labrador records

The Radio Dept: Heaven’s On Fire [mp3]

Andy Fenstermaker
February 12, 2010February 20, 2017

Beginning with a sample (bonus points if you can pinpoint that voice) and leading into The Radio Dept.‘s now signature eletro-pop meets fuzzed out, jangle-worthy synth lines, “Heaven’s On Fire” promises great things for the band’s forthcoming record Clinging To A Scheme. It carries on precisely where the band headed post the release of their second LP, Pet Grief; songs like singles “Freddie And The Trojan Horse” and “David”. Read More »The Radio Dept: Heaven’s On Fire [mp3]

[ingenting] – Dina hÃ¤nder Ã¤r fulla av blommor [Video]

Andy Fenstermaker
December 2, 2009December 1, 2009

Oh I’m loving this! It’s the new video by (what seems like) Sweden’s only native-tongue-singing band [ingenting]. The song is “Dina hÃ¤nder Ã¤r fulla av blommor” and it’s one of their catchiest yet, easily matching prior favorites like “Syster dyster”, “Har kommer solen” and “Slapp Inb Solen”. A loose, very poor translation (no thanks to very poor online translation systems) could be “In Your Hands Full Of Blossoms” or possibly even “Your Hands Are Full Of Blossoms”. It’s a sad song, one full of longing and loss. The theme is carried through the video quite nicely, making my forthcoming compilation of the year’s best videos even harder to pare down. Read More »[ingenting] – Dina hÃ¤nder Ã¤r fulla av blommor [Video]

Little Big Adventure: Happiest Times [Video]

Andy Fenstermaker
November 30, 2009November 30, 2009

Here’s an amazing little video by Sweden’s Little Big Adventure. True to the band’s name, “Happiest Times” features a man on a journey in the more unconventional of senses. What makes this a good video is the near eerie way it progresses, with time sped up and a good concept: the character moves forward on his stomach with flowers and a briefcase, a wanderer roaming the countryside. Read More »Little Big Adventure: Happiest Times [Video]

Sambassadeur: Days [mp3]

Andy Fenstermaker
November 21, 2009May 13, 2023

With an orchestral intro fit for Camera Obscura, Sambassadeur‘s “Days” sees the band returning to their roots and expanding their inclusion of strings. With “Days”, Sambassadeur hands over yet another great pop song and their best vocal hook since “Between The Lines”. Buried in a 70s folk-pop influence and including an upbeat shuffle in the percussion, Sambassadeur is sure to please fans of Belle & Sebastian and fellow Swedes and label-mates Acid House Kings.

Andy Fenstermaker
October 26, 2009October 26, 2009

Starlet

Hanging on the wall in my living room are six album covers and the one closest to my leather rocking chair – where I write the majority of the items I post on FensePost – is Starlet‘s Stay On My Side from 1999. Songs like “At Least In My Heart” and “In The Disco” were the soundtrack to my summer of 2006, along with the title track off When The Sun Falls On My Feet, their 2002 follow-up. The latest news is that the Starlet crew is back after what, in my opinion, has been a far-too-long hiatus. Read More »Sweden’s Starlet Recording A New Album

Club 8 Slated to Release New Album Next Spring

Andy Fenstermaker
October 19, 2009October 19, 2009

Club 8

Longtime fans of Sweden’s pop music scene will recognize the Club 8 name as belonging to one of Labrador Record‘s most appreciated artists. The duo of Johan AngergÃ¥rd and Karolina Komstedt have been making music under the moniker since the mid 90s, and have released six full-length LPs. What sets this new album apart, however, is that AngergÃ¥rd will not produce it — and that’s a first for the band. Instead, Jari Haapalainen (Peter Bjorn & John, Camera Obscura, The Concretes) will be the producer. Read More »Club 8 Slated to Release New Album Next Spring

The Mary Onettes: Puzzles [Track Review]

Andy Fenstermaker
September 4, 2009September 3, 2009

Shortly after giving us Dare, a brief three-song single, The Mary Onettes continue their reign of dark, heavily 80s-influenced pop with a new LP dubbed Islands. “Puzzles” is the first single and it’s adorned with thick melancholy vocals and a sound that is instantly reminiscent of 80s greats like The Church and Echo And The Bunnymen. Read More »The Mary Onettes: Puzzles [Track Review]

[ingenting]: Halleluja [Track Review]

Andy Fenstermaker
July 30, 2009August 21, 2009

Of the seemingly countless Swedish artists/groups I follow, rarely does one surface that sings in the native tongue. They instead tend to favor English. [ingenting] is one of the rarities and their new track “Halleluja” is packed with beautiful pop melodies and a title even the English-only speaking individuals on this side of the Western world can understand. Whether you can comprehend the rest of the words, however, is of little significance — the melodies are enough to carry the listener away, and there are more than enough hooks to… well, get hooked. Read More »[ingenting]: Halleluja [Track Review]

The Legends: Over And Over [Album Review]

Andy Fenstermaker
July 15, 2009May 13, 2023

On his fourth album under the guise The Legends, Johan Angergård surprises yet again. After three albums that each take the group in a different direction, it has become standard to expect no less from the next release, and thus it was on Over And Over.

Acid House Kings: Do What You Wanna Do [Album Review]

Andy Fenstermaker
June 20, 2009May 13, 2023

As I’ve noted countless times in my reviews, I am a firm believer that the sweetest and best of indie-pop from around the world comes from Sweden. While The Legends kicked off this phase, my attention was not focused on that country until I discovered label mates Acid House Kings. With the success of their cherished Sing Along With The Acid House Kings (2005, Labrador) comes the smash hit single “Do What You Wanna Do” in a Single/EP of the same name, this time on the Florida label TwentySeven Records with four exclusive tracks–one of which is exclusive to the US release of the single.