Håkan Lidbo presents grf_rmibht9 (audio + video)

Håkan Lidbo's new DVD album "grf_rmibht9" was created as a project with students from the Berghs School Of Communication in Stockholm in which each pupil was assigned to create a visual representation for a track created by Lidbo. The end result is a set of songs, all in the same tempo and key, all with individual videos and all easily layered on top of one another. Check it out and play around: http://hakanlidbo.com/archives/1418
Makes me wish I had a bigger monitor.

Casiokids interview at PopMatters

PopMatters sits down to do 20 questions with Norwegian indie/pop act Casiokids: http://www.popmatters.com/pm/post/126344-20-questions-casiokids

The Silent Ballet recommends Chicagojazzen

The Silent Ballet reviews the intriguing Swedish artist Chicagojazzen: http://thesilentballet.com/dnn/Home/tabid/36/ctl/Details/mid/384/ItemID/3425/Default.aspx

This week's Last.fm chart

Here is the It's a Trap! listening group top 10 artists of the week, unique to our group:

01. Robyn
02. Familjen
03. Oskar Linnros
04. The Drums
05. Jens Lekman
06. Efterklang
07. The National
08. Shout Out Louds
09. Dungen
10. Bob Hund

Do you listen to music on your computer or with an iPod? Please join us and make your playlist count! Go here to learn more: http://www.last.fm/help/

Chick-e-Chack - Det är nog idag

are giving away a new single from GBG-based powerpop act Chick-e-Chack: http://www.butisitart.org/

New Fatboy album gets release date

Fatboy's upcoming third album "Overdrive", their first under new label , will be released on October 6.

New Raunchy album confirmed

Raunchy's new album "A discord electric" is confirmed for release on September 20. Various guests are said to appear on the recording, including fellow Danes Dúné on the track "Big truth".

Ps. Lycka till ikväll, the Håkan Hellström book

The Håkan Hellström book "Ps. Lycka till ikväll" will be released on September 23 and will include lots of never-before-seen pictures from his childhood to present along with reminiscences from both himself and fans, among other things.

Thomas Denver soon to be I'm Kingfisher

Swedish troubadour Thomas Denver Jonsson has passed along word that after his show in Fensbol, Sweden on July 4 he will be changing his stage name to I'm Kingfisher. Same songs, same style, and so on, he says, just a new name and yes, I do believe his new album "Arctic" will be released with the new moniker.

MP3: Brutus - Solution

Warmth and sunshine has finally arrived in the PacNW. That means it's time to put all my best feel-bad music (Okkultokrati, Haust) on the backburner and bust out some classic 70s-style heaviness. As always, delivers the goods, so here's a track from a recent release of theirs: the self-titled debut of Swedish/Norwegian bruisers Brutus. Don't expect any curveballs with this one, it's a straight-up blues jammer with big choruses, plenty of swing and a refreshing lack of pointless psychedelic interludes. When done right, as Brutus does, this sort of thing never gets old.

Brutus - Solution

This Is Head - 0011 (+ VED rmx)

are giving away the This Is Head track "0011" as a free download along with a remix by fellow Malmö artists VED: http://www.adrianrecordings.com/default.asp?newsid=275

20jazzfunkgreats on Agent Side Grinder

20jazzfunkgreats gets hip to Agent Side Grinder: http://www.20jazzfunkgreats.co.uk/wordpress/2010/06/14/the-night-of-the-replicants/

A-ha - Butterfly, butterfly (the last hurrah)

A-ha's new (final?) single "Butterfly, butterfly (the last hurrah)" is posted for preview: http://www.warnerwall.no/h%C3%B8r-den-nye-singelen-til-a-ha/
The track will be available as a paid download on July 5 and will also be included on "25", the band's best-of compilation to be released on July 19.

Watain - Bathory tribute (live video)

Might as well keep on posting more videos, especially since I'm stumbling across a lot of good ones. This is Watain performing a tribute to Swedish metal legends Bathory from Sweden Rock Fest this past weekend. Quorthon's father Börje "Boss" Forsberg gives the intro speech. As the poster of the clip says, "the picture is a bit shitty in the beginning and starts working after the song starts for some unknown reason. Sound is ok." Wish I could've been there!
Direct link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdTHFe6-qg8

Heavy metal crafts

Don't try this at home kids!