VIDEO: “Western Hospitality”
Club 8 “Western hospitality” from Labrador Records on Vimeo.
MP3: “Western Hospitality” (Pallers Remix)
Sweden’s Club 8 is commonly recognized for their personal blend of melancholic, dreamy and irresistibly catchy style of pop has been a forerunner for bands like Camera Obscura, jj, and Kings of Convenience. The People’s Record marks the beginning of a new epoch.
The band has travelled to Brazil for inspiration, bought records made in the 70’s in Western Africa, used a percussion player from Cuba and hooked up with producer Jari Haapalainen (The Concretes, Camera Obscura, Ed Harcourt). The result is unique mix of Swedish pop melodies and African rhythms – undoubtedly one of the most unique, captivating and catchiest pop records of the year!
Bio:
Club 8 is vocalist Karolina Komstedt and songwriter Johan Angergård (also in The Legends and Acid House Kings). The band already has six full-length albums under their belts, all produced by Johan Angergård and the last three were recorded by the band themselves in Summersound Studios. The People’s Record is the first one with an external producer.
Despite having released more albums than most the band still feels as if they’re in the beginning of their career. Their previous album, The boy who couldn’t stop dreaming from 2007 became a turning point for the band. Prior to this record, their career was very introverted; they never played live, rarely gave interviews and almost didn’t care to release their music in their home country. “We’re never going to be a band that do two hundred interviews a year and tour two months in a row. But I can see now that it can be of great use sometimes to meet the people who listen to your music.” (Karolina)
In Sweden the band scored a minor hit with the occasionally misinterpreted song “Jesus, walk with me”. It entered the sales chart at number 13, was on National Radio, SR stations (equivalent to BBC in the UK) P4’s and P3’s most played list, was played on fast food restaurants around Sweden and was featured in commercial for a travel agency in almost two years. “I find it quite beautiful that a song about death can be so beloved by the people.” (Johan)
Club 8’s first six albums originate from Swedish melancholy, classic English guitar pop and Brazilian sounds. On The People’s Record things have changed – they’re now making music that has no boundaries whatsoever. The lyrics often take place in foggy dreamlike scenarios with occasional feisty irony about the meaninglessness of life, and yet (or perhaps because of it?) the album feels undeniably… well, do we dare say it? Life-affirming.
Club 8
The People’s Record
(Labrador)
Street Date: May 18, 2010
1. Western hospitality
2. Isn’t that great?
3. Shape up!
4. Dancing with the mentally ill
5. My pessimistic heart
6. Back to A
7. Like me
8. Be mad, get ill, be still
9. We’re all going to die
10. The people speak
CLUB 8 LINKS:
Press Materials – http://www.labrador.se/press/club8.php3
MySpace – http://www.myspace.com/club8