Cocteau Twins

I think I've found one of this year's first official autumn bands: Cocteau Twins. It's strange - they aren't exactly upcoming or new, they're kind of old and forgotten. My interest in them came about quite randomly - I'd read a review of a recent Massive Attack gig in Copenhagen and decided to re-listen to 'Teardrop' among other MA tracks. I then came across who sang that song - Elisabeth Fraser from the Cocteau Twins. I was quie interested in this voice and so then tried out a few CT tracks and was almost instantly hooked by the first album of theirs I heard, 'Heaven Or Las Vegas'. I've been thinking a lot about how to describe Cocteau Twins' music - it's shoegaze, dream pop and post-punk all at once. Sometimes they sound like The Cure fronted by Enya, sometimes like My Bloody Valentine with less loud, distorted guitars and sometimes like nothing else I can think of. It's dreamy and captivating - aka perfect for walking in the rain and spending cool afternoons in bed with homework and a cup of tea.

And another thing...

YouTube doesn't fascinate me as much nowadays as it once did, but I just remembered how amazing I think it is that videos like the one above exists. I was at this gig and when I realised what song it was I kept thinking 'Dammit, why didn't I bring my camera so I could at least capture this one?!' - and then I come home and find one of the best amateur concert videos I've seen, capturing this special little song. Though it of course makes gigs less romantic and special, I would lie if I said I didn't love to find that video so I could listen to the amazingness of that song once again. It doesn't exactly make me want to see Final Fantasy live again less and as long as that's the case I think concert clips are perfectly fine.

JJ

What are you still doing here? you should go listen to JJ's album 'JJ No 2'. It contains some of the most perfect and atmospheric electro-pop I've ever heard. So go, I tell you, go listen to it!

The Broken Beats

You should never underestimate the role of the audience. That is a universal truth I was reminded of yesterday when I went to see the danish band The Broken Beats at my hometown Viborg's only real venue Paletten (that'll be 'the palette' in English). The band you're watching might put on the performance of their lives, but if the crowd isn't with them, it might just feel like the worst gig ever. That was kind of the situation last night. I had been offered a free ticket by a friend who works at the venue, simply because of the fact that only six tickets had been sold in the advance sale - it was clear this wasn't exactly THE event to be at on a Saturday night in Viborg. Oh well, what a shame. I didn't know much of the Broken Beats' music before yesterday, just a couple of songs and it seemed that the about 20-30 people we ended up being were in the same situation as me - many of them looked like they had been given free tickets or the like, as they drank beer and seemed slightly uninterested in the band. It was a shame, I tell you. Because both the supporting band Mimas, who I hadn't heard of before and the Broken Beats themselves put on energetic and entertaining performances, with the Beats' set especially inviting the tiny crowd to join in, dance and have fun, just like the band did. This gig could have been so much fun! it just wasn't, because nobody dared to start the party. Eventually the crowd became drunker and happier during the night and a few people started dancing politely on the spot. It could have been worse - but it could also have been so much better.

Track of the day #5

The Antlers - 'Two'
In reality this should probably have been more of an 'album of the day' kind-of thing, but I'm off to a gig in an hour and I'm not ready at all yet, so I don't really have the time to write something long and meaningful. I just want to share this with everyone - I've had The Antlers' 'Hospice' album lying around for a while and I finally got to listen to it from beginning to end today. It's amazing. It's been quite some time since I last heard something this heartfelt and melancholic and beautiful and powerful from an album. I've been listening to the album's single 'Two' for a while before listening to the album and that song is quite a good example of what this album does best. It's quiet and pretty while also being filled with some kind of adrenaline and stressful vibe that makes you listen closer - and then, when you listen closer, you'll notice the lyrics and the heartbreaking story they tell. When listening to the album there's a lot of the same vibe - yet channeled in many different, exciting and thought-provoking ways. I've only listened to it all the way through once and I already feel like it might be one of my albums of the year. It feels so precious, as if it would be unfair to listen to the tracks individually. I can't wait to listen to it again - I'll hopefully have the time to do that again when I get home tonight.