Shout Out Louds will release their album "Our ill wills" in Italy on January 28 via Homesleep Recordings. Look for them to tour down there in March.
Starofash, the solo act of Heidi Solberg Tveitan/Ihriel from Peccatum/wife of Ihsahn from Emperor, will release her new album "The thread" on March 24 via Mnemosyne Productions/Candlelight Records.
Is Marit Bergman going to start offering a subscription service? http://www.maritbergman.net/
Check out a clip of Magyar Posse doing a live jam at the JZ Club in Hangzhou, China: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zllilg7KtM4
El Perro Del Mar's new album "From the valley to the stars" will get a US release on April 22. As mentioned yesterday, the first single "How did we forget" is now streaming at the Licking Fingers website: http://www.lickingfingers.com/
Lykke Li's entire debut album "Youth novels" is streaming at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/lykkeli
The official release date is January 30. If you interested in more, there's also a Rocca remix at Popjustice: http://www.popjustice.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2128&Itemid=206
This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart:
01. Secret Garden - Inside I'm singing
02. Madcon - So Dark the Con of Man
03. Bertine Zetlitz - In my mind 1997-2007 Best of
04. Celine - Bæstevænna
05. Venke Knutson - Crush
06. Anne Nørdsti - Livli på låven
07. Sie Gubba - Sånn e livet
08. Hellbillies - Spissrotgang
09. Erik og Kriss - Verden vil bedras
10. Henning Kvitnes - Stemmer i gresset
11. Kurt Nilsen - Push push
12. CC Cowboys - På Svalbard uten strøm
13. Vidar Johnsen & Peter Nordberg - Ord og Øgonblick
14. Valkyrien Allstars - Valkyrien Allstars
15. Solveig Slettahjell - Domestic songs
16. Trond-Viggo Torgersen - Det du kan + noe rart & noe nytt
17. Raga Rockers - Ubermensch
18. BigBang - Something Special - The Best
19. Diverse artister - Melodi Grand Prix 2008
20. Savoy - Savoy songbook vol. 1
This week's top 20 Swedish album chart:
01. Sofia Karlsson - Visor från vinden
02. Lars Winnerbäck - Daugava
03. Alf Robertson - Alf Robertsons bästa
04. Kent - Tillbaka till samtiden
05. Salem Al Fakir - This is who I am
06. Sahara Hotnights - What if leaving is a loving thing
07. Jill Johnson - Music Row
08. Säkert! - Säkert!
09. Marie Picasso - The secret
10. Benny Anderssons Orkester - Bao 3
11. Lars Winnerbäck - Efter nattens bränder - 1996-2006
12. Magnus Uggla - Pärlor åt svinen
14. Peter Jöback - Människor som du och jag
15. Britta Persson - Kill Hollywood me
16. Peter Lemarc - Kärlek i tystnadens tid
17. Elin Ruth Sigvardsson - A fiction
18. Petter - God damn it
19. Nisse Hellberg - En tiger i tanken
20. Martin Stenmarck - Det är det pojkar gör när kärleken dör
The Viktor Sjöberg New Jazz Ensemble (ft. members from IAT.MP3 artists Sonores and Tsukimono) will celebrate the release of their new album "Do nothing 'til you hear from me" (iDEAL) on February 9 with a show at Hagateatern in Göteborg. Support will come from Variam and Arco.
Solefald is now streaming a track on myspace from their new remix album "The circular drain": http://www.myspace.com/solefaldofficial
Pitchfork reviews Love Is All's new remix album "Mixed up": http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/48090-mixed-up
The new José González single "Down the line" will be released on March 20. Check out the new Andreas Nilsson-directed video right here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wppll7UYFVs
MP3: Barra Head - Common ground
"Common ground" is the lead single from Barra Head's new album "Go get beat up" and while it's not the best song on the album, it's important because it concerns the recent events at Ungdomshuset in Copenhagen. Venues like Ungdomshuset are crucial, not just because they provide a DIY showspace, but also because they act as center for action and the exchange of ideas. I didn't learn about strong values from reading lyric sheets, I saw it in action growing up in the 924 Gilman St. scene (first show: Green Day, The Creamers, Winona Ryders and Jüke circa 1990-91 or thereabouts). Punk and hardcore has always been about more than music - it's about integrity and community. Doing what's right for the common good, not just for yourself. Not to mention, having the gumption to make things happen through the force of your own hard work. Unfortunately, it's all too easy to become complacent which is why Ungdomshuset should serve as a wake-up call. 25 years of history can be erased if you let it. The folks from Barra Head might not be angry young punks (and neither am I), but they know what's at stake.
Barra Head - Common ground
Lars Winnerbäck
Daugava
Universal
I believe it all started with Carl Michael Bellman in the 18th century. Bellman wrote songs that now are an important part of the Swedish musical heritage and have been the blueprint for many Swedish musicians to follow. For many years now there has been a school of solo male troubadours in Sweden singing mostly about love and how hard life can be. They're usually not as witty or original as Bellman, but there seems to be a fondness for these types in Sweden, since there constantly seems to be one of these guys on top of the charts. In the last 10-20 years the style of choice has been to sound like (a very accessible) Tom Waits, with some Balkan and folk music influences thrown in for good measure. If you ever find yourself around a campfire in Sweden on a hot summer night, it's very likely that some loafer-wearing smug chap will materialise out of nowhere with an acoustic guitar singing songs by aforementioned songsmiths. Lars Winnerbäck is currently the king of this genre, and this (his eighth) album is ruling the Swedish album chart once again after it was released in September 2007 (probably due to him doing rather well at various music awards). It's generic stuff, and often quite boring, except perhaps on the biggest hit of the album "Om du lämnade mig nu" which has a certain sentimental appeal to it.
- Simon Tagestam
