Umiumi - Söder om söder (video)

Swedish indie/twee-tronic pop artist Umiumi has a new video for the song "Söder om söder": http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=102189660

MP3: Java - Smokescreen

The best new music is old, part II. Java was a somewhat short-lived instrumental act from Gävle, Sweden that formed out of the remains of the hardcore act Ashram. A mere footnote perhaps, but re-visitation might suggest otherwise. Also, consider that the 90s was a fertile time in Swedish hardcore, especially up in Norrland where you had acts such as Fireside, Breach, Refused and Starmarket; to say nothing of acts such as The Bear Quartet or Randy -- so many great bands, all from the same set of towns along the Bothnian coast. The year was 1996 and as such, Java embraced the zeitgeist and sought to expand the sound of modern hardcore as fragmented and moved towards postrock, a sound echoed in acts such as Slint, June of 44 and pretty much any Dischord act of that era. The remnants of the 90s 'core remains though, particularly on tracks like "Smokescreen" where you can hear the lingering effects of bands like Groundwork in the subtle mosh. Certainly not as overt as the stuff Desperate Fight was putting out further north, but oh yeah, it's there and it's alright. Java never amounted to much in their day, they never played a show even, but they did record a demotape and Dead Birds Records has seen fit for its rerelease. There is certainly nostalgia for those of us who remember this time in music and saw it firsthand, but I'd assert that Java is simply a good band that never got heard. Until now, that is.

Java - Smokescreen

SMRT Records offers Noncens preview

SMRT Records is streaming a couple tracks from the upcoming Noncens reissue they are doing: http://www.myspace.com/smrtrecords
Still no exact release date yet, but they say it will be ready very soon.

Shout Out Louds - Fall hard (video)

Shout Out Louds have a new video for the song "Fall hard": http://vimeo.com/8672927

Jonna Lee song of the month

Swedish singer/songwriter Jonna Lee is now offering a new song for download every month at her website: http://www.jonnalee.com/

Oskar Schönning preps new album to feature lyrics by Annika Norlin

Swedish jazz bassist and band leader Oskar Schönning will release the new album "Belgrade tapes", his fourth, on March 1 via his own Schönning Records label. The album will feature live recordings from his band's trip to Serbia in August of 2007, as well as street recordings and other errata plus unsung lyrics composed by Annika Norlin (Hello Saferide, Säkert!). Says Oskar with regards to the words: "Jag har aldrig lyssnat på en låttext i hela mitt liv. Musiken dominerar texten på samma sätt som bilden dominerar musiken i film. Däremot har jag alltid lusläst booklets och låttexter. Särskilt Annika Norlins." (translate) Personally speaking, I completely relate. For locals, there will be a release party at Mosebacke in Stockholm on February 28.

Lowood to get GAS release

Swedish act Lowood will see their album "Close to violence" released in Germany, Austria and Switzerland on January 29 via G-recordsIntergroove.

"Colouring of pigeons" track review

Pitchfork has a track review of "Colouring of pigeons", the first sample of The Knife's forthcoming opera "Tomorrow, in a year": http://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/11706-colouring-of-pigeons-ft-mt-sims-and-planningtorock/

Tobias Bernstrup
1984 EP
Enfant Terrible

Cheesy enough to make into fondue, there's nary an original moment on Tobias Bernstrup's newest EP, "1984". However Bernstrup is too busy getting listeners off their butts to worry about a silly thing like originality -- and darn it if he won't have a sweaty dance floor as his reward. Cleverly marrying a grab bag of the spandex-generation's influences (Depeche Mode, Joy Division, anyone who's ever played with the sample function on a synthesizer), to the lighter hand of modern electro-goth, and just a splash of self-awareness (I hope), "1984" comes off as a deliciously melodramatic trifle. Heck, the titular track does warn, "We're in 1984." Don't lie -- you've still got your "Members Only" jacket. Right?

The key word here is melodramatic. From Bernstrup's Bela Lugosi vocals layered over relentlessly driving synths (every good synth is in want of an "ohhh-ohhh oh oh" refrain) to titles such as "Light years apart" and "Enemies of the Earth" there's little here to suggest that less is more. Again, it's nothing we haven't heard, but like "B" horror flicks, this represents a brilliant rehash of classically campy 1980s sound. The only offender is "Data love", its spoken chorus coming close to collapse under self-parody. However, positioned as a closing track, it's too late for ardent complaints -- Bernstrup has already sucked you into his neon-clad world. Grab me a Fresca, let's hit the floor.
- Laura Studarus

Aerial to tour Germany in February

Aerial is heading to Germany in February:

02/19 - Silber, Hamburg (GER)
02/20 - Hafen 2 Festival, Offenbach (GER)
02/21 - tba
02/23 - Rhiz, Vienna (AUS)
02/24 - AZ Conni, Dresden (GER)
02/25 - Nbi, Berlin (GER)
02/26 - Ut Connewitz, Leipzig (GER)
02/27 - AJZ, Ribnitz (GER)

Embee - A day at a time

Go here to download the new Embee single "A day at a time" (feat. Daniel Lemma): http://www.looptrooprockers.com/the-mellow-turning-moment/
The new album "The mellow turning moment" is now set for release on February 24 via Bad Taste Records/DVSG.

Maia Hirasawa to release EP på Svenska

Maia Hirasawa will release the 4-song Swedish-language EP "Dröm bort mig igen" on January 26. Track list: http://razziarecords.se/releases_details.asp?id=840&artist=Maia

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. Håkan Hellström
02. Markus Krunegård
03. Yeasayer
04. Girls
05. Kent
06. Frida Hyvönen
07. Shout Out Louds
08. Hello Saferide
09. The Mary Onettes
10. Sambassadeur

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/

Shout Out Louds interview at Spinner

Shout Out Louds frontman Adam Olenius talks to Spinner about his band's new album "Work": http://www.spinner.ca/2010/01/08/shout-out-louds-work-with-less-drama/

New music from The Saigon Sickness

Swedish rockers The Saigon Sickness are streaming a couple new tracks at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/saigonsickness
The band's debut album "Invocation of my demon brothers" will be released on January 23 via Suicide Records.