Hidden gems

[Lindorm]

I suppose we all have some secret little gem that we like to listen to, that almost no-one else has heard of. Be it a group, an artist or even a single song, it is something we like or even love, and that has unfairly sunk into undeserved obscurity.

One of my secret little gems is the former Swedish rock group Yvonne.  The band hailed from Eskilstuna, a small industrial town in middle Sweden that hovers preceptiously on the edge of the rustbelt, both economically and socially. Incidentally, both Darlica and I have strong connections to the place, having lived there for quite some time. Eskilstuna is a rather special place, with sky-rocketing crime rates, dismal final grades of school pupils and ever-increasing numbers of unemployed on the one hand -and on the other hand a very laid-back pace and mood, with lots of genuinely nice people and a mood of "yeah, I know I live in a godforsaken dump, but so what?". I am somewhat undecided if I want ot go back there, or ought to be bloody grateful for getting away.

Anyhow, Yvonne formed in the early ninties as a group of depressed young men who loved such luminaries as My Bloody Valentine, Joy Division, Depeche Mode, The Cure and Blur. While they did have some actual musical talent, they also had lots of attitude and two or three really good riffs.

Through quite a bit of hard work and some blind luck, they eventually landed a record contract and went on to make a series on records for some of the smaller Swedish Indie labels. Their first album, "Yvonne" (1995) is still the one that I consider the best, but their second album, "Getting out, getting anywhere" (1997) is also quite good. Their third and fourth albums, "True love" and "Hit that city" were, in my opinion, unfortunately not all that good. From 1997 onwards, the group was also suffering from conflicts within the band with a few of the original cast leaving the group. After about a year with nothing but rumours of infighting, the band finally split up in early 2003. They have, however, made a few reunion live performances since then -most notably one last year when Eskilstuna celebrated it's 350th year by throwing a huge festival with free live music for a week, a huge fireworks celebration and other nice stuff (they do know how to party in that town).

Throughout the band's existence, they lived somewhat in the shadow of much more succesful group Kent, another indie band from Eskilstuna, with Yvone being something of "oh, yeah, that other band from Eskilstuna". Incidentally, there was quite a bit of cross-breeding between Kent and Yvonne, withe members of both groups producing each other's songs, doing studio work for each other and so on.

Today, their records are of course quite difficult to find, but I do think you could find a few songs with them on Last Fm or Spotify, or perhaps even on a P2P network nearby. There is also, of course, YouTube!:

The video to "Wires", one of their best songs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8NtQ1pUR4Y

"Drifter", one of their earliest songs, and also in the movie "Fucking Åmål" (which you really ought to watch)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxsJSZwGZoY

"For Your Pleasure", live from their reunion gig in Eskilstuna last year. You might very well see the backs of Darlica's and mine heads. Sound quality not that good, unfortunately.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4KndDkg_lo

And here's "Only Dancing", another very good song about being seventeen and madly in love and discovering that your feelings are actually answered... Again, live, again, not so good sound, but go for the feeling!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JZI9t8ZycQ&feature=related

Enjoy!

And dear Toadfish, now you have to teel me about your hidden musical gems!

[pieces o nine]

Cool, Lindorm.   


I'm not usually a Blues fan, but my favorite commercial photographer played this cover during one catalog shoot, and I wound up buying a cd and checking out his collaborations with other artists.
John Mayall: The Sensitive Kind

Here he is with Eric Clapton.

And with Albert King.

[Lindorm]

Nice tip, Pieces.
While I had heard of John Mayall, I hadn't realized just how long a career he has had, and how many artists he has played with. Interesting! 

Now, going for the really obscure: Who was that commercial photographer? 

[Darlica]

I do share the love for the band Yvonne with L, mostly, I love to listen to them but I don't like to see them, I've never been a fan of the vocalist when he's on a stage.

I would like to nominate Anita Lane, an Australian singer songwriter. I found her when listening to Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Einstürzende Neubauten she has co written a lot of songs on Nick Cave first and second albums with the Bad Seeds, and she appears as a guest vocalist on a number of E-N songs among them Blume.

Jesus almost got me:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4ZRjUMNheE&feature=related

The world's a girl:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrniVTXH5-o&feature=related

And here she is with another of my absolute favourites, Blixa Bargeld of Einstürzende Neubauten in
Subterranean World:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ygUPMG1TpA&feature=related

[Opsa]

I guess that the Squirrel Nut Zippers are hardly hidden, but I just love everything about this one. I have a thing for the twenties, early animation, and this sort of spooky tune.

[Aggie]

I will have to start trying to get some of this stuff on Toadfish Radio - might be tough for some of the very obscure stuff.

Hidden gems....  hmm, Poi Dog Pondering comes to mind, especially the album Wishing Like a Mountain, Thinking Like the Sea.  May be better known in the US.

[The Meromorph]

I guess that the Squirrel Nut Zippers are hardly hidden, but I just love everything about this one. I have a thing for the twenties, early animation, and this sort of spooky tune.

I love it! 

[Darlica]

I guess that the Squirrel Nut Zippers are hardly hidden, but I just love everything about this one. I have a thing for the twenties, early animation, and this sort of spooky tune.

Thank you!

[pieces o nine]

Both Squirrel Nut Zippers and Poi Dog Pondering were new for me.
Thanks! 

[Swatopluk]

I fear I could come up only with very obscure classical composers like him. I have 3 CDs. Needs a bit getting used to.

[Sibling DavidH]

Good for you, Swato.

Mine's Aaron Copeland's 'Rodeo'.  Not totally unknown, perhaps, but under-appreciated.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqah1rucyRg