Remember when Kermit The Frog sang the wonderful duet with Debbie Harry on The Muppet Show?
Now a duo called Two Of Us have made a gorgeous cover of the already wonderful song “Rainbow Connection”. The song has been used in a television advert for the Sainsbury bank, so you might have heard it there.

You can listen to “Rainbow Connection” below, or you can buy it on iTunes. It’s also available on Spotify.

Here’s the original:

The loveliest band in the world, The School, is back with a new video for “Where does your heart belong?” from the new album “Reading Too Much Into Things Like Everything” (Elefant Records). Sounds, and looks, great!

This time, I managed to get the list out on Friday, as it should be! The list this week is probably less uptempo than the other lists, so maybe I should call it “Slowed Songs” ? My personal highlight of the week, – the Danish sister-duo Kirsten & Marie, have released an amazing album this week. I am also very happy to see Gravenhurst back with a new single this week, and an album coming very soon. This Many Boyfriends’ new single is also close to perfect. This week’s big disappointment was The Primitives comeback-album. Few really good songs, and as a total, it is a quite boring experience to listen to. 

So, let’s get some music here!

Loved Songs # 34

As usual, you can always subscribe to all the lists at once, in the huge and evergrowing All Loved Songs-playlist, where all new Loved Songs-playlists are added when I make them available.

all loved songs 2012 (made to shuffle!)

The songs on “Loved Songs # 34″ are:

Kirsten & Marie – Na Na Nana Nana Nana
Gravenhurst – The Prize
Wave Machines – Counting Birds
The Primitives – I’m Not Sayin’
This Many Boyfriends – (I Should Be A) Communist
Ducktails – Hamilton Road
Tu Fawning – Anchor (Hauschka Remix)
Sigur Ros – Ekki múkk
Norra Kust – Valley
Summer Heart – I Wanted You To Stay On The Other Side
Get Well Soon – You Cannot Cast Out The Demons (You Might As Well Dance)
Kent – Beredd På Allt
Gravenhurst – Song To The Siren
Kirsten & Marie – Can No One
Sbtrkt – Evening Glow
Billy Bragg & Wilco Featuring Natalie Merchant – Birds And Ships - Featuring Natalie Merchant LP Version
Beth Jeans Houghton – Atlas
Carla Morrison – Hasta la Piel
The Primitives – Single Girl

UPDATE: We just haven’t earned it yet, baby. Johnny Marr says the rumour is not true.

______________

So, my friends, tell me: Have we earned it yet, baby?

http://www.music-news.com/ShowNews.asp?nItemID=51298

Money Changes Everything??

This Joke isn’t Funny Anymore??

What difference does it make?

The lovely Spanish indiepop-band Sundae has made their first video, for a new recording of their song “Verano | Invierno”. The song will be the A side of Sundae’s first 7″ single, released this summer by Discos de Kirlian. The other side of the single will be another new recording of an old song, “Hacia Atrás”.

As usual, Sundae give us that spring-feeling with their airy indiepop-sound, sweet, dreamy vocals and gorgeous melodies. lovely video of a lovely song.

If you enjoyed this, you can taste more Sundae sounds at the band’s website www.sundae.es, their Facebook page www.facebook.com/thesundaes or at Soundcloud www.soundcloud.com/sundaeordie.

It’s very easy for me to admit that I am a huge fan of Gravenhurst, and I have been a fan ever since he released his first album many years ago. I usually get bored of artists after their first or second album, and I am definitely not a completist who MUST have everything an artist has released. I do have everything that Gravenhurst has released, – at least every official release -, and I am still not tired of this man’s music.

On April 30, Gravenhurst will release his new album “The Ghost In Daylight” on Warp, and I am really, really looking forward to it!

Here’s a track from the new album, “The Prize”:

When something is released on Sonic Cathedral, it is usually good. Fairewell is released on Sonic Cathedral. Ergo…

The band released their debut album “Poor, Poor Grendel” in December 2011, and now they have an interesting remix-EP ready for release on April 30. On the EP, you can find remixes from brilliant bands like Echo Lake, younghusband, Team Ghost and others. The remixes I have heard so far sound really good.

Here’s a remix made by The All Golden, aka Pete Gofto, and you can find more info and listen to a couple of other remixes on Sonic Cathedral‘s website.

Last week was a boring week for new releases, but this week has definitely been better. I was a little late with this list, because life took some of my time, but here it is. It’s a lot of indie and indiepop, some folky stuff, one or two electronic tracks and one song that is somewhere in the middle of soul, hiphop and everything else.

I hope you find some songs you like in here, and if you do, then please twitter about it, facebook about it, pinterest about it, and do whatever you can to spread this list. I want to see a huge number of subscribers this time!

Here is the list, and you will find a text-version of the list below.

 Loved Songs # 33

As usual, I have added the list to the huge and evergrowing All Loved Songs-playlist. You can subscribe to that one here:

all loved songs 2012 (made to shuffle!)

Now, enjoy the pop!

Crybaby – I Cherish The Heartbreak More Than The Love That I Lost
Best Coast – The Only Place
The Primitives – Turn Off The Moon
Evripidis and His Tragedies – I Always Cry At Weddings
The Icicles – This Is It
The Pastels – Nothing to Be Done
Pushy Parents – Secret Secret
Big Wave – Another Year or Two
The Proper Ornaments – Who Thought
Trophy Wife – Wolf
Belaire – A Strange & Distant Land
Town Hall – Fix This House
She Makes War – In This Boat
Lightships – Every Blossom - Sonic Boom Remix
Hannah Cohen – California
Sameblod – UR Road (single edit)
Coasting – Delusions of Grandeur
Psychologist – 1:1
Chains Of Love – I'd Rather Be Crying
Horse Feathers – Nearly Old Friends
Courtney Barnett – Lance Jr.
The Primitives – Can't Stop The Want
Damon Albarn – The Marvelous Dream
Sennen – Wasted Heart
A Taut Line – Blue Optics
THEESatisfaction – naturalE
Roommates – Back to the Sun/Girlfriend Swap
Bob Hund – Det regnar och brinner
Orcas – Until Then
Cat Martino – I Promise
Linnea Dale – Lost Highway
Juni Järvi – Looking At You Is Like Looking At The Sun
Seeker Lover Keeper – Light All My Lights
Charlotte Gainsbourg – Anna
Spiritualized – Little Girl
Human Don't Be Angry – The Missing Plutonium
Patrick Watson – Lighthouse

This song has definitely become today’s soundtrack. It’s probably the best song I have heard so far this year from an artist based in my home-country, Norway. Love the guitars and the lovely vocals on this track, – and it sure looks like they had much fun making the video! 

Grandma’s Tea Party is a 6-piece (!) orchestra from Bergen, Norway, and according to their biography, it all began with a cup of tea in 2011 in one of the members’ Grandmother’s house.

You can get a free download of this song from NRK Urørt, where there’s also two other songs by the band:

Grandma’s Tea – A Wiseman Told Me

Civil Love are a four piece band based in Peckham, and they have recently released a self-titled EP on Bandcamp. The songs are super-melodic and full of lovely harmonies. I like MOST of them a lot…

I would personally drop the opening track, where the vocals sound like they could have been from Maroon 5 or some other “oh, yeeeah-uh-huh”-radio-pop band.

The other 3 songs have entirely different, better and cleaner vocals, with Beach Boys-y harmonies and a cool pop-sound. These songs sound more like a mix between good bands like Math and Physics club and Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin. I don’t know if it’s even the same singer on the first and the rest of the songs, but he should definitely drop all the “soulful” attempts of sounding like a rock-singer. This is a pop-band, and they should sound like that.

A huge plus for the trumpets. I LOVE trumpets in popsongs!

Have a listen to track 2, 3 and 4 on Bandcamp, and you can buy the whole thing for a price of your choice.

The fine Odd Box Records has made a 19 track compilation available for free from their website today. The compilation features one song from each of the bands who will play at the Odd Box Weekender-festival on the 5th (Brixton Windmill) and 6nd of May (Buffalo Bar, Islington).

If you want to explore some of the most interesting indiepop-bands today, then you should definitely download this, – and visit the festival! You can still get tickets for the festival here http://www.wegottickets.com/f/3880

You can download the compilation from here:
Odd Box Weekender 2012

On the compilation, and on the festival, you can experience these bands. I have added some of Odd Box’ founder Trev’s descriptions for each band as well. (I hope this is OK, Trev!)

Saturday 5th May – Brixton Windmill 3pm-late

Fulhäst
Nik from Moustache of Insanity in solo guise. Expect gameboy music. And lord knows what else.

Humousexual
Boitel & Victor are humousexual, they live in berlin & sarf london. They don’t play many shows but when they do they are ACE.

Fever Dream
Noisy three piece from East London. Debut album coming out on Underused Records. Dead good.

Pale Man Made
Pale Man Made launching their new album (on Odd Box). A heady mix of 80s/90s indie guitar goodness – a melodic whirlwind of boy-girl scuzz.

The Chasms
“The Chasms play hypnotic, powerful, unsettling feedback drenched indie rock. It sounds massive and thrilling.” – John Robb

Pocketbooks
“Indie-pop of the highest order” – Penny Black Music

Drop Out Venus
Three kids from Deptford making beautifully noisy junked out rock n roll.

Sock Puppets
From Denmark. With Love. And loud guitars and irresistible pop tunes.

Magoo
Yay! 20 years in and Magoo are back. With a new record, their first in 6 years, imminent – it’s reassuring to hear they are still making beautifully crafted guitar pop music.

Milky Wimpshake
Milky Wimpshake are a pop punk band from Newcastle Upon Tyne. The band was formed in the early 1990s as part of the Slampt Underground Organisation scene. Recent releases have been on Fortuna Pop. Essential bloody listening.

DJs – between bands BSE and Rocker
DJs – Fall Out Make Up after the bands

Sunday 6th May – Buffalo Bar, Islington, 4pm-late

Sparky’s Magic Piano
The return, after a few years, of Sparky’s Magic Piano. Sunshine pop music with a beautiful blend of electropop and dreamy guitars.

Frozy
Beautiful lo-fi pop. One of London’s best kept secrets, Frozy play adorable lo-fi pop with a do-it-yourself/do-it-together attitude and always like to have help from friends. Except to hear vaguely unrehearsed lo-fi pop goodness in the tradition of Beat Happening.

Methodist Centre
Releasing records on the uber awesome Invisible Spies imprint. Two drummers. Tons of great tunes. Super punky.

The Middle Ones
They made one of THE records of 2011. They’re spell binding to watch. Gentle guitars, giggles and generally great with gorgeous harmonies.

Martha
From County Durham. Martha are super ace power pop punkers. They’re gonna steal your heart. Or smash your head in with their super catchy songs.

Anguish Sandwich
A power trio from Northampton. Debut 7″ coming on Odd Box soon. They’re a riot.

The Give It Ups
2012 is the year of The Give It Ups. It is. Look it up. With a few releases already on Odd Box they are threatening to drop their debut album before the year is out. Part Punk. Part Pop. Super fucking awesome.

The Blanche Hudson Weekend
From Leeds. Taking the guitar drenched feedback sound and twisting it with beats, samples and girl group goodness. New single and album coming soon on Odd Box.

Standard Fare
Two cracking albums. A host of winning singles. And some of the best guitar pop of recent times. Standard Fare, from Yorkshire, are Andy, Dan and Emma. Male/Female vocals intertwine to beguiling effect.

What can I say. I am happy. The Smittens. New single on Fika recordings. Out 4th of June. Super-catchy as always.
Yay!!

The lead-track is a part of The Smittens upcoming album, “Believe Me”, which will be released on the same label on 9th of July. Double-Yay!

I’m sitting here listening to a promo-version of Exlovers‘ debut album “Moth” that will be released on the 18th of June through Young & Lost Club. I’m only halfway through it, but if the rest of the songs continue with the same quality as the first ones, I am sure that this album will be one of my favourites this year. Lovely vocals, harmonies and melodies, layered guitars, and a combination of a dreamy warmth and jangly roughness. There are some songs in there that really melts my pop-heart, like “Just A Silhouette” and “Emily”. Perfect!

The band have been teasing us with some lovely singles and an EP, so I have really been waiting for an album from them. I am so far not disappointed. Not at all.

Here is the new and first single from the album, “This Love Will Lead You On” (Oh, how I love this song!!), released on the 23rd April, and below that, you will find a video of the opening track “Starlight, Starlight”. The latter can be downloaded from the band’s website for the price of your email-address.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/exlovers/39869988582

This song has been on the A-list in my brain since I first heard it, and I’ve played it over and over again. It’s a lovely song,  and a lovely band. Pale Man Made‘s ‘In Your Bed’ is taken from their forthcoming album Red Box Secrets which will be released on Oddbox Records 14 May.

You can download the single from here:

Pale Man Made – In Your Bed