Daniel Cirera has posted his cover of "Basket case" by Green Day on his myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/danielcirera
Todd Youth's Heartaches is the name of a new international supergroup featuring Todd Youth (ex-Murphy's Law, D-Generation, Danzig) backed by Sami Yaffa (ex-Hanoi Rocks, Jetboy, now with New York Dolls) and Danny Young (ex-Gluecifer). The band will begin recording their debut album in LA later this month, tentatively due out early 2006 via Acetate Records. Check out some early demo tracks: http://www.myspace.com/toddyouthsheartaches
The webzine Only Angels Have Wings interviews Amandine: http://onlyangels.free.fr/interviews/a/amandine.htm
The Tofu Hut returns from the dark with a huge post on The Ark: http://tofuhut.blogspot.com/2005/12/one-commonly-raised-problem-is-how.html
You might also want to check with hotstuff.se instead of Amazon if you're looking to order an import of their record.
Stylus declares the latest from Finland's Es to their album of the week: http://www.stylusmagazine.com/review.php?ID=3604
Pitchfork names Love is All to be the first 2006 release qualified for their hallowed 'best new music' tag: http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/record-reviews/l/love-is-all/nine-times-that-same-song.shtml
MIC Norway on this year's By:Larm roster: http://www.mic.no/mic.nsf/doc/art2005120211124691198443
Finnish music blog Lupatarkastaja posts his top 25 records for 2005: http://lupatarkastaja.samizdat.info/category/10/top-25-2005/
Plenty of interesting Finnish selections, as to be expected. Also, I'm happy to see The Grand Opening's IAT.MP3 release made the list at #9. Nice!
The most recent Hellacopters album "Rock n' roll is dead" will finally get a US/North American release on January 24 via Century Media subsidiary Liquor & Poker Music. The American version of said CD will include two exclusive bonus tracks and all the videos for the singles. Now howabout a tour, eh?
Opeth's most recent album "Ghost revelries" will be reissued with the addition of three tracks from the band's recent BBC session. The songs are as follows: "The grand conjuration", "When" and "Soldier of fortune" which is originally by Deep Purple.
Speaking of Opeth, here's some updated tourdates:
12/06 - Locomotive, Paris (FRA)
12/07 - Ramier, Toulouse (FRA)
12/08 - Sala Jam, Bergara (SPA)
12/09 - Arena, Madrid (SPA)
12/10 - Apolo, Barcelona (SPA)
12/11 - Le Transbourder, Lyon (SPA)
12/13 - Rolling Stone, Milan (ITA)
12/14 - Flog, Florence (ITA)
12/15 - Abart, Zurich (SWI)
12/16 - New Backstage, Munich (GER)
12/17 - Szene Wien, Vienna (CH)
12/18 - Petofi Hall, Budapest (HUN)
12/19 - Roxy, Prague (CZR)
12/20 - Halle 2, Hanau (GER)
12/21 - Die Röhre, Stuttgart (GER)
12/22 - Boerderij, Zoetermeer (NL)
03/27 - Ydrogeios Club , Thessaloniki (GRE)
03/28 - Club 22 , Athens (GRE)
03/29 - Kemanci Izmir, Istanbul (TUR)
03/30 - Yeni Melek, Izmir (TUR)
04/01 - Theatre Club, Tel Aviv (ISR)
04/20 - Loout, Perth (AUS)
04/21 - The Barton Theatre, Adelaide (AUS)
04/23 - The Forum, Melbourne (AUS)
04/24 - The Forum, Melbourne (AUS)
04/25 - Big Top/Luna Park, Sydney (AUS)
04/27 - The Arena, Brisbane (AUS)
04/29 - St James Theatre, Auckland (NZ)
This week's top artists for the It's a trap! Last.fm/Audioscrobbler listening group:
01. Belle and Sebastian
02. Franz Ferdinand
03. José González
04. Architecture in Helsinki
05. The Postal Service
06. Håkan Hellström
07. Broken Social Scene
08. Kent
09. Coldplay
10. Death Cab for Cutie
Top tracks:
01. The Postal Service - Such Great Heights
02. Thastrom - Fanfanfan
03. The Postal Service - Sleeping In
04. The Embassy - Information
05. The Embassy - It Pays To Belong
06. Christian Kjellvander - Drunken Hands
07. The Embassy - Stage Persona
08. Wolf Parade - Grounds for Divorce
09. The Embassy - Lurking (With A Distance)
10. The Embassy - Time's Tight
Want to see your favorites listed here? Join us! Go here to learn more: http://www.last.fm/help/