Weeping Willows frontman Magnus Carlson will release a new solo endeavor with backing band The Moon Ray Quintet on November 3 called "Echoes". Said album will be available on both CD and LP, with each version containing a slightly different tracklist and two exclusive cuts. Of course, buying the vinyl gets you a download link for the lot plus a video, but you already knew that because it's the modern way. Anyhow, here's the first single "Ain't there something money can't buy" which will be officially released on October 11: http://soundcloud.com/cosmosmusicgroup/magnus-carlson-the-moon-ray-quintet-aint-there-something-money-cant-buy/
"I call the album 'My Own Little War' because I feel like I've been in my own little world doing just that. Fighting my own little war. Life can be tough on you some times but not everybody can relate so you have to do what you do best. Fight. The music sounds like the 70's on steroids in some instances. I fused a lot of punk rock and psychedelic rock over tough drumbeats. Its really up to the listener to judge but I've been told the sound has got a lot energy. I would like to think skaters will bump this album because a little while back I took out my deck and started pushin again, nothing fancy, just a little olly here, a little slide there. I was listening to my stuff while cruising and realised I felt pretty nice skating to it. So I played the album for a couple of skater friends and they felt the same way..."
Karin Dreijer Andersson of Fever Ray/The Knife will be composing music for another play, this time a stage version of Ingmar Bergman's "The Hour Of The Wolf", set to premiere at Dramaten in Stockholm in 2011. She also reports that she is back in the studio with brother Olof working on new material for The Knife. Wait and see...
has confirmed that the debut album from recent signees Monostrip (featuring five folks from I'm From Barcelona) will be called "The grand youth" and will be released on October 6. Check out a couple sample tunes here: http://www.wonderlandrecords.com/monopress
From the minute This Gift is a Curse's debut EP opens, there's a sense of impending dread that heightens further as it progresses. It starts off with a dark ambient intro that is cut short with a doomy passage bordering on a sludgy black metal aesthetic and, despite not really wavering from a single tempo, it works really well. It's got a vibe about it that cries Red Harvest and it wouldn't sound out of place on the likes of "Sick transit gloria mundi". The rest of the disc is very like a more abrasive version of Will Haven, both in terms of music and vocal output. It's a lot darker than most material that the Sacramento four-piece have released, no doubt down to the more extreme influences evident here. Take "Althea" for example: an eerie opening that's definitely of the avantgarde persuasion, moving into a slow Khold-type post-intro intro before embarking on the main body of the song, a trudging slab of Will Haven with that characteristic vocal playing off the beat. The main parts of closing track "Voulet's dream" is even more in the WH vein than WH themselves and, far from being a criticism is an absolute gem of a song for fans of that style. Even though this only gets as fast as mid-paced it's probably best described as metalcore with a grindcore sentiment. We even have a Barney Greenway"Morale" vocal on the end, so that's all the more justification for the grind tag. Not original by any means, but bloody good stuff. - John Norby
Bad news/good news: Voices Break the Silence, whose long-awaited/highly anticipated debut album was finally supposed to see light of day in 2010, has gone on permanent hiatus. In their place, a new band has formed by vocalist/guitarists Dick Pettersson and Nicklas Sandström called In These Woods and they have a new 5-song EP on the way. In mere weeks too, that is, if everything goes according to plan. "Bear" is the first track and first taste of what's to come; unsurprisingly (and quite satisfyingly) not far from what came before -- pure quality Scandinavian indierock, chock full of big riffs, bigger melodies and at a mere 2.5 minutes, all killer, no filler. I suppose that means it might be time to update my 2010 watchlist.
01. Säkert!
02. The Bear Quartet
03. Håkan Hellström
04. Robyn
05. Junip
06. The Concretes
07. The Radio Dept.
08. Familjen
09. Jonathan Johansson
10. Britta Persson
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Lögnhalsmottagningen will be one of three acts in the next 3x7" boxset, the other two being fellow Swedes Local Oafs and Americans Mr California. Limited to 100 copies, so email burninghellrecords@hotmail.com to reserve your copy.
Apparently I had the titles mixed up -- Lisa Miskovsky's new album "Violet sky" will be released on November 26 with the first single "Lover" coming out on September 27. I did have the production credits right though, it was indeed recorded with Björn Yttling of Peter Bjorn and John.
Swedish hard rockers Hardcore Superstar will release their new album "Split your lip" on November 26 with the lead single "Moonshine" preceding it at the beginning of the month.
Tomas Halberstad has unveiled the video for "The pendulum swings again", 1/2 of his new double a-side single "Autumn fall AA". Direct link: http://vimeo.com/15165077
This Gift is a Curse