Tape live preview, interview
The Washington Post Express talks to Johan Berthling of Tape ahead of their upcoming live appearance in DC on February 8: http://www.expressnightout.com/content/2010/02/mountains-tape-bossa-dc.php
Country: Sweden
New single from Life on Earth! on Subliminal Sounds
has announced a new single from Swedish psych act Life on Earth! under their "provincial" alias Liv pa Jorden! for the track "Blomkraftens frukt". 499 copies out on February 13. Read more: http://www.subliminalsounds.se/
Musik med Daniel Gilbert
Live music with Daniel Gilbert at PSL: http://blogg.svt.se/psl/2010/02/05/musik-med-daniel-gilbert/
New TSOOL EP in March
The Soundtrack of Our Lives will be releasing a new 4-song EP in March entitled "The Immaculate Convergence" featuring the single version of "Passover" from recent album "Communion" plus three brand new tracks: "Take me back", "Snuff parade" and "From this moment". will handle the American release while will take care of things back home.
This week's top 20 Swedish album chart
This week's top 20 Swedish album chart:
01. Torgny Melin - Dansbandsnatt
02. Zekes - En sån natt
03. Erik Grönwall - Erik Grönwall
04. Amanda Jenssen - Happyland
05. Calle Kristiansson - Calle Kristiansson
06. Nordman - Korsväg
07. Freda' - Ett mysterium
08. Kent - Röd
09. Dan Berglund - Tonbruket
10. Willy Clay Band - Blue
11. Thåström - Be-bop-a-lula hela jävla dan (1989-2009)
12. Gentlemen - Awaken me
13. Lars Winnerbäck - Tänk om jag ångrar mig och sen ångrar mig igen
14. Melissa Horn - Säg ingenting till mig
15. Malena Ernman - La voix du nord
16. Date - Här och nu!
17. Nils Landgren Funk Unit - Funk for life
18. First Aid Kit - The big black & the blue
19. Bo Kaspers Orkester - Samling
20. Joel Alme - Waiting for the bells
New music from Little Children
Swedish artist Little Children (ex-Idiot Kid) is streaming three new tracks at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/littlechildrenmusik
A full-length album has been recorded with Andreas Berthling (Tape) and is on the way.
TV Eye to release album in March
Swedish punkrockers TV Eye (ex-Raped Teenagers) will release their full-length debut album "Nice people" on March 26, which seems crazy since the band has been together since 1998 but hey, that's what Mikael Sörling says, though his notion of "productive" is far different than mine even if they do have another album in the can. Anyhow, hit up their website for samples and stuff: http://www.tveye.se/downloads.html
Joel Alme reviewed at The Line of Best Fit
The Line of Best Fit reviews Joel Alme's new record "Waiting for the bells": http://www.thelineofbestfit.com/2010/02/joel-alme-waiting-for-the-bells/
Still Single: Liechtenstein, The Faintest Ideas, more
Still Single covers the Liechtenstein/The Faintest Ideas split on : http://still-single.tumblr.com/post/369870062/liechtenstein-the-faintest-ideas-searching-for-the
Also mentioned, Tom Karlsson's "Pojknacke" LP and Molnbär av John's 7" on .
Isobel & November live DVD and radio broadcast
Swedish goth/country act Isobel & November filmed and recorded the record release show for their latest album "The ghostwater gospel" back in November and the resulting film will be released on a limited DVD, available for purchase directly from the band. The live audio of the show will be aired by Swedish Radio P4 on February 8 at 5pm and again on the 15th at the same time.
Arcana to release "The First Era 1995-2002" boxset
Renown Swedish neoclassical/darkwave act Arcana will be remastering and reissuing their first four albums -- "Dark age of reason" (1995), "Cantar de procella" (1997), "...The last embrace" (1998), and "Inner pale sun" (2002) -- as a 4xCD boxset with additional bonus tracks culled from various comps and EPs. More details and samples: http://www.cycliclaw.com/27thcycle.html
Abandon
The dead end
Black Star Foundation/Discouraged Records
Abandon have always had an air of grace about them that belies their sludgy roots and perhaps that's down to the integral part that Mehdi Vafaei's pump organ plays in laying the foundation on which the band's music is constructed. Whether it's pushed to the forefront of the music, as in "There is no escape" or "The dead en", or looming with menace behind guitar-driven tracks such as "Lost we are" or "It's all gone", it's difficult to imagine Abandon having an impact as sinister as they do without. That's not to say they would lack appeal without it. The Göteborg doom crew have always done a sterling job in constructing some of the most crushing and heavy gut-churners out there and they know their craft like seasoned professionals. On "The dead end" they once again prove that they can write songs capable of tearing the very souls from those who embark on a listening experience and they achieve that not only by utilizing the sheer power behind their collective instrumentation, but by knowing when to drop an all-out aural depth charge and when to recede back into the darkness to create an eerie, transcendental mood that's almost hypnotic. Vocalist Johan Carlzon sadly passed away before this album met its awaiting public, but some sort of comfort can be taken in knowing that this was, without doubt, the finest performance the man has given in a complete body of work that comprises nothing but exceptional output. The fact that he had, unlike many vocalists, the intelligence to use his talent sparingly, only when the music really required his presence, served to heighten the impact he had on Abandon's music and showcased not only a creative genius but also a certain modesty. A unique and essential memorial.
- John Norby
O'Spada - 10 strikes (video)
Check out the video for "10 strikes", the latest single from Swedish pop act O'Spada: http://vimeo.com/9024897
More, better Twitter integration
For the few of you out there who might be interested, I've added Twitter integration to label pages (see Adrian Recordings for example) and I've also updated it so I'm pulling profile pictures and am doing a better job at parsing links, including those @whoever tags and so on. Want more? Give me ideas, make requests. That goes for any/all site features -- I've got the content, now I'm looking for better ways to leverage it to suit your needs.
Björn Kleinhenz April tour
New European tourdates for the always-wonderful Björn Kleinhenz:
04/03 - Be Chez Heinz, Hannover (GER)
04/04 - Hasenschaukel, Hamburg (GER)
04/07 - Klubhaus, Saalfeld (GER)
04/08 - Schokoladen, Berlin (GER)
04/09 - Amp, Münster (GER)
04/10 - private show, Duisburg (GER)
04/11 - Motoki, Cologne (GER)
04/13 - Café Lübke, Trier (GER)
04/14 - D:qliq, Luxembourg (LUX)
04/22 - Club Eden, Ulm (GER)
04/24 - Meskal, Poznan (POL)
04/25 - BWA, Zielona Gora (POL)
04/26 - Falanster, Wroclaw (POL)