The Cold Cut

Rating: A rare collage of musical styles... that really works

"The LK is the collaboration between Lindefelt, abstract sound artist, and Fredrik, pop visionary and songwriter par excellence. Fusing musique concrète-style collages of sound with iconic pop arrangements, the typical LK song is both gradually mind-invading and comfortingly direct. Recorded with a minimum of equipment, VS. the Snow was built largely by gluing pieces of Lindefelt's abstract sounds, lyrics and voice to Fredrik's simple, beautiful melodies and chords. The resulting 11 (including 1 bonus song for kora) tracks make for a crisp, fuzzy, stylish, melancholy noise-pop cocktail with a human warmth and dark sense of humor."

For the most part, The Kora Records description (above) of their newest signing The LK is on the money. The only thing they missed out is that 'Vs. The Snow' will be invading your airspace over the next few months, and no doubt finding its way onto a couple of 'Best Of 2008' lists. Ever since I first heard their first single, 'Private Life Of A Cat', I have been completely hooked on their perfect blend of Euro pop and electronica. Previously released as The LoveKevins, this new incarnation sees some nicer album packaging, a new track list and a US release under The Kora Records, who picked up the duo after they understandably sold out in Sweden.

'Vs. The Snow' is an album almost perfectly suited to its title- at times intense, at the next ethereal, this is the perfect accompaniment to a wintery day, which I'm sure the duo must be used to, hailing from Malmo, Sweden. Lindefelt and Frederik have created something that, if broken down, wouldn't really amount to much, but when you throw the dark lyrics, lo-fi melodies, abstract instrumental and samples into a musical melting pot, it amounts to much more than the sum of its parts. The songs sit comfortably in the no man's land between alternative pop and experimental music, never venturing too close to the boundaries of known musical genres. I, for one, have never heard anything like it- if you have a soul, songs like 'Private Life Of A Cat' and 'Blakboy Vs. The Snow' will grab you, I promise.

There are a couple of audible high points on this album, but no noticeable dips in quality- songs like 'Eurovision' and the single are brilliant, but the rest of the album does not disappoint, by any stretch of the imagination. With 'Vs. The Snow', we have an album that is the perfect accompaniment to every situation, wrapping you up with its melodies and take you along for the ride. As I said earlier, this album invokes a feeling of warmth whenever you listen to it, which is a rarity in the music world, where most are focussed with constructing the biggest and boldest bass line or beat. A rare gem of a record...

The LK- Private Life Of A Cat
The LK- Eurovision

Vs. The Snow is out on 4th March- get your hands on it here, before it sells out again!

I'm feeling really uninspired today- creativity is out of the question- and a couple of great bands have been literally festering in my inbox for a while now. Well, today, your time has come.

The Mission District- An interesting one, this. Canadian 6-piece The Mission District sound as if they know exactly what they're doing, and where they're going, mixing the best bits of textbook rock and pop into some infectious tunes. Their debut EP, 'Youth Games', is due any day now (March 1), and you can take it from me, its fairly impressive. For an up and coming band, the production blows most of the competition out of the water, with clean cut vocals, catchy riffs and some cool electronic effects. David Rancourt also holds a place deep in my heart for his distinctive voice, one day destined to be heard on a radio near you.

The Mission District- Heartbreaker (removed by request)

Replaced by: The Mission District- Anchor

Check out their MySpace page for more tracks and info...

The Hysterics- Another band, another distinctive voice. About halfway through 'Mostly Untitled', the band unveil 'Good Vibrations'-esque harmonies and some mature musicianship. March 4th is a date to mark in your diary, when their long awaited debut EP is finally released. They've had a hard time of it, after being picked up by V2 just as it fell apart; the album was finished though, and this time around its being released on their own label.

The Hysterics- Mostly Untitled

Hear more on thier MySpace page

The Black Hollies- Retro is the word that first comes to mind, and whilst the band might dislike the comparisons, they are unmissable. If you like Cream, Pink Floyd or other classic groups, then the Black Hollies are most likely for you. 'Paisley Pattern Ground' sounds like the 90's never happened, taking you back to your heyday (I'm a bit young for it)... They've taken the music right back to its roots, and then developed into something familiar, but fresh.

The Black Hollies- Paisley Pattern Ground

More tracks are available on the MySpace page

The LK- My favourite, and most unexpectedly awesome submission of the week was this unknown band from Malmo, Sweden. 'Private Life Of A Cat', the only track that has yet graced my ears, is a beautiful song, emanating a real sense of warmth and happiness. For a few minutes, I really felt quite warm and fuzzy, an emotion which music doesn't generally elicit in me. Under label The Kora Records, the band- a collaboration between Lindefelt and Frederik, both popular artists, I'm informed- will be releasing 'Vs. The Snow', and touring, including dates at SXSW and The Kennedy Center.

The Lk- Private Life Of A Cat

Check out their MySpace page for some more tracks