Electro-rock with depth

Image by: emjay-graphics.dk

The wonder kid of Danish electronica/alternative music is dropping all of his alias as Supertroels and Mocking Bird to release a new album under his own name Troels Abrahamsen. 

It´s supposed to be out on May 4th. and is called "Wht". It should be interesting to hear what the productive singer/producer/songwriter/musician has come up with this time. I recommend you to take a listen to the song "End Scene demo" on his MySpace, it´s quite poetic even though it´s accompanied with underlying electronic sounds. 

I have mostly been a fan of the band Veto where Troels Abrahamsen is the leadsinger, because of its electro-rock that combines synth and machine-like expression with harmonious rock melodies that actually have some depth. Troels Abrahamsen may not have the most wide-ranging voice, but instead it offers a kind of intimacy and desperation that I think is much more important. 

The song "You are a knife" from 2005 seriously kick-started the carrier of Veto and Troels Abrahamsen, and it´s still a track I can hear over and over again - the video is an impressive piece of work as well. 

The album "Crushing Digits" from 2008 has a row of incredible songs, that makes me seek the nearest dance floor but the album also has some more quite tracks, which reveals the versatility of Veto. If I should name some of the most interesting song from "Crushing Digits" it would be: "Built to fall", "You Say Yes, I Say Yes" and the more subdued "Duck, Hush and be still". 

The last one keeps reminding me of another Danish band "Nephew", and I read somewhere that they have hired the same producer so maybe that´s some of the explanation. I just want to make it clear though, that I prefer Veto a hundred times over Nephew, which lacks some of the edginess and innovation that is characteristic of Veto. Discover for yourself what Troels Abrahamsen is listening to at the moment at his own music blog. 

Spleen United 

Image by: Tom Elowsson 

Another band that probably gets closer to Veto is Spleen United, who I can recommend. The band have actually also had a visit from the Nephew and Veto producer Carsten Heller and their latest release is from 2008 called "Neanderthal", where one of the most remarkable songs is "My Tribe". The album shifts constantly between dark, intense notes to the more energetic and upbeat ones and it´s easy to find the resemblances with both Depeche Mode and Pet Shop Boys. It works, but personally I miss the rock sound that features on the records of Veto.