Cherry Pick: Paris

by Frank Gualtier -- 10/05/07,10/06/07

A

top an outright deluge of incredibly good music on the independent rock, pop, electro, dance and indie scene these past few years ride those incredible Scandinavians hanging ten and sounding like a million ...uh... Krona? Kroner? ...

From Swedens' capital city of Stockholm I find Paris -- a group who's been around since 2003. They're practically antiques by today's standards but I swear they sound as fresh as ever (I wanted sooo bad to say "as an eighteen year old on prom night.")

My introduction came via their indie pop song called 'Captain Morgan' from their 2005 release 'Secrets on tape' in which you'll find mention of several people including 'Barry Gibb' with a request to come sing some tunes in his falsetto -- I had to sit down I laughed so hard. All that aside it's a great song and so are their others.

My only shock is that they'd name themselves "Paris". Doesn't that bury much of heir press beneath that of Paris Hilton? Then again perhaps it actually does just the opposite and snags them a lot of good wrong turns. Hmmm... In truth I'm betting they hadn't thought of this at all -- I only mentioned it because my searches on them were nearly burried to the hilt-on... and also clumped with the rap artist Paris.

They released a third album this year (2007) 'The Landlord is kind enough to let us have our little sessions' on their own indie label Parismusic and I'm thinking I just don't get around enough that I missed them by a four year swath! KeeRipes...

Better late than never.
--

(2003) Streetlights

(2005) Captain Morgan

(2007) When I Laid My Eyes On You

[ website | myspace | discog ]

Cherry Pick: Therese Åhs

by Frank Gualtier -- 09/18/07

A

while back large hearted Kelley Martin of Acoustic Pie internet radio (see links on sidebar) pointed me to Gothenburg,
Sweden's Therese Åhs via Therese's alter ego Natalie Moody.

What I heard was a beautiful (and HUGE) voice singing a dreamy original song called Outside.

And good news (ya freeloaders) on the song -- she currently has it available for free download on her myspace page.

Excellent promo since I can't imagine anyone hearing this song and this voice and not wanting more.

You can find the lyrics >here<.
--

[ website | myspace: Therese Åhs / Natalie Moody ]

Cherry Pick - Jenny Lundmark

by Frank Gualtier -- 08/24/07

I'm a huge fan of Swedish artists, which you'll be hearing more about not too far down the road, and I also like electronic, traditional (think Greensleeves or the many inerwoven themes within Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture) and world music.

Especially when it's all rolled into one package.

Most of the Swedish artists I listen to are far southerners in and about Scania -- the city of Malmö in particular. It seems many don't actually live there but rather maybe it's 'the place to be' for music in Sweden.

Time to head up north (Norrland)...

Based there in Umeå is the very versatile composer and singer Jenny Lundmark.

You may have seen her on YouTube singing Då and Vilsen with Swedish hip hop artists Block 44 (from their album 'I skuggan av Tellus') and you can also hear her sing with Patrik Öberg in their folk-rock/pop-rock project Below Zero.

Not enough contrast for you?

Okay dig this -- as a solo act she writes and sings in a genre that is very 'epic-world'. This one's the sweet spot for me.

While claiming influence that include Vangelis and Loreena McKennitt I believe it's the Enya sway that you'll hear above all else.

I always took Vangelis as 'epic-electronic' (Blade Runner, for example - one of my favorite movies) and Loreena McKennitt as 'celtic-world'. Enya seemed to be a fusion of both gone super nova. I'll never forget the first time I heard Orinocco Flow (Watermark - 1988) -- I could not get to a record store fast enough. And being a student of classical theory going back to the origins of scales I was beside myself with pieces like 'Cursum Perficio'.

It's in the similar vein of 'epic-world' that Jenny Lundmark writes and she's incredibly talented at it.

She currently has a few pieces up on her myspace profile from the project she's putting together.

Here's your chance to get in on something fresh with an artist in situ.

Lyrics for "Du och Jag" by Jenny Lundmark (2007)

När din blick möter min
Säg mig vad är det du ser?
När du rör vid mig
Säg mig vad är det du känner inom dig?

Lalala...

När din blick möter min
Stannar världen, allt blir tyst
När du rör vid mig
Tänds en låga jag ej trodde var möjlig

Lalala...

All den tid som vi har kvar, ska vi dela du och jag
Nu har jag fått den jag vill ha, det finns inga tvivel kvar

Lalala...

Links for Jenny Lundmark:

• MySpace: Jenny Lundmark
• Below Zero

Voices to Live and Die by - Katharina Nuttall

by Frank Gualtier -- 08/10/07

Deep, lush, dark but not jaded, commanding and yearning, intoxicating, somewhat androgynous and very sensual, beautifully unsettling and technically true. The first time I heard her sing I was taken with goosebumps. Nine months later and I'm still waiting for them to go down. Katharina Nuttall has a voice to live and die by.

She's also the author and performer of one of my favorite songs 'Place of Hope' from her debut solo album 'This Is How I Feel'. (see the video attached below)

You can find more of her videos with this Google search.

In addition to the more epic pop-rock ballad style songs you'll find above there's also a few softer and sometimes extremely wrenching songs like 'Our Kind of Love' and 'Dry the Tears'. Those two in particular are reminiscent of memorable movie score pieces. No surprise considering she actually has written movie scores.

And you'll hear the Peter Gunn'ish sounding rhythm driven 'In My House' and 'Shake It Babe' which you might think came right out of an Elvis Presley dance scene.

Very versatile.

Having produced and performed backing vocals for the likes of Ane Brun (who does some backup vocals as well for Katharina on 'This Is How I Feel') and produced movie and video as well she is a woman of many hats.

'This Is How I Feel' is an album I highly recommend buying. It's a profound experience that will saturate you thoroughly and stay with you forever.

Katharina Nuttall - Place of Hope

'Down by the river there's a place of hope
A place of hope
And when the dark nights come that is where I'll go
It's where I'll go
You left a love-mark
In my heart
It hurts to Breathe
Hurts to breath
I was to scared to fall
I really had to leave
I had to leave
In my dreams
there's a place
We swim you and me
I wanna drown with you again
I threw a coin into a wishing well
A wishing well?
yes! A wishing well
But there was no coming back and no water to spell
No water to spell
In my dreams
there's a place
We swim you and me
I wanna drown with you again
Give me a place of hope' ~Katharina Nuttall - 'Place of Hope'

Links for Katharina Nuttall:

• Website
  
• MySpace
  
• Merch