The Peace & Love Festival is going on the road to Cuba and will taking a handful of Swedish acts with them. The dates are set for March 25-26 and the lineup will include Timbuktu w/Damn!, Looptroop Rockers and The Baboon Show.
The Hultsfred Festival will be back this year on July 14-16, in direct competition with the similarily troubled Arvika Fest. As for whether they'll weather the storm, we shall see, but they don't have any acts confirmed yet. Read more: http://www.dn.se/kultur-noje/musik/hultsfredsfestivalen-ateruppstar (in Swedish)
The screaming is totally unconvincing and unnecessary and, to be frank, just a little bit silly (same goes for all those little moshy bits), but other than that, You Ate My Dog isn't all that bad as far as modern mallcore pop-punk goes. No way those kids are old enough to remember mixtapes on cassettes though, that's 100% bullshit. Direct link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KKb4MV7lqc
The band's debut album "Like torches" is out February 4 via .
Swedish label is back from the dead, the reason being that "many of my old artists have finished new music that is too good for not being released," plus, "I have also bumped into some new artists that i just love." Guess that once you're in, it's hard to walk away forever. Anyhow, their first new release will be Akaba with the song "Fake it", as you can see/hear above. After that, look for new stuff to follow from the likes of Nanook of the North, Molesome and maybe also Vera Vinter. I'd also be way into a new Vijaya record, but I know the chances of that are slim to none.
Happy 5th birthday to Swedish music blog Absolut Noise: http://absolutnoise.blogspot.com/2011/02/absolut-noise-is-five-years-old.html
Likewise, happy 2nd birthday to online newsletter/webzine The Swede Beat who are turning 2 and celebrating with a clubnight in Brooklyn featuring a DJ set from Victoria Bergsman/Taken By Trees: http://www.theswedebeat.com/events
When I started this site way back when there was literally no one else out there exclusively covering Scandinavian music. Over the years, many sites have come and gone, but for the ones that stick around: much love! It makes my job easier and the more niches we all cover, the better it is for the readers and the artists.
A quick trailer for the new Graveyard album "Hisingen blues", due out in March. Direct link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqR0c3M8ORc
Here's a new video clip recorded in the studio with Magnus Carlson & The Moon Ray Quintet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASEIBv0_Mco
Yet another new video from Those Dancing Days, this time showing off a gentler approach than what we've seen recently. Apparently this is the fist official single from the band's upcoming album "Daydreams & nightmares", due out March 7 via . Direct link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipuXl9XfUhE
Scandipop is previewing clips from the new September album "Love CPR": http://www.scandipop.co.uk/?tag=album-preview
Acid House Kings are asking fans to vote for their next single: http://www.acidhousekings.com/
So is facing down bullies and losing badly some sort of Viking heroism? I'm not so sure I get it. Anyhow, love the smoking drummer, not so into the actual song itself.
Swedish indie act Alibi Tom reports that their new album "This sleeping" will be released on March 14 via . There will be a release show at Boy Rio in Göteborg on March 12 where the band will perform together with the chamber choir Krydda and a string quartet.
Musical discovery often happens when you least expect it. I was at the P3 Guld afterparty making smalltalk with Säkert!'s violinist Frida Johansson and she mentioned that she mostly works in folk music. I have no idea what kind of reaction she expected from me, but of course I was very interested and happy to receive a copy of her other group Kraja's latest CD "Brusand Hav". Can't say that I know much about Scandinavian a cappella folk tradition outside of my limited experience with the excellent Trio Mediaeval, but I do know that I like Kraja a lot and was even more impressed to learn that almost every track on their new record is an original composition, quite an audacious tact! As for the wide-ranging lyrical sources they explore, I can't comment in detail because I am lacking proper liner notes, but if my Googling is correct, this particular tune is based on a poem by Verner von Heidenstam -- not that I follow the words too much, I'm far more enamored with their superb four-part harmonies. Definitely not the sort of new music I expected to stumble across on my most recent trip to Sweden, but definitely a discovery that is more than welcome. Tack Frida!
Kraja - Nu är det synd om de döda
Check out Peter Bjorn and John's appearance from last night's Conan show: http://www.tbs.com/video/index.jsp?oid=242607
Also check out this web-exclusive clip of them playing backstage here: http://www.tbs.com/video/index.jsp?oid=242706
More here, including an mp3 download: http://looklook.at/