MF/MB/
Malmö, Skåne, Sweden | INDIE
Music
Press
Bollnäs, Sweden might not be on the musical map, but it’s the source of malevolent waves of shimmering noise from the amazing MF/MB. Despite having a name that could have come from assembly instructions for flat-pack furniture; they make up for this with a clinical yet intense sound forged from five years of hard graft.
‘The Big Machine’ is the first track from their upcoming album Folded. It teeters on the precipice, tapping its foot, with eyes down at the floor before pulling its shoulders back and screaming into the void. This is the sound of a band that is hungry and ready to kick down the door to your soul. - The Line of Best Fit
Is music perfectly suited for your mood, not matter which one you find yourself in? So varied are the genre’s on offer, much like our many frames of mind, that we are free to search for – and eventually locate – the perfect fit. Perhaps the question should always be, what mood are you in and what mood do you want to be in? It’s just as valid to wallow in the darkest depths of music if you’ve just split from your partner, or indeed simply bounce around in the glorious sunshine if your mind fancies it. Today’s mood therefore is dedicated to MF/MB/. We think this band is perfect for those people who need re-energising, as it’s virtually impossible to remain sedentary having tried a few of their tunes out.
They’re a Swedish five-piece who blast out a rocking brand of electro, kraut pop. They’re capable of LCD Soundsystem‘s level of tenderness, but much like the fuzz of The Big Pink, you’re often hit with a Berlin-sized wall of sound, with an industrial attitude that brings up thoughts of Nine Inch Nails, (were Trent Reznor to start staring at his shoes instead of soundtracking awesome skate videos from the early 90s). Their tracks come in a variety of waves, but all of them are consistently powerful."
"If you consider their recent single, Seconds Away, you get their signature clash of characters, as rocket-fuelled guitars, that are as rough as stubble, grind over an otherwise melodic tune. The lead singer swings from sounding a little like Jim Kerr, or occasionally Ian McCulloch, were they riding aboard a bomb that’s aiming to blow up your mind. It showcases their pensive energy whilst keeping one ear on making rather excellent pop music."
"The album begins with a pace and relentlessly runs through to the finish, without much pause for breath, but rather than leaving you knackered it’s in fact a proper pick up. Along the way it hits many utterly brilliant peaks and sticks with you long after it’s close, like a strong espresso."
"Additionally you might have caught their remix of the Health tune, USA Boys, which floated around a few blogs last year, although the word ‘float’ isn’t quite accurate, as the track slams and bounces like Big Daddy. Once again it finds them starting a song with a sense of urgency, increasing the pace throughout like one long wind up. It’s this trick that they seem to have learned from Arcade Fire – an inspiration they’re steadily distancing themselves from with synths and electronics. However, much like said Canadians, they’ve mastered the art of securing the audience in the palm of their hands, before lifting their spirits skywards. It’s this tidy ability, alongside their really enjoyable tunes, that will snare your heart from the outset, no matter what mood you’re in. - The Recomender
Discography
2010 Big Machine (single) (arweb 103)
2010 Grand Chase (single) (arweb 113)
2010 Folded (album) (arcd 105)
2011 Seconds Away (single) (arweb 118)
2011 Altered (EP) (arweb 129)
2012 Colossus Premixed (album) (arweb 147)
2013 Casualties (single) (arweb 148)
2013 Colossus (album) (arcd 145)
2013 The Worst Dreams (single) (arweb 154)
2013 Passing Complexion (single) (arweb 159)
Photos
Bio
It all started in 2005 in Bollnäs, a town situated roughly in the middle of Sweden, when the members of MF/MB/ were just 17. Bored and angry at small-town narrow-mindedness they buried themselves in their music. At first, they played mostly cover songs, members came and went and turbulence prevailed. But then one day everything came together. They recruited a drummer who could play like a drum machine, and the new songs took a whole new direction. Even then, they were a manic but magical live band, frantically hungering for more of EVERYTHING. Driven by this hunger, they hit the road early on. Without even having one release, they toured Europe together with bands like The Faint and The Sounds, fixed their own booze-soaked gigs and played at countless festivals including Roskilde and Hultsfred. They left Bollnäs for Malmö and found themselves in their element at the heart of the new so-called Malmö scene.
In 2010 they released their debut album "Folded" on Adrian Recordings. It won global plaudits. Songs from this album were heard frequently on Swedish Radio P3 and many foreign radio stations, and even on the soundtracks of TV shows like CSI:NY and The Inbetweeners. Their touring gathered momentum with several trips to Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Spain. MF/MB/ also supported bands such as !!! (Chk Chk Chk). The MF/MB/ colossus rolled on at a furious pace.
MF/MB/'s second album "Colossus" was recorded live during a few intense spring days in 2012, at Christoffer Lundquist's isolated, rural recording studio together with Mathias Oldén from Logh who had previously worked with such artists as The Hives, Radio Dept. and Korallreven. It was then mixed by Magnus Lindberg, who had also done the mixing for the Deportees, Cult of Luna, Totalt Djävla Mörker and Refused.
"Colossus" is preceded by "Colossus Premixed", a remix album released before the original album.
The so-called colossus is MF/MB/ itself, as seen through MF/MB/'s eyes. A massive great hulk, a giant consisting of equal parts flesh and electronics that never ever had to justify its own existence because we never questioned it. We created this colossus and then let it barge around with no aims or directions. We'd moved town and been ridiculously lucky for five years without more than an occasional trifling setback. Incredible!
The time leading up to our debut album "Folded" (2010) had been a bed of roses. Hell began three days before the release, when our drummer had a terrible fall and was forced to spend the next six months in hospital. It was the colossus's first punch in the face, followed by blow after blow after blow. MF/MB/ became ill, family members became ill, friends became ill and suddenly someone died, someone who really should not have died, which caused someone else to want to give up hope, but how do you give up on something you cannot even define? Somehow we felt compelled to define the colossus, to define MF/MB/.
"Colossus" is both self-examination and therapy. It's coming to terms with ourselves and with the battered beast that's our band. On "Folded" our anger and frustration were directed outward towards all the bastards who didn't understand. On "Colossus" we look inward instead, hoping to get answers to all the things we don't understand. On "Folded" we were drawn into darkness; on "Colossus" the darkness is drawn to us. This record is the product of MF/MB/'s baptism of fire. The sound of a colossal creature that's realized it isn't immortal, and just because of that carries more weight than ever before.
- MF/MB/, October 2012.
casualties (First single of the album)
A rather cynical tale of naive and youthful love. It's about all the dreams that are born in euphoria and die just as quickly. Summer. A summer of bad loving, or maybe not love at all.
cocktail kid
This song is about being ill. Mentally and physically. So ill that you lose everything and everyone. No medication helps. Everything's grey or black. No colours. A hell. Hell itself. It's about trying to love someone in spite of everything. Always trying to be there for someone. Not being able to be there. About being lost in your feelings. About not feeling anymore. Just following your instinct.
the chant
A dystopian vision of the future. Science fiction. A slap in the face for the people who are destroying the world. An anthem.
you were the last one to do such a thing
A lament. For a good friend who died. One of the few songs on this album that just came by itself. It needed to be written. To be a channel for all the feelings that arose. Without doubt the most important song on this album. It's also about never being able to come back, to go back in time. Life rushes on.
- Victor Nilsson, one of the two songwriters and singers in MF/MB/
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