It's been a while since last. But I've been busy working in the office and being lame. I sit in the office all day listening to music and working, while I drink way to much coffee. The being lame part is that I've recently enjoyed preparing my breakfasts before going to sleep at night. Chopping vegetables into small pieces for my morning omelette. The morning omelette is a new thing too.
However, I found some great new music. I seem to be stuck on this electro track which I can't seem to get out of.
So here's some music tips: Lonely Dear - A Swedish guy, who is extremely talented. Listen to the track Airport Surroundings, it's the track I love the most at the moment.
Rojksopp - The duo has recorded a new track, called Happy up here. The track is absolutely stunning and I'll play it at the next party.
I heard someone say the other day on the TV that " You can't learn how to be an adult. It is something that just happens to you."
I'm not sure if this is true. I do not think that there is a picture perfect mold on how to grow up. I think that it's an individual story for each and ever one of us. I even believe that some people never truly grow up, not in the sense that they stay childish. But in the sense that they do not make the personal realizations that they would need to. They do not expand and excel their minds and their subjective&objective views on oneself as a person.
In a nutshell growing up is to improve yourself as a person until you reach a certain level where you are viewed as an adult. Really the most significant difference between a child and an adult is that the adult has the ability to further view herself or himself from a more objective perspective and improve ones flaws. Therefor, if someone does not come to the realizations necessary and do not improve ones skill to view oneself from a more objective perspective, you never truly are able to grow up. Achieving this, is in my opinion, a matter of challenging yourself and to truly step out of your own comfort zone.
Sorry for not writing anything in a while. I do have good reasons, it's been Christmas and New Years and right after that I went to Berlin. I got back from Berlin two days ago, in Berlin I started feeling quite a bit under the weather. I now have a raving fever and a very sour throat. The weather in Berlin did not help, it was snow&icy the whole time. So at the time I'm recovering at home hoping to get out of the illness as soon as possible.
I'm been thinking a bit about life lately, realizing that are certain steps I need to do in order to move forward/grow up. Yesterday for example I took my two lip piercings out, it just feel like it was the right time to. They are just the sort of things you can't hold on to forever, because in life you need to change. Change is a funny thing, it always happen no matter if you'd like it to or not, the only thing you can do is embrace it.
I've been thinking a lot about my future lately. In Sweden you go to school and then you graduate (like I did this spring) and then you have the choice to apply to Uni, cruse around or start working. Life is so much easier when you are in school you have a direction and you know what to do, you have a good way to pile the days and to get on. When you graduate you lose that security and I find myself questioning everything I do. I don't have the security of school any more and therefor life seems harder, but in reality it's all about life changes and you have to change with it.
Song of the day: Bright Eyes - Laura Laurent (sometimes I feel like a Laura Laurent)
I thought I should introduce you to some of my faourite bands, who all are in my mental genre of small&sweet (where I place good, small and unsigned bands). They are all from Sweden, so therefore I'm juts going to specific where in Sweden they are from.
The Bands
Powerblade- A duo from Gothenburg who's got a playful electro feel to their sound. They have formed their own genre (which has been accepted by the popular Swedish radio station P3). The name of the genre is neuro a combination of the word nintendo and the music genre euro. They discribe their sound as "two indie boys that grew up with too much video games & euro disco". Their lyrics is mostly about life in Gothenburg (as the song Clublife in GBG, GBG being a short for Gothenburg) and love that's not responded as the song Brand new start. They have a myspace, as well as Alex from the band has his old soloproject and his new one.
Song top 3: 1. Clublife in GBG 2.Powerblade are on the go 3. Brand new start
The Bryte- A five piece band from Karlstad. They were formerly know as The Mellow Bright Band but changed their name to The Bryte right before their first appearance at MTV. They have released a self produced EP named "What ever became of anonymous Steve?". Currently they are recording their debut album and be sure it's going to a great one. They have a rock 'n' roll image but are really just sweet as teddy bears (I speak from experience since they played at the opening night of my nightclub London Gossip). They have a myspace as well as a website.
Song top 3: 1.What they used to say 2. Jonathan 3. Circus and its clowns
Minute Gun - A duo from Malmö. They often introduce themselves as Malmö´s finest and have a cocky swagger to everything they do. However they are so charming they could convince me that they were the greatest band alive, if they'd want to. They have an electropop borderline mainstream sound, which I believe creates a great diversity to their sound. Crank up the volume and you have yourself some good songs to dance to. (I have played them on parties and in nightclubs and they are splendid.) They have a myspace as well as a website.
Song top 3: 1. Honey hurts me 2. Demon lover 3. Losing modern walking remix
The Loyal - A band from Helsingborg, who´s got a lay back rock/synth sound and do a bit more heart felt songs. They are quite low key but the songs are still just as brilliant. I makes you think about a grassy hill and a starlit sky. They have a myspace.
Song top 3: 1. Save/Kill 2. Struggle 3.Mystery
The Dying Dandies - A quintet from Gothenburg, with a dynamic rock/pop sound. They are very well put together and may come across as a bit plain. But they are a marvelous band for live performances and their singer has a voice that I really like. They are the kind of band that have to grow on you a bit. As all the other bands they have a myspace.
Song top 3: 1. Happiness scares me 2. What a lovely night 3. Yes still
So I suggest that you go and check those bands out. I thoroughly like them all and they are all bands that I've been listening to for a longer period of time. I hope you find something that suits your music taste.
SMK, is short for Slagsmålsklubben, the band I told you a bit about in my last blog entry. They have been around for a while and we all used to go and see all the free live gigs, their music is the one we used party to and dance around to at after parties. They are a crazy lovely lot, they are known for their party ways and outrageous lifestyle. They made a music video, released on youtube with footage from their touring that might give you a glimpse of what they are all about. The video is to their song Rakade ögonbryn skall det vara (It should be shaved eyebrows)
There are quite a few videos on youtube about them. However there are two that really stand out. They are both just small glimpse into their sense of humor and their lifestyle. Since you, my darling readers, don't really understand Swedish(most of you don't anyway) I'm going to post the videos and the translation underneath, so that you can watch and enjoy!
Frej från SMK på Hultsfredsfestivalen 2003 Frej from SMK at Hultsfredsfestivalen(a Swedish music festival) 2003
Jag köpte 20 vinyl singlar av en bajspunkare I bought 20 vinyl singles from a "poop-punker" Han ville ha 250, men jag fick dem för 200, fick jag He wanted 250, but I got them for 200, I did Så gick jag runt och sålde dem och sa att det var radioheads sidoprojekt (skratt) I went around selling them and said that it was Radioheads side projekt (laughters) Jag sålde alla 20 för 50 kronor styck, det genererarde åtskilliga (någon annan 1000) I sold them all 20 for 50 swedish kronor a pop, which generated considerable (someone else: 1000) (frej stirrar på personen) åtskilliga pengar, tänkte jag säga (frej glares at the person) a considerable amout of money, was what I was going to say Fast det var svenska text på baksidan, men det var en svenska lantion också sa jag Eventhough there were Swedish text on the back of them (the vinyl singles), but it was a Swedish release I told them sen har jag också hittat en plånbok (någon annan vad är en lantion?) I have also found a wallet (someone else what's a release?) (om plånboken) det är abnormt mycket pengar i (about the wallet) it's abnormaly large amount of money in it Jag har inga intentioner på att lämna tillbaka nått som helst av dessa pengar (någon annan fan vad mycket pengar) I have no intentions what so ever to return any of these money (someone else fuck, that's a lot of money) Det är en 500 lapp också (håller upp en sedel) There's a 500 note too (holds up a note) Någon bunte sådär... Just a bunch, whatever... Det är ju överkomligt (skratt) It's moderate (laughters)
SMK hittar inte munspelet SMK can't find the harmonica
Intervjuare: Ja, jag sitter då här med två av medlemmarna i den eminentat electronica kvintetten Slagsmålsklubben. Hur upplever ni stämningen hitills? (stäcker fram micken) Interviewer: Well, I'm sitting here with two members of the eminet electronica quintet Slagsmålsklubben. How do you experience the atmosphere so far? (reaches out the mic) Björn: alltså jag... Björn: Really I... (oidentifierad personen som går fram) den är underbar, alltså fan... (unidentified person walks into the picture) It's wonderful, really fucking... Björn: alltså jag.. Björn: Really I... Frej: lägg ut dom där (pekar) så det inte kommer någon målarfärg på golvet. Frej: Lay those out there (points) so there won't be any paint on the floor. Björn: alltså jag... Björn: Really I... Intervjuare: Vi frågar björn i bandet (sträcker fram micken igen) Interviewer: Let's ask Björn in the band (reaches out the mic again) Björn: Alltså ärligt talat jag är så fruktansvärt full, jag vet inte hur spelningen kommer att gå. Björn: Really, honestly, I'm so increadibly drunk, I have no idea how this gig is going to turn out. Intervjuare: Med andra ord kanske inte alltid Björn kommer sätta sina tangenter där dom ska. Vi frågar Frej istället. Och hur upplever du stämningen hittills? Hur tror du spelningen kommer att gå?(sträcker fram micken) Interviewer: That would mean, that Björn might not consistantly press the keys the way he should. Let's ask Freh instead. And how do you experience the atmosphere so far? And how do you think that the gig is going to turn out? (prat i bakgrunden) (noize/talking in the background) Oidentifierad person: Fråga om rundgång. Unidentified person: Ask about acoustic feedback instability. Frej: Huh? Frej: Huh? Intervjuare: Ja, och vad tycker du om Arrest me? Interviewer: Yes, and what's your opinion on Arrest me? Frej: ja.. ja.. han... Frej: yes..yes..him.. Björn: Alltså, Fredrick, släpp mig jag måste gå och kräkas Björn: Really, Fredrick, let me go I have to go and vomit (prat i bakgrunden) (noize/talking in the background) Intervjuare: En däckade och en spyr. Detta kan ses som en ganska traditionell Slagsmålsklubben spelning. Så går det när Maxwell Hammers tvingar SMK att tratta. Inverviewer: One pass out and one is throwing up. This can be view as a pretty traditional Slagsmålsklubben gig. That's what happens when Maxwell Hammer force SMK to binge drink.
They are carzy and fun, let's just say they live by the rules "anything goes on a music festival" and "I'm not responsable for what I did while intoxicated". But they are somehow very charming when you meet them/see them playing live.
I'm so incredibly tired of hearing the Swedish language, I don't really know why but ever now and again I just snap into this mindset of Swedish begin a sort of necessary pain. It's like I need to hear English around me to feel at ease. However I'm not big on the American accents, so turning on the TV and hearing them does not make the situation easier. I just listen to BBC news around the clock and wait for the feeling got disappear unfortunately it's not that easy to snap out of. I'm starting to form this theory that I might have been British in a former live (if one would assume that we all have lived former lives..)
I'm starving for a bit of Britannia! Me and my parents usually goes on holiday right after New Years, last year it was London. I tried to convince them to go there (or anywhere in the UK) again. But Oh, no we are going to the cocktail party, basement underground club and techno rave city Berlin. I know I've mention this before, but the key problem with traveling with my parents (this may be subject of a youtube video sometime soon) is to find a balance between what I want to do and what they want to do. I often want to go to gigs, nightclubs and outrageous bars. However, my parents often find these establishments quite uncomfortable. Therefore I always have to have some kind of strategy of how to get them there and how to create a atmosphere were they feel comfortable.
My plan for Berlin is to, kick off the night with a fancy cocktail bar/nice cozy pub, then take them to a good decent resturant(which is close by what ever gig/club/bar I want to go to). Then after dinner and a couple glases of wine, as we are walking past (where ever I'd want to go). I'll just say "Oh, wow here is that club/bar/gig I told you about! Fancy going in and have a look?" and after that you just run with it.
Some of the darker under tones of this song reminds me of Kent and some of their melodies
By the way, Slagsmålsklubben would translate to Fight Club in English. The bands name actually originate from the movie Fight Club, as Joni Mälkki from the band copied the movie onto a CD and to have a bit of a joke he wrote Slagsmålsklubben instead of Fight Club.
I'm currently listening to music at my 8 to 5 work, since I only answer the phone once in a while, so it's fine. I've got quite good headphones, so I don't bother anyone else. I thought I should list the songs, that I haven't listen that much to(some of them however are my bands/artists I really like). But they are the new song I quite like at the moment.
Sorry about the fact that some of the links are of a bit lower quality, I just wanted the whole song so that you could get the whole picture of the song. Some of the videos aren't even the official music video for the specific songs. But hey, I tried my best...