Tag: Copenhagen Denmark

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Copenhagen’s Taxidermy Shares Brooding and Uneasy “Impending”

Copenhagen-based experimental noise/post-punk outfit Taxidermy — Osvald Reinhold (vocals, guitar), Toke Brejning Frederiksen (guitar), Joachim Lorch-Schierning (bass) and Johan Knutz Haavik (drums) — have quickly established a sound that draws from math rock, No Wave, post-hardcore and emo among a list of others. 

Thematically, the Danish quartet’s work sees them exploring the unease and disquiet of contemporary existence through delving into the cryptic and disorientating, the claustrophobic and the surreal. Crafting material anchored around unpredictable arrangements, raw and visceral textures, broad dynamic range and intense emotional delivery, the members of the Copenhagen-based outfit actively challenges the listener to confront the discomfort of the unknown. 

Last year’s Coin EP featured two singles I wrote about on this site:

  • “Rot,” a slow-burning bit of noisy post-punk that evokes the narrator’s sanity fraying at its edges with the song being built around an arrangement of intricate layers of dissonant guitars, swirling feedback and a propulsive rhythm section serving as an uneasy and stormy bed for Reinhold’s desperate wailing. Seemingly channelling Disappears/FACS, Radiohead and The Smile, “Rot” not only captures a narrator who’s drowning in their own vacillating and self-flagellating doubt and hatred, but one who does so in a world that’s mad and cruel to him, as he is to himself. 

  • “Today” an uneasy and intense slab of post punk-meets noise rock that seemingly pairs angular and fragmented Entertainment-era Gang of Four-like groove with the sort of feedback-driven skronk and squeal reminiscent of Nirvana and Sonic Youth with frenetic and propulsive drumming. Reinhold’s desperately wailing vocal floats uneasy over the hypnotic, machine-like arrangement, seeming to rage against a brutal and unceasingly mad world.

“Impending” is the first single from the Danish outfit’s forthcoming EP Let Go. And while further cementing the act’s reputation for crafting brooding post-punk, the song sees the band subtly expanding upon their sound, with the song featuring alternating ethereal and atmospheric verses with the sort of scorching power chord-driven hooks and choruses that would make Steve Albini proud.

The band’s Osvald Reinhold describes the song as “a moment of clarity; a detached, fleeting overview of the limited nature of existence, on the brink of being overtaken once more by oblivion and habitual repetition.”

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Blue Foundation Shares Yearning “Close to the Knife”

Founded back in 2000 by Danish singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Tobias Wilner, Blue Foundation was inspired by The Fall’s Mark E. Smith‘s method of forming bands — with Wilner recruiting a rotation lineup of musicians over the years to fuel creativity. But since 2010, the core lineup has been Wilner and Bon Rande, working between Crown Heights, Brooklyn and Copenhagen.

Throughout the transatlantic project’s two-plus decade history, they’ve been renowned for crafting immersive soundscapes with emotive vocals and intricate production that draws from dream pop and electronic music that evokes melancholy and reflection while touching upon introspective themes.

The band has cemented their distinct sound through a series of critically applauded albums including 2007’s Life of a Ghost, 2012’s In My Mind I Am Free and 2016’s Blood Moon, while collaborating with an eclectic range of artists and producers, including Mew‘s Jonas Bjerre, Au Revoir Simone‘s Erika Spring, Findlay Brown, DJ Krush, Sara Savery and Wang Wen among a growing list of others.

Adding to a growing international profile, the band’s work has been featured in Michael Mann’s 2006 Miami Vice and The Vampire Diaries. The band’s “Eyes on Fire,” was included in the Twilight soundtrack. Additionally, their work has been sampled on Lil Durk‘s “Fly High,” feat., French Montana and Young Thug‘s “She Notice.” They also cowrote Machine Gun Kelly‘s “Taurus.”

“Close to the Knife” is the first single from the transatlantic outfit’s forthcoming album. Written by Wilner and Rande and performed by Helena Gao and Wilner, “Close to the Knife” is one-part Scott Walker-era orchestral psych pop, one-part dream pop anchored around a lush yet atmospheric arrangement featuring mellotron flute, soaring strings, strummed guitar and gentle bursts of feedback pared with yearning and dueling girl-boy vocals, which gives the song a fittingly old-timey feel.

The song tells a familiar and bittersweet tale of love and longing for a connection that for can never fully materialize and will always be a bit unrequited. For both narrators, their lover disappears as quickly as they appear, adding a subtle sense of frustration and heartache to the song.

Directed by the band’s Wilner with cinematougrahy by Hannah Bertram and Erma Feng, the video showcases parallel stories of yearning: We see Tobias Wilner wandering the quiet and desolate late night streets of New York City while Helena Gao explores the vibrant yet isolating alleys of Shanghai. The video emphasizes the ache and longing at the core of the song.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Copenhagen’s Homesickness Shares Brooding and heartbreaking “Asunder”

Led by Mathe Junge (vocals, guitar), the acclaimed Copenhagen-based experimental chamber folk septet Homesickness has been raised for a “gorgeous and wild” sound that draws from a diverse array of influences including Laurel Canyon folk, British folk, Laughing Stock-era Talk Talk and contemporary experimental avant-garde folk, as well as the tranquility and expansive beauty of nature.

Crafting lush and elaborate arrangements anchored around instrumentation like violin, cello, woodwinds, bells and guitar, the Danish outfit’s material lyrically focuses on deeply personal themes. According to the band’s Junge, the compositions serve as intuitive artistic tools to mirror and stimulate conversations about mental health, spirituality, love and relationships while offering a glimpse into a vulnerable and sometimes almost devotional pursuit of emancipation, where light and love, pain and darkness are unified into a cohesive aesthetic whole.

The Danish folk outfit’s sophomore album Anamnesis is slated for a March 21, 2025 release through Copenhagen-based label Pink Cotton Candy Records. The 10-song album features arrangements that blend spirited ambient flute and string improvisations, ghostly field recordings, vibrant orchestrated folk rock, singer/songwriter folk and avant-garde breakouts. Recorded during the harvest moon of 2023, the album’s material is infused with a sense of cyclical renewal and the natural rhythms of life. According to Junge, the album is more than just a collection of songs, it’s a wish to journey into the heart of our shared humanity and an exploration of the intrinsic and primordial aspects of our being. Ultimately, the album is a call to recognize and embrace the fundamental experiences that bind us together, and to express the kindness and care that naturally flow that recognition.

Anamnesis’ second and latest single “Asunder” is a slow-burning and meditative track that’s one-part chamber pop, one-part cosmic folk, one part-jazz freakout anchored around Junge’s softly whispered plaintive delivery that sonically seems indebted to Nick Drake and contemporaries like Loving.

“Asunder” is a deeply personal song that sees Junge reflecting on the profound impact of the suicides of his stepfather and stepsister with the song capturing the struggle to cope with such massive loss, the burdens of inheritance and more. The song is a heartbreaking farewell, and a reminder of the beauty within the universal experiences of grift and joy that honors the memories and legacies of those who are no longer with us.

singer/songwriters by William Ruben Helms

New Video: JOVM Mainstay Chopper Shares Dark and Seductive “Wet Hot Summer”

Jonatan K. Magnussen is a Copenhagen-based singer/songwriter and musician, best known for being the frontman of Danish goth outfit The Love Coffin, and for being the frontman of JOVM mainstay act Chopper. And with Chopper, Magnussen specializes in what he dubs “shock pop,” a crowd-pleasing sound that draws from Eurodance, glam rock, industrial electronica, disco and B horror films. 

Over the course of the past year or so, the JOVM mainstay released two EPs:

  • Shock Pop Vol. 1, an exploration of the inherent dualities of the human condition that thematically touched upon love, sexuality and carefree joy while attempting to place influences like Pet Shop Boys, Skinny Puppy and Underworld within a modern context.

  • Shock Pop Vol. 2 features a broodingly atmospheric and cinematic sound that seems indebted to Rebel Yell-era Billy Idol, The Sisters of Mercy, Bauhaus, Scary Monsters-era Bowie and others. 

The JOVM mainstay will be releasing Shock Pop on November 1, 2024 through Pink Cotton Candy Records — both digitally and on vinyl. The album compiles Magnussen’s two critically applauded Shock Pop EPs into a singular album, which aligns with his initial vision. The album’s material sees Magnussen fully embracing vulnerability, kitsch and flamboyance with expansive and meticulously arranged avant-pop and post-punk inspired songs.

Shock Pop‘s latest single “Wet Hot Summer” is a brooding bit of 80s synth-driven goth/industrial that continues a remarkable run of hook-driven, club friendly material — but while possessing a kitschy, almost campy sensibility. The song, as the Danish JOVM mainstay explains delves into the complexities of love, lust and identity while also exploring themes of duality and contradiction, navigating the tension between emotional intimacy and distance.

Filmed by Brian Raaby Andersen and Thomas Skjøldstrup, and starring Mille Katharina Justinussen and Magnussen, the accompanying video follows a young woman on night out in Copenhagen — with the night increasingly taking on a dark, goth-like vibe.

Video by William Ruben Helms

Live Footage: Hess Is More Shares Mind-Bending and Euphoric “You Don’t Dance”

Mikkel Hess is a Copenhagen-based composer, multi-instrumentalist and creative mastermind behind Hess Is More. Initially started as a solo recording project, Hess Is More has gradually developed into a circular Transatlantic ensemble featuring musicians from Copenhagen, New York, and Berlin. And over the course of nine albums and long list of EPs and singles, the Danish artist has crafted music that sits in the borderlands between jazz, kraut, electronica, pop, folk and more.

Additionally, Hess Is More has a long-held tradition of interdisciplinary collaborations including music for ballet, films, art installations and more. The ongoing interest in integrating music with other art forms has lately been expressed in the “Apollonian Circles” concert series.

Hess’ ninth and latest Hess Is More album, CÆKE was recently released through Music For Dreams. With CÆKE, Hess returns to the spare style of some of his earlier works, grappling with change with familiar sounds and a light-hearted, yet earnest disposition. Arrangements are built around piano, drum machines and vintage synths which serve as a lush yet minimalist space for Hess’ voice, which is pensive and unhurried to wander with strange, eccentric poetry. The maturity of the sound and arrangements are frequently offset by the Danish artist’s long-held tendency for the childish and curious; a subversive, playful lightness that may be reminiscent of his early sound.

The material’s ironies and pleasantries flow into a large mood of a mellow existentialism, informed by the seriousness of Hess’ life’s a father. While, the album is a return the basic, much has happened since Hess stated the project, and the basics have changed — because life has changed and the world has changed.

“CÆKE is in some ways a return to process and atmosphere from the early Hess Is More albums such as Tip Top Dynamo, Captain Europe and Creation Keep The Devil Away,” Hess explains. “We are primarily in the immediate area – the world waits outside for the 32 minutes the album lasts. There is a clear focus on the melodies rather than the longer sonic journeys that have characterized the later albums such as 80 Years and Iboja’s Sange. It has been cut to the bone so that the individual idea is presented as simply and precisely as possible. No concepts, no long inversions. Actually just 8 songs of 3-4 minutes each. Less Is More?”

To celebrate the release of the new album, Hess shared live footage of album track “You Don’t Dance.” Sonically, “You Don’t Dance” is a playfully escapist, mind-bending and super slick synthesis of disco, electro pop, world music, and jazz fusion that’s anchored around remarkably catchy, euphoric, Giorgio Moroder-like groove. The world is hard, harsh and fucked up. But dance. Not because you were happy. But because dancing makes you better; it makes your life better. It’s scientific.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Taxidermy Shares Unsettling and Uneasy “Rot”

Copenhagen-based experimental noise/post-punk outfit Taxidermy — Osvald Reinhold (vocals, guitar), Toke Brejning Frederiksen (guitar), Joachim Lorch-Schierning (bass) and Johan Knutz Haavik (drums) — have quickly established a sound that draws from math rock, No Wave, post-hard and emo.

Thematically, the Danish quartet’s work sees them exploring the unease and disquiet of contemporary existence through delving into the cryptic and disorientating, the claustrophobic and the surreal. Crafting material anchored around unpredictable arrangements, raw and visceral textures, broad dynamic range and intense emotional delivery, the members of the Copenhagen-based outfit actively challenges the listener to confront the discomfort of the unknown.

“Rot,” the first single from Taxidermy’s forthcoming EP is a slow-burning bit of noisy post-punk that evokes the narrator’s sanity fraying at its edges as its built around an arrangement of intricate layers of dissonant guitars, swirling feedback paired with a propulsive rhythm section serving as an uneasy and stormy bed for Reinhold’s desperate wailing. Sonically, seeming to channel Disappears/FACS, as well as Radiohead and The Smile, “Rot” not only captures a narrator who’s drowning in their own vacillating and self-flagellating doubt and hatred, but one who does so in a world that’s mad and cruel to him, as he is to himself.

Directed by Lasse Vivid, the accompanying video for “Rot” is split between shots of the gorgeous Danish countryside, surreal imagery including some gorgeous bound books and footage of a man who seems to be slowing losing his sanity. Much like the song, it’s eerie and unsettling.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: JOVM Mainstay Jonas Shares Sexy “Turn Down The Noise”

Jonas Rendbo, best known as the mononym Jonas is singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and neo-soul artist, who has widely hailed by the international music press as the Godfather of Scandinavian soul. Throughout the course of his two-plus decade career, the acclaimed Danish artist has managed to be remarkably prolific, continuously releasing copious amounts of original material, which he has supported with tours with Omar, John Legend, Joss Stone, Lynden David Hall and Bilal among a lengthy and growing list of others. The acclaimed Danish artist also won Artist of the Year and Best Video at the 2016 Scandinavian Soul Music Awards.

Since 2004, Rendbo has split time between Copenhagen and London, where he met his wife and started a family. While in London, he started collaborating with London-based producer and multi-instrumentalist The Scratch Professer, who coincidentally is Omar’s brother. Rendbo and The Scratch Professor had an instant musical simpatico and a couple of songs they wrote together wound up on Jonas’ sophomore album 2009’s W.A.I.T.T. 

That collaboration also managed to produce a handful of songs that Rendbo kept in the vault for the better part of a decade — until the four-song EP, 4ward Fast To Future, which was recorded, produced, mixed and mastered during COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in April 2020. The EP, which featured “Pick Me Up” and “What’s Cooking” was a return to the warm, vibey neo-soul sound of his earliest work paired with Rendbo’s sultry and yearning falsetto and his uncanny knack for infectious hooks. 

4ward Fast To Future received praise from SoulBounce.com and ScandinavianSoul.com and it was a featured album on SoulTracks.com. And the EP’s material received airplay on soul music radio stations across the globe.

Building upon that momentum, the Danish singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist released the 4ward Fast to Future (Remixes) EP, an effort that features remixes of the EP’s material by friends and musical collaborators done in completely different styles. 

2023 was a big year for the Danish-born JOVM mainstay: Last year, he shared “Too Much To Mention,” a song rooted in earnest, lived-in lyricism and Rendbo’s unerring knack for razor sharp hooks.

The Danish artist finally released his long-awaited album Be The Light last Friday. Rendbo had been sitting on the album for some time: First, he didn’t know how he was going to release it. Should he release it through the DSPs or some other way? But more importantly, he had much more pressing and exciting concerns on his mind: Early last year, he and his wife had their third child.

The album’s release comes at an interesting point in his life. The acclaimed Danish-born artist celebrates his 50th birthday this month. And he thought that would be a great occasion to celebrate himself and a full life in music by finally releasing the album. “It is expected that you raise a flag when you turn a big corner like that, but I feel that if I release the album on my birthday, then the focus is not so much on me, but more on the music — which I prefer,” Rendbo says in press notes. 

Late last year, Rendbo shared “You Are Amazing,” a hook-driven and vibey bit of neo-soul built around a strutting, feel-good, two-step inducing groove that was roomy enough for Aaron Wood to contribute some buoyant, fluttering flugelhorn paired with Rendbo’s effortlessly soulful croon singing lyrics detailing the sincere affection and appreciation he has for his wife. It’s an old-timey and sweet thank you for everything that seems rarely heard these days.

Be The Light’s latest single, “Turn Down The Noise” is a lush and vibey, neo-soul built around a strutting two-step inducing groove, twinkling keys, bluesy and squiggling bursts of guitar paired with Rendbo’s yearning delivery and his penchant for catchy hooks and lived-in, earnest lyrics. “Turn Down The Noise” is a grown-ass sexy song that features a narrator, who tells his lover “put down that phone, turn off that TV and let’s get to it.”

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Jonas Shares a Soulful and Appreciative Bop

The Danish-born artist closed out the year by announcing that he’ll finally be releasing his forthcoming and long-awaited album Be The Light on January 12, 2024. He explains that he had been sitting on the album for some time: First he didn’t know how he was going to release the album. Should he release it through the DSPs or some other way? But perhaps more importantly, he had other concerns on his mind: He and his wife had their third child earlier this year.

This January, the acclaimed Danish-born artist celebrates his 50th birthday. And he thought that would be a great occasion to celebrate himself and a full life in music by finally releasing the album. “It is expected that you raise a flag when you turn a big corner like that, but I feel that if I release the album on my birthday, then the focus is not so much on me, but more on the music — which I prefer,” Rendbo says in press notes.

Be The Light‘s first single “You Are Amazing” is a hook-driven and vibey bit of neo-soul built around a strutting, feel-good, two-step inducing groove that’s roomy enough for Aaron Wood to contribute some buoyant, fluttering flugelhorn paired with the Danish artist’s soulful croon, singing sincere lyrics detailing the affection and appreciation he has for his wife.

The song as Rendbo explains gives his wife the praise she deserves. “I think it is only right that she gets some shine, especially after having carried and delivered our 3rd child. She doesn’t realize how much she is an inspiration to the people around her, and somebody has to tell her.”

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: JOVM Mainstay Chopper Shares Atmospheric and Brooding “Moongirl”

JOVM mainstay outfit Chopper is the solo recording project of  Copenhagen-based singer/songwriter and musician Jonatan K. Magnussen, who is best known in Denmark for being the frontman of the goth band The Love Coffin. With Chopper, Mangussen specializes in what he has dubbed “shock pop,” a crowd-pleasing sound that draws from Eurodance, glam rock, industrial, disco and B horror films.

Pink Cotton Candy Records released the mini-album Shock Pop Vol. 1 earlier this year. Shock Pop Vol. 1 saw the Danish artist continuing to explore the inherent dualities of the human condition while touching upon love, sexuality and carefree joy. Sonically, the material was influenced by Pet Shop Boys, Skinny Puppy and Underworld — but while attempting to place those influences within a modern context. 

Shock Pop Vol. 2 is a stark contrast to the exuberant, dance-floor friendly material on its immediate predecessor with the forthcoming effort seeing the Danish artist crafting an atmospheric and cinematic sound that’s seemingly indebted to Rebel Yell-era Billy Idol, The Sisters of Mercy, Bauhaus, Scary Monsters-era Bowie and others.

“Moongirl,” Shock Pop Vol. 2‘s first single is a slow-burning and remarkably cinematic track featuring atmospheric synths, a hypnotic and propulsive bass line, thunderous boom bap-like drum machines, twinkling keys, buzzing bursts of guitar paired with Magnussen’s dramatic delivery — and his penchant for crafting enormous, rousingly anthemic hooks.

The song reveals an artist, who is able to recreate that big 80s arena rock-like ballad with an uncanny specificity paired with introspective, melancholy lyrics and a subtly modern take.

Shot by Amalie Maj and Thomas Skjølstru and edited by Magnussen, the accompanying video for “Moongirl” features some fittingly brooding footage of lightning strikes, graveyards, Magnussen looking like a young Robert Smith with a lit candle in that graveyard, childhood and family photos of a dear one, who may no longer be with us, and lastly Magnussen walking along the shore. For those of you, who like me, were alive and conscious during early 80s MTV’s heyday, this one will bring back some fond memories.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Copenhagen’s Chopper Returns with Dance Floor Banger “Touch”

Jonatan K. Magnussen is a singer/songwriter and musician, best known for being the frontman of Copenhagen-based goth outfit The Love Coffin. Now, if you’ve been frequenting this site over the past couple of months, you might recall that Magnussen recently stepped into the spotlight as a solo artist with his side recording project Chopper. And with Chopper, the Danish artist specializes in what he has dubbed “shock pop,” a crowd-pleasing sound that draws from Eurodance, glam rock, industrial, disco and B horror movies. 

Magnussen’s upcoming Chopper effort, the mini-album Shock Pop Vol. 1 is slated for a June 16, 2023 release through Pink Cotton Candy Records. The mini-album reportedly sees the Danish artist continuing to explore inherent dualities of the human condition while touching upon love, sexuality and carefree joy. Sonically, the album’s material is influenced by Pet Shop Boys, Skinny Puppy and Underworld — but placed in a modern context. 

In the lead up to Shock Pop Vol. 1‘s release, I’ve written about two of the mini-album’s previously released singles:

  • “Springtime,” a sleazy, dance floor friendly banger built around Magnussen’s sultrily delivered cooing, shimmering guitars, industrial clang and clatter, glistening synths and enormous, crowd pleasing hooks. The end result is a song — that to my ears — brings Electronic, New Order and Ministry to mind, while rooted in sleek, hyper modern production and razor sharp hooks. But underneath the dance floor rocking grooves, is something far darker and menacing. Written during the pandemic winter, the song illuminates the feelings of longing and isolation — capturing the desire to be out among friends, to meet lovers, to just do things with anyone. 

  • “Sugar and Spice” which begins with a brooding horn line, twinkling synths and percussion, a sinuous bass line and tweeter and woofer rattling thump paired with Magnussen’s and Glitchi‘s sultry deliveries and enormous Larry Levan-era house-like hooks. The end result is a sweaty and hedonistic banger that to my ears sounds like a slick synthesis of Ministry, The Sisters of Mercy and Electronic. 

Shock Pop Vol. 1′s third and latest single “Touch,” which features vocalist Ama May continues a remarkable run of sleazy, dance floor friendly bangers. But unlike its immediate predecessors, “Touch” is a sleek, slickly produced synthesis of the Madchester sound, eurodance, Larry Levan-era house and French touch built around the Danish artist’s penchant for infectious groove and enormous hooks.

The accompanying video continues along in the sleazy, DIY-meets-public access TV aesthetic of its predecessors and includes the collaborators in a strobe and laser lit club, mutants and more.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Chopper Teams Up with Glitchi on Hedonistic and Bombastic “Sugar and Spice”

Jonatan K. Magnussen is a singer/songwriter and musician, best known for being the frontman of Copenhagen-based goth outfit The Love Coffin. Magnussen recently stepped into the spotlight as a solo artist with his solo project Chopper, which specializes in what the Danish artist has dubbed “shock pop,” a sound that draws from Eurodance, glam rock, industrial, disco and B horror movies. 

Magnussen’s upcoming Chopper effort Shock Pop Vol. 1 reportedly sees the Danish artist continuing to explore inherent dualities of the human condition while touching upon love, sexuality and carefree joy. Sonically, the album’s material is influenced by Pet Shop Boys, Skinny Puppy and Underworld — but placed in a modern context. 

Last month, I wrote about Shock Pop Vol. 1 single “Springtime,” a sleazy, dance floor friendly banger built around Magnussen’s sultrily delivered cooing, shimmering guitars, industrial clang and clatter, glistening synths and enormous, crowd pleasing hooks. The end result is a song — that to my ears — brings Electronic, New Order and Ministry to mind, while rooted in sleek, hyper modern production and razor sharp hooks. But underneath the dance floor rocking grooves, is something far darker and menacing. Written during the pandemic winter, the song illuminates the feelings of longing and isolation — capturing the desire to be out among friends, to meet lovers, to just do things with anyone. 

Shock Pop Vol. 1‘s second and latest single “Sugar and Spice” begins with a brooding horn line, twinkling synths and percussion, a sinuous bass line and tweeter and woofer rattling thump paired with Magnussen’s and Glitchi‘s sultry deliveries and enormous Larry Levan-era house-like hooks. The end result is a sweaty and hedonistic banger that to my ears sounds like a slick synthesis of Ministry, The Sisters of Mercy and Electronic.

Fittingly, the accompanying video for “Sugar and Spice” is as maximalist and bombastic as its single while drawing from 80s visual cliches.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Jonas Shares Slow-Burning and Yearning “Too Much To Mention”

Primarily Copenhagen-based singer/songwriter  and multi-instrumentalist Jonas (born Jonas Rendbo) has been hailed by the international music press as the Godfather of Scandinavian soul. Throughout the course of his 20+ year career, the Danish artist has developed and maintained a reputation for being remarkably prolific, releasing copious amounts of original material, which he has supported touring with Omar, John Legend, Joss Stone, Lynden David Hall and Bilal among a lengthy and growing list of others. Adding to his accolades, Rendbo won Artist of the Year and Best Video at the 2016 Scandinavian Soul Music Awards.

Since 2004, Rendbo has split time between Copenhagen and London, where he met his wife and started a family. And while in London, he started collaborating with London-based multi-instrumentalist and producer The Scratch Professer, who coincidentally is Omar’s brother. Rendbo and The Scratch Professor had an instant musical simpatico and a couple of songs they wrote together wound up on Jonas’ sophomore album 2009’s W.A.I.T.T. 

That collaboration also managed to produce a handful of songs that Rendbo kept in the vault for the better part of a decade or os — until the four-song EP, 4ward Fast To Future, which was recorded, produced, mixed and mastered during COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in April 2020. The EP, which featured “Pick Me Up” and “What’s Cooking” was a return to the warm, vibey neo-soul sound of his earliest work paired with Rendbo’s sultry and yearning falsetto and his uncanny knack for infectious hooks.

The EP was released to widespread praise across the blogosphere including SoulBounce.com, ScandinavianSoul.com and was a featured album on SoulTracks.com. Adding to a growing profile nationally and internationally, 4ward Fast To Future‘s material received airplay on soul music radio stations across the globe.

Building upon that momentum, the Danish singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist released the 4ward Fast to Future (Remixes) EP, an effort that features remixes of the EP’s material by friends and musical collaborators done in completely different styles.

“Too Much To Mention” is the first single from a forthcoming full-length album from the acclaimed Scandinavian soul artist. Featuring twinkling synths, a wobbling bass line, skittering beats and Rondo’s yearning delivery, the slow-burning “Too Much To Mention” is rooted in earnest, lived-in lyricism and Rendbo’s unerring knack for razor sharp hooks.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Jacob Haujberg is a Copenhagen-based multi-instrumentalist and singer/songwriter, known for his work with Palace Winter and Sleep Party People. Haujberg is also the creative mastermind behind the rising recording project Luster.

Haujberg’s Luster debut, 2020’s Turbulence was very much the sound of a band in the room, recording live and on the floor. But his recently released sophomore Luster album, PRESSURE, reportedly sees Haujberg crafting an eclectic, proggy yet accessible, and playful collection of songs that are simultaneously entertaining and moving. Thematically, PRESSURE looks outward and focuses on distorted communication and connection in a largely digital world — while considering pressure as a state that’s both personal and universal.

PRESSURE‘S latest single, the breakneck “BURN ALL BRIDGES” is a decidedly 80s synth pop inspired bop centered around relentless and metronomic four-on-the-floor, twinkling keys, squiggling synth bursts, Haujberg’s plaintive vocals and an enormous, rousingly anthemic hook. Seemingly drawn from Huey Lewis & The News, The B-52’s., David Bowie and even The Pointer Sisters, “BURN ALL BRIDGES” manages to feel carefully crafted yet earnest and immediate.

Haujberg explains that “BURN ALL BRIDGES” is a commentary on online communication and is a natural extension of PRESSURE‘s overarching theme. “If you press the world’s button it’s likely to push all of yours,” the Danish singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist says.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Copenhagen-based duo and JOVM mainstays  Palace Winter — Australian-born, Copenhagen-based singer/songwriter Carl Coleman and Danish-born, Copenhagen-based producer and classically trained pianist Caspar Hesselager —have released three critically applauded albums, 2016’s Waiting For The World To Turn, 2018’s Nowadays and 2020’s . . . Keep Dreaming Buddy, which have seen the Danish pop duo establish and hone a unique, genre-defying with a cinematic leaning.

During the pandemic, Palace Winter’s Carl Coleman kept busy by watching horror films. Naturally, it wasn’t long before the themes of the movies he was watching, started serving as inspiration for new material: The paranoia, existential fear and dread of those movies seemed to reflect our time with an eerily uncanny accuracy.

“Slasher” was the first bit of new material inspired and informed by the horror movies Coleman watched during lockdowns. Thematically, the song is about a serial killer roaming the streets and killing unsuspecting victims. And for the JOVM mainstays, “Slasher” was the first bit of songwriting together in person since the release of Nowadays.

Unfortunately, the duo’s creative process was interrupted when Coleman discovered that he had contracted COVID, a literal killer, rapidly roaming across the globe. “While we were making the song, I got COVID and had to isolate for a week in a small Corona-hotel room,” Coleman recalls in press notes. “The bizarre situation made me reflect on the fact that there’s this ‘killer on the streets’, and for many of us there’s a slim chance of avoiding it. Suddenly I had 3 meals a day left at my door, no contact with any other people and could only get fresh air in this super bleak shopping mall carpark. It was so dystopian, like a zombie flick.”

Centered around nods to Ennio Morricone Spaghetti Western soundtracks, 80s New Wave and synth pop, and 90s drum ‘n’ bass and house music, “Slasher” further cements the Copenhagen-based JOVM mainstay act’s wide-screen and genre-defying take on pop paired with their unerring knack for crafting razor sharp hooks. But unlike their preceding material, “Slasher” finds the duo thematically at their darkest — and simultaneously at their campiest with the song featuring the final line “But my soul keeps dancing.”

The JOVM’s first single of 2022, “The Big Blue” is an expansive track that clocks in at a little over six-and-half minutes and finds the Danish pop duo making a heavy nod to the krautrock inspired style of some of their earlier work while pushing their sound in adventurous new directions. Bursting out of the gate with a brooding and uneasy introduction featuring shimmering acoustic guitar and trippy melodies, the song features three distinct sections that reveal gradually shifting tones and moods centered around glistening synth arpeggios, relentless four-on-the-floor and an extensive Trans Europe Express-like synth solo section.

Rising Danish-born sibling duo PRISMA — Frida and Sirid Møl Kristensen — contribute dreamy harmonies throughout the song. The duo, who cite The Raveonettes, Vivian Girls, Trentemøller, The Cure, and Susanne Sundfør as influences on their work have received attention across Scandinavia and elsewhere for an uptempo, direct yet cinematic sound that reminded Coleman and Hesselager of some of their earliest work — in particular, their debut EP, 2015’s Medication and their full-length debut. “One of their strengths is the way their voices harmonize together. Especially in the outro it almost puts you in a trance,” Hesselager explains.

Figuratively, “The Big Blue” is a journey out of darkness and into brighter, more hopeful days. And I know that’s something we’re all desperately clinging onto in this weird time. “It’s about coming out of a trauma and changing yourself into something more positive. It’s about discovering a better version of yourself,” Palace Winter’s Carl Coleman explains.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: French-born, Danish-based Andrew Celestine Shares Brooding “Shattered”

Andrew Celestine is an emerging Rennes, France-born, Copenhagen-based singer/songwriter and musician. The Rennes-born Celestine relocated to Copenhagen back in 2015, where he began to pursue music full-time.

Celestine’s debut EP Shattered is the result of a two year journey for the self-taught French-born, Danish-based artist, with the EP’s five songs thematically being an open-hearted invitation into the melancholic, harrowing and at times universe of its creator. Sonically, the material is influenced by Depeche Mode, Moderat, French touch and Scandipop among others.

EP title track “Shattered” is a slickly produced, brooding, Depeche Mode-like track centered around glistening synth arpeggios, thumping beats and Celestine’s sonorous yet vulnerable baritone within an expansive yet dance floor friendly song structure. The song explores heartbreak and its devastation in a way that’s intimate, unvarnished and deeply familiar.

Filmed by Rine Rodin and edited by Celestine and Rodin, the video for “Shattered” follows a young woman — My Marie Nilsson — sneaking out of the spare bedroom and apartment of a lover, through the gray streets of an extremely Northern European industrial area, and into a creepy forest as the sun goes down.