The Concretes

The Swedish octet The Concretes are exquisitely anti-rock and pro-pop, brand new and unique...More like a weird family than a conventional pop-group, their sound is full but somehow minimal, melancholic, warm, and conspiratorial." - Flaunt In the summer of 2004, Stockholm's The Concretes released a self-titled, creative feat of an album that not only blew critics away, but gleefully opened ears across to country to a whole new sound - an ethereal, sparkling, timeless blend of Phil Spector, Mazzy Star, and the bittersweet cold weather of their Swedish countryside. On July 26th, Astralwerks will release a US exclusive b- sides and rarities compilation from The Concretes entitled Layourbattleaxedown. This is the correct spelling (with one y missing), not unlike their Boyoubetterunow singles collection released by Seattle's Up Records in 2000. Lovingly pieced together from overseas-only releases and unreleased material that was once lost but thankfully found, Layourbattleaxedown was recently compiled and mastered in Stockholm to create a cohesive album that glowingly stands on its own as a whole, unique work. The title, Layourbattleaxedown comes from the song "The Warrior" which is the fourth track on the album. All of the songs on this special release have existed as b-sides from the numerous singles released in the UK, with the exception of five previously unreleased tracks that are noted below. Songs like "Forces," "Under Your Leaves," "Lady December," "The Warrior" and "Seems Fine Shuffle" have made their way into the recent US live shows and radio performances on KCRW and KEXP this past October. The band has created a brand new video for "Say Something New," the first song on their debut self titled album and the song currently heard in the ubiquitous Target ads.