Journal Entries

Oct 13, 2006

Moving to a different sound

I was in Sweden this summer for Arvikafestivalen. What sets Arvika’s festival apart from the many other music festivals that annually take place in scandinavia is the breadth of sounds featured. In one day, it’s possible to hear techno and death metal. And not just any metal….Norwegian death metal. The major advantage is that people from all of these scenes party together for four days. It’s one of the best examples of cross-pollination in music I have ever seen. The rave kids rocking Arch Enemy. The punk kids bouncing to SlagsmÃ¥lsklubben.

Of all the acts I had the pleasure to experience, Teddybears struck the oddest note with me. First, they have no singer. Every song “features” someone up front. The songs are simple; more or less the same riff repeated infinitely. And the lyrics, oh man, the lyrics are awful. Luckly, it seems that Teddybears are only in it for the music. The singer is just another instrument. He/she/it could be singing “Nah, nah, nah” for all it matters to the music. Actually, that might even be better. Regardless…

But holy hell can they rock a crowd. In a day that ended with a fantastic set from Franz Ferdinand, Teddybears were the crowd favorite. I have never seen a crowd respond with such energy. Apparentally, Teddybears are known for their live shows, but it is something that everyone should experience first hand. I promise it’lll make you smile. The songs are catchy in a way that I almost feel embarrised to admit. I was even more shocked to find out that they used to be a straight-up swedish hardcore outfit. Seriously? Now that’s awesome.

Now imagine a band that started out playing hardcore evolving into a hip-hop influenced, electronic band. Yeah. Now how can you not give it a try?

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