New Liechtenstein 7" on the way

Swedish indiepop act Liechtenstein will be doing a 3-song 7" on Fraction Discs this spring featuring the songs "I've got a passion for water", "Spending time with you" and "On the tram".

New Swedish comics come to the US

Somewhat OT, but not entirely: Top Shelf Comix is translating and publishing seven new books of Swedish comics (4 graphic novels + 2 anthologies) for release in the US this spring. Of the titles they are handling, the most relevant to itsatrap readers is probably "Hey princess" by Mats Jonsson which is, of course, named after the Popsicle song and is about indie-minded young folks in the mid 90s. Read more: http://www.topshelfcomix.com/swedish-invasion
Also worth noting that they'll be bringing Mats and many of the other authors over in April for appearances + meet'n'greets in both NYC and Chicago.

Gaffa takes on Sweden

Danish music mag Gaffa will be launching in Sweden in March: http://www.gaffa.se/
The website officially opens on March 1 and the first print edition will be out March 31. Go to the website above for more details, including the full press release.

Stream "Tomorrow, in a year"

The Knife's entire new album "Tomorrow, in a year" is now available for streaming at the band's website: http://theknife.net/

This week's Last.fm chart

Here is the It's a Trap! listening group top 10 artists of the week, unique to our group:

01. Jonathan Johansson
02. Kent
03. jj
04. Shout Out Louds
05. Joel Alme
06. Lake Heartbeat
07. El Perro del Mar
08. The xx
09. The Soundtrack of Our Lives
10. Markus Krunegård

Do you listen to music on your computer or with an iPod? Please join us and make your playlist count! Go here to learn more: http://www.last.fm/help/

Tortyr
Ingen kommer undan
D-takt & Råpunk

There's not really that much to say about Sweden's Tortyr other than if you like your crust bassy and dirty as hell then you'll love them. Musically, they're a mix of punk and crust with a tiny hint of death metal that goes a long way to surpassing the likes of genre luminaries Skitsystem in the heaviness stakes. As with a lot of this type of music, however, it tends to get a bit samey after a few tracks. Thankfully, Tortyr do offer a little in the way of variation, although not nearly enough. "De blindas lakej" kicks off like an oldschool Swedish death metal effort, and doesn't sound a million miles away from something you'd expect from an early-90s Entombed. For me, at least, it's the track of the album and showcases an aspect of this band that they should really explore. Vocally, there's some work to be done here. It's just too shouty-screamy and, although that's the style generally used for this type of music, it's clear that these guys would benefit greatly from the odd death-growl passage here and there. It's more of this type of variation -- both musically and vocally -- that could elevate Tortyr to greater recognition and see them output a truly monstrous album. Here's hoping for next time...
- John Norby

Last night in Stockholm

But what's this I hear about a harmonica?

Zacke debut coming in February

Swedish hip-hop artist Zacke will release his debut album "Visst är det vackert" on February 3 via BD Pop.

New Kristofer Åström website

Kristofer Åström has a new website: http://kristoferastrom.com/

PopMatters reviews Hypocrisy

PopMatters reviews the latest Hypocrisy album "A taste of extreme divinity": http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/118764-hypocrisy-a-taste-of-extreme-divinity/
Personally, I think that Peter Tägtgren's production is always terribly flat and plastic and has ruined way too many would-be decent albums, so I have very little interest in checking this out. Adrien Begrand says underrated, I say over.

The Silent Ballet reviews Tobias Hellkvist, Musette

New Scandinavian reviews at The Silent Ballet today include Musette - "Datum and Tobias Hellkvist's latest record "Evolutions".

Yamon Yamon album preview

The new Yamon Yamon album "The wilderlessness" was just released today via Tenderverion Recordings and the whole thing is available for streaming at Bandcamp: http://yamonyamon.bandcamp.com/

MP3: I'm From Barcelona - Lower my head

I've still got a bunch of work to do today dotting my i's and crossing my t's, so big ups to new contributor Stefan Nilsson for handling today's mp3 post:

As previously reported, I'm from Barcelona have undertaken an ambitious project where all 27 of their members have written one song each for their new album. The songs can be found on a triple vinyl (available to buy here) that is released today; they're also giving away the songs for free on their website, one per day starting today. First out is Daniel Lindlöf's song "Lower my head". It's a very good start for the 27 songs, there's a bit of an Interpol vibe and the chorus is very catchy. It also has that Joy Division/electro feel that recently has gone from being hip with the few to very popular with the masses. If all the 27 songs are as good as this, we're in for a real treat!

I'm From Barcelona - Lower my head (feat. Daniel Lindlöf)

David Fridlund - Diamonds and photographs

David Fridlund's new solo single "Diamonds and photographs" is streaming at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/davidfridlund

Musik med First Aid Kit

Live music at PSL with sister duo First Aid Kit: http://blogg.svt.se/psl/2010/01/25/musik-med-first-aid-kit-3/