Tiger Lou

I suppose I can understand how Tiger Lou (or TGR LOU) have avoided mainstream radio, and even to some extent the non mainstream radio (which pretty much is Triple J and random community stations in Australia). They (when live) play indie rock, which is one of those genres that is saturated to the point that people rarely waste their time going through it for the gems. They have plenty of good ones to play on the radio anyway. (Indie is a not a genre in my eyes, for a variety of reasons that I am not going to put down here, but it honestly irritates me when someone tries to define a band's sound with the simple fact that the band is not associated with major commercial labels). Anyway, on to Tiger Lou. Swedish band Tiger Lou was formed in Nyköping 2001 by Rasmus Kellerman. After several EPs, the first full-length album 'Is My Head Still On?' was released in 2004 and was followed in 2005 with 'The Loyal'. On the albums Tiger Lou is a solo project with Kellerman writing lyrics and playing nearly every instrumental part himself. Live, however, he is backed up by Erik Welén, Mathias Johansson and Pontus Levahn. That is what wikipedia says, which covers what Tiger Lou is... Not how they sound.

I keep on saying 'they', when I should be saying 'he'. Rasmus Kellerman does all the music making, the band just helps him to play it live. While a Swede (big surprise there), he now lives in Berlin where he recorded his latest album. An interesting character, he apparently 'is trying to quit smoking, is disturbed by the thought of touching butter or margarine, prefers dancing to “Frequency” by Rex The Dog and ranks “Rushmore” as the best film ever.' Somehow I like a band more when I respect something about the band members.

Often solo projects sound as though they are missing something. Peter Tägtgren's band Pain is an example, despite still making pretty good music. Tiger Lou is not one of them. That the music was composed by one man came as a surprise to me. Tiger Lou is an example of how allowing one person complete creative control, letting them achieve the vision they want without worrying about other's wishes, can pay off. The sound is, to put it one way, focused. It knows what it is doing. And it does that. Well.

Mostly I am talking about his latest album, which I have to say is a masterpiece. 'A Partial Print' begins with my personal favourites from the album, 'The More You Give' and 'The Less You Have to Carry'. Which are technically one song. The sound is sparse yet somehow filled out, dark I suppose you could call it, or at least melancholic. No killer riffs, or catchy tunes on this one. It just sounds good. Check it out some of the songs on the myspace. The lyrics are also pretty damn good. They fall into place exceptionally, painting images with the music filtering through.

'A Partial Print' takes a while to sink in. While I first heard 'The Less You Have to Carry' and loved it enough to get the album, the rest of the songs seemed to be pretty unmemorable. The next listen I started to get into 'Crushed by a Crowd'. Then 'So Demure'. And it goes on, each listen revealing a new spark of genius in the album.

The earlier albums were a lot more 'pop', a fuller sound, but less 'there' to me. Despite a few listens, I can't seem to get into 'Is My Head Still On?' and 'The Loyal'. But those are the albums that I could see being played on the radio. If Last.fm is anything to go by, 'Oh Horatio' is his most popular song, and is a pretty good representation of the sound on the previous albums.

This band won't make it big, nor does it want to. But I like them, they sound awesome, and for that they should be better known. Hell, they had a song played on the OC. How can they not be on my radio? How can no one have heard of them? Check out their myspace for a taste. If you are like me, after one song you'll instantly decide to acquire the whole album. Which never really pays off for me usually, but this time I am so glad I did.

The Black Box Revelation

For my first post, a band that I am genuinely surprised is not more known, given the praise it receives by those who have heard of them.

Belgium, for a country usually known for its chocolate, actually pumps out a considerable amount of good music. This is a group that actually received a moderate level of success in Belgium(by the standards of this site, meaning that their songs were played on the radio and they toured outside the country), although none of this tiny amount of fame has reached anywhere near me.

They play a gorgeous style of garage rock, bringing back memories of the early days of rock. The songs themselves are a heap of fun, very catchy guitar riffs and a voice that falls into place like a jigsaw piece. A perfect summer band, the lyrics are shallow and child-like (I almost question their mastery of the English language, either they are as meaningless as they first appear or there is some kind of incredible profound meaning hidden between the lines), but this is not a band you listen to for meaning. This is a band you listen to to enjoy yourself, to dance around the room to.

Nothing more than an 18 year old and a 16 year old with a guitar, drums and a voice, the sound that they create is incredible. A sound they describe as 'a runaway train, combining the best ingredients of idols like Led Zeppelin, The Datsuns, The Rolling Stones, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and The Stooges'. Which actually does a nice job at it.

I highly recommend the songs 'Set Your Head On Fire' and 'I Think I Like You' from their debut album 'Set Your Head On Fire', both can be heard on their myspace.

On a more personal level, I have made a fan out of some of my friends, and I can also play the start to 'Dollars Are Sweet They Say' on the guitar.

Well worth checking out for any fan of light rock with pop elements, catchy lyrics and good old fashioned guitar.

After further examination it seems they have gotten half a paragraph in Playboy magazine. These guys have practically gone mainstream.

Why?

I enjoy a lot of music that is completely unheard of, especially where I live. All of it is good music though, so like practically everyone else I thought I might just try and make the world a better place and try and introduce people to it.

All of the bands mentioned share the following traits:

• Never played on an Australian radio station
• Unknown by everyone I have met
• Have released at least a whole album, single or EP. Demos do not count.
• Have been listened to in full by myself and judged to be deserving of publicity.
  

I dont really expect to make a difference, to help these bands explode into the spotlight, but if I can help just one person find their favourite band, it will be worth it. Anyway, the important bit is that I try.