I'm getting Coachella withdrawal again. It fucking sucks. It was one of the best festivals I've ever been to - pissed in the Californian desert for 4 days, surrounded by close friends and hot Cali girls. Sigh. Anyways, the best act I saw there (and ever, for that matter) was Fever Ray, who was beyond incredible. Fever Ray is, of course, the solo project of Karin Dreijer Andersson of The Knife; but did you know that the other half of The Knife, her younger brother Olof Dreijer, also has his own solo project? He has released three vinyl-only EPs under the name Oni Ayhun, with another two planned for later this year. While not as good as The Knife or even Fever Ray, these five tracks (one got corrupted, boo hoo) are still worth a listen. Enjoy.Oni Ayhun - OAR EPs (2008-2009)
Yes, José González's cover of 'Heartbeats' may have been an obvious choice for this week's playlist, but I stick by it, as it's a great version. But the original, which appears on this, the second album of Sweden's premier electropoppers, is so much better; in fact, the album as a whole is just generally ace. The Knife are a mysterious bunch - they rarely have photos taken, and when they do they wear masks, and they only play live gigs fleetingly. They're not that prolific either - they've only produced three albums and a movie soundtrack in nearly a decade. This enigma they are wrapped snugly in only adds to the attraction and enjoyment of the album, somehow. Enjoy.