Mando Diao set to release 3rd album,
February 2006
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Fresh from
the main support slot with Dirty Pretty Things,
Mando Diao release a brand new album on April
2nd 2007. A full 18 tracks, ‘Ode
To Ochrasy’ is the bands third album
and, after building huge fanbases in their
native Sweden and across Europe, should prove
their commercial breakthrough both in the
UK and the US.
‘Ode To Ochrasy’ is preceded in
the UK by the release of a single ‘Long
Before Rock N Roll’ on 12th March 2007.
Prior to the single, the band have confirmed
UK tour dates, kicking off in Brighton on
5th March, finishing in Birmingham on 11th.
The day after single release, the band fly
out to Austin Texas for their very first appearance
at the SXSW Festival.
From the working class industrial outskirts
of Stockholm, they were the Scandanavian equivalent
of young, working class Mods, all angry young
men desperate to be anyplace else, and proved
an instant hit. Fronted by Bjorn Dixgard
and Gustaf Noren, they rejected the prevalent
metal and stoner-rock routes, instead choosing
more melody, a bit of soul. With influences
ranging from The Jam to Wu Tang Clan, The
Shirelles to The Kinks, Dolly Parton to Phil
Spector, such diversity shows in their music.
On ‘Ode To Ochrasy’, ‘Song
For Aberdeen’ was influenced by Outkast’s
Hey Ya, and ‘Amsterdam’ by Jacques
Brel.
Lyrically many of the songs are variously
inspired by terrorists, ice hockey stars and
your average odd-ball. As co-songwriter
Gustaf Norén describes “We’ve
become oddball magnets. And we love them.
The hours after the show are the best. Either
people come backstage or we meet weird characters
in bars after the show. So there are lots
of references to all those sort of strange
persons on ‘Ode To Ochrasy’.”
‘Killer Kaczynski’ is about the
alleged Unabomber, Theodore Kaczynski, a genius
who attended Harvard and had a PhD in mathematics
before he became a reclusive terrorist. ‘Welcome
Home, Luc Robatille’ surrounds Gustaf’s
childhood memories brought back by the Canadian
ice hockey star in the title. “It stirred
up a lot of childhood memories but it wasn’t
the carefree part of childhood that came to
mind - instead it reminded me of the struggle
to grow up.”
Their fanbase spread to Germany, where this
year they appear as headliners at the legendary
Rock Am Ring Festival.
At a time when Indie labels are enjoying a
renaissance in an ever-changing music industry,
for their third release, Mando Diao jumped
ship to indie label, Nettwerk. Delivering
an album with the quality of ‘Ode To
Ochrasy’, Mando Diao have been busy
building their online fanbase, and early reactions
to the new album look like finally bringing
the band the success they deserve. Check out
www.myspace.com/mandodiaoband
to check some tunes for youself...
www.myspace.com/mandodiaoband
    
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