A nation’s pop music is a lot like a school cafeteria. In Sweden, Jens Lekman and The Tough Alliance/Sincerely Yours dreamy Balearic pop sets sit at different tables (pretty close to each other; they trade lunches sometimes), and the weird electronic set (à la The Knife/Fever Ray) sits with one another. There’s a hierarchy, of course, and the more albums you release, the better your seat tends to look from the outside. With so much hype currently swirling around bands like jj, Air France, and El Perro del Mar, it’s easy to forget about Stockholm-based Shout Out Louds, whose last (sophomore) album, Our Ill Wills (TMT Review), came out in 2007.
Yet they don’t plan to disappear in the lunchroom din. (End metaphor.) Last October, TMT reported that Shout Out Louds are soon to be releasing their third full-length, Work. The album, produced by Phil Ek (of The Shins, Fleet Foxes fame), is slated for release February 23 from Merge Records. It’s available for pre-order now, but the winter is long and lonely, so Shout Out Louds have a couple offerings in the meantime.
Work’s first single, “Fall Hard,” is up for digital download from Merge, with bonus tracks “Fall Hard Pt. 2” and “Can’t Explain.” You can watch the video for this bouncy, bittersweet single (the chorus is “If you fall hard/ I fall harder” …need I say more?) on their website, along with the video for “Walls.” Even better, “Walls” is available as a free mp3 download. Tack!
Naturally, these guys have also added more tourdates for the spring since our original story ran in December. Here is the updated list, including North American dates and concluding this summer with a few festivals:
02.23.10 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Bengan’s (in-store)
02.24.10 - Stockholm, Sweden - Pet Sounds (in-store)
03.01.10 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg
03.23.10 - Rostock, Germany - MAU
03.24.10 - Hamburg, Germany - Uebel & Gefährlich
03.25.10 - Berlin, Germany - Astra Kulturhaus
03.26.10 - Dresden, Germany - Reithalle
03.27.10 - Munich, Germany - Backstage Werk
03.28.10 - Zurich, Switzerland - Mascotte
03.29.10 - Frankfurt, Germany - Mousonturm
03.30.10 - Cologne, Germany - Live Music Hall
03.31.10 - Stuttgart, Germany - Waagenhallen
04.01.10 - Salzburg, Austria - Rockhouse
04.02.10 - Vienna, Austria - FM4 (RadioKulturhaus)
04.03.10 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Lille Vegg
04.14.10 - Oslo, Norway - Parkteatret
04.15.10 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Brew House
04.16.10 - Malmö, Sweden - KB
04.17.10 - Stockholm, Sweden - Kägelbanan
04.19.10 - Paris, France - Scopitone Club
04.20.10 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso
04.26.10 - London, UK - Hoxton Bar & Kitchen
05.02.10 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
05.03.10 - Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church
05.05.10 - New York, NY - Webster Hall
05.06.10 - Boston, MA - Paradise
05.07.10 - Montreal, QC - Cabaret Music Hall
05.08.10 - Toronto, ON - Mod Club
05.10.10 - Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall
05.11.10 - Minneapolis, MN - Varsity Theater
05.14.10 - Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom
05.15.10 - Seattle, WA - Neumos
05.16.10 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir
05.18.10 - San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
05.20.10 - San Diego, CA - House of Blues
05.21.10 - Los Angeles, El Ray
06.19.10 - Scheeßel, Germany - Hurricane Festival
07.03.10 - Borlänge, Sweden - Peace and Love Festival
07.07-07.09.10 - Hultsfred, Sweden - Hultsfredsfestivalen
07.15-07.17.10 - Arvika, Sweden - Arvikafestivalen
• Shout Out Louds: http://www.shoutoutlouds.com
• Merge: http://www.mergerecords.com
[Photo: Christian Coinbergh]
