Although new-rave's dead...

... Klaxons are, apparently, still breathing. It's been a long time since we've heard from them, but the 8follow-up to Mercury Prize-winning debut, Myths of the Near Future, might finally be on its way. I am very excited to see, how Klaxons have coped with the sophomore jinx, and the first bit is here - it's called 'Flashover'. It sounds very recognizable, but it's a bit noisier than some of the old stuff. I kinda like it though. The new album is slated to hit stores some time this year.

Arcade Fire are back on track too, with The Suburbs being released in early August. The Canadians are relatively a class act, and everybody will be surprised, if their third album won't be at least decent. There are a few tracks available now, including 'Month of May' which is quite a bit of a step back towards conventional rock, uncharacteristically springy.'The Suburbs' is a bit more recognizable, and, in my opinion, better.

That's about it for now. It's pay day, so I ordered a wee batch of new records, including the new records by Roskilde-bound bands The National and LCD Soundsystem.

Memorable moments from Roskilde '07-'09, 3 of 3.

4. Klaxons, Odeon, 2007.

It was the summer of 2007 - the height of the short-lived new-rave phenomenon. Roskilde was invaded by outfits such as CSS, who gave the only 6-star-rated concert that year, and New Young Pony Club, but atop the glowstick-hierarchy stood Klaxons with their cascades of dirty guitars, aggressive synths and catchy vocals. Klaxons, who have lately almost disappeared into unfinished recordings and excessive amounts of LSD, came fresh from London with their debut LP, Myths Of The Near Future, which eventually went on to win the coveted Mercury Prize that same year, and were determined to show these Danes how to party the new-rave way. Word had already spread, and jars of face paint made their way around the anticipating front rows of the crowd - which is why I looked like a fluorescent gherkin when I emerged after the concert to ecstatically hug two of my cronies, who had watched from slightly further out. And ecstasy it was, for what an intense 45 minutes the young Britons gave us! Playing their entire album, people were mashing around and dancing rapturously to the noisy walls of sound that emerged from stage. When the bassist jumped down into the front-stage pit, he was even dragged backwards into an involuntary crowd surf by an exalted crowd of pretty, sweaty young things. New-rave perhaps is dead for good, but that Friday it really, truly lived!

3. 2ManyDJs, Cosmopol, 2009.

"Hey boy, hey girl, 2ManyDJs, here we go!", is the usual chant at the Dewaele Brothers' parties, but this Friday at Roskilde it was replaced for the occasion by: "FUCK Oasis, FUCK FUCK Oasis", a reference to the Gallagher-nitwits who bored Orange to death with their sorry has-been britpop'n'roll. For those 5-6000 of us, who chose to sacrifice the arm-in-arm singalong of 'Wonderwall', it was apparently quite important to let Oasis know, that they just haven't had the mojo since 1994. I could have scrambled to Orange and, according to Setlist.fm, caught both 'Live Forever', 'Champagne Supernova' and the above mentioned 'Wonderwall', but after an hour and a half with the executive-like dressed Belgians, I was in a complete state of daze, and probably wouldn't have heard Liam Gallagher even if he was screaming "MAYBEEEEE..." straight into my face. Enough about Oasis now, because this is all about how 2ManyDJs transformed an already boiling Cosmopol into a daft and insanely exhausting and riveting party. I have never experienced anything as berserk as this was, and even I, standing more than 6 feet tall, at times felt uncomfortable in the maniac jumping, screaming and dancing that followed every climax of the Belgians' set. There was a friendly mood however, somewhere hovering above all that insanity, and all those bodies drenched in sweat. Supplemented by amazing visuals, that created a magic anticipation ahead of each new twist, turn and spin of a record, 2ManyDJs created an unforgettable party, perfectly honoring their status as kings of the turntables!

2. Muse, Orange, 2007.

Now, I know Matt Bellamy does a lot of space-kinda themed lyrics, and is pretty into all that kinda stuff, but I'm still not quite sure, whether it was or wasn't him that made all the rainclouds finally disappear Sunday afternoon in 2007. I remember it was completely surreal to have a few beers in the sun, while queueing for Muse's very highly anticipated gig at Orange. We still had to wear our wellingtons of course, but still, there was somewhat of an awakening for those who had endured a week of mud, mud and more mud. Admittedly, if Muse hadn't played Sunday, I might, just might, have bailed on Roskilde '07 earlier. However, back then, Muse was one of the bands that I and my mates listened to the most, and it was only fitting to conclude our maiden trip to Roskilde with the Teignmouth tree. As such, it was a legendary concert. To this date, it's still the only time I've been close to the front of Orange Stage, and it was a humongous party down there. An overwhelming concert by one of the worlds best live bands!

1. Trentemøller, Orange, 2009.

Nothing above or even nearly alike. That's one of the most fitting ways to describe Trentemøller's gig at Orange in 2009. Description becomes a hard task here, and comparison to other shows becomes useless. Just think of the fact, that Trentemøller apparently spent more money than he received for the show - that's genuine! With all of the other stages empty and closed for the night, Trentemøller had us all in his solid grip for two hours, while the sun set over Roskilde, and although anticipation had been very high for this show, the Danish superstar DJ exceeded them by far. We had absolutely prime spots right behind the pits, and we were a whole happy posse there, which made it all the merrier. 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 joyously yelping throughout the concert, and I was dancing, jumping and shouting all the way back to camp. I remember sitting there afterwards with a few other guys, vainly trying to process what we had just experienced. Trentemøller is a master of his art, and equipped with a heavy artillery of machines, light and a broad supporting cast, he created an otherworldly performance!

Memorable moments from Roskilde '07-'09, 2 of 3.

8. Nephew, Orange, 2007.

Almost exactly 24 hours after Nephew's career-making crusade onto the big stage underneath the orange canopy, the last tones rang hoarsely from Anthony Kiedis' ill and tormented lungs, to mark the end of one of the most drab and uninspiring experiences I have ever had in front of a stage. The Californian megastars' complete failure was put into an uncompromising perspective when compared to the waves the quintet from Skanderborg sent oscillating through the kingdom the night before. 07/07-07 will be forever cemented in the head of Danish music enthusiasts as the day, when Nephew conquered the biggest stage in the nation, and showed, why musicians should always labour on, in search not of dollars and cents, but of the orgasmic gratification in entertaining your fans, whether they be there in dozens or in hordes, as they were, when the menacing synth of 'Bazooka' signaled the beginning of the most epic few hours in these five musicians' careers, and what a joy it was, to be there in the middle of the crowd, sharing it with everyone.

7. Radiohead, Orange, 2008.

Radiohead '08 was mainly about magnitude. The magnitude of the shockwaves that were sent through the entire music business, when Radiohead released In Rainbows in the fall of 2007, and inviting their fans to pay whatever they wanted. Of course, Radiohead were the obvious candidate to be the first band confirmed for Roskilde '08, and so they were. When Thom Yorke and his disciples entered Orange Stage that summer, we were not there to be entertained - we were in audience of perhaps the most prolific and important band in the world. And speaking of magnitude, we got perhaps one of the longest sets that have ever been performed underneath the Orange canopy. True, there were a wee bit of initial troubles with the sound, which sort of marred the magnificent '15 Step', but what a set! Radiohead have been known to cut a fair bit of corners in their impressive back catalogue, that spans everything from sizzling rock'n'roll, through pensive and painful ballads to electronic ventures, but nothing was amiss here - we not only got 'Karma Police', which beautifully finished off the concert with all 60.000 of us singing along with Thom and his acoustic guitar, we also got 'Paranoid Android', we got 'Idioteque', we got 'Exit Music (For A Film)', and we got 'You And Whose Army?', brilliantly executed through a fish-eye closeup of Thom's eye, that appeared to be staring straight and personally at each and every one of us. A brilliant marathon of an effort by one of the worlds most impressive and innovative outfits.

6. Coldplay, Orange, 2009.

As usual, Roskilde chose to ice the festival-cake of 2009 with one of the most widely acclaimed and appreciated bands on the poster, and none were more appropriate that year than Coldplay. My excitement to finally see this band, that has been one of my favorites for years, was slightly curbed by the fact that I was to see them later that year in Herning again. I went to watch a bit of Yeah Yeah Yeahs beforehand, and thus only got a spot in the middle of the crowd, which however turned out to be not too bad at all. Applying all kinds of creative antics, such as appearing in the middle of the crowd, making Mexican cell-phone waves and launching all kinds of gimmickery into the air, Chris Martin and his posse entertained the 60.000+ crowd at Orange in a flawless and brilliant way. The set got around the impressive back catalogue pretty well, and closed off first with the exquisite sing-along ballad 'The Scientist', which was graciously hummed - not shouted, hummed - by the audience, and then with epic 'Life in Technicolor II', to close off the festival on a sky-high note.

5. The Chemical Brothers, Orange, 2008.

When someone starts off a more than two hour long set at Orange Stage by playing their two arguably biggest hits, you know shit's about to go down. And so it went, in an amazing performance by the two British electronic pioneers, who transformed Orange Stage into the worlds biggest, happiest and most frantic club. It was one of those performances where you keep getting hit smack bang in the head by a menacing combination of beats, sounds and light. When someone really understands how to utilize it, Orange Stage can be one of the most impressive music venues in the world, and it is often best taken advantage of by the big, electronic names. It might not be the same to watch two guys with machines and computers, as it is to watch a guitar virtuoso at his best, but it's a different kind of experience, an intense and overpowering bombardment of sonic and visual impressions that leaves you yelping ecstatically for more.

Memorable moments from Roskilde '07-'09, 1 of 3.

Today, there's only a month until we'll all be back tugging our heavy backpacks and tents fast-pacedly across the gnarly soil outside of the Animal Showgrounds at Roskilde. We'll be back under our white gazebos, sweltering in the midday heat or gingerly making our way through the muddy inferno. The next month on The Idioteque will foremostly concern this, Europe's second most prominent music festival. To kick it off, however, I've decided to look back at the three years I've spent at Roskilde up to this point, and try and list some of the memorable and epic moments in the shade of the stage canopies. Twelve concerts have made the shortlist, and I will present them in fours. I believe a concert experience is always very personal and very subjective, and I am well aware that many of the below listed have in varying degrees been very much influenced by other factors than what has gone on on stage. But here goes!:

12. Arcade Fire, Arena, 2007.
I don't and didn't really have much to compare with, but it seemed there was an especially impatient anxiety to get into the festival area proper, that Thursday in 2007. It was that Thursday, where the rain refused to stop pouring onto the already poor state of the fields of Roskilde's campsite. To be frank, there was nothing bud foot-high mud left, and I think people were restless to have something to do, to have concerts to attend in stead of sitting around in rainwear and wellies all day long. This was my first concert ever at Roskilde, save for a few Pavilion Junior-acts, and I remember when the gates outside Arena opened, and we scrambled frantically into the dry sanctuary of this massive and awe-inspiring tent, which seemed other-worldly with it's dry and plain soil. The Canadians, at the time fresh with their second album, Neon Bible, delivered an incredibly tight and well-played show, and when they made the tent soar with 'Rebellion (Lies)' at the end, the only fitting conclusion was, that this was an alright start.

11. VETO, Arena, 2008.

2008 was the year, where the Danish bands really got a chance to try their best at Roskilde's big stages. L.O.C. and Tina Dickow played Orange, and Spleen United and VETO, both of whom had just released their sophomore efforts and had had big hits through spring, played Arena Friday night. To me, it was sort of a culmination to see VETO there, in front of 18.000 people - longtime fans next to the lucky ones who just happened to stumble into a Troels Abrahamsen with his voice at its absolutely fittest. I had been following VETO since the spring of 2005, when they were still very, very unknown, and although I've seen them live many times, in some way it made me proud to be there, at their biggest gig ever. It didn't hurt that they were absolutely seething, and their impressive, five-in-one encore of 'Blackout', 'Crooks', 'Digits', 'Unite' and 'Built To Fail' had the crowd jumping all over the place.

10. Friendly Fires, Odeon, 2009.

The St. Albans trio had me and my gang worked up pretty well with their impressive debut album, and we had looked forward to this concert as one of the highlights of that years festival. It isn't hard to get a decent spot at Odeon, and from front row, we had a marvelous view of frontman Ed Macfarlane's ridiculously groovy antics and of the guitarist's impressive use of pedals and effects. Although one could have wished for slightly fewer backtracks and samples of especially the synthesizer, Friendly Fires managed to shun the jinx of often disappointing concerts by bands with only one album behind them. At no point did the material seem lax, and we for sure had a blazing wee hour at Odeon that Friday!

9. Björk, Orange, 2007.

The odds weren't especially high for an outdoors event to be memorable for anything that Thursday, other than the endless amounts of rain that fell from the gray clouds over Roskilde. But even so, Björk didn't need much more than an impressive machine park of futuristic, tangible equipment and aggressive saw synths piercing through the darkness, to conquer the weather. At times, it seemed as though everyone even somehow forgot how much it was raining, and how tired we were of wading around in our smelly wellies. It was a memorable experience witnessing this amazon from the far north, as she wrung out all her anguish and pain in a bombardment of light and sonics.

On being 40 years old... And being James Murphy.

Growing old and presumably irrelevant to youth culture is a pretty common theme for musicians who've reached a certain age or phase. "Youth is wasted on the young", is one of the typical monikers of this slightly gerontocratic perception of life and generations. I feel inclined to quote Bjarke Niemann of Spleen United, who sharply criticizes this complacency in 'Failure 1977': "The failure ain't the going, it's the staying down."

James Murphy has told us all, that This Is Happening will be the last album from his crown jewel project, LCD Soundsystem. In this era of resurgent rock'n'roll mastodons, it's hard to take an announcement like that seriously, but something leads me to believe, that Murphy is actually dead serious. It's not like the man is going to hibernate in his hammock for the rest of his life. A devout musician like him will almost certainly be involved somewhere and in some way. But lets just pretend this is the last we're ever gonna hear of Murphy's distinctive voice and lyrical universe, all set to tight, tumbling beats. This way, This Is Happening is a pretty damn good way to shut oneself up. A far cry from 'Daft Punk Is Playing At My House', Murphy still rules New York dance-punk, albeit in a subtler and more introspective way than previously. That was a helluva long yarn just to point out that I've finally heard This Is Happening, and although reviews haven't led me to expect anything else, as this is one of the most highly praised albums so far of 2010, it is really good. It's doubtful that I'm ever really gonna love 'Drunk Girls', but for the few lows on this album, the highs are really consistent - songs such as 'Dance Yrself Clean', 'All I Want' and the awesome 'One Touch'.

I've consolidated my relationship with a few other mentionable records this past week. In the alley of producers-gone-frontmen, Broken Bells' eponymous debut album has been a pleasant surprise. I've only heard it a few times, thus I am unable to seriously draw any tracks out from this at times beatle'esquely soothing album, other than opener 'The High Road'.

In the department of massively critically acclaimed records, I've also finally gotten around to Boxer by The National, which is admittedly every bit as good as I had expected. Definitely a band that's moving upwards on my Roskilde priorities list these days, although a lot will still depend on how High Violet turns out. Also consolidating their position high on this list is Vampire Weekend. I've finally had a few runs through Contra, which is pretty good, although it doesn't appear as catchy as the debut. I love 'Run' though - it sounds just like a song with that title should!

Finally, a bit on the domestic scene, I went to high school with these guys, who were always a step in front of everyone else career-wise - and rightfully so, as they do have a talent for catchy compositions. They've been through quite an array of names and styles, but now seem to be settled in as Treefight For Sunlight, and a style somewhat resembling a cross between MGMT, Grizzly Bear and Oh No Ono. Their first proper single is out now, and is called 'Facing The Sun'. I really like it, and although its simplicity might not garner it a long life, it's a great summer hit, which I definitely think has potential to be one of the summer surprises on the Danish music scene.

Movers.

Pretty much everything musical right now revolves around Roskilde, which is only a month and a bit away. We've already got an amazing indie line-up this year, and just to top it off, Delphic have announced themselves. I've heard them live once before, and their album has been spun pretty frequently these past months, so yet another name to squeeze into the schedule I guess!

I got a hold of a further few relevant albums this past week, namely a few Danish acts. The Kissaway Trail are definitely moving upwards on my list (which I will probably keep to myself for a few weeks still to come, pending, amongst other things, my purchase of LCD Soundsystem's new album). Their newest album, Sleep Mountain, is pretty nice, and it sounds like music that will work very well live. I've also heard The National's critically acclaimed album Boxer, and these guys are definitely on the up on my list. I am anxious to get a hold of their newest album, High Violet, as well. I also got a hold of Ten Makes A Face by When Saints Go Machine and How To Make Friends by FM Belfast, but neither have impressed me enough to send these bands upwards on my list.

Another name that is moving upwards is Jack Johnson, who's now within top 15 - a number of concerts I usually exceed by a few. Being inarguably an act for Orange Stage, and probably in the afternoon, he does have somewhat of a high clash risk with many of the names higher on my list being likely names for Arena or Odeon.

Bands moving down on my list right now include Florence + The Machine, Beach House, Pendulum and Dizzy Mizz Lizzy, although two of these are still in the top 15.

May 18th, 2011.

So, I finally got around to it - listening to The Knife's newest record, Tomorrow, In A Year (hence blog title). Considering this is the same Swedish duo of siblings that gave us the iconic, provocative Deep Cuts from 2003, and the gloomily heaving Silent Shout, which sat right atop Pitchforks end-of-year list in 2006, there hasn't been much hype about Tomorrow, In A Year. Perhaps due to the fact that this record is not exactly to be construed as a The Knife-album, but rather as a studio version of an alternative opera by a Danish performance group, a fact that has somewhat reduced hopes of it including a new 'Heartbeats' or 'We Share Our Mother's Health'.

So, while Deep Cuts was witty, and Silent Shout was masterful, Tomorrow, In A Year is... Extravagantly bizarre. At times, especially during the slow crawling first part of the record, it's cacophonous to the point that I was for a moment in doubt, whether the drilling machine operating somewhere in my neighborhood, was or wasn't a part of the very complex sound picture, that is painted throughout the start of this record. Operatic vocals throne above vigorous drones, strange blips and samples, like was there no tomorrow for music with beats, riffs and choruses. Parts of the record are just too weird to fathom - take the dreadful 'Variation of Birds', which sees Olof Dreijer violently forcing his samplings of birds of the Amazon apart into utterly inabsorbable sounds. Or how about 'Letter to Henslow', the clear-cut weirdest track, on which the Dreijers yelp and ooh almost inhumanely sounding. And as the first CD closes out with the very, very ambient 'Schoal Swarm Orchestra', Tomorrow, In A Year appears almost indevourably eccentric.

As the second CD takes over, we start to see something vaguely resembling songs, and by 'Colouring of Pigeons' both a steady beat and Karin Dreijer Andersson's mesmerising vocals appears. Together with the following 'Seeds', this is the only part of the record that is visibly The Knife's work. 'Colouring of Pigeons' is an absolutely brilliant piece of work, and even as weird as it is, on this record it becomes a savior, a redemption of harmony and musical progression. 'Seeds' brings us a steady, four-on-the-floor beat, that, honestly, seems slightly out of the place for this record, but it is brave nonetheless. And although the gloomyness somewhat returns, the two final tracks on the album, 'Tomorrow, In A Year' and 'The Height of Summer' carry out this highly evolved latter part of the record.

The theme of the album, and the opera, is Charles Darwin's origin of species, and one must admit that The Knife hit this nail pretty damn well on the head. The music on the album evolves, from mere blips and drones at first, and on to full-fledged electronic masterfulness in 'Colouring of Pigeons'. At places, the album really connects to the biological evolution story as well, such as on 'Upheaved', where Lærke Winther and Kristina Wahlin Momme besing the very creation of life, accompanied by sounds of algae and amoeba, as they wring and rattle in the Earth's fetal fat. Very impressively strong and clear pictures are painted through the music here.

Christ, we all knew that The Knife were weird. If it wasn't for their music (I have sadly never heard their eponymous debut album, but it is said to be even more eccentric than Deep Cuts), then maybe for their very awkward relationship with the media, and public appearances dressed in bird masks or red burqas and mud-like masks, uttering animal sounds as thanks for their numerous awards and prizes. And the weirdness is what ultimately catches up to Tomorrow, In A Year. For all its utter brilliance and creativity, I have a tough time imagining who on God's almighty Earth will listen to this regularly. As a whole, it is very seldom an appropriate and enjoyable listening experience, but maybe that's what it's not all about. For now, The Knife have definitely made an album to surpass Battles' Mirrored in inaccessibility and untimeliness. I am very curious as to where Tomorrow, In A Year will place on end-of-year lists this year. At times bizarrely, almost atrociously cacophonous, at times pushing the bar for musical evolution and brilliance, I honestly don't have a clue.

Brooklyn, Brooklyn, Iceland, rainy Bergen and Aussie oi oi!, all adds up to: Brooklyn.

A long and baroque title must be the only way to be inclusive of all the very, very multifarious new tones that soothe my ears these days!

I guess no one can be in doubt that there must be something in the water on the right side of the East River. One of the noblest representatives of the 21st century Brooklyn indie explosion is Vampire Weekend, whose second long player Contra I just got a hold of. After still only a few listens, it seems promising. It's a bit more thick than the first record, but the curious potpourri of afro-beat, old world chamber strings and school-uniformed lyrics about academical subjects still makes your associations crisscross the Atlantic like the slave trade triangle. Another name very much in the mix for my Roskilde-schedule.

It's been around for a while, but I've only just embraced Jónsi of Sigur Rós fame's debut solo effort, Go, off of which 'Go Do' is easily one of the most uplifting tracks I've heard in a long, long time! I still very much dig Yeasayer (from guess where...), and their newest album, Odd Blood. I've fallen completely for 'Rome', which grooves in a completely unfathomably catchy way.

I finally got a hold of Conditions by The Temper Trap, and my god, what a blase flick at indie rock and it's folky and electronic twists and turns. This is proper indie rock as it once was, and apparently still is in beautiful Melbourne. On an album of many highs, 'Science of Fear' still ices the cake in my ears, with it's swagger and intensity. On the other side of the world, the Bergen indie-bossanovists Kings of Convenience are making ground on my priorities list for Roskilde. As I wrote earlier this week, I got a hold of their two newest albums recently, and especially Declaration of Dependence from 2009 is really beautiful, especially tracks like 'Me In You', 'Boat Behind' and the lovely 'Rule My World'.

Back to Brooklyn, I am finally eating slowly away at Animal Collective's Merriweather Post Pavillion, the consensus top album of 2009 across the reviewers' boards. It's a long, complicated, meandering devil, and it will take time for it to really take shape in my head, but 'My Girls' is ofcourse undoubtedly an awesome tune.

An abundance of new stuff.

When it comes, it comes in droves. New albums aplenty have found their way into my iTunes-library this past week, and I haven't been around everything yet, but this is what I dig at the moment.

The Temper Trap are looking more and more like a surefire top 7-8 concert at Roskilde this year. I love how their album of last year, Conditions, pulsates beautifully and flawlessly. I am especially crazy about with 'Fader' and 'Love Lost'.

I still listen to The National's 'Slow Show' at least a few times a day, and it's such an awesome tune. It changes key so gracefully at the beginning of the outro, and all in all it's just an astonishingly heartfelt song. I also got a hold of their album Alligator, which seems really good, although I've only heard it a few times. I'm anxious to get a hold of Boxer and especially the newest, High Violet, which has garnered considerably favorable reviews. Same goes for the new albums by LCD Soundsystem and Foals, both of which will definitely be in my next batch of records.

I know it was played very, very heavily on the radio a few months ago, but only just now have I really embraced Yeasayer's 'O.N.E.', which has been rummaging through my head all day today.

I also finally got a hold of Jens Lekman's album, Oh You're So Silent Jens. The king of aloofness, how can you but love a track like 'Sky Phenomenon'? Also, I got a hold of the two latest albums by Kings of Convenience. They're both really nice, but one point of irritation is the length of their albums. All three of them approach the 45-minute mark, which is really too much for music like theirs.

Finally, I also got a hold of The Knife's latest, double album Tomorrow, In A Year. I haven't listened to it yet though, it intrigues me. Maybe I'll give it a go tonight. It'll need time, earphones and darkness.

This will be big.

I don't know why I feel an urge to spread the word about Avi Buffalo, because it's really not my kind of music. I have never been won over by the Neil Young-school of rock, and I have always been skeptical towards indie-folk in lieu of Band of Horses. This Long Beach outfit lies at the crossroads between the two, and thus wakes some sort of deeply-rooted nausea and hatred in me. But mark my words, I think they're gonna be the next big thing - they seem to hit slap bang into the tendencies of today. Try checking out 'What's In It For'. I won't blame you for liking it, but I won't hesitate to diss it while drunk. I am really surprised they were omitted for Roskilde.

Another remarkable omission, this time on the domestic stage, is Kirsten & Marie. We've all had those sisters or cousins that always performed with beautiful yet corny songs at family get-togethers, and Kirsten & Marie are the professional version of that. Try listening to 'My Dear', with a pretty video directed by, amongst others, Aske Zidore of Oh No Ono - these girls are gonna be big too!

Frederik Thaae, otherwise known as A Kid Hereafter, has just revealed a new side project, it's called MicroPop, and it's sort-of ghetto-tech'y. I really like the vibe and the unpretentiousness of this!

A final interesting new project is Bobby Joy. I really often neglect to mention stuff from my local scene here in Aalborg, but that's because very seldom interesting things appear out of this hole of punk, garage and metal. But try and listen to 'Blisters' here - honestly, it really catches me!

I am starting to get into a few more Roskilde names. Foremostly, The National have caught my attention, and I might need to get a hold of a few of their records within the next month. It's gonna be one of the concerts that will be much better when you know some of the music. Check out 'Slow Show', which I really dig at the moment. It will cramp my schedule even further, but this year already boasts an unfathomable amount of good acts. Jack Johnson is making is way upwards on my list as well, after all.

The revival of post-punk revival?

The post-punk revival wave of the early-to-mid-'00s has had some tough years of late, as all kinds of new rave, dance-punk, indie-folk and the plethora of other crossover genre-ingenuities have all had their poke at post-punk revival's somewhat traditional instrumentalisation, sound and structure. Interpol are on their way with their fourth album, which I think will be very important for them. All of their three first albums, although especially the two first ones, were praised almost across the boards, but can Paul Banks and his gang's inevitable talent pierce through the walls and into the '10s amidst glistening electro and schmindies with beards, sweaters and acoustic guitars? I hope so. The first taste of the forthcoming album, the title of which is still unknown, is 'Lights', which I must admit doesn't blow me away. It will be very interesting to hear news from this intriguing New York foursome soon though!

One guy who is definitely able to hit the nail on the head, is Anders Trentemøller. He's on his way with his second album, Into The Great White Yonder, which, as the title suggests, is gonna be quite reminiscent of his very widely acclaimed debut, The Last Resort. To hell with that (even though it is a very beautiful album), for Trentemøller really shines in his remixes and his live shows. We all know the magnificent remix of Röyksopp's 'What Else Is There?', and he's done it again. I mentioned this before, but I don't think I praised it rightfully - it's really sharp and witty this one, which is of course his remix of 'Beach'. It's a bit long (there's a shorter version on Soundvenue's High 5), but I love how Jonas Bjerre's angelic falsetto is accompanied by the heavy beats and tribal-like percussion.

Kele Okereke of Bloc Party fame is on his way with his first solo record. I honestly haven't been expecting much, knowing that Okereke's live DJ-gigs are often heavily infused with punk, a genre I honestly don't really embrace. There is something to his voice nonetheless, and I'll probably get a hold of the album, just for loyalty's sake. The first single was played on Zane Lowe this week, and it's named after a kind of pasta, the 'Tenderoni' (just kidding). I don't really like it that much, honestly, but this might very well be one of the poppier, blander tracks on the album, so don't rule it out yet.


Finally, an outfit that has been played steadily here, there and everywhere this year has been brooklyners The Drums. I haven't completely thrust my love upon them, as I do find some of their stuff I've heard to become quite tiring. 'Forever and Ever, Amen', however, won me over. I guess I've got a thing for wistful and dreamy tunes about dreams things (non-)everlasting at the moment.