It's a Trap! Scandinavian music journal

Adolf Filter - River of Chebar

Enfant Terrible is streaming another track from their excellent "Svensk bonnasynth" "hillbilly synthpop" comp.

Kristofer Åström 2012 tourdates

Kristofer Åström will be spending a lot of time in Germany this March:

03/11 - Knust, Hamburg (GER)
03/12 - Mephisto, Hannover (GER)
03/13 - Apex, Göttingen (GER)
03/14 - Falkendom, Bielefeld (GER)
03/15 - Tower, Bremen (GER)
03/16 - Alter Schlachthof, Lingen (GER)
03/17 - Gebäude 9, Köln (GER)
03/18 - FZW, Dortmund (GER)
03/19 - Garage, Saarbrücken (GER)
03/20 - Schlachthof, Wiesbaden (GER)
03/21 - Jubez, Karlsruhe (GER)
03/22 - Schuur, Luzern (CH)
03/23 - White Rabbit, Freiburg (GER)
03/24 - Kulturladen, Konstanz (GER)
03/25 - Ampere, München (GER)
03/26 - Hirsch, Nürnberg (GER)
03/27 - Objekt 5, Halle (GER)
03/28 - Beatpol, Dresden (GER)
03/29 - Comet, Berlin (GER)
03/30 - Café Koeppen, Greifswald (GER)
03/31 - Volksbad, Flensburg (GER)

Portrait on tour

Swedish metal act Portrait will be touring abroad in the new year:

01/10 - Modra Vopice, Prague (CZ)
01/11 - Club 202, Budapest (HUN)
01/12 - Mega Club, Katowice (POL)
01/13 - Progresja, Warsaw (POL)
01/14 - Estrada, Bydgoszcz (POL)
01/15 - Alte Zuckerfabrik, Rostock (GER)
01/17 - Backstage Halle, Munich (GER)
01/18 - Bitte, Milano (ITA)
01/19 - Rock It, Aalen (GER)
01/20 - Jugendhaus, Wangen (GER)
01/21 - Kiff, Aarau (CH)
01/22 - Werkstatt, Cologne (GER)
01/24 - La Scene Bastille, Paris (FRA)
01/25 - Cafe Central, Weinheim (GER)
01/26 - 013, Tilburg (NL)
01/27 - Atak, Enschede (NL)
01/29 - Hafenklang, Hamburg (GER)
01/31 - Bastard Club, Osnabrück (GER)
02/01 - Garage, Saarbrücken (GER)
02/02 - Schweinebärmann, Braunschweig (GER)
02/03 - Biebob, Vosselaar (GER)
02/04 - Live-Club, Bamberg (GER)
02/05 - Vortex, Siegen (GER)

Video interview: Grande Roses

Check out a video interview with Grande Roses, one of my current favorite bands.

Thräshers in the studio

Swedish skate-punks Thräshers are currently in the studio working on laying down 9-12 tracks for an upcoming flexi 7" to be released via flexi-specialist label Signaler Från Ovan: http://dbeatrawpunk.blogspot.com/2011/11/thrashin-up-studio.html

PopMatters reviews Korallreven

PopMatters is less impressed than most when it comes to Korallreven's debut full-length: http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/150870-korallreven-an-album-by-korallreven/

Lissi Dancefloor Disaster - Pop musiiic (video)

The lead track from the new Lissi Dancefloor Disaster EP now has a video.

Liam Murray & Johan Gustavsson - Skuggorna

Liam Murray is a poet from Malmö working on his debut album which will feature him reading his words over background music provided by an array of Swedish artists. First up, a cut with friend-of-the-site Johan Gustavsson aka Jonas G Winther of Scraps of Tape/Tsukimono/Thee Gutted String. Other contributors include Lotta Wenglén and Polar City, plus a few who apparently have yet to be asked. Wait and see!

Dimbodius - Chastity fields (video)

Swedish artist Dimbodius returns with a new single after a 7-year absence.

New instrumental album from Susanne Sundfør

Can't believe I didn't hear a peep about this before it was released but I'm very curious to hear it: http://www.discogs.com/Susanne-Sundf%C3%B8r-A-Night-At-Salle-Pleyel/release/3239612
"A night at Salle Pleyel" is a new all-instrumental synth album from Norwegian artist Susanne Sundfør commissioned for the Oslo Jazzfestival and featuring fellow keyboardists Ådne Meisfjord (120 Days), Øystein Moen (Jaga Jazzist/Puma), Morten Qvenild (Susanna & The Magical Orchestra/In the Country) and Christian Wallumrød. More info: http://www.oslojazz.no/programENG.php?subaction=showfull&id=1184742916&archive=&start_from=&ucat=32&artistid=71&eng=1
A few short snippets available here: http://entertainment.telegraph.co.uk/a-night-at-salle-pleyel.html

The Tarantula Waltz - Kägelbanan (video)

Check out an excellent new song and video from Swedish artist The Tarantula Waltz.

Black Twig - Death scene

Soliti has posted a great new track from Finnish noisepoppers Black Twig for preview on SoundCloud. Look for their debut album "Paper trees" to be released on January 11.

Ghamorean
Terra ruina
Discouraged Records

Holy shit!! Even though it was released back in January, this is surprise of the year to these ears, right from the second it kicks off with its off-kilter intro, through its meandering journey across black metal's multifarious hatescape and into the epic dying seconds of "Universal miscreant". Musically, it's a damn technical affair, never resting for a second and constantly shifting tempo and style for its entirety. It is expertly crafted from start to finish, benefitting from a raw-yet-bludgeoning production that's clear enough to allow every nuance its fifteen minutes of fame while simultaneously offering an authentic, dirty old-school feel. If there's one gripe, it's that the IBM-blast on "Flagrum" doesn't -- at any point -- explode into a proper drum blast over the same riff that gets the electro-treatment. With that hefty production it would rip some serious face! You kind of expect it, but it never happens. And that really sucks! It's a minor point, though, given that "Terra ruina" does nothing but please otherwise. That there's passion evident on this album is quite an understatement. There's not a filler to be had, and no skull has been left unsmashed in the Umeå trio's quest for global oblivion. Man, oh fucking man! This is music to slay by!
- John Norby

Malignant tumor of the heart

Check out a great coldwave/synthpop mix compiled by Thomas Ekelund of Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words/Soma Sema/Trepaneringsritualen: http://www.mixcloud.com/DreadWords/malignant-tumor-of-the-heart/
It's not all Scandinavian, but don't let that stop you from checking it out.

Serenades live in the US

Serenades are coming to the US for a few shows in mid-December:

12/12 - Bardot School Night, Los Angeles, CA
12/13 - Bootleg, Los Angeles, CA
12/15 - Knitting Factory, Brooklyn, NY
12/16 - Mercury Lounge, New York, NY