After months of discussions and drafts and modifications and a last week-long hiatus (in case you haven't noticed), your favorite little Berlin/Oslo music blog is finally back with its overly needed refurnishing. Actually, we're so happy with the outcome that I feel I have to keep this short to prevent myself from getting all cheesy and tear-jerking. So, our eternal gratitude goes out to Christian for this beautiful logo we have now, and to Matias first for his apparently everlasting patience when it comes to dealing with a bunch of confused bloggers making unqualified interventions, and second for this simply amazing and wonderful thing we'll call our website from now on. Moreover, our favorite visual chronicler of Berlin life Florian has become some kind of NFOP regular, generously providing both the pictures for the logo and for the thumbs on the right - all taken from his marvelous blog Pieces Of Berlin, so make sure you head over there now and then and buy one of his awesome prints.
In a further attempt to become a little more local, we've started a collaboration with Volker of antistars booking to get at least some of all those amazing musicians into town that we so enthusiastically write about all the time. The fun starts December 10 with an exclusive showcase of everybody's favorite Mancunian Darren Williams aka Star Slinger at Friedrichshain's RAW-Tempel. More details soon.
But first things first, to celebrate the occasion we've asked one of "our" most talented and crazily adored artists, Coma Cinema's Mat Cothran, to compile his favorite tunes of 2010 and put them into a neat little mix. As the b-side, I did the same with some tunes I was most into as of late. Listen to both mixes below or head straight over to our soundcloud to download them.
We hope you like the new face of No Fear Of Pop. Thank all of you.
- Tonje & Henning
1. Wye Oak - I Hope You Die
2. Girls - Substance
3. CEO - Come With Me
4. Julian Lynch - Just Enough
5. MGMT - Siberian Breaks
6. Yeasayer - Odd Blood
7. Frog Eyes - Flower in a Glove
8. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Round and Round
1. Games - Everything Is Working
2. Waskerly Way - Cat Alert
3. Laurel Halo - Embassy
4. Copy - Something
5. Hype Williams - Fruit Bats Forevr
6. Veux - Late Key
7. Survive - The Cave
8. Dylan Ettinger - Baptism
9. Time Wharp - 1992
10. Autre Ne Veut - New Depth
11. Greatest Hits - Your Just an Uptown Girl
12. Airbird - Part of the Game
13. Oneohtrix Point Never - Returnal (feat. Antony Hegarty)
Design: Tonje Thilesen + Christian Rudewig
Photography (artwork): Florian Fleischauer.
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After months of discussions and drafts and modifications and a last week-long hiatus (in case you haven't noticed), your favorite little Berlin/Oslo music blog is finally back with its overly needed refurnishing. Actually, we're so happy with the outcome that I feel I have to keep this short to prevent myself from getting all cheesy and tear-jerking. So, our eternal gratitude goes out to Christian for this beautiful logo we have now, and to Matias first for his apparently everlasting patience when it comes to dealing with a bunch of confused bloggers making unqualified interventions, and second for this simply amazing and wonderful thing we'll call our website from now on. Moreover, our favorite visual chronicler of Berlin life Florian has become some kind of NFOP regular, generously providing both the pictures for the logo and for the thumbs on the right - all taken from his marvelous blog Pieces Of Berlin, so make sure you head over there now and then and buy one of his awesome prints.
In a further attempt to become a little more local, we've started a collaboration with Volker of antistars booking to get at least some of all those amazing musicians into town that we so enthusiastically write about all the time. The fun starts December 10 with an exclusive showcase of everybody's favorite Mancunian Darren Williams aka Star Slinger at Friedrichshain's RAW-Tempel. More details soon.
But first things first, to celebrate the occasion we've asked one of "our" most talented and crazily adored artists, Coma Cinema's Mat Cothran, to compile his favorite tunes of 2010 and put them into a neat little mix. As the b-side, I did the same with some tunes I was most into as of late. Listen to both mixes below or head straight over to our soundcloud to download them.
We hope you like the new face of No Fear Of Pop. Thank all of you.
- Tonje & Henning
1. Wye Oak - I Hope You Die
2. Girls - Substance
3. CEO - Come With Me
4. Julian Lynch - Just Enough
5. MGMT - Siberian Breaks
6. Yeasayer - Odd Blood
7. Frog Eyes - Flower in a Glove
8. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Round and Round
1. Games - Everything Is Working
2. Waskerly Way - Cat Alert
3. Laurel Halo - Embassy
4. Copy - Something
5. Hype Williams - Fruit Bats Forevr
6. Veux - Late Key
7. Survive - The Cave
8. Dylan Ettinger - Baptism
9. Time Wharp - 1992
10. Autre Ne Veut - New Depth
11. Greatest Hits - Your Just an Uptown Girl
12. Airbird - Part of the Game
13. Oneohtrix Point Never - Returnal (feat. Antony Hegarty)
Design: Tonje Thilesen + Christian Rudewig
Photography (artwork): Florian Fleischauer.
Somehow, I'm not capable of listening to Sean Nicholas Savage's brand new record Mutual Feelings (of Respect and Admiration) without experiencing a faint sentiment of shame and embarrassment. At the same time, however, I am equally not able to listen to this without developing a strange urge to stand up and start dancing in purest joy and happiness. After all, despite all his overwhelming tendency to cheesiness, Savage basically deserves to be admired for his warm-hearted and honest take on disco-leaning pop that is drenched in stripped romanticism. With Silly Kissers' David Carriere handling the production efforts, one of the most prolific artists of Canada's left field music scene has come up with an overall terrific piece of music. Mutual Feelings (of Respect and Admiration) is out now on Arbutus Records.
Somehow, I'm not capable of listening to Sean Nicholas Savage's brand new record Mutual Feelings (of Respect and Admiration) without experiencing a faint sentiment of shame and embarrassment. At the same time, however, I am equally not able to listen to this without developing a strange urge to stand up and start dancing in purest joy and happiness. After all, despite all his overwhelming tendency to cheesiness, Savage basically deserves to be admired for his warm-hearted and honest take on disco-leaning pop that is drenched in stripped romanticism. With Silly Kissers' David Carriere handling the production efforts, one of the most prolific artists of Canada's left field music scene has come up with an overall terrific piece of music. Mutual Feelings (of Respect and Admiration) is out now on Arbutus Records.
Completely fell for this fuzzed out prettiness by San Francisco's latest pop sensation Melted Toys, amazingly well crafted songs that despite the rusted layers of lo-fi embracing noise actually care for melody and construction, features that show some real talent here coming out of the brains and hands of Brian Wakefield, Daniel Rosado, and Steven Harkins, resulting in some tunes that beneficially set this trio apart from so many mediocre projects surfacing this year. Fortunately, this fact has already been recognized by folks more relevant than myself, among them our crazily adored friends over at Underwater Peoples who are going to drop Melted Toys' debut EP sometime in early 2011.
Completely fell for this fuzzed out prettiness by San Francisco's latest pop sensation Melted Toys, amazingly well crafted songs that despite the rusted layers of lo-fi embracing noise actually care for melody and construction, features that show some real talent here coming out of the brains and hands of Brian Wakefield, Daniel Rosado, and Steven Harkins, resulting in some tunes that beneficially set this trio apart from so many mediocre projects surfacing this year. Fortunately, this fact has already been recognized by folks more relevant than myself, among them our crazily adored friends over at Underwater Peoples who are going to drop Melted Toys' debut EP sometime in early 2011.
Byron Ferrari from Columbus, Ohio ain't someone who feels the urge to talk about his music too much. In fact, he doesn't even bother to set up a myspace or to provide his newer tunes on his bandcamp with any kind of cover art. So, I guess he intends to let the music speak for itself. And why not? Frytos solo project Young Heat is devoted to some seriously stripped down, honestly lo-fi stuff that is hazy and dreamy as hell and, oh yes, truly hypnagogic in its approach. With a guitar work that indeed resembles that of a certain Matthew Mondanile III, Young Heat's music is made for lazy afternoons in the sunshine and in general all about impressions and blurred recollections, not about songs whatsoever. So really, what should there be talked about?
Byron Ferrari from Columbus, Ohio ain't someone who feels the urge to talk about his music too much. In fact, he doesn't even bother to set up a myspace or to provide his newer tunes on his bandcamp with any kind of cover art. So, I guess he intends to let the music speak for itself. And why not? Frytos solo project Young Heat is devoted to some seriously stripped down, honestly lo-fi stuff that is hazy and dreamy as hell and, oh yes, truly hypnagogic in its approach. With a guitar work that indeed resembles that of a certain Matthew Mondanile III, Young Heat's music is made for lazy afternoons in the sunshine and in general all about impressions and blurred recollections, not about songs whatsoever. So really, what should there be talked about?
Robert Robinson's blissful recording project Sore Eros returns with a sweet little gem of finest pop haziness. Giraffe's Kiss will be on the band's forthcoming Know Touching, due November 23 on Norfolk, Virginia's Shdwply Records. Folky, lovely, a little amount of distortion and hints of noise to underline a lo-fi production approach, before we could even start deeming this a little too blatant and almost cheap we were already singing along. Sorry, we just can't help it. And oh, oh!, this video.
Robert Robinson's blissful recording project Sore Eros returns with a sweet little gem of finest pop haziness. Giraffe's Kiss will be on the band's forthcoming Know Touching, due November 23 on Norfolk, Virginia's Shdwply Records. Folky, lovely, a little amount of distortion and hints of noise to underline a lo-fi production approach, before we could even start deeming this a little too blatant and almost cheap we were already singing along. Sorry, we just can't help it. And oh, oh!, this video.
A wonderfully deranged late night jam by London beat wizard Bobby Jewel aka Love Distance. Alpha Romeo is dark and twisted and actually owes quite a lot to naughties Berlin minimal, straight mesmerizing beat works that chase reduced sounds which keep on flickering around over the track's course, creating unsteadiness in steadiness which has always been the key feature in sophisticated minimal music.
A wonderfully deranged late night jam by London beat wizard Bobby Jewel aka Love Distance. Alpha Romeo is dark and twisted and actually owes quite a lot to naughties Berlin minimal, straight mesmerizing beat works that chase reduced sounds which keep on flickering around over the track's course, creating unsteadiness in steadiness which has always been the key feature in sophisticated minimal music.
These pure, straightforward, true to the letter new wave bangers by Roanne, France cousins Maudoux Laurent and Jeremy Monteiro aka Accident (now based out of Marseille) have blown my mind since I first stumbled across their bandcamp a few weeks back. The duo's songs are truly amazing, dark and instantly captivating pop perfection that evokes images of sociocritical movies from the 80s dealing with young, leather vested beatniks who waste their days straying through the banlieues of Paris.
Head over to Accident's bandcamp to cop their Vert Bleu Noir EP for free.
These pure, straightforward, true to the letter new wave bangers by Roanne, France cousins Maudoux Laurent and Jeremy Monteiro aka Accident (now based out of Marseille) have blown my mind since I first stumbled across their bandcamp a few weeks back. The duo's songs are truly amazing, dark and instantly captivating pop perfection that evokes images of sociocritical movies from the 80s dealing with young, leather vested beatniks who waste their days straying through the banlieues of Paris.
Head over to Accident's bandcamp to cop their Vert Bleu Noir EP for free.
Beautiful, gently psyched-out folk by Eugene, Oregon musician David Kanaga who has had a pretty constant output of quite a variety of little pop gems in the last couple of months. His latest Flower Walk EP, available for free via his bandcamp (note this wonderful cover art which is a detail of Hieronymus Busch's masterpiece The Garden of Earthly Delights), is in my eyes and ears his best collection of songs to date, splendid melodies and a lot of ethereal and fairy-tale resembling sounds coming from here and there, cheerful and happy like a spring walk through flourishing fields.
Beautiful, gently psyched-out folk by Eugene, Oregon musician David Kanaga who has had a pretty constant output of quite a variety of little pop gems in the last couple of months. His latest Flower Walk EP, available for free via his bandcamp (note this wonderful cover art which is a detail of Hieronymus Busch's masterpiece The Garden of Earthly Delights), is in my eyes and ears his best collection of songs to date, splendid melodies and a lot of ethereal and fairy-tale resembling sounds coming from here and there, cheerful and happy like a spring walk through flourishing fields.
