Sweden

Third Wave Metaphor (Tove Lo, Lady Wood review)

Posted on by Tim Kuefler

Wiz Khalifa is something of an enigma, he jumped off the lot with Black and Yellow back in 2010, but did you know he had been generating buzz since about 2005? And ever since then he’s collaborated with a ton of other crowd disturber personalities. Did you know he has over 100 collaborative efforts?

He must have some kinda influence? And guess what, he paired up with another Swedish shit disturber to riff on the subject of influence. And she’s on the docket for a review this week too…

Tove Lo – Lady Wood
released October 28, 2016
******** 8/10

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Ebba Tove Elsa Nilsson, better known by her stage name Tove Lo, is a Swedish singer and songwriter.

Lo formed the Swedish rock band Tremblebee in 2006, but when that group disbanded, she pursued a song-writing career and was able to get a publishing deal with Warner/Chappell music in 2011. By 2014 she secured an incredible arrangement with Wolf Cousins that led to a record deal with Island and Polydor. Tove Lo has now released two studio length albums, the first being Queen of the Clouds, and most recently the two-part concept album Lady Wood.

In addition to solo work, Lo was a co-writer on Hilary Duff’s Sparks and Ellie Goulding’s Love Me like You Do. She has also worked with Coldplay, Flume, Nick Jonas, Years & Years, Seven Lions, and Wiz Khalifa, among others. Lo is known rather openly for her autobiographical lyrical content and the often dark tone which moves the narrative of each song forward. She is also quite comfortable with indulging love, sex, and death wherever and whenever she can.

For instance, in anticipation of her album release, Tove Lo just released an accompanying short film called Fairy Dust which pairs with and features tracks from Lady Wood. It ‘s directed by Tim Erem and stars both actress Lina Esco an Tove Lo in various vignettes which tell a slick story with a strong third wave feminist bend to it. I can’t say too much about the explicit direction of the story (and it is explicit, too explicit for YouTube), but it is rather conceptual and definitely not something to open at work or around the kiddies.

Part I is about the movement towards sex – anticipation, indulgence, consideration, consequence.

Yeah you give me wood, give me lady wood – This is the anthem of this first half of the album. Whether it’s about the addictive nature of lust on Influence, the technical and literal of what happens to a woman’s chemistry on Lady Wood, debauchery and complexity of emotion serviced via synthesizers on True Disaster, the allure of having fun and hooking up on Cool Girl (an homage to the Gone Girl persona), and finally that feeling of love as it overtakes your sensations delivered via Vibes.

Part II is the aftermath of it all – loneliness, vulnerability, complexity, withdrawal.

It’s darker and dejected, almost like that afterglow is gone, but the energy of desire hasn’t returned just yet. Don’t talk about it, sweep it under the rug like we do, do – and such is the anthem of the second half of this album. The questioning hedonist, wondering if the consequences have been worth it, but still alone. Don’t Talk About It is an expression of lamentation, while Imaginary Friend is more of a defence mechanism against haters, Keep It Simple an update on Habits (Stay High) because she’s still struggling but older, while Flashes is straight up self-awareness minced with self-hate, and last but not least, WTF Love Is audibly shows the problems she faces, confusion about her identity and desires. She has emotions she cannot harness and yet she wants something personal.

Ultimately, you might not “like” her music, but it’s really difficult not to get on board with Tove Lo and her natural ability to produce a strong set of tracks. Lady Wood is clever, catchy, and conscious. I cannot believe I read this in The National of all places, but they’re on point. Tove Lov is making the closest thing to punk rock EDM as is possible right now. It’s dark and desperate, but her sense of counter culture is ever-present – She’s under the influence, and this is the best place in the world.

 

 

 

Let’s close this review out with a dovetail. You should probably listen to this album. But you’re an adult and you can make up your own mind. So I’ll let you think on it. But if Wiz Khalifa is into it, and he managed one of the biggest hits of all time via See You Again, then it’s time to stand up and listen. Could just be a theory though.

Tim!

Awaited In Valhalla (Amon Amarth, Jomsviking review)

Posted on by Tim Kuefler

Why are we so damn fascinated by Vikings? Their scandinavian hair cuts, combinations of metal, leather, and wood do depict a very specific aesthetic, don’t they dear readers?

Initially thought of as barbarians who dabbled in piracy, thuggery, and nomadic culture, we’ve slowly learned that they carried a unique culture and, though I cringe to write this, a viable counter-culture alternative to the Roman way of life that was spreading throughout the European climate of the time.

So what does that have to do with today’s Melodic Monday entry? Let’s take a look see.

 

 

 

Amon Amarth – Jomsviking
released March 25, 2016
******** 8/10

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Amon Amarth is a Swedish melodic death metal band, which has been around for the almost 25 years. Composed of vocalist Johan Hegg, with Olavi Mikkonen and Johan Soderberg on guitar, and Ted Lundstrom as the bassist.

Jomsviking is their 10th studio album, and if you haven’t guessed it yet, the lyrics and tone of the album deals mostly with the mythology surrounding vikings and the full album plays out a viking story, which is why Amon Amarth is sometimes called viking metal.

I’ve said this before, but I’m not a huge metal enthusiast, well, at least not consciously. But I can appreciate a good story, and which focus their effort to produce something with meaning and real thought behind it. Which is why it’s really cool that the band takes its name from one of the mountain which houses Sauron, in J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-Earth. Yeah, Mount Doom.

Interestingly enough, Jomsviking is the first concept album that Amon Amarth have ever done.

It’ts a story about the Jomsvikings and their universe of violence and revenge. Essentially the story deals with a young man who has lost his love to an arranged marriage and the consequences of his decisions to take revenge and get her back.

Having never listened to any of their other work, but knowing a decent amount about metal, storytelling, and music in general, I can tell you very assuredly that this is an excellent listen. This band has a deep love for Nordic culture and they are arranging the elements to produce an epic that portrays the world that the Jomsvikings live in. It’s incredibly easy to follow, and once you get lost in the style of music, you begin to appreciate the subtle emotions that naturally attach to the genre.

It feels genuinely authentic. Which is so refreshing and well placed.

Opening rather courageously with the track First Kill, the record is well placed to get you chanting and rooting for it’s characters. I read one reviewer say that this kind of album can increase your deadlift strength, and he just might be right.

One of my personal favourites is Raise Your Horns, which perfectly encapsulates the myth of the viking – featuring warbling vocals by Hegg, chanting in the background, and the war drums of new drummer Tobias Gustafsson. It’s quickly followed by The Way of Vikingsm, which amps up the story one more notch.

Vengeance is my name has a classic sounding death metal ring to it, and of course A Dream That Cannot Be is just so sad, and I can’t really ruin it at this point, but the tragedy captured by featuring Doro Pesch on vocals alongside Hegg is quite apt and fits well.

If you are looking for a way to ease yourself into death metal, or you are sick of substitutes, you should give Jomsviking a listen, you won’t be disappointed. I personally was so happy I bought this album, especially after a couple of listens.

 

 

 

Amon Amarth are in a unique position. After almost 25 years of producing the same style of music, they have become the face of viking metal, a proud and noble group which has not modified their sound to keep up with trends and tastes, if anything this concept album proves they are going to dig their heels in deeper if necessary.

What’s interesting to me though, is that they get most of their success from touring, as is often the case with most long-standing rock groups. People are willing to spend a little bit more money to support a band which stands for an ideal or a belief system, and that’s why Amon Amarth are so interesting. They celebrate a culture and an obsession of it in their music, while simultaneously providing a legacy for it.

And that’s something we should all strive for. But maybe that’s just my theory. See you tomorrow for something theatrical friends.
Tim!