Here is his first official video and we'll be waiting for his album out on the 9th of February from Hybris label (I already pre-ordered it from the links you can find at the end of the post). Will be back with more details once I get my hands on it. God damn Sweden...

Jonathan Johansson - En Hand i Himlen

Artist.Site Preorder.Bengans

Ambient Dreams from Kyte

Kyte is a new and upcoming band from Leicestershire. They have already released a self titled EP and have followed up with a second EP titled Two Sparks, Two Stars EP.

Their sound is pure ambient pop in the likes of Sigur Ros (similarities or influences as I prefer to call them are more than obvious). Regardless of all this, I found their EP really great and looking forward to their first full album (whenever that may be). Then we'll be able to truly see if they are able to differentiate themselves from the Icelandic kings and progress their style. If you care to oversee the similarities you will soon discover that Kyte actually bring their own personal style to the genre with more electronic elements and a bit more powerful and straightforward. Let's just wait and see..

Artist.Site Buy.Amazon

Belfast Dance from Iceland

You all know that this blog has am obsession with music coming from the northern countries. So it will not be any surprise that today we are featuring a band from lovely ReykjavÃk, Iceland. Strange sounds, ambient music and mystical vocals is what you usually expect from this almost-frozen land.

Think again, cause FM Belfast have nothing to do with this Icelandic stereotype. This is a head-on electronic dance band with full beats, silly covers and great uplifting spirit. They remind me more of their Swedish neighbors Knife than any other Icelanders (with the exception perhaps of Gus Gus' sense of humor). If you let yourself loose and don't take their music too seriously, their debut How to Make Friends is a real party blaster. I personally loved it!!

FM Belfast - Synthia

FM Belfast - Tropical

Artist.Site Buy.Amazon

Riding on the Asteroids Galaxy Tour

Hailing from Copenhagen-Denmark, this duo broke into the music scene with the TV advert of Apple's iPod Touch. They even played in last year's Roskilde Festival (although we didn't quite spotted that and naturally missed them). They continue the Nordic tradition of fun electro-pop groups with cheerful tunes and uplifting lyrics. Their single Around the Bend is dangerously addictive so be warned. They still only have a couple of singles out but it won't be long before they try to cash-in with their first full length LP. So let's wait and see if they manage to survive the sudden buzz and come up with a descent debut...

Artist.Site Buy.Amazon

In the Book of Norma

Norma is yet another Swedish band I’ve recently discovered. However this one doesn’t fit into the classic Swedish pop category since they are a genuine rock band. The band hails from Hägersten and has just released their debut album Book of Norma on Novoton/NONS records. Their record is a mixture of ambient and progressive rock comprising of mostly dark compositions with a really full rock sound that is not often found in new bands. I have to be honest, I’m still trying to get a hold of their album but from the tracks on myspace and their debut single Waste I’ve already been persuaded and will continue searching for more of their material. Finally, a band to watch out for…

Artist.Site Buy.iTunes

Sometime Around Midnight

Well I wished I'd leave around that time from work...but it seems that I'm in for yet another long run here at work..Anyway, enjoy The Airborne Toxic Event (despite what Pitchfork may say about them).

Smells like Saturday feels like Sunday

Miaou - Post Rock made in Japan

Everyone has been posting about Mogwai’s latest album, which while it’s not all that bad, it hasn’t won me over yet (and don’t think it will since it doesn’t progress their sound at all). So instead, I decided to post about another post rock band coming from the other side of the world, Japan’s Miaou.
Miaou were formed in 1999 by Tatsuki Hamasaki and sisters Mayumi and Hiromi Hasegawa. They released their debut Happiness back in 2003 and followed up with Make These Things Alright in 2005. Finally, a couple of months ago they released their third album titled All Around Us back in July. To me, this may be more interesting to check out than Mogwai’s latest addition.
Miaou’s stlye will at first bring bands like Mogwai, Explosions in the Sky and Tortoise in mind but their style is much brighter and optimistic. If you add the introduction of electronic elements (especially after their second album) in their music, you will soon see how this Japanese band stands out from the crowd by slowly building their personal style in the post rock arena. I think I’ve left out the Japanese scene here in Athens66 but it’s about time we started to pay a bit more attention to it (especially Tokyo’s rock scene) during the next few months. Miaou are certainly one of the best places to start…

Always Dreaming of Things to Come

Anything Goes

Artist.Site Buy.Amazon

Indie-pop with the French-Swedish stamp of Envelopes

Envelopes is an indie-pop band consisting of members from Sweden and France, two countries with deep heritage in pop music. They made their debut back in 2005 with Demon and followed it up with Here Comes the Wind back in February of 2008.
Their music is the epitome of musical influences, evident throughout their albums and sometimes even on a single song. From Talking Heads to Pixies and Stereolab they mix post-rock with twee-pop in order to form their unique sound that we can only tag as indie pop with a very wide spectrum. This isn’t the most straight-forward pop for most people, but for those like us seeking anything that differs, their sound is a pleasant surprise (which we admit we missed the previous couple of years…although some of their songs did show up on our hard drive!)

Party

Boat

Artist.Site Buy.Amazon

Little Bear gathers an Army of Trees

I came upon Little Bear from the usual paths (myspace, promotional email etc.) today and thought it was worth posting a couple of lines. Not much can be found about Nick Principe (the main/only man behind Little Bear) except that he recorded his debut EP Army of Trees (which you can download for free from here) in upstate New York before moving to Santa Cruz, California. His work is lo-fi rock with atmospheric, instrumental and folk influences. We’ve only had a few tracks on our hands, so we’ll be waiting for his debut LP before we can say more (although the start is promising enough to keep him on our to-look-out-for list).

The Beaverkill

Smaller Trees

Artist.Site Free.Download

Defining Mellow Pop and Discovering Antarctica

KostasK's comment yesterday initiated a typical google search for Mellow Pop. The result? Oslo Swan, another duo (Stefan & Guyroots ) all the way from Antarctica this time (first band I think we host from over there in Athens66) which was formerly known (or unknown) as Mellow Pop. The guys are still unsigned and haven’t released any LP or EP (that I know of), yet they have been able to get 117979 page views and 46515 friends on myspace (damn…these guys or their agents know how to thrive in social networks). Needless to say their music is simply put Mellow Pop! Interesting stuff from Antarctica…

Dreamin

Doesn't matter what you say

Artist.Site Artist.Myspace

A Hive for Vanilla Swingers

Vanilla Swingers are London’s latest duo (Miles Jackson and Anne Gilpin). They come in a great melodic pop format with lots of nostalgic pinches and charming melodies. The duo has crafted a wonderful debut (out on August 11th on Radio Ballad label and available to download for free from here or if you rightfully prefer to a order a copy you can from Rough Trade) which slowly unveils the love/life story of a couple across time. Their music bonds the synthesizer baseline with guitars, while the duo alternates on vocals as the stories unfold. If you’re into mellow pop like me, you will instantly get drowned into their sound and start travelling into past (or present) love stories. If again this isn’t your usual cup of cake, I’m sure it will be hard not to be won over after a while. Vanilla Swingers has been a nice surprise for me and a welcomed change from the Scottish dominance (at least in this blog). For the non-believers, just give Goodbye Lennon a listen. Pop lives on..

The Hive

Goodbye Lennon

Artist.Site Order.RoughTrade

Preaching The Contact

Once again caught up in the midst of work so it’s hard to keep up with new albums coming out (although I’m trying to find some time for Of Montreal’s newly leaked album). So instead, I’m giving a go with anything that I stubble upon. Such was the case with The Contact.
I have to say, I actually gave the guys a chance mostly cause they come from Halifax, Nova Scotia. It then turned out that the band is part of the Christian music scene (what the fuck?). In spite of this, their sophomore album Canvas Tears (released last year on Square Eyes label) is not that bad. It is a bit more mainstream and fine-grained produced than I would prefer, but nevertheless not that bad. The Contact actually sound a lot like Muse in this album, and that is probably up to your personal preferences to decide if it’s a good or a bad thing. Can’t really see myself as a follower, but wouldn’t actually mind listening to them on the radio or at some local event. But then again..Christian rock?

Canvas Tears

My Divine

Artist.Site Buy.Amazon

Re-join the Pop Project

The Pop Project is a pop (obviously) band from Detroit that’s been around for almost a decade (although it just came to my attention from the band’s bassist Will Yates who is also playing for Zoos of Berlin). After their initial release back in 1999 and their second full album Let’s Eat Green Beans in 2001 (both of which I haven’t been able to find anywhere), they are back (a couple of months ago), with their third LP titled Stars of Stage and Screen, which has been in the making for 5 years now.
If you’re looking for the newest hippest sound around, then you better look a bit more cause the Pop Project are sticking to classic pop/powerpop with beautiful harmonies, alternating vocals and classic but captivating formulas. This is pop at its purest form, from a band that has been delaying this release for way too long but are finally hitting the stores with a really enjoyable album that could get us out of our misery for a while during this back-to-work period. Here are a number of tracks for you to enjoy along with one of their latest clips. Is this too pop for u? Only one way to find out…

Hearts and Flowers

Stand In

House of Books

Artist.Site Buy.Amazon

Feral Children offer more than a pint of rock

Seattle based Feral Children offer a great splash of indie rock combining lots of experimental elements. With the help of Scott Colburn on the production (Animal Collective’s producer), the band offers great music and a very interesting sound. However, the thing that strikes most about Feral Children is the pure energy that you can sense in all of their tracks. The gang just released their debut album Second to the Last Frontier at the start of July and is offering their EP free from Sarathan Records’ site (here). Be sure to check them out (we are already seeking their full album for a proper review). Until then, here are a few tracks and their debut video Spy/Glass House.

Zyghost

Jaundice Giraffe

Artist.Site Buy.Amazon

Eugene Francis Jnr spreads his Own Pollution

I haven’t posted a Clip of the Day for a long long time now, so here’s one for you. It’s the new single from Cardiff mate Eugene Francis Jnr, My Own Pollution. The track is from his debut album released back in April titled The Golden Beatle. Definitely worth checking out and more than appropriate for the hellishly hot summer here in Athens.

Artist.Site Buy.Legion

William F. Gibbs – My Fellow Sophisticates

I’ve been straggling with this album for sometime now. Gibbs is definitely a very talented singer-songwriter with both a beautiful melodic voice and clever compositions. His influences are kind of a history lesson of 20th century music, from the 50’s and 60’s (or sometimes even 20’s and 30’s) all the way to contemporary pop and alternative rock. Perhaps this is his biggest flaw though, since his style varies so much across this album that many songs feel out of place. While some tracks like Darling You were Beautiful Once, Come Back to Me and Operate are really beautiful and display smooth and interesting compositions, others such as Here Comes Your Steamboat Brother! Here Comes Your Freightline Sister and LA Money are quite a letdown.
At first listen, the album reminded me of the fabulous retro compositions that Get Well Soon had achieved in his debut, but as the tracks unveiled, the constant change across the decades from 20’s pianos to 50’s blues and even 70’s disco (at Streetfigher) really started to make this more of a collection of compositions than a solid album. Nevertheless, his unique music style and obvious talent manage to salvage the album and leave you with a couple of tunes that could get you hooked. Hopefully Gibbs will be more concentrated and have settled down on a particular style before his next studio attempt. We just have to wait and see..

Operate

Darling you were Beautiful Once

Artist.Site Buy.OldManRecords

Introducing Zoos of Berlin

One of the main benefits of having a music blog (cause there are way too many negatives) is that cool bands and artists start getting in touch with you, promoting their music and introducing you to interesting sounds. This has been the case with Zoos of Berlin, from whom I received a contact after our post regarding Pas/Cal (with who they share a band member). The band comes from Detroit and so far has released an EP with three wonderful tracks. Their music is a mix of David Bowie, avant garde and modern pop/rock. I must say I really liked the EP but on the downside, the band hasn’t released an album yet and left me waiting for more. Hope there is more music coming our way from the Zoos really soon (and hopefully of the same quality)..

Below the Old House

Artist.Site Buy.Amazon

Little Pictures can Fit Us All in Their House

Today’s Clip of the Day comes all the way from New Zealand. The duo behind Little Pictures composes bedroom pop and is definitely a joy to listen and dance to. Their debut album is coming out in July on Lil Chief Records and is titled Owl+Owl. Check them out and until we get our hands on their debut enjoy the video of their first single This House Can Fit Us All. I’m sure you’ll start singing along after a while…

Artist.Site Buy.LilChiefRecords

The Great Northwest - The Widespread Reign of the Great Northwest

The Great Northwest is a collection of artists/friends that all share in common their love for music, parties and appreciation for Brian Coates compositions (this is basically his project). After an endless party tour between Portland and New York, Brian is finally releasing his debut album titled The Widespread Reign of the Great Northwest, out on Kora Records on July 29th.

Encouraged to continue writing music by Dandy Warhols’ Courtney Taylor, Brian has created a solid album that sets in instantly and provides an endless trip over similar melodies. This is actually quite ambiguous; some may be put off by the lack of diversity in the album while others (like myself) will enjoy the trip as an escape route from your everyday thoughts. His music can be characterized as ambient rock and is based on smooth rock melodies, haunting vocals and small doses of depression bass. The other thing that instantly strikes you on this record is how easily the music becomes familiar to you, even from the first couple of tracks. It may not be a ground-breaking rock album, but it is one that most people will enjoy and a promising start that we will be waiting to see how it will progress. Once you hear Chief John you’ll get a clear idea of what I’m talking about..

Chief John

Artist.Site Buy.KoraRecords