Track of the Day

Strange Tales – Somebody Else

by coldwarnightlife
written by coldwarnightlife

Here’s a piece of trivia: Where was the last ever Fad Gadget performance? The answer is: the Swedish Alternative Music Awards in Gothenburg. It was a tragedy to lose Frank Tovey, but it was not accidental that the promoters of the legendary Romo Night had pulled him across the North Sea for a show. They know how to respect their elders in the Nordic music scene.

So it is that a Lustans Lakejer shirt plays a prominent role in this video from Strange Tales. Sweden’s answer to Duran Duran is still playing shows, but respect where it is due. That isn’t to say that Strange Tales are newcomers to the scene – the band was first active in the period, 1984-1987, but it was only in 2020 that they returned.

The band is made of up of:

  • Karl Johan ”Kalle” Larsson – composer, lead vox, backing vox
  • Tobbe Lander – composer, synths
  • Jonas Berg – composer, synths

There is an album on the way. Untold will include this single, “Somebody Else” – which gives good impressions, and not only because we love a good LL promo shirt.

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Kite – Don’t Take the Light Away (Mr Monell Remix)

by coldwarnightlife
written by coldwarnightlife

Sweden’s Kite aren’t nearly as well known in the UK as they ought to be. Two appearances this year should help to change that, but the shows were relatively low key. Back in their homeland, they just performed in front of thousands of rapturous fans, who have been treated to the duo’s anthemic poptronica for years in great locations with their full light-shows.

Their latest release, “Don’t Take the Light Away/Remember Me,” gives us two new songs to add to the sense that the Swedes know something that the Brits don’t. In this remix by Emmon producer, Jimmy Monell, the lead track from the single gets a harder treatment for the dancefloor.

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Lucy Gaffney – Daydream in Tokyo

by coldwarnightlife
written by coldwarnightlife

Remember Delays? The Southampton band had a strong claim to be the kings of indietronica. Even Trevor Horn got in on the action, adding his production gloss to their hit, “Valentine.” Sadly, singer Greg Gilbert left us two years ago, which left a crown to be claimed.

A strong contender comes from Ireland, in the shape of Lucy Gaffney. Nettwerk, the home label of Moev, Delerium, and Sarah McLachlan, have already snapped her up. Gaffney’s songs are strong, and to our ears the sound owes something to the influence of Delays. She has a support slot with the Wedding Present in Belfast on the 7th of September in Belfast, which ought to cement her indie credentials no end. 

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Lonelyklown – All the Summers Gone

by coldwarnightlife
written by coldwarnightlife

Remember what summers were like when you were a kid? They never seemed to end, and the blue skies were a revelation after three other seasons spent locked inside a classroom. When you got a little older, it was when you could meet other kids of whichever sex appealed to you. As August came around, the weather cooled appreciably, and it became possible to wear jeans and jumpers without sweating to death. There was the excitement of a new school year approaching, but also a sense of loss because the best weather and the greatest freedom was behind you. Time to get a new pencil case, but also to say goodbye to the hang-outs with your new friends.

The new single from Dave Baker’s Lonelyklown project traces these feelings from an adult perspective. “All the Summers Gone” combines the senses of longing and loss with appreciation for the memories in the way that Baker does best without becoming overly sentimental (see: I Start Counting). Yes, there were 99 Flakes, cricket and contrails, but also sounds and sights that won’t be repeated. Savour them.

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LonelyKlown – The Ghosts of Good Times

by coldwarnightlife
written by coldwarnightlife

Dave Baker’s LonelyKlown project impressed with the first album, Funny Sunday Morning. The I Start Counting/Fortran 5/Komputer man’s solo effort fused the essential vibe of chilled 70s pop with his trademark deadpan vocals. A year later, we have an album of remixes from North London that amps up the electronics and puts a new spin on the LonelyKlown ouevre.

This track, lifted from Day Jar View, gives a bit of spice to “The Ghosts of Good Times,” adding torn fishnets to the fuzzy impressions of party-goers after the event. You can still see them taking the trail home sometimes, but were they ever really there?

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Pieces of Juno – Juniper

by coldwarnightlife
written by coldwarnightlife

The first track from Pieces of Juno’s forthcoming album, Atlantis, has just been released. “Juniper” is a taster for the LP, which gives old-school Tom Waits and Nick Cave vibes with a touch of Nordic melancholy. Juno Jensen’s fifth studio album has been recorded in Oslo and Halden, and it incorporates “a ton of cornet, clarinet & bass clarinet, weird grand piano bells, broken cello, violin, lap steel, perc, Moogs and upright bass.”

Jensen explains that the album “is about humanity, nature and its trajectory. Stylistically seated at the junction of art-pop and neo-classical.” Add traces of Tuxedomoon’s influence, throw in Jensen’s smooth, stylish vocals, and it will lure you into the drowned city in the classiest way.

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Aux Animaux – Night

by coldwarnightlife
written by coldwarnightlife

Stockholm’s Gözde Düzer produces dark wave material from her Nordic lair as aux animaux. Armed with theremin and bass guitar, Düzer has built up an impressive discography as a solo artist, but she has also collaborated with Abu Nein and Tobias Bernstrup. The latest aux animaux release finds Düzer setting up moody and tantalising atmospheres for the children of the night.

Aux animaux will be on tour shortly, starting with 8 August 2023 at Øyafestivalen in Oslo. Further dates that have been announced include:

  • 2 September 2023 – Rüsselheim, Das Rind (with Then Comes Silence)
  • 4 September 2023 – Paris, La Boule Noir (with Then Comes Silence)
  • 5 September 2023 – Lille, La Bulle Cafe (with Then Comes Silence)
  • 6 September 2023 – Bielefeld, Movie (with Then Comes Silence)
  • 7 September 2023 – Oberhausen, Kulttempel Oberhausen (with Then Comes Silence)
  • 8 September 2023 – Saint-Ghislain, Studio Canal 10 (with Then Comes Silence)
  • 9 September 2023 – Liège, Le Garage (with Then Comes Silence)
  • 23 September 2023 – Linköping, Nuclear Nation (with A Projection)
  • 30 September 2023 – Stockholm, Bodyfest, Nalen
  • 8 December 2023 – Stockholm, FutureRetro, Slaktkyrkan (with She Past Away)
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Machinista – Stranger

by coldwarnightlife
written by coldwarnightlife

Machinista are back with a new track. “Stranger” finds the Swedish trio in fine form; making use of Italo-influenced electronics, fiery guitars, and a growling vocal line. It is the kind of material that Machinista excel in producing, and their hiatus can be forgiven.

Machinista play the WGT festival on Monday, 29 May 2023, on the Moritzbastei stage.

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