It seems like once a month an artist from Scandinavia comes across my desk and completely makes my jaw drop. This month it was the artist Delay Trees from Helsinki & Hämeenlinna. Mixing some of the best sounds of Editors and Coldplay, Delay Trees manages to tenderly melt the ears right off of your head and then surgically reattach them (being all smart and stuff). Check out the song “Tarantula / Holding On” from their new EP, Soft Construction, above and for those of you in Finland, check out one of their shows below and remember how jealous I am of you that you can see these guys and Rubik on the same bill.

Apr 16 2009 Doris – Tampere
May 2 2009 Suisto-klubi (+Rubik) – Hämeenlinna
May 28 2009 Helatorstai-klubi @ Henry’s Pub – Helsinki
Jul 1 2009 Lepakkomies (+Kaskas, Ballet) – Helsinki

$10 Buy | Myspace

With precision eerily reminiscent of Coldplay, Copeland has created an album in which every tiny note is a deliberate step toward an atmosphere – You Are My Sunshine – that carries all the joy of this phrase and it’s solemn dependence.

Copeland’s latest is a box of pop treats from a group of guys who have mastered the technical wizardry required to make an epic modern rock disk. But sometimes, you can’t help but think you’ve heard this album before.

There’s a lot of carefully crafted contemporary rock out there, thanks in large part to the success of groups like Copeland. They range from New Atlantic, who unapologetically wail pop anthems over rhythms more finely tuned than an atomic clock, to Pompeii, whose forlorn storytelling perfectly matches music that changes tempo as fast as a leaf turns brown in fall.

Copeland’s strategy in You Are My Sunshine at first seems to be out-majestic everyone else with ambitious (Don’t try this without adult supervision) instrumentation and Aaron Marsh’s typically soaring vocals.  They may not have one trick that’s better than everyone else’s, it’s just that Copeland brings a bigger bag of tricks.

Sumptuous bass and appropriately scattered synth effects define tracks like “Good Morning Fire Eater,” which make this album a must recommend for fans of any and all rock music. After all, great craftsmanship should never be taken for granted.

Probably the most memorable track is “The Day I Lose My Voice (The Suitcase Song),” which blends skillfully understated keyboarding, tasteful slabs of bass and an occasional plodding horn that captures the slow compounding dread of stuffing your worldly possessions into a suitcase.

“As sure as the floor ‘neath my toes/ And somehow not surprised/ That I was superimposed/ Somehow in this life/ And if my friends or my foes/ Would just drop me a line/ That’d be nice,” Marsh sings at the song’s open. “You see love is a drink/ That goes straight to my head/ And time is a lover/ And I’m caught in her stead … I’ve got my life in a suitcase/ I’m ready to run, run away.”

You Are My Sunshine is the sort of album that grows on a second and third listen, making it a welcome addidtion to any music collection. It’s sincere, fun, and offers and array of sounds you wouldn’t expect after listening to the first few tracks out of context.

$0 Download

By Andrew Bates – A&SB Contributor

Mashups aren’t anything new to the world of music, but rarely do we get to hear a truly well produced and well crafted set of songs. In the case of Viva La Hova, Terry Urban and Mick Boogie do a fantastic job showcasing some of the best songs from Jay Z’s library to date, by meshing them with the smooth sounds of Coldplay. The result is undeniable satisfaction resonating through the listener’s earlobes.

Viva La Hova is a collection of twenty mashups, several produced by Boogie and Urban, and the work they do here is fun to dive into. Things get moving quickly with “Public Speeding” as Jay-Z’s infectious beats chime in with the introductory lines “Allow me to re-introduce myself/ My name is Hov’, OH, H-to-the-O-V/ I used to move snowflakes by the O-Z/ I guess even back then you can call me/ CEO of the R-O-C, Hov’!”

The chorus to this mashup is reserved for the distinct vocal prowess of Chris Martin as the Coldplay song “Higher Speed” takes off in the chorus. While a strong start, the sounds only get stronger.

“Never Changing” “Lost part 1″ and “Science Is Ignorant” are standout tracks on Hova, and these few seem to work the best lyrically and musically. For some reason, Coldplay’s guitar work sounds even better when it surrounds the right hooks and jabs from Jay-Z’s lyrical boxing match where the listener goes down swinging more often than not. This is due to a simple collection of sounds overpowering the ears to the point of pure rock/rap bliss.

Urban and Boogie take mashups to a level where a brand new song is created. The only true collaborations on the mix are “Lost part 1″ and “Beach Chair” both produced by Coldplay. On a relevant note, most of the tracks here are done by several producers recruited by Boogie and Urban (nVMe, The Amps, 9th Wonder to name a few). One of the better tracks on this album is towards the end, called “Take The Hill” by nVMe, a relatively unknown underground producer. Coldplay’s guitar work here really packs a punch when coupled with Jay-Z’s lyrics from “The Takeover.”

Perhaps the most appealing element of Hova is seeing well loved classics from both parties molded into something so refreshingly smooth that it makes the listener wish Coldplay and Jay Z would collaborate more often so we don’t have to settle for these gloriously delicious mashups. I suppose it’s not so bad to settle every now and then.

Mixes used:
Intro (Various Songs)
Public Speeding (High Speed + Public Service Announcement)
Know My Place (U Don’t Know + In My Place)
Never Changing (Never Change + Never Change)
Miss Trouble (Excuse Me Miss + Trouble)
Back At My Place (Back Then + In My Place)
No Love Coming Home (Homecoming + Ain’t No Love)
A Spy’s Prayer (Spies + Pray)
Science Is Ignorant (The Scientist + Ignorant Sh*t)
The Reverse Fix (The Bounce + The Fix)
Hola Blanco (Hola Hovito + White Shadows)
Take The Hill (Takeover + Violet Hill)
Lost Part 2 (Momma Loves Me + Lost – Import Mix)
Cold Success (Success + Lost – Import Mix)
What If We Cry? (What If + Song Cry)
Falling In Shadows (Fallin’ + White Shadows)
Life of Clocks (Clocks + Party Life)
X-Y-Z (No Hook + X&Y)

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Album downloads slower than an elephant running through molasses on a cool summer day with a sprained ankle (Maybe they should have released it through A&SB It’s totally worth it though. Trust us.

I’m a late Coldplay bloomer. I got into the band right after the release of their last album X&Y and felt like I was robbed of years of great music. At first I felt like a soccer mom when jumping on to the band-wagon (station wagon), but then realized that: great music goes beyond mini-vans (and station wagons). With today’s release of their newest album, Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends, I got to experience the excitement of purchasing a new Coldplay album as soon as it hit stores. Having already listened to it three times in the last two hours I can safely say that this is a great record that will spend a lot of time with me on long drives and late nights working. Get on the band-wagon and pick it up.