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.

Garage revival times!

Every now and every then, I have a week or a few where I scrap all the synths and fancy-schmanzy studio productions in favor of some old fashioned guitars. This time around, this period has been foremostly spurred by my getting a hold of The Kooks' very well-acclaimed album Inside In/Inside Out, from 2006. Of course, everyone knows 'Naïve' and 'Seaside', both of which are awesome tracks, but also 'She Moves In Her Own Way', 'See The World' and 'Match Box' are very enjoyable parts of a good album.

Another thing that has happened the last few weeks is that I've finally embraced Is This It by The Strokes. Ever after NME named it the top most influential album of the 00's, I've somehow pushed forward the fact, that I would eventually have to make up my mind on this album. It is perhaps less hit-laden than it's younger brother, Room On Fire, which features both '12.51' and the catchiest riff in the world, 'Reptilia', but it is really a thorough package. Songs like 'Someday', 'Barely Legal', 'Take It or Leave It' and the title track all stand out, but the album's strength is really the simplicity and genuineness that runs through its entirety.

I have had an Arctic Monkeys flip for months, but lately it has turned, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, towards the second album, Favourite Worst Nightmare. I am amazed at how 'Only Ones Who Know' and 'Do Me A Favour' work together around the panicky nexus of the album. The latter is a highly powerful tune, especially when you bring the spot-on lyrics into the mix. I might cook up some sort of comparative discourse of the three Arctic Monkeys albums soon enough.

Tokyo Police Club and Cut Off Your Hands are peripherical parts of this garage-revival period, both chipping in with instrumental tracks such as 'Your English Is Good' and 'Turn Cold'.

I'm finally getting a decent salary next month, and I'll definitely spend some of it on some new records. More on that soon.

Things are happening.

Alright, except from the Roskilde-announce last week (which was topped by the addition of Prince today, whoa!?), these have been a few quiet weeks. I've however finally assembled a collection of stuff that's worth a listen.

Things are happening for James Murphy and LCD Soundsystem, with third and, supposedly, final album This Is Happening due in the immediate future. It was available for streaming at his website a few days ago, and I really liked what I heard. 'All I Want', which seems to be the next single off the album, is really likeable, and very recognizable.

Roskilde-bound The National are out with a new single too, 'Bloodbuzz Ohio', and I must admit I am really impressed. Here's a band that have always hovered slightly below my radar, but that may well change. I love the energetic approach to the otherwise sometimes rather dire post-punk-revival sound (think White Lies, Editors).

In the more electronic spectrum, quite a few interesting remixes have appeared the last few days. 'Beach', my favourite track off Mew's latest album, has been remixed by none other than Trentemøller. I can't find it on YouTube yet, but it's available off Soundvenue's High 5, whereupon it is a contender this week. It's really awesome! In the alley of star DJs, Tiësto has had a go at Turboweekend's 'Trouble Is'. It's just humongous! Hot Chip have released a re-fix of 'I Feel Better', now titled 'I Feel Bonnie', and featuring Bonnie 'Prince' Billy. Also in the electronic alley, albeit not a remix, Crystal Castles are on their way with their second album, which is eponymous - as the first one was. Retarded. Anyway, 'Celestica' here is quite a nice track!

Finally, I went and saw Kashmir last Thursday, and it was really good. They, as nearly always, had tremendous gusto, and the set was pretty good. I don't remember the tracks in order, but they played the following selection of songs:

From Trespassers: Mouthful of Wasps, Intruder, Mantaray, Pallas Athena, Still Boy and Bewildered in the City.
From No Balance Palace: Kalifornia, The Cynic, The Curse of Being A Girl, She's Made of Chalk and Ether.
From Zitilites: Rocket Brothers, Surfing The Warm Industry, The Aftermath, Melpomene, In The Sand and Big Fresh.
From Travelogue: Leathercrane (an epic closer!)

I missed Petite Machine and Lampshade, which they've played on some of the earlier dates of the tour, but all in all a good gig!

Preliminary thoughts on the Roskilde line-up.

... And Thursday came and went, with Roskilde Festival now 60 names richer on the line-up, and even though, as I wrote the other day, other names will doubtlessly still be added to the poster right through June, we've now got a pretty good picture on what to expect.

I must say, I've never had as crowded an upper echelon on my must-see list. Given that many metal-heads and hip hoppers especially might righteously feel that this year's line-up doesn't fulfill their wettest dreams, I sure am pretty satisfied. It's still early, and a lot is gonna happen through the next few months, as I get to dig further through the acts, but these are my preliminary thoughts on what the 8 days at the Animal Showgrounds are gonna have in store for me.

Headliners
The big three in question this year in my book are the UK threesome of Muse, The Prodigy and Gorillaz, and I'm probably gonna prioritize them in that particular order. Yes, I saw Muse in 2007, and thus part of me argues to go see something else this time around, but it is also a fact that Muse's '07 show still ranks just below Trentemøller '09 on my top Roskilde-concerts' list. I'll never forget that afternoon, but I hope this years show will provide a different experience, namely a slot in the dark (the 1am slot would be awesome). Regardless, there's a good chance the Teignmouth trio will be atop my list come June. The Prodigy is gonna be an awesome party. I envision it as this years ball-buster of a lights-and-music show, in lieu of Björk ('07), The Chemical Brothers ('08) and Trentemøller ('09). Gorillaz is all gonna depend on how they choose to come forth live. If they do it all in 3D, it's gonna be quite unique. Else, I might not be desperate to see them, although they'll probably kick ass. Jack Johnson deserves a mention, although given the strength of this year's line-up, he's gonna be a fair ways down the list. A sunny Saturday afternoon with Mr. Johnson at Orange does sound appealing though.

Indie abundance

Last year, Roskilde somewhat slumped the indie audience, with the absence of acts such as Phoenix, La Roux, Bon Iver and Animal Collective. This year, the festival full-fledgedly takes revenge. Trying to somehow sort the abundance of interesting names in some sort of priority, five names appear atop my list. Vampire Weekend is gonna be very, very hard for me to miss this year. I really need to get a hold of their newest record Contra, from January, but their eponymous debut is really enough for me to go see them. Kings of Convenience are gonna be extremely high on my list as well, although I've only ever heard their two first albums. I need to get a hold of at least the newest one. I am already looking forward to a hot afternoon with a beer at Odeon and Erlend Øye soothing my ears with his moony voice. The Temper Trap are gonna be massive too. We heard them a fair lot in Australia, and I really hope they get to play Arena, which would be an amazing stage for their music. They're probably gonna have to settle for Odeon though. LCD Soundsystem is another name I'm looking very much forward to. I just heard his new album for the first time the other day, and it's much better than the lead single, 'Drunk Girls', would lead one to expect. Combined with the sheer quality of his second album, Sound of Silver, this is gonna be an epic gig. Florence + The Machine rounds off the important five - another very interesting name.

A few other names sound very appealing, but are gonna be dependent on how the schedule is gonna come out. Beach House especially, but also FM Belfast, Casiokids, Dirty Projectors, Wild Beasts and The National.

Electronic emphasis?
Last year, my program ended up being pretty packed with electronic names (Fever Ray, Röyksopp, Trentemøller, 2ManyDJs, Pet Shop Boys), to the point that it really ended up being almost too much. I'm gonna pick my poison carefully this year, but there are a few names I'm very likely to attend. Highest on my list will probably be Moderat, who are likely to throw off an anything but moderate party. I also hope to find room especially for Pendulum and French elite-turntablists Beat Torrent. Other interesting names include Miike Snow, Schlachthofbronx, Fontän and Lindstrøm & Christabelle, but they're honestly gonna have a tough time in a year like this.

The yearly world-complex
Roskilde Festival always somehow manage to dig up a few decent names from around the globe, to cater for the curious music enthusiast. I always try to see at least part of a few concerts with a distinctively different feel, but it's hard to know what to expect. I do however expect Shantel & Bucovina Club Orkestar to throw an awesome party, which I'd like to attend. Some other interesting names that might be worth checking out are Mexican Institute of Sound, as well as the yearly act from The DR Congo, Staff Benda Bilili, who are not only Congolese, but also homeless and paraplegic. Oh, the poor souls. Finally, why not check out Narasirato Pan Pipers from a country as interesting as the Solomon Islands? Jeez, Roskilde haven't even come up with an abbreviation for that (they haven't for Mali either, but then again, there isn't much to abbreviate).

Denmark ye beautiful
I group the Danish acts together across genres mainly because they always present an irritating dilemma. As good as they might be, they're bound to be around the country at some point, and as such they aren't as exclusive to Roskilde. I do manage to fit a few of them into my schedule every year, and I'm rarely disappointed (Oh No Ono, Trentemøller and Tim Christensen '09, VETO '08 and Nephew '07, to mention a few). The three main Danish acts this year are Dizzy Mizz Lizzy, Kashmir and Nephew, and I'd like to fit in all three of them. Dizzy Mizz Lizzy are of the highest importance, as I've never seen them live, so it will hopefully be legendary. I saw Kashmir last night, but they are an awesome band, and I'd really like to experience them at Roskilde. Nephew are gonna be hard pressed to top their epic gig in 2007, but they're good in any case. Den Sorte Skole are beginning to look like a recurring fixture at the Animal Showgrounds, showing up for the third year running, counting their surprise bash at Skate in 2008. This year, they're gonna mash up tunes from the first 40 years of Roskilde, and it's gonna be one fat hell of a party. I hope to attend, and to be drunk while doing so. Two Danish bands I have heard way too little are When Saints Go Machine and The Kissaway Trail, but they are at the mercy of the schedule. Same goes for The Asteroids Galaxy Tour.

And for the first four days...
The Pavilion Junior line-up looks really interesting this year. I haven't really gotten around to checking out much of it yet, but Kill Screen Music, Sleep Party People and Eim Ick will be interesting. And I might go check out Thee Attacks, just because they're from Aalborg, and there are gonna be a lot of known faces among the audience.

An outline of a top 15
Order will certainly change, but:
Muse (UK)
Kings of Convenience (N)
Vampire Weekend (US)
The Prodigy (UK)
Dizzy Mizz Lizzy (DK)
The Temper Trap (AUS)
LCD Soundsystem (US)
Den Sorte Skole (DK)
Moderat (DE)
Gorillaz (UK)
Florence + The Machine (UK)
Kashmir (DK)
Nephew (DK)
Beat Torrent (FR)
Pendulum (AUS)

What to expect tomorrow.

Tomorrow is the 15th of April, which means that Roskilde will announce the majority of the yet-to-be-announced acts of this festival. And eventhough a few names will continue to trickle onto the list through the rest of April, May and June, tomorrow will see the general shape and look of this years festival revealed. There are still a lot of questions, guessing and wishes, but here's my take on what to expect.

The Headliners
As opposed to earlier years, the number of headliners release up to this point is very vague. I'm not a sucker for headliners anyway, but the main importance of these names is Roskilde's ability to continuously measure itself against the other major European festivals. While Roskilde's big advantage against many of the others is usually the width and variety of the line-up, the headliners are what most festival-goers look at at first glance, when they compare Roskilde to the other three festivals that make up Europe's big four: Werchter in Belgium, Sziget in Hungary and ofcourse England's Glastonbury.

As I see it, only three of the already confirmed names are definitely headliners. These are Muse, Gorillaz, and Them Crooked Vultures. The possible headliners are in my opinion (in order of likelihood): Motörhead, Jack Johnson, Alice In Chains, Pavement, NOFX and Kasabian. In all likelihood no more than three of these are headliners, and Motörhead and Jack Johnson are likely to be among them. Jack Johnson isn't a typical Roskilde headliner, but make no mistake, he is one of the most generally popular artists in the world. Whether Alice In Chains, Pavement or NOFX will be a headliner is a toss-up. I don't know any of the bands sufficiently to argue in any direction. Kasabian is probably a long-shot.

The past four years we have had 8, 8, 7, 8 and 9 headliners respectively, so it's very likely that two headliners will be in the package tomorrow. A mentionable unknown however is the possibility of a Danish headliner. The past five years there has been only one Danish headliner (Trentemøller in 2009), interestingly, this was also the year of 9 headliners. Two Danish bands on the line-up could possibly headline this year, those are Dizzy Mizz Lizzy and Nephew. I find it unlikely that any of them will though, for two reasons: Even though Danes are by far the biggest nationality at Roskilde, they are not as heavily recruited through the line-up, but more through the social aspect and traditions of going to the festival. Also, Roskilde usually takes pride in distancing themselves from the other Danish festivals, all of which are headlined by either one or both of the aforementioned bands.

To sum it up, My guess is, that the following bands will headline:
Alice In Chains (or NOFX)
Gorillaz
Jack Johnson
Motörhead
Muse
Them Crooked Vultures

And two more. But who will these two bands be? If we look at the genre-composition of the headliners we know so far, there's a clear emphasis towards the heavier rock/grunge, with Alice In Chains, Motörhead, Them Crooked Vultures and, to some extent, although their mainstream success makes them a pretty all-purpose name, Muse. Gorillaz are from the urban genres and Jack Johnson is probably to be construed as pop/mainstream. As I see it, we're gonna definitely have one more urbanely-oriented headliner - either a strong hip hop name, or a big electronic artist. Faithless were my tip for an electronic headliner, but they are playing Skanderborg, and thus are unlikely to play Roskilde. The Prodigy are always heavily lobbied for, but I really think it should have been last year, when they were on an album tour. I think Massive Attack is the most likely electronic headliner, but a lot tells me Roskilde will surprise us in this direction, and that being so, names like Daft Punk and Portishead could also come into consideration. The Chemical Brothers are on their way with new stuff, but we had them as recently as 2008, which works against them, even though it was an awesome show.

As for hip hop, I must admit that isn't really my area of expertise, but the hip hop acts this year so far are very few and far between, so I definitely wouldn't be surprised to see a big name come up here. Snoop Dogg could be a possibility. As for other headliners, my fresh pick would be Atoms For Peace. The Strokes would seem obvious, but it doesn't seem to be happening. Julian Casablancas might very well show up though, but not as a headliner. Arctic Monkeys could be possible too, but they aren't really touring this summer, it seems. Other headlining possibilities of different genres could be Iggy & The Stooges, Erykah Badu (although I'm not sure whether she could be a headliner), Robbie Williams, Rammstein (unlikely) or Green Day, although I wouldn't bet on neither. But two new headliners tomorrow, anything else will be a disappointment.

Indie hopes


This is just gonna be a quick sum-up of some likely indie names. First of all, I would be very surprised not to see Jonsí on the line-up. He fits the bill perfectly: he's Scandinavian, and he just released his debut album. Other very likely names are The National and Rufus Wainwright. I hope very much to see Delphic and Vampire Weekend, both of whom have released albums within the last few months. Same goes for Foals, Two Door Cinema Club, The Drums and The xx. None of these four have ever played Roskilde. I am not sure if Crystal Castles have, but they could be a hot tip, especially if the electronic headliner is gonna be absent this year. Same situation goes for Autechre, Miike Snow and Pantha du Prince. Among bands who have played Roskilde recently, but who could return this year, are Hot Chip, MGMT (very likely), Yeasayer, Band of Horses (yrrrk) and Arcade Fire. The latter could perhaps be a headliner, but I ultimately don't think they will be, mostly because of the fact that they will probably not play Orange. Bon Iver and Animal Collective were both remarkably absent last year, but both bands have released EPs lately, which could warrant some consideration. Other absentees of last year include La Roux, Calvin Harris, Gossip, Phoenix, Grizzly Bear and Passion Pit, but I would be very surprised to see any of those bands at Roskilde this year, given that they haven't released anything since last summer. A very possible hip hop name is Die Antwoord from South Africa.

Danish possibilities

It's always hard to get a handle on which Danish acts will play Roskilde. The big question this year is Kashmir, and I must say I'm totally 50/50 as to whether they will come or not. They really should, being as they have released a new album, and are still one of Denmark's major bands, but they didn't exactly release the best album in the world, and Roskilde could decide to skip them this year. Very likely Danish acts include Asteroids Galaxy Tour, Under Byen, I Got You On Tape, Band Ane and The Floor Is Made Of Lava.

It all goes off at noon tomorrow!

True and everlasting.

One of the major signs a record is of a high quality, is when the tracks emerge from the context in vastly different paces. Any given albums will always have tracks that are immediate favorites, tracks that eventually emerge as being the best, but a majority of albums also contain a few or more tracks that never really surface. Or don't seem to, anyhow. When some of these tracks actually do eventually shine brightly, is often the time I begin to mention the album in question in conjunction with my favorite albums.

Two albums have evolved and developed in exactly such a way for me over the past year. One is Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix by French indie-poppers Phoenix. Of course, some of the more accessible and energetic tracks such as 'Lisztomania', '1901' and 'Lasso' immediately shone through as powerhouses of the album. The latter part - especially the last three tracks - was for a long time quite more obscure. However these last few weeks I've really started taking a liking to especially 'Countdown' and 'Armistice'. They're both amazing tracks. They revolve around the same pattern, culminating in epic outros carried by subtly pensive lyrics, putting Thomas Mars' fragile yet expressive voice at the forefront of dreaming descriptions of lost and flying love.

The other is Humbug by Arctic Monkeys. A gloomy meanderthon of an album, this has caught slowly but surely up on me. I instantly loved 'Cornerstone', which is an awesome piece of coquettery, and also 'Potion Approaching', 'Pretty Visitors' and 'My Propeller'. But some of the more anonymous tracks are truly the strengths of the album - tracks such as the thoughtful and deep 'Secret Door', which reminds me of a cross between two of the most epic songs from the first albums, '505' and 'A Certain Romance'. 'Dance Little Liar' is another key track on Humbug, in many way drawing the stylistic influences and the sound of the album together.

Otherwise, really nothing much is going on. I've got no money this month to buy new records, sadly. Roskilde added a number of small acts this week, I haven't really looked thoroughly through them yet. This Thursday is the big release, which is gonna be important this year, as many are divided on the look of the line-up so far.

...And an admittance for Parachutes.

LCD Soundsystem is on his way with his (yes, it's a 'he', not a 'they') proclaimed last album. It's gonna be called This Is Happening, and the first single went into rotation last week. It's called 'Drunk Girls', and I must admit it isn't really what I like to hear from mr. Murphy. I hope he moves a bit deeper on the record. He's still not officially confirmed by Roskilde Festival, which is weird, since he confirmed himself something like a month ago. Normally they don't drag it that far if the artist has leaked the fact himself.

Trentemøller is coming forth with the follow-up to The Last Resort. Its name is Into The Great Wide Yonder, and he too has just released his first single, 'Sycamore Feeling'. It's, perhaps surprisingly, very much along the lines of The Last Resort, albeit with actual vocals. Very acoustically sounding.

I went down and saw Does It Offend You, Yeah? in Århus this Sunday, and although I was very impressed by their live energy and their ability to reproduce their distinctive sound live, the fact that they left stage after only 40 minutes was a major downturn. I just don't understand the aesthetics of playing surprisingly short concerts. I had the same experience with Hot Chip, who left a party-warty Arena at Roskilde after less than an hour in 2008, and with Lauryn Hill, who played only about 30 minutes in Rotorua, despite the fact that she was the main headliner. Why is it? I mean, I know Does It Offend You, Yeah? have been touring Europe extensively for the past few weeks, but come on, every musician ultimately is in the business to get to play live. It's always a kick, and why leave after half an hour or 45 minutes, when you've got the material to play an hour, maybe an hour 15? Especially when you're the main act, such as DIOYY were this sunday. The warmup band, Kakkmaddafakka (yep, Norwegian...) were a great surprise though, they were really fun.

The major thing this week though, has been my (re)discovery of Coldplay's debut album Parachutes. It's always been sort of a distant cousin to the other three albums, but I've finally gotten around to hear it more thoroughly, and it's just wonderful. Perhaps because my tastes have only recently developed in the direction of more folky rock. Parachutes is, much more so than the other albums, a quiet masterpiece, that doesn't have Chris Martin scream a whole lot of epicism at the top of his lungs. It's much more Thursday night at the jazz house than Saturday at Wembley. Very sweet.

A Weekend In The City.

For a long time, I've wanted to focus on one of the, in my opinion, most interesting things in music: The album. As much as the music listener of today is more and more likely to download his music track-by-track, if he even does pay for it, I still find the conceptuality and composition of albums intriguing. It interests me, how albums are put together - how the tracks are position through the record, and how they affect the overall composition of the album, as well as each other accordingly.

I'm gonna start this running feature off with one of my favorite albums, Bloc Party's A Weekend In The City, from 2007. This was Bloc Party's sophomore effort, and reviewers and critics alike were very divided on it. Most agreed that it wasn't at all the same as the very energetic and very tightly knit guitar-oriented indie of the much acclaimed debut, Silent Alarm. But while some reviewers dismissed A Weekend... as an inadequate and incoherent mess, others delightfully embraced Bloc Party's courageous creation of a concept album in the midstof one of the album-format's toughest periods of crisis.

For a concept album it is. A Weekend... deals with numerous issues immediately surrounding Kele Okereke and his contemporaries' lives in the heart of metropolitan England. While the lyrical universe of Silent Alarm was often diffuse and metaphorical, A Weekend... often sees Okereke express himself in a very forthright manner. Mostly though, it is the lyrics' close alliance with their surrounding music throughout the record, that consolidates A Weekend... as not only guys with guitars, but guys with a point to be heard.

A Weekend In The City can be quite easily and relevantly divided into three parts. The first four tracks, ranging from opener 'Song For Clay (Disappear Here)' through 'The Prayer', are a collection of frantic and hectic songs, trying to fight the dilemmas and issues that loom around the corner for every a city dweller. This part of the album is dominated by heavy drumming, layers of synthesizer and an overall attempt to shove through the entire ordeal with pointy elbows.

The trio of songs in the middle of the record - 'On', 'Where Is Home?' and 'Kreuzberg' - marks a turn of events. There is a completely different presence and intimacy to these tracks, but also an urgency, most profoundly expressed on 'Where Is Home?', Okereke's grand outcry against discrimination and racial violence. Okereke himself is one who has bridged this gap, being a Black man in the predominantly White industry that is rock music. These three middle tracks are where it's at. In stead of trying to fighting problems with fists, Bloc Party now resolves to a different strategy. The entire mix and closeness of especially Okereke's vocals on 'Kreuzberg' are in stark contrast to the menacing drums and claps of 'The Prayer'.

The final three tracks have a much more serene nature, and at first glance display a feeling that this too shall pass. The lyrical universe reverts from dealing with drugs, violence, neglect and failure into dealing with the romance and idyllic coquettery of Sundays with your loved one, before squeezing out one last scream of anguish - albeit a graceful one - on the suicidal closer 'SRXT'.

'Uniform' is, in many ways, the centerpiece of the album, and connects to either and neither of the three parts. It is a long (the longest track on the record) and meandering story about the ignorant youth of today. Its comfortable and harmonic first part marks a change in ambience to the four tracks preceding it, yet from 2:27 onwards, aggressive drums and guitar squeaks display a return to the sense of alarm and urgency, albeit in a much more lyrically constructive way than on the album's initial songs. Musically, 'Uniform' is perhaps most akin to some of the latter tracks on the album, being the closest A Weekend... comes to the instrumentalisation and sound of Silent Alarm. 'Uniform' in this way becomes a crucial track, and as it comes to a close, the monolithic riffs and soli have again given way to pensiveness.

There is one track on this otherwise very complete album that sticks out like a sore thumb, and that is 'I Still Remember'. I simply cannot comprehend just exactly what made Bloc Party include this track, which wouldn't deprive the album of a thing. It sticks out especially as it is surrounded by four of the strongest and most persistent tracks of the album. The albums finest few minutes are when the cringeful and unforgiving 'Where Is Home?' concludes with its exigent and raw guitar-riff, and gives way to the blissfulness of 'Kreuzberg', that creeps under your skin, and silkily beguiles and embraces you with its unambitious splendor. It is no secret that this is one of my favorite pieces of music. There is something incredibly uplifting to the fact that simplicity can be so grandly captivating and beautiful as it is on 'Kreuzberg'. It fills me with peace, hope, trust and curiosity.

Epic 'Sunday' is another strong and life-affirming track on this album, mostly carried by its magnificent lyrics. But not exclusively, as it does require some sort of musical elegance to make lyrics as simply and precisely put as these, seem as strong and relevant as they do. And 'SRXT' is, in many ways, a typical closer. It deals with the gloomy issue of suicide, and could be seen as a slightly disconsolate way to finish off the album. But this track too hits home when Okereke explains: "If you want to know what makes me sad/well it's hope, endurance and faith/a battle that lasts a lifetime/a fight that never ends.", before dismissing the track and the album off into an epic instrumental finale, only to be interrupted by Okereke's voice and Gordon Moakes' glockenspiel bringing A Weekend In The City to a close.

While being a bit of a dystopy, the first part of the album is in many ways the most musically interesting. 'The Prayer', apparently one of the last songs to be finished for the album, kicks off with stomp-clap rhythms and hums, and is by far the track that distances itself the most from Silent Alarm in style, and points towards the increased electronic and big-beat influences of Intimacy, which was to be released a year and a half later. 'The Prayer' is one of the most vivid tracks on the album, and spins your head through images of drug-fueled raves, dark club-corners and dancing, sweaty people. It is also one of the few parts of the album, where Russell Lissack's distinctive style and use of pedals comes forth (at 2:54). 'On' is, with its lyrics, electronic drums and heavy use of samples and synths, very closely related to 'The Prayer', almost like a slightly quieter, darker and more ruminative big brother.

One of Bloc Party's great strengths is their high level of musicianship, which is perhaps one of the key reason why the change in focus from Silent Alarm to A Weekend In The City was mourned by many a critic. Other than guitarist Russell Lissack, it is very often the impressive work of drummer Matt Tong, that elevates Bloc Party from the rest of the indie posse. A good example on this album is 'Waiting For The 7.18', perhaps the world's most epic ode to commuting. Here, Tong's drumming gives the chorus and the outro an incredible energy and drive, very fittingly expressing the narrator's urge to one day leave the insanity of the stuffed morning-rush hour Tube behind and drive to Brighton on the weekend.

The talent of Bloc Party's musicians is also very distinct on opener 'Song For Clay (Disappear Here)' which is, perhaps alongside 'Kreuzberg', the albums strongest track. A very courageous, almost unison vocal intro leads the way, but the climbing synths indicate, that something else is boiling, and when the imperative drums of Tong and the magnificent riff of Lissack enter, 'Song For Clay (Disappear Here)' takes off, and becomes one of those tracks you just cannot hear too loudly and too often. The entire composition of the very distinct backing vocals, the clamant bass line, the guitar squeaks and the altogether splendid 'East London is a vampire'-bridge makes this one of the strongest openers heard in a long, long time.

Bloc Party's more extensive use of synths and crooked samples, such as the cut-and-paste radio sequence of 'Hunting For Witches' and the tapping of a guitar pedal on 'Uniform', reveals a band that has spent a lot more time in the studio this time around, and as opposed to Silent Alarm, which was developed live, A Weekend In The City is, for better or worse, a much more planned effort. It does kill some of the spontaneity evident on Silent Alarm, but richly rewards the listener with what is arguably Bloc Party's best album - definitely the most discussed and polarizing one. Through the conceptuality of the lyrics, the composition of the album, and the unique character of every track, my subjective perception renders discussion unnecessary. This is an extraordinary piece of work.

Electro-reggaedub from Geordie country!

Alright, reggae isn't exactly my area of expertise. But throw in some electronic beats, electroklash-ingredients and hints of dubstep, and it's totally my cup of tea! One who does that is Riton & Primary 1 from Newcastle. Check out 'Radiates' - cool beans, innit?

Yannis and his polyrhythmic posse Foals have released the video for the first proper single off Total Life Forever, which will be out in May. It's called 'This Orient', and it's cool. There seems to be a bit more noise here, compared to the very cleanly and clinically mixed sound of Antidotes. I'm looking very much forward to hear, how the entire album will be brewed together, as there is a bit of a way between this track, and the formidable 'Spanish Sahara' with its stunning video, which has been floating around for some weeks now.

Back in my own back yard, I really try to keep up with what's doing in Danish indie, but I must admit that Shout Wellington Air Force have flown somewhat under my radar. Their debut album Clean Sunset will be out next week, and you can stream it in its entirety right here. It's very artful, and resembles Oh No Ono slightly. They could be a hot tip for Roskilde. One other very artful Danish indiepop-outfit that have already confirmed themselves for this summers orange bash is The Asteroids Galaxy Tour. One track of theirs which is really good is 'Golden Age'. I just looove that voice - so sexy!

I managed to give both Beach House and Gorillaz' respective new albums a few spins, given that they're now both coming to the Animal Showgrounds this summer. The former is really chilled. It doesn't seem to have the same durability throughout the album as some of its shoegaze/indie-folk contemporaries, but definitely in the mix for my sake. The latter hasn't impressed me quite as much, however they will still be high on the list come July, mostly due to their unique live show. Of yesterday's world music announcement, I've only had a rad at Mexican Institute of Sound, which sounds promising, but I am always slightly skeptical when it comes to ethno-electronic fusion bands taking their stuff to the stage. It's seldom as party-starting as they would like. My main world music-tip for this summer is still Shantel & Bucovina Club Orkestar.

Just been listening to OK Computer. My god what a marvelous piece of work.

MGMT flash muscles and well-known recipes.

Prolific psych-poppers and spearheads of the brooklynization of modern contemporary indie, MGMT, are about to release the followup to their very widely acclaimed debut, 2007's Oracular Spectacular. The new album is called Congratulations, and is now available to stream full length off the band's website!

I must admit that Oracular... has really lost pace with me, and although Congratulations starts really well, the two first tracks being awesomely energetic, it seems that the band now and then dwindles into the dragging ballads topped by horrid vocals that we know all too well. There are some other cool tracks, such as 'Brian Eno', so all in all, Congratulations to me seems to be a 50/50 album (like its predecessor was).

English IDM-giants Autechre released their tenth album, Oversteps, today, and the reviews I've seen so far have been very positive. I haven't listened to the whole album, but I think it may well be in my next batch of records!

But, but... The big news today, in Denmark anyhow, can't of course be anything but the fact that Roskilde announced Gorillaz for this summers festival. I know it's easy to say, but I have seen this one coming. It's the major headliner that Roskilde has been missing - it spans music lovers across almost every genre, and it's a very exclusive name, as Gorillaz are only playing a few festival gigs this summer. Definitely a scoop! Coincidentally, I got a hold of their album yesterday, alongside Beach House's Teen Dream. I'll try and give them both a few spins as the week rolls on.

Now for a few track hypes. I stumbled across Grafton Primary's name on quite a number of festival line-ups back when I was in Australia, and I got reminded of them today. 'Hold Her' sounds a bit like Soulwax, a bit like Danish outfit Turboweekend, a bit like Goose, and a wee bit like a lot of other stuff. It's quite cool! I do think they use the same midi-bellsynth as my band Kinetics do in our track 'Dark Walls'.

I've been listening a lot to Phoenix lately, especially 'Armistice', which is a jewel of a track. I really love the final part of it. A perfect way to finish off a wonderful album. Hot Chip are out with a new single, 'I Feel Better', off their latest album. The video is hilarious.

Finally, I had a really confirming experience of how much it takes to make electronic music work live. Band Ane, who played here in Aalborg two days ago, couldn't. It was such a boring press-play-on-laptop show, that was completely devoid of intensity. Too bad.