Manic Monday

Many times too often, I see people slapping the Joy Division comparison on anything with a morose tone. I'm sure it annoys you as much as it annoys me... but when I first heard Sweden's Audionom, it was the first thing to cross my mind. Unlike other comparisons, however, this one actually makes perfect sense. And it's not the only thing these guys can do apparently. Audionom's Retrospektiv (due for US release 2/20/07) is a collection of their material spanning from 1999 to 2002, and the influences heard can go anywhere from the post-punk Joy Division to Neu!'s krautrock sound.

Sadly, I'm not sure if these guys may be releasing anything new soon. The info sheet I got with the album says that the status of the band is "up in the air" due to internal tension, but the Myspace says they're working on a new album. Hmm. Well, here's to hoping that their Myspace is more up to date than this info sheet.

From Retrospektiv (pre-order @ Amazon):
And You Said I Was The Only One
Kristall
Han Gar Och Fiskar
+ Myspace



The Privates were a pleasant indie rock surprise to hit the snail mail box recently. When I first read the bio sheet they included, I have to admit that I was leery after seeing that some of the members also shared their time with pop-punk acts. I'm not the biggest fan of pop-punk, but I'm also not a fan of judging a book by it's cover... so I popped the CD in to give it a try. This, folks, is why you should never assume anything. The album is quite wonderfully done from start to finish. So well done, that I actually had a hard time choosing just which songs to post. Their sound is a mixture of Decemberists and The Walkmen, and One Piece even has a touch of Neutral Milk Hotel to it. I definitely recommend getting your own copy.

From Barricades (buy @ Mean Buzz Records):
Despite The Snake
One Piece
Barricades
+ Myspace

On a side note, and some of you may have already noticed, but there is now a WNR forum for us all to use. Feel free to post about music, talk about the weather, post up your upcoming shows or sell something in the classifieds. All you have to do to get there is click the "message board" link in the sidebar. Enjoy!

Love,
Lady Byrd