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Tackling Inadequacy With Tacking

Not that I aim at creating the most beautiful music on the planet, but when listening to The Embassy's album Tacking, I can't help but feeling so small in comparison. I probably just understand 0,01% of what they're saying, but I still love the other 99,99% to death as much as that tiny bit.

I don't expect myself to write the most beautiful words on music on the planet either, but when being asked to contribute with the liner notes to the Japanese release of Tacking, some ordinary words just won't do.

Being a pure perfectionist, I never had satisfaction in mind when taking on the offer, and after four, five, or fiftyeleven tries I gave in. Enough was enough, and I handed the translator the version I thought would appeal the most to the Japanese.

Then this guy, Yusho Nishida, twists my words the way I always wanted, but never managed, and translates them into these kick-ass Japanese liners. The Japanese version of Tacking was released yesterday, and for the occassion I thought I'd translate Nishida's Japanese version back into English and share it on the blog. But it didn't take long to realise there's no use. That text is only to be read in Japanese. So, if you don't already know this beauty of a language: get your act together, sign up to your local university, and then come over to Tokyo and spend a couple of million yen on a language school!

Say what? No millions of yen? No urge to actually learn Japanese? Perhaps not so keen on reading those liner notes after all? Well, 16USD (plus postage) is all you need to get the actual CD. That's how much Panache's online store charge for it. That's how much some sweet feelings of joy, love and inadequacy will cost you.

That 16USD deal is for people outside of Japan. If you're here, you can easily find Tacking at Tower Records, HMV or your local select CD shop.

And For You Who Really Care

I'm going to tell you about a day in May, almost a year ago. We're in Malmo, at a place which normally serves as a traditional Swedish lunch restaurant. At night though it transforms into an event space, and tonight it's holding a release party. Not, as you might think though, the one of a record, but festivities to celebrate a book release. For during the winter 2004/2005 about a hundred Swedish music related people selected their favourite albums of the third millennium. The result was made into an anthology featuring texts on the 100 most loved pieces, and hence the fact that The Embassy's debut Futile Crimes ended up at this list's number three, the Gothenburgers are to perform at the party.

Torbjörn Håkansson and Fredrik Lindson show up, but don't play a single song from their much appreciated debut work. Instead they sport a set of fresh songs, and give us the first pleasant tastes of what will become Tacking.

What we get is just about what The Embassy, and Rallye, now give you - a collection of polished and sharpened diamonds of pop music. Stage Persona's jangly guitars, and the early Pet Shop Boys-esque house vibes of Lurking (With A Distance). Information's soft guitar pop, and the dreamy My Bloody Valentine-influenced interlude that is Paint. It Pays To Belong's obvious hit factor, and to wrap it all up, a spotless execution of a floorfiller at The Hacienda circa 1989: it's Madchester all over again in the final Was That All It Was.

Tacking is covered in a brisk soundscape of skilful technique, lush luxury and a striking sense of pure passion. Do I need to say that this isn't a band you want to see in a simple Swedish lunch restaurant? Give them Fondation Cartier in Paris or that little worn-out but oh so charming lounge at Heathrow. Give them a Mediterranean marina just outside of Barcelona or the rooftop lobby of that design hotel in Meguro. That's where we want to see The Embassy. That's where they want to play. I reckon.

Still, the impression of that day in May was the one of sheer bliss. And then I haven't even told you about the moan of Some Indulgence. A moan you wonder? Yes, the Tacking starter kicks off with nothing less than a moan. A moan that is rather defiant, but nevertheless, a moan of passion, love and, well, some indulgence. Alone it weighs anchor and sets off the half-hour long cruise against pop and rock conventions.

So breathe in, let your own moan sound, and let The Embassy invite you on a dozen naïve excursions into their archipelago of pop perfection. Good Times On The Rise!

Taiwan through the lens

From now on I'll use Flickr for photo storage. First up is a bunch of shots from Taiwan, taken a couple of weeks ago. So far only photos from the more rural parts but within the next couple of days Taipei will get on there as well.

As for the Flickr account, there'll be both old and new sets uploaded pretty frequently. I'm especially looking forward to share stuff that just have been stuck in hard drive folders and never actually upped anywhere.

Here's the link to the page, and here's even an RSS feed.

Home Furnishings

Förra veckan skakade marken tre gånger på tre dagar. Nyss svepte ett åskoväder in över Suginami-ku. Himlen blev säkert lika mörk som under den där partiella solförmörkelsen ni hade i Europa för ett tag sen. Och igår tog jag det här fotot uppe på taket av Ikeas nya varuhus utanför Tokyo. Ljuset av stark sol tillsammans med skarpa skuggor från vita SUV-fordon mot nylagd betong är precis så jag föreställer mig ljuset sekunderna innan världen går under.

Det är inte utan att man börjar fundera lite.

Trots att det mest är naturliga tillfälligheter.

Läste någonstans att det förekommer minst två jordbävningar om dagen i Japan. Blixt och åskoväder dyker väl upp var man än befinner sig (den här thunderstormen var dessutom inte i närheten av sensommartyfonerna). Så långt inga problem. Men sen ligger alltså ljuset av jordens undergång och lurar uppe på taket av ett Ikeavaruhus. Lite svårare att skaka av sig.