Detektivbyrån will be performing at this year's Nordic Roots Festival in Minneapolis, MN in late September, which will apparently be the 10th and final year of said festival. Also on the (amazing!) lineup are Hedningarna, Hoven Droven, Hurdy-Gurdy, Frigg, Väsen and many more. More details: http://www.nordicroots.org/NRF2008/index2008.html
The Washington Post Express on DiskJokke as a soundtrack-to-your-life/neverending-litigious-home-remodel-project: http://www.readexpress.com/read_freeride/2008/04/express_5_diskjokke_on_soothing_sounds.php
A West Side Fabrication has posted new songs from both Jupither and The Breeze The Breath on myspace: http://www.myspace.com/westsidefabrication
The video for the new Sophie Rimheden single "Go away" is now on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJaSvmhPcLo
PopMatters reviews the new DiskJokke record "Staying in": http://www.popmatters.com/pm/music/reviews/56236/diskjokke-staying-in/
Also covered: the new Borko album "Celebrating life": http://www.popmatters.com/pm/music/reviews/borko-celebrating-life/
MIC Norway reports on the Norwegian presence at this year's Great Escape Festival in Brighton, England next month: http://www.mic.no/mic.nsf/doc/art2008042913361284271457
It's the 29th of the month so that means it's time for yet another Dmitry Fydorov single, courtesy of Adrian Recordings. April's track: "Greetings, D!" Download here: http://www.adrianrecordings.com/greetings.mp3
Border Blaster is organizing a seminar on European hip-hop/urban music called Make It Blast!, set to take place in Stockholm on May 27. Read more: http://www.border-blaster.com/makeitblast/
Glitzine interviews Finnish act Hundred Million Martians: http://www.glitzine.net/intervjuer/hmm_interview.htm
Norwegian postrock act The Samuel Jackson Five has set October 20 as the release date for their third album. The band also plans to tour Northern Europe starting on October 24 and is entertaining offers for places to play.
The new Anna Leong album "Terrorarium" is streaming at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/annaleong
Marybell Katastrophy
You are the two
Merger
Building off the demented amalgamation of space-rock, Björk, and industrial-tinged electronica that was present on "This is the one", Danish oddity Marybell Katastrophy has crafted another challenging, yet abundantly rewarding EP. "You are the two" is as difficult to portray with language as its predecessor, if not more so, lavishly borrowing vehicles of expression from almost every popular contemporary genre: electronic arrangements that amble along like Four Tet and other times prowl despondently, evoking early the Cooper Temple Clause; songwriting that at times feels akin to the masterfully bizarre work that Astrid Swan accomplished on "Spartan picnic" - see: "Nightwalk" - only later to feel more like a dangerously unhinged, "Amnesiac"-era experiment - see: "Silence"; even the stand-out track "Hidden agenda" seems indebted not only to the strength of Marybell Katastrophy's songwriting, but Czech electronic artists Khoiba and British prodigy Patrick Wolf's ability to congregate darkness with pop sensibility. Out of all of these myriad approaches and sounds, Marybell Katastrophy brings a powerful sense of coherence and lucidity, similar to the way the Notwist and Slaraffenland are able to explore numerous avenues without making their albums feel like a series of detours. If "This is the one" put Marybell Katastrophy on my radar, "You are the two" finds me pleading for a full-length effort to place high up within my Best of 2008 list.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
MP3: Paragon - Aavisst
Today's mp3 post belongs to contributor Simon Tagestam:
Swedish hip-hop is rapidly getting better and better. Soon you might even be able to compile a great mix CD with songs from the last few years (no more than one track per artist, of course). One of those tracks is by Paragon, who's been around for a while (he's released two albums already), but never really caught my attention until now. The song's called "Aavisst" and it's got similar beats to Adam Tensta but the lyrics are way more party / braggadocio than Tensta's semi-conscious ones. Paragon raps in Swedish and "Aavisst" reminds me a bit of Fattaru's smash hit (it was in Sweden, and in my life, at least) "Mina hundar" from 2001. The track is the first single from Paragon's upcoming album "Glöd". I'd be very surprised if the whole album will be as good as this song, but one can always hope there will be at least 3-4 songs as good.
Paragon - Aavisst
Stockholm Records/Universal Sweden will release the debut album from female-fronted rock act LaPuma on May 19. Hear the lead single "Chill chill" at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/lapumasweden
Music Export Norway has opened an office in London: http://www.norway.org.uk/culture/music/menopening.htm