Total surprise yesterday, I was doing my 20 km biking (daily alternated with 10 km walking), when I got a message from friend: “Who’s coming? I’m going to Mando Diao concert”.
Never even heard of them (they are quite famous in Sweden, I’m told); a 30 seconds sampling Spotify to check I could tolerate them, and I answer:
“They do not sound too obnoxious, I’m coming”.
Pedal faster to have time for a quick shower, and there I am.
What a surprise, I expected slow melodic ballads in Swedish, instead:
Spotify had selected only songs from their Infruset album for whatever reason.
Tomorrow is Alphaville.
The music has always been, to my ears, utterly obscene.
I might step out of my comfort zone, we’ll see.
I’d love to see a double bill of these guys and Flamy Grant…
[ETA]
This was more fun than I was expecting.
Probably not everyone’s cup of tea, but I’m occasionally in the mood for it.
About Nick Cave:
I have a memory (of about 30 years ago…+/-10Y) of a song with lyrics entirely composed of a long enumeration of objects or feelings or something.
Imagine “Mambo number five” but, of course, in a totally different style!
I’m almost sure it was from Nick Cave, but I cannot find it, I have tried YT, Spotify, Google etc. to no avail.
Am I misremembering? Does it ring any bell? TIA!
On Thursday I went for one of the trashiest (IMHO, YMMV) concert in Gröna Lund.
Alphaville.
Only because some friend pushed me, for the pleasure of spending an evening together.
I think their music has not aged well, I never liked it but hearing it in 2024 is even more jarring - it sounds cheesy AF.
The singer (the only original member AFAIK) has lost a bit of his voice, and mid concert embarked in a strange philosophical tirade, but two or three songs in the second part sounded a bit more modern and pleasant to my ears.
Forever Young.
Could not really hear the song, as two young girls were singing in the shrillest of voices behind me, I was happy for them, notwithstanding the fact they could not hit a note if their life depended on it*.
But I cannot say the concert gave me nothing, I was in good company and also I brought home COVID 19 - very light symptoms at the moment 
. (I might have gotten it from any other gig, TBH…).
*Note: I am absolutely worse, but I’m not tone deaf so I avoid singing when someone can hear me. Myself included.
The chapter on Jamaican music, meanwhile, includes a comment on dancehall “sounding as if it was put together by someone with a computer and a short, coke-fuelled attention-span”. I ask him to elaborate. “The shift from real rhythm to machine rhythm has changed something about people’s relationships with music,” he replies. “I can enjoy some tracks that are machine-driven but they don’t enter my brain through the same doorway.”
(yes, it was 2020)
A lot has been said about how great the (underground/non-mainstream) music of the ‘80’s was, and yes I am an old Gen-X dude, but damn I love all those punk, post-punk, new wave and new pop
and I had all their records! Pattie Smith, The Slits, The Raincoats, Lydia Lunch, Nina Hagen, Danielle Dax, Siouxsie, Exene, Diamanda Galas, The B-52’s, Yazoo, Kim Wilde, The Go-Go’s, Bow Wow Wow, The Bangles, Bananarama, ‘Till Tuesday, Strawberry Switchblade, Tom Tom Club, We’ve Got a Fuzz Box, Throwing Muses, The Sundays, Dead Can Dance, Clan of Xymox, fucking Cocteau Twins, I could go on and on…
Honestly I rate the Slits right up there with PIL as the most HUGELY influential post-punk bands. On me at least.
I missed PIL but loved the Slits!
I mean I do remember PIL in the 80s but I thought they were boring. I didn’t hear their Keith Levene stuff until later.
I think I first heard Brown Rice by Don Cherry from a Viv Albertine interview.
