středa 7. března 2012

Mando Diao has made an incredible journey

From now on, mandodiao.com has its own Mando Diao biography written by Carlos Barth. Read it here or on the page itself.

 
I remember the first time I heard Mando Diao. I was driving in my car to see them for the first time, had the music way up and my only thought was, “how are they going to make it sound like that live”?

The manic guitars and the raw, pitched vocal sounded like they were trying to squeeze every second and every ounce out of the stereo system leaving me exhausted when the album ended. That's was my first introduction. Mando Diao has made an incredible journey. Using music as ticket to get them out of their industrial steel town of Borlänge, their first album Bring 'Em In (2003) was fresh and explosive on the Swedish Music scene. Critics loved the adrenalin, in your face, hectic garage
rock. The tradition of 60's rock and roll and punk attiitudes together with their uncharacteristic for Swedes, shameless and brash attitude, quickly established Mando Diao as Sweden's most arrogant band but they couldn't be ignored because they always delivered. The debut album was a success, delive
underground as well as radio hits and it spread around the world by import. The first trip overseas was an unprecented reception with festival organizers  being forced to stop the show due to collapsing barricades during Mando Diao's first performance at Summer Sonic in Japan Mando Diao remained productive and has delivered 5 studio albums and 2 more records to date. With deep roots in muaix like The Kinka and Bob Dylan, the Beatles, Rolling Stones  music created modern rock music that continued their other influences like the Libertines, Oasis and Nirvana. As accomplished musicians, the albums after Bring 'em in changed in characters reflecting the bands interest for traditional melodies, urban and vintage rock. All of these influences and the profilic songwriting team of Björn Dixgård and Gustaf Norén delivered over 80 tracks that in 2009 became a b-side collection that contains many fan favourites and songs most bands would have used as singles rather that nonchalantly dismissed to obscurity. Mando Diao has always had a no compromise approach to their music. This has meant that the path to success often has been longer and more difficult that it might overwise have been if they were willing to compromise and it has firmly established them as an incredible and respected musical team. The two singers and songwriting pair of Björn Dixgård and Gustaf Norén has consistently delivered exception music. With two distinct voices and front men, Mando Diao offers stark conctrasts in the form of punk and pop, ballads and rock, elegance to down and dirty. In spite of the diverse nature of each album, the audience and success continues to grow. The common denominatior is their absolute conviction and live act. The response from audiences has always been immiediate from the first "line around the block" shows at the Molotov in Hamburg to headlining the largest festival stages like Rock Am Ring. In 2008 the reaction of the audience got to such a fever that the floor of a theater literally collapsed under the dancing crowd sending many to hospital.. 

Mando Diao toured relentlessly in Europe, America, the UK, Japan, China, Russia and South America. With over 100 shows a year, the constant touring Mano diao has played such diverse special events like Live Earth with Shakira in Hamburg, performances at the Spin Offices in NYC, The village, Voice Party at SXSW Coachella Festival and Late Night with Conan O’brian. They have been special guests for REM, Iggy Pop and Franz Ferdinand. The awards and accolades piled up with gold albums across Europe and Japan, GQ men of the year and many Radio, industry and government awards and acknowledgements. Hurricane Bar (2005) with *Down In The Past" provided the breakthrough video and radio hit, Ode To Ochrasy (2007) with "Long Before Rock and Roll" set the record for 10 weeks at #1 on the “Tracks” radio chart, Never Seen The Light Of Day (2008), the do-what-we-want-attitude record featured the brutally honest and personal lyric in the favorites "One Blood" and "If I Don't Live Today". At the end of 2008 Mando Diao found themselves in a unique position. Suddenly at the end of recording contract and without a record company they built their own studio and began the process of writing and recording what would become their most successful record to date.

Give Me Fire released in 2009 was an absolute chart topper. The lead single "Dance With Somebody" would become the most played song in Europe in 2009, was remixed 
by GZA was featured on Pitchfork. The video, produced in Long Beach while the band was in California doing some last minute sessions at the end of the Give Me Fire recording, was a youtube phenomenen. To date it has over 600 000 views in spite of being blocked 3 times by record label lawyers. Mando Diao was asked to perform the track as heavy weight Champion Wladimir Klitschko took to the ring for a title fight and more recently in was featured on Dancing With The Stars on ABC TV and was featured in a mashup with Lil Wayne. Mando Diao has outlasted many of their contemporaries, many bands that they opened for or were popular when Mando Diao arrived have disappeared or lost their significance while Mando Diao continues to mature and re-define popular music.

In 2010 the band was asked to record an MTV Unplugged album. Refusing to compromise the band broke stale mold of the format and delivered and energetic inspired and unique concert experience that was recorded in real time, one take. The album was a critical and music lovers dream with new interpretations of some of their most popular songs, less known treasures, two unbelievable new songs, and epic bonfire performance with Juliette Lewis and the classic feature with Ray Davies from The Kinks.

//Carlos Barth

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