Zeigeist
Encyclopedia
Zeigeist were a Swedish electronic
band and art constellation, formed 2006 and split up 2009. They started as a collective of several artists, musicians and designers and created the art'ntainment concept. Their debut album The Jade Motel was released in Sweden on 30 April 2008, reaching number fifty-three on the Swedish Albums Chart
. They were by then only three members: Pearl, Princess and Mattias. Zeigeist were characterized as an electropop band with remarkable performances and shows, with a clash of music and art performance.
They made special clothes, often big haute-couture-like dresses and used effects like fake blood, make-up, confetti, and various stage designs. Among their special shows was the one at the Swedish Arvikafestivalen 2007, where they made a dystopia
n performance in three acts with short novel films, produced only for this show, in between the acts. They made extraordinary photo shoots, like the studio photo with Princess surrounded in feathers and Pearl with paint dripping on his chest.
They had several hits, with the best known "Tar Heart" being named as one of the smartest marketing ideas during the Myspace
era, when it was tagged on an early leak of The Knife
's 2006 album Silent Shout
under the name "F as in Knife", and became a big mystery until it was explained that it actually was a Zeigeist song named "Tar Heart". Pitchfork Media
placed the leaked demo of "Tar Heart" at number sixty on their list of "The Top 100 Tracks of 2006".
In the same time as they declared their all-of-a-sudden split-up, their final single, a cover of Roxette
's debut single "Neverending Love
" (1986), was released on 18 February 2009 as a digital EP
containing their own song "Chasing Your Shadows All Around the World" and The Twelves remix of "Humanitarianism" as B-sides. The split up was explained, as so many other fictive and dramatic things by Zeigeist, with a "termination" on their website that they had their personal reasons to "kill her".
The musical part of Zeigeist was made by Pearl, who nowadays runs his solo project Pearl Fiction.
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
band and art constellation, formed 2006 and split up 2009. They started as a collective of several artists, musicians and designers and created the art'ntainment concept. Their debut album The Jade Motel was released in Sweden on 30 April 2008, reaching number fifty-three on the Swedish Albums Chart
Sverigetopplistan
Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association ....
. They were by then only three members: Pearl, Princess and Mattias. Zeigeist were characterized as an electropop band with remarkable performances and shows, with a clash of music and art performance.
They made special clothes, often big haute-couture-like dresses and used effects like fake blood, make-up, confetti, and various stage designs. Among their special shows was the one at the Swedish Arvikafestivalen 2007, where they made a dystopia
Dystopia
A dystopia is the idea of a society in a repressive and controlled state, often under the guise of being utopian, as characterized in books like Brave New World and Nineteen Eighty-Four...
n performance in three acts with short novel films, produced only for this show, in between the acts. They made extraordinary photo shoots, like the studio photo with Princess surrounded in feathers and Pearl with paint dripping on his chest.
They had several hits, with the best known "Tar Heart" being named as one of the smartest marketing ideas during the Myspace
Myspace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
era, when it was tagged on an early leak of The Knife
The Knife
The Knife are a Swedish electronic music duo from Gothenburg, formed in 1999. The group consists of siblings Karin Dreijer Andersson and Olof Dreijer, who together also run their own record company, Rabid Records. They first received international attention after their song "Heartbeats", covered by...
's 2006 album Silent Shout
Silent Shout
Silent Shout is the third studio album by Swedish electronic duo The Knife. It was initially released in Sweden on 15 February 2006 by Rabid Records, and subsequently in the rest of Europe the following month and in the United States on 25 July by Mute Records. Silent Shout is darker than its...
under the name "F as in Knife", and became a big mystery until it was explained that it actually was a Zeigeist song named "Tar Heart". Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
placed the leaked demo of "Tar Heart" at number sixty on their list of "The Top 100 Tracks of 2006".
In the same time as they declared their all-of-a-sudden split-up, their final single, a cover of Roxette
Roxette
Roxette are a Swedish pop music duo, consisting of Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle . Formed in 1986, the duo became an international act from the late 1980s, when they released their breakthrough album Look Sharp!...
's debut single "Neverending Love
Neverending Love
"Neverending Love", written by Per Gessle, was the first release by the Swedish pop duo Roxette, and was later included on their debut album Pearls of Passion. Originally the single was only meant to be released outside of Sweden but EMI eventually changed their minds and released it in Sweden too...
" (1986), was released on 18 February 2009 as a digital EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
containing their own song "Chasing Your Shadows All Around the World" and The Twelves remix of "Humanitarianism" as B-sides. The split up was explained, as so many other fictive and dramatic things by Zeigeist, with a "termination" on their website that they had their personal reasons to "kill her".
The musical part of Zeigeist was made by Pearl, who nowadays runs his solo project Pearl Fiction.
Singles
- "Black Milk" (2007)
- "Bunny"/"Humanitarianism" (2008)
- "Wrecked Metal" (2008)
- "Wrecked Metal" (The Cello Version) (2008)
- "Cuffs" (2008)
- "Neverending LoveNeverending Love"Neverending Love", written by Per Gessle, was the first release by the Swedish pop duo Roxette, and was later included on their debut album Pearls of Passion. Originally the single was only meant to be released outside of Sweden but EMI eventually changed their minds and released it in Sweden too...
" (2009)
External links
- The Jade Motel on Popjustice
- The Jade Motel on BIGSTEREO
- The Jade Motel on Release MagazineRelease MagazineRelease is an independent alternative music web magazine based in Göteborg, Sweden. It was born in Umeå in 1986. The first years it was run by Britta Näsman as an A5 fanzine, just for fun. When she moved to Belgium, Mikael Kahrle and Lotta Kahrle took over the business gradually. They wanted to...