2011. BEST FOR GUESTS. 12 johan angergård (labrador records)

photo by Henrik Mårtensson

You cannot speak about the swedish take over of indiepop music in the late 90's - early 2000's and its assimilation throughout the rest of the world without mentioning Johan.
He's not only the head of Labrador Records - probably Sweden's most beloved label - but also part of several bands and projects : The Acid House Kings, Club 8, The Legends and (most recently) Pallers.
What's most admirable about Johan's musical career is the unsettling and ever changing aesthetic of his projects. Yes,
every project has its own identity. For example, you expect The Acid House Kings' music to be indiepop or The Legends to flirt with electronic sounds. But it's clear that he doesn't rely on ready-to-use formulas. He's not afraid of experiment, try new things and shift directions...

labrador  the acid house kings  club 8  the legends  pallers


"Here's a list of 1 hour of songs (23 songs, one song per artist) of 2011. I excluded my bands and all bands on Labrador - it would look very different otherwise:)

1. COMET GAIN SHE HAD DAYDREAMS
2. AUSTRA BEAT AND THE PULSE
3. PEAKING LIGHTS ALL THE SUN THAT SHINES
4. LYKKE LI LOVE OUT OF LUST
5. LANA DEL REY VIDEO GAMES
6. PJ HARVEY ON BATTLESHIP HILL
7. CRAFT SPELLS THE FOG ROSE HIGH
8. THURSTON MOORE BENEDICTION
9. BRITNEY SPEARS TILL THE WORLD ENDS
10. LALEH JUST NU
11. RUSSIAN RED BRAVE SOLDIER
12.  JAY-Z AND KANYE WEST MURDER TO EXCELLENCE
13. BLOOD ORANGE SUTPHIN BOULEVARD
14. THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART BELONG
15. R.E.M. WE ALL GO BACK TO WHERE WE BELONG
16. YOUNG GALAXY PHANTOMS
17. ANDERS PERSSON OCH CARL SMITH MICKE
18. ANE BRUN DO YOU REMEMBER?
19. PAT JORDACHE SALT ON THE FIELDS
20. CASS MCCOMBS WIT'S END
21. HERE WE GO MAGIC HANDS IN THE SKY
22. GORILLAZ DETROIT
23. KURT VILE BABY'S ARMS

You can listen to Johan's list here.

over and over

the legends ~ over and over (labrador, 2009)

johan angergård comes back with another full-lenght and another twist on his musical career. the characteristic poppy-catchy melodies are still there but now they are almost like a bonus that's made of broken amplifiers and mixing of distorted synths ...
johan had been through some hard times."in the spring of 2008 i had a desperate urge to distract me from myself. i needed noise. the first song i wrote for the album was a blast of distortion and feedback about the wonders of tryptizol,” says johan, about track 'seconds away'. 'seconds away' was release as a single, in november, and was described as 'the noisiest pop song to ever come out of sweden'.
the album starts dark and smoothly, brighter feelings appear between the despair and (almost) state of dementia.
the noise is used as a sound therapy, making johan forget about his angst. "it’s like someone drilling a hole in your head. in a pleasant way that is.”
but there's also moments of acoustic guitars and relieve of pain like in 'jump' and lazy beats like in the beautiful and melancholic 'heartbeats' where he sings "...our heart is beating with the rhythm on the dance track/ i'm ready for a heart attack".
noise therapy highly recommended!



01. you won
02. seconds away
03. always the same
04. monday to saturday
05. heartbeats
06. dancefloor
07. turn away
08. recife
09. over and over
10. jump
11. something strange will happen
12. touch
13. over and over (remix by pallers)

myspace
buy it

seconds away

the legends ~ seconds away ep (labrador, 2008)

here's a 3 track ep to keep us busy wondering what johan angergård will bring to us on his next album.
he already gave us an electronic album, a rock album and now it's time for the heavy distortions and tons of noises! but with the great, addictive pop vein from the previous releases we already know.
there's also a remix by pallers whose debut 12''ep is available on labrador!
in johan's words:
”i need noise now, so this new single sounds like someone drilling a whole in your head. in a pleasant way that is. it’s called “seconds away” and is about the wonders of tryptizol. the b-side, “over and over” is actually one of those sad love songs I had promised myself never to write again."



01. seconds away
02. over and over
03. over and over (remix by pallers)

myspace
buy it