Sometimes you just have to put your hands up and surrender. Caught by this blog in their raw, evolutionary form a few times back in '07, Scots mob Dananananaykroyd have since spent time in the US honing the first album. Black wax is first out of the traps: hole in one, back of the net, bullseye, etc. Dismemberment Plan-meets-Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah. Hopefully, there'll be a bit more like this on the rest of Hey, everyone but expect mostly a tumultuous aural assault. And talking of assault, the band tells The Fly of their producer's idiosyncratic approach: "He's not like a producer in the sense that he's behind a desk. We recorded most of our album live, and he was in between us shouting at us and slapping us about." This might make sense to Glaswegians but it's probably not an approach that would work with everyone, certainly not a sensitive soul like...

..., say, Emil Svanangen. Play a gig in a church and you'd better pack some divine tunes. Luckily, that's not a problem for Loney, Dear though a problem for reallyrather was that he/they didn't play half of them at St. Giles just off Charing Cross Road. Wanting to base half your set on numbers from a new record is artistically understandable but Dear John's release was still six weeks away so much was new. Mostly promising, though (apart from one song which did have a distinct 'auto-pilot' feel about it). And atmospheric as the setting was, the music's characteristic motion, the softly pulsing throb of stuff like I am John and Airport surroundings only emphasised the straitjacketing effect of sitting in pews.
The quieter, calmer stuff like In with the arms fared best in the context, Emil taking to the isle and stripping things right down to his quirky Scando-croon and one or two strings on his acoustic; Hold me and A band would surely have held us similarly but they didn't get played. Nor, sadly, did belters like Take it back, Ignorant boy ignorant girl, The city the airport, Hard days, et al. But Emil owes this blog nothing having thrilled on at least half-a-dozen previous ocassions, foremost amongst them a glorious night at the Water Rats 18 months ago, Carrying a stone's ecstatic peak being closer to a religious experience than anything on this night...

A power outtage at The Enterprise in Camden prompted another memorable Loney night a couple of years back; impromptu unplugged. It's a good little space though and seemingly popular with Swedes. Teenage folk-pop duo First Aid Kit are there Feb 23 and arrive streaming comparisons to the likes of The Be Good Tanyas - if only, if only...
[first aid kit]

And Suburban Kids With Biblical Names have also entertained this blog royally there. After what not only seems but actually is absolute ages, the boys are back with new tunes - what's the Swedish for 'Hurrah!', anyone?
[skwbn]