Scandi-Merica #1 - Glögg

 Scandi-Merica #1 - Glögg

Presenting the very first comic strip of my new Webcomic Scandi-Merica! While rolling Lefsè, Ætta is concerned that her husband Gulr may have picked up drinking, but who wants alcohol in a delicious and delectable spiced Nordic beverage?

Inspired by classic newspaper comics and Japanese cartoons, combined with my Scandinavian culture, I create a comedy cartoon that blends traditional cartooning, old Scandinavian culture and tradition, with my unique and sometimes surreal sense of humor.

All art, writing, penciling, inking, and coloring created by me.

Coming soon: My brand new webcomic Scandi-Merica!

 

I'm proud to announce my new Webcomic series Scandi-Merica!

 Inspired by classic newspaper comics and Japanese cartoons, combined with Scandinavian culture, I create a comedy cartoon that blends traditional cartooning, old Scandinavian culture and tradition, with my unique and sometimes surreal sense of humor.

All art, writing, pencilling, inking, and coloring created by me.

 Coming soon to this blog, as well as other platforms such as Newgrounds and Instagram. You can follow me from here:

 https://unitron2112.newgrounds.com/

https://www.instagram.com/kjordfjordcomics/

My debut EP out now on Youtube and Odysee!

 

KJörd

Flags & Arrowways

 

I'm proud to announce that my debut EP is complete and available for full listening on Youtube and Odysee!

This is an EP of harmonic rock all played on one 5-string bass, and compiles Arrow on the Narrow, Stereo Compass, and Gibbous Gibbons as the base of EP, with my cover of Yeah Plan and the Gibbous Gibbons edit as bonus tracks. All the covers of the singles also forms one complete picture, the original artwork that I actually drew a few years ago. I'm really proud of how this EP came out, and there will be more songs, EP's, and albums to come!

 

Listen now from the link on my blog, or from the links below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgXCfN-Pb44

 https://odysee.com/@Unitron:5/FlagsandArrowways:9

Underworld -- Everything, Everything

Underworld

Everything, Everything

(2000)

"Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy Crazy" 

There is nothing like a well-produced, clean sounding, fantastically picked setlist, and highly energetic live album that captures a band at the height of their career. Underworld's Everything, Everything, recorded during their Beaucoup Fish tour, is up there with the likes of Daft Punk's Alive 2007 as one of the best live albums out there. Everything is exploding with energy and passion, with a perfect balance of keeping some crowd reaction but not letting it overtake the music.

For the most part, they don't improvise and mashup songs like Daft Punk mastered, but turn things up to 11, with the performances of Kiteless, Push Upstairs, King of Snake, Born Slippy, and Rez/Cowgirl making the already intense studio versions sound like leisurely strolls. That's no easy feat, especially those last three tracks, I have a hard time believing anyone couldn't just immediately get a burst of energy with the infectious power that Underworld puts on display on all fronts. Breakbeats, house energy, and techno melodies are all around, and Karl Hyde commands the stage with his intense vocal performance on these tracks.

If you can't get to a concert or a band doesn't have concerts in your area, live albums like these are the next best thing and bring the concert to you. When you can get a good recording, never underestimate the power of a passionate band who's on top of the world. 

 

I believe I wrote this in 2022 on RateYourMusic.

 

If you like Underworld or just great harmonic bass riffs, I recently recorded a solo bass cover of the Beaucoup Fish deluxe edition bonus track Yeah Plan, you can listen to it from the links below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h777-evOlbU

https://odysee.com/@Unitron:5/Kjord---Yeah-Plan:6

Daft Punk - Human After All

 

 

Daft Punk

Human After All

(2005)

"We Are Human After All"

I remember first getting into Daft Punk through their fantastic Alive 2007 album when I saw it at the library. The pure energy and passion that explodes from that performance is enough to sell anyone on the sound, and I still regard it as one of if not the best live album ever made. While everything was mashed up on the album, I found myself drawn most to the songs from Human After All, so Human After All ended up being the first studio album I listened to from the French electronic duo.

In retrospect to their discography at the time, it was simultaneously a huge leap forward in experimenting with different sounds and a combination of prior elements that defined the band. The abrasive sound of songs like Rollin' and Scratchin' from Homework is increased ten-fold and beautifully contrasts with the melodies that were so fantastic on Discovery. This is a perfect album where noise and melody are combined as one with great hooks.

The title track and of course Robot Rock blend hard rock guitars with electro melodies and house rhythms in a way that's never been matched. Sandwiched in between those two songs is the chaotic Prime Time of Your Life, which keeps building and building into a power noise frenzy before just ending. While some may have wished for a drop, the buildup is so intense that there really wouldn't be anyway to have a drop hit as hard.

While I could and do listen to all these songs on their own, the album flows so well that it makes you just want to start it right back up again after the end of Emotion. For a while I thought the title track would've been a better way to end the album, but it perfectly loops back around with Emotion's combining of Make Love's chill and beautiful melody with hooks from the title track. Make Love acts as a nice intermission between the pounding of Steam Machine and The Brainwasher, making Emotion's connecting elements fit as a perfect closer.

Fitting for the title, for two robotic personas, Human After All expresses a lot of touching emotion while bringing a serious dance groove. I absolutely love music that brings both an equal physical and emotional reaction in me, and this album sure does just that. As much as I love Discovery as well, Human After All has the edge as my favorite Daft Punk album and one of my all time favorites. The definition of an underrated classic.

Originally written on RateYourMusic in February 2021.

Van Halen - Van Halen (1978)

 

Van Halen

Van Halen

(1978)

"Nobody rules these streets at night like me, the ATOMIC PUNK"

In the world of guitar virtuoso's, several can obviously play with great technical skill, but not as many mastered songwriting. The way to truly become one of the greatest guitarists of all time to the ears of many music lovers, is to not only master your craft in a technical sense, but also master songwriting and be a true team player in a band where each member has equal importance and never outshines another.

This is what made the original lineup of Van Halen such legends and Eddie Van Halen one of rock and metal's most celebrated guitarists. The band had pure chemistry, with each member being a master in their field. David Lee Roth sings with so much exuberance and charisma that few other frontmen have been able to match. Eddie Van Halen plays fantastic melodies, hooks, and solos that always fit into the song. Michael Anthony's bass thumps, pops, and stands out like no other, and Alex Van Halen's drumming is rambunctious, driving, and along with the bass makes for an incredibly energetic rhythm section.

Van Halen's debut set the blueprint for future Van Halen albums, with the band taking their songwriting even into the organization of tracks making it all fit together perfectly. The guitar solo track Eruption could easily just come across as showing off with any other band, but it sounds great between the two classics that bookend it. Ice Cream Man, while good, wouldn't make a good ending. That's why On Fire follows as a fittingly fiery encore with some fantastic frantic and anxious sounding melodies.

Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love's opening melody is one of the most iconic in rock and metal, and never gets old no matter how many times you hear it. I'm the One's Doo-Wop bridge screams with personality and what other band could make it blend perfectly with roaring heavy metal? The moody Little Dreamer with its heavy bass kind of reminds me of Budgie, who was unsurprisingly one of their influences, with them often covering In for the Kill at early shows. Even with all these highlights, Atomic Punk's always been my personal favorite. There's just so much attitude with one of the band's most commanding performances.

Van Halen's debut is simply a legend, and while I think Women and Children First and Fair Warning are my personal favorite albums from them, this isn't far behind at all. It's an iconic album that, along with the following few albums, shows how important band chemistry is to creating an awesome winning sound. The band may be called Van Halen, but each member is an absolute star here.

Originally written in October 2020 on RateYourMusic.

Another rebooting of this blog, Welcome to KJörd's Fjörd!

I first started this blog back in 2015, as a place to post the music reviews I was writing on other websites at the time as well as music reviews that wouldn't fit on said sites. After my writing style had reached a peak in 2018, I took a break from writing reviews for a while and had half-abandoned the blog (called The Wicked Nest, named after the 2014 album by thrash metal band Helstar). I started writing reviews again in 2019 and rebooted this blog for posting both music reviews I had been posting to other sites as well as expanding what I could review (such as comics). I used it for a short time before neglecting it again, though I kept writing music reviews for a while after. 

Now I focus more on my own music and art (under the name KJörd's Fjörd), and decided to reboot the blog under said new name for posting my artwork and sharing my music too. However, I'm really proud of several of those reviews I wrote since last posting that I hadn't ever posted to here, so I will be posting those. Maybe I'll also write some more about music and art that's influenced me, who knows? I kept most of what I had posted after the first reboot as I still enjoy and agree with the writing, and republished some older writings that I enjoy and show my growth as a writer.

Hope you enjoy, and you can check out my own music here: https://kjordsfjord.carrd.co/

Also my friend, who inspired me to make this blog in the first place, makes music: https://sockwind.bandcamp.com/