If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
Background information Origin Sweden Genre(s) Twee pop
Indie pop Years active 1991 – present Label(s) Twentyseven
Labrador
Shelflife Website acidhousekings.com Members
Joakim Ă–dlund
Niklas AngergĂĄrd
Johan AngergĂĄrd
Julia Lannerheim
Acid House Kings is a Swedish indie pop band. It was founded in 1991 by Joakim Ă–dlund (also in the bands Poprace, Double Dan, and Starlet) and brothers Niklas (Red Sleeping Beauty) and Johan AngergĂĄrd (Club 8, The Legends, Poprace).
With the release of their first album, Pop, Look & Listen, they supposedly decided on a 10 year plan to release an album every five years to have a trilogy of albums released by the year 2002, a plan that eventually worked out exactly as scheduled.
According to plan, they released Advantage Acid House Kings in 1997 and the album proved to be a huge step forward to form their trademark sound of jangly, catchy guitar oriented indie-pop. The album featured Julia Lannerheim as guest vocalist on a couple of songs, who eventually joined the band officially as a full time member in 2001.
In 2002 they released their third album Mondays Are Like Tuesdays And Tuesdays Are Like Wednesdays, again excelling their previous record in terms of sophistication, with a record filled with breezy, catchy guitar pop tunes.
Their 4th album Sing Along With Acid House Kings was initially released as a limited edition featuring a bonus DVD consisting of instrumental karaoke versions of the complete album, accompanied by home made videos showing the band members doing various everyday tasks.
The critically acclaimed album saw the band further perfecting their sound established on the previous records. In the summer of 2007 they entered the studio again to record their 5th album, due to be released in 2008.
Discography
Studio Albums
* Pop, Look & Listen! (1992)
* Advantage Acid House Kings (1997)
* Mondays Are Like Tuesdays and Tuesdays Are Like Wednesdays (2002)
* Sing Along with Acid House Kings (2005)
EPs
* Play Pop EP (1992)
Compilations
* The Sound of Summer (2000)
Singles
* Monaco GP (1994)
* Yes! You Love Me (1997)
* We Are the Acid House Kings (2001)
* Say Yes If You Love Me (2002)
* Do What You Wanna Do (2005)
* Everyone Sings Along With Acid House Kings (2006)
Formed in 1985 by Rob Sekula, 14 Iced Bears ably blended shambolic pop with a psychedelic punk edge that set them apart from their C86 contemporaries. Inspired by bands like the Stooges, Velvet Underground, 13th Floor Elevators and Echo & the Bunnymen, Sekula injected the then-nascent indie-pop sound with a twisted dose of noise and experimental menace. While still owing plenty to the Byrds/Ramones influences evident in the output of labels like Creation and Pink, it was this dark 60s flavor that always set the ‘Bears apart.
The first single, Inside, appeared on TV Personality Mark Flunder’s Frank label in late 1986 and was an instant success. BBC recording sessions for John Peel and fanzine/music weekly adulation quickly followed. A second single for Frank, Balloon Song, further consolidated their following. The band toured England and Europe and the press was ecstatic. The late 80s revival of classic guitar-based pop was kind to the ‘Bears, and Sekula’s talent at penning catchy, twisted melodies earned them a coveted spot as one of the best of the lot. A third single sealed the deal, the raucous Come Get Me on the then-new label Sarah.
The band went on the release their self-titled debut album in 1988; it was a masterpiece of psychedelic pop that turned a lot of heads with it’s ambition and skilled songcraft. A raft of singles and a second album in 1991 followed, and the band quietly disbanded in 1992.
In The Beginning compiles those classic first three singles in their entirely, along with eight never before released BBC session cuts and four demos/live tracks. This is the complete story of the band’s most seminal, influential recordings. Upbeat, punky songs like “Inside” and “Balloon Song” are tempered by dreamy ballads like “Cut” and the folky “Like A Dolphin.” Every tune is a perfect little gem, combining memorable melodies with punchy guitar noise and infectious enthusiasm. These songs have had an undeniable influence on indie pop in the years since, and the ‘Bears stand tall with contemporaries like The Pastels and The June Brides as cornerstones of the indie scene.
Discography
Albums and EPs
* 14 Iced Bears (Thunderball Records, 1988)
* Precision (Thunderball Records, 1990) – a compilation of singles
* Wonder (Borderline Records, 1991)
* In the Beginning (Slumberland Records, 2001) – a compilation of previously released material and live recordings
Singles
* “Inside” / “Bluesuit” / “Cut” (Frank Records, 1986)
* “Balloon Song” / “Like a Dolphin” (Frank Records, 1987)
* “Lie To Choose” (Penetration, 1987) (7″ flexi, split with Splendour In The Grass)
* “Come Get Me” (Sarah Records, 1988)
* “World I Love” (Thunderball Records, 1989)
* “Mother Sleep” (Thunderball Records, 1989)
* “Falling Backwards”/”World I Love” (Surfacer, 199?) (split EP with Crocodile Ride)
* “Hold On” (Borderline Records, 1991)
* “Inside” / “Balloon Song” (Slumberland Records, 2001)
