Majorelle Blue

I may have mentioned - and have most definitely tweeted - that Scandinavia is the epicentre of what's new and exciting in the world of indietastic pop and rock. And with apologies to those I haven't yet discovered, there's Malmö's Spunsugar, Wy and Echo Ladies, Gothenburg's Agent Blå, Westkust and Beverly Kills, as well as Lund's No Suits in Miami. Add the dark, introspective pop of Stockholm's Stainwasher and - while there's a bit of a Swedish bias going on here - there's more than enough to get that old adrenaline rush and feet a-tapping. In the meantime, I'll also add Copenhagen Kindsight as another band to watch and listen out for, and just across the Øresund Bridge from… Malmö… If I were to mention Neiti Olga the Pedants would no doubt suggest that Finland isn't actually geographically in Scandinavia. I'll just counter with the fact that Swedish is an official language of the country…

And now, having stumbled across the "Nostalgia Porn" EP whilst idly wilfing through the latest releases on Bandcamp, I'll most certainly be adding another Malmö band, Majorelle Blue, to my ever-growing list.

Majorelle Blue - the band - are Nellie (the girl with the blue hair - which makes her sound suspiciously like the lead character in a Stieg Larsson novel), Sofia, Adam, Nils and Kotte. Majorelle Blue - the colour - is named after the artist Jacques Majorelle who in the early part of the 20th century moved to the then French Protectorate of Morocco and noting the intense shade of blue found in Moroccan tiles and buildings did what any European colonial would do, he appropriated the colour and trademarked it after himself as Majorelle Blue. To redress the balance, the band have similarly decided to appropriate Jaques Majorelle.

The band lay their cards on the table with the EP's opening track. A song that's all about trying to pick the moment - and the words - to finally break-up with someone, "Thru w u" hits you with effervescent synths, is filled with insanely addictive hooks and melodies, and is all built upon a bedrock that I swear drives one of the most toe-tapping, ear-worming tunes I've heard in a while; one that you find yourself humming along to, much - as I've discovered - to the annoyance of your better half.

Synths also lure you into "Numb" - here less animated - gently bubbling, providing the framework for percussion to hook onto. There's a deliberate fuzziness to the sound, vocals are layered with distortion and reverb creating that by now trademark Scandinavian sound-shaking maelstrom, all at odds with the lyrics overwhelming air of melancholia. "Numb"leaves you with the audible equivalent of anaesthetised disorientation, one that I find strangely addictive…

The second-half of the EP is definitely the more serious side. While "Dear former friend" is also builds upon those majestic synths, here pierced with shimmering arpeggios as the song once again erupts into another vortex of sonic goodness; the percussion and guitars building a wall of angry energy that both act as a mirror to and as a foil to the cool, calm and ultimately brutally honest lyrical smack-down.

And it's this serious side - and title track - "Nostalgia porn" - that's is my favourite song. Perhaps it is the noticeable change of pace, maybe Nellie's vocals are mixed further forward, but it definitely strikes a chord. While lyrically the song is again brutally honest and doesn't pull any punches, they work at both the personal and socio-economic levels. "The good old days, they just were old…" well they also weren't that good, even if those hazy, filtered recollections of the past would suggest otherwise.

There's an intoxicating raw energy emanating from this record - even down to the audible 'pop' of instruments being unplugged which - while obviously the result of the songs being captured one-shot 'live' in the in the studio - lends that frisson of excitement you get from seeing a band live. It is a record that demands you check out the band's back catalogue; the poptastic "Forever etc..." EP - filled once again with those swirling synths, but with more of an indie guitar-pop ethic and a definite pop attitude - and the self-deprecating "Not as Cool (As Kathleen Hanna)", the Le Tigre and Bikini Kills front woman whom the band list as one of their influences.

"Nostalgia Porn" is filled with songs that gets my heart pumping and wants me to get my gig head on. From the handful of tracks they've released they should be generating the same amount of buzz as Pip Blom - and given how much I've raved about Amsterdam-based quartet - yes folks, Majorelle Blue are that good…

Majorelle Blue (Website)
Majorelle Blue "Nostalgia Porn" (Bandcamp)