Ola Salo of the The Ark will take on the title role in a Swedish-language adaption of the classic Andrew Lloyd Webber musical "Jesus Christ Superstar", set to premiere October 31 at the Malmö Opera House.
Stereo Test Kit has another free two-track download single from Dear Euphoria: http://www.stereotestkit.com/
She heads out on tour in Germany next week and dates are posted here.
At the Gates will take their reunion tour to Japan in May and will be taking Mayhem and Dillinger Escape Plan along for the ride:
05/08 - Club Hatch, Osaka
05/09 - Club Quattro, Nagoya
05/11 - Studio Coast, Tokyo
Rumraket has a new track from Swedish artist Erik Levander posted on myspace: http://www.myspace.com/rumraket
His new album "Kondens" will be released on March 17.
Miss Li is playing a few London gigs this week:
02/13 - Industry
02/14 - Hoxton Bar and Grill
02/15 - Notting Hill Arts Club
Lots more international dates to come, stay tuned.
Finnish noiserockers Echo Is Your Love will celebrate their 10-year anniversary this year with the release of a new EP in April and a new full-length in autumn. The latter is still in the planning stages, but the EP will feature three new tracks, a remade old song and a remix by fellow Finns Boys of Scandinavia (who happen to be currently working on their own new album, something that I'm really looking forward to). The band also hopes to post all of their out-of-print material for free download (some already available here) and should have samples of the new stuff up around March.
MP3: RebekkaMaria - She lion
I don't post a lot of remix stuff on here because, generally speaking, I find the whole scene to be boring. Not only are they often totally unnecessary, the sheer numbers are so damn overwhelming that even when they are good, it's still incredibly hard to keep track of 'em. Unfortunately, as with today's track, I'm stymied by what I've been given so that's all I have to work with. On the other hand, this isn't always such a terrible burden as the mp3 I'm posting is actually quite good, it's more that it goes against my natural preference for album material. Anyhow, As In RebekkaMaria is the solo act of Lampshade frontwoman RebekkaMaria Andersson, a band that I'm quite fond of and have posted about often. Her debut album "Queen of France" finally comes out on March 17 and I believe that "She lion" is her latest single and that's where our song selection comes from. Despite the presence of big-name remix talents like SuperTroels and Kasper Bjørke, the best b-side on this single comes courtesy of yet another Dane, a gentleman by the name of Pato. He's the only one who bothers to take the material in a different direction, giving it a skittery synth hook and a fun polka beat. As for the other guys' unimaginative MOR electro tedium, why bother? That shit is dime-a-dozen. It's better to try and fail than not try at all.
RebekkaMaria - She lion (Pato sick hangover remix)
Ungdomskulen
Live @ the Cakeshop, NYC, 01/20/08
Being labeled as noiserock can be a bit misleading for these guys, as I've found them, after a few selective listens and seeing this show, as being more a prog-rock band in structure and sound. This is not a bad thing at all, it just can lead to a bit of confusion. As for the show, the band put forth a metric ton of energy, beating the audience relentless and loud for around fifty or so minutes. Playing tracks from last year's "Cry-baby", the band's performance resembled a punked-up version of Adom or Queens of the Stone Age. After my ears stopped ringing, it was obvious that these three Norsemen put on a good show. Keep tabs on them the next time they come to your town.
- Matt Giordano
Swedish punks (and recent Manifest Awards champions) Wolfbrigade have a new website: http://www.wolfbrigade.se/
The band recently recorded seven new tracks for a new 12"/CD and will be heading out on the road for a lot of dates this year. Plans are still being worked out for Australia and Japan, but here's what they have so far:
03/01 - PunkPartaj 6.66, Sandviken (SWE) w/Meanwhile, Counterblast, Kongh, more
03/09 - Kafé 44, Stockholm (SWE) w/DSB, Sista Sekunden
03/13 - Ar D'arto, Coimbra (POR)
03/14 - Porto Rio, Porta (POR)
08/29 - Balkanika Core festival, Kranj (SLO) w/ENT, Mob 47, more
09/06 - Play Fast or Don't 5, Hradci Králové (CZ) w/Selfish, Massgrave, more
Swedish label Compunctio will be putting out a new album from Norwegian jazz artists Ingebrigt Håker Flaten and Håkon Kornstad. The duo will record in April.
Artists performing at this year's Totally Swedish Festival in Dublin, Ireland from February 29 - March 1 include Weeping Willows, Sahara Hotnights, Jonna Lee and Love Is All. Details: http://www.swedishfestival.ie/
US label Medical Abuse Records will be putting out a color vinyl edition of Totalt Jävla Mörker's recent self-titled release. 500 copies, hand-numbered and with an extra bonus track. Expect a March 18 release.
Surferosa have a terrible new website: http://www.surferosa.no/
Not only is it a Flash nightmare, it also doesn't display correctly on my laptop screen in a way that allows me to see everything. Nice one!
The video for the new Sahara Hotnights single "The loneliest city of all" is now on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ab3y3VEFuSA
Check out Gabriel Fliflet, a Norwegian accordionist whose new live album "Rio Aga" will be released on February 18 via NORCD: http://www.myspace.com/rioagafliflet
If you like traditional Scandinavian folk, sea-shanties and the like, you'll dig this for sure.