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Our Broken Garden are quite unknown trio from Denmark. They departed from the monotonous reality into the abandoned cottage in a small village hidden among woods and lakes. This inspiring and a little bit kitschy surrounding made pure, simple and fragile sound of their debut album When Your Blackening Shows what is even multiplied by amusing voice of singer-songwriter Anna. Are they just another nordic artist recording calm and boring songs, or are they really inventive contribution for the contemporary Scandinavian scene? Check out my blog.
http://slaninka.blog.sme.sk/c/191651/Our-Broken-Garden-Neodolatelny-hlas-citlivej-Danky.html

During two days of Eurosonic i had the chance to see 13 different bands. Some left deep scars, others didn't even touch me. Hereby a chart of two days wandering through music wonderland Groningen:

1 Soap&Skin
Dark, intense and scary as hell. What a wonderful performance this was. During the set it got darker than dark in our souls. During the final song (Marche Funebre; the death march) there could only be one conclusion; this is the end of the world and we're in it.

2 Our Broken Garden
A beautiful and soothing sound that made you drift through the night. Annie Broensted's wonderful and fragile voice combined with the ever flowing sound of the band brought a perfect moment to relax.

3 The New Wine
A refreshing surpise in the upper room of Simplon. These guys knew how to get the people to dance with their punkfunk . The sound brought up memories of the latest album (the power) of q and not u.

4 Dag för Dag
Very nice basslines combined with good drumrythms. Really my cup of tea!

5 White Lies
Good life performance by one of the headliners of the festival. Not always authentic but good enough to fill 45 minutes of dark new wave.

6 The Tallest Man on Earth
This guy knows how to pick his guitar. Nice songs, good lyrics but after a few songs the magic is lost.

7 Lulu Rouge
Dark and intense basslines that made the Grand Theatre shiver on the ground.

8 Firefox AK
Dance that brings joy. Not really joy for me, but their performance was promising enough to expect them to bring joy to many others.

9 The Legendary Tigerman
A oneman bluesrock band. Think a bit of jon spencer with a litte less power. Ideally suited for a gig at your local bar.

10 Polarkreis 18
Allein! Allein! Leider nicht mein musik. After a few songs i knew enough. Let's head on!

11 A Brand
Big in Belgium, but too much for me. Far too much energy and too much guitars. If a few covers are your best songs, you won't get high on my list.

12 Grand Avenue
Firstclass rip-off. Authenticy wasn't around here in the basement of the Newscafe.

The reader that really payed attention has missed the 13th band that i saw. This band deserves special treatment. I already saw them twice in Paradiso and there they played really fantastic. This time the soundsystem put them far behind. The sound in the mainroom of Simplon was really awful. If these guys had played in the main room of Huize Maas or Grand Theatre they would definitely be in my top 5. The band i'm trying to promote is The Rakes. Give them a second chance!

1. Balmorhea - Rivers Arms (Western Vinyl)
2. July Skies - The Weather Clock (Make Mine Music)
3. Small Town Boredom - Autumn Might Have Hope (Trome)
4. Gus Black - Today Is Not The Day... To F#@k With Gus Black (Cheap Lullaby)
5. Micah P. Hinson - And The Red Empire Orchestra (Full Time Hobby)
6. James Yorkston - When The Haar Rolls In (Domino)
7. Gregor Samsa - Rest (The Kora)
8. Autistic Daughters - Uneasy Flowers (Kranky)
9. Matt Elliott - Howling Songs (Ici D'ailleurs)
10. Cocoanut Groove - Madeleine Street (Fridlyst)
11. Adrian Crowley - Long Distance Swimmer (Tin Angel)
12. The Sleeping Years - We're Becoming Islands One By One (Talitres)
13. Lotte Kestner - China Mountain (Self Released)
14. Peter Broderick - Float (Type)
15. Beach House - Devotion (Carpark)
16. Tex la Homa - Little Flashes Of Sunlight On A Cold Dark Sea (Acuarela)
17. Benoît Pioulard - Temper (Kranky)
18. Sun Kil Moon - April (Caldo Verde)
19. Sigur Rós - Með Suð I Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust (Emi)
20. Helios - Caesura (Type)
21. Scott Matthew - Scott Matthew (Glitterhouse)
22. Neil Halstead - Oh, Mighty Engine (Brushfire)
23. Willard Grant Conspiracy - Pilgrim Road (Glitterhouse)
24. Boduf Songs - How Shadows Chase The Balance (Kranky)
25. Takahiro Kido - Fleursy Music (Plop)
26. Tindersticks - The Hungry Saw (Beggars Banquet)
27. Bubblegum Lemonade - Doubleplusgood (Matinée)
28. Jóhann Jóhannsson - Fordlandia (4AD)
29. Daniel Martin Moore - Stray Age (Sub Pop)
30. Jacaszek - Treny (Miasmah)
31. Au Revoir Borealis - Dark Enough For Stars (Utter East)
32. Bersarin Quartett - Bersarin Quartett (Lidar)
33. Ed Laurie - Meanwhile In The Park (Dangerbird)
34. Bird By Snow - Songbread_Another Ocean (Gnome Life)
35. Hammock - Maybe They Will Sing For Us Tomorrow (Darla)
36. Renfro - Mathematics (Meltwater)
37. Mogwai - The Hawk Is Howling (Wall Of Sound)
38. Windy & Carl - Songs For The Broken Hearted (Kranky)
39. Mount Eerie - Lost Wisdom (P.W. Elverum & Sun)
40. The Softone - These Days Are Blue (Awful Bliss)
41. Okie Rosette - Leap Second (Monotreme)
42. Fennesz - Black Sea (Touch)
43. The Accidental - There Were Wolves (Full Time Hobby)
44. Heidi Elva - Ships And Trees (Vitamin)
45. Glorytellers - Glorytellers (Southern)
46. The Declining Winter - Goodbye Minnesota (Rusted Rail)
47. Retribution Gospel Choir - Retribution Gospel Choir (Caldo Verde)
48. Library Tapes - A Summer Beneath The Trees (Make Mine Music)
49. Damien Jurado - Caught In The Trees (Secretly Canadian)
50. The Accident That Led Me To The World - The Island Gospel (Nobody's Favorite)
51. Lorna - Writing Down Things To Say (Words On Music)
52. Auburn Lull - Begin Civil Twilight (Darla)
53. David Hurn - The Beautiful Trustful Future (Fire)
54. Max Richter - 24 Postcards In Full Colour (Fat Cat)
55. Noah and the Whale - Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down (Young And Lost Club)
56. Ilya E. Monosov - Seven Lucky Plays, Or How To Fix Songs For A Broken Heart (Language Of Stone)
57. Televise - Secret Valentine (Distant Noise)
58. Tears Run Rings - Always, Sometimes, Seldom, Never (Clairecords)
59. Band in Box - This Fiction (Stereo Test Kit)
60. Tamas Wells - Two Years In April (Lirico)
61. Denison Witmer - Carry The Weight (The Militia Group)
62. Anoice - Out Of Season (Ricco)
63. Elephant Micah - Exiled Magicians (Third Uncle)
64. Grouper - Dragging A Dead Deer Up A Hill (Type)
65. Matthew Robert Cooper - Miniatures (Gaarden)
66. The Burning Hell - Happy Birthday (Weewerk)
67. the static silence - Found (Distant Noise)
68. John Shannon - American Mystic (Obliq Sound)
69. Celestial - Crystal Heights (Lavender)
70. con_cetta - Micro (Moteer)
71. Secret Shine - All Of The Stars (Clairecords)
72. Shoreline - Time Well Spent (Willkommen)
73. Mia Doi Todd - Gea (City Zen)
74. The Chapin Sisters - Lake Bottom (Plain)
75. The New Year - The New Year (Touch & Go)
76. The Lucksmiths - First Frost (Matinée)
77. Chandeen - Teenage Poetry (Kalinkaland)
78. Ef - I Am Responsible (And The Sound)
79. The Battle of Land and Sea - The Battle Of Land And Sea (Notenuf)
80. Portishead - Third (Universal)
81. bobby & blumm - Everybody Loves (Morr)
82. Right Away, Great Captain! - Eventually Home (Favorite Gentlemen)
83. Immune - Not Until Morning (Eglantine)
84. Marconi Union - A Lost Connection (Mu Transmissions)
85. Our Broken Garden - When Your Blackening Shows (Bella Union)
86. Pelle Carlberg - The Lilac Time (Labrador)
87. Simon Breed - The Smitten King Laments (Re-Action)
88. A Weather - Cove (Own)
89. Absent Without Leave - Postcards From Nowhere (Distant Noise)
90. Sam Amidon - All Is Well (Bedroom Community)
91. Jeremy Jay - A Place Where We Could Go (K)
92. Thousand & Bramier - Go Typhoon! (Arbouse)
93. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Lie Down In The Light (Domino)
94. Horse Feathers - House With No Home (Kill Rock Stars)
95. Dark Captain Light Captain - Miracle Kicker (Lo Recordings)
96. Rudi Arapahoe - Echoes From One To Another (Symbolic Interaction)
97. Ass - My Get Up And Go Just Got Up And Went (Headspin)
98. yellow6 - When The Leaves Fall Like Snow (Make Mine Music)
99. Ida - Lovers Prayers (Polyvinyl)
100. Detektivbyrån - Wermland (Danarkia)

* links on album titles lead to reviews i wrote about them (unfortunately they're all in italian)
** these are only 100 of about 900 albums I listened from this year, so a low position in this list doesn't mean low appreciation.

Andy Dale Petty – All God’s Children Have Shoes
Annuals – Such Fun
B. Fleischmann – Angst is not a Weltanschauung
Beck – Modern Guilt
Bon Ivor – For Emma, Forever Ago
bonnie prince billie – Lie Down In The Light
bonnie prince billie – Wilding In The West
Breathe Owl Breathe – Ghost Glacier
British Sea Power - Do You Like Rock Music?
Bushart – Yesterday is History
Caprice – Kywitt Kywitt
Clinic – Do It!
Cold War Kids – Loyalty to Loyalty
Crystal Castles – Crystal Castles.
Cut Copy – In Ghost Colours
Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip - Angles
Dark Dark Dark – The Snow Magic
dEUS – Vantage Point
Does It Offend You, Yeah? - You Have No Idea What You're Getting Yourself In For
Dr. Dog – Fate
Earth - The Bees Made Honey in the Lion's Skull
Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid
Eric Hutchinson – Sounds Like This
Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes
Fleet Foxes – Sun Giant EP
Flight of the Conchords – Flight of the Conchords
Foals – Antidotes
Frightened Rabbit – The Midnight Organ Fight
Fuck Buttons – Street Horrsing
Fujiya & Miyagi – Lightbulbs
Glissando – With Our Arms Wide Open We March Towards The Burning Sea
Guillemots - Red
Hans Zimmer & James Newton Howard - The Dark Knight
Hercules and Love Affair - Hercules And Love Affair
His Hideous Heart – It’s A Weird Time To Be Alive.
Hot Chip – Made In The Dark
Jacaszek – Treny
Katie Costello – Kaleidoscope Machine.
Kings of Leon – Only By The Night
Laura Marling – Alas I Cannot Swim
Lightspeed Champion – Falling Off The Lavender Bridge
Los Campesinos! – Hold On, Youngster…
Lykke Li - Youth Novels
Merz – Moi et Mon Camion
MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
Micah P. Hinson - Micah P. Hinson and the Red Empire Orchestra
Mogwai – The Hawk is Howling
My Morning Jacket – Evil Urges
Nico Muhly – Mother Tounge
Noah and the Whale - Peaceful The World Lays Me Down
Oppenheimer - Take The Whole Mid Range and Boost It
Our Broken Garden – When You Blackening Shows
Plants and Animals – Parc Avenue
Portishead – Third
Quiet Village - Silent Movie
R.E.M – Accelerate
Ray LaMontagne – Gossip in the Grain
Rush – Snakes and Arrows Live
Savoir Adore - The Adventures Of Mr. Pumpernickel And The Girl With Animals In Her Throat
Sébastien Tellier – Sexuality
Secret Machines - Secret Machine
shh... this is a library – Well Played
Sigur Rós - Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
Silver Jews – Look Out Mountain, Look Out Sea
Silver Jews – Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea.
Sons & Daughters – This Gift
Spiritualized – Songs in A&E.
Strawberry Fair – Sings “I Can’t Do Anything”
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks - Real Emotional Trash
The Black Keys – Attack and Release
The Dodos - the Visiter
The Epochs – The Epochs
The Felice Brothers – The Felice Brothers
The Futureheads - This Is Not The World
The Hold Steady – Stay Positive
The Last Shadow Puppets – The Age of the Understatement
The Mars Volta – The Bedlam in Goliath
The Mountain Goats – Heretic Pride
The Mystery Jets – 21
The Oh Sees – The Master Bedroom Is Worth Spending A Night In Advance.
The Presidents of the United States of America – These Are The Good Times People
The Walkmen – You and Me
Tobacco - Fucked Up Friends
Trouble Books - The United Colours of Trouble Books
Twilight OST
Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend
We Are Scientists – Brain Thrust Mastery
Weezer – Weezer
Windy and Carl – Songs for the Broken Hearted
Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer
Youthmovies – Good Nature

It's that time of year again!
As always, this list is work in progress and can still change.

Top 10 Albums:
Born Ruffians - Red, Yellow And Blue
TV on the Radio - Dear Science
MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
Portishead - Third
Port O'Brien - All We Could Do Was Sing
Foals - Antidotes
Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
No Kids - Come Into My House
Pete & The Pirates - Little Death

Releases that didn't make it into the Top 10 (yet) but are worth mentioning:
Greg Weeks - The Hive
Santogold - Santogold
Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight
The Notwist - The Devil, You + Me
Hot Chip - Made In The Dark
James Yuill - Turning Down Water for Air
Bowerbirds - Hymns for a Dark Horse
The Cure - 4:13 Dream
The Dodos - Visiter
Jamie Lidell - Jim
Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid
Our Broken Garden - When Your Blackening Shows
Van She - V
Bloc Party - Intimacy
M83 - Saturdays = Youth
Hercules & Love Affair - Hercules & Love Affair
Glasvegas - Glasvegas
The Faint - Fasciination
Department of Eagles - In Ear Park
The Broken West - Now or Heaven
Ladyhawke - Ladyhawke
Polarkreis 18 - The Colour Of Snow

Still to come:
Kanye West - 808s & Heartbreak
Guns N' Roses - Chinese Democracy

Best concerts in 2008:
Sunset Rubdown at Tacheles (probably my best concert ever!)
Born Ruffians at Bang Bang Club and again at Bang Bang Club
Radiohead at Wuhlheide
Our Broken Garden at Grüner Salon
Angus & Julia Stone at Grüner Salon
The Wombats at Lido
A Silver Mt. Zion at Postbahnhof
Efterklang at Lido
Jamie Lidell at Admiralspalast
Port O'Brien at Weekend and again at Postbahnhof
Xiu Xiu at Magnet Club and again at Lido
TV on the Radio at Roter Salon
Portishead at Columbiahalle
Foals at Postbahnhof
Bowerbirds at Cafe Zapata
White Lies at Magnet Club
Björk at Melt! Festival
Duffy at Quasimodo
Bloc Party at Tempelhof Airport
Polarkreis 18 at Admiralspalast

Albums i'm looking forward to in 2009:
Dear Reader - Replace Why With Funny
White Lies - tba
Telepathe - tba
The Postal Service - tba

Any feedback is welcome!

And by the way, my list for 2007 can be found here:
http://www.lastfm.de/user/joergpeters/journal/2007/10/07/3uob_best_%28and_worst%29_of_2007_%28and_2006%29

I keep adding to this list because I've found some great releases the last few days that have BLOWN MY MIND.

Now for the list;

1. Tigerforest - the Sound of Life. A 2007 release I only found out about last week, so I cheated and put it at the top spot! It is gorgeous and features Tiff Lacey., Amethyste, Inga and a few more vocalists. I am obsessed with it. http://www.tigerforest-music.com

2.Nox Arcana - Phantoms of the High Seas. I love Grimm Tales. And when I thought it couldn't get any better, NA released High Seas! Perfection in ever way.

3. Lise Olden - Waiting For The Full Moon. Found this on a friends' last.fm profile. and my heart did a backflip. I knew I had found something really special, and I was correct. Massively underrated.

4. Elane - the SIlver Falls. Love love, love. *Is left speechless by this album*

5. Our Broken Garden - When your Blackening Shows

6. Amanda Bloom - The History of Things To Come

7. Mediavolo - Unaltered Empire. Much, much better than their debut! I am captivated by it. Thank you Prikosnovenie for releasing this gem.

8. Zaria - in the Garden. A Pretty ethereal folk release/

9. Cake on Cake - Hymns I Remember

10. Lenka - Lenka. One of the best debuts of the year.

11. Dream Aria - Transcend

12. Fiona Joy Hawkins - Blue Dream

13. Sarah June - Letter to the World

14. Melody Klyman - Soverign

15. Jenny Dalton - Rusalka's Umbrella

xTRAMUROS: concerten @ ’t Smiske

Our Broken Garden (dk)
woensdag 22 oktober 2008 - € 7
20u: deuren
20u30: Annelies Monseré
21u15: our broken garden

OUR BROKEN GARDEN
“Brønstedts ijle, etherische muziek hult zich in dezelfde Twin Peaks-sferen als die van Julee Cruise. (***)”
- DE MORGEN



OUR BROKEN GARDEN is het muzikale project van Anna Brønsted, die lid is van het Deense collectief Efterklang. Strijkers, een spaarzame piano, een hammond-orgeltje, een vleugje electronica en Anne’s engelachtige stem creëren een ijle, dromerige atmosfeer die soms doet denken aan wat Cocteau Twins in de jaren 80 zo uniek maakte. Maar referenties kan je evengoed zoeken bij Scandinavische aanverwanten zoals Björk,
Stina Nordenstam en Emmiliana Torrini of de Amerikaanse torchsongzangeres Joan as Police Woman.

Op 22 oktober speelt OUR BROKEN GARDEN (in een 4-koppige bezetting) het enige Belgische concert van dit najaar in ’t Smiske. Gecatalogeerd onder ‘niet te missen concert’!

“Het gehele album baadt in een serene, intieme sfeer, die extra benadrukt wordt door de hese fluisterzang van Brønsted en de minimale muzikale begeleiding.(5/6)” – SOUNDSLIKE.BE

“Atmospheric and hypnotic, Our Broken Garden mix handmade electric sounds with organic instrumentation to create a deeply graceful, down-tempo style of music, with Anna’s angelic vocals as the focal point..” – BELLAUNION.COM

OUR BROKEN GARDEN beluisteren: www.myspace.com/ourbrokengarden


Vzw ’t Smiske
Gemeenteplein 7
1730 Asse
www.tsmiske.be

Concerten XTRAMUROS najaar 2008:

zondag 21 september, 20u: Bowerbirds
Bowerbirds is een folkcollectief uit North Carolina die kleurrijke verhaaltjes opluisteren met bezwerende muziek. Daarin is een grote rol weggelegd voor de accordion. De groep doet daarom wat denken aan Beirut , Vetiver en The Decemberists .


maandag 22 september, 20u, Castanets:
Spooky americana, gothic country, avant-garde indie, psychedelic neo-folk: er kunnen zeker vele speciale benamingen aan de muziek van Raymond Raposa gegeven worden. Maar hij zal je er niet minder door wegblazen. Is het niet door zijn overweldigende baard of amusante bindteksten, dan toch zeker door de bizarre soundscapes die hij creeërt en de verhalen die hij met zijn liedjes vertelt.

woensdag 22 oktober, 20u, Our Broken Garden:
Our Broken Garden is het solo-project van de Deense zangeres Anna Brønsted, die vaak met Efterklang op het podium staat. Zelf brengt ze verstilde, etherische folkmuziek zoals ze dat enkel in Scandinavië kunnen. Zij die genoten hebben van het concert van Oláfur Árnalds in ’t Smiske vorig jaar, maar ook fans van Joan As Policewoman, zullen hier zeker hun gading in vinden.

woensdag 12 november, At The Close Of Everyday:
‘t Best bewaarde popgeheim van onze noorderburen. Melancholisch en teder. Ze hebben zich genoemd naar een nummer van ons eigenste Arid, maar zelf zoeken ze iets bedachtzamere terreinen op.

Meer info: www.tsmiske.be


Oláfur ArnaldsOlafur ArnaldsAt The Close Of Everyday

Decemberists