Roy Zimmerman: You're Getting Sleepy
Category: Music
I don't really need to have my anti-Conservative flame fanned. I listen to Zimmerman for his razor wit and his musicianship.
Posted by Martin R at 2:20 PM • 10 Comments •
Aardvarchaeology
Martin Rundkvist's blog. Archaeology, skepticism, Sweden. And books and music and stuff.
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Dr. Martin Rundkvist is a Swedish archaeologist, journal editor, public speaker, chairman of the Swedish Skeptics Society, atheist, lefty liberal, bookworm, and father of two.
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Music:
The Kinnardlys, "Easy Peasy"
Category: Music
This song is just irresistable. Check out The Kinnardlys' web site. Thanks to the Spiel gaming podcast for the tip-off. Always good tunes between segments there!...
Posted by Martin R at 8:20 AM • 0 Comments •
In My Earbuds Lately
Category: Music
Here are some albums that I've been listening to lately. (The previous peek into my listening habits is from May 2010!)Daikaiju. Daikaiju. 2005. Virtuoso instrumental surf rock. Dungen. Skit i allt. 2010. Psychedelic 70s prog. Graveyard. Hisingen Blues. 2011....
Posted by Martin R at 5:13 PM • 0 Comments •
Tonight A Demon Came Into My Head
Category: Music
Blues & metal fans, take note. The album you need to get right now is Hisingen Blues by Swedish sensations Graveyard. And check out the Aardvarchaeology Merchandise Store!...
Posted by Martin R at 3:14 AM • 3 Comments •
Bellman's Pale Rhenish
Category: Language
Dear Reader, please try saying "ENSKTBLEH". Yes, six consonants in a row. ENSKTBLEH. OK? Now sing it, loudly and happily. Go! I've spent three happy days at the first ever Picture Stone Symposium in Visby, listening to papers, moderating some...
Posted by Martin R at 8:20 AM • 8 Comments •
Spring is Here, Life is Skittles & Beer
Category: Humour
I was reminded of this timely song when discussing an odd 7th century burial at Norsborg with my friend Dr. Ing-Marie Back Danielsson. The buried individual has been murdered, which triggered the association....
Posted by Martin R at 6:23 AM • 8 Comments •
Juniorette Sings Cohen
Category: Children
Juniorette is a precocious seven years old. Here's her rendition of Leonard Cohen's 1984 song "Hallelujah", with the Swedish lyrics by Py Bäckman. The performance is influenced to a certain degree by another young Swedish singer's version, Molly Sandén's on...
Posted by Martin R at 8:20 AM • 5 Comments •
George Hrab Hits Scandinavia: The Golden Ticket Tour
Category: Music
When skeptical darling George Hrab released his latest album, Trebuchet, he placed a golden ticket in the sleeve of one copy that went into regular distribution. On the ticket was Hrab's phone number and a promise to come and...
Posted by Martin R at 3:40 AM • 5 Comments •
Amnesia Was Her Name
Category: Music
Junior, who is a digital native and knows way more about current net fads than I do, turned me on to the multi-talented Neil Cicierega and his band Lemon Demon. Excellent synth pop that should hit the sweet spot of...
Posted by Martin R at 8:20 AM • 1 Comments •
Surrender to Your Darkest Dreams, Kids, in Church
Category: Music
Last night I attended Junior's school concert in the church of St. Catherine in Stockholm. Here are some of the lyrics sung by the 13-14-year-olds in front of the altar. Because the world is round it turns me on Because...
Posted by Martin R at 8:20 AM • 8 Comments •
New Black Metal
Category: Music
My brother's black metal outfit has just released its first EP, Arcane Secrets. Check out Astrophobos for some furious yet epic tunes with lyrics inspired by H.P. Lovecraft! And tell me how you like the record! Spotify - Myspace...
Posted by Martin R at 9:55 AM • 15 Comments •
A Message From Uncle Norm
Category: Music
I got an ambiguous greeting from Norm Sherman when I bought his latest CD (2 for $10!). He is messing with my mind....
Posted by Martin R at 2:00 PM • 3 Comments •
Stoner Caravan From Deep Space Arrives
Category: Music
Thanks to Pär for the tip-off. OM's singer/bassist used to be a member of the legendary doom band Sleep....
Posted by Martin R at 4:01 PM • 0 Comments •
Synthesiser Mind-Meld
Category: Music
A vintage 80s synthesizer hooked up to a recently released EEG game controller, which allows the combo's creator to change the pitch of the synth's output with his thoughts.
Posted by Martin R at 3:41 AM • 4 Comments •
Simon's Mix CD
Category: Music
I put together a mix CD today for Simon who's celebrating his 60th birthday. He's the husband of a colleague of mine, and all I really know about him is that he's English, he's a semi-pro musician and he...
Posted by Martin R at 1:00 PM • 9 Comments •
Has Robyn Credited Trans-X for the "Cobrastyle" Melody?
Category: Music
The other night my wife suddenly hummed a familiar melody line. After some mental searching I identified it as a slightly modified version of French Canadian synth-poppers Trans-X's 1983 hit "Living on Video" that I haven't heard in 20...
Posted by Martin R at 8:20 AM • 7 Comments •
New Albums: Roy Zimmerman, George Hrab
Category: Music
Californian Roy Zimmerman is a satirical singer in the vein of Tom Lehrer (who endorses him). He recently released his seventh solo album, Real American, and I'm happy to say that Zimmerman has lost none of the brilliance us fans...
Posted by Martin R at 8:20 AM • 1 Comments •
In My Earbuds Lately
Category: Music
The increasing number of podcasts I subscribe to has tended to crowd music out a bit from my earbuds in recent months. But I do have some good albums to recommend. Here's what's on my smartphone right now.Fleet Foxes....
Posted by Martin R at 8:20 AM • 10 Comments •
Atholl Brose
Category: Music
To my surprise, I found that the Cocteau Twins' 1988 song "Athol-Brose" is not named after a comet but after a Scottish drink consisting of oatmeal, honey, whiskey and cream. I'd like a Bose-Einstein condensate with mine, please....
Posted by Martin R at 8:20 AM • 6 Comments •
Master and Servant in the Cocktail Lounge
Category: Music
As mentioned before I was a big Depeche Mode fan during my teens. Here's a cool cover from the 1998 tribute CD For the Masses. In other news, a group of Swedish skeptics have started what may be the...
Posted by Martin R at 8:20 AM • 0 Comments •
Karel Gott Owns "Paint it Black"
Category: Music
Via David Nessle....
Posted by Martin R at 3:04 PM • 5 Comments •
Rundkvist Sibs Sing "Handy Manny" Theme Song
Category: Children
You know the bit in Khalil Gibran where he says that children are arrows and parents bows, not archers? The other day my kids recorded this rendition of the "Handy Manny" theme song, and then Junior edited it in Audacity....
Posted by Martin R at 8:20 AM • 3 Comments •
Concert review: Mika in Stockholm
Category: Music
Cosmopolitan popster Mika is a great showman and tours with a great band. The audience at his gig in Stockholm last night was thoroughly charmed by the friendliness and musical mastery on offer. Mika traces his musical ancestry back...
Posted by Martin R at 8:20 AM • 0 Comments •
Skiing Break
Category: Film
Last week was skiing break for my kids. I couldn't find anywhere good to stay in the mountains, so we didn't go off on holiday. Here's what we did for fun instead. Dinner at the home of a Chinese...
Posted by Martin R at 8:20 AM • 3 Comments •
Rick Astley and Nirvana
Category: Music
Thanks to Swedepat for the tip-off....
Posted by Martin R at 8:20 AM • 6 Comments •
Heavy Blinkers
Category: Music
Lately I've been listening to Canadian 90s/00s orchestral popsters the Heavy Blinkers. Here's a fine song off of their '02 album Better Weather, "I Used to Be a Design". I actually prefer this live version since its production is...
Posted by Martin R at 4:40 PM • 2 Comments •
Norm Sherman is an Elder God
Category: Music
I've listened to Escape Pod, the science fiction short-story podcast, for four years now. And lately I have become increasingly awed by one of the newer hosts, Norm Sherman. His writing is acerbic, his delivery is deadpan, the guy is...
Posted by Martin R at 8:20 AM • 3 Comments •
Obsolete Portable Music Players
Category: Music
These are my obsolete portable music players. A post-1985 cassette player, a 2000 minidisc player and a 2002 iPod whose sole means of communication with the outside world is a firewire socket. In the 90s I didn't listen much...
Posted by Martin R at 2:20 PM • 8 Comments •
Auditioning to Replace Freddie Mercury
Category: Music
The other day Dr. Isis made comment no 10,000 here on Aard. Lucky it wasn't one of the hate commenters that swarmed the blog around that time! Because the prize I decided on for commenter 10^4 was a song,...
Posted by Martin R at 8:20 AM • 2 Comments •
Mika's Place for Underwear
Category: Music
11-y-o Junior bought his first own album last Saturday: Mika's The Boy Who Knew Too Much. (My own first was Depeche Mode's Some Great Reward, bought at age 12 in '84 or '85). It's an excellent record once you've...
Posted by Martin R at 8:20 AM • 4 Comments •
Copulation Music
Category: Music
Some of the most intensely loved musical styles have names that mean "copulation music".
Posted by Martin R at 8:20 AM • 5 Comments •
Awesome Turkish 70s Psychedelia
Category: Music
One of the major influences that combined to form Western psychedelic rock was traditional Asian music. But musicians in Asia picked up the vibe pretty quickly and started to play their own versions of it. Lately I've been listening...
Posted by Martin R at 8:20 AM • 9 Comments •
Where The Action Is Rock Festival, Day 2
Category: Music
Second day of a rainy festival. This time I had the best of company: my wife joined me to hear Duffy.
Posted by Martin R at 12:01 AM • 2 Comments •
Where The Action Is Rock Festival, Day 1
Category: Music
[More blog entries about wheretheactionis, rockfestival, Sweden, pixies, seasicksteve, missli, musik, rock, pop; musik, rock, pop, rockfestival, wheretheactionis, pixies, missli, seasicksteve.] I spent yesterday afternoon and evening at a rock festival out near the university. I arrived early through pouring...
Posted by Martin R at 5:28 AM • 3 Comments •
In My Earbuds Lately
Category: Music
Here are some excellent albums I've been listening to lately on my trusty smartphone. If you're into power pop, alternative rock, US folk and psychedelia, then check them out!Brendan Benson. Alternative to Love. 2005. Grand Duchy. Petits Fours. 2009. It's...
Posted by Martin R at 5:17 AM • 0 Comments •
Tom Lehrer Got It From Agnes
Category: Humour
From 1980, a television appearance by the brilliant Tom Lehrer, where he performs a song that never made it onto any of his records back in the day. (I hear it's on the CD re-issue, though.) Via David Nessle....
Posted by Martin R at 4:23 PM • 6 Comments •
Damn Good Swedish Soul
Category: Music
Lately I've been listening a lot to Damn!'s fourth album, Let's Zoom In, that was released last year. Damn! is an unfortunately namned soul/funk octet from Malmö in southern Sweden, mostly known as a backing band for rapper Timbuktu....
Posted by Martin R at 5:58 AM • 4 Comments •
Swedish Folkie Greets Spring
Category: Music
Spring's finally reached Stockholm! To celebrate, here's a song by one of the city's finest folk singers, Stefan Sundström, off of his 1992 album Happy Hour Viser, "Happy Hour Songs". I translate:Spring Samba By Stefan Sundström One morning when...
Posted by Martin R at 8:20 AM • 6 Comments •
Voulez-vous?
Category: Music
The Mama Mia movie has revitalised interest in Swedish 70s pop giants ABBA. The other day I heard 10-y-o Junior's school choir perform "As Good As New". 5-y-o Juniorette and her pals at daycare sing garbled versions of all...
Posted by Martin R at 8:20 AM • 3 Comments •
Gothic Confusion
Category: History
We're dealing both with historical reality and with historical fiction written a long time ago.
Posted by Martin R at 8:20 AM • 20 Comments •
Great New Eclectic Folk Pop
Category: Music
Back in 2006 I gave Silver, the then latest album from Philadelphia folk rockers Maggi, Pierce and E.J., a rave review. Since then the band has put out a collection of covers, a documentary DVD, a side-project duo album,...
Posted by Martin R at 8:20 AM • 3 Comments •
Savvy Brazilian Musicians Harness the Power of Pirates
Category: Music
Illicit copying is not a threat to artists. It is the new distribution system.
Posted by Martin R at 8:20 AM • 4 Comments •
Mais Non, Mais Non
Category: Music
With thanks to Dear Reader Shelley, here's a 1969 French cover version of the Muppets' famed song: "Mais non, mais non", as written and sung by Henri Salvador....
Posted by Martin R at 8:20 AM • 1 Comments •
Windows Mobile Media Player is Crap
Category: Tech
My switch from the iPod of course led to a huge drop in the ease of use.
Posted by Martin R at 8:20 AM • 7 Comments •
Mohammed Rafi Rules
Category: Film
A few years ago my friend David the Psychonaut gave me an mp3 file with the greatest song, "Jan Pehechan-Ho" by Mohammed Rafi. And now another friend, Tanya the Cosmopolite, links to the song's over-the top Bollywood dance number,...
Posted by Martin R at 8:20 AM • 10 Comments •
You Gotta Listen To These Two
Category: Music
Driving home from our auto mechanic shop (notable not only for its brisk service, but also for being run entirely by first-generation immigrants, which is rare in that business) yesterday, I heard two new songs on the radio that...
Posted by Martin R at 8:20 AM • 8 Comments •
A Blurred Pornographic Vision, Sir
Category: Music
Here's a brand new and particularly fine piece of world-weary goth rock from prolific Uppsala decadents Kurtz. Ladies and gentlemen, I bring you "Sex Cult 10". And don't miss the band's RSS feed!...
Posted by Martin R at 8:20 AM • 1 Comments •
Elephant 6 Nostalgia Tour
Category: Music
I've reached an age where some of my generation's brightest pop musicians are doing nostalgia tours. The Olivia Tremor Control reunited! But guys, couldn't you please write us some new songs as well?...
Posted by Martin R at 9:22 AM • 1 Comments •
Concert Review: of Montreal in Stockholm
Category: Music
Monday night me and Moomin went to an of Montreal gig at Medborgarplatsen in Stockholm. Amazing stuff. Seven musicians on stage, everybody swapping instruments all the time, three mimes prancing around in weird masks, psychedelic animated films on the...
Posted by Martin R at 8:20 AM • 2 Comments •
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