Finland's Wasted has some tentative European tourdates posted too: http://www.fireinsidemusic.com/ekeikat.htm
Magne from A-ha will be collaborating with Yusuf Islam aka Cat Stevens on a special super-group recording to benefit orphans of the tsunami disaster. This event marks Yusuf's first pop music recording since 1978! Read more: http://www.a-ha.com/frames/a-ha.php?cat=417
Here's this week's YLE/Morjen top 10 Nordic video chart:
01. Korpiklaani - Hunting song (FIN)
02. Pain - Same old song (SWE)
03. Bitch Alert - Latenight lullaby (FIN)
04. The Ark - One of us is gonna die young (SWE)
05. Gakko 3 - Club idiot saturday drive (FIN)
06. Silver - Angels calling (NOR)
07. Elin Lanto - I won't cry (SWE)
08. Jonna - Sateen jälkeen (FIN)
09. Neon - Liez (NOR)
10. The Soundtrack of Our Lives - Believe I've found (SWE)
Challengers:
11. LAB - When heaven gets dirty (FIN)
12. D'Sound - Do I need a reason (NOR)
13. Isolation Years - Nurse hands (SWE)
The V2 site has a stream of the new Kristofer Åström song "The good you bring": http://se.v2music.com/site/product.asp?ID=962
Here's this week's top 20 Swedish album chart:
01. Lars Winnerbäck - Vatten under broarna
02. Dark Tranquility - Character
03. The Ark - State of the Ark
04. Lena Philipsson - Det gör ont en stund på natten men inget på dan
05. Anna Ternheim - Somebody Outside
06. Fernandoz - Minnenas allé
07. Daniel Lindström - Daniel Lindström
08. Magnus Uggla - Den tatuerade generationen
09. Christian Walz - Paint by Numbers
10. Lasse Stefanz - Röd Chevrolet
11. Benny Anderssons Orkester - Bao!
12. Soundtrack of Our Lives - Origin vol. 1
13. Peter Jöback & Göteborgs symfoniker - Storybook
14. Uno Svenningsson - Ett andetag från dig
15. Melody Club - Face the Music
16. Totta Näslund - Totta 7: Soul!/På drift
17. Marie Fredriksson - The Change
18. Björn Afzelius & Mikael Wiehe - 1993 - Malmöinspelningarna
19. Arne Domnérus - Best of Dompan
20. Gyllene Tider - Finn 5 fel!
DJ Martian has the scoop on the 'Fresh Air at Fabric' one-day Norwegian music festial in London featuring performances by a wide range of artists including Annie, Magnet, Nils Petter Molvaer, Satyricon, Biosphere, WE and much more: http://djmartian.blogspot.com/2005_01_01_djmartian_archive.html#110677852973580507
Definitely something not to be missed.
A gatefold vinyl edition of "Long hard nights" from Swedish rockers The Deadbeats will be released in March via Bootleg Booze Records.
Swedish house artists Spånka nkpg will release their third album "The City of the Golden King" on April 6. The record features guest appearances from Moneybrother and Marit Bergman and the first single drops on February 9. The second single (feat. Marit) is already scheduled for a release one month later on March 9.
Some of Finland's best bands are getting together for the BaF aka "Boring as fuck" festival at Hima & Sali, Kaapelitehdas in Helsinki on February 11-12. Acts confirmed include Avarus, Kometa, Lowlife Rock'n'Roll Philosophers, Mother Goose, Mr Velcro Fastener, Niko Skorpio, Skepticism and The Verticals. More info: http://www.mediumminus.net/festival
Via Dagensskiva, here's the year's first top 20 Swedish student radio chart:
01. (NY) Håkan Hellström - "En midsommarnattsdröm"
02. (NY) Bugz In The Attic - "Booty La La"
03. (NY) Kasabian - "Processed Beats"
04. (NY) Deportees - "Champagne Eyes"
05. (NY) Doves - "Black and White Town"
06. (NY) Johnossi - "Man Must Dance"
07. (NY) M83 - "Don't Save Us From the Flames"
08. (20) Timbuktu - "Champagne Eyes"
09. (NY) Annie - "My Heartbeat"
10. (NY) Bloc Party - "So Here We Are"
11. (NY) Le Tigre - "TKO"
12. (NY) Orishas - "Naci Orishas"
13. (NY) Sage Francis - "Sea Lion"
14. (12) Acid House Kings - "This Heart is a Stone"
15. (NY) Moneybrother - "They're Building Walls Around Us"
16. (NY) The Radio Dept - "This Past Week"
17. (NY) Eminem - "Like Toy Soldiers"
18. (NY) Hello Kinski - "I've Seen You Around, What's Your Destination"
19. (NY) Mr Jones Machine - "Jaguar"
20. (10) The Chrysler - "Blue Gold"
The Daily Vault gives some love to Mando Diao: http://www.dailyvault.com/2005_01_27-ch.html
Darkane has announced that "Layers of Lies" will be the title of their new album, due out in May via Nuclear Blast.
Germany's Northern Silence Productions is working on putting together a Katatonia tribute album, focusing on the band's earlier, more traditional doom/death-metal era. The label says that numberous bands are already confirmed for project which is going under the working title "December songs". Other acts interested in participating are encouraged to contact them through their website: http://www.northern-silence.de/
I went and saw The Soundtrack of Our Lives last night and they were excellent, of course. They never fail to bring the rock and I suspect that time is running out for them to keep playing small, cozy venues in the US. Sadly, in typical San Francisco fashion, the crowd flat-out sucked. I know it was a Tuesday, but how can you sit idly by while Mattias busts out with a solo behind his head? I just don't get it.
In other TSOOL news, the "Big time" single is starting to get rolled out over here and the US website has links to all the places you can buy it online: http://www.thesoundtrackofourlives.net/
But in even better news, they'll be back again in March as promised. Dates listed so far:
03/11 - Cain's Ballroom, Tulsa, OK w/Robert Plant
03/12 - Blue Note, Columbia, MO
03/13 - Bricktown Events Center, Oklahoma City, OK w/Robert Plant
03/14 - Gypsy Ballroom, Dallas, TX w/Robert Plant
03/15 - Meridian, Houston, TX
03/17 - Austin Music Hall SXSW, Austin, TX
03/18 - The Parish @ House of Blues, New Orleans, LA
03/19 - Smith's Old Bar, Atlanta, GA
03/21 - 9:30 Club, Washington, DC
03/22 - Theater of the Living Arts, Philadelphia, PA
03/23 - Axis, Boston, MA
03/24 - Irving Plaza, New York, NY
03/25 - Hammerstein Ballroom, New York, NY w/Black Crowes
03/26 - Guvernment, Toronto
03/27 - Magic Stick, Detroit, MI
03/28 - Cabaret Metro, Chicago, IL
03/29 - Fine Line, Minneapolis, MN
03/30 - Bottleneck, Lawrence, KS
03/31 - Bluebird Theater, Denver, CO
04/02 - Avalon, Los Angeles, CA
04/03 - Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA
04/05 - El Corazon, Seattle, WA
04/06 - Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver