The mix of acoustic and electronica is more and more present, but rarely mastered. My Enemy try really hard at getting something going, but most of the times the two universes clash and don't work towards a common goal. While the melodies and the songs are really good, the instrumentation and arrangements work about half the time. Manitoba's "Up in flames" is within reach but they are not quite there yet.
- Simon Thibaudeau
I'd say that Swedish hip-hop had its commercial peak 6 years ago with the release of Petter's second album "Bananrepubliken", but it has yet to reach its creative zenith. The only two acts that really interest me anymore are Looptroop (who got a new album coming out soon) and, to some extent, Timbuktu who has been enjoying critical acclaim and large records sales since his second album "W.D.M.D.". It's been written a lot in the Swedish press about this latest offering from Timbuktu, and how the album is supposedly inspired by a car crash that Jason Diakité (Timbuktu's real name) miraculously survived, but the album hasn't got as good reviews as his last two. For once, the press is right – this album is not as good as Timbuktu's older material but still it contains some swinging tracks.
- Simon Tagestam
What do you get when you combine Steve Baise of the Devil Dogs and two members (Happy-Tom and Euroboy) of Turbonegro? ROCK. Pure, simple, unadulterated rock. This two-disc collection should not disappoint fans of either bands. The first disc covers the Vikings' catalog while the second disc is from a live set at Last Train in Oslo from 1995. Songs such as "My friend's little sister", "Rock all" and "Savage" sound like they should be in a jukebox at a bar somewhere. the band even manages to throw in a few covers as well (Cheap Trick's "Surrender" and the Dictators "Next big thing"). Good stuff.
- Navy Keophan
Being a fan of southern rock and blues (give me Govn't Mule over Arcade Fire any day) this somehow fits within my palette of likes. One of Tomas' most important qualities might be that he doesn't take himself too seriously, a dangerous trait of many bluesmen. Overall, the music just leaves me wanting more uptempo numbers and less straightforward whining. Still, a pretty decent release.
- Simon Thibaudeau
Today's mp3 is the brand new single from Existensminimum aka Magnus Henriksson, a man who's probably more familiar to a lot of people as the drummer for Moneybrother. Well, not only is he a great drummer, he's also a respected producer and burgeoning solo artist. This is the first single from his forthcoming as-yet-untitled and unfinished debut solo album. It's officially out today, just in time for his gig at Cirkus in Stockholm where he'll doing double-duty opening the show with Existensminimum and then headlining behind the kit with Moneybrother. Of course, the show is sold out already, but hey - there will be other opportunities in the future, I'm sure. Anyhow, check out the track - it's good stuff.
May's album of the month is "Is my head still on?", the debut full-length from Tiger Lou. Not only one of my favorite releases from 2004, but also some of my favorite people that I got to meet in Sweden. Check it out.
Also, don't forget to check out my interview with Peter Ahlqvist of Burning Heart Records. We talk a lot about the label's upcoming releases, among other fine topics: click here
Projekt Records has licensed Arcana's most recent album "Le serpent rouge" for release in the Americas.
Sudd will release the new album "Duets" from The Dweller aka Robin Björkman on May 11. A releasefest will be held at Pusterviksbaren in Göteborg the day before that on May 10. For a list of all the various duettants set to appear on said record, head on over to his new website: http://www.sudd.org/thedweller/
Hybris Records has announced that El Perro Del Mar's debut full-length album "Look! It's El Perro Del Mar!" will be released on May 18. Preorder info coming soon.
The Whyte Seeds are currently working on a new album with a trio of producers: Thomas Troelsen, Per Sunding and Nathan Larson.
Check out the video for "Babe" from Uncle's Institution: http://www.unclesinstitution.com/babevideo.mov
Kinda vaguely creepy, doncha think?
Download the new Svenska Akademien single "Du will så du kan" from right here: http://www.betraktaren.com/svenska_akademien/default.asp?sida=media&undersida=1
Download "We keep divided" from singer/songwriter Pekka Pörtfors: http://home.aland.net/m03536/island/we%20keep%20divided.mp3
The track comes from his upcoming album "La La La Lies" due out soon from Lawnchair Records.