John's New Music Blog

Thanks to the good people over at Beachtapes, I stumbled across World Tour, a new band from Cascine Records. Their first single, "Sparks," is an indie dreamscape gem. I wish I could find out more about the band, but I think that the quote from the band sums up the song:

“We would like to show you some pictures, a few notes and some visions. ‘Sparks’ is a story about dreaming, defying death and fighting the darkness. About the belief of beginning something new and a reliance on your origin.”




Here is the video for "Sparks"

World Tour - Sparks from World Tour on Vimeo.

"Sparks" is available as a free download from Cascine.

(h/t: Beachtapes)

As I noted on Wednesday, Swedish dreamscape band jj was scheduled to release a free mixtape for download on Christmas Eve. The mixtape, entitled Kills, is now available and according to Pitchfork, this may or may not be the cover.


The tracklist for this ten track Christmas present is:

01 Still
02 Die Tonight
03 Kill Them
04 Kill You
05 New Work
06 Believe
07 Pressure Is a Privilege
08 Angels
09 Boom
10 High End

Click here to be taken to Sincerely Yours Records to download. Don't wait, download your copy today.

Merry Christmas!

Previously featured Swedish dreamscape band jj has released the video for "Let Them," their take on T.I. and Akon. It's exactly what you'd expect, crisp imagery to accompany the crisp melody.



You can also watch the video in High Res over at Sincerely Yours. jj is also releasing a mixtape on Christmas Eve so check back for the link.

(H/T to Gorilla vs. Bear)

After a brief hiatus to see a few shows of bands that I've featured in the blog, I'm back with a new discovery, jj, a Swedish indie pop band that with a lead singer who's voice cuts through the listener like a cold winter wind off the North Sea. They released their first full-length album in 2009, No. 2, to critical acclaim and followed it up with No. 3. jj isn't your typical Swedish pop band, if all you know about the Swedish music scene is ABBA, The Cardigans and Ace of Base, jj is something quite different. They are very atmospheric and their songs are crisp and very unique. How unique you ask, well listen to the three selections and see for yourself.

The first track from No. 3 is "Let Go".

"Let Go" by jj from Secretly Jag on Vimeo.

The second and third tracks are where jj comes at you from a completely different angle, covers of popular hip-hop tracks. The first is "I'm the One/Money on My Mind," a mash-up of The xx's "Intro" and Lil Wayne's "Money on My Mind." I admit, I have no idea who Lil Wayne is, but if you're a fan of indie dreamscape pop, you won't know that this is a hip-hop track turned into dreamscape.