atk/\dcy [Sweden]

Klas from MDY! (soon to play in Tallinn) & Herr Tyvärr+goda vänner is out with a 2-track CD called "2songs4thesick" under his new alterego atk/\dcy. Klas has settled up a deeper research in the synth-terminology this time, the attack-decay concept works well on this minimal and dubby "whatidid2day". (Reminding me The Knife doing a remix for MDY! at times, oops!).

whatidid2day [mp3]

Harry Merry [Netherlands]

The Soft Pink Truth [USA]

Stella [Estonia]

They do sound bold and brave enough to be compared with icy and noisy punkdisco acts like The Gossip, Glass Candy and Les Georges Leningrad to name a few. Yet, i doubt there's a lot of bands out there mixing up crazy violin squawks with electrobeats the way Stella does. "Soldiers" is the most snap-i've-got-the-power'ish song i've ever heard. Finally, there's some (low-quality) recorded material available from their liveshows (which are rad in fact, including fireworks by kissing chicks).

Stella - P46 [mp3]
Stella - Soldiers [mp3]

Odessa POP - new series of indiepop concerts

I'm happy to announce that a new series of concerts called (for some obscure reason) Odessa POP will be launched pretty soon. Its aim is to offer little Estonian club-stages to "internationally acclaimed" bands or solo performers, as far as they play indie-pop, indietronica or possibly any other style which can be described as "small pop" – explains as independently created and published, melody-driven pop-music. As an indicator, the September's (hugely successful) Tallinn gig of The Lucksmiths may well serve. Soon a bit more informative web-site of the series (mainly in Estonian) will be opened.

Bands in November - December:

The Ladybug Transistor

Described by some as "pastoral pop", Ladybug Transistor hail from Brooklyn, New York. Issued in US by Merge Records (home of Lambchop, Arcade Fire, Magnetic Fields etc), Track & Field in Europe and Green UFOs in Spain. Inspired by Beach Boys, Phil Spector, The Left Banke, Kinks and Kevin Ayers (Soft Machine), to mention a few, they create solid bariton-sung, elegantly "trumpeted" and well composed pop. Recommended for fans of Go-Betweens, Pulp, The Magnetic Fields and sixties. Band has strong following in US indie-scene, as well as inScandinavia and Spain.

Listen @ Myspace

See live @ Spanish Television: Here Comes The Rain, Reclusive Hero.

Amy Linton,
frontwoman of The Aislers Set, a San Francisco group that's gained almost legendary status in indie-pop circuits. As a warm up to Ladybugs, Amy plays a solo set of songs she has written for her band. On tour, she also plays bass in Ladybugs.

Listen to The Aislers Set songs from 2004 John Peel Sessions: The Walk , Long Division.

Listen @ Myspace
See live footage

Pipas (UK) & Harry Hunks (Fin), see and hear more in this blog

My Darling YOU! - great pop-duo from Sweden, Göteborg. Names like The Jam and Buzzcocks may easily pop up in their short and intense love-songs. Issued by Tomt Recordings in Sweden and Plastilina in Peru (!) Band has been mentioned in this blog more than once before.

Listen @ Myspace

Estonian warm-ups:

Vaiko Eplik

With his former bands playing mainly brit-pop, he now writes and plays mainly "quality timeless pop" in Estonian, as well as performing with his on-off project/band Eliit (estonian for "elite"). Each Eliit's gig is unique while non of the players know what exactly will happen, however they have managed to create some funny & memorable pop/rock/psychedelia with lyrics made up right on stage. Recently they improvised a 45-minutes musical called "Bluebird" for R2 live, an Estonian radio show.
Eplik is also one of the hostes of a cheerful morning program @ Raadio 2 and true fan of Beach Boys, Beatles, home-recording and collecting vintage instruments. His first proper solo album called "Eliit 1" is a colorful musical caleidoscope ranging from guitar-pop to electronica and progressive rock, all instruments played by himself at his parents home. See also.

Pia Fraus

Probably the internationally best known Estonian indie-band, issued records under USA's Clairecords and Japan's Vinyl Junkie. Their shoegaze-pop brings in mind the likes of My Bloody Valentine, Stereolab and a bunch of 90's british shoegaze.
Their newer stuff may occasionally sound similar to Yo La Tengo or later Sonic Youth. Recently they have gigged more abroad (London, Oslo, St Petersburg, Finland) than in homeland. Last time one could see Pia Fraus playing in Estonia was a warm up show to Animal Collective's July's gig in Tallinn.

Listen @ Myspace

See video of Mooie Island.

Popidiot

Fresh and catchy synth-pop sounds by two scientists - Hendrik Luuk and Matti Peura. Lately Rein Fuks of Pia Fraus has joined them on guitar. In their own words: “Popidiot represents an anti-mainstream pop assault with the weapons provided by the long and productive history of pop itself. Being a playful mixture of electro, punk, indierock and other obscurities, Popidiots create a platform for expressing their ideas about popular music and life otherwise. Popidiot is very expressive and in-your face – the music is powerful and catchy and vocals loud and emotional.”

Listen @ Myspace

The whole schedule looks as follows:

18 Nov 22:00 @ Kuku, ticket:125 EEK

The Ladybug Transistor (New York, Merge Records)

Amy Linton (The Aislers Set, solo set)

special guest: Vaiko Eplik (probably solo set)

DJ's: Neeme Lopp, Kalev Aavik


23 Nov 21:00 @ Von Krahl, ticket: 90 EEK &
24 Nov 21:00 @ Rock n´Roll, Tartu, ticket: 65/45 EEK

Pipas (London-New York, Matinee Recordings)

Harry Hunks (Helsinki)

Pia Fraus (Tallinn)

DJ Ingrid Kohtla

9 Dec 22:00 @ Kuku, ticket:100 EEK

My Darling YOU! (Göteborg, Tomt Records)

Popidiot (Tallinn-Helsinki)

DJ Estrada

written by melodija
&

Planningtorock [UK]