Lykke Li is offering up the song "Tonight" as a free download: http://www.lykkeli.com/
The video for "Maailmanloppu" from Fonal Records artists Eleanoora Rosenholm is now online: http://www.stage6.com/user/Fonal/video/2148066/
Foxy Digitalis profiles Danish DIY label BSTBA: http://www.digitalisindustries.com/foxyd/features.php?whichlh=73
Check out Mother, a new all-star acoustic project of sorts featuring contributions from Monika Törnell, Freddie Wadling (Cortex, Fläskkvartetten), Karin Wistrand (Lolita Pop) and others: http://www.myspace.com/mothersongs
64revolt is looking for someone to help them create video projections to run during their live show: http://64revolt.wordpress.com/2008/01/30/64revolt-wants-your-help/
The Silent Ballet reviews Erik Enocksson's "Farväl Falkenberg": http://thesilentballet.com/dnn/Home/tabid/36/ctl/Details/mid/384/ItemID/1135/Default.aspx
MIC Norway profiles folk/pop group Real Ones who are apparently making headway in the UK: http://www.mic.no/mic.nsf/doc/art2008013011424935273060
The nominees for the various folk-related categories of the Danish Music Awards have been announced:
Album:
Eivør – Mannabarn / Human Child
Dissing, Dissing, Las & Dissing – Hjemløs
Valravn – Valravn
Lasse & Mathilde – Spor af Piet Hein
Trio Mio – Stories Around a Holy Goat
Artist (Traditional):
Habadám
Kirstine Sand
Phønix
Artist (Contemporary):
Eivør
Valravn
Trio Mio
Vocalist:
Povl Dissing (Dissing, Dissing, Las & Dissing)
Laura Illeborg
Karen Mose (Phønix)
Eivør
Instrumentalist:
Nikolaj Busk (Trio Mio)
Christian Alvad
Ditte Fromseier Mortensen (Habbadám)
Perry Stenbäck (Stine Michel)
Songwriter:
Laura Illeborg
Eivør
Las Nissen (Dissing, Dissing, Las & Dissing)
Laura Mo
Composer:
Nikolaj Busk (Trio Mio)
Eivør
Kristine Heebøll (Trio Mio)
Debut:
Valravn – Valravn
Kirstine Sand – Det Dansende Par
Habbadám – Bornholmsk Folkemusik
CS Nielsen – Against the Dying of the Light
Ballad Album:
Stine Michel – Natravn
Trio Cornelis – Gamla Ord – Nye Toner
Tom Frederiksen – Synger/Sangskriver
Blues Album:
Alain Apaloo – Flying Vision
Thorbjørn Risager – Here I Am
Blue Junction – Live, Out of Love
The Fried Okra Band – This is Your Chance, France Baby!
Country Album:
Christian Alvad – Hillside Tunings
CS Nielsen – Against the Dying of the Light
Rikke Bruhn – Dreams of Yesterday
DN has the new Lykke Li video for "I'm good, I'm gone": http://webbtv.dn.se/index.aspx?id=3299
I wasn't much of a fan of "Little bit", but I like this song a lot.
I've got an extra copy of The Bell's excellent debut album "Make some quiet" sitting here on my desk, so I'm gonna give it away. Simply email your name and address to bell.contest@itsatrap.com to enter! I'll announce the winner on Monday.
Listen to The Bell here: http://www.myspace.com/thebelltheband
The Higher Elevation's new album "The Protestant Work Ethic" will finally be out on February 21 via Time For Action Records/But is it Art?. Download the single "Breaking the news": http://butisitart.org/downloads/The_Higher_Elevations_Breaking_the_News.mp3
The Alpine's forthcoming sophomore album "There's only so much you can do" is now pushed back to April 16. It will also be released in Germany on May 23.
Turbonegro has added a batch of US West Coast dates on the way to Coachella:
04/21 - El Corazon, Seattle, WA
04/22 - Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, BC
04/23 - Hawthorne Theatre, Portland, OR
04/24 - Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA
04/26 - Coachella Festival, Indio, CA
MP3: The Bombhappies - And at Belle Bed Inn, I told you
"And at Belle Bed Inn, I told you" by The Bombhappies is a fantastic song that, to me, hearkens back to early REM. It's in the guitars, the vocals, everything. There's a wistful feeling in common as well, though that's far less unusual for a Swedish band. Regardless, it's more than just mere imitation and that's what makes it so good. They take the hallmarks of that mid-80s college rock sound and make it fresh. I'm all for pushing the boundaries of indierock, but sometimes that back-to-basics sound is all I need. The instrumentation of guitar/bass/drums, that standard rock'n'roll formula, is timeless when done right. Good songs are forever and I bet this will sound just as good 10 years from now as it does today.
The Bombhappies - And at Belle Bed Inn, I told you
The latest edition of Pitchfork's "Show No Mercy" metal column features an interview with Hellbutcher from Swedish act Nifelheim and Emil Brahe from Danish doom band Sol: http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/feature/48293-column-show-no-mercy