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a new EP from Danish Slaraffenland! including three new brilliant songs and two cover songs of monumental and legendary songs by Aha and Radiohead! For lovers of eccentric beauty everywhere!
Slaraffenland has traveled the world extensively since the release of their second album Private Cinema last June. They have played concerts around Europe and toured in the US several times - the last US tour was the month long Danish Dynamite Tour with fellow label mates (& owners) Efterklang in May 2008.
And the traveling hasn’t finished at all. Starting September 2008 they will embark on a new tour in Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Benelux and France. In relation to the upcoming tour Rumraket is proud to release a new EP by Slaraffenland entitled Sunshine. The release comes in custom designed and printed cardboard covers and features 5 new recordings - among them two covers of legendary and monumental songs by Aha and Radiohead!
The EP starts off with I’m a Machine and The Trick which have been live favorites for the band and audiences since last summer Both songs feature the Slaraffenland trademark gang singing and chanting on top of a foundation of innovative percussion with gritty yet beautiful and constantly changing and effect driven guitar and brass arrangements.
Track 3 on the EP is a cover of the 80 classics Take on Me by Aha and Slaraffenland nails it! You are at no time in doubt that this is Slaraffenland playing and still the original songs stands out clearly. Highly recommended!
Dust is another new promising Slaraffenland song. Years ago this was an instrumental composition, now it has vocals a new arrangement and intriguing lyrics.
A cover of Radioheads legendary Paranoid Android ends this encouraging EP. This cover was also released as part of OKX a tribute to OK Computer compiled by Stereogum.com in the summer of 2007.
The CD version of the EP will be very limited so we suggest getting hold of a physical version as soon as you get the chance. The CD release date is October 7 but it will also be sold at concerts before that date. Sunshine will also be pre-released digitally September 15th 2008. Across the pond in The US and in UK Sunshine will be released by the lovely label Hometapes from Portland, Oregon.
At the end of 2008 Slaraffenland will start recording what will become their yet untitled third full-length album. We highly anticipate that!
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The Odds and Ends single by Canon Blue has been a favorite in the Rumraket office and headphones for a long time! We are very happy to release this extended single with some very good and different remixes included!
Canon Blue - www.myspace.com/canonblue
TURBOWEEKEND:
Turboweekend's take on Odds and Ends is a hauntingly dark and brooding march into the night, complete with a sleazy back beat and moonlight drenched synths to lead the way. This might be the most catchy release on Rumraket ever and its hard to resist. Turboweekend are local heroes in Denmark, but criminally overlooked outside the kingdom - if you like to dance to good and intelligent songs you should investigate.
http://www.myspace.com/turboweekend
VINCENT OLIVER:
An English wunderkind who breathed a second life into Rum Diary. Vincent Oliver recently also contributed to the Efterklang discography with a hilarious and genius remix of Efterklangs Mirador song. Vincent Oliver releases his music on LOAF Records.
http://www.myspace.com/vincentoliver
RIVAL CONSOLES:
This remix of Odds and Ends is the kind that completely turns the original inside out and destroys it to create something new and unique of the scattered parts. Rival Consoles has a new Decadent EP out now on the lovely Erased Tapes Records.
http://www.myspace.com/rivalconsoles
KILL KRINKLE CLUB:
A dream pop duo from Dublin. This remix of Odds and Ends is full of their lo-fi warmth destined to put happy thoughts in your head and a glow in your heart. Kill Krinkle Club claim that they will represent Ireland in the next Eurovision Song Contest.
http://www.myspace.com/killkrinkleclub
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In late summer of 2006 Anna Broensted found a hidden paradise amongst the hills, forests, and lakes in Denmark. There with her friends she moved into an old abandoned village school, and it was here that she began to write the songs for Our Broken Garden’s debut EP.
Anna was soon joined by various talented musician friends and after six months of recording the EP and album were complete. It was at this point that following a chance encounter Anna was offered a boat trip across the Atlantic with two sailors she met via her friends. Without knowing what it would be like to be in the open sea on a 31ft sailboat, she readily agreed. At the same time as the boat set sail the acclaimed producer Ian Caple started mixing the music. It was at this point that Anna began to think that her subconscious had perhaps played a trick on her. The lyrics she had written a year ago were immersed in powerful water symbols, and now she had thrown herself out to the open sea to travel 7000 kilometres. When the boat arrived in Rio de Janeiro two months later the songs had been mixed and were complete.
Atmospheric and hypnotic, Our Broken Garden mix handmade electric sounds with organic instrumentation to create a deeply graceful, down-tempo style of music, with Anna’s angelic vocals as the focal point.
Anna Brønsted is known to many as the singer and piano player of Efterklangs live band.
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Erik Levander has a knack for making majestic and tender pop themes which he heavily confronts with his passion for noise, folk, classical and impro music. With the help of his computer he forms all of it into one big detailed and layered splash of electronica, romantic melodies, discordia, eccentric beauty and gripping drama!
4 years in the making Kondens is a very personal and special album. Halfway through the writing and recording process Erik´s hard-drive crashed and unfortunately there was no backup of his work. Via donations from people all over the world enough money was collected to have the data from the drive restored. Sadly the drive proved to be impossible to restore. The many donators decided not to have their money back but instead to continue as sponsors of the album!
Therefore all of these people deserves a special thanks and mentioning: Carsten Thor Bryld, Anders Søborg Olsen, Carsten Fjølner, Robert Borges, Mads Brauer, Nan Na Hvass, Peter Skibsted, Poul Klemmensen, Christoffer Griebel, Band Ane, Peter Albrechtsen, Manuel Suarez Otero, Martin Møller Jensen, Lise Westzynthius, Sebastian rochford, David Spiers, Nikolaj Phillipsen, Lasse Korsemann Horne, Lasse Sort, Casper Clausen, Rasmus Stolberg, Randi Schmidt, Daniel Smith Nielsen, Haukur Torsteinsson, Daniel Bellah, Simon Toftdahl, Daniel Rasmussen, Anders Svensson, bjarne axelsen, Ian Mackinnon, charlie huguenard, Aksel Anker Henriksen, Morten Jaeger, Olof Adell, Brendan Jaks, Martin Dixon, Hildur Arsælsdottir, Sofia Koutsenko, Tony Ernst, Tobias Hellkvist, Hugh Jones, alice mollica, Sofie Hannibal, Anton Woronczuk, Christian Rohmann, Jackie Nissen Carlsson, Claus Haxholm Jensen, Anthony Felgate, Thomas Husmer, Edda Run Olafsdottir, Malina Terkelsen, Jonathan Go-matsushima, Jesper Duelund, Morten Lindberg, Rasmus Vestervig, The Jaxx Kop Sessions, Emil Salonen, Fredrik Söderström, Asbjørn Skødt, Ellinor Gylling, Henrik Lyck.
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This EP was released as a free digital EP in the slipstream from Colonies the debut album of Canon Blue. This download is not free, but very very cheap and it will give you the brilliant and praised EP in 320kbps quality!
a letter from Daniel aka Canon Blue:
The story goes that in the old days, during the winter solstice, all the oceans in the world would lay calm and the bad weather would subside. It was then that the kingfisher bird would fly out into the open sea to build its nest and lay its eggs, believing they would hatch in time before the waves began to rise again. This time came to be known as the halcyon days.
The Halcyon EP was recorded in my bedroom during the month of November, 2007. Winter always seems to be a more creative time for me, and the sudden cold and slower pace that was settling in over Nashville provided a welcome excuse to stay inside and work. A few friends came by as well, each with their own special sounds from cellos to horns to live drums, adding new colors to the mix.
This EP, for me, is a way to reflect on yet another year quietly slipping by, enjoying the present stillness of a tennessee winter, and looking forward to what is coming up over those yon there hills. I hope you are to able find something in it too. thanks for listening...
- daniel james (sunday december 9th, 2007)
- myspace.com/canonblue
CANON BLUE - HALCYON EP
written, recorded and produced by Daniel James
mastered by Mads Brauer
drums by Gavin McDonald
cello on tracks 2-4 by Claire Indie
sax on tracks 1 & 4 by Justin Thomas Daly
slide on track 1 by Andrew Smith
trumpet on track 1 by Tyler James
Copyright 2007 RUMRAKET
contact@rumraket.com
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Efterklangs acclaimed and award winning second album.
It is only possible to buy this from Rumrakets Klicktrack store if you live in Denmark. If you live outside Denmark then visit this shop: http://leaf.greedbag.com/buy/parades-0/
"Parades is an intelligent and masterful epic upon which intricate layers of dreamy guitar, horns, strings and choral vocals mesmerise in harmony" 4/5 The Irish Star
“Every so often an album comes along that’s so original it’s difficult to accurately liken it to anything else – even Efterklang’s last album, Tripper, is left behind by Parades.” 4/5, Mike Barnes, Mojo Nov 2007
“More organic than their 2004 debut, Parades is just as richly rewarding” 4/5, Stephen Troussé, Uncut, Nov 2007
“This is their Dark Side Of The Moon, their OK Computer; it’s the album Björk wishes she’d conjured in her mind when realising Vespertine, full of mystery and long-term intrigue.” 10/10, Mike Diver, Drowned In Sound
"a sumptuous, symphonic masterpiece... Seriously: this is one of 2007’s finest LPs, no question." 10/10 Mike Diver, DrownedinSound.com
“Wholly mesmerizing” 4/5 Kevin Harley, The Independent on Saturday – The Information, 13th October 2007
“What Efterklang have created is one of those rare albums that you feel you’ve actually gained something from after listening to. Parades is an intelligent, heartwarming, sublime record which is more than worthy to follow the seminal debut, Tripper. There are some moments of true beauty here. Make sure you experience them.” Tristan Parker, Clash Magazine
“Widescreen and dramatic” Mark Richardson, Pitchfork Forkcast, Oct 2007
“Parades is an exquisite sounding record... both restrained and wildly dramatic, gently touching and warmly enveloping” A- Ally Brown, Stylus
“This truly is a headphone album, painting tones across the stereo spectrum” 8.7/10, Matthew Austin, 30Music.com
“the group has managed to craft, yet again, a set of pieces so beautiful and intricate that it’s difficult to envisage a more immediate, rewarding marriage of pop and neo-classicism.” Dan Raper, Popmatters
"The next time someone tells you there is nothing new left to be said in popular music stick this on and watch ‘em shrivel." Total Music Magazine (UK)
"Great Danes make gloriously romantic pastoral chamber pop .. very very lovely music" Word Magazine
"A gorgeous and flowing album that feels both remarkably large and intimate in the same moment" 9/10, Eric J. Morgan, Lost At Sea
"Parades is, quite simply, a masterpiece" 5/5 The Milk Factory
“Beautiful and downright amazing…Without doubt, this is one of the best records released this year.” 5/5, Subba-Cultcha.com
Arguably Sufjan Stevens is their closest fellow traveller, but even his astounding and often artistically complex and referential output falls short by comparison. 5/5 Music-News.com (uk)
"Tripper was great, but ‘Parades’ is simply awesome" Rant Magazine
"Here's something so leftfield, so strange and yet so brilliantly eclectic that it makes Arcade Fire look like Boyzone....this shockingly original album will stand the test of time" Philip Byrne, In Dublin - Album of the Week
“Hugely impressive in scope…Superb” 8/10, Neil Gardner, Rocksound
“Gloriously endearing” Jennifer Allen, The Wire, November 2007
“An album to blow minds and warm hearts” Graham Lynch, Rock-a-Rolla, Sep/Oct 2007
"a feast of Paradoxes ... Not easy to pin down and all the better for it” 4/6 Phil Harrison, Time Out,
“...warmth to spare” 3/5, John Aizlewood, Q, Nov 2007
“a beautiful record of lush, and endearing electronic/indie pop music” Cillian McDonnell, Totally Dublin/Cork
"this is beautiful, so so sweet" Colin Murray, BBC1
"Parades is almost impossible to describe, you would need to create a completely new genre" 7/10 Future Music
"I find it difficult not contain my entusiasm for what Efterklang have achieved here, and wholeheartedly believe that this is without doubt the best album 2007 has offered." Judas Kiss, Oct 2007
"This may be my album of the year. Imagine if Danny Elfman orchestrated an Arcade Fire record. Or if Godspeed You! Black Emperor hired the Polyphonic Spree to do vocals for them. Or if Sufjan Stevens stopped being such a touchy-feely folk nerd and started writing music while high on codeine and whiskey and listening to Phillip Glass in Norway" anonymous file-sharer
"The beautiful and uplifting EFTERKLANG are so emotional and delicate they make Sigur Ros sound like Whitesnake. Single of the week this week on the Organ pages" Organ on Resonance FM
