Nortern Light Productions has uploaded four new tracks from Swedish hip-hop artist Palestine onto their website: http://www.nl-productions.com/
Soundtrack of our Lives bassist Kalle Gustafsson will be producing the next Melody Club record. The band plans to enter Kalle's Svenska Grammofon Studion in Göteborg in January.
Here's some excerpts from the tracklist to that long-awaited Dead Can Dance tribute coming out next year on Black Lotus Records:
Arcana - In The Wake Of Adversity
Hortus Anime (w/Liv Kristine Espenaes from Theatre of Tragedy) - Summoning Of The Muse
The Gathering - In Power We Entrust The Love Advocated
Nightfall - The Obiguitous Mr. Lovegrove
Green Carnation - Cantara
Ulver - In The Kingdom Of The Blind The One-Eyed Are Kings
Noekk (ex-Empyrium) - How Fortunate Is The Man With None
It's gonna two discs total and there's a totally diverse roster of artists on it, including non-Scandinavian artists like Anathema, Jarboe, Amber Asylum, Black Tape for a Blue Girl, Septic Flesh and more. Add another one to the list on anticipated albums coming next year...
My pal Jake over at Indieworkshop.com loves Your Halo is a Radar, just like I knew he would: http://www.indieworkshop.com/reviews/592/
Don't forget about that new Soundtrack of Our Lives Internet-only Christmas single over at tsool.net, the official fansite for the band.
Musique Machine reviews The Quill: http://www.musiquemachine.com/reviews/reviews_template.php?id=460
The first list of bands confirmed for next year's Decibel Festival are Astral Doors, Count Raven, Draconian, Pain Of Salvation, Persuader, Tad Morose, Vintersorg, Ablaze My Sorrow, Arise, Morifade, Notre Dame and Wolf. The event takes place May 21-22 in Bengtsfors, Sweden. More info: http://www.mfdecibel.com/
Original Hanoi Rocks guitarist Nasty Suicide will be rejoining his old bandmates for a New Year's Eve show at Caribia/994-Hall in Turku, Finland. This will be the first time he's played with the guys since the band originally broke up in 1984.
And speaking of those guys, here's a review of their most recent album "Twelve Shots on the Rocks" from DigitalMetal.com in anticipation of its upcoming US release.
Ragnarok's new album "Blackdoor Miracle" will be released February 20 on Regain Records. This marks the debut of new "demonic singer" Hoest (also in Taake) who replaced former vocalist Lord Arcamous. See cover art here.
Vintersorg has posted the lyrics to their upcoming album "The Focusing Blur" on their website. It comes out February 16 on Napalm Records.
New at Musique One Stop: pics of Action Biker, The Je Ne Sais Quoi, Fibes, Oh Fibes and Teenage Idols.
Denmark's North Post Records has a brand new website complete with flash streaming radio and some new mp3s to download. They also report that the new Complete album "All Systems Go" has been sent off to press and they are accepting preorders. They'll be touring Europe with fellow Danish hardcore band Lack beginning in April, as well as doing some local dates around mid-January. Details:
01/15 - Stengade 30, Copenhagen (DK)
01/16 - Konfus, Esbjerg (DK)
01/17 - tba (DK)
04/24 - Berlin (GER)
04/25 - Warszawa (POL)
04/26 - Vilnius (LIT)
04/27 - tba, (LIT)
04/28 - Riga (LAT)
04/29 - Talin (EST)
04/30 - Sct Petersborg (RUS)
05/01 - tba (FIN)
05/02 - tba (FIN)
05/03 - tba (FIN)
05/04 - tba (SWE)
05/05 - tba (SWE)
05/06 - tba (SWE)
Drum roll please! Here it is at last, the It's a trap! top 10 records of 2003...
10. Junior Senior - D-d-don't Stop the Beat (Crunchy Frog/Atlantic)
This record is 100% mindless entertainment and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, especially when it's done so well. For some reason, the geniuses behind the American version decided to tack on two bonus tracks and totally kill the way the album ends. I don't get it - it ruins the purpose of the fade out that runs back into the first song. Ridiculous.
09. Opeth - Damnation (Koch)
I've always been a big fan of Opeth's softer moments, so I eagerly anticipated the release of this record and was not let down at all. Besides being one of the better live shows I saw this year, this proves that the band can transcend the boundries of the metal genre into realms of prog and melodicism far beyond their peers. The fact that a number of my non-metal friends also consider this one of 2003's best proves it.
08. Kaizers Orchestra - Evig Pint (Broiler Farm)
Take the music of Tom Waits, add a dash of Sixteen Horsepower, throw in a heathy dose of Nordic/Eastern European folk, add some pump organ and metal percussion and you're just about there. The Kaizers manage to strike a great balance of huge pop hooks with a subtle dark and dangerous edge. Don't let the fact they sing in their native Norweigan tongue scare you off because you'd be missing out. I don't need to know what they're saying to know they're good.
07. The Knife - Deep Cuts (Rabid Records)
This is not your usual electropop. The brother/sister duo of Karin and Olof Dreijer use the same elements of others in the genre, but in the process they manage to craft something far more interesting and multifaceted. It may sound like simple dance music at first, but there is far, far more at work here. Karin's unique vocals may put you off at first, but trust me - they are just another part of what makes The Knife great. Give it time.
06. Isolation Years - It's Golden (MNW)
It took me all year to finally understand the qualities that make this record great. I decided to put this on during a drive through the pine forest while on vacation and suddenly it all made sense when combined with the scenery. Isolation Years is a great example of what I love about the Scandinavian scene, especially the bands from around Umeå. Their sound is so distinctive, yet I can't quite put my finger on it. I just know it when I hear it in their lyrics and melodies. So evocative.
05. José González - Veneer (Imperial Records)
This record was surrounded by so much hype I was ready to pan it just because of my contrary nature. But you know what? Sometimes there's tons of hype for a reason. Maybe not quite the second coming of Nick Drake like you may have been led to believe, but still damn good.
04. Moonbabies - The Orange Billboard (Chalksounds/Hidden Agenda)
I've said it before and I'll say it again - this is the pop record of the year. It's almost too flawless, it's so meticulously put together. If it doesn't grab you immediately, I'd check your pulse.
03. Beyond Dawn - Frysh (Peaceville)
Probably the only record this year from a band who followed up a previously great release (the amazingly titled "Electric Sulking Machine") with something even better, other than Logh (see #1). Beyond Dawn never ceases to amaze me as they grow and innovate. You can still hear traces of their doom metal past in their refined, modern sound, but they have moved into a realm beyond genres. Listen to their cover of Autopsy's "Severed Survival" and maybe you'll understand. It really is a crime how underappreciated this band is.
02. Carpet People - More Bad Weather Coming Out of the Rain (Chalksounds)
The perfect companion soundtrack for a long northern winter. The utterly fearless way they let the songs expose themselves by stripping down the instrumentation is stunning. So sparse, somber, striking and dark, but yet so starkly beautiful at the same time.
01. Logh - The Raging Sun (Bad Taste Records)
I can barely think of where to begin here, this album is just too good. Logh never ceases to amaze me with everything they do. Every release of theirs in another gem in their crown and I'm thoroughly convinced at this point that they can do no wrong. Another band who epitomizes what I love about Scandinavian music and whose sound conjures up images of cold Swedish landscapes.
Other notables/honorable mentions:
Cult of Luna - The Beyond & s/t reissue (Earache)
Crushing doom in the vein of Neurosis and Isis, but with a touch of something else that separates them from the rest of the imitators. Hopefully these guys will tour the US because I bet they kill live.
Shout Out Louds - Howl Howl Gaff Gaff (Bud Fox)
Broder Daniel - Cruel Town (Dolores)
These are two of the best Swedish indiepop records this year and I think I actually like the former a bit more than the latter. Broder Daniel has some better songs when taken on their own, but the Shout Out Louds made a better album. I was hoping the latest Bad Cash Quartet would rate too, but it was a huge disappointment.
Zyklon - Aeon (Candlelight)
Ex-Emperor guitarist Samoth proves he can move on and still make quality music. One of the few black-metal releases this year that really caught my interest. Either the scene is stagnant or I've lost interest, not sure.
Motorpsycho & Jaga Jazzist Horns - In the Fishtank (Konkurrent)
It's about time the rest of the world was exposed to these guys. I can do without that one awful funk track, but the rest of this is great stuff. Hopefully the increased international profile of this release will help them get their own music recognized and appreciated.
Randy - Welfare Problems (Burning Heart)
I don't listen to much punk-rock these days, but Randy always delivers. Looking forward to the US tour in February.
The Cardigans - Long Gone Before Daylight (Stockholm Records)
I was really put off by the mellow 70s vibe at first, but once I got over it I found out there were some pretty great songs here. Definitely not what I was expecting, but worth a second glance if you passed it over before.
Ricochets - Ghost of Our Love (White Jazz)
Tiger Lou - Trouble And Desire (Startracks)
Mustasch - Ratsafari (Majesty/Capitol)
Seven Feet Four - Departure/Arrival (Coalition)
Four solid releases from four very different acts. Nothing life changing here, but all still quite good and definitely worth investigating.
Jaga Jazzist - The Stix (Smalltown Supersound)
Supersilent - 6 (Rune Grammofon)
v/a - Money Will Ruin Everything 2xCD + Book (Rune Grammofon)
Norway is really a hotbed for experimental genre-expanding music right now and these three releases are a great place to start. You won't find that elusive "next big thing" here, just music that will make you think. Both Smalltown Supersound and Rune Grammofon are labels to keep an eye on.
US/non-scand records:
Kayo Dot - Choirs of the Eye (Tzadik)
If Radiohead played heavy music and had a far more orchestral bent, they might sound something like this. So amazingly intricate. I hear something new every time I put it on.
Khanate - Things Viral (Southern Lord)
Brutal doom that's so heavy it feels like the sky is going to collapse and suffocate you. Not for everyone, that's for sure.
Johnny Cash - Unearthed (Sony/American)
Merle Haggard - Like Never Before (Hag)
Two American icons of country music, both classic. Johnny Cash may have passed on this year, but his legacy is unbeatable. As for Hag, he's one of those rare artists who keeps getting better as he gets older. "Like Never Before" is his newest and it's full of the kind of wisdom and maturity that just can't be faked.