Marcus King tickade alla K7-boxar 2020. Grabben är från Greenville, South Carolina. Har en farsa som heter Marvin King och som själv är en jävel på tre ackord. Debutplatta i eget namn. Bonafied gitarrhjälte. Producerad av Dan Auerbach. Unik röst som både river och tröstar. Plattan döpt till El Dorado. Vi stannar där… Marcus King är 24 år och blandar blues, rock, soul till sin egen Americana. Briljanta låtar som Too Much Whiskey, Wildflowers & Wine, Beautiful Stranger gör det till årets vinnare. Full stop.
2. Courtney Marie Andrews – Old Flowers
Det är nästan så man känner sig nervös när man tar sig an ett nytt album från CMA. Kan det bli lika bra som de tidigare albumen. Kan hon hålla lika hög klass som innan. Den känslan släpper rätt omgående när man sätter nålen mot vinylen. Skivan är så intim och nära ett skört uppbrott man kan komma. Känns nästan som man tränger sig på. Att man kommer lite för nära. Det är inte sällan man känner hur tårarna rullar nerför kinderna. Nästan svårt att välja ut topplåtar från CMA’s sjunde platta, men If I Told och How You Get Hurt går inte att värja sig emot.
3. Chris Stapleton – Starting Over
Chris Stapleton är nummer 1, 2, 3 på listan över artister vi älskar. Han bevisar sin storhet i platta efter platta och 2020 var inget undantag. Detta är så förbannat välgjort och svängigt och rivigt och känsligt att vi knäar ner och knäpper händerna åt den heliga treenigheten: rösten, gitarren, låtskrivandet. Skägget har gjort det igen, med lätt hand och stort hjärta.
4. Ane Brun – After The Great Storm
Det finns väldigt få artister som levererar på samma höga nivå som Ane Brun, och som samtidigt rör sig brett och fritt mellan genrer och områden i musikens värld. After The Great Storm är ett väldigt tydligt exempel på det. Det är drömskt och mörkt på samma gång. Låtarna är alltifrån poppiga dansdängor till maffiga introverta shoegaziga. Ane’s röst är mognare och säkrare än någonsin tidigare. Man känner sig trygg och hemma. Utan tvekan det starkaste albumet som hon släppt.
5. Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit – Reunions
Hur börjar man med Jason Isbell? Mannen från Green Hill, Alabama har sedan länge byggt ett bo i vår själ och ska ingenstans. Reunions har starka låtar som Only Children, Overseas (gitarr-ljudet!!) och It Gets Easier och är som vanligt när Isbell släpper platta – just en platta. En helhet. Den artist vi längtar efter mest att se live på Pustervik igen; närsomhelst, hursomhelst.
6. Fleet Foxes – Shore
Sen starten 2006 har Fleet Foxes funnits med i våra hjärtan här på Kentuckyseven och debutalbumet Fleet Foxes 2008, hamnade direkt på årsbästalistan. Robin Pecknold och hans vänner har fortsatt att leverera guld sen dess. Om än med lite väl glest mellan plattorna i vår smak. Men Shore är inget annat än guld återigen. Lite förvånande hamnar det starkaste spåret på hög rotation på P3. Inte förvånande hamnar Shore på vår 7 bästa 2020. Ett vaccin för våra frusna sinnen.
7. Marlene Oak – Northern Winds
Marlene Oaks debutplatta är oerhört fin. Åtta låtar som vävs samman till ett universum. Äkta, ärligt och egensinnigt. I all enkelhet binds musiken samman med låttexterna och världen öppnar upp sig på en milsvid äng. En artist att följa.
All good things must come to an end. Even Way Out West 2015. But first, the smoke and ruins from a rainy Saturday night.
PATTI SMITH
6/7 Kentuckyseven’s
Photo: Annika Berglund
Patti Smith played her debutalbum Horses from first song Gloria til end song Elegie and took us thru the 40-year old record with power and hunger. Patti was on fire on stage! To hear this great rebel do a wild Free Money with that intensity was something else. ”Jesus died for somebody sins – but not mine” she sang and took us all to school. Patti reminded us to think of our late friends we still carry in our hearts, to think of them long and hard and by that keeping them around. For a while it felt as if we were millions of people watching. And the lovesong, Because The Night. Well thats another story.
FIRST AID KIT
6/7 Kentuckyseven’s
Photo: Jonas Löfvendahl
The grand finale came with the rolling thunder of a Gothenburg rain. The sky opened up and the sisters Johanna och Klara Söderberg took over. We went togheter on a roadtrip over the Americana-land First Aid Kit have made their own. Everytime I see them I’m bewildered over the power in their voices, the easiness of something so hard. Maybe this wasn´t the greatest ever ending of Way Out West – but it was beautiful and caring. It closed with the song Emmylou and the enormous crowd sang their hearts out over the darkness of dear, old Slottsskogen.
SLOWGOLD
Photo: Magnus Säfström
6/7 Kentuckyseven’s
Slowgold with the super talented Amanda Werne , had a late spot at Pustervik. At 1.30 she and her band members entered the dark room. The darkness in the room blended well with the emotional songs that echoed out into a not too crowded floor. The way she plays the guitar is just so damn good, I could listen to those solo parts for the entire night. It was beautiful and gripping in every second and tune. Massive and touching, the emotional sound of a great voice got to me. To all of us. I want more of Slowgold. Gold.
And so it continues… The Friday experience was covered in sunrays and beautiful gut-wrenching tear-making soul-surfing music all over town.
STURGILL SIMPSON
7/7 Kentuckyseven’s
Photo: Jonas Löfvendahl
Kentuckyman Sturgill Simpson knocked us down and out! The early bird gig at 13.00 inside the tent of Linné was nothing but legendary. He strolls on stage and gets going. The hard-knit band with Miles Miller on the smallest drum set ever seen, bassman Kevin Black, guitarman Laur Joamets and pianoman Jeff Crow sets pace. It’s groovy country music, so great tears fill my eyes again and again. The feeling in Sturgills voice, that 70-country-twang, turned into excellence. Every song got a jam session and when they end with Listening To The Rain (Osborne Brothers) emotions run high. Sturgill Simpson, we love you.
EMMYLOU HARRIS & RODNEY CROWELL
5/7 Kentuckyseven’s
Photo: Jonas Löfvendahl
Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell have camped together for decades in the country and folk business. They kind of made it. On stage everything isboileddownto the ground.What remainsisthe backbone, the foundation modern day songwriters firmly stands on. Emmylouis still themost beautifulandcoolest cat in the house– andto hearTownesVanZandtswonderfulPancho& Leftylive on stagein the middle ofSlottsskogen, Gothenburga hot summer day feels likea true blessing. Thanks!
FLORENCE + THE MACHINE
Photo: Olle Kirchmeier
7/7 Kentuckyseven’s
When Florence Welch enters the stage, it all comes together. Before she even opens her mouth, you know that this is going to be THE gig of WOW 2015. Welch is a force of nature. Something wild and untamed and packed with love for everyone and everything. The set list is magnificent, and the concert doesn’t have one shred of time that isn’t filled with love. This is by far the best concert by Florence + The Machine I have ever witnessed. I am so lucky to have seen it. I am blessed. I am in love.
PINS
6/7 Kentuckyseven’s
Photo: Jonas Löfvendahl
The punkband from darling Manchester rocks the socks of Pustervik way into the darkness of night. They tell us straight away: we got 30 minutes to play – no time to mess around. When the third song, the great Young Girls, hits us like a Joy Division-fist we’re hooked for life. It’s in your face, dirty & dark, sweaty & sweet, a homerun all around Järntorget. It’s the red light district exposed. They take us to the Northern Quarter of Manchester, to Canal Street and the hollow bars. The band is nowaydays (two albums in) on Bella Union and for sure got greatness ahead.
NATALIE PRASS
Photo: Magnus Säfström
4/7 Kentuckyseven’s
Stay Out West holds some great concerts. Natalie Prass went on stage @ Pustervik at 11. Her voice is impeccable, and in Bird of Prey it really shows what an great artist she is. The variety in the gig gets a bit confusing, and sometimes a bit hard to concentrate and to keep up the interest. But when she gets that electric guitar back up again and lets her hair hang down and gives us My Baby Don’t Understand Me, she is brilliant.
And: it begins! The valley of our dreams, the woods of the castle, the rhythm of our hearts. The festival of our home town.
• THE WAR ON DRUGS
• 6/7 Kentuckyseven’s
Photo: Jonas Löfvendahl
Adam Granduciel is a hero. Together with Kurt Vile he started The War On Drugs and he’s still here on stage swinging. It’s all very Dylanesque, the throw-out-songstyle, and still very much his own thing. In one word: space. They fill a room, and certainly the entire Slottsskogen with swift greatness. It’s music no one can really tag or understand, it’s plain War On Drugs. The drummer, the saxophone, The Grand Parade. Great gig!
• BECK
• 4/7 Kentuckyseven´s
Photo: Jonas Löfvendahl
Becks first gig in Sweden in 14 years. Well almost, anyway. He played Pustervik yesterday in a bad-PR-stunt that backlashed on the Way Out West-crew. Not Becks fault. Now he’s here and starts off with a messy Devils Haircut and then dives into Loser and then rolles the surf-pop-vibe all over the big crowd. Didn´t get me going, but Beck worked hard and played hard.
FKA TWIGS
5/7 Kentuckyseven’s
Photo: Jonas Löfvendahl
Tahliah Debrett Barnett is an English superwomen with the alternative soul-corner all messed up. The tent of Linné is jammed with rowdy people and when FKA TWIGS (signed to Young Turks) gets started the hurricane arrives. This is star material, no doubt. She dances heavily to the electronica, it’s part The XX and part Massive Attack. But the best part tonite is the audience, on red alert: an impressive following!
I’m Kingfisher – Avian
Released 2014-09-17 (Kite/Playground)
Kentuckyseven has many favorites. It kind of comes with the trade somehow. You fall in love with the albums and tracks that you write about and consume.
There is somehow some artists that clings to your heart a bit tighter. One of them is I’m Kingfisher. Mr Thomas Jonsson from Sweden. His new album, his fifth, Avian, was released last week. The last album Arctic is still one of the best albums released on a swedish label in my book.
Avian is something very special. The songs and sounds of this album just blew me off my feet, from first listen.
Thomas Jonsson’s voice is so in tune with the emotions in every note, it is uncanny almost. I can not remember ever having felt so privileged before, when listening to music. The feeling of darkness and light combined in lyrics and harmonies is so delicately balanced, it is sometimes hard to tell which is which.
This is really something huge. A singer songwriter of this caliber is very rare in this country of many great artists.
I’m Kingfisher has created something that every artist probably just dreams about, a follow up album that lives up and exceeds all expectations. A masterpiece. I am totally in awe. On my knees. This is a true Kentuckyseven-Seven! Thank you for making music mr Jonsson.
“If you gonna sing a song about drinkin’ wine you might as well drink some wine”, 73-year old Seasick Steve says, gulping from the bottle and grinning his bearded wry smile. He takes a stroll down to the crowd, shaking hands with the front row people. Then, the blues starts rolling in and man it’s down low heavy, dirty, groovy! It’s time to shake, shiver and roll. Man, he is good! Together with a crazy drummer from Åmål, Sweden, and his self-made guitars, the feet stompin’ show owns the afternoon. He invites a girl upon stage for Walkin Man – beautiful and warm. Self Sufficient Man is hip as a snake tail in Desert City. Let’s keep on keepin’ on!
Annika Norlin
5/7
”The sound of a hug”
Photo: Annika Berglund
Annika Norlin aka Hello Saferide aka Säkert! got the tent of Linné all by herself on Saturday night. Well, not all by herself cause the circus room was totally packed with people who wanted to share her blue magic. Norlin has written some of the sadest songs I ever heard, and her presence both on record and on stage is plain beautiful to witness. Too bad the sound is scrubby and very low tuned, but the warm feeling takes over. It’s the sound of a hug. Thanks for the lyrics on the big screen on stage, I loved it, and too invite the audience to sit with her on stage – brilliant!
Robyn & Röyksopp
7/7
”A real star!”
Photo: Olle Kirchmeier
This is as good as it gets. Robyn has gone from great to the greatest. In my book, Robyn could be the only real superstar in Sweden right now. The way she performs, takes the stage, owns the audience. It is perfection in its core. The mix between swedish greatness and norwegian awesomeness, with Röyksopp and the outstanding Susanne Sundfør, just melts into a boiling pot of joy! We, the amazed audience, had no other way out than to dance this last act out, way out west.
Lemmy Kilmister has had a rough ride. You can tell by looking at the man. He gets upon stage with local boy Mikkey Dee on drums and guitar-man Phil Campbell in a BK Häcken-shirt (give the guy a GAIS-shirt for crying out loud!) and the gig is on. We get Killed By Death and Ace Of Spades and Lemmy sings his weary tunes and raffles the bass guitar. The trio knows what to do, they have been on this highway forever, and deliver the goods. No more, no less.
The National
4/7
”Very lukewarm”
Photo: Annika Berglund
The National never takes off this night in Slottsskogen. They got stuck at the mellow point and can´t crack us down. It´s all very lukewarm. Singer Matt Berninger got his deep beautiful voice but the band isn’t delivering headliner-goods. Songs I Need My Girl and Fake Empire hits us hard, but we want more. More emotions! I want a night to remember, but The National wont give. When Berninger gets into the crowd in the end with the world longest cord it’s absolutely lovely, but too little and too late.
Queens of the Stone Age
7/7
”Pure dynamite”
Photo: Olle Kirchmeier
QOTSA are amazingly powerful tonite. What a bumper tornado ride! Josh Homme is a monster on stage; one second a rock’n’roll god and the other a disco queen. They start of with hits as No One Knows and follows up with Go With The Flow and If I Had A Tail and Monsters In The Parasol and I Sat By The Ocean and The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret and I can go on and on and on. Jack White, Deer Tick, Foo Fighters and other great bands take their dig at classic rock. This night is all of the above, pure dynamite!
Yesterday nite we dragged our souls down to Pustervik and the magical world of Woody West. The almighty double header of Israel Nash and Midlake was up for grabs.
750 people (sold out) joined in for a great show, one to remember. Mr Nash started out with his buddy Eric Swanson on pedal steel. The bearded voice of the Texas man reflects greatness of Neil Young and John Fogerty and the setting was beautiful. Bone-chillin stuff, distinct, heartwarming and very present.
Moments later Midlake turned their psychorock-volume up. Singer Eric Pulido have turned out a perfect front man for the gang of fuzzy vividness. The audience played a great part and the love from the band to the city of Gothenburg is for real. The flute orchestra marched on and yes, Roscoe is still the perfect song.
Israel Nash came upon stage for a wonderful Fearless together with the band, Friday complete. Check out Israel’s song Rexanimarum from his 2013-album ’Israel Nash’s Rain Plans’, out on Loose Records – and have a great weekend.
Kentuckyseven went and saw DeerTick in Copenhagen, a late Tuesday night, 28th of January. The band gigs Pustervik in Gothenburg this Friday – be sure not to miss it. They’re on top of their game, just the perfect, noisy, most wonderful rock orchestra around.
Introducing the band, all the way from Providence, Rhode Island:
• The frontman: JohnMcCauley. A Tuborg loving genius with the voice, presence & nerve. You never know what he´ll do next; skittish, flighty, volatile. A brilliant, wonderful bare-fist-fighting rocker.
• The guitarman: IanO’Neill. The Angus Young of Rhode Island. Stomping around the stage with a nervous breakdown in both legs. Does great Pete Seeger (RIP) covers and shines on stage.
• The bassplayer: ChrisRyan. Very preppy, very cool, very Draco Malfoylike. Lock up your daughters.
• The drummer: DennisRyan. Very happy, very bearded, very Hagridlike. Lock up your mothers.
• The keyboard/saxophone: RobertCrowell. Very mature, boogie-woogie. Lock up your dads.
We salute them all with a 21 Gun Salute and a shot of the preferred.
The band is just beautiful, mixing rock, folk, blues with their own songwriting and at the same time; very appreciative of their heritage, it´s all about the roots. They end the gig in Copenhagen with La Bamba in their own magical way and yes – the roof blew off poor little danish Vega.
They played 1,5 hours and every song was meant to be. John McCauley drinks his green beer bottles with no hands, frusting and spitting. I don´t know where this band is heading, but they got rock n’ roll in their veins. They got it all. The brilliance, the nerve AND a good time. They laugh, kiss and fool around on stage. Pretty fucking far from Woods.
Listen up Deer Tick’s latest record Negativity. And for Pete’s sake don´t miss the 2010-masterpiece Black Dirt Sessions, with the song Mange. And please, check out the brilliant show-opener The Rock below.
Where to begin? Lordy, lord. I´m rarely into postrock/shoegaze-stuff but this record blew me away to another dimension.
It´s an arresting moment of clarity. A dangerous retrospective sense of lost memories. Tears to my eyes. I feel sorry for the earth, I feel weaker and stronger than ever. Double vibes of eternity.
This is post-everything. Mono don´t use their rock n roll guitars the way you would imagine. It´s texture. It´s fantasy. It´s above the clouds and underground.
This is shoegaze without the arrogance. It´s – first and foremost – feelings. Big, strong, everlasting feelings. A soundtrack to a Haruki Murakami book.
My lungs struggles for air, my heart pounds hard. This could knock you down and out. Mono makes the strongest blend there is.
Mono is from Tokyo, Japan. This is their sixth album. They started out in 1999 and keep coming back for more. The four members Takaakira Goto (sologuitar), Yoda (rhytmguitar), Tamaki Kunishi (electric bass) and Yasunori Takada (drums) tours the US right now and heads for Europe later on.
‘For My Parents’, with a great and emotional front picture, was released on September 4th. An all instrumental, epic piece of bewildering art. They have a full-scale orchestra in the studio and it´s dedicated to their parents. They´ve made an effort well worthy a Kentucky Seven!
PS: You know the world is a fucked up place when Mono´s venue in Gothenburg, Sweden is Truckstop Alaska. But hey. I´ll be there. Forever and ever.
