Britta Persson - Toast to M/Meet a bear (live video)

Watch Britta Persson perform a couple new songs on Swedish morning TV: http://www.brittapersson.com/wp/2010/09/early-one-morning/

Scraps of Tape line up special German shows, prep new album, more

Swedish postrockers Scraps of Tape didn't play out much in 2010, but they've lined up four extra-special German gigs for November at their favorite venues/cities:

11/10 - Az Conni, Dresden
11/11 - Schokoladen, Berlin
11/12 - Cairo, Würzburg
11/13 - Steinbruch, Duisburg

These won't just be regular shows though -- the band has compiled a special limited edition record featuring live versions of new songs plus various b-sides from their most recent album "Grand letdown" and will be giving copies away to the first 50 attendees at each show. And they won't be available anywhere else either, as they're only pressing 200. The band will be doing some special limited-edition posters and t-shirts though, so even latecomers don't go away empty-handed. Scraps also say they'll also only be playing material from "Grand letdown" plus some new songs off the record yet to come -- the one they are currently in the process of writing.

Presenting: Kvalität (feat. The Tiny)

Kvalität is a new Swedish-based website devoted to intimate live music video: http://www.kvalitat.com/
Their first featured artist is the always-excellent The Tiny. They will also be doing a launch party at Landet in Stockholm on October 2 with live performances from Bored Man Overboard and Harald Björk.

Black Steel Worship tour

Finnish thrashers Urn are teaming up with Swedish acts Interment and Diabolical for a short European tour:

11/24 - Sugarbar, Stockholm (SWE)
11/25 - Bambi Galore, Hamburg (GER)
11/26 - 013, Tilburg (NL)
11/27 - AJZ Bahndamm, Wermelskirchen (GER)
11/28 - Decimo Secolo, Brescia (ITA)
11/30 - Channel Zero, Ljubljana (SVN) 12/01 - Randal Club, Bratislava (SVK)
12/02 - Tirish Pub, Banska Bystrica (SVK)
12/03 - Kawarna, Slavonice (CZ)
12/04 - Festung, Bitterfeld (GER)
12/05 - Blackland, Berlin (GER)

New Found Land - The bell

Stream the title track from New Found Land's upcoming record "The bell": http://soundcloud.com/fixerecords/the-bell

Sirius playlist week #39

Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU:

01. Simian Ghost - Beat on the brat
02. TALK 1
03. End of All - Folkhemmet
04. In These Woods - Bear
05. The Bells - Outside
06. Britta Persson - Some girls some boys
07. TALK 2
08. Kråkesølv - Nordavind mot varme kinn
09. Tomas Halberstad - The pendulum swings again
10. WhoMadeWho - Left hand of the boxser
11. TALK 3
12. Säkert! - Köttet är svagt
13. Next Life - Battle tactics
14. Kaka - Candyman
15. The Fine Arts Showcase - Spanish kerosene
16. TALK 4
17. Kimono - Black
18. Axe - Up against common sense
19. NNDC - Mouthful of diamonds
20. Slöa Knivar - Anticimex
21. Enforcer - Take me to hell
22. TALK 5
23. Ikons - Imperiet

Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.

Greencoats LP coming via Tomt this fall

Tomt Recordings has announced that The Greencoats will be releasing their debut full-length CD/LP "A blend of silk & satin" this coming fall.

Testbild! + Louis Philippe = The Ocean Tango

Check out The Ocean Tango, a collaboration between Swedish experimental pop act Testbild! and Frenchman Louis Philippe: http://oceantango.bandcamp.com/
The CD version of the album won't be available until November, but it looks like the files are all available now. And as far as vinyl goes, they are requesting feedback to weigh demand.

Cloudberry to release 7" from Oh! Custer

Cloudberry Records will be releasing new 7" from Swedish indiepop act Oh! Custer in November: http://www.cloudberryrecords.com/

This week's top 20 Swedish album chart

This week's top 20 Swedish album chart:

01. Säkert! - Facit
02. Ola - Ola
03. Robyn - Body talk pt.2
04. Robyn - Body talk pt.1
05. Oskar Linnros - Vilja bli
06. Kent - En plats i solen
07. Anne-Lie Rydé - Dans på rosor
08. Pernilla Andersson - Ö
09. Darin - Lovekiller
10. Mikael Wiehe - Ta det tillbaka!
11. Drifters - Stanna hos mig
12. Irya's Playground - Irya's Playground
13. Melissa Horn - Säg ingenting till mig
14. The Bear Quartet - Monty Python
15. Lisa Nilsson - 20 - En jubileumssamling
16. Stefan Sundström - 5 dagar i Augusti
17. Lasse Stefanz - Texas
18. Britta Persson - Current affair medium rare
19. Takida - The darker instinct
20. Eric Saade - Masquerade

Andreas Gidlund Quartet now on Hoob

Hoob Records has signed the Andreas Gidlund Quartet and will be releasing the group's fourth album "Made in Göteborg" on October 13.

Our Park - Longing for Miss Print

Download a new track from Swedish jazz/folk/rock/surf act Our Park: http://www.ourpark.se/missprint.html

Streets of Mars to Adore Music

Adore Music has signed Streets of Mars and will be releasing their debut single "Breathe in breathe out" on September 29. Preview at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/streetsofmars

The Bear Quartet
Monty Python
Adrian Recordings

Now that I've had a week to immerse myself in this record, I can say that it is a masterpiece -- there's really no other way to describe it. I expected it to be great, but I didn't expect it to be this great. I'm not going to hide, I've always been very vocal on my admiration for The Bear Quartet, but I've always felt that as an objective music listener, one can frequently be disappointed by their favorites. Whilst "89" was our reintroduction to the band (as well as their reintroduction to themselves, which they've recently mentioned), "Monty Python" comes off as not only a self-reevaluation, but also as a reevaluation of the current state of music -- "We're not gonna make it" serves not only as a comment on the industry, but as the current social and economic pitfalls which are robbing humanity in all aspects. "You you you you you you", "Fist or hand" and "Lovers goodbye" are some of the most tenderly affecting songs the band has ever written. The album's swansong, "Silent film" sums up not only the record, but the perhaps comes as close as ever to explaining the band -- they not only dictate the audience, but are one and the same -- as are we all.
- Matt Giordano

Masquer working with Per Egland

Masquer has enlisted Per Egland to produce their upcoming full-length debut which they hope to complete this fall.