Danish quintet the Kissaway Trail have plans for a short UK tour in March.

Sunday 7th March 2010 – Glasgow King Tuts
Monday 8th March 2010 – Newcastle Cluny
Tuesday 9th March 2010 – Birmingham Academy 3
Wednesday 10th March 2010 – London Hoxton Bar & Kitchen

After a nice long break, here at TGTF we’re back to full strength for 2010 with some great new ideas.

My second favourite band to hail from Denmark (after the amazing Mew), The Kissaway Trail are gearing up to release their second full length album, The Sleep Mountain in a few months time. I first introduced the collective back in 2007, and their debut album was definately a firm favourite of mine.

The press release puts it eloquently:

With Peter Katis (Interpol, The National, The Twilight Sad) producing, “Sleep Mountain” reveals how The Kissaway Trail have grown. Combining the urgency and dynamics of bands as diverse as Sonic Youth and The Flaming Lips with the sensitivity of “Another Green World”-period Eno, and melodies that have the stamp of bona fide singer-songwriters, “Sleep Mountain” is a contemporary, timeless, vulnerable rock classic.

We’ve already offered the wonderful 6 minute epic SDP for download (below), but now we’ve been offered an acoustic version of “Tracey”, a stunningly dreamy, beautiful and fragile track that will have you in awe. Listen, download and enjoy below.

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MP3: The Kissaway Trail – Tracy (Acoustic)

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MP3: The Kissaway Trail – SDP

My second favourite band to hail from Denmark (after the amazing Mew), The Kissaway Trail are gearing up to release their second full length album, The Sleep Mountain. I first introduced the collective back in 2007, and their debut album was definately a firm favourite of mine.

The press release puts it eloquently:

With Peter Katis (Interpol, The National, The Twilight Sad) producing, “Sleep Mountain” reveals how The Kissaway Trail have grown. Combining the urgency and dynamics of bands as diverse as Sonic Youth and The Flaming Lips with the sensitivity of “Another Green World”-period Eno, and melodies that have the stamp of bona fide singer-songwriters, “Sleep Mountain” is a contemporary, timeless, vulnerable rock classic.

Either way, this is a pretty impressive 6 minute return to form for the Danes. Take a listen, and then possibly catch them at the Lexington in London on 5th December.

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MP3: The Kissaway Trail – SDP

A few weeks ago a friend mentioned to me that “you just have to check out the Kissaway Trail”. Having already endured half a dozen crappy myspace one hit wonders from this person I did my usual nod-and-smile, and forget about it. However, when I started reading a few blogs raving about them I thought that I’d give them five minutes. How glad I was that I had.

Sounding like Arcade Fire with a hint of Polyphonic Spree, this Danish five piece have the makings of joining the “big boys league” of innovative, epic, “take me to another place” rock that has had a fine, fine year with great albums from Muse, Arcade Fire and Polyphonic Spree.

Down to earth, the guys are very softly spoken for the music they make. Their debut single (which is in the video below) “Smother+Evil=Hurt” is reminiscent of the Polyphonic Spree at their accessible, storytelling best. They’re unafraid of mixing emotions – from the triumphant “la la las” of “Forever Turned Out To Be Too Long” through to the darkness of Sometimes I’m Always In Black – “When winter comes, don’t wash away my tears”.

Personally I feel that the album starts off at its best and then declines a bit as it goes on, however that is purely because it isn’t as accessible, immediate pop-songs of the initial two. However, the album is best heard when you can devote your entire attention to it in one go, when you continue to find more and more layers to it each and every time.

Dreamy at times and fully alert and pounding at others, The Kissaway Trail offer the mixed bag that is sure to garner much attention, and could become one of the slow burners of the year.

After the jump find their UK tour dates and the video for “Smother+Evil=Hurt”.

Photo is taken from eakena’s flickr stream.
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