Norwegian female doom act Octavia Sperati on tour with Cradle of Filth in the UK:
12/01 - Guildhall, Southampton
12/02 - UEA, Norwich
12/03 - Forum, London
12/05 - University, Cardiff
12/06 - Academy, Birmingham
12/08 - Academy, Glasgow
12/09 - Academy, Newcastle
12/10 - University, Leeds
12/11 - Academy, Manchester
12/12 - Rock City, Nottingham
New US tourdates for Caesars:
7/09 - 99X Radio Show, Atlanta*
7/11 - North Star Bar, Philadelphia
7/12 - Paradise Rock Club, Boston
7/13 - 9:30 Club, Washington DC
7/14 - Southpaw, Brooklyn
7/15 - Zaphod Beeblebrox, Ottawa (CAN)*
7/16 - St. Andrews Hall, Detroit
7/17 - Double Door, Chicago
7/18 - Ascot Room @ The Quest, Minneapolis
7/20 - Bluebird Theater, Denver
7/21 - Lo-Fi Café, Salt Lake City
7/22 - Dante's, Portland
7/23 - Taste of Seattle (KBKS stage), Seattle*
7/24 - Slim's, San Francisco
7/25 - El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles
All dates with Golden Republic except for those with an *.
Swedish Burning Heart acts Randy and Millencolin will be teaming up with Americans Flogging Molly and The Unseen for the "Eastpak Antidote Tour" in late October. Dates:
10/31 - Academy, Glasgow (SCO)
11/01 - University, Leeds (UK)
11/02 - Astoria, London (UK)
11/04 - Academy, Birmingham (UK)
11/05 - Academy, Manchester (UK)
11/07 - AB, Brussels (BEL)
11/08 - 13, Tilburg (NL)
11/09 - Turbinenhalle, Oberhausen (GER)
11/10 - Le Bataclan, Paris (FRA)
11/11 - Le Transbourder, Lyon (FRA)
11/12 - Apollo, Barcelona (SPA)
11/15 - Xtra, Zurich (SWI)
11/16 - Gasometer, Vienna (AUS)
11/17 - Landshalle, Erlangen (GER)
11/18 - Messehalle, Trier (GER)
11/19 - Grosse Freiheit, Hamburg (GER)
11/20 - Trägårn, Gothenburg (SWE)
Tour site coming soon: http://www.antidotetour.com/
Check out the new video for "Dirty love" from Division of Laura Lee: http://www.burningheart.com/_lib/util/streamvideo.php?id=2061&s=hi
MIC Norway profiles Röyksopp as they prepare to launch their latest album "The understanding" on the US with an appearance at Irving Plaze in NYC on July 13: http://www.mic.no/mic.nsf/doc/art2005062114504950312199
Uncritical posts a track from Monster & Maskiner: http://extr.aneo.us/uncritical/2005/06/something-cold-something-new.html
A-ha will be back in the US on September 12 for their first live performance on these shores in twenty years. The band will be performing at Irving Plaza in NYC and more information should be coming soon.
PopMatters reviews the latest Millencolin album "Kingwood": http://popmatters.com/music/reviews/m/millencolin-kingwood.shtml
Not that I'm 100% original, but the new Laakso site looks kinda familiar: http://www.laakso.nu/
Musique Machine reviews the new Ulver record: http://www.musiquemachine.com/reviews/reviews_template.php?id=645
Personally, I'm not too excited about it. It definitely sounds killer, but the songs just aren't there. If this has come out around the time of the William Blake "Marriage of heaven and hell" album, I might've enjoyed it more, but today it just seems like a step backwards. Still, I can't ever fault Ulver for trying - they are one of the few acts today that's constantly reinventing themselves and experimenting with every new release. There's something to be said for that. UPDATE: Stylus takes it a step further and straight-up pans the album: http://www.stylusmagazine.com/review.php?ID=3122
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Swedish post-rock is on the rise. Bands like Logh and Audrey are already receiving international attention, but there's also plenty of worthy up-and-comers. Caterpillar Ghost is one of those bands. The group has been around for quite awhile it seems, but the new EP "My beautiful revolution" that just came out last month on Signature Tune in the UK is my first exposure to them. Their sound doesn't exactly stick to the epic soundscape blueprint of GYBE! and the like - instead, they dabble in other stylistic modes and choose to mix things up with creative off-kilter rhythms and weaving guitar lines. The song I've posted today covers all the bases and shows just how versatile these guys can be. It's also worth noting that CPG features one-quarter of the members from fellow Swedish post-rockers Jeniferever who I understand are currently recording their debut album at Tonteknik in Umeå. Either that, or they will be soon if they aren't already done. Anyhow, that's another name to potentially watch out for in this genre. Wait and see!
In case you didn't already notice, I've added part two of the good-times summer fun mix podcast. Be sure to check it out if haven't already.
Winners of the Virtues CD giveaway will be announced tomorrow. If you haven't already entered, please do so by clicking the banner up on the right.
Jens Lekman talks about some of the new songs he hopes to record this summer and also makes note of his rumored Snoop Dog guest appearance at Hultsfred: http://www.geocities.com/glovecompart/smalltalk.html