To be honest.
There are so many things about “First Aid Kit” that really could make me not wanna listen to them at all. Yep. But every new song they release really hits me. I really really really enjoy their music. They’ve pretty much combined all the stuff I don’t like and made something truly awesome out of it.
One of a kind band.
First Aid Kit – The Lion’s Roar by Wichita Recordings
This is just so fucking good.
- Niels
Patrik dear Patrik.
You write the most beautiful and haunting music. Your album “At The Line Of The Border” might be one of the best albums of all time. Your EP “Jag är himlavältaren” might be one of the best EP’s I’ve heard and then you do this..
Great People Comes From Östergötland.
What can I say.
Overwhelming.
Listen to his album at Spotify.
Patrik is one of those really rare gems in my opinion. If you like his songs, you have a very nice universe to explore..
Do so.
Enjoy.
- Niels
“In the time of chimpanzees I was a monkey.”
That’s Beck.
It feels like that sometimes.
These times it’s a lot about facebooks, likes, youtube hits, views, listens, hip, cool, new, gimmicks, radicals, don’t cares and whatnot. Opinions. Thinking about other peoples opinions. Basing your own opinion on all the surrounding opinions.
It’s tiresome.
I’m very pleased to sit in my studio, recording music I like, the way I want it and the way it’s supposed to be. When I step out of my bubble I almost get scared of all the opinions going on. I’m not sure, but it feels like people care more about other peoples opinions than the actual matter. If it’s a political opinion or a new song or something’s that happened. People care too much about what other people think.
I mean, it’s really not that hard. Either it’s a good song or a bad song. Either it’s a good idea, or a bad idea. And the bad ideas might just be a case of you not understanding. It’s it really that dangerous to think for yourself? Is it really that scary to think different from all the other people?
On one hand people don’t want to get stuff shoved down their throat, but on the other hand they can’t stand up behind their own opinion so the result is that people anyhow do shove stuff down their throats and tells them what to think.
Someone smart said that “Don’t be a cow, be a purple cow.” Be unique. Do something no one did before. Stand out. Be proud of your own ideas. Well, nowadays it feels more like “Shoot that purple cow or at least paint him black and white”.
Maybe it’s just me.
I don’t know.
- Niels
So a quick update pix style.
This is me working.
And this is from when we played in New York.
This is Athens.
And this is Sweden.
This is Athens.
And also this.
This is Niklas. In Athens. He is the guy mixing my record.
And here is Niklas again. He’s drunk. You can see that in his eyes. He’s also tired. He didn’t sleep the night before Athens. He was in Berlin with a techno band.
This is me. I am also tired. And probably a little tiny bit drunk.
And right now I’m recording.
In Sweden.
- Niels
Well.
First I had a lot of guitars.
Then I got tired of guitars.
But now I’ve realized how much I love guitars.
In particular my Fender Jaguar. Probably THE best guitar in the world.
I don’t understand why not everybody uses that guitar. Of course it wouldn’t be as fun then, but hey, it’s a magic guitar. At least in my humble opinion. It’s really like a drunk dude who is the best dude even when he’s drunk. Funny and sharp and totally out of control.
I haven’t had this much fun in months in the studio.
Jaguar. The perfect match to a Moog.
I know it’s silly to love guitars. But I really do.
One step closer.
- Niels
This is one of them.
Pretty amazing how great this speech is.
If you haven’t seen it, I recommend you to spend 15 minutes of your life to listen to what he’s saying. It might help.
- Niels
I wrote about Sparklehorse when he passed away. So why not Steve Jobs.
Apparently he was a music lover. So am I.
And I gotta admit that his inventions kinda runs as the heart of what I do.
That Apple in front of me everyday.
I’ve seen a few speeches he’s held over the years that wasn’t about computers or phones or apples or windows. He’s a really inspiring person.
He once said: “Ask yourself every morning if you’re looking forward to what you’re going to do today.. If the answer is no too many days in a row, change what you do.”
And I’ve kinda followed that simple thing.
It works real well.
So rest in piece Steve.
- Niels
While the world gets another Iphone I’m still locked up in my studio.
But hey. I got this t-shirt from Saint Marie Records.
They are making a great job getting some tracks out on radio and if you’re still interested in buying stuff you can either download here or hit the record up on your favorite streaming service. Or buy the actual CD (it’s soon going to be retro cool again to own CD’s) here.
And if you didn’t know I actually made a video for my dear friend Patrik Torsson.
Such a great song. From such a great album.
- Niels
A year pass by pretty quickly.
We played in Stockholm 18 months ago.
I think I promised a new record around that time.
I remember last winter. Vargön. Cold. I believe I was working on the album back then.
But was is an album? A collection of songs. A complete story sometimes. Or just a collection of single stories.
I remember when I wrote “Welcome to the promising land..” - long time ago now. I spent a few months in my own universe. Wasn’t listening to other music. Completely absorbed in my own world of sounds.
That’s rare nowadays in my world. To focus on something very hard and work with just that. To keep all ideas in your head and to use them when you need them.
When I wrote “Cmon Vultures” I lived in Norrköping. Pretty right after that I started working on the follow up. I guess I still am.
Some of the songs I wrote two or three years ago and their still in my computer.
And I’ve mentioned it here on this very website so many times that I’m soon done with a new record.
And still I’m not.
But we’ve managed to play some shows anyway. I’m bummed that our European tour was cancelled in June. Brussels and all that.
But we visited New York and that was fun.
We did a show here in Linköping this spring that I’m very proud of. Sorry we could only play four songs due to the fact we were the opening act.
We should have played more.
Another day has passed by in the studio.
And it’s one day closer to the album.
Yes.
I did it again. Mentioned the album.
But this time I’m not joking.
I have 10 songs lined up. Some of them are actually done. Believe it or not.
In the meanwhile.
All the best.
- Niels
It’s been really slow from my side. I know.
But I’m working on a lot of fun fun fun stuff.
But I also went to Stockholm and then Åtvidaberg. Both nice cities. Yes. Åtvidaberg. My city.
I searched my site for old posts and I think I started to mention a new album almost three years ago…
haha. Silly me.
I also found a few old demos. And some of the songs actually made it to the album.
Amazing. Three years.
I remember when I spent three hours max on my songs. Done, boom, upload.
Well.
Soon enough.
- Niels