Switches - Step Kids In Love



"I never felt your daddy's fist before"

Kicking off UK Indie week is the only band out of my five picks that has actually released their debut album already. I first wrote about Switches and their non-album track No Hero a few months ago, and was impressed with their glam rock approach to indie music. Their album (Heart Turned To D.E.A.D.), I'm pleased to say, is a hodgepodge of different styles, incorporating power rock, glam, funk and 70's guitar pop. Step Kids In Love was my instant favorite of the new songs. It has a bit of a Scissor Sisters feel to it, a chugging pace not unlike that band's hit Laura. Actually, I think it's even more over-the-top (More over-the-top than Scissor Sisters? I know...) and of course sinfully catchy. On the downside, I've been a bit upset by Switches' lackluster chart success in the UK so far, and I hope that changes soon, because I can see them appealing to a wide audience with their music.

Switches - Step Kids In Love (mp3) (zshare)

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Buy the album here)

OK, So I Lied...

After coming back on Friday evening from South Wales I have been absolutely lethargic, exhausted from three days of climbing and walking and standing in the sun. I did get to see the lovely Brecon Beacons, though, and stay in a pleasantly old fashioned cottage hostel in the middle of nowhere.

Of course, my being tired does nothing for you because alienhits has been postless for far too long! Fear not, though, because starting tomorrow I will be bringing you five days of my favorite new UK indie groups (geez they spring up like weeds sometimes, don't they?), as well as some news on an exciting new development in the blog world and your chance to get 40 free songs of your choice!

Also, I've got to throw in a few bits of pop culture before I go. I saw Spider-Man 3 on Friday night, along with everyone else in the world, and was somewhat disappointed because it totally did not live up to the previous two. Far too disjointed in my opinion. I think I need to see it again to make sure, though, as I was way too tired to be the judge of anything.
Secondly, for those here who watch American Idol (and I have been sneakily downloading episodes here in the UK because I am ridiculously addicted), I'm so pleased with the final four this year. Melinda, Blake, Jordin and Lakisha are by far the best final four the show's ever had. My vote (since the very beginning, actually) goes to Blake... but Melinda or Jordin I could live with as well.
Finally, don't forget about Eurovision this Saturday, where The Ark will win over a continent and claim their rightful victory. Well, at least I can hope so...

So I will be cardiffing down to Cardiff these next three days for, well, let's just call it a business trip, and I don't know what access to the internet will be like. Bottom line: if I've got internet, you'll get posts. If not, I'll make it up to you during the weekend.

Laakso - The Death Of Us



"We did it for love and we did it 'cause we had to"

Today is Laakso day, for a band can’t release an album as good as theirs (Mother, Am I Good Looking? - see review below) and escape my undying praise. Mother is the kind of album that’s hard to pick a single track from, as everything fits together so perfectly and each song has its own qualities that makes it special, but today I’m going to post the epic The Death Of Us. While it might not exactly be your typical rock hit, it succeeds in building up a wall of emotions and twisting the listener through points of contemplation and catharsis, all while being remarkable addictive at the same time. It’s impossible to pick a highlight from the record, but this was one of the tracks that hooked me the quickest, and I’m hoping it’ll do the same for you. Also, I’d be remiss not to mention that these guys are supporting my musical heroes The Ark on their current Scandinavian tour. If only I were there to see that double bill!

Laakso - The Death Of Us (mp3) (zshare)

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Buy the album here)

Laakso - Mother, Am I Good Looking?
Release Date: April 18, 2007
Label: V2 Records



Well, it doesn’t really matter what you look like when you release something this good. Laakso have officially arrived with their third full-length, which can only be described as a masterwork. The band has proven mildly popular for the past few years with their unique brand of rock music, but with Mother, Am I Good Looking?, they’ve blown their sound wide open and created something ambitious in scope, fearless in melody, and altogether essential. With any luck, it should be the record that this band is remembered for.

First single Italy vs. Helsinki (featuring Peter Jöback’s demure croon) is a bit of a red herring. Pure schlager through and the through, the song soars, managing to at once be ironic, satiric and drop-dead gorgeous. Things only improve from there. Hang Me In The Christmas Tree and Dropout are terrific pop songs… chugging synths, anthematic choruses, and front man Markus Krunegård’s wonderfully bizarre vocals. It’s pop music with a definite edge to it. Norrköping and Västerbron both use elements of place to evoke vastly different emotions, the former a catchy look back at a universal childhood and the latter a sorrowful remembrance of the past. Even more successful are The Death Of Us and Stay Tuned To My Love, each an anthem in the waiting. The Death Of Us, particularly, is a twisting ride of a song, beginning as a ballad and dropping unexpectedly into a fast paced, fist pumping chorus.

Mother’s main strengths are its inventiveness and consistency. It is unmistakably pop music, but it’s pop music of such a unique caliber that the listener is continually surprised as the album progresses. Krunegård is able to deftly switch between tones and squeeze every last drop of emotion from each track. He is the album’s secret weapon… the magic quality that transports pop songs to artistic statements, and what gives the album a real personal sense, even in its go-for-the-glory catchiness. A

Key Tracks: The Death Of Us, Italy vs. Helsinki, Norrköping