NEWS
Two Danish shows cancelled
November 3, 2010
The first two shows of the coming tour of Denmark have unfortunately been cancelled due to a death in the family of one of the band members. It is the shows in Vordingborg and Slagelse on November 4th and 5th. Tickets can be refunded where they were bought. The rest of the tour's nine shows will go ahead as planned.
"Unoder" music video
September 30, 2010
The band have premiered their third music video (or is it "art video"?) of their latest album online. It's for the track "Unoder" and it's directed by Manyar I. Parwani. You can watch it on YouTube here.
Geneva show / Under Byen mixtape / Side projects
August 29, 2010
Just catching up on bits of Under Byen news that's been floating around lately:
The band will be playing in Geneva on the 7th of September. Check the Concerts page for more info. It has also been updated with the Danish tour in November.
In July webzine Soundvenue asked various musicians to put together a 'mixtape'. Morten Svenstrup wrote a piece for the site which you can read here in Danish (and listen to some songs).
Danish band Our Broken Garden will release their second album in october. The band's singer is Anne Brønsted who is also part of band The Sad Lovers with Sara Saxild. Sara wrote the lyrics to one song on the coming Our Broken Garden album and Morten Svenstrup is credited as playing on cello in one song. A song from the album can be heard at Soundcloud. Thanks to Franck for that bit of news.
Katrine Stochholm, Under Byen co-founder
and former main composer, has a new band called Isles Of Dust. They have got a MySpace page where you can listen to some of their songs. For those of you who are on Facebook you can follow the band's going-ons here.
Jazz Festival show cancelled
June 6, 2010
Under Byen recently announced a show that was not part of the November tour of Denmark: A show at Borups Højskole as par of the the Copenhagen Jazz Festival on July 6. Unfortunately they have had to cancel tonight's show. According the Danish newspaper it is due to illness. According to the band's own Facebook profile it's due to a birth that's been set in motion. Ticketholders will be contacted via e-mail about a refund.
Big Danish tour announced / Sideproject EP released
May 29, 2010
Time to catch up on a bit of news. Under Byen have announced a major Danish tour. 12 shows - 2 of them yet with venues yet to be announced. It looks like this:
November 4: Stars, Vordingborg
November 5: Slagelse Musikhus, Slagelse
November 6: To be announced
November 11: Det Bruunske Pakhus, Fredericia
November 12: Fermaten, Herning
November 13: Von Hatten, Randers
November 17: Tobakken, Esbjerg
November 18: Posten, Odense
November 19: To be announced
November 20: Godset, Kolding
November 26: Rytmisk Sal, Musikhuset, Aarhus
November 27: DR's Koncertsal, Danmarks Radio, Copenhagen
Also: Under Byen's bassplayer Sara Saxild have just released a 7-inch vinyl EP with her other band The Sad Lovers. The band also consists of Anna Brønsted (of Our Broken Garden) and Oliver Hoiness (of Skammens Vogn, Joy L and quite a few other projects). The band just played a live show as part of the Spot Festival in Aarhus, Denmark, and now they have their first release ready.
The four songs are a beautiful, haunting and timeless handful that have that analogue lo-fi home-recorded feel to them and also melodies and lyrics that stick to your mind. A really great record released by the label Lolita Industri. The record is not on the Lolita website yet, it seems, but there's an e-mail adress on the site for contact. You can listen to some of the songs on MySpace. But they should really be listened to on the vinyl, of course.
Two Danish November shows / Behind the album cover
May 17, 2010
Time to catch up on some news that's been floating around. A little while ago two Danish shows were announced. They're way up in November, but nevertheless it's exciting. One of them will be in Denmark's National Radio's concert hall (on November 27th). The other is at the venue Godset in Kolding. The shows have been added to the Concerts page.
Danish music magazine Gaffa once a month has a story that goes behind the scenes of a record cover. The band and/or the artist explain where, what and when regarding the cover. Last month the cover for "Alt er tabt" was featured. You can read it (in Danish) here.
Also: the C.V. Jørgensens tribute album mentioned earlier have been listened to by the Danish reviewers. Most of them were not too impressed. Although a few of the bands contributing were applauded for doing a good job. Under Byen was one of them.
Belgian festival gig cancelled
April 16, 2010
Under Byen posted yesterday on Facebook that they have had to cancel tonight's show at the Once Upon A Festival in Ghent, Belgium. This is due to the the volcanic cloud coming from an Icelandic eruption currently causing the airspace over Denmark (and elsewhere) to be closed and/or otherwise affected.
Under Byen record tribute song / Ex-member plays live in Aarhus
March 25, 2010
On May 3rd a tribute album to Danish songwriter C.V. Jørgensen is released. He released his first album in 1974 and turns 60 on May 9th. For most of his long career his receiving high critical acclaimed for his lyrics and music. Among most Danes he is most famous for his piercing satirical hit song from 1980, "Costa Del Sol".
12 Danish bands enterpret his songs. One of them is Under Byen and they have recorded the song "Sort Vinter" (Black Winter) for the record. You can hear the original version on YouTube here.
Besides Under Byen Raveonettes, Steen Jørgensen (of Sort Sol), Turboweekend and Spleen United take part in the project. You can read more about it (in Danish) at Gaffa.
And for those it might interest: By some coincidence, when Under Byen play at Voxhall in their old hometown of Aarhus on April 10th, something related is also happening in the afternoon. Under Byen co-founder and former main composer Katrine Stochholm plays a concert (with Élou Élan) in Musikhuset Aarhus' foyer at 15.00. It's part of a 10 hour long music programme called Rama10. The entrance is free and there's more info (in Danish) at www.rama10.dk.
Music video for "Kapitel 1"
March 15, 2010
Gaffa has premiered the music video to the track "Kapitel 1" - which was first shown at the "Alt er tabt" release party. Like the title track the video was made by visual artist Sidse Carstens. You can watch it here. And they wrote this about it (in Danish).
Yet another Copenhagen show / Soundvenue interview
March 4, 2010
The band announced to day that it will play a third show in Copenhagen now that the extra show has sold out. This will be before the other two - on April 5th.
Furthermore: The band has been interviewed for the new issue of the Danish music magazine Soundvenue. You should be able to buy it on newsstands, but you can also read the electronic version online here (turn to page 58).
Album enters top 40 / Indie chart status / More reviews / Interview / Dutch live show
February 28, 2010
"Alt er tabt" made a quick appearance in the Danish album sales top 40 chart following the week (6) of its release. It made it to number 23 before dropping back out again.
In the indie charts the single made it to the number 1 spot on Det Elektriske Barometer indie chart. This weekend it's at number 3 and you can vote for it again this Sunday before the radio show airs. The song is no longer on the Soundvenue High 5 list.
Danish webzine Undertoner has reviewed the album quite positive and given it 4 out of 6 stars. You can read it (in Danish) here. Danish newspaper gives it the same rating. You can read that review here.
Danish National Radio DR has an interview with the band in which the band members among other things say "We were bored, so we switched instruments". Read it all (in Danish) here.
Another live show have been added. This is in Utrecht, Holland, on March 18.
"Alt er tabt" music video
February 11, 2010
American webzine Stereogum and Danish webzine Soundvenue have premiered the first video off Under Byen's new album: "Alt er tabt". You can view it at Stereogum here or Soundvenue here.
The video was made by visual artist Sidse Carstens who says about it that she "was given free rein to do the film as an artwork and not as a traditional music video" and adds "I often use Under Byen's music as a moodsetter when I work on my projects."
At Under Byen's release party in Copenhagen on February 6th the video was shown - as well as another video for one of the other songs on the album: "Kapitel 1".
Reviews and interviews
February 9, 2010
Now the reviews start popping up. They quite positive (and all in Danish so far):
Ekstra Bladet calls the album "black magic" and gives it 5 out of 6 stars here.
Gaffa says it's another "winner album from the highly original band" and gives it 5 out of 6 stars here.
Information doesn't give out stars, but writes
very positively that the band tries to please no one and the reviewer wonders "What just hit me?" here.
Tjeck calls the album "more complex than disturbing" than their masterpiece "Det er mig..." and gives it 5 out of 6 stars here.
BT says the album is "unique minimalisme" and that it's a surprising addition to the Under Byen catalogue and gives it 4 out of 6 stars here.
Urban says it's hard and playful and gives it 4 our of 6 stars here.
A few interviews have also surfaced:
Danish National Radio (DR) talks to the band here.
Gaffa has a video interview with Stine and Morten here.
Gaffa also has an interview more bandmembers in their new issue and it's also online here.
First review / Still in the charts
February 5, 2010
Danish webzine Soundvenue has written a review of the new album. Yet another five star review for Under Byen. You can read it (in Danish) here. The reviewer writes that the musical structure has been simplified which results in a new spaciousness and rawness while still maintaining the playfulness we know from Under Byen. The review concludes that the album is a natural musical step into a new decade for one of Denmark's most original bands. It singles out the tracks "Er noget smukt glemt findes det muligvis endnu", "Unoder" and "Kapitel 1" as hallmarks for a modified and mature Under Byen.
And yet again: "Alt er tabt" is still in the Danish indie charts. And you can vote for it again at Det Elektriske Barometer indie chart and Soundvenue's High 5 list.
US & Canada release date / Extra Copenhagen show / English press release
February 1, 2010
The word from Under Byen's manager is that "Alt er tabt" will get its release in the USA and Canada on April 6th 2010. Once again through Paper Bag Records.
The April 7th show at Copenhagen Jazzhouse has been sold out for a little while now. But for those who missed out there's another chance. The band has set up an extra show at the venue - the day before on April 6th.
And last but not least a press release for the international media is now available and its pretty much a straight translation of the Danish one, although with an extra quote from the band included.
UNDER BYEN
ALT ER TABT
Alt Er Tabt (All Is Lost) is Danish art rockers Under Byen’s most direct album to date. The band’s fourth studio album is cut to the bone. The sound is raw, primal, and straight forward. The lyrics are cut down to few words. Some words even seem to have fallen away, as the band still performs in their native language. The instruments were recorded to preserve their pure unmediated materiality, where music is confused with sounds. A cello sounds like wood. A guitar sounds like steel.
The album is structured around subtle, minimal and abstract sounds. The music and lyrics are always on the edge of exploding into a new meaning, new complexity and new shades of wealth. Under Byen’s music succeeds by a constant insisting dissonance.
“A lot has happened in the band since we released Samme Stof Som Stof four years ago,” says Nils Gröndahl. “Thorbjørn, who played the piano, has left the band, and being without him has in some way turned us into a new band. He wrote most of the music, but on Alt Er Tabt everyone in the band has contributed to the songwriting.”
The condensed universe, in which the band has evolved over their three previous albums, is gone. The progressive, continuous music, which marks the passage of time, also relates to its own finality. The album is an example of what is left when one forgets what one has once acquired.
Having conquered new land and expanded their territory, the time has come for fundamental research on site and a serious flirtation with what lies close at hand. In an archaeological way, Under Byen turns every stone in their unique sound universe. New layers are identified through repetitive chanting and programmatic sounds. The album goes through a "detective-like" process and draws parallels with the cubistic requirement to look at a subject from several angles and creates a new whole. Alt Er Tabt is the groups most lively and playful album to date – no matter how alarming the tone might sound.
Under Byen is:
Henriette Sennenvaldt - vocal
Nils Gröndahl - violin/saw
Sara Saxild - bass
Stine Sørensen - drums, vocals
Morten Larsen - drums
Morten Svenstrup - cello
Anders Stochholm - this and that
Visit www.underbyen.dk and www.paperbagrecords.com
Album press release / New band photos
January 31, 2010
A press release for the new "Alt er tabt" album has been done. It's in Danish and you can read it below. Here you can also see seven new band member photos.
UNDER BYEN
”ALT ER TABT”
Release d. 8. februar
“ALT ER TABT” er Under Byens til dato mest nøgterne titel. På det danske orkesters fjerde studiealbum skæres ind til benet. Lyden er mere rå, primal og lige på. Intet synes længere for banalt. I teksterne er ordene få. Nogle synes helt at være faldet ud. Instrumenterne står tendentielt frem i deres rene uformidlede materialitet, hvor musik bliver at forveksle med konkret lyd. En cello lyder af træ. En guitar af stål.
Albummet er i sin grundstruktur knap, minimal og abstrakt. Musik og tekst er hele tiden på nippet til at eksplodere i en ny betydning, ny kompleksitet og ny nuancerigdom. Under Byens musik vakler i en stadig mere insisterende dissonans.
Det fortættede univers, som orkestret har udviklet over sine tre foregående albums, er nu under afvikling. Den fremadskridende, løbende musik, der markerer tidens gang, synes også at forholde sig til sin egen endelighed. Pladen er en afsøgning af, hvad der bliver tilbage, når man glemmer, hvad man engang har erhvervet sig. “ALT ER TABT,” lyder det ikke uden sort humor på titelnummeret.
Efter at have erobret nyt land og udvidet territoriet, er tiden kommet til grundforskning på stedet og en seriøs flirt med det, der ligger lige for. På arkæologisk vis vender Under Byen nær ved hver en sten i sit eget lydunivers. Nye lag afdækkes messende repetitivt, programmatisk, ja, ligefrem “detektivistisk,” som det hedder på en af albummets 10 sange, der i deres udtryk drager paralleller til kubismens krav om at anskue en genstand fra adskillige vinkler hvor dele skaber en ny helhed.
“ALT ER TABT” er gruppens givetvis mest levende og legesyge udspil til dato – hvor foruroligende undergangstonen end er.
A:larm music - Enghavevej 40, 4 sal. - 1674 København V - Denmark
Tel.: +45 99 34 07 00 www.alarmmusic.dk
Two German live dates / Still in the indie charts
January 29, 2010
Two more March dates have been added to the Concerts page: Essen and Hamburg. These popped up via the German booker who posted them on Facebook.
Also: "Alt er tabt" is still in the Danish indie charts. And you can vote for it again at Det Elektriske Barometer indie chart and Soundvenue's High 5 list.
Cover for "Alt er tabt" / Paris show
January 21, 2010
Under Byen presented the cover for "Alt er tabt" on their Facebook profile today. It was made by the artist/architect duo Ben & Sebastian. It looks like this:
Today the band also added another show. This will be at the venue La Maroquinerie in Paris, France, on March 15th.
"Alt er tabt" single voted in the indie charts
January 19, 2010
The first track off the new album was voted in the two charts where it was premiered. It landed as number 2 on the Det Elektriske Barometer indie chart on Danish National Radio and as number 1 on the music magazine Soundvenue's High 5 list. You can vote for the song again to keep it in the charts (requires sign up as member) and still listen to the song on those sites.
Final tracklist running order
January 14, 2010
It seems the tracklist presented earlier on this site needed a few changes. The band has now worked up a new running order and it goes as follows:
1. 8
2. Territorium
3. Alt er tabt
4. Således
5. Ikke latteren men øjeblikket lige efter
6. Unoder
7. Konstant
8. Er noget smukt glemt
findes det muligvis endnu
9. Kapitel 1
10. Protokol
So now the quick translation into English goes:
1. 8
2. Territory
3. All Is Lost
4. Hence (or 'thus' or 'so')
5. Not the laughter but the moment right after
6. Mischief
7. Constant
8. If something beautiful is forgotten
it possibly still exists
9. Chapter 1
10. Protocol
Nils Gröndahl talks to Gaffa about the album
January 13, 2010
Denmark's biggest music magazine Gaffa has interviewed Nils Gröndahl about the band's coming fourth album. Here Nils says that this time the band has had a new approach to the music.
- A lot has happened in the band since we released "Samme Stof Som Stof" four years ago. Thorbjørn has left the band, and being without him has in some way turned us into a new band. Earlier he wrote most of the music, but on "Alt er tabt" everyone in the band have contributed to the songwriting. This has resulted in different kinds of songs than before. Thorbjørn has a very special way of writing songs, and the new ones have become more straight, and the structure has become simpler and more linear, says Nils.
About the new way of playing the music Nils says there is less piano and more guitar, strings and choir.
- They are different songs than before and therefore they also have to be played differently. It has been a challenge for us to find out how to play the songs with the people we are in the band now. The last thing we want to do is to repeat ourselves, so it's been important for us to find new ways to play together. We have used more guitar than we usually do, and the piano has gotten less space than on previous albums. Furthermore the bass now has a more prominent part, and choir and string arrangements have gotten more space. Originally our plan was to make a tight and simple record, but after having listened to the final mix of it I can see that in some places it's pretty crammed. It will be exciting how people will feel about the record. To me it's so fresh right now that it's actually difficult for me to have an impression of it as a whole, says Nils.
Read it all in Danish here.
Listen to title track / New band photos
January 12, 2010
It is now possible to hear the "Alt er tabt" title track online. Both on the Det Elektriske Barometer indie chart on Danish National Radio (here) and the music magazine Soundvenue's High 5 list (here). Both places one can vote for the song to enter the chart (requires sign up). The interview from Det Elektriske Barometer is now streamed online here.
The band has posted the lyrics to the song on Facebook. They go like this:
Alt er tabt
og ligger og roder rundt omkring
Ubetydelige objekter
og mellemstore begivenheder
Iblandt opdagelser af afgørende karakter
Én vil komme
og samle det op og sammen
Én som optrevler sagens natur
og behandsket detektivistisk
ordner de uansvarlige hændelser
Some new band photos have also been made. Shot by 'A Good Friend'. These two have made their way online so far. And yes, if you count seven people on them that's correct.
Radio broadcast title song and interview
January 10, 2010
Danish National Radio DR's indie chart program Det Elektriske Barometer will premiere the title song from "Alt er tabt" tonight and also broadcast an interview with Stine Sørensen and Morten Svenstrup. So writes DR's music website here and Det Elektriske Barometer here. Tune in at 21.00 CET.
For direct access to the online streaming player of DR channel P3 click here. To get the best sound click "høj" (high) in the player.
Furthermore you can vote the song into the chart. I requires sign-up into the 'Skum' community on the site, though.
Sara Saxild looks back on the decade
December 28, 2009
Sara Saxild has been interviewed for the website of Danish National Radio, DR, about the decade we will be leaving in a few days. You can read the whole thing (in Danish) here. But to give you an idea:
She is asked how it's been to work as a musician in this decade and says it's been very exciting. The band's debut came in 1999 and therefore it's development as spanned the last ten years. Basically she says that things have changed a lot, but that it's a good thing when working in art, because it's challenging and that's what you want.
She is also asked about tendencies from the last ten years she could do without and mentions band reunions and "panda music" (whatever that is?). On the other hand some of the good things from this time period is the numerous new distribution channels for music and that it has become cheaper to record and release music - thus giving musicians the possibility to be more playful.
When asked which Danish music colleague she thinks has made the strongest mark on the 00's, she singles out Jacob Bellens from the bands Murder and I Got You On Tape. Among the records by artists from outside Denmark she says it's hard to pick on that has meant a lot for the 00's, but a personal favourite would be Blur's "Think Tank", because she keeps finding new things in it.
And which hit will she remember
from the 00's? That will be Danish progressive and very playful rap act Malk de Koijn and their song "Vi tager fuglen på dig."
Swiss live dates
December 21, 2009
A little christmas gift for the people of Switzerland. Three shows in February of 2010s:
February 18: Dampfzentrale, Bern
February 19: Moods, Zürich
February 20: Nordklang Festival, St. Gallen
Belgian live dates
December 18, 2009
There are two confirmed live dates in Belgium in March of 2010:
March 14: Cactus Club, Brugge
March 19: Petrol Club, Antwerp
Tracklist for "Alt er tabt"
December 18, 2009
This is the tracklist for the new album.
1. Unoder
2. Alt er tabt
3. Konstant
4. Kapitel 1
5. Er noget smukt glemt
findes det muligvis endnu
6. Territorium
7. Protokol
8. 8
9. Således
10. Ikke latteren men øjeblikket lige efter
The tracklist comes from Under Byen's manager Jesper Majdall (thanks!) and with the instructions that track number five is to be written in two lines like above.
"Kapitel 1" some of you might recognize from Henriette Sennenvaldt's book of lyrics which at the time of release contained texts that had not yet been made into songs (which the public knew about, anyway).
If one should attempt at quick translation into English it could go:
1. Mischief
2. All Is Lost
3. Constant
4. Chapter 1
5. If something beautiful is forgotten
it possibly still exists
6. Territory
7. Protocol
8. 8
9. Hence (or 'thus' or 'so')
10. Not the laughter but the moment right after
The syntax causes some challenges - as always with Under Byen, one could be tempted to say - so these translations are not perfect. The words are in a different order in Danish. If track five had to be closer to the original Danish it could be translated to " Is something beautiful forgotten - it exists possibly still", but that would not be English. In fact, it would be "Danglish", as we call it in Denmark. :-)
Title of new album revealed - More Danish shows
December 17, 2009
Under Byen have revealed the title of their album coming in February. It will be "Alt er tabt". A quick translation into English would be "All Is Lost". When the band played in Denmark in 2008 they premiered a song where that line was part of the chorus.
Under Byen have also added two shows to their coming mini-tour of Denmark in April next year. These are in Aalborg and Aarhus - besides the one already announced for Copenhagen.
Under Byen among the best of the decade
November 17, 2009
Danish music magazine Soundvenue has made a top 25 list of the best Danish albums of the decade 2000-2009. Under Byen's "Det er mig der holder træerne sammen" set its footprint at number 7 on the list. You can see the magazine online here and read (in Danish) why they think the album is that good.
Official release date announced
November 16, 2009
The as-of-yet untitled fourth album from Under Byen now has an official release date: February 8th 2010!
The cover art will be made by the artist/architect duo Ben & Sebastian. For more info on them visit www.benandsebastian.com - which showcases their creative output nicely. Last year they won the Danish newspaper Politiken's 'art talent award'.
Please note: the picture on the right is from a different project of theirs.
Read all the old news in the News Archive