Six new year kicks (+2).

I'm teeming with stuff to post here, but I rarely have the time to do so. Albums-to-buy lists, decade recaps et al.

I do however have the time to point out a few tracks that are very much on my mind these days. As always, I have a tough time limiting myself, thus six became seven. In other stuff, I got a few new albums these last weeks. I got a hold of Cut Off Your Hands' album You And I, which is really awesome. Very beatle-esque at times, and I just can't get my ears off 'Oh Girl'. I'm really surprised they aren't bigger around here than they are. Not even proper musos down here necessarily know them. I also got Julian Casablancas' solo debut (as a christmas present, thanks Peter!), which I haven't gotten around to hear yet though. I also must mention that I met a fellow Battles-admirer yesterday, what a rare joy.

As for Roskilde, I am not entirely thrilled by Nephew's return to the glitz of Orange. Their gig in '07 was awesome, but then again, I really doubt they'll be able to top it. Expectations will be huge, and I'm not sure which means even this by all standards amazing live act can apply to live up to them.

But let's get to it, the tracks that soundtrack these last few weeks for me. First of all, I'm growing ever more fond of The Kooks, whose amiable lo-fi garage-revival shines through most clearly on 'Seaside'.

On an entirely different front, I've been reviving Trentemoeller's fabulous remix of Royksopp's 'What Else Is There?'. This pan-Scandinavian club basher is indefatigable. So too is the vivid happyness of upcoming Danish outfit Ginger Ninja, whose second single off their January '10 debut, Wicked Map, 'Bone Will Break Metal' is really sweet as, as they say here.

Apart from Cut Off Your Hands, another choice Kiwi outfit is Kora, who played here in Queenstown, NZ, the day before I came here. They're supposed to be among the very best live acts here, so I'm quite bitter I didn't get to see them. I really need to go to a live performance of some kind soon, it's been too long. Check out 'On My Mind', and please disregard the samurai-themed cover.

Across the Tasman, we find the home of Jet. Whenever I hear tambourines, I anticipate one of my favourite dancing tunes, 'Are You Gonna Be My Girl?', which never dies. Speaking of pan-Tasmanian travel, I had 'Someone New' by Eskobar on my mind while crossing a few weeks ago, and it's stuck around since. One of the few proper break-up songs to be neither corny nor whiney.

A band which is pretty much atop my need-to-buy list when I get home is Kings of Convenience, whose recent album release might make them a candidate for reappearing at Roskilde, where they were last in 2008. Their beautiful, bossa nova'ey indie-shoegaze is some of the suavest stuff I've ever come across, such as 'Toxic Girl'. And while we're at shoegazing, what would the indie world be without Bon Iver? Such a genuine and extraordinary display of anguish and agony as displayed on For Emma, Forever Ago is nothing short of masterpiece-like. 'Skinny Love' is a definite highlight.

Six became 8. The aughties become then tens in a day and a bit. Roll on.

It's that time of the year again...

No, not christmas (well, it is, but it isn't to me, even though the Aussies do their best to be christmasy, even playing 'Let It Snow' in the supermarket...), but the time of Roskilde announcements.

So far, I'm thrilled that we're getting Muse and Dizzy Mizz Lizzy, which were two of the names I had been hoping for. Muse played a massive show in '07, which still ranks near the top of my list, while seeing Dizzy Mizz Lizzy live will be a dream come true for me. It's gonna be massive.

The rest of the names don't excite me that much, although for the festival in general, I'm happy to see Pavement and NOFX being announced. They have been among the most yearned for bands the last few years. I, personally, am hoping to see, amongst others, Kashmir, Editors, Hot Chip and Does It Offend You, Yeah? on the list as well soon.

Talking about Kashmir, I've been listening to their new single 'Mouthful of Wasps' quite a few times now (as it has been haunting me whenever I don't), and I must say it is growing quite a lot on me. I love the bassline and especially the chord progression in the chorus. It really seems they're back not to appear as an aging, graying bunch of has-beens, but as a band who are still up for being a staple on the domestic scene.

To be honest, I am still a bit out of touch with goings on, but I try to keep up with who's on the up. One band that I had almost forgotten, but who are releasing their first full length in the beginning of 2010 are Delphic, who got my attention when they warmed up for Bloc Party in Copenhagen almost a year ago. It's like nothing I've ever seen come across the North Sea, but it does remind me vaguely of a crossover between the arpeggios of Marvel Hill and the ambience of Spleen United, both Danish acts. I think they might be up to something good with their first album, try check it out here!

Guess that's all for now. Too many festivals to choose from here in Melbourne this summer, none the wiser I'll leave for NZ tonight.

A quick strike from Victoria.

My frustrations of not being able to follow the goings-on in the music world are growing. New stuff out by old staples Kashmir, Hot Chip, Interpol and Vampire Weekend, interesting collaborations between Bon Iver and St. Vincent, between VETO and The Wong Boys. Everything seems to go on while I'm in backpacker country, perennially listening to Black Eyed Peas and that lousy Guy Sebastian - hope he never goes overseas from here!

Anyhow, I had a go at the new singles from both Kashmir, Hot Chip and Vampire Weekend. Especially Hot Chip's new stuff seems really really interesting. Much more melodical and less porcupine'y than ever before. Beaut. Kashmir is a difficult ordeal. I mean, all their old stuff one has listened to a gazillion of times, it all has a special place in your heart. New stuff needs some devouring. Vampire Weekend's 'Cousins', well, that's just strange. What was wrong with baroque afrobeat then?

My list of records I have to buy when I come home is growing, and now includes The Kooks, Jens Lekman alongside the few I mentioned in my last post, most notably Kings of Convenience.

This is also the time of decade lists. I won't make one of my own, even though I love lists. I might discuss the one's I see though, as I find it very interesting, the whole concept of encompassing an entire decade of garage revival, dance-punk, postrock, post-punk revival, nu rave, indie folk and other hyphenated subgenres into one lens. That'll be later though, maybe not until 2010.

Go listen to the new Hot Chip single though.

A new hemisphere, old staples and new musical horizons.

Oh well, I just can't keep away from this, can I?

Anyway, even though I'm away from my usual stomping grounds, that doesn't stop me from indulging a vast array of different tunes, and I keep on adding stuff to my "got-to-mention-this"-list, thus i feel like emptying it onto here.

A few albums have really blossomed for me this last months. Namely these are Humbug by Arctic Monkeys, The Resistance by Muse, Phoenix' Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix and finally Oh No Ono's Eggs. Humbug is coming together as perhaps the most thorough Monkeys-album yet, especially 'Cornerstone' gives me chills. I never thought Alex Turner would write such a beautiful ballad. The Resistance too, is a strong album. I am pleasantly surprised by the way the three Devonians have actually encompassed Matt's space-apocalypsia, new musical achievements and a refreshing hint of their earlier albums. The Resistance is perhaps even more in touch with their earlier albums than Black Holes and Revelations was. Everyone's raving about the Exogenesis symphony, which I haven't really had the chance to listen to properly yet though, but what's all the fuzz about really?

Naturally, I am also exposed to a lot of my travelmate Peter's music, and I've got a growing list of to-buys when i get home. Namely Bon Iver, Kings of Conveniece and St. Etienne have made an impression. And I am indulging Håkan Hellström more than ever. So bitter I missed his gig at Roskilde this year.

I guess that's it for now. A grey caravanpark in Brisbane just isn't the most inspiring of places.

Resistance day, other stuff, and the imminent future of The Idioteque.

Today could be dubbed 'Resistance Day', i.e. it is the day when Muse's highly anticipated fifth full length effort finally hits the shelves. I don't have time to pick it up today, but I'm counting on finding it on Khao San Rd. sometime this week. I've heard most of it though, and it is very impressive. It is more piano-driven than its predecessors (a Danish review stated that "...Bellamy unfortunately isn't a great pianist" - I wonder if that journalist ever heard 'Butterflies and Hurricanes'...), and many of the songs are really strong. Everyone is raving about the three-movement 'Exogenesis'-symphony, which I haven't really gotten into yet. I only heard it once, and it honestly disappointed me a bit, but everyone is proclaiming it to be the Bohemian Rhapsody of the 21st century, so I guess it just has to grow.

I've just got a few tips that I have encountered these last few weeks:

Those of you all into Radiohead's perhaps most overlooked album, Amnesiac, I found this great cover of 'I Might Be Wrong' by a French jazz-quartet. It's really groovy!

Editors are on their way with their third album, In This Light and On This Evening, due to be released in October. I've really enjoyed their first album, The Back Room from 2005, and they seem to have revved up on the synths on this one. Their lead single 'Papillon' sounds like a crossbreed between Spleen United and Depeche Mode, and depending on how the rest of the album sounds, it could turn out to be a fave.

Finally, I've really gotten into Danish quintet Oh No Ono's sophomore effort Eggs, which they released this spring. I was never a big fan of their debut album Yes, but the second one is really a masterful effort at times. 'Swim' is very good, and here they are playing my favourite, 'The Tea Party' at Beatday Festival in Copenhagen.

These next months this blog is going into a semi-hiatus. I am leaving for Australia and New Zealand, and while I'll still be sniffing up music here and there, I think I'll be plenty busy writing mails and travellogs, uploading pictures and sending postcards, so The Idioteque will probably only be active every now and then. For those of you fluent in the Danish language, head over to my travellog! (Pics will be upped to Facebook now and then). Stay groovy.

Listen to 'The Resistance'! NOW!

Hell, nothing much else to say. Go to DR's website now and listen to the entire new album by Muse!

A bit too much desert rat.

I've really in many ways been anticipating Arctic Monkeys third album Humbug these last few months. In some ways I've been fearing that the inevitable maturing process of these young britons would evolve into an album too oldschool-rock'n'roll'ish for my tastes. The last year or so, most of my musical influences have been more towards the electronic and dance-punk scenes, which is quite a ways from A.M. I was initially sceptical towards the lead single Crying Lightning, which was somehow exactly what I feared - a piece of slow, heavy rock. However it became a turning point for me when it came into rotation on my preferred radio channel P3. It is actually an extraordinarily catchy tune. Together with crooked opener My Propeller it kicks off the album in a promising way. It is recognizable Arctic Monkeys stuff, albeit somewhat slower than we've known them to initiate albums before (just think Brianstorm).

Next up is Dangerous Animals, which to be honest seems to be one of the weaker tracks after the first few listens, eventhough its aggressively rambling bass is somewhat noteworthy. Secret Door kicks off as a ballad very akin to the predecessor's 'Only Ones Who Know', although it quickly evolves into something different. This is one of the tracks in which producer Josh Homme's presence is felt the most. You clearly sense that the four lads have been thrust out of working-class Yorkshire and into the expanses of the Mojave. Theres more of a stoned distance in both the dusty, queaky, organ-heavy instrumentalisation, and in Turner's vocals which are distinctively less Yorkshire. You can still hear that he's a Brit ofcourse, but there seems to be less of a presence of the local Tyke vernacular. Turner has matured as a lyricist as well.

Potion Approaching, while still somewhat slow in comparison to the first two albums, is one of the aggressiver tracks on the record. In a way it is a strong track, but it's a part of the album that's just a bit two stoned for my tastes. Afterwards though, things really kick off with the next four tracks being the strongest portion of the album. Fire and the Thud is still very Josh Homme'y, I mean, you can almost see the dust devils blowing through the Rancho and cowboys drawing six-shooters, but it is a perfectly digestible little thing. Cornerstone is some of the closest Arctic Monkeys have ever come to beautiful, and I wouldn't be surprised to see this as the second single off the album. It's not '505', but it's good. So is Dance Little Liar, which is another of the very desert-dusty tracks. It turns somewhat prog at about 3.20, which is a welcome infusion of musical creativity on an otherwise somewhat unexperimental record.

Even more prog is Pretty Visitors, which has emerged as one of my favourite tracks on this record. The constant changes in tempo and intensity really appeals to me, and this is in many ways the track that draws the most references to the two former albums, even though it too is distinctively Humbug. One thing I've noticed though is that Turners voice seems more apt for a song like this, rather than the more stoned ones. Closing off is The Jeweller's Hands, which honestly haven't really gotten to me yet.

This is not neither Whatever People Say I Am..., nor Favourite Worst Nightmare, and while Humbug definitely has the characteristics of an album that will grow on you slowly, I doubt that it will ever appeal to me in the same way as the youthfulness of the first and the intensity of the second album. There just isn't a 'Still Take You Home' or a 'Do Me A Favour', and I miss the unspoilt uncomplicatedness of the young Arctic Monkeys. To stay in the animal kingdom, there's just a bit too much scummy desert rat, and a bit too little monkey. It's like going from wearing Cheap Mondays to wearing Levi's or Wranglers. But one owes to Turner & co. that they have really proven themselves as capable artists. Matt Helders is still a brilliant drummer, and Alex Turner is still a formidable front man. They've overcome the necessary change of pace that will eventually spare them from becoming an indie Green Day phenomenon of a band going around the same old curve that made them succesful in the first place. I'm sure Arctic Monkeys have lost some, gained some on this album, but more than anything else, they've established themselves as a band able to do more than just taking home sorry groupies.

North American Scum.

... is the title of a song by LCD Soundsystem, one of a bunch of American acts that are roaming my playlist right now. Exactly LCD Soundsystem had a heavy presence on Pitchforks top 500-tracks-of-the-last-decade countdown last week, which revived their (or his, actually), critically acclaimed album Sound of Silver. Try checking out 'Someone Great', 'Get Innocuous!' and 'All My Friends'.

Somewhere in the same dance-punk'ish alley I've discovered !!! (yeah, that's the band name equivalent of Sigur Rós' ()-album) from Sacramento. It's pronounced as 'chk chk chk' by the way. Check out 'Me and Giuliani Down by The Schoolyard (A True Story)' and 'When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Karazzee', both from their 2004 effort Louden Up Now.

I'm still enjoying Vampire Weekend's album very much, and to some extent Passion Pit too, although theirs hasn't really caught fully onto me yet.

Heading back to the superior side of the Atlantic (yes!), I'm right now listening to Dúné's new album, Enter Metropolis, available for streaming from Soundvenue. To be honest, I find it really boring and tiring (so far, I'm only up to track 8 of 14). Quite disappointing, since lead single 'Victim Of The City' vouched for something smashing. I definitely don't feel an urge to buy it.

Finally, I'm gonna get a hold of Arctic Monkeys' new record soon, there'll probably be more on that next week.

A wry, triumphant cacophony.

No More Stories
Are Told Today
I'm Sorry
They Washed Away

No More Stories
The World Is Grey
I'm Tired
Let's Wash Away.

Such is the title of the new album by Mew, which I got a hold of today. Here's a track-by-track run-through after the first few listens.

Opener New Terrain's main claim to fame is the fact that if played backwards, it's an entirely different song, called 'Nervous'. I don't have the software to do so, but someone will probably up it onto Youtube soon enough. The track does sound like something I reverse-looped on my Kaoss Pad, and it's really a peculiar and perhaps quite vulgar way to get off the grid.

Introducing Palace Players has already been in heavy rotation as the lead single, and it is a perfectly decent track. The syncopated drums and guitar make for an interesting hit single, yet one must acknowledge Mew's ability to create something accessible from such crookedness. This track is followed by Beach, a well-crafted indie pop track and Repeaterbeater, clearly two of the most accessible (and shortest) tracks on the record. They both bear clear resemblances to the Frengers-era.

A brief intermezzo follows, before the awkwardly-titled Silas The Magic Car, a bland ballad, which is honestly quite dull and unspectacular. Then follows Cartoons And Macramé Wounds (what the fuck hell is a macramé wound anyway?), a really schizophrenic and disturbing piece of work. It definitely has some sort of aesthetics, and some pretty passages, but I don't really get it. Maybe I will in time.

Hawaii Dream features Jonas chanting the title poem, and segues into Hawaii, which is a really daft caribbeo-polynesian-themed piece. It doesn't really ever lift off. The exotic instrumentation continues in Vaccine, which is one of the strongest tracks on the album. Tricks Of The Trade is an dark, drum machine-driven track which is interesting from a style/genre point of view, but this one too never really lifts off.

Yet another intermezzo follows. I'm not all that into intermezzi, but these ones seem to seperate different moods of the album quite well, both leading up - or perhaps rather down - to quite ballady tracks, such as Sometimes Life Isn't Easy, which kicks off as perhaps the most grandiose and exuberant song Mew have done since 'Comforting Sounds'. This too is definitely one of the instant favourites, and although it's neither CS nor 'She Came Home For Christmas', it is quite beautiful. Finally, Reprise is a typical Mew-closer - another ballad, which starts out as somewhat anonymous and ill-timed epicism, but closes out quite pleasantly.

It is hard to find the right adjectives to describe No More Stories. It's vulgar yet gloriously witty, creative yet anonymous, impressive yet wry, triumphant yet somewhat disappointing. Mew are still heavily reliant on Jonas Bjerre's angelic voice, which have been their strongest asset ever since bursting into everyone's attention with Frengers in 2003. In my opinion, Mew still peaked back then, but there's no denying that beneath the ovoid, evil-clown-like smiley face clad cover lies a world of musical creativity and border-seeking antics from a band which does exactly what it wants to. And having the seniority and critical acclaim to flip the bird at all norms and definitions of kitsch, beauty and cacophony might just be the biggest achievement of this record after all.

Clap on time, you fuckheads!

That was perhaps the only thing to be disgruntled about as Coldplay left the stage in Herning last night. Battling a seriously dull crowd, the London four once again proved themselves as being in the uppermost echelon of live acts on this planet. Headed by an ever-dancing
/jumping/joyous Chris Martin, the band performed a set nearly identical to the one performed at Roskilde. One could perhaps have wished for hidden gems such as 'Amsterdam', ' What If' or 'Don't Panic' to have been excavated, however Coldplay somehow define the saying that 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'. We did get Will Champion singing 'Till Kingdom Come' though, which was quite a treat. The gimmicks, such as yellow balls for 'Yellow' and confetti-extravaganza for 'Lovers In Japan', worked their part, as did an extended (compared to Roskilde) LCD-wall backdrop of the band performing in distorted images. Even so, one got the feeling that compared to Roskilde, Herning was more of another day at the office. Chris didn't converse quite as much with the audience, and of course there wasn't that special Orange Stage-magic. Still however, a massive joyride of a show!

On a side note, White Lies really established themselves as one of the most mediocre live bands I've ever seen. Even if they had to fight poor sound, a crowd that basically just wanted them over with, and a stage and venue clearly too large for them to fill out, they just seem to lack an element of some sort. Maybe another guitar, or maybe they should just start utilizing their existing instruments some more. The rhythm section is too often too naked, and for gods fucking sake, get that supposed-to-be majestic synth in 'Farewell To The Fairground' in sync with the one in the recorded version!

A few side notes:

Those of you who have kept up with especially Pitchfork through the past weekend will probably have noticed quite a lot of buzz surrounding almighty Radiohead. Well, they did release a new song today. It's called 'These Are My Twisted Words', and it can be found here! It's very In Rainbows'ey, and not really all that intriguing.

Going home yesterday, we heard a track on the radio, which Johan and I deemed as being very reminiscent of Jupiter Day and Superheroes. It turned out it was The Raveonettes' new single, 'Last Dance', which is in fact produced by Thomas Troelsen, thus we weren't far away. It sounds promising, and I am - dare i say - slightly anticipating the new Raveonettes album.

Finally, I'm probably going to buy Mew's new album tomorrow. It was released today, and it has garnered rave reviews so far. There'll probably be more about that soon!

Look at us, through the lens of a camera...

... does it remove all of our pain?

Those are the lyrics of hit track of the week for me. It's a late discovery off Editors' album The Back Room, and it's really beautiful! It's called 'Camera', and you can find it here. Once in a while it's really good to have a ballad roam the top of your listening habits. I've finally started to count the days until Coldplay this Sunday, so I'm listening to that quite a lot too, especially beautiful 'Fix You' seems to have had its second coming. I haven't really been that up for it until now, since they delivered so massively at Roskilde, but now I'm beginning to feel the excitement. Believe it or not, it's actually my first real big stadium-kinda gig, and I hope they dwarf their Roskilde-show, although they're up to quite a task there.

I exchanged my surplus copy of White Lies' record to Vampire Weekend's eponymous one the other day, but I have yet to get it into my computer. But I listened to a good part of it (in the car), and it seems OK. A bit too Belle & Sebastian'y maybe, but let's see.

Oh and by the way, I have been pleased to hear Ginger Ninja's 'Sunshine' played so heavily on P3 these last few weeks. In fact, it was the eighth-most played track the past week. Just in case they'll be the next big thing, remember who hyped them first...

I'm going back behind the teachers desk tomorrow, fuck yeah!

And there's only about a month now until I'm leaving for the southern hemisphere - FUCK YEAH!

Sunday bits.

On an eventless hangover'y sunday, I thought I'd recommend a few tunes to pass the time! I always find that sundays I'm in the mood for cheery stuff, whether to remind one of a good time last night, reminisce over girls you did or wanted to make a pass on, or whatever. By the way, I heard Muse's new single 'Uprising' in town yesterday (which surprised me as most places in Aalborg are usually at least a few weeks behind on new tracks...), and god is it a massive tune. The theremin does everything for it, it might sound like a synthesizer, but it has a distinctive, genuine twang that's just unbeatable.

Anyway, I bought Passion Pit's album Manners the other day, and while I haven't totally gotten into the entire album yet, a few tunes like hit single 'The Reeling' and opener 'Make Light' are definitely worth a listen, as I find them very instantly likeable.

I hyped Newzealanders Cut Off Your Hands a bit before Roskilde, and while their show wasn't all that spectacular, a song like 'Oh Girl' you just have to dig. The lyrics are insanely simple, but somehow it works.

When it comes to being 35 years old and still being able to sound like an innocent and heartbroken 15-year-old, no one does it better than Håkan Hellström. He's really grown on me these last few weeks, especially the album Känn Ingen Sorg För Mig Göteborg, from which a song like 'Uppsnärjd i Det Blå' really strikes me as a beautiful tune. Håkan owes a lot to the beautiful and poetic Swedish language.

Finally, I've gotta introduce you all to Vampire Weekend. Their eponymous album is very high on my must-buy list. Try listening to 'A-Punk'.

Just another thing - I got introduced to a cool search engine-kinda thing yesterday, called Grooveshark. It struck me as being very easy to use, with a simple and efficient interface, easily-editable playlists and a big database. Hell, you can even find L:Ron:Harald on there! Try checking it out.

Muse go theremin.

Muse have released yet another song from their forthcoming album The Resistance, called 'Uprising'. This is the first single (as 'United States of Eurasia' was a teaser, not a single), off of the Devon trio's fifth effort. Very much more conventional than USOE, this will probably garner better reactions throughout the band's traditional fanbase. It is much in lieu of stuff from Absolution and Origin Of Symmetry, albeit somewhat slower, and it features the band applying the theremin. I don't know if this tune really catches me, but it's definitely nice to se that The Resistance won't be all mental.

'Uprising' is here.

I also just want to mention that I bought a few albums last week. One of them was Passion Pit's deubt album Manners, which really has some great parts, although the vocals become slightly annoying. Try listening to this.

I'm moving out of my apartment in a few days, which really excites me. These last weeks have just been a waste of time. I'm looking forward to getting my housing situation straight, going back to more interesting work than ice-cream trucking (which is really dull), and ultimately getting off this hemisphere in now only a month and a bit!

When baboons grow up.

Arctic Monkeys just transmitted a teaser of their forthcoming album Humbug at NME.com, and here's what I made of it:

The band, fronted by an uncharacteristically long haired Alex Turner, whose face throughout the transmission is rarely seen, appears in a large room as if were they on stage, lighted by stage-lights, but apparently not surrounded by anything but guitar-racks. They kick off with the first song which the lyrics reveal to be 'Pretty Visitors' (tracklist off of here, I reckon it's credible). A very sombre, gloomy, almost schizophrenic tune, with a haunted but nonetheless gloating feel to it. Next up comes 'Crying Lightning', which has already been played on BBC Radio 1 and leaked here and there (Youtube). A slightly more recognizable Monkeys tune, yet still slower than the pace one connects with most of their songs. The predominant tempo on Humbug seems to be more akin to that of 'Fake Tales of San Francisco' and the like, and both tracks we've heard so far include pretty big shifts in mood within the songs themselves.

Next up is what's later revealed as 'Potion Approaching', which is a real gloomy song again. You really sense that this band, and Turner especially, has grown from the teenish stories of hookers in Sheffield and blockheaded girls that they'd still take home and screw anyway. This one here is very tough-molded with an edgy, heavy guitar-riff carrying it through. It ends abruptly with Turner exclaiming: "would you like me to build us a go-kart?" followed by Helders throwing his stick leading the song to a halt.

Then comes the cover of 'Red Right Hand', which is originally a song by Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, that A.M. have played regularly throughout the last year or so, and which will be one of the inevitable bonus tracks on the Japanese edition of Humbug. There's a lot of organ, not only in this one, but in many of the tracks, which bears resemblance mostly to '505' off Favourite Worst Nightmare, which back then was remarkable exactly because of its unusual instrumentation. It appears now that the organ is gonna be a regular Monkeys fixture, and as they rarely do playbacks and samples, it seems they're gonna have to either rearrange some of the songs live, or bring along a fifth man to do the organ bits, as Turner was show without a guitar throughout Red Right Hand, while both organ, bass and guitar were present.

Close-ups of cymbals and pedals indicate a ballad now, but the calm intro gives way to a more energetic albeit much less dark song, that is later through the lyrics revealed to be 'Secret Door'. The organ is still there, as well as the backdrop of a girl's eyes that has been recurring throughout the transmission. A very pretty track this one, definitely my favourite so far, much akin to the likes of 'A Certain Romance' and 'Only Ones Who Know' of the first and second album respectively. Turner keeps singing about "fools on parade" in a very recognizable fashion. The song ends, and frets are played to indicate a new one's coming up, but nothing happens, and that's it.

Put short, it seems the Monkeys have really matured, and you really feel that almost 2½ years have passed since Favourite Worst Nightmare. And that's a lot when you're only 23, already releasing your third album and heralded as the frontmen of indie-garage-revival. Looks like the baboon pups have become real grown-up monkeys, huh?

A year in albums, 4 of 4.

Alright, so here it is. My four most important new musical acquaintances of the last year.

4. Radiohead - Hail To The Thief (The Gloaming)
A black spot in my Radiohead-chronology merely a year ago, Hail To The Thief, which for the records is the sixth full-lengther of the Oxford quintet, now assumes its place among my favourites. More organic than its predecessors Kid A and Amnesiac, yet still more cynical than the following In Rainbows, HTTT in many ways draws the most direct lines back to much heralded masterpiece OK Computer of 1997 in terms of mood, tempo and diversity. A behemoth, 14-track fountain of everything from sizzling loops and noises to simple percussions and trumpets, it has its natural highs and lows, but as everything else graced by Jonny Greenwood's musical mastermind and Thom Yorke's excentricism and awe-inspiring, fulgurous voice, it is altogether a brilliant musical production. In many ways it ties the vastly genre-spanning discography of Radiohead together, most profoundly exemplifyed by opening jewel '2+2=5' which climbs from stinging sub-bridge guitar noises and electronic drums, mulling below Yorke's heavenly voice, through syncopated guitar-tension into a full-blown rock and roll crescendo. Other high points include 'Sit Down. Stand Up.' (yeah, all track-titles contain full stops) with its tension-building drums and wildly relinquishing xylophone-arpeggi, and beautifully Beatle'esque closing ballad 'A Wolf At The Door.'

The top three songs on my last.fm are:
- '2+2=5'
- 'Sit Down. Stand Up.'
- 'Backdrifts.'

3. Spleen United - Neanderthal
It has been tough determining the order of the two next ones, since one of them is most definitely of a higher musical standard, while the other has perhaps been the most musically inspiring album for me this year. I have been a late starter on Danish electrorock outfit Spleen United, surprisingly, as I am a synthesizist, and only this last year have I embraced this outfit from Århus. Sophomore effort Neanderthal was my first exposure, and still dwarfs their debut effort Godspeed Into The Mainstream in my books. While it does have its weak spots, songs such as hit single 'Suburbia', the instrumental 'Dominator', epic 'My Jungle Heart' and the magnificent '66', which rolls along with a heavy yet upbeat pace and uniquely kitsch drum machine sounds, make it all worth while. Above all, I as a synthesizist am very much inspired by Spleen United's choice of timbres and their rhythmic preferences as well. A great live act, as I have discovered this year too, while not as multi-faceted, they have outdone rivals VETO in plays the last six months, and have definitely been an enrichment.

These three have had the most impact:
- '66'
- 'Suburbia'
- 'My Tribe'

2. Foals - Antidotes
Culminating in getting airtime on my request on P3 yesterday (just had to mention it), through the last half year, Foals have rocketed to the upper echelon of bands in my musical universe. Being statistically my most heavily listened album the last six months, Antidotes has proved to be a longevous one. And deservedly so. The songs do not culminate all at once, in fact, Antidotes is a great example of tracks coming along at their own pace. At first, it was ones like Cassius and The French Open that were most exciting, later on it was Two Steps, Twice and Dearth, while now, Olympic Airways, Balloons and Tron are making their presence felt. Two Steps, Twice however is still one of my favourites, and it is very representative of Foals' unique style. Tapping, poly-rhythmic guitars create a wonderland of harmonies almost as were it a choir. Winding in and out through each other, the instruments create a wall of sound from remarkably stripped timbres. Synthesizers are often very unintegral - instead, somewhat gimmicky saxophones and trumpets enter the sound picture, which is topped by an extraordinarily skilled drummer with a refreshing, 'less is more'-approach.

The last.fm top three is:
- 'Two Steps, Twice'
- 'Olympic Airways'
- 'Dearth'

1. Friendly Fires - Friendly Fires
All hail cowbells! Atop my list, as the most intriguing, important and influential new record in my twentieth year (being as the next is actually my twentyfirst even though I'll be 20, go figure), sits St. Albans' Friendly Fires, and their eponymous debut album from September 2008. An extrovert, uptempo synthpop-indie-dance effort produced by the band itself in their garage, from beginning to end, Friendly Fires is a joyride through samba-inspired vivacous percussion bits, sing-along choruses, innovative guitar-effects and yes, cowbells. You cannot anything but smile, dance and hum along to this elysian debut effort from a band which shows no signs of rookie slips. Critics may point out that Friendly Fires is slightly one-sided, but even when Ed McFarlane comes closest to wrenching out his feelings in Strobe, he and the band do so impressively, omitting this as a potential weak spot. While Friendly Fires may have not created an overly deep and pensive piece of art, they sure have made an admirably positive album without resorting to musical idiotism. Quite the opposite actually, as Friendly Fires have managed to create a record which is thoroughly their own, and which is remarkably secure whilst not compromising the youthful wit and energy that makes this the best party album in a long, long time, a deserved Mercury Prize nominee, and my most important album of the last twelve months!

And the top three is:
- 'Jump In The Pool'
- 'Ex-Lover'
- 'Lovesick'

A year in albums, 3 of 4.

... Only eight to go now.

8. Skream - Watch The Ride
So, I decided I'm gonna go on and stick an album at the 8th spot that I actually don't even own (yet, but I'm gonna go buy it soon). And how's that now? Well, Watch The Ride in itself may or may not be worthy of this position, but the fact itself that I have opened my ears to dubstep deserves a mention, because it's probably my most groundbreaking new leap into a genre since I started listening to Kashmir and Jamiroquai in stead of mainstream stuff of the early 00's. I have always admired musicians who try to take their stuff further than anyone else (as long as it satisfies my ears too, that is), and that's exactly what's fascinating about dubstep, whether it be Skream, Benga or lesser known names. Dubstep as a phenomenon is still fairly new and fairly underground, and I think it will continue to be. I don't think it can exist outside of the vividness of the World's absolute cultural metropolises - London, Berlin, New York City. Watch The Ride is all bass, all dub, and some of the most mind-blowing, heavy-throbbing, beats on this planet.

7. Bloc Party - Intimacy
Ofcourse, I can't snub Bloc Party, who quite surprisingly and on a short notice released their third full-length last August. Although I don't believe in such things as a 'favourite band', Bloc Party comes pretty damn close. I think one of Bloc Party's great traits is their ability to be diverse. These days, very often bands find a sound and stick to it. That's perfectly alright, and often makes great records (such as the #1 on my list, wait and see...), but I really do admire bands who are able to do both ballads, great rockouts and more alternative stuff while still being distinctively themselves. Bloc Party have a distinctive sound, which, even though it has changed through their three albums, is visible all throughout Intimacy as well. So with all this praise, why are they stuck at number 7? Well, to be honest, I'd put Intimacy as the least impressive Bloc album. Ofcourse it's hard to follow up their #2, which is probably one of my favourite albums across the boards, but still I feel many of the tracks on this one do not have the same longevity as the two former albums. Still however there are moments of brilliancy, such as the big beat-hinting two opening tracks 'Ares' and 'Mercury', the beautiful yet perhaps slightly cheap 'Signs', Bloc classic 'Talons' and, probably what's turned out to be my favourite track on this album, the gracefully intensifying 'Ion Square', which is really an exquisite tune, constantly building up through layers of synth'ey noises and pads, constant hi-hat motion and elegant lyrics on coming to terms with romantic mishap.

By the way, my last.fm top three is actually:
- 'Better Than Heaven'
- 'Ares'
- 'Mercury'

6. Coldplay - Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends
The ridiculously titled (come on, everyone must've known people would call it simply 'Viva La Vida' anyway...) fourth effort from perhaps one of the worlds biggest bands right now, Coldplay, is ofcourse also sure-fire on this list. It was actually the first album I got this year, I bought it from a street vendor on Nanjing Rd. in Shanghai (but it looks like an original!). Put straight, it's the bravest album they've ever done, but honestly that says more about Coldplay than it does about VLV. But in my ears, it lacks the epic ballads that Coldplay do best, and that have graced both A Rush of Blood to The Head and X&Y. It is still a strong album though, and it seems to be one of those on which the songs do not blossom at the same time. At first, easily accessible ones like 'Viva La Vida' and 'Cemeteries Of London' stood out, then it was '42' and 'Death and All His Friends', and now I find songs like 'Lost!' and 'Strawberry Swing' the most appealing. A genuinely good album, but a bit flat at times.

The top three has been:
- 'Viva La Vida'
- 'Cemeteries Of London'
- 'Life In Technicolor'

5. The Knife - Silent Shout
I still vaguely remember the first time I put on Silent Shout and listened to it. Without the freakazoid that made Deep Cuts a bit undigestible at times (albeit legendary too), SS is just a musical masterpiece, and I immediately knew what all the fuss was about. Heralded throughout the World, Silent Shout is a benchmark album for electronic music. The tracks fly by as a cynical, apocalyptic yet vivid rollercoaster - up through tracks like the massive club-like anthem 'Like A Pen', 'We Share Our Mothers Health' and the eponymous opener, and down through 'Marble House' and the trembling and staggeringly beautiful 'The Captain'. If anyone said electronic music can't be beautiful and pensive, 'The Captain' prooves otherwise.

Most listened are:
- 'Like A Pen'
- 'The Captain'
- 'Silent Shout'

Only four more to go then, and they'll be up in a few days!

A year in albums, 2 of 4.

Continuing my feature on the most important albums I've added throughout the last year. This one includes numbers 13 through 9.

13. Fever Ray - Fever Ray
So, the inscrutable queen of obscurity Mrs. Karin Dreijer might be a wee bit overexposed in this feature, but that just owes to her incredible creativity, doesn't it? Her debut solo effort, released under her alias 'Fever Ray', is one of the murkiest, gloomiest record I've ever encountered. Even though only a few of the tracks really stand out from one another, and none of them may be smash hits, this isn't what Fever Ray is all about. It's about expressing a specific mood and a certain sentiment through a high level of musicality. It's just incredibly opaque and really well produced with curious samples, composite soundbits and the occasional distortion on Dreijers hair-raising vocals combining to paint a picture of a panically longing soul.

My top three most listened according to Last.fm are:
- 'If I Had A Heart'
- 'Keep The Streets Empty For Me'
- 'When I Grow Up'

12. Hadouken! - Music For An Accelerated Culture
Speaking of leaps in musical genres, expressions and emotions, leaping from oblique Scandianvian virtuoseness to Kitsuné's grindie-dancepunking, glowstick-raving, ironically Hoxton-bashing Hadouken! is quite gargantuan. Combining pseudo grime vocals, vintage and sawtooth'y synths and a seemingly unending urge to rave about how immensely the five self-appointed indie-limey's supposedly party, Music For An Accelerated Culture perhaps isn't exactly an example of fine musical composition, but it sure is an example of how a young and fairly unknown bunch of Leodesians are able to rev it up, with lyrics surprisingly accurately describing the wasted youth/future of society. Trailing Klaxons in fame and in terms of being at the right place at the right time (MFAAC was released in May 2008), Hadouken! might actually pose a properer definition of the much disputed term nu-rave, being some sort of a crossbreed between indie snobbery and the rabble's simplicity.

The top three is:
- 'Get Smashed Gate Crash'
- 'That Boy That Girl'
- 'Liquid Lives'

11. The Cure - Boys Don't Cry
I have a tough time sorting these ones at the middle of the chart, and The Cure barely misses out on the top ten. They are however quite hard to compare to any of the other albums in this feature. The sheer age of it, being released in 1980 as an American re-release of their debut effort Three Imaginary Boys, from 1979, makes it an entirely different case than Hadouken! or Fever Ray or anything else. I've always had somewhat of a reluctancy towards older albums or artists, this mostly being a product of me being a synthesizist rather than a guitarist or a drummer, which means old guys doing five-minute soli doesn't exactly float my boat. With The Cure, however, I feel like I've struck gold. Or rather, I've sensed it, because knowing the debut album of a 30-year, 13-album catalogue seems like only encountering the tip of the iceberg. I'm sure I'm gonna discover more of this particular iceberg though, since it really benchmarks my indie history. So many bands I listen to on a regular basis - from Bloc Party, through Interpol, Phoenix and many others - draw influences from The Cure. It's a hell of a lot of work getting to know a band with a vast catalogue, but I think I've got started on The Cure in a good way. Definitely one of the most ground-breaking new acquaintances for me this year.

I've mostly listened to:
- 'Boys Don't Cry'
- 'Grinding Halt'
- 'Jumping Someone Else's Train'

10. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
It might be just a bit too early to put this one as high as this, but I'm doing it anyway. While still a relative newcomer, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is just an instantly likeable piece of extrovert indiepop. It's real major-music (major in this case being the harmonic expression opposed to minor), and it's really well produced as well. Just a pure joy listening to it in proper earphones, and I think it will prove much more longevous than its predecessor. Phoenix prove that music doesn't necessarily need to be super-inventive to have a justified existence, but at the same time, with WAP, they've really gone into the details of the sound picture, making it a treat for the thorough enthusiast as well.

So far, I've mostly listened to:
- 'Lisztomania'
- 'Lasso'
- Love Is Like A Sunset, part 1'

9. Mockin' Bird - Mockin' Bird
Mockin' Bird is yet another alias of the now supposedly alias-less electro-wizard Troels Abrahamsen. He has released two more musing and thoughtful electronic albums, I Know That You Know and WHT, with the latter having been released in the past year as well. But while that one didn't make my shortlist, Mockin' Bird did. And that's even though Abrahamsen released this one more or less just for the sake of it. Here, he throws all precautions and filters overboard and delivers a round of hard house, even omitting his very expressive voice. And it works. More or less all of the ten tracks cater to the electro-loving palate with simple sounds and efficient, head-moving beats. With this in mind, I'm all too excited that BLCK, which will be released this fall, is supposedly quite a bit housier than WHT was. Bring it on!

Top three has been:
- 'Fake Drums'
- 'Exhaust'
- 'Ricochetting'

A side note - new tune from Muse!

I've got to interrupt my albums-feature, 'cause I found something really exciting just a few minutes ago! As some might know, Muse have released bits of a song from their forthcoming release The Resistance, as fans have found USB-sticks in selected locations around the world. On their website, it's still only available to what they call 'registered Humint Resources', whatever that means, but there's bound to be someone posting it on YouTube.

And here it is! - 'United States of Eurasia', from The Resistance. It comes with a hidden track called 'Collateral Damage', which is apparently Chopin's 'Nocturne' accompanied by jet sounds.

Very exciting and a very dramatic track. Definite hints of Queen in there. This album might really be massive.

(I'll continue my running albums-feature later today, by the way...)

A year in albums, 1 of 4.

I'm turning twenty soon, and I thought I'd reflect a bit on what's been going on musically through the last year, by listing the most important new discoveries I've made. In other words, not necessarily what has been released since July 2008, but what I've added to my musical library. I had originally intended on twelve albums, but because of trouble leaving stuff out, the list has ended up containing seventeen (sorry for my perpetual lack of conciseness). I'll post them in foursomes (more or less), reversely ordered, just for the hell of it (and to make posts more digestible).

17. Apparat - Things To Be Frickled
I haven't really wholly gotten into this one yet, which is why it is at the bottom of the list. It could become a very longevous part of my collection for all I know. Apparat is a German electronica, ambient and remix artist, and Things To Be Frickled (released in 2008) is a very pleasant collection of remixes and his own songs remixed by others. One might think of this as 'background music', and while it sure may do well in chique city-cafés, I definitely think it's worth a listen. Have only had it about a month though, so there isn't really much to be said, yet.

16. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!
This was my first Yeah Yeah Yeahs album (and still is my only one), and I got a hold of it after their being announced for Roskilde, sometime around early April. F0r the record, it's their third full-length, and it was released in March this year. Beneath the slightly corny title and the avant-garde cover-artwork is what's been described as a more electronically orientated and ballad'y effort than the two previous (as stated above, I can't really tell if this is true, as I've only heard a few tracks from their early career). Even though I quickly lost some of my interest in this album (blame that on P3 over-playing the lead single 'Zero'), it definitely has its place as one of the years important new musical acquaintances, and I think songs like 'Skeletons' and 'Hysteric' will be on my playlist for a long time.

Top three most heard tracks (from last.fm)
- 'Hysteric'
- 'Runaway'
- 'Skeletons'

15. Late of the Pier - Fantasy Black Channel
British electroklash-dancepunkers Late of the Pier were among my most heavily hyped outfits through late 2008 with their debut effort Fantasy Black Channel, released in the summer of 2008. While it is not an overly homogenous record, it is a heavy slap in the face of "indie-schmindies who find a sound and stick to it", as the band put it themselves, and with songs like 'Broken' and 'Space And The Woods', the four-piece really break down some taboos and defy eighties-kitschness. Those two tracks are among the most instantly festive I've ever heard, but the album in its entirety doesn't fully accompany these two party-wobblers (I don't think one could cope with such a breakneck pace through kitsch albeit wonderful sounds anyway!). An important album in regards to breaking down borders between genres nonetheless.

Most heard were:
- 'Broken'
- 'Space And The Woods'
- 'The Bears Are Coming'

14. The Knife - Deep Cuts
It's hard to believe that only through the last year have I discovered the magic of The Knife! Heavily recommended by quite a few friends, I actually got a hold of subsequent 'Silent Shout' before this one (hint, the former might appear further up the list...). Deep Cuts is just a magnificiently brilliant effort. It should perhaps be further up the list, but as this is effectively the list of the "most important" new discoveries, not necessarily "the best", it goes down here. And, while not so extravagantly creative, Silent Shout has enjoyed more plays. This is perhaps due to the nature of Deep Cuts, being somewhat of an unhomogenous and slightly immature record, ingeniously jutting out in many creative directions (I feel an urge to use my porcupine-metaphor, but it doesn't really translate well into English...), soothing of exuberance. There are really many strange tracks on this one that deserve a mention, like the purposedly exaggerated 'Listen Now' and the sarcastically chauvinist 'Hangin' Out', however if one should mention one track from this album it really should be The Knife's only real hit ever, which is ofcourse 'Heartbeats', the perhaps unrepresentative but still brilliant opener.

The three most listened are:
- Heartbeats
- You Make Me Like Charity
- One For You

This post should have contained five albums, but it's getting late, I'm getting tired, and when I do, my English sucks dick.

Get in line for the sunshine, baby.

It's long overdue for me to hype some tunes I dig at the moment, and they've really accumulated these last days, so I figured I'd better vent out a few.

Getting in line for the sunshine is exactly what many young bands are constantly doing, and a band that's really approaching the Promised Land, albeit still fluctuating slightly below the radar are Ginger Ninja. They're really a promising and cool bunch, and they just released their first single from their forthcoming album (due in early 2010). The single is 'Sunshine', and its available at their myspace! - it's just a really feelgoody tune, which worked extremely well live at Roskilde too. Go check it out!

While we're at Danish acts, Spleen United and The William Blakes did a collaboration on the music show Backstage, which aired on DR2 through the spring. It's Kate Bush's 'Running Up That Hill' which they did a really inspiring version of. I've heard it now and then on P3, and I finally got a hold of a download link, which is right here! - be sure to give it a run by, it's really good.

Heading elsewhere, I've given this one a mention on Facebook not too long ago. It's grime's finest Dizzee Rascal and American DJ Armand van Helden teaming up and going 'Bonkers'. It's really a massive club track, and I really wish it's gonna be a hit, 'cause it's completely rave-out, slightly akin to Calvin Harris' beautiful 'I'm Not Alone'. However, I'm sadly not sure Danish mainstream is ready for something as hefty as this. If you like it, hype it!

I got a hold of Phoenix' new album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix a few days before Roskilde, and it's really grown on me. It's slightly lo-fi'er than predecessing It's Never Been Like That, and that really suits them well. More than anything, it's very superbly produced (by Philippe Zdar of Cassius). The effects, layers and pan balance is really world class. If you get a hold of it, try listening to it in some proper earbuds, you'll be surprised. I'm especially into 'Lasso', 'Lisztomania', 'Love Is Like A Sunset I' and 'Armistice'. But overall, it's a much more indefatigable record than the previous one. Too bad I'm downunder for their gig in Copenhagen later this year.

I've got to give a mention to two of my staple outfits releasing new singles. That's Arctic Monkeys with 'Crying Lightning', preceding their soon-to-be-released third effort Humbug, and Bloc Party with 'One More Chance', which is an in-between'er, akin to 'Flux'. Neither of the two impress me much. The Monkeys' much anticipated snippet of new material is a wee bit too downtempo in my book. I prefer A.M. when they're just rocking out, although they have done good ballads too in the past. This one is a bit two heavy-duty for me though, and I hope it's not too representative of the album. Bloc Party disappoint me even more, however it was kind of an unexpected release, so I didn't expect much. It doesn't bring anything new to the table though, and leave out that piano, guys! I like Matt Tong's parts of the music video though, they're quite hilarious.

Finally, I've been constantly confronting YouTube in search of proper clips from Trentemøller's concert at Roskilde, 'cause I'm really postdepressive on that one. All I managed to find that was slightly satisfactory was this, this and this. Fuck, I really hope he will indeed make a live-DVD out of that massive show.

But get in line for that sunshine, there's only so much of it.

Reviewing Roskilde '09.

So, Roskilde came to a close a few days ago, and it was a great festival. I had a lot of gratifying and memorable concert moments. I definitely think this has been the most musically inspiring of my three Roskildes. I've been spanning more genres than ever before, and I've experienced new ways of attending concerts. Laying down outside and just enjoying audibly for example. I've had my first full concert experience at the Cosmopol stage as well, and for the first time ever, I haven't entered the pits at neither Orange nor Arena for a single gig.

So, let me do a run-through of my concerts this year:

THE WARM UP DAYS didn't offer much I bothered to check out, although I did manage two whole concerts and two halves. I gave retro-disco'ers Vinnie Who a chance Monday, recommended by my friend Johan. They were very conventional, and after a few songs i really had heard enough of them. They definitely knew their trade, but it just wasn't really intriguing live.

Ginger Ninja had my expectations up, so much that I made my way to the stage at 13.30 (what a time of day put on the only proper dance-punk outfit at PJ!). They were more guitar'ey than I had remembered from my previous concert with them, but still a very inspiring and appreciative young outfit. They made me remember how it's just great to watch musicians doing their thing and loving it too, and had it not been for a somewhat imbalanced set, which clearly showcased a band still on the rise, they'd have garnered better reviews than they did.

I caught Norwegians The Megaphonic Thrift on a short notice Wednesday afternoon, based on an tempting booklet review and a fit of boredom. They were really unimpressive and dull, and I left about half way through.

Critically acclaimed Danish balkan-klezmer outfit Tako Lako closed down Pavilion Junior Wednesday night, and I decided to give them a chance, based on them being compared to Analogik, who put on a memorably fresh and danceable show at the same stage two years ago. The comparison to Analogik was pretty accurate, just leave out the traces of sailor and add some extra pace. Tako Lako really made Pavilion Junior jump around, and there was quite an impressive attendance. One also got the impression that this was a band who clearly improved by having an astir and dynamic audience. Critics point out that it was more of a jumping party than a musical tour de force, and that might be true, however no one can deny that Tako Lako finished off the warm-up days on a high note.

THURSDAY brought basically two and a half shows, spanning very diverse genres. I went with a few guys to check out Hot 8 Brass Band from New Orleans. They were, of course, very authentic, but although they were very inspiring, 20 minutes really had me having enough. They brought on the biggest tuba I've ever seen, though!

Thursday night was dedicated to Orange stage, with me and my posse leaving early for Kanye West, mostly to get a decent spot for Trentemøller. Even though hiphop is probably one of the genres furthest from my musical radar, I really had anticipated Kanye's performance, as he got rather rave reviews when he last visited the Animal Showgrounds in 2006. I actually anticipated it to the point that I was slightly disappointed by his rather dull performance. The first half of the concert was really uninspiring, and low in volume too, but after a dreadfully long, boring and very melodramatically American Jacko tribute song, which was really more of a speech, the dark rose over Roskilde and Kanye brought on the hits that everyone had waited for. That turned the entire experience slightly upwards, but in my opinion, Kanye was way too dependent on his hits to make the crowd go crazy. A real good live artist doesn't need hits to do magic. It seemed as if the audience were exactly that - in audience with king Kanye.

We succeeded however in getting prime spots for Trentemøller, right behind the pits, with a clear view of the stage, the lights and the screens. This was one of my most highly anticipated shows of the year, and I think this was true for a major part of the audience. Even so, I think Trentemøller exceeded everyone's expectations. By far. By light-years to be frank. I have never seen such an impressive and astonishing show anywhere before, even exceeding The Chemical Brothers' dazzling show last year. Everything was trembling and in awe of Trentemøller, who from his purposedly erected podium inbetween the front pits put on a show of intergalactical standards. From moments of pure rave-outs, through pure beauty, teasing mix-in's of artists as diverse as Britney Spears, Bjørn Svin and Battles, and flashbacks to The Last Resort, Trentemøller put on a show that will be remembered for many, many years. I found my self incontrollably screaming from joy throughout the concert, and I was dancing, jumping and shouting all the way back to camp. Defining the essence of indescribability, Trentemøller made my festival. If having to put a finger on the concert, it would be on the fact that I had expected some slightly more remarkable special guests than Trentemøller brought with him. But for what reason? This was perhaps my best concert experience ever!

FRIDAY was to be a long and busy day, with four whole concerts and a snippet of a fifth. I started up in the afternoon with Japanese post-rockers Mono at the Pavilion stage. I had acquainted them on a friend's iPod the day before, and it turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Frankly, I find post-rock one of the sillier definitions of music, as I don't believe a genre can draw constant influences and trends from a vibrant and active genre, and in turn being considered its successor. People told me I was off when comparing Mono to Sigur Rós, but I don't really think so. At least, it was the same tranquility that settled upon the Pavilion area, broken up by escapades of noise, outlets of energy. It was really pleasurable watching the passersby and having a blunder in the sun, with Mono putting everything in a slightly pensiver and more decelerate gear.

The early evening brought Friendly Fires, and another of my most highly anticipated concerts of the year. We had left for Odeon early to get prime spots, and we got the most exquisite spots, right at the front and in the middle. I don't think it'd have mattered much though, because from what I heard, Friendly Fires really set Odeon on, well, fire, with their vigorous show. I am not a big fan of playback, which was used quite frequently, and the band could really use a live keyboardist, but that was pretty much the only low of this concert. They didn't suffer from the one-album syndrome of not having enough quality stuff to fill out their set (as MGMT were troubled by last year). The other way around, I think all of their tracks, even weaker ones like 'Strobe' and 'Photobooth', transferred well from recording to live performance, and the band did a good job of making their live experience unique and different to their recorded tracks. Both live intros, outros and interludes were used, giving the show a twist of unpredictability even to those already familiar with the music. I definitely think the young Brits obtained at least a few new fans that dusty evening.

After a much needed break that made room for a bit of beer consumption, I and my posse headed for Cosmopol stage for Cosmopol stage for 2ManyDJs. Anticipation had built amongst us for the Belgian DJs, and there was an intense atmosphere within the rapidly filling tent, with the crowd chanting 'FUCK OASIS', as a reference to the britpop giants, on whose expense the audience had chosen to spend a few hours with the Belgians. And what a wise choice! I have never been so sweaty in my entire life, and for the first time since Klaxons in 2007, at moments I really felt uncomfortable in the crowd. I don't think one can expect much more from a mash-up DJ-set - a diverse selection of remixes accompanied by anticipatory visuals made the crowd go non-stop crazy, crazy, crazy for almost two hours.

On top of that, highly anticipated Röyksopp were presented with a mission impossible in attempting to triumph me and my feet's sheer fatigue. As a jade horse, I defied my weariness and made my way to Arena for one of my most anticipated concerts, however I was just too tired to get the most out of it. The Norwegians did a good show, nothing unexpected or brilliant, but I couldn't put a finger on just where they could have improved. Perhaps the shortness of their set, giving that they have now released three albums, however most of their masterpiece Melody A.M. doesn't really fit their newer stuff style-wise, thus they kept it to the three inevitables from then - 'Remind Me', 'Eple' and ofcourse 'Poor Leno' to finish off the show. A perfectly decent show, however 2ManyDJs had bittersweetly worn me out. Although not too much to check out a chunk of Analogik's late-nighter at Astoria, however I only stayed for three songs while consuming my köttbullar. I love Analogik, but my tent was yearning for me.

SATURDAY had me jumping around catching a lot of half shows, something I don't really enjoy. The best of the day came already in the early afternoon, with Tim Christensen taking Arena for a swing. It was really a well-played concert, and a great set, encompassing both his newer gems, such as the beautiful 'Wonder of Wonders' and the schizophrenic 'Whispering At The Top Of My Lungs', and a few songs from his Dizzy Mizz Lizzy-days, including 'Silverflame', which was a definite highlight. I caught most of the concert from outside the tent, lying down in the mid-day sun, which was very enjoyable, although I regret not being in the pits. Actually this was my first concert with Christensen ever, and I must say he's 34 and still going strong. Very impressive, even if it got unfairly dull reviews.

I chose to skip Håkan Hellström and head straight to Odeon to watch Oh No Ono. This was my fouth time seeing them, and it was really an interesting experience. They have matured in many ways, and put on a brave and confident show. They didn't pander to the crowd by any means, omitting hits like 'Practical Money Skills For Life' and 'The Shock Of The Real' from the set list, in stead focusing on their recently released sophomore effort, with only 'Keeping Warm In Cold Country', 'Am I Right?' and the beautiful 'Sunshine And Rain At Once' carried over from the first album. Furthermore, the band did a very courageous cover of Radiohead's 'Weird Fishes/Arpeggi'. All in all, it was a gritty and precocious performance by a very professional bunch of gifted musicians, and even though some of their stuff doesn't really intrigue me, it was enjoyable watching talent at work.

Quite drunk, a few hours later I went to watch Cut Off Your Hands. They turned out to be slightly drab, however they do have a talent for writing accessible pop songs, and that might come to their advantage in the future. This time around, they were however visibly still a young and insecure outfit.

I watched the most part of Fever Ray, which was sadly hampered by bad sound. It was an artistically brave show, owing to the opaque character of Karin Dreijer, but it wasn't as powerful as it could have been.

Having to deal with a tough choice, I opted for Pet Shop Boys at the expense of Black Dice and Deadmau5, and I was pleasantly surprised. Their music is slightly flat for my taste, and there were remarkably few people present at the Orange stage, but they put on a pleasant and earnest show, which rewarded the few who had defied Malk de Koijn's reunion at Arena, which took place almost simultaneously. I went to catch a glimpse of Malk afterwards, mostly to have a taste of the immense crowd the three rappers had gathered. There was a sense of uniqueness to the show, and I'm happy I catched a bit of it, even though I couldn't see a thing.

SUNDAY I had only three shows on my agenda. I started off with White Lies at Odeon, which was pretty unimpressive. They were remarkably boring on stage, and even though one must consider the fact that they are only 21 years old, the concert did grow quite irksome. They definitely have a lot of potential, but I don't think they won a lot of new fans with their performance this time around. More energy next time please!

Next up, I caught about 20 minutes of Yeah Yeah Yeahs at Arena, which was really, really good. It was a pity I had to leave, because Karen O. was really on fire, and I think it could have been a top five concert. However, I chose to leave prematurely, in order to get decent spots for Coldplay's closing of Orange stage. Expectations were high for this one, and Coldplay lived up to them, giving a perfect example on how to entertain and interact with 65000 people simultaneously. Starting off with a number of hit songs like 'Violet Hill', 'In My Place' and 'Yellow', the band were on an ever-upwards curve of spectacular gimmicks. Starting with an electronic remix of 'God Put A Smile Upon Your Face' and 'Talk', the band suddenly disappeared from stage, ascending in the middle of the crowd to play an acoustic threesome including a cover of 'Billie Jean', fittingly honoring Michael Jackson, without exaggerating it (you listening, Kanye?). Doing the magic involve-the-audience move, Chris Martin made everyone do a mexican wave with their cellphones back and forth through the audience. A helicopter flew across Orange stage too, and while that might not have been on purpose, it sure was a moment to remember. Coldplay did the full monty with crowd-pleasing antics combined with a hit-packed and well compound set, and while I could have wished for a few more of their beautiful ballads like 'Amsterdam' or 'Swallowed in the Sea', closing my eyes and sensing 65000 people singing along to 'The Scientist' was just beautiful. A very impressive effort by one of the world's most original and courageous live bands, who might be mainstream, but they are so with style.

Overall, my top five would be:

1) Trentemøller
2) Coldplay
3) 2ManyDJs
4) Friendly Fires
5) Tim Christensen

That was it for Roskilde '09. Roll on '10!