Desire Avenue

I had totally forgotten all about this statement / appeal from Stina to the visitors of the Seekyoudanger (CQD) website, requesting audio contributions for her 7th album.

With hindsight, what I find interesting now is that Stina had already begun working on the follow up to The World Is Saved, even before that album had been released:

10th September 2004

i am working on new material for my 7th album and want alien contribution. i want strangers to send loops, bits and pieces of non-musical sounds, documentary, everyday sounds - as well as beats. naturally it is potentially more interesting with sounds i can't associate to. the other thing i will be looking for is how the loops are constructed, put together. i don't want to be too specific as a lot of time the best is in the unexpected. so, i am not asking for any particular style. i want things out of the ordinary, with character, inspiring. in any way. i don't want songs. i don't want harmonies. i want construction pieces.

stina nordenstam

I remember Vero saying that nothing came of it, that any contributions Stina might have received were no good.
I thought about sending something in, but then I don't do 'beats' and am really not oriented towards pop or rock, so I left it.

I've always felt that the net result of Stina's work in that sphere (soon after the request) was the musical material used in the Magasin project. That has 'beats' and interesting textures and rhythms.

I didn't remember either!

Another band I know (and I guess many others) did ask people to send them sounds of everyday life, and some of them appeared on the album Systems/Layers by Rachel's. A good album, released in 2003.

I didn't know that-Rachels are one of my favourite groups-and I have to thank Elfy (where are you?) for introducing me to them. I think Systems/Layers is the last album they did...more's the pity. Funnily enough the ambient background on that album is something I find a tad annoying. For me 'Selenography' is their masterpiece, but there are great single tracks on every album.

Well yes, it's their last one, and I'm not sure there will be another one ever, as Jason Noble, a founding member, died from cancer in 2012.
About the ambient background on the album, it's nicely done even if not completely essential for the songs.

I discovered them with the excellent "Music for Egon Schiele", that remains my favorite album.

Yes, the Egon Schiele is my second favourite-and I think it needs to be heard as a whole, with some of Schiele's paintings to look at alongside.