Stream the new Universal Poplab single "Fame & hate": http://www.universalpoplab.com/content/view/9/7/
Release the Bats will be putting out new records from a wide range of excellent Swedish acts such as Skull Defekts, Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words, Tsukimono, Tar... Feathers, Sewer Election and much more in 2008. Details: http://www.releasethebats.com/rtb.html
New German dates for Danish duo Munck//Johnson:
01/15 - Noch Besser Leben, Leipzig
01/16 - Prinz Willy, Kiel
01/17 - Feinkost Lampe, Hannover
01/18 - Belvedere, Buxtehude
01/19 - Hasenschaukel, Hamburg
01/20 - Max Str., Ludwigsburg
01/21 - Süstadt, Munich
01/22 - Object 5, Halle
Nightwish on tour in Europe with support from Pain:
02/17 - Siemens Arena, Vilnius (LIT)
02/19 - Visla Hall, Krakau (POL)
02/20 - T-Mobile Arena, Prague (CA)
02/21 - Arena, Berlin (GER)
02/23 - Arena, Leipzig (GER)
02/24 - Schleyerhalle, Stuttgart (GER)
02/25 - Jahrhunderthalle, Frankfurt (GER)
02/27 - Jako Arena, Bamberg (GER)
Listen to Mattias Alkberg and Jonas Teglund perform "Soon after Christmas" by Stina Nordenstam: http://www.mabd.se/soon%20after%20christmas%20-%20mattias%20alkberg,%20jonas%20teglund.mp3
Lots more Mattias Alkberg/MABD/BQ news here, though I am not up to the task of translating it. Kind Swedes, please elaborate in the comments if you please.
José González on tour down under:
12/29 - Enmore Theatre, Sydney (AUS)
12/30 - Falls festival (AUS)
12/31 - Falls festival (AUS)
01/02 - Forum Theatre, Melbourne (AUS)
01/03 - The Tivoli, Brisbane (AUS)
01/05 - Southbound Festival, Busselton (AUS)
01/08 - Bruce Mason Centre, Auckland (NZ)
01/09 - The Opera House, Wellington (NZ)
01/10 - James Hay Theatre, Christchurch (NZ)
The first single from the new Firefox AK album "If I were a melody" will be "Winter rose". It features a guest appearance from husband Tiger Lou/Rasmus Kellerman and will include b-side remixes from Özgur Can, Tellevika, Assid and Jimmy O. Look for it in mid-January. As for the album itself, it's still due out on February 20.
Watch The Sweptaways do a live session for PSL: http://svt-psl.colo.netstar.se/default.aspx?entryID=370
You can also see them perform "Christmas party" live with Marit Bergman right here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yguc_acWCg
Scandinavian artists on postrock webzine The Silent Ballet's top 50 albums of 2007 list include Aerial (#50), Hannu (#38), Tuna Laguna (#33), Scraps of Tape (#28), Efterklang (#22), Olafur Arnalds (#12) and Vladislav Delay (#4): http://www.thesilentballet.com/tsbt/2007/50_41.html
Anna Ternheim is composing the music for a new play entitled "Storstadsljus" ("Big city lights") which will premiere on March 14 (in Göteborg, I believe). Otherwise, look for her to release her latest album "Separation road" in the US this spring with tourdates to follow.
Tiger Lou reports that his excellent album "The loyal" has been licensed to Eyeball Records for a US release next February. The new edition will sport fresh coverart and the song "Pilots" instead of "All I have" because, as Rasmus Kellmerman himself puts it, "'All I Have' is a track that should not have been on the album in the first place. I wrote it right after the first album and it's whole persona is unfitting for an album as 'The Loyal'. So, when one is given the opportunity to correct ones past mistakes – one should embrace that opportunity to the fullest."
Check out the Viktor Sjöberg mixtape "Justified ancients", compiling some of his favorite tracks of 2007: http://elefanten.blogspot.com/2007/12/justified-ancients.html
Danish act Cartridge have revamped their website a bit in anticipation of their new album "Fractures", due out January 7: http://www.cartridge.dk/