Shed a tear for Sabaton
Gaffa reports that there is trouble in Sabaton land, as the singer and bassist have kicked everyone else out of the band: http://gaffa.se/nyhet/59136
Country: Sweden
Jasper TX final tourdates
Final tourdates for Swedish experimental/drone artist Jasper TX:
04/10 - Fox & Newt, Leeds (UK)
04/11 - Wee Red Bar, Edinburgh (UK)
04/12 - Sacred Trinity, Manchester (UK)
04/13 - The Rude Shipyard, Sheffield (UK)
04/15 - Cafe Oto (w/Anders Lilja on drums), London (UK)
04/26 - L'Espace B, Paris (FRA)
04/27 - Radio Session, Wanquetin (FRA)
04/28 - Antwerp Ambient Festival, Antwerp (BEL)
04/29 - Kinky Star, Gent (BEL)
Air France are done
Swedish pop duo Air France have decided to part ways: http://theairfrance.tumblr.com/post/19956285930/well-make-this-brief-because-it-hurts-too-much
The legend of Marcus Cato
presents the story (and discography) of one Mr. Marcus Cato: http://www.adrianrecordings.com/default.asp?newsid=340
Millencolin the festival, the bands, the interviews
Millencolin will be interviewing each of the 12 bands appearing with them at their upcoming 20th anniversary festival in Örebro, Sweden this coming June and up first is Voice of a Generation: http://millencolin20year.se/home/?p=289
Agent Side Grinder Euro tour update
Updated European tourdates for Swedish old-school industrial act Agent Side Grinder:
05/06 - Musikcafeen, Copenhagen (DK)
05/07 - Logo, Hamburg (GER)
05/08 - Komma, Stuttgart-Esslingen (GER)
05/09 - Patronaat, Haarlem (NL)
05/10 - Nambucca, London (UK)
05/16 - ÅÄÖ Festival, Point Ephemere, Paris (FRA)
05/17 - Péniche le Sonic, Lyon (FRA)
05/18 - Coq d'Or, Olten (CH)
05/19 - Wavekommando, Club Vortex, Siegen (GER)
05/20 - Magnet, Berlin (GER)
The band's new album "Hardware" is out now and it is easily one of the year's best releases thus far.
This Vision - 20th century (video)
New shoegazey electro/pop/fuzz from Sweden ala The Radio Dept.. This Vision's new album "The golden age we lost" will be out on May 11 via /.
Son of a Kid - Like you (video)
New sights and sounds from Swedish pop artist Son of a Kid.
Summer Heart - A million times (video)
PSL has the premiere of Summer Heart's debut video "A million times": http://blogg.svt.se/psl/2012/03/23/premiar-summer-heart-a-million-times/
Casablanca
Apocalyptic youth
Rocket Songs
I'm not a big fan of supergroups; throwing a bunch of celebrities in a room usually results in extreme hype and ambiguous substance. Half-formulated or compromising in studio = lacklustre songs. Such is not necessarily the case with latest addition Casablanca, featuring Alice Cooper's guitarist Ryan Roxie, Erik Stenemo from Melody Club, Swedish football star Mat Rubarth, Josephine Forsman from Sahara Hotnights on drums, and Anders Ljung from Space Age Baby Jane on vocals. It's the kinda Guns'n'Roses-cum-Journey revival Swedes adore, thrown in a typical 80's epic love battle between hair product and tight jeans brand. The album art directly mimics The Warriors, in that New York 80's spray-painted "Apocalyptic Youth" type. The music's less raw then Alice Cooper or Thin Lizzy that's for sure, and a bit more predictable like Whitesnake or Rod Stewart. If you're into that sort of thing, it'll probably get yr head nodding. The title track's got a formulaic radio rock feel, while fast-paced next track and sugary chorus-friendly "Downtown" echoes a path the Hotnights were once on. The album's production hums big, fat and Eighties, and Josephine's solid, tasteful rock drumming shines brightly, serving as a strong backbone. They definitely show some experienced songwriting; "The juggler" is a smart, feel-good tune. But in general, the cheesy bandana-riffing and melodramatically sung verses such as on "Love and desperation" are a bit overly harry for me. I mean it kicks off with, "HUSH, NOW, THUNDERCHILD", and by track 9, "Last of the Rockstars", I'm experiencing déjà vu. Get the picture? But hey, I ain't gunna rag on something some people, especially in the backwoods country, might clearly enjoy.
- Ann Sung-an Lee
New mini-album from Erik de Vahl next week
Swedish artist Erik de Vahl will have a new 8-song limited CDR/digital download release out on on March 26. Full details: http://www.erikdevahl.com/
Adrian signs VED
has announced the signing of Malmö-based experimental/psych act VED and will be releasing their new self-titled album on May 2. Download a sample tune: http://www.adrianfiles.com/02.Sture_External.mp3
Ginger Kings - Nowadays (video)
I guess if there can be a Swedish rapper named Kapten Röd, there can be a similarly-named titian act called Ginger Kings. Download the duo's new EP "G.K. all day" here: http://www.lotechcosmos.com/
Sinding Sessions: Anna Ternheim - Bow your head
Swedish music blog PSL has started a new series called "Sinding Sessions" where they take an artist into a studio to record four or five new songs and maybe chat a little in between. First up, Anna Ternheim with the song "Bow your head": http://blogg.svt.se/psl/2012/03/21/extra-extra-tjuvkika-pa-sinding-sessions/
Look for future episodes to feature artists such as Newkid, Adam Kanyama and Niki & The Dove. Read more about the project here (in Swedish).