Service has licensed The Embassy's "Tacking" to Japanese label Rallye who will release it on April 25 with extra tracks and different artwork.
A West Side Fabrication has set April 27 as the release date for both Olle Nyman's new album "Behind the clouds" and Minxy Soul Models "Transparent yeah".
Cult of Luna will have a special tour-only 7" coming out on ONE 01 featuring two cover tunes. 500 copies, grey vinyl and only available at shows. Ebay gold? Hell yes. In other news, vocalist Klas is becoming a father and will sit out this next tour. Guitarist Johannes will cover in his stead.
Convoj has posted two brand new songs on myspace for listening and download: http://www.myspace.com/convoj
The fact that these guys are currently unsigned is a damn shame.
Musique Machine reviews the reissue of Beyond Dawn's excellent "In reverie" EP: http://www.musiquemachine.com/reviews/reviews_template.php?id=740
Indieworkshop.com interviews Danish trio Family Underground: http://www.indieworkshop.com/interviews.php?id=122
"Deliberation" has been chosen as the second single from Katatonia's new album "The great cold distance". It will be officially released on May 15 and will include two exclusive tracks. The first is a stripped-down acoustic version of the song "In the white" and the second is an unreleased track from the "Cold distance" sessions entitled "Code against the code".
The first single from Powersolo's new upcoming album "Egg" will be for the song "Knucklehead". It's already receiving airplay on Danish radio and should be available soon as a paid download.
The good people at Pluxemburg report that Fibes, Oh Fibes! will have a new single in May with an album to follow in Septmeber. Label mainstay Pluxus is also working on new material for their fourth album and are currently in mixing mode. In other news, Japanese label Poplot recently released a Pluxus comp entitled "Plu Plux Plan" featuring a selection of 18 songs and two videos on a bonus DVD. Poplot has also licensed Andreas Tilliander's "World Industries" album and will be releasing it over there soon.
Recent Adrian Recordings signee Familjen will release his self-titled debut EP on April 25. Here's the tracklist:
01. Ivanhoe & Rebecca
02. Ja / Nej
03. Hon är fin
04. Hemmaplan
From the rumor mill: The Radio Dept. turned down an interview with Swedish tabloid Expressen saying that they don't like the paper and the journalist responded by threatening to blacklist their entire distribution company Border. Yep, not just their label Labrador, but the entire distro. True or not, that's some serious shit.
MP3: Namur - Vesper
As I said in last week's newsletter (sign up on the right!), this week is all about new music. I've gotten so much good stuff recently that there's no way for me to keep up if I stick to my usual 3x week posting schedule. I like rules and tradition, but sometimes you gotta break free, y'know? Lucky for you.
Today's mp3 comes from Namur, the musical alias of David Åhlén. I had never really paid much attention to his music before, but when he posted the song "Marching" from his new album "Songs from the Valley of Baca" I was blown away. The music takes the atmospheric shoegazer pop of Appleseed Cast's "Low level owl" and expands on it with a broader sonic palette. Whereas "Marching" has a driving beat and hypnotic looping riffs, this particular song I've posted is all about shimmering guitars and creating a mood. The album flows gently from one piece to the next, lulling you in and caressing your eardrums. It's dreamlike, but never boring (or sleep-inducing). Look for the record to be rereleased in Sweden later this month with the help of the Dotshop.se distro.
Namur - Vesper
The final mp3 from our week of Scandinavian folk comes from Hedningarna, the group responsible for getting me seriously interested in the genre. I can still remember the first time I heard them - a friend of mine who worked at a record store had picked up a copy of "Trä" on a whim and we were both blown away by how amazing and unique it sounded. The instruments are traditional, but they're amplified and distorted and far away from the stodgy, pristine production usually found on world music recordings. I was already fairly heavily interested in Scandinavian music at the time (this was around '97, if I remember right. I was probably just getting over my At the Gates infatuation.), but hearing Hedningarna took it to the next level. This live track that I've posted for you today is a great example of what the group is capable of. Wimme starts off the piece with a joik over a droning bass note. The piece builds and band gets louder and louder until the hurdy gurdy comes in takes things to a huge, buzzing climax. It's way more intense than what most post-rock bands are capable of.
Upcoming tourdates for Swedish post-rockers Ef:
04/06 - Sticky Fingers, Gothenburg (SWE)
05/18 - NBI, Berlin (GER)
05/19 - Koornbeurs, Delft (NL)
05/20 - ViRi Festival, Eindhoven (NL)
05/21 - Negasonic, Aalst (BEL)
05/22 - Carlo Levi, Liege (BEL)
05/23 - Club Keller, Frankfurt (GER)
05/24 - Az Conni, Dresden (GER)
05/25 - Béi Chéz Heinz, Hannover (GER)
05/26 - Asta Stube, Hamburg (GER)
05/27 - 1000fryd, Aalborg (DK)
08/07 - Formanova Festival, Fredricia (DK)
09/21 - The Grapes, Sheffield (UK)
09/22 - Catch 22, London (UK)
09/23 - Tap N Tin, Chatham (UK)