The last week, I saw a girl donning a white graduation hat outside of a supermarket. That really got me thinking. Not only about the indeniable fact that it has been one year since we were the wanton beautiful flowers of the youth. I kinda saw that coming. More so, i really came to think of how different and instructive a year this has been. Topping all I've learnt through high school, I think i have learnt more about myself through this past year, even thought I really haven't done much but working, drinking and playing music. Suddenly having ones identity thrust out of the comfortable box that is being a high school student, I and everyone else have had to find our identities in the inevitable vacuum that is gap-yearing. I think I've come a long way in coming to terms with what's really important to me, and I have seen friends come, go or just tug along. It's a strange ordeal, because even some of ones best and closest friends you might only see a few times a month. Friendships have turned from being part of a daily routine drinking coffee and hanging around, into being the sense of knowing who you've got where, who you can count on, and who you can immediately trust. A much more valuable relationship, I feel.
I have spent most of the year hanging around with people who are either considerably older or younger than myself. Being a subbie teacher has placed me in a constant vacuum of age. Surprisingly I think I've fared quite well through this vacuum, and I've had lots of enjoyable moments to the point where I actually feel a bit privileged. Children are a very life-confirming bunch to be around, and having been such a consistent fixture at a place full of them has been really interesting. I've known many of these kids now for almost a year, and some of them I've really seen come a long way. One class in particular, one of the second grades, which I initially dreaded, have now become one of my favourites. They've seen me so much now that we know eachothers' routines, and especially the girls are really witty and bright. I hope at least a few of them will retain their spark and charm when they grow up, sadly though the harsh realities of teen life will probably disornament many of them. The teens and 'tweens have been enjoyable too, and especially the two sixth grades that i had the privilege of teaching on a regular basis for a month have really been interesting to follow. When I met them at first, they were still by many means little kids with little kid-interests and a little-kid point of view. Through this year, many of them have become real teenagers, for better or worse.
When I started off, I was clearly biased towards preferring the older students. They require less pedagogical skill, and their age and sense of irony enables me to act towards them as i would act towards my peers, more or less, and I've put an emphasis on treating them as the youth they want to be treated as. I've especially had some memorable moments in teaching social science to the nithgraders, a subject where I actually feel competent enough to ascend to a high level, and I've somehow managed to have them listening to me and engaging in often even slightly academic and philosophical discussions. However, I have truly learnt to embrace the joys of teaching the little kids, to the extent that i now mostly prefer them. There's this certain sense of spontaneity and uncomplicatedness with young kids, and some of them really attach themselves to you. My week in one of the zeroeth grades really put me up to dealing with the little ones, because many joys surface by following their energetic lives.
All of that came out from the girl with the hat. Many more girls and boys with hats will bask in the nights of June this coming week, and even though one can't help being slightly envious, this is their time, and their piece of the cake.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
... and now with schedule considerations!
Roskilde released their band schedule today, surprisingly enough. It looks alright, although there are a few clashes. Nothing major though. The website apparently has crashed due to heavy pressure, but someone has uploaded pictures of the four main days. I'll link to them at the bottom of this post. Now let's walk through my initial considerations and plans:
THURSDAY is by far the weakest of the four, with nothing really happening in the late afternoon. The last two years I have been busy with Arcade Fire ('07) and MGMT ('08) early on, but this year it looks like I'll have plenty of time to get hammered. I might check out Zizek Club (Cosmopol, 20:30) or Århus E (Lounge, 20:00), depending on my state of drunkenness (the former requires a heftier alcohol consumption). Either way, I'm probably gonna check up on Kanye West (Orange, 22.15), and watch part of his show, before heading over towards Arena and watching a bit of Mew (Arena, 23.00). I should be able to catch up to an hour of their show, before going back to Orange for Thursdays big bash, Trentemøller (Orange, 00.30).
FRIDAY is the day I'm looking forward to the most, because three of my most anticipated acts are on here. Once again, I'm off to a slightly late start, as my first appointment will be with Friendly Fires (Odeon, 18.00). I might be there in good time though, to get a real good spot (although that's not too difficult on Odeon). After that, I've got a bit of a break before 2ManyDJs (Cosmopol, 22.30), but there's a good chance I'll go to Cosmopol early to catch Little Boots (Cosmopol, 21.00). After 2ManyDJs, I'm a bit divided as to whether I'll swing by Nine Inch Nails (Orange, 01.00) and catch a little bit of their show, or whether I'll give priority to getting a good spot and a few more beers before Röyksopp (Arena, 02.00), which is going to be awesome. There's a slight chance i might catch a bit of Analogik (Astoria, 03.00), although I wouldn't count on it, as might not even make it, depending on how long a set Röyksopp will play.
SATURDAY is clash-day in my programme, and I'll probably not decide until on the day itself, which route I'm going to take. It's gonna depend on who's going to the different concerts as well. Starting off, it's going to be either Håkan Hellström (Orange, 16.00) or Oh No Ono (Odeon, 16.30), probably depending on my mood and the weather. If it's beautifully sunny i'll go for Hellström, although I'm not crazy about him playing at Orange. I'm not doubting he's gonna draw a sufficient crowd, but I'd have liked it more at Arena. And i know that both Tim Christensen, Balstyrko and Kasai Allstars are playing earlier on, but I never go to concerts before 15.00, unless it's something really really important. I might check out Den Sorte Skole (Cosmopol, 18.00), or I might just be in for a chill in the camp before a busy busy evening and night. Starting it off, I'm gonna have to choose between Cut Off Your Hands (Pavillion, 21.00) or Lily Allen (Arena, 21.30). Right now I'm leaning towards the former, although I'm very much in doubt. I know more of Allen's stuff, but COYH might be this years real surprise gig like Polarkreis 18 was last year. Tough pick. It gets worse though, later on. I'm definitely gonna see Fever Ray (Arena, 00.00), and if I stay for her entire show, that'll have me missing the start of Black Dice (Pavillion, 01.00). That's a bit of a pity, but I think that's what I'll do nonetheless, unless Fever Ray is disappointing. Lastly there's a real dilemma between Deadmau5 (Cosmopol, 02.00) and Malk de Koijn (Arena, 02.00). I think I'm gonna catch up on Deadmau5 after Black Dice, and skip Malk de Koijn, mostly because it would be silly to leave Arena for such a short period. It's gonna depend very much on who I'm hanging with though. A very tough choice, with Fever Ray being the only show set in stone.
Finally, SUNDAY is gonna be much more relaxed, but anyhow busier than the last years where I've basically only gone to one gig (Muse '07, Hot Chip '08). I'm gonna start off with White Lies (Odeon, 17.00), before probably going to pack up my stuff. Then I'll head over to watch Yeah Yeah Yeahs (Arena, 20.45), and then I'll probably hop onto Coldplay (Orange, 22.00) fifteen minutes late, but that doesn't really matter, as I'm seeing them later this year anyway. If YYYs suck (I doubt it), I'll leave them prematurely. I'd like to catch Pharfar late Sunday at Arena, but I won't, as I'll head home after Coldplay.
So that's it, with the only real tough choices to be made late saturday, I'm honestly pretty satisfied with the programme. Roll on Roskilde!!
(Oh, and the links for the schedule)
Thursday: http://imgur.com/bHtRy.png
Friday: http://imgur.com/YLyFJ.png
Saturday: http://imgur.com/2VC4H.png
Sunday http://imgur.com/cg0VO.png
THURSDAY is by far the weakest of the four, with nothing really happening in the late afternoon. The last two years I have been busy with Arcade Fire ('07) and MGMT ('08) early on, but this year it looks like I'll have plenty of time to get hammered. I might check out Zizek Club (Cosmopol, 20:30) or Århus E (Lounge, 20:00), depending on my state of drunkenness (the former requires a heftier alcohol consumption). Either way, I'm probably gonna check up on Kanye West (Orange, 22.15), and watch part of his show, before heading over towards Arena and watching a bit of Mew (Arena, 23.00). I should be able to catch up to an hour of their show, before going back to Orange for Thursdays big bash, Trentemøller (Orange, 00.30).
FRIDAY is the day I'm looking forward to the most, because three of my most anticipated acts are on here. Once again, I'm off to a slightly late start, as my first appointment will be with Friendly Fires (Odeon, 18.00). I might be there in good time though, to get a real good spot (although that's not too difficult on Odeon). After that, I've got a bit of a break before 2ManyDJs (Cosmopol, 22.30), but there's a good chance I'll go to Cosmopol early to catch Little Boots (Cosmopol, 21.00). After 2ManyDJs, I'm a bit divided as to whether I'll swing by Nine Inch Nails (Orange, 01.00) and catch a little bit of their show, or whether I'll give priority to getting a good spot and a few more beers before Röyksopp (Arena, 02.00), which is going to be awesome. There's a slight chance i might catch a bit of Analogik (Astoria, 03.00), although I wouldn't count on it, as might not even make it, depending on how long a set Röyksopp will play.
SATURDAY is clash-day in my programme, and I'll probably not decide until on the day itself, which route I'm going to take. It's gonna depend on who's going to the different concerts as well. Starting off, it's going to be either Håkan Hellström (Orange, 16.00) or Oh No Ono (Odeon, 16.30), probably depending on my mood and the weather. If it's beautifully sunny i'll go for Hellström, although I'm not crazy about him playing at Orange. I'm not doubting he's gonna draw a sufficient crowd, but I'd have liked it more at Arena. And i know that both Tim Christensen, Balstyrko and Kasai Allstars are playing earlier on, but I never go to concerts before 15.00, unless it's something really really important. I might check out Den Sorte Skole (Cosmopol, 18.00), or I might just be in for a chill in the camp before a busy busy evening and night. Starting it off, I'm gonna have to choose between Cut Off Your Hands (Pavillion, 21.00) or Lily Allen (Arena, 21.30). Right now I'm leaning towards the former, although I'm very much in doubt. I know more of Allen's stuff, but COYH might be this years real surprise gig like Polarkreis 18 was last year. Tough pick. It gets worse though, later on. I'm definitely gonna see Fever Ray (Arena, 00.00), and if I stay for her entire show, that'll have me missing the start of Black Dice (Pavillion, 01.00). That's a bit of a pity, but I think that's what I'll do nonetheless, unless Fever Ray is disappointing. Lastly there's a real dilemma between Deadmau5 (Cosmopol, 02.00) and Malk de Koijn (Arena, 02.00). I think I'm gonna catch up on Deadmau5 after Black Dice, and skip Malk de Koijn, mostly because it would be silly to leave Arena for such a short period. It's gonna depend very much on who I'm hanging with though. A very tough choice, with Fever Ray being the only show set in stone.
Finally, SUNDAY is gonna be much more relaxed, but anyhow busier than the last years where I've basically only gone to one gig (Muse '07, Hot Chip '08). I'm gonna start off with White Lies (Odeon, 17.00), before probably going to pack up my stuff. Then I'll head over to watch Yeah Yeah Yeahs (Arena, 20.45), and then I'll probably hop onto Coldplay (Orange, 22.00) fifteen minutes late, but that doesn't really matter, as I'm seeing them later this year anyway. If YYYs suck (I doubt it), I'll leave them prematurely. I'd like to catch Pharfar late Sunday at Arena, but I won't, as I'll head home after Coldplay.
So that's it, with the only real tough choices to be made late saturday, I'm honestly pretty satisfied with the programme. Roll on Roskilde!!
(Oh, and the links for the schedule)
Thursday: http://imgur.com/bHtRy.png
Friday: http://imgur.com/YLyFJ.png
Saturday: http://imgur.com/2VC4H.png
Sunday http://imgur.com/cg0VO.png
Sunday, June 14, 2009
The big Roskilde overview.
I am very much into this years Roskilde-lineup, and I've tried to get a hold of which acts I want to catch. I had originally planned to wait doing all this 'till the band schedule has been released, however rumour has it that isn't going to happen until perhaps a few days before warm-up. Treat this as a guide, or as a hype machine, or whatever floats. But these are my Roskilde-priorities 2009:
Kicking it off, there are only a few acts this year that I more or less must see. Chiefly, those are Röyksopp, Friendly Fires and Trentemøller. The latter does not need much introduction, and being as he's going to be playing Thursday night at Orange, when there's supposedly nothing else going on, I doubt that there'll be many missing out on it. I missed his concert two years ago, and really regretted it, but this time around should be even better. Röyksopp is probably known to most people too, and that's really gonna be a blast. Be sure to check out UK indiepoppers Friendly Fires though, their album is really cool, and i thing it's going to be a hell of a party. Preferably at Odeon.
Two big DJ'ing names make it to the top of my list as well. Canadian house producer Deadmau5 (pronounced 'deadmouse') will probably fill up Arena late one night, and really make people dance like crazy. I hope to catch him. Likewise, Belgian late-additions 2ManyDJs surely will rev it up with remixes and mashup-stuff. In the more melancholic direction there's Fever Ray, perhaps better known as the female half of Swedish electroklash-minimalists The Knife, will surely be a intense and opaque experience.
Then there's Coldplay, further presentation unnecessary. I am a bit divided as to whether i'm going to see them at Roskilde or not, considering that i rather foolishly bought a ticket for their show in Herning in August, before they were announced for Roskilde. I should have seen that coming. However, they are a brilliant bunch, and it's probably gonna take something big to keep me from hearing them.
This brings me around to commenting on some of the, as far as I'm concerned pretty weak, headliners at this years festival. Besides Coldplay and Trentemøller, I'm probably gonna disregard the big ones this year. Oasis have never really floated my boat, and they never play my favourite tune of theirs (Stop Crying Your Heart Out) live anyway, so chances are slim that i'm gonna catch them. I generally don't like being at Orange unless i'm watching an act i really know, but if nothing else is going on, I'd like to catch at least part of Pet Shop Boys' and/or Nine Inch Nails' concerts. Neither are particularly high on my agenda though. Same goes for Kanye West. He supposedly did a great show in 2006, and I might catch him, might not.
Let's go now to my 'home court', the indie/rock/pop acts. There are five acts here that i particularly hope to catch, but everything depends on them not clashing with eachother or something more important. Swedish pop-darling Håkan Hellström guarantees a fresh and happy show, probably at Arena, and if the weather's good it could be a nice gig to catch in the afternoon sun. Same goes for Lily Allen, whom I think will bring out quite a large crowd, despite critics pointing out that she's not exactly a typical Roskilde-name. I think Roskilde fathoms every genre, and ms. Allen has really made a lot of nice pop tunes (plus I'm a sucker for cockney, that might be why I like her), and she's definitely high on my list.
Two indie bands have really shot up my priority-list through the last few weeks, and they're now both around my top 10. Newzealanders Cut Off Your Hands are really cool. Slightly reminiscent of more acclaimed powerpoppers Phoenix, they are really promising. White Lies are supposedly a great live act, and their single Farewell To The Fairgrounds is getting massive airplay on Danish benchmark radio P3 these days, and while some of their stuff reminds me slightly of this years hate-object Glasvegas, I think it'll be good. I just ordered their album, and by Roskilde, I'll either have disregarded them as being mediocre, og I'll like them enough to be on a sing-along level. The fifth important act in this category is Yeah Yeah Yeahs, however, to my surprise, I've run tired of them quite rapidly. There's still a good chance I'll check them out though, as they're pretty unique, and frontwoman Karen O. is supposedly quite kicking live.
On a side note, there are a few acts in this category I might check out if i have the time, however they're not important to me. That goes for Little Boots, although i don't think it's real dappy live. The Whitest Boy Alive, however critically acclaimed, have never really entered my listening habits, however there must be something to the hype.
I'm always very ambivalent as to whether i should take time out to catch Danish acts (excluding Trentemøller), being as they're easily catchable throughout the year at other venues. This year however, there are a few very noticeable names that I'd really like to catch, if they do not clash with any of the international names high on my agenda. Of course Malk de Koijn has to be considered this year. There's a chance it might be a concert that goes down in history, and Malk de Koijns sublime lyrical universe unites Danes from indie-rockers to hiphoppers and house-clubbers. For me however, it's gonna depend a lot on what else is playing at the same time.
Analogik put on a great show at Pavillion Junior two years ago, but this time they're playing at the festival proper, which makes it likely that they will clash with something else. They're still high on my list though. Mew will play a lot of their new stuff, probably at Arena, but there's a slight chance they will be given Orange. I don't think so though, as it is of the utmost importance that they are playing during night-time, as they do a lot of visual stuff. I might catch them, because even though i haven't been listening a lot to them lately, their new stuff might be interesting, and some of their old stuff rocks live. Oh No Ono are generally a terrific live act, and part of their new album is really cool, however they are from Aalborg, and play there at least once a year, so they're not musts. Same goes for Balstyrko, although a very exciting act, I really doubt that i'll get around to catching them.
Benchmark Danish turntablists Den Sorte Skole are definitely worth a listen, however in my opinion, they're only as good as the crowd and their alcohol consumption make them, and i saw them with RJD2 this February. I might still catch them though, if I'm sufficiently drunk. I've actually never seen Tim Christensen live, but he's playing Grøn Koncert this year alongside Kashmir, so I'm pretty sure I'll skip him at Roskilde.
I haven't really done a lot of research on this years Pavillion Junior-names, however there's one act I'm most definitely checking out. That's Ginger Ninja, and they're the only real dance-punk act making it big in Denmark right now. I find them one of the most promising upcoming names i Denmark right now, and we had the pleasure of playing alongside them at Studenterhuset this February. Check them out!
Finally, Pharfar's Rub'a'Dub Sunday is probably going to be a blast, and i'd really like to check it out. However it just might be late Sunday night/Monday morning, at a time when i might have left Roskilde.
I always have an ambition for checking out some experimental and international acts at Roskilde, as it's really the only place in Denmark where these acts play. Most of these acts however suffer from the fact that they're outshined by bigger acts, and that I'm rarely able to find someone willing to join me for this stuff. Top of my list in this category is Black Dice, which is a really cool experimental/IDM outfit from New York. I really hope i'm gonna be able to check them out. Amadou & Mariam are supposedly really something special, however my prime world-music inducer Peter is skipping Roskilde this year, which might mean I won't be pressured enough to check out A&M anyway. 2562 is the only real dubstep act this year, but he doesn't really float my boat, so I'm probably leaving him out of consideration. He deserves mention here though. Same goes for Deichkind, an early riser on my list, but they're really been dwarfed by the sheer width of this years lineup, and they're probably out of consideration too. I do have a tough time coping with people singing in German anyway.
Gang Gang Dance are very critically acclaimed, and might be worth a listen. Zizek Club will probably be wild as fuck, Bomba Estéreo could satisfy my hispanophile tendencies, and this might be the year where i finally catch the obligatory congotronics-act, this year Kasai Allstars, although these acts are very often more congo than tronics.
Phew!
So the list goes down like this!
1) Friendly Fires (UK)
2) Trentemøller (DK)
3) Röyksopp (N)
4) Fever Ray (S)
5) 2ManyDJs (BE)
6) Coldplay (UK)
7) White Lies (UK)
8) Deadmau5 (CAN)
9) Yeah Yeah Yeahs (US)
10) Black Dice (US)
11) Cut Off Your Hands (NZ)
12) Pet Shop Boys (UK)
13) Lily Allen (UK)
14) Oh No Ono (DK)
15) Mew (DK)
16) Malk De Koijn (DK)
17) Analogik (DK)
18) Håkan Hellström (S)
19) Kanye West (US)
20) Ginger Ninja (DK)
21) Little Boots (UK)
22) Nine Inch Nails (US)
23) Tim Christensen (DK)
24) Gang Gang Dance (US)
25) Den Sorte Skole (DK)
26) Deichkind (DE)
27) The Whitest Boy Alive (DE)
28) Bomba Estéreo (COL)
29) Balstyrko (DK)
30) Zizek Club (RA)
31) Amadou & Mariam (MAL)
32) 2562 (NL)
33) Kasai Allstars (CD)
Everything else is rubbish. And if I catch half of these acts, I'm glad.
Bring on the band schedule!
Kicking it off, there are only a few acts this year that I more or less must see. Chiefly, those are Röyksopp, Friendly Fires and Trentemøller. The latter does not need much introduction, and being as he's going to be playing Thursday night at Orange, when there's supposedly nothing else going on, I doubt that there'll be many missing out on it. I missed his concert two years ago, and really regretted it, but this time around should be even better. Röyksopp is probably known to most people too, and that's really gonna be a blast. Be sure to check out UK indiepoppers Friendly Fires though, their album is really cool, and i thing it's going to be a hell of a party. Preferably at Odeon.
Two big DJ'ing names make it to the top of my list as well. Canadian house producer Deadmau5 (pronounced 'deadmouse') will probably fill up Arena late one night, and really make people dance like crazy. I hope to catch him. Likewise, Belgian late-additions 2ManyDJs surely will rev it up with remixes and mashup-stuff. In the more melancholic direction there's Fever Ray, perhaps better known as the female half of Swedish electroklash-minimalists The Knife, will surely be a intense and opaque experience.
Then there's Coldplay, further presentation unnecessary. I am a bit divided as to whether i'm going to see them at Roskilde or not, considering that i rather foolishly bought a ticket for their show in Herning in August, before they were announced for Roskilde. I should have seen that coming. However, they are a brilliant bunch, and it's probably gonna take something big to keep me from hearing them.
This brings me around to commenting on some of the, as far as I'm concerned pretty weak, headliners at this years festival. Besides Coldplay and Trentemøller, I'm probably gonna disregard the big ones this year. Oasis have never really floated my boat, and they never play my favourite tune of theirs (Stop Crying Your Heart Out) live anyway, so chances are slim that i'm gonna catch them. I generally don't like being at Orange unless i'm watching an act i really know, but if nothing else is going on, I'd like to catch at least part of Pet Shop Boys' and/or Nine Inch Nails' concerts. Neither are particularly high on my agenda though. Same goes for Kanye West. He supposedly did a great show in 2006, and I might catch him, might not.
Let's go now to my 'home court', the indie/rock/pop acts. There are five acts here that i particularly hope to catch, but everything depends on them not clashing with eachother or something more important. Swedish pop-darling Håkan Hellström guarantees a fresh and happy show, probably at Arena, and if the weather's good it could be a nice gig to catch in the afternoon sun. Same goes for Lily Allen, whom I think will bring out quite a large crowd, despite critics pointing out that she's not exactly a typical Roskilde-name. I think Roskilde fathoms every genre, and ms. Allen has really made a lot of nice pop tunes (plus I'm a sucker for cockney, that might be why I like her), and she's definitely high on my list.
Two indie bands have really shot up my priority-list through the last few weeks, and they're now both around my top 10. Newzealanders Cut Off Your Hands are really cool. Slightly reminiscent of more acclaimed powerpoppers Phoenix, they are really promising. White Lies are supposedly a great live act, and their single Farewell To The Fairgrounds is getting massive airplay on Danish benchmark radio P3 these days, and while some of their stuff reminds me slightly of this years hate-object Glasvegas, I think it'll be good. I just ordered their album, and by Roskilde, I'll either have disregarded them as being mediocre, og I'll like them enough to be on a sing-along level. The fifth important act in this category is Yeah Yeah Yeahs, however, to my surprise, I've run tired of them quite rapidly. There's still a good chance I'll check them out though, as they're pretty unique, and frontwoman Karen O. is supposedly quite kicking live.
On a side note, there are a few acts in this category I might check out if i have the time, however they're not important to me. That goes for Little Boots, although i don't think it's real dappy live. The Whitest Boy Alive, however critically acclaimed, have never really entered my listening habits, however there must be something to the hype.
I'm always very ambivalent as to whether i should take time out to catch Danish acts (excluding Trentemøller), being as they're easily catchable throughout the year at other venues. This year however, there are a few very noticeable names that I'd really like to catch, if they do not clash with any of the international names high on my agenda. Of course Malk de Koijn has to be considered this year. There's a chance it might be a concert that goes down in history, and Malk de Koijns sublime lyrical universe unites Danes from indie-rockers to hiphoppers and house-clubbers. For me however, it's gonna depend a lot on what else is playing at the same time.
Analogik put on a great show at Pavillion Junior two years ago, but this time they're playing at the festival proper, which makes it likely that they will clash with something else. They're still high on my list though. Mew will play a lot of their new stuff, probably at Arena, but there's a slight chance they will be given Orange. I don't think so though, as it is of the utmost importance that they are playing during night-time, as they do a lot of visual stuff. I might catch them, because even though i haven't been listening a lot to them lately, their new stuff might be interesting, and some of their old stuff rocks live. Oh No Ono are generally a terrific live act, and part of their new album is really cool, however they are from Aalborg, and play there at least once a year, so they're not musts. Same goes for Balstyrko, although a very exciting act, I really doubt that i'll get around to catching them.
Benchmark Danish turntablists Den Sorte Skole are definitely worth a listen, however in my opinion, they're only as good as the crowd and their alcohol consumption make them, and i saw them with RJD2 this February. I might still catch them though, if I'm sufficiently drunk. I've actually never seen Tim Christensen live, but he's playing Grøn Koncert this year alongside Kashmir, so I'm pretty sure I'll skip him at Roskilde.
I haven't really done a lot of research on this years Pavillion Junior-names, however there's one act I'm most definitely checking out. That's Ginger Ninja, and they're the only real dance-punk act making it big in Denmark right now. I find them one of the most promising upcoming names i Denmark right now, and we had the pleasure of playing alongside them at Studenterhuset this February. Check them out!
Finally, Pharfar's Rub'a'Dub Sunday is probably going to be a blast, and i'd really like to check it out. However it just might be late Sunday night/Monday morning, at a time when i might have left Roskilde.
I always have an ambition for checking out some experimental and international acts at Roskilde, as it's really the only place in Denmark where these acts play. Most of these acts however suffer from the fact that they're outshined by bigger acts, and that I'm rarely able to find someone willing to join me for this stuff. Top of my list in this category is Black Dice, which is a really cool experimental/IDM outfit from New York. I really hope i'm gonna be able to check them out. Amadou & Mariam are supposedly really something special, however my prime world-music inducer Peter is skipping Roskilde this year, which might mean I won't be pressured enough to check out A&M anyway. 2562 is the only real dubstep act this year, but he doesn't really float my boat, so I'm probably leaving him out of consideration. He deserves mention here though. Same goes for Deichkind, an early riser on my list, but they're really been dwarfed by the sheer width of this years lineup, and they're probably out of consideration too. I do have a tough time coping with people singing in German anyway.
Gang Gang Dance are very critically acclaimed, and might be worth a listen. Zizek Club will probably be wild as fuck, Bomba Estéreo could satisfy my hispanophile tendencies, and this might be the year where i finally catch the obligatory congotronics-act, this year Kasai Allstars, although these acts are very often more congo than tronics.
Phew!
So the list goes down like this!
1) Friendly Fires (UK)
2) Trentemøller (DK)
3) Röyksopp (N)
4) Fever Ray (S)
5) 2ManyDJs (BE)
6) Coldplay (UK)
7) White Lies (UK)
8) Deadmau5 (CAN)
9) Yeah Yeah Yeahs (US)
10) Black Dice (US)
11) Cut Off Your Hands (NZ)
12) Pet Shop Boys (UK)
13) Lily Allen (UK)
14) Oh No Ono (DK)
15) Mew (DK)
16) Malk De Koijn (DK)
17) Analogik (DK)
18) Håkan Hellström (S)
19) Kanye West (US)
20) Ginger Ninja (DK)
21) Little Boots (UK)
22) Nine Inch Nails (US)
23) Tim Christensen (DK)
24) Gang Gang Dance (US)
25) Den Sorte Skole (DK)
26) Deichkind (DE)
27) The Whitest Boy Alive (DE)
28) Bomba Estéreo (COL)
29) Balstyrko (DK)
30) Zizek Club (RA)
31) Amadou & Mariam (MAL)
32) 2562 (NL)
33) Kasai Allstars (CD)
Everything else is rubbish. And if I catch half of these acts, I'm glad.
Bring on the band schedule!
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Midway tête-à-têtes and postindustrial cities.
Rounding off election Sunday, I actually found the concluding debate among the party leaders much more interesting than the election itself. Being somewhat of a midway tête-à-tête in between parliamentary elections, the general tone was much more audaciously casual. I found it interesting that when finally getting enough of Pia Kjærsgaards nastyness and slight, Margrethe Vestager aggressively and resolutely quieted her, and was immediately supported by both Villy Søvndal and Helle Thorning-Schmidt. I finally saw the united opposition that we have lacked for so long. Combined with his complete untolerability towards the omnipresent sarcasm, and his inadequately controlled ill-temperedness, I think Lars Løkke Rasmussen will most definitely have his work cut out in an eventual election.
In other notes, i should mention that we played at the new Nordkraft venue Friday. Nordkraft is an old power-plant that has been completely refurbished into a multi-purpose culture centre, although it has been aesthetically kept industrial in appearance. A real figurehead of this city's postindustrial, gentrified harbourfront. We played at a battle of the bands, a kind of event I usually detest, as there's no proper time for soundchecking (and synthesizers often suffer from that), and there's generally too much of a "better-be-grateful-we-let-you-play-here!"-attitude from the hosts. I prefer having enough time to tinker with my setup and sound levels. Anyhow, Friday was a real delight, as the new venue is really impressive. Quite large, and cleverly designed, the acoustics however are what impressed me the most, being very clean and crisp. It's not uncomparable to the costly DR Concert Hall in Copenhagen, and I really hope this new venue is not wasted on the tenants Skråen, who have become slightly mid-age oriented in their selection of acts as of late. There could be real blasts at Nordkraft if they are able to draw some cool acts there!
Finally, I figured I should mention this weeks unavoidable track on P3, which are used-to-be teen-indie-electro-rockers Dúné, and their new single, Victim of the City, from their forthcoming album. After having surged through Danish underground at an early age, they became somewhat of a mainstream choice and thus indie pariah following the release of their debut record in 2007, but there might be potential for them to regain respect among conoisseurs with their sophomore effort. The new single at least is promising, indicating much more matureness and depth.
We'll see, though.
In other notes, i should mention that we played at the new Nordkraft venue Friday. Nordkraft is an old power-plant that has been completely refurbished into a multi-purpose culture centre, although it has been aesthetically kept industrial in appearance. A real figurehead of this city's postindustrial, gentrified harbourfront. We played at a battle of the bands, a kind of event I usually detest, as there's no proper time for soundchecking (and synthesizers often suffer from that), and there's generally too much of a "better-be-grateful-we-let-you-play-here!"-attitude from the hosts. I prefer having enough time to tinker with my setup and sound levels. Anyhow, Friday was a real delight, as the new venue is really impressive. Quite large, and cleverly designed, the acoustics however are what impressed me the most, being very clean and crisp. It's not uncomparable to the costly DR Concert Hall in Copenhagen, and I really hope this new venue is not wasted on the tenants Skråen, who have become slightly mid-age oriented in their selection of acts as of late. There could be real blasts at Nordkraft if they are able to draw some cool acts there!
Finally, I figured I should mention this weeks unavoidable track on P3, which are used-to-be teen-indie-electro-rockers Dúné, and their new single, Victim of the City, from their forthcoming album. After having surged through Danish underground at an early age, they became somewhat of a mainstream choice and thus indie pariah following the release of their debut record in 2007, but there might be potential for them to regain respect among conoisseurs with their sophomore effort. The new single at least is promising, indicating much more matureness and depth.
We'll see, though.
Saturday, June 06, 2009
Down the drain!
Tomorrow, Danes (and many other ethnicities of patchwork Europe) go to the ballot box in order to vote in an election that has major ramifications upon daily legislation, but yet still leaves Average Joe quite indifferent. That's the European parliamentary elections - a quinquinnenial event that brings a steep but sadly insufficient surge in interest concerning pan-European politics. That itself ridicules the entire ordeal slightly. As Hanne Dahl of JuniBevægelsen put it a few weeks ago: In order to be meaningful to people and thus garner a large ballot, European topics need to be high on the news agenda constantly, not just surging to the media's attention whenever we suddenly have to send no-names and political retirees to Brussels on our mandate.
Anyhow, I've been much in doubt as to where I'll apply my vote. During these last few weeks, I've realized that no one (at least not in this country) really truly shares my views on the European Union, the direction in which it is going, and the direction in which it should go.
Down the drain!
And now, why is that? Don't we need to speak with a strong, joint, European voice in an increasingly globalized world, in which problems become more and more international and intercontinental, where financial and environmental crises crave for unambiguously multilateral actions? Yes, by all means do we Europeans need to counter the views and voices of America, China and other sprouting economies based one the comparative advantage that is cheap and plentiful labour.
This being said, I think the European Union as it exists today is no longer the correct solution. I believe it has become way too large and multifaceted for it's purposes. A union with as heavy economical and social ramifications as the European Union simply cannot function properly with economies and welfare states as diverse as the Danish, the Romanian, the British and the Italian. I have noticed the European Union having increasing difficulties in actually making things happen, because there will always be some countries tripping it up, like France or Poland. It's all a mess. The monthly extravaganza of racking thousands and thousands of staff and stuff up and transporting it from Brussels to Strasbourg just for the sake of mr. Sarkozy not choking in his Chardonnay (wait, he doesn't drink wine. His Evian then...) is a good example. The absurd agricultural subsidies another. The European Union must dissolve, that's the austere truth. And be replaced by smaller, closer knit alliances between countries that are more similar economically and social policy-wise. Then it would function. I'm tired of foot-dragging conservatives from southern and eastern Europe in the big agricultural organizations' pocket.
So who am I voting for then? Well, as I've mentioned, sadly as everywhere in Danish politics right now, no one really has the wit and the guts to say that the emperor is wearing no clothes. I am principally against abstaining or handing in a blank vote, even if conjectural. I could vote for Folkebevægelsen mod EU (People's Movement Against the EU), but they're against the whole idea of unionizing altogether, and that i cannot support. More than anything i believe it is a good thing to send strong and outspoken politicians, which is why I will probably vote for Hanne Dahl, of JuniBevægelsen.
The vote on the Act of Succession? Who gives a fuck.
Anyhow, I've been much in doubt as to where I'll apply my vote. During these last few weeks, I've realized that no one (at least not in this country) really truly shares my views on the European Union, the direction in which it is going, and the direction in which it should go.
Down the drain!
And now, why is that? Don't we need to speak with a strong, joint, European voice in an increasingly globalized world, in which problems become more and more international and intercontinental, where financial and environmental crises crave for unambiguously multilateral actions? Yes, by all means do we Europeans need to counter the views and voices of America, China and other sprouting economies based one the comparative advantage that is cheap and plentiful labour.
This being said, I think the European Union as it exists today is no longer the correct solution. I believe it has become way too large and multifaceted for it's purposes. A union with as heavy economical and social ramifications as the European Union simply cannot function properly with economies and welfare states as diverse as the Danish, the Romanian, the British and the Italian. I have noticed the European Union having increasing difficulties in actually making things happen, because there will always be some countries tripping it up, like France or Poland. It's all a mess. The monthly extravaganza of racking thousands and thousands of staff and stuff up and transporting it from Brussels to Strasbourg just for the sake of mr. Sarkozy not choking in his Chardonnay (wait, he doesn't drink wine. His Evian then...) is a good example. The absurd agricultural subsidies another. The European Union must dissolve, that's the austere truth. And be replaced by smaller, closer knit alliances between countries that are more similar economically and social policy-wise. Then it would function. I'm tired of foot-dragging conservatives from southern and eastern Europe in the big agricultural organizations' pocket.
So who am I voting for then? Well, as I've mentioned, sadly as everywhere in Danish politics right now, no one really has the wit and the guts to say that the emperor is wearing no clothes. I am principally against abstaining or handing in a blank vote, even if conjectural. I could vote for Folkebevægelsen mod EU (People's Movement Against the EU), but they're against the whole idea of unionizing altogether, and that i cannot support. More than anything i believe it is a good thing to send strong and outspoken politicians, which is why I will probably vote for Hanne Dahl, of JuniBevægelsen.
The vote on the Act of Succession? Who gives a fuck.
Monday, June 01, 2009
What's with those Palace Players, and August 24th?
Just got a bit of stuff here. First up, i'd like to bring the hype machine on. This way cool tune has been played by the terrific Mr. Kjeld Tolstrup these last few weeks on his weekly friday night mass of electronica and Copenhagen underground. It's sweet, don't you think?
The new Mew single (which I mentioned to rather dull reviews in my previous post), Introducing Palace Players, as it's called, has been made Unavoidable of The Week on my preferred radio station, P3. Having become a frequent radio listener, it's gonna be interesting how this tune will grow on me. It's not exactly an easily accessible song to begin with, but that seriously oblique guitar-riff really intrigues me somewhat. I still don't hope this is the best track on the album though, but there might be hope and potential after all.
The also aforementioned quartet of cheeky Sheffielders, the Arctic Monkeys, have just announced that they'll release their still untitled new album on August 24th. Very exciting, neh?
And there's only 26 days 'till the big bazooney of the year - Roskilde Festival. Cheesy.
The new Mew single (which I mentioned to rather dull reviews in my previous post), Introducing Palace Players, as it's called, has been made Unavoidable of The Week on my preferred radio station, P3. Having become a frequent radio listener, it's gonna be interesting how this tune will grow on me. It's not exactly an easily accessible song to begin with, but that seriously oblique guitar-riff really intrigues me somewhat. I still don't hope this is the best track on the album though, but there might be hope and potential after all.
The also aforementioned quartet of cheeky Sheffielders, the Arctic Monkeys, have just announced that they'll release their still untitled new album on August 24th. Very exciting, neh?
And there's only 26 days 'till the big bazooney of the year - Roskilde Festival. Cheesy.
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