Tapes, the solo project of Tigerbombs organist Sepe, now has a website: http://www.musaa.org/tapes
Go there for more info on the project and the upcoming album and download a couple sample clips.
The Daily Vault reviews the latest from Norwegian rockers Mohammed: http://www.dailyvault.com/2005_11_01-ch.html
After what seemed like an eternity of starts and stops, it's finally here. The deubt self-titled album from The End Will Be Kicks is finished and it's a monster. This has been my most anticipated release for a loooong time and I'm happy to report that it doesn't disappoint in the slightest. As mentioned before numerous times, TEWBK is the new project of ex Him Kerosene frontman Niklas Quintana and drummer Tomas Turunen. The sound is still steeped in the trademarks of Norrland heavy indie rock - noisy guitars and thick, dissonant melodies - but twisted in a way that is unique and new. Just listen to the guitar bzzzz and hum on the opening - that's hardly a riff, that's a swarm of locusts ready to attack. And then the chorus hits and the whole thing opens up like a flower to reveal something even more beautiful. As great as this record is, it's also bittersweet because it's the end of the line for Chalksounds Records. It's wonderful to wrap things up on such a high note, but the current record biz climate is just too much for most indies to take. It's one thing to put out a few records as a hobby, but if you need to rely on that income, chances are it ain't gonna be easy. But let's not get off track here! Listen to the song!
In a few hours I will be picking up the keys to my new house. Hooray for home ownership! Please check the contact page for my new mailing address.
Hybris will put out a much-anticipated new EP from El Perro Del Mar called "You gotta give to get" in mid-November. Also on the way from Hybris is Montt Mardié's debut album "Drama". More details coming soon.
The new Monastir album "Good things never last" will finally be released on November 16 via A West Side Fabrication. The new single "So defeated" will be sent to radio shortly. In other AWSF news, look for new albums from both Boy Omega and Björn Norestig early next year.
Tentative tracklist details for the upcoming Soundtrack of Our Lives b-sides/rarities collection "A present from the past": http://tsool.net/temp/apresent.htm
The new record from The Sounds will be called "Dying to say this to you" and was recorded with Jeff Saltzman (The Killers). Look for tracks to be posted on myspace page soon. In other news, the band will be doing Last Call with Carson Daly on November in addition to the aforementioed SF show on November 10 at Popscene and dates in LA and NYC tbc. They will also play a one-off gig in London at Club Metro on November 29.
Smalltown Supersound has signed renown Norwegian producer/artist Bjørn Torske and will be releasing a new 12" called "Ny Lugg (kort bak/lang på siden)" in February.
Download a new song from Swedish grind act Regurgitate: http://www.regurgitate.net/empes/RGTE-2005-Abducens_Eminence.mp3
Pay Per Bag Records has posted some details on their new releases: http://www.streetzone.com/ppb/
Swedish industrial/EBM act Run Level Zero will be touring the US in January:
01/12 - What's up Lounge!, Mankato, MN
01/13 - Triple Rock, Minneapolis, MN
01/14 - Inferno, Madison, WI
01/15 - Club Anything, Milwaukee, WI
01/17 - Phantasy, Cleveland, OH
01/19 - Alchemy at Nation, Washington, DC
01/20 - Fusion, Philadelphia, PA
01/21 - Albion, New York City, NY
01/22 - Kommencement @ SONAR, Baltimore, MD
01/24 - Radio Radio, Indianapolis, IN
01/25 - Creepy Crawl, St. Louis, MO
01/26 - Club Shattered, Columbia, MO
01/27 - Mike's Tavern, Kansas City, MO
01/28 - Vaudeville Mews, Des Moines, IA
01/29 - The Depot, Faribault, MN
Download a new one-track EP from It DOES Matter, a new drone-pop collaboration between Johan Gustavsson (Tsukimono, Scraps of Tape) and Jonas Lindgren (Dead+Hurt): http://www.archive.org/audio/audio-details-db.php?collection=opensource_audio&collectionid=it_does_matter-i_used_to_hear_you_laugh_through_this_wall
Stylus recounts some of the scariest Halloween music ever, which of course includes a couple choice Norwegian black-metal titles: http://www.stylusmagazine.com/feature.php?ID=1930
Denmark's Figurines have posted pics from their recent European tour: http://www.figurines.dk/gallery.php