Tuesday, February 12, 2008

vs. the snow

basically what it comes down to is how goddamn catchy your songs are. mr. mammoth worships at the altar of pop, and if it can stick in his head, it's probably golden. even with the absurd abundancy of excellent music right now, one album in particular in particular has been on repeat in my skull, and that little gem of scandanavian goodness is vs. the snow by the lk. the lk, whose full title is the love of kevin, colour, chaos, and the sound of k, are electro-pop craftsmen from the fertile ground of sweden, and vs. the snow is 43 gorgeous minutes of airy and transportive glitz.

a collaboration between lindefelt, self-described "abstract sound artist" and fredrik, "pop visionary and songwriter par excellence," the lk are exemplary in a genre that has more than its fair share of quality. fredrik's songs are weightless but dense, rich compositions that are gently blurred by lindefelt's fuzzy noise gadgets and his endearingly accented english. their songs are like brain crack - they hook you from the first moment you hear them. "eurovision" has a deep, almost trance feel, and "tamagotchi freestyle" is exultant and joyous, and "blakboy vs. the snow" is laid back and loungey - this is a well-rounded, diverse album. vs. the snow is a album that digs deep in the electro-pop vein, and emerges with tireless hooks and intelligent sounds.

as a lifelong new yorker, there's one thing i especially love about the lk, and that is their propensity to say "fuck." well, i've only heard it twice, but a) they're pretty well-enunciated and b) they're all the more impressive considering their gauzy electro-pop, a genre not normally known for its expletives. as a tribute to the lk and my love of swear words, the songs below are the "fuck" songs.

"eurovision" & "down by law"
you best buy vs. the snow from kora records.

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