Another Form of Relief

Let’s go where people are like you and me
The dance floor is a mess but so are we

A wonderful love letter to indie pop, Norwegian Pop is a simple three minute pop song that celebrates how important music can be in our lives. It’s not showy, and it isn’t trying to win anyone over who doesn’t already appreciate the genre. Those that do though will find gentle words, handclaps, all with brass and strings floating around the background.

Bedroom Eyes is largely the project of one man, Jonas Jonsson, who is Swedish, just in case you couldn’t guess from the name. Both of his EP releases, 2006’s Embrace in Stereo and last year’s Valentine Vacancy are available free from his website.

A year ago I couldn’t have even told you what tweepop was. Sure, I had gotten into Belle & Sebastian in a big way by that point, but I didn’t know anything about the genre itself, or even that such a genre existed in the first place. Over the past year, I’ve ventured further and further into it, and find myself constantly discovering new and wonderful bands. I primed myself with Pitchfork’s concise ‘Twee as Fuck‘ feature and then basically just downloaded whatever Matt over at Skatterbrain posted on his blog. There’s no real point to this story, I just think that’s kind of cool.

Over the past couple of weeks I’ve found a bunch of new tweepop bands that I’m liking in a big way. I’m going to write about three of them in one post as I’m backlogged with fantastic music to write about and this simplifies things somewhat.

The aim of Sweden’s Bedroom Eyes is “to make pop songs that are short and simple compounds of bright melodies and heartfelt matters”. Essentially the one man band of Jonas Jonsson, the songs are full of the kind of breezy playing that makes bands like Human Television such a joy. Upbeat music, downbeat lyrics and probably the first band to successfully namecheck Ricky Gervais. You can download all of 2006’s ‘Embrace In Stereo’ EP from their website.

MP3 Bedroom Eyes – Dancing Under Influence (expired)
MP3 Bedroom Eyes – Motorcycle Daydream (expired)

Bedroom Eyes: Website || Myspace

It seems that everyone else has already written about Antarctica Takes It! Always one to be late to the party, I’d just like to reiterate how good these guys are. A four piece from California that is the outlet for songwriter Dylan’s slightly random but always engaging songs. There’s a little of everything in these songs: harmonies, time shifts, and the glockenspiel. You can never have enough glockenspiel in your songs. It’s all very lo-fi, but that’s just part of it’s charm. Both of the songs below are taken from last year’s ‘The Penguin League’ album. The band is currently recording a follow up.

MP3 Antarctica Takes It! – Antarctica (expired)
MP3 Antarctica Takes It! – I’m No Lover (expired)

Antarctica Takes It!: Myspace

Cats on Fire may well be the first band from Finland that I’ve ever posted on this blog. Who would have thought that tweepop would be quite such an international thing? Cats on Fire have been around for over five years, all of which is documented on the wonderfully (and sometimes brutally) honest autobiography on their website. These are surprisingly elaborate little songs with a vocalist that manages to sound eerily similiar to Morrissey at times.

MP3 Cats on Fire – My Friend in a Comfortable Chair (expired)
MP3 Cats on Fire – Higher Grounds (expired)

Cats on Fire: Website || Myspace

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The support acts are coming together for Los Campesinos! & Sky Larkin’s “Losky Campelarkinos” tour. Nottingham and Birmingham get the fantastic Johnny Foreigner, Manchester gets Sparky Deathcap and the date I’ll be at in London gets Nosferatu D2. I hadn’t heard of them before, but after listening to them a little, I think they will fit the bill perfectly.