This was supposed to be a productive week, those hours after work. But I ended up doing what any solid music nerd would: procrastinate by going through my records and singles, rediscovering old favorites and discovering new treasures hidden within my collection. We listened to The Smiths on repeat for a few days. I dug out an old single by The Rondelles. (more…)

In a video from Fredrik, you know you’re always going to get something a bit different, just like their music. And just like their music, you know it will be a little strange but very good. “Chrome Cavities” continues this pattern, using a play on shadows and color. It features “a vintage British overhead projector, an off-white canvas, scissors, paper, 8 hands and a fishtank full of flammable liquids.” The result is your standard Fredrik genius. (more…)

36.1 minutes. That is the length of the new Fredrik album, Flora. Not bad, especially since the band has put together a video that spans that amount of time and covers the album in its entirety. Brilliant, I say! Flora continues what Fredrik has created on their past two releases – eerie experimental pop music that is other-worldly. (more…)

The problem with so-called best-of lists, is that they are really just a collection of items organized based on experience and time, in that there will be plenty of albums heard the following year and beyond that will hold just as much weight as these we dub as “Best.” So, as of right now, at this particular time in the tail end of 2010 and the first moments of 2011, these albums are the best. There’s no question about it; it will change. My next list (which I’ve started, but may take a while to publish) is dubbed, paraphrase: the best albums I didn’t check out in 2011 for some reason or another. (more…)

Consistent in experimentation, exploring the outer reaches of dream pop is Swedish trio Fredrik. On their most recent release, Origami, the band continues what they created with LP Na Na Ni and EP trio Trilogi. They create a sound both wonderful and peaceful, but with an underlying eerie-ness that makes their music unique and refreshing.

Fredrik has always used music to build structure around a fantasy world, and as they continue to give us new material, the dream-lands within their collective minds become slightly more vivid. There’s good reason I consider this band to be one of the best, most original bands around, and you can hear it throughout songs like “White On White.”

Origami, then, continues what Fredrik began with their earlier releases — a recurring dream both darkly beautiful and calmly terrifying, filled with mystery and awe.

Download: “White On White” by Fredrik

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The Kora Records [7" Single, 2010]

1. Dance of the Peacock Phantom
2. White on White
3. ABC

Creating a music video, in my opinion, should be about creating art. There are so many intricate elements that should go into a video that are so often left forgotten or, at least, unattended. First and foremost is the song itself — a video must compliment the art to which it is expanding from audio to video. Connecting the two is extremely important. Second is theme. The best videos have some storyline, vague or distinct. Or at least something visually interesting. (more…)

The duo of Lindefelt and Fredrik have come a long way since their early work together under their indie pop guise of The Lovekevins. With two entirely too brief EPs, the band transformed into The LK again with Lindefelt at the helm. This was the duo’s first foray into noise-pop, and the single Private Life Of A Cat was our introduction to their new sound. That in itself would lead directly into the band’s first LP, Vs. The Snow. Up to, and including, that album, the band had begun to formulate something very special in the partnership between the two musicians, and it was fully realized when the other stepped into the limelight in their new project, simply dubbed Fredrik. (more…)

When I compiled my original Best Of 2008 list last December, it was a snow day. The sky dropped about a foot, maybe a foot and a half of fluffy white stuff and we lowly sub-compact drivers could go nowhere. Between ranking albums and locating album art, I took a stroll around town with my camera. The above image comes from that trek. Overall, I was pretty happy with last year’s list but, in revisiting all the albums from 2008, I now see quite a few that I left out. (more…)

Trilogy, the upcoming sophomore release by Sweden’s Fredrik, is quickly become the most anticipated release of 2010. A few months back we were graced with the excellent track “Locked In A Basement” and now they’ve given us the first video off the pending release, “Vinterbarn”. (more…)

When a new track or upcoming release is announced noting the master duo Fredrik and Lindefelt, be it their original project The LK (or known earlier as The Lovekevins) or the full group simply named Fredrik, the question is not whether they will deliver, it’s how much. Na Na Ni, to prove a point, was my #1 album of 2008. They return now with the upcoming sophomore release, Trilogi, once again to be released on The Kora Records. (more…)