A Camp came through Salt Lake City last year in June. I just found a video with some behind the scenes footage. As you can see, Kilby’s Court is tiny and it was a great gig to attend.
Nina Persson and Nathan Larsson of A Camp were interviewed on the TV program Family Foster.
Here is the clip
Communicate This! blog gave their top 5 albums of 2009 with A Camp’s Colonia coming in at #4.
It’s a beautifully constructed piece, with no dud tracks, all with lyrics that veer wildly from prophetic and deep to caustic and rude to fantasy and whimsy. It’s put together over some very pleasant guitar-and-strings style backing, kind of like little guitar concertos, and I think it’s very good.
Discopop Directory gives their rundown of the top 10 albums of 2009, with Colonia from A Camp coming in at number 3.
A cheery record about rape, pillage, divorce and war in the Belgian Congo. The work of former Cardigan Nina Persson, her husband Nathan Larson and Atomic Swing’s Niclas Frisk, Colonia was inspired by 60s girl-pop and the works of Adam Ant. Brilliantly, it manages to sound nothing like either of them. Instead, it’s a sumptuous, orchestral, alt-rock album, encompassing bittersweet ballads (Stronger Than Jesus), regal waltzes (The Crowning) and glam rock stomps (My America). A towering achievement.
Hecklerspray gives their rundown on the top albums of 2009, including A Camp’s Colonia.
While I could quite easily favour this album because of the heavenly beauty of Nina Persson alone, that’s not really it. I loved this album from the first listen, the opening track, The Crowning, teases you in with a gentle piano intro then builds more and more layers until you’re in the middle of a deep, warm and surrounding sound. Before you know it you’re at the melancholic but uplifting conversational duet Golden Teeth and Silver Medals. This is one of the few albums I’ve come to appreciate more after experiencing live, I’m going to listen to it some more now.
Wears the Trousers Magazine published their readers poll of the top 50 albums of 2009 and A Camp’s Colonia came in at #30.
To say we waited eight long years for this follow-up to Nina Persson’s ’solo’ debut as A Camp would be telling a fib; for years she said she’d never make one! When it finally arrived, some people found Colonia disappointing, but to these ears it was every bit as strong as the self-titled. It was a little cheesy in places, admittedly, but Persson’s sweetly careworn vocals subverted that enough for us to defuse any potentially cloying moments.
Coqblog gave their top 10 albums of 2009 and A Camp – Colonia came in at #3!
Check out the post here
Great video from A Camp’s recent gig, at LePoission in New York City. Featuring James Iha from Smashing Pumpkins on guitar.
Our beloved A Camp is nominated for a 2010 Swedish Grammy award. A Camp is up for best album among others.
Nice to see former Granada frontwoman, Anna Järvinen, up for an award along with one of my all time favorites, Bob Hund.
The complete list:
Album:
A Camp – Colonia
Agnes – Dace love pop – The love love love edition
Amanda Jenssen – Happyland
Caroline af Ugglas – Så gör jag det igen
Erik Hassle – Hassle
Kent – Röd
Lars Winnerbäck – Tänk om jag ångrar mig och sen ångrar mig igen
Mando Diao – Give me fire!
Takida – The darker instinct
Thåström – Kärlek är för dom
Folk music/ballad:
Cajsastina Åkerström – Sånger om dej och mej
Esbjörn Hazelius – Blunda och du ska få se
Miriam Aida – Letras ao Brasil
Olle Adolphson – Tystnaden smyger som en katt… 1956-2004
Sofia Jannok – Åssogáttis – By the embers
Sofia Karlsson – Den allra båsta (1999-2009)
Sofia Karlsson – Söder om kärleken
Stefan Sundström – Ingenting har hänt
Taken By Trees – East of Eden
Väsen – Väsen Street
Hard rock:
Candlemass – Death magic doom
Crucified Barbara – ‘Til death do us party
Dead By April – Dead By April
Hammerfall – No sacrifice, no victory
Hardcore Superstar – Beg for it
Lillasyster – Det här är inte musik, det här är kärlek
Mustasch – Mustasch
Raised Fist – Veil of ignorance
Renegade Five – Undergrounded universe
Wolf – Ravenous
Jazz:
Alice Babs – As time goes by
Bengt Berger – Beches brew
Georg Wadenius/Arild Jensen – Jul på Svenska
Jan Lundgren Trio – European standards
Jeanette Lindström – Attitude and orbit control
Jonas Kullhammar Quartet – The half naked truth
Lina Nyberg – The snow
Lisa Ekdahl – Give me that slow knowing smile
Magnus Lindgren – Batucada jazz
Trummor & Orgel – Visions
Club/Hip-hop:
Andreas Tilliander – Show
J-Son – Never half stepping
Ken Ring – Hip hop
Lorentz & M Sakarias – Vi mot världen
Mange Schmidt – Odenplan Stockholm 1988
Maskinen – Boys II men
Mohammed Ali – Processen
Näääk – Näääk vem?
Promoe – Kråksången
Swingfly – God bless the IRS
Composer:
Amanda Jenssen & Pär Wiksten – Happyland
Anna Järvinen – Man var bland molnen
Christian Walz – The corner
Deportees – Under the pavement – the beach
El Perro Del Mar – Love is not pop
Joakim Berg & Martin Sköld (Kent) – Röd
Lars Winnerbäck – Tänk om jag ångrar mig och sen ångrar mig igen
Nina Persson, Niclas Frisk, Nathan Larsson (A Camp) – Colonia
Salem Al Fakir – Astronaut
Thåström – Kärlek är för dom
Female artist:
Agnes – Dace love pop – The love love love edition
Amanda Jenssen – Happyland
Anna Järvinen – Man var bland molnen
Caroline af Ugglas – Så gör jag det igen
Jenny Wilson – Hardships!
Laleh – Me and Simon
Melissa Horn – Säg ingenting till mig
Miss Li – Dancing the whole way home
Pernilla Andersson – Ashbury apples
Sarah Dawn Finer – Moving on
Male artist:
Christian Walz – The corner
Erik Hassle – Hassle
Freddie Wadling – The dark flower (Den mörka blomman)
John Me – I am John
Lars Winnerbäck – Tänk om jag ångrar mig och sen ångrar mig igen
Markus Krunegård – Lev som en gris dö som en hund
Olle Ljungström – Sju
Salem Al Fakir – Astronaut
Thåström – Kärlek är för dom
Tingsek – Restless soul
Newcomer:
Adiam Dymott – Adiam Dymott
Dead By April – Dead By April
Erik Hassle – Hassle
John Me – I am John
Jonathan Johansson – En hand i himlen
Larz Kristerz – Hem till dig
Lorentz & M.Sakarias – Vi mot världen
Maskinen – Boys II men
Miike Snow – Miike Snow
Name The Pet – Name the Pet
Pop:
A Camp – Colonia
Asha Ali – Hurricane
BWO – Big science
Calaisa – Grafton Street
El Perro Del Mar – Love is not pop
Fibes, Oh Fibes! – 1987
Jill Johnson – Music row II
Melody Club – Goodbye to romance
Miike Snow – Miike Snow
Peter Bjorn And John – Living thing
Producer:
A Camp – Colonia
Amanda Jenssen & Pär Wiksten – Happyland
Bloodshy & Avant (Miike Snow) – Miike Snow
El Perro Del Mar & Rasmus Hägg – Love is not pop
Goran Kajfes (Magnus Carlson & The Moon Ray Quintet) – Magnus Carlson & The Moon Ray Quintet
Jenny Wilson – Hardships!
Kent & Joshua – Röd
Laleh – Me and Simon
Salem Al Fakir – Astronaut
Thomas Rusiak (Adiam Dymott) – Adiam Dymott
Rock:
[Ingenting] – Tomhet, idel tomhet
Bob Hund – Folkmusik för folk som inte kan bete sig som folk
Deportees – Under the pavement – the beach
Dundertåget – Skaffa ny frisyr
Europe – Last look at Eden
Florence Valentin – Spring Ricco
Kent – Röd
Mando Diao – Give me fire!
Takida – The darker instinct
The Bear Quartet – 89
Lyrics:
Amanda Jenssen – Happyland
Anna Järvinen – Man var bland molnen
Caroline af Ugglas – Så gör jag det igen
El Perro Del Mar – Love is not pop
Joakim Berg (Kent) – Röd
Laleh – Me and Simon
Lars Winnerbäck – Tänk om jag ångrar mig och sen ångrar mig igen
Louise Hoffsten/Peter Lemarc – På andra siden vättern
Melissa Horn – Säg ingenting till mig
Thåström – Kärlek är för dom
I’m cleaning my hard drive and trying to upload as many clips as I can find.
Here’s some clips from A Camp’s performance in Austria on October 2001.