MoreConcerts
Out of Scandinavia is an on-going series of uniquely selected musical performances the first Thursday of each month, headlining a myriad of fresh Nordic musicians that features one-off and premiere performances. Through subtle, deft curating of disparate styles, Out of Scandinavia will satiate your craving for innovative and compelling new indie music from the Nordics.
Out of Scandinavia: New Indie Music from the Nordics is made possible in part by the Consulate General of Denmark, New York; the Consulate General of Finland, New York; the Consulate General of Sweden, New York; Iceland Naturally; Music Export Finland; Music Export Norway, and Export Music Sweden.
Double Bill: Philco Fiction & Dinosauruxia – April 7
Acoustic sounds meet home-grown electronic beats, strong synths, and bold melodies from these two promising and dynamic acts.
Philco Fiction
Philco FictionStarted by Norwegians Turid Alida Solberg and Bjarne Christian B. B. Gustavsen in 2003, Philco Fiction has now grown to include Andreas Lønmo Knudsrød, Christian Skaugen, and Ruben Larssen. From the beginning the band has focused on creating their own musical world, one that is rooted in their strong, but playful compositions and keen interest on the visual aspects of performing. An aural mashup of Björk and Edith Piaf, the heart of Philco Fiction’s music is found in a mix of acoustic and electronic sounds. Their use of alternative instrumentation and a self-declared lack of respect for any one musical genre make Philco Fiction a highly dynamic and unpredictable ensemble.
With their first album, Give Us to the Lions, released in August 2010 (Brilliance Records), the band will tour Norway, Europe, and China through the following year.
Dinosauruxia
One of Finland’s most promising new indie bands, the experimental electro-pop duo Dinosauruxia is a comprised of the two 19-year olds Emilia Lagk and Sanna Lehto. The girls are equal measures sweet and hauntingly mysterious, with a sound reminiscent of CocoRosie, Bat for Lashes, and Björk. Their unique sound consists of painstakingly crafted home-grown electronic and electro-acoustic beats, strong synths, and bold melodies sung with brooding intensity.
Dinosauruxia has previously released a split 7” on the label Moron Says What and a debut single Safe on Misf*tsounds.
Double Bill: Hafdís Huld & The Migrant – May 5
A rich blend of psychedelic folk and dreamy, disjointed pop with songs full of vivid imagery, carefully crafted lyrics, and catchy hooks from Icelandic songstress Hafdís Huld and Danish one-man act The Migrant.
Hafdís Huld
Hafdis HuldHafdís Huld is an Icelandic siren with a growing reputation for being one of the most entertaining performers to ever grace a stage or an interviewer’s couch. Huld is a former member of Gus Gus and erstwhile collaborator with electro-outfit FC Kahuna and Tricky.
Huld’s critically-acclaimed debut solo album Dirty Paper Cup (2006) won Best Pop Album at the 2007 Icelandic Music Awards and featured songs co-written with Jim Abbiss (Arctic Monkeys), Pascal Gabriel, Boo Hewerdine (Natalie Imbruglia, Eddi Reader), and Chris Corner (Sneaker Pimps). The album received considerable acclaim from the world’s music press and brought her to the attention of national radio in the U.K.
Her second album, Synchronized Swimmers was released in 2010 and explores bigger sounds and has a live, organic feel. Co-produced by French Grammy award-winning producers Calum MacColl and Alisdair Wright, the album gave Huld three Icelandic number one singles and raised her profile worldwide.
Huld is a favorite festival act, with appearances including Glastonbury, The Secret garden Festival, The Big Chill, Camden Crawl, and JaJaJa in the U.K., Hultsfred in Sweden, By:Larm in Norway, Airwaves in Iceland, Spot Festival in Denmark, Les Femmes S’en Melent and Europavox in France, The Midnight Sun Festival in the Czech Republic. She has supported major pop acts such as Paolo Nutini and Mika, and played music industry conferences In The City in Manchester and SxSW in the U.S.
Listen to Hafdís Huld on MySpace
Download mp3 files:
Synchronized Swimmers (size: 7794 KB)
Action Man (size: 9023 KB)
The Migrant
The MigrantDanish act The Migrant (musician Bjarke Bendtsen) invites one on a journey into the underworld of beautiful pop songs and psychedelic folk. Released in fall 2010 and warmly received, Travels in Lowland (fall 2010) is The Migrant’s first album. Since the album’s release, The Migrant has played more than 50 concerts in the U.S. and Northern Europe.
Having released two critically-acclaimed albums with his old band The Elephants in 2007 and 2009, Bendtsen decided to break with the band to travel and play his songs in more folky, stripped down versions.
On a visit back to Denmark last summer, Bendtsen recorded Travels in Lowland with some of his Danish friends in a summerhouse by the coast. The prelude to this session had been a number of free-spirited concerts where the different musicians joined in on Bendtsen’s new songs. The free-form vibe from those concerts made it all the way to the record where Bendtsen’s vocals are backed by an exciting mix of nostalgic guitar, violin, drums, and kitchenware. Later in 2010, after the winter snow had covered the entire country, Bendtsen isolated himself in the same summerhouse to mix the album.
Only half of Bendtsen’s new songs, however, were recorded during the Danish session. He therefore happily accepted an invitation by The Theater Fire’s horn and piano-player James Talambas to record in his Texas studio. The album appearing from that session, Amerika, is expected to be released sometime in 2011.
After the tours this past fall Bendtsen has settled for a while in Copenhagen, dedicating the winter months to more song-writing. He has scheduled recording The Migrant’s third album for this spring, once again in Texas.
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Photo Courtesy of ensemble mise-en
THU – 4-7-2011 – 7:30 PM
First Thursday of each month
Except for MON – 3-14-2011
$10 ($8 ASF Members)