Scandinavian Indie Digest Vol.1 Issue #01



Scandinavian Indie Digest      Fri Feb 11, 1994          Volume 1 : Issue 01

There are 12 messages totalling 469 lines in this issue.

Topics of the day:

  1. Welcome to the Scandinavian Indie List!
  2. Semi-introduction :)
  3. snooper from afar
  4. 
  5. Bad Vugum (3)
  6. Hello there! (2)
  7. Another newcomer...
  8. chief
  9. Good Day!

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Date:    Thu, 10 Feb 1994 21:15:04 +0100
From:    chief@lysator.liu.se
Subject: Welcome to the Scandinavian Indie List!

========================================================================
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      Welcome to the Scandinavian Independent Music Mailing List!

========================================================================

As you probably already know, this mailing list is dedicated to the
discussion of independent music coming from any scandinavian country.
(Denmark, Finland, Norway, Iceland, Sweden). There has been some
discussion going on for a while with plans on starting a mailing
list, because, even though there are lists for independent music,
they are UK, US or label-specific ones, and as the independent scene
is growing rapidly in the scandinavian countries, we'd like to be
able to talk about it (and we hope others would too) :)

The instructions for this list is the same as any other list;

a) To submit an article to the scandinavian indie mailing list,
   email to:
                    scan-indie@lysator.liu.se

b) Questions about the list or any administrative requests such as
    "subscribe" or "unsubscribe" should be addressed to:
                scan-indie-request@lysator.liu.se

c) Error messages regarding the list should be sent to:
                       chief@lysator.liu.se

To get the ball rolling for this brand new list, why don't you write
a brief message and let the others on the list know that you're out
there? Maybe include a few notes on your favourite groups?

FTP - Well, we have ftp.uwp.edu out there, so I can't se a reason to
make another one. There are discographies, lyrics etc. for
scandinavian bands there already.

Digest - I will keep all messages sent to the list, and make weekly
(or rather, when there's about 10 or 15k) digests. E-mail me
(chief@lysator.liu.se) if you'd like to subscribe to the digest
version. Just remember that if the traffic is low, there will be
some time before a digest is sent out.

 Again, welcome to the list!
 /Erik (chief@lysator.liu.se)
 Scan-Indie Mailing List owner

[         The Scandinavian Independent Music Mailing List           ]
[          Mail to the list at scan-indie@lysator.liu.se            ]
[     Administrivia goes to scan-indie-request@lysator.liu.se       ]

----------------------------

Date:    Thu, 10 Feb 1994 21:16:08 +0100
From:    chief@lysator.liu.se
Subject: Semi-introduction :)

Hello all!

As the list owner, I thought I'd post a little something about what's
going on here. As I live in Sweden, most of the info I'll be posting
will be about swedish bands, concerts etc, so I hope that others
will bring information from the other scandinavian countries.

Right now, I am in the process of compiling discographies for the
Swedish labels "A West Side Fabrication" and "Ceilidh", and if time
allows, I'll do the "North Of No South" label discography as well.
I will post these as soon as possible. Unfortunately, they are not
complete, but I hope that people on this list are better informed
than me, and will help me with the missing information. :)

On the lyrics scene - here's what I have transcribed (from listening
to the albums/CDs mind you :)):

Group/Artist                  Album/EP/Single/etc.     (on uwp)
----------------------------- ------------------------ ---------
A Shrine                      Li & Friends                 Y
Pleasurehouse                 Marseille                    Y
Suredo                        Swell                        Y

I have also made an interview with Pleasurehouse (23 April 1993)
that is available from ftp.lysator.liu.se in /pub/texts/uxu/uxu-120.lzh.
Another interview (with Souls) will be available as well, as soon as
I find some time to type it in from my more-than-torn notes.

Well, that about wraps it up from me this time.
Some misc. concert dates (in Sweden) for misc. groups will be posted
here in a couple of days.

Have fun!
Erik
chief@lysator.liu.se

----------------------------

Date:    Fri, 11 Feb 94 09:27:02 +0100
From:    bds@ipp-garching.mpg.de (Bruce       Scott          TK  )
Subject: snooper from afar

Hello All,

Since I am an American living in Germany and have never been to Scandinavia,
I doubt I can contribute much to this list in the near future. Still, what
I have heard from music from up there [music, yes, but also talk :-)] gives
a welcome new twist to the whole scene.

I am particularly interested in news of very out-of-the-ordinary music
with a distinctive voice to it, and how I might find it down here in
the Bavarian Cultural Wasteland. Good luck to the success of the list.

Gruss,
Dr Bruce Scott                             The deadliest bullshit is
Max-Planck-Institut fuer Plasmaphysik       odorless and transparent
bds@ipp-garching.mpg.de                               -- W Gibson
 
----------------------------

Date:    Fri, 11 Feb 94 9:14 GMT
From:    HMC4@VAX.YORK.AC.UK
Subject: 

Hi, 

I don't know much about Scandanavian Indie Music
but I do remember being at a party with some
Danish friends. They played a CD by a Danish or
Norwegian band called something like Her Personal
Pain or Her Private Pain> If I remember rightly it
sound a bit like Curve. After the obligatory pickled
herring and copious bottles of Tuborg everything
became a blur.  If anyone has any info. on who this band 
was ie discographies, etc it would be appreciated.

Also, what has happened to ShoobaDooa or however you
spell it.


'H'y

Stockholm Environment Institute at York
University of York, UK.

----------------------------

Date:    Fri, 11 Feb 94 09:52:18 GMT
From:    davidb@dbadmin2.amgen.com (David Bennison)
Subject: Bad Vugum

Well, I guess what I'd like to know most are details about 
Bad Vugum releases, particularly Radiopuhelimets and who the
Swinging Hufvuds are (another Finnish Band).
Other than that, I'm another guy who is going to have to lurk
as I have nothing scandinavian to contribute other than I had
an amazing cheese fondue last weekend.

David...

----------------------------

Date:    Fri, 11 Feb 1994 11:53:00 +0200 (EET)
From:    trkisa@uta.fi (Kimmo S{{skilahti)
Subject: Hello there!

Hello folks!

Nice to see that things are start to get rolling!

According to HMC4@VAX.YORK.AC.UK:

* I don't know much about Scandanavian Indie Music
* but I do remember being at a party with some
* Danish friends. They played a CD by a Danish or
* Norwegian band called something like Her Personal
* Pain or Her Private Pain> If I remember rightly it
* sound a bit like Curve.

Hey, you have uttered the magic word 'Curve'!! :-)  Anyone from
Denmark or Norway on this list, who could provide some info?

As I'm posting, I might as well make a short introduction of myself.
As you see from my e-address, I'm from Finland (from the city of
Tampere to be more exact).  I'll try to provide as much information,
gossip, news, reviews and whatever I can think of about what's hot in
the Finnish Indie scene.  I might start with a short mention of two
albums that have been released lately:

Poverty Stinks: Hello Sister

I guess this is the fourth album by this heavily-60's-influenced
slightly retro-ish pop band, and the first after the departure of
their original guitarist (who found Miss Right and quit the band -
currently he plays in a Smiths tribute band called The Joneses).  I'm
not a very big Poverty Stinks fan, so I can't really comment on the
album, except for what I've read in the press.  "Hello Sister" should
be a return to their original sound and style, in other words,
beautiful straightforward pop songs, like on their first two albums
(Gargle Blaster and Getting Deeper).  Their third album was an attempt
at a more ambitious arrangements and sound, but I guess it more or
less failed.

The new album will be released also in Sweden shortly, and maybe also
elsewhere on the continent, and maybe even in the UK.  Last year Snap
Records released a compilation album from the tracks of their two
first albums (it had a thumbs-up review in an issue of the magazine/cd
Volume).  The bands has also toured quite a lot in Sweden and on the
continent.

Another new release is from the band with the longest name in the show
business: Electric Blue Peggy Sue And The Revolutionions From Mars.
Their latest album is called "Family Affair" (if memory serves).
However, I don't know much about it (haven't bought it yet), but from
what I've read it's still another step into a 'mellower' sound - at
the early days they were more or less a straightforward noise band.
At the course of time, they have picked up a variety of influences
from different music styles (funk mainly, but even afro) and they can
kick up a mad groove live.  I'll come back to this band, soon as I get
the new album, and I might as well write a discography, when I'm bored
enough to do anything more productive...

That's all from me now, I hope I wasn't too verbose :-)

Kimmo
  
-- 
Kimmo Saaskilahti  * "I don't know my future after 
  trkisa@uta.fi    *  this weekend...and I don't want to"
                   *  - Bjork

----------------------------

Date:    Fri, 11 Feb 1994 14:47:27 +0200 (EET)
From:    trsaro@uta.fi (Sami Rouhento)
Subject: Re: Bad Vugum

David Bennison wrote:

> Well, I guess what I'd like to know most are details about 
> Bad Vugum releases, particularly Radiopuhelimets and who the
> Swinging Hufvuds are (another Finnish Band).

It's a good thing indeed that someone is interested in Bad Vugum,
who could rightfully be called one of the few *really* independent
labels in Finland... Telling you about all of the releases on
Vugum would probably make this turn into a short book, cos there's
forty of them by now, but give me names and I'll try to unveil
whatever mysteries there seem to be...

About Radiopuhelimet, the best thing us Finns have been able to
come up with so far IMHO: as far as I know they were the basically
the reason for starting up Bad Vugum - their drummer is 1/3 of the
label - but released only two (long since deleted) 7" ep's on BV.
They then released one album on Euros records called "Rokkir{j{hdys"
(half of which was then again re-released on Bad Vugum along with
the first two ep's - complicated?) before being signed to Spirit,
which is owned by Sonet, which in turn is owned by PolyGram, in
case somebody could give a shit. Four more albums have followed,
the most recent of which, "Maalla", came out a few months back.
I suppose all of these are available also through the Bad Vugum mail
order.

About the Swinghufvuds I can't tell you a whole lot except that
that's the correct spelling of the name (an allusion to 
P.E. Svinhufvud, one of the past presidents of Finland BTW -
hogs head anyone?). Perhaps someone else can elaborate?

And yeah, I'm Sami and I like indie rock.

...absoluuttinen mies...

----------------------------

Date:    Fri, 11 Feb 1994 15:13:22 +0100
From:    " (Superette)" 
Subject: Re: Hello there!

Kimmo me friend-taking-care-of-our-orange-tree wrote this bit:
> As I'm posting, I might as well make a short introduction of myself.
> As you see from my e-address, I'm from Finland (from the city of
> Tampere to be more exact).  I'll try to provide as much information,
> gossip, news, reviews and whatever I can think of about what's hot in
> the Finnish Indie scene.  

My short intro:
Though you can't see it from my email, I'm from Tampere, Finland  :)
A bit more personal info perhaps.. I'm 22, into the British popscene
(since I'm marooned here in Guildford 'til March) (Suedette, if you
must know) and have been around just long enough to think the good
old days were when the Roses did their last live show -- and that
was in Finland...

What Kimmo sadly neglected to mention about the Finnish pop scene
is that the best bands don't tend to release too many records since
there are so few indie children around. What do you expect, with a
population smaller than that of London...

So, it's going to take a long time before you get to hear my fave
band in the whole wide world, Super. They hail from Tampere, with
quite a few strong tunes of their own. They're an utterly wondrous 
live act. The lead singer is an amazing young woman called Minna,
essentially not your stereotypical rock chick, nor your stereotypical
shy and frightened indie-babe.. she's beautiful and charismatic
and _powerful_ on stage, like a smart young babe full of energy
and life, about to spread her wings and soar over the audience.
There's a lot of pop-attitude in the rest of the band as well, 
they could beat Jarvis Cocker of Pulp in his own game  :)  

There have been plans for Minna to appear on the new Happy Ever After
album, and for the whole band to go on Finnish national television,
but if any of this materializes I'll mail you well in advance...

Happily yours,
superette
    reetu
       ..doesn't really matter..

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Date:    Fri, 11 Feb 1994 16:13:57 +0200 (EET)
From:    trkisa@uta.fi (Kimmo S{{skilahti)
Subject: Re: Bad Vugum

According to Sami Rouhento:

* About Radiopuhelimet, the best thing us Finns have been able to
* come up with so far IMHO

For those who are not familiar with the Bad Vugum sound, I might say
that they don't have exactly the coolest popsters of Finland in their
roster... but if you're (like me, among other things) into
hard-hitting metallic schizophrenic noise with melodic screaming o
n the top (that doesn't really mean anything, I admit... :-), go 
for Radiopuhelimet.

Other Bad Vugum bands that spring to mind are Sweetheart, Generators,
Faff-Bey, Vacuum Cleaners...but maybe more about those later (or maybe
not).

* About the Swinghufvuds I can't tell you a whole lot except that
* that's the correct spelling of the name (an allusion to 
* P.E. Svinhufvud, one of the past presidents of Finland BTW -
* hogs head anyone?). Perhaps someone else can elaborate?
* 
As far as I understand, Swinghufvuds are not a *real* band (whatever
that means) but more of a 'project'...oh well, can't help a lot
either, I'm afraid.

It's -18 C outside, the sun is shining, and I'm off for the weekend.

Have a nice one!

Kimmo

PS. and start writing!  Make local go global!  Bring global issues
local! 

detsamma.
-- 
Kimmo Saaskilahti  * "MTV is not about music,
  trkisa@uta.fi    *  it's about women in their underwear"
                   *  - Mark E Smith

----------------------------

Date:    Fri, 11 Feb 1994 15:43:26 +0100
From:    Andre.van.Leeuwen@cwi.nl
Subject: Another newcomer...

Hello you all,

I just subscribed to this list, mainly because I am
interested in getting to know new Indie stuff.
I don't know many scandinavian bands (Bel Canto,
Velvet Belly, ... (Lets NOT mention ABBA)) and think
there must be more to know. One other band I once got
to hear whilst I was on a vacation in Greece, is
The Backstreet Girls (if my memory serves me well).
I have been looking for their album 'Boogie until you
puke' for several years, but wasn't able to get my hands
on a copy. Anyone on this list knows this band?
Maybe it is a good idea if some of you who do know
of a lot of Scandie bands, could put together a various
artist collection on tape, so we (the non scandinavians
on this list) can get an impression of what's happening
out there in the cold.
BTW, I can put together a tape with Dutch bands on them
but that is not a subject for this list I suppose...

Andre van Leeuwen

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Date:    11 Feb 1994 22:34:14 +0100
From:    HENRIK@biokemi.su.se
Subject: Re:chief

Good evening!
My names Henrik and this is the beginning.
First, the best 1993 indie record was This Perfect Day (new).
Second, Easy will never make it again.
Third, Stevepops can make it.

See you?

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Date:    Fri, 11 Feb 1994 21:40:23 +0000 (GMT)
From:    King James IV 
Subject: Good Day!

	You will undoubtedly be happy to note that i have joined this list
for one sole purpose....

			Sugarcubes/Bjork

	Ok. Broaden my mind.... What else is out there? I've been
listening to the Sugarcubes since Life's Too Good came out, and bjork has
to have the best voice around...*sigh*

	Anyway, hope to hear from y'all soon!

james

=)

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End of SI Digest #1.01
**********************

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Last updated Dec 07, 1994 by The Chief