Indieworkshop reviews Swedish electronic/post-rock trio Midaircondo: http://indieworkshop.com/music/2287/
Check out the video for "Seer believer" from Norwegian melancholy rockers The White Birch: http://thewhitebirch.one.no/video/SeerBeliever900K.mov
Montt Mardié has posted the new single "Les tres bien la club" plus the b-side "Pardon, let's dance" for free download: http://www.monttmardie.com/
Sweden's Willowtree is now on myspace and has posted a few new tracks from their forthcoming album for preview: http://myspace.com/willowtreesthlm
Rounder, Nicolai Dunger's new US label, has posted the video for the single "Hunger": http://www.rounder.com/?id=artistVideo.php&musicalGroupId=7614
The latest top 20 Swedish student radio chart:
01. (04) Dub Sweden - "We're so loud"
02. (03) Arctic Monkeys - "When the sun goes down"
03. (16) Firefox AK - "Madame, Madame!"
04. (NY) Hard Fi - "Cash machine"
05. (NY) Danko Jones - "Baby hates me"
06. (NY) Depeche Mode - "Suffer well"
07. (ÅT) Maxïmo Park - "I want you to stay"
08. (06) Youngblood Brass Band - "Nuclear summer"
09. (02) Timo Räisänen - "Fear no darkness promised child"
10. (10) Architectures In Helsinki - "lt'5"
11. (01) Martha Wainwright - "Bloody mother f***ing a**hole"
12. (09) Sandy Mouche - "Spiderweb suit"
13. (14) SwingFly - "Something got me started"
14. (NY) The Concretes - "Chosen one"
15. (11) Cat Power - "The Greatest"
16. (05) We Are Scientists - "The great escape"
17. (08) Alf - "Manchester man"
18. (NY) Robyn - "Crash and burn girl"
19. (NY) Graham Coxon - "Standing on my own"
20. (NY) I'm From Barcelona - "We're From Barcelona"
Leaving the chart: Mylo, The Bravery, Tim Neu, Stars, Irene, Loney Dear, Hello Saferide and Sway.
Check out the new e-card/microsite promoting Norwegian hard-rockers WE: http://www.cosmicbikerrock.com/
The band's most recent album "Smugglers" keeps getting wider release in new territories all the time, with GAS on April 21 to be followed by Sweden on May 17. These guys are IAT approved - "Catch electrique", the first single from "Smugglers", was included on "It's a trap! reader's companion volume one".
Pitchfork reviews the self-titled album from half-Norwegian electronic duo Toy: http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/record-reviews/t/toy/toy.shtml
Norwegian label Duplicate Recordings has announced their plans for 2006. First up will be a new Beyond Dawn single/EP featuring a new version of The New Men's "Strange relief" remix from the "We're down with species of any kind" 2xLP along with a few unreleased b-sides and one brand new track. The previously announced 3xCD Beyond Dawn retrospective has now been scaled back to a more manageable 2xCD set - one disc of album tracks and one disc of unreleased gems. I'm definitely looking forward to that one as BD has long been one of my favorite bands. Also on the way is "Paralympik sessions" from Norwegian death-grind act Endwarfment which should ready soon along with new stuff from thrashers Warbastard and Infernö. Those latter two are planned for a 06.06.06 release, of course. There might also be a new 7" from Audiopain, but details are still being worked out.
Swedish blues-rockers Deltahead on tour in Scandinavia and the UK:
02/23 - Kägelbanan, Stockholm (SWE)(Release party)
02/24 - Klubb Idiot, Örebro (SWE)
02/25 - Lommaryds Pub, Lommaryd (SWE)
03/02 - Last Train, Oslo (NOR)
03/03 - Storan, Göteborg (SWE)
03/09 - Pitstop, Kolding (DK)
03/10 - Studenterhuset, Ålborg (DK)
03/11 - Stengade 30, K-hamn (DK)
03/15 - Smålands Nation, Lund (SWE)
03/16 - Gimle, Roskilde (DK)
03/17 - Förbraendningen, Albertslund (DK)
03/18 - Fabriken, Århus (DK)
03/25 - Kafé Deluxe, Växjö (SWE)
03/28 - The Social, Nottingham (UK)
03/29 - The Cluny, Newcastle (UK)
03/30 - The Gregorian Theatre, Stockton (UK)
03/31 - The Voodoo Bar, Manchester (UK)
04/01 - The Cockroach Club, Peterborough (UK)
04/02 - The Musician, Leicester (UK)
04/04 - Artrocker Club, London (UK)
04/05 - The Windmill, Brixton (UK) (tbc)
04/06 - The Spitz, London (UK)
Antenne/Cryptic Scenery
Split 7"
BSBTA
Here are two songs by two quirky songwriters that take immediacy in performance to a new level. Cryptic Scenery goes into a long number with acoustic guitars, some celestial keyboards and a soulful electric guitar solo and Christian H. Sotemann's own quirky voice. It ends with an infinite groove that unfortunately my turntable doesn't like. Antenne, on his side of things, starts his song like an airport announcement to get us in the mood of a voyage into the stratosphere with the help low-key singer Marie-Louise Munck. So very different in façade, these two songs totally make sense together on the same record. Great stuff.
- Simon Thibaudeau
The Idle Hands
Let's celebrate a new time
self-released
I believe there are two bands called The Idle Hands at the moment, one American and one Swedish. It'll be interesting to see who will get to keep the name. These guys (the Swedish ones, of course) sound, in places, a bit like a MOR version of Last Days of April in their most melodic mood. Most of the time it's too cheesy and 80s sounding for me though, and it's also way too polished for my taste. I guess there are people out there who really enjoy this sort of stuff. So, good luck to The Idle Hands in finding those fans (and keeping their name).
- Simon Tagestam
Glasson
s/t
self-released
Who's in the band Glasson? Where are they from? I have no idea, but I'm OK with that. In this era of everyone having a Myspace page for his or her 47 side projects, it's refreshing to be listening to a band about whom I know absolutely nothing. It adds some intrigue. Anyway, about half of this demo EP consists of mid-tempo rock which is mostly forgettable. The singer has a rather distinctive voice which sounds a bit awkward on the mid-tempo songs. The other half, happily, dips into Nuggets-style 60s garage with gleeful abandon. Take opener "Alpha male," for instance. Over a fast riff the singer exclaims, "I am the alpha male! Hip-hip-hip-hip-hooray!" while the other band members shout some falsetto "whoo hoos" and the drummer tries to keep up. Maybe Glasson will stick to the garage-rock angle and stay in the shadows. We need more Strangeloves and ? and the Mysterians these days.
- Matthew W. Smith
Gravel Control
The whylight zone
Apartment Records
Sometimes I don't understand why bands do certain things. On this 7" Gravel Control tries to keep things as raw as possible but totally destroys any kind of enjoyment I might have. While the songwriting and the mood on these four slow rockers appeal to me (they sound like a cross between a doom-metal band and the slower, early Sonic Youth numbers) the way they are packaged is atrocious. By that I mean that the guitars are out of tune and there are mistakes everywhere. I don't mind No-Wave (I actually enjoy quite a bit of it) but Gravel Control don't fit in that scene at all.
- Simon Thibaudeau
Radio LXMBRG
s/t
HaHa Fonogram
This is one of the most impressive debut records I've heard lately because it breaks the usual first-album trend of having weaker filler songs to round out a few good singles. Start to finish, Radio LXMBRG kept up my interest with catchy, well-constructed pop songs. The Swedish six-piece glides with ease from dark indie pop to Saint Etienne-style lounge to synth-heavy pop that nods to early 80s New Wave. Even better, the band has three lead singers who veer off in radically different directions. Lisa Holmqvist's low, sultry voice adds an element of mystery to the Portishead-esque "Teach me how to say goodbye." "John the Baptist" sounds like a blend of The Cardigans' Magnus Sveningsson in his guise as Righteous Boy and Taco, of "Puttin' on the ritz" remake fame (or infamy). That might sound scary, but it adds the just the right edge to the cinematic "It's cruel up north". And then there's the smoother Sebastian Castro, who sings lead on the club-worthy, soulful "Under starry skies". Already out in Sweden and soon to be released in Norway and Denmark, Radio LXMBRG deserve a wider audience. Hopefully other international labels will license this one soon.
- Matthew W. Smith