Norrland indierockers Park Hotell have been picked up by NY-based label (Movits!) who will be compiling a best-of album called "Layers" for US release. They'll also be coming over in March for SXSW and will be doing some other shows, exact dates TBA.
The human voice, rendered as a long, dark drone via Thomas Martin Ekelund (Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words, Soma Sema).
Some of Franky Lee's bio material attempts to peg them as an indierock throwback, but there's no comparison to bands such as Tennis Bafra or Culkin. No, Franky Lee is a straight-up turn-of-the-millennium style arena-sized alternative rock act ala Foo Fighters or Jimmy Eat World. Which is by no means a bad thing! The band I'm currently playing with kind of attempts to cop that sound too, for what it's worth, though we probably throw in a few more new-wavey influences. Anyhow, I really do like this sort of stuff despite it being patently uncool in many social circles. It's definitely not punk to aspire to such pop grandeur -- a funny thing to note when you consider Franky Lee's member pedigree (likewise, in my own band's case). I guess there's a freedom in getting old in that those sort of petty things don't seem to matter as much anymore. I'm feeling it, signed: an unapologetic fan of pop convention. Go see Franky Lee when they play Debaser Malmö next week at It's a Trap!'s clubnight.
Franky Lee - A man without a heart
The new First Love, Last Rites single "Walk you home" is confirmed for release on March 5.
This has to be a joke, right? I hate hearing this sort of pandering garbage on US country radio and it's only made more confusing when it comes from Sweden.
This Is Head will begin recording their next album in March.
Storm Corrosion, the official collaboration project between Opeth's Mikael Åkerfeldt and his producer/friend Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree), have signed with and will release their self-titled debut on April 23.
"Helvete" is the first official video from Riddarna's upcoming album "Bakom molnen", due out March 7 via .
Nice lowkey pop with a slightly retro/jazz bent. Look for Marie Lalá to release her debut EP "Search of sound" on March 14.
I've talked a lot about Culkin the past few years, but here now finally is the band's first official single "Libbets Casey". Look for the band's much-anticipated (and totally great) album "Several Sundays" to be released on March 7 via .
DödsvargOne man army Jon Ekström is the sole creator of the material on here, having succeeded in constructing an album that flies in the face of classification. The songs touch on a variety of genres within the metal spectrum and are cemented together with an industrial punk mindset that allows "Livet är en dödsorsak" to progress with an authentic fluidity not often found on releases displaying so many influences. If there's one uniting factor on the album, it's the raw sound that Ekström has gone for. It's a sound at odds with the super-shiny productions usually found on albums that make use of such off-kilter material and also one that is more akin to the crust and sludge genres than any sort of math-metally algorithms. "Livet är en dödsorsak" takes quite a few spins before it beds in, but, given that chance, it's a refreshing -- if quite dirty -- collection of songs that don't give the slightest toss about convention.
- John Norby
The Arts Desk has posted a third installment of their Nordic Music Round-Up series: http://www.theartsdesk.com/new-music/just-scandinavia-nordic-music-round-3
Featured artists include Jenny Hval, Alog, Mirel Wagner, Black Twig, Firefox AK, Karin Park, Den Svenska Tystnaden and many more.
The Soundtrack of Our Lives will be releasing the new album "Throw it into the universe" on April 18. Check out a live performance of the first single "Try again": http://web.tsool.net/?p=375
Looks like new stuff is on the way finally from Swedish death metallers Tribulation: http://www.tribulation.se/
A quick preview of Linnea Olsson's upcoming album "Ah!", due out February 15.
