"Our astral circle" LP preorder now available
The vinyl edition of Moloken's excellent "Our astral circle" album is now available for preorder from : http://www.discouragedrecords.com/shop
Iron Lamb ready to record
Iron Lamb will be going into the studio on Friday with Bobbi Rokk to begin recording their debut full-length. "Expect the worse (sic)" they say, sarcastically I'd imagine, but I'm not so sure I doubt it. Listen to a newly-posted 7" track at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/ironlambofficial
The Kissaway Trail
Live @ Popadelica, Huskvarna 05/01/2010
I've been a bit lazy for a while now when it comes to digging up some new cool music. You know how it is, you have your good ol' playlists on Spotify or iTunes and you tend to stick to those on sheer laziness. In a sense one can say I'm still very much stuck in 2003 when it comes to "new" music. With one exception -- "The funeral" by Arcade Fire. That's 2005. Now, five years later, thanks to good friends who force-feeds me new playlists, I'm having a "The Funeral" flashback. Or rather, a "The Funeral"-goes-2010-tantrum. The band in question is The Kissaway Trail, a couple of really cool Danes. With their second record, "Sleep mountain", the wheels are really turning for Thomas L. Fagerlund and his crew. The heat is already building in the UK and overseas, The Kissaway Trail has already made a number of prestigious shows in prestigious venues. The question is, will this show count as one of those? The answer is... no. Get me right here, The Kissaway Trail is an awesome band, with awesome songs, and the show is marvelous, but this just ain't the perfect conditions. They are a club act; they need a tight space with lots of sweat and the fumes of alcohol, preferably late at night. At Popadelica they play a bit too early, the sun is still up and more importantly, the people are still missing. The right atmosphere just ain't there. Nonetheless, The Kissaway Trail still puts on an impressive performance; these guys will be around for a long time. I just hope the next time I see them it's in a more suitable venue.
- Christian Stenbacke
Sweatmaster back with "Turnover"
Finnish rockers Sweatmaster are finally back with a new single called "Turnover" which is now airing on Finnish radio and will be released on 7" in the near future with "15 years", a leftover from the "Animal" sessions, tacked on as a b-side. Listen to both at their website: http://www.sweatmaster.net/news/turnover
Musik med Tobias Fröberg (igen)
Tobias Fröberg returns to PSL once again to play live: http://blogg.svt.se/psl/2010/05/03/musik-med-tobias-froberg-3/
Fatboy signs with Family Tree
Swedish rockabilly act Fatboy has signed with for the release of their third album, due out this fall.
We are the Storm
Live @ Popadelica, Huskvarna 05/01/2010
"The really good songs tends to write themselves," singer and guitarist Staffan Blomén declared as we sat down for a chat a couple of hours before We are the Storm played at this year's rendition of the Popadelica Festival in Huskvarna, Sweden. We were of course talking about the smashing "I woke up to the bells", which surfaced as a live video a while back. The song is simply breathtaking, so simple and yet so direct. Can you believe this band is still unsigned? They won't be for long, take my word for it. Listening to the songs on the eponymous EP the band released last year got me thinking about Fireside still on their best, or a rougher version of Britain's Athlete. While I was under the impression that the music of We are the Storm was all about dealing with all those not-so-good-feelings we all get from time to time, Blomén explained it was quite the opposite. We are the Storm are all about letting out all that which can't be kept within, no matter the feelings. A fact very clear when the band finally hits the stage - The Seven Nation Army, seven people crowded in a very limited space, performing like their lives depended on it. Let me say this again: We are the Storm are still not signed to any label (it's crazy, I know)! They still lack some experience when it comes to playing live, yes, but the songs! This short 30 min set features only new songs, songs that hopefully will be recorded sometime this summer, and even though "I woke up to the bells" is still the strongest song by far, I sense great potential in these lads from Uppsala. Sure, they need to work on their performance, but with a few more shows in the bloodstream I'm sure they will figure out how to get a good flow going. Because here's the thing, when they're actually playing music, they are amazing! Record labels, get it touch. Now.
- Christian Stenbacke
Desert Planet 10th anniversary tour
Desert Planet will be touring Germany in June to celebrate their 10th anniversary:
06/08 - West Germany, Berlin
06/09 - Club Stadtmitte, Karlsruhe
06/10 - Rote Sonne, München
06/11 - Radio freeFM (LIVE STREAM radio-show), Ulm
06/12 - Karlstorbahnhof, Heidelberg
06/14 - Waldbühne (Open-air Concert), Castrop-Rauxel
06/15 - Kanal21 (tv-show), Bielefeld
06/17 - Kulturzentrum Schlachthof, Bremen
06/18 - Kühlhaus, Flensburg
06/19 - Alternative Treibsand, Lübeck
The Finnish bit-poppers will also be releasing the new compilation album "Extra ball" on May 28 via in GAS and later on at home via .
Parken - Ser du stjärnan i det grå
Preview Parken's new single "Ser du stjärnan i det grå", due out May 12 via : http://soundcloud.com/florafauna/parken-ser-du-stjarnan-i-det-gra
Parken's sophomore album "Framtiden var här" will follow on October 6.
Ja Ja Ja showcase at The Great Escape, more
Ja Ja Ja will be throwing a special Nordic showcase on May 14 for the occasion of London's Great Escape Festival featuring Susanne Sundfør, Jaakko & Jay and For a Minor Reflection. More details: http://www.jajajamusic.com/news.php?id=33
Other Scandinavian acts performing at this year's festival include Choir Of Young Believers, Erik Hassle, Simon Says No!, Ingrid Olava, Joensuu 1685, Megaphonic Thrift, Seabear, Vuk and possibly others, but I can't tell because their website is a piece of shit.
What is MIC Norway?
In case you've ever wondered what exactly MIC Norway is and does, they've just posted an article that spells it all out in a very clear and concise manner: http://www.listento.no/mic.nsf/doc/art2010050414171536379949
PopMatters reviews Captian Cougar
PopMatters reviews folksy Finnish act Captain Cougar: http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/124401-captain-cougar-of-dreams-long-gone
New Euro dates for Jens Lekman
Jens Lekman has lined up a new set of European tourdates:
08/01 - Whelans, Dublin (IRL)
08/03 - Union Chapel, London (UK)
08/04 - Nouveau Casino, Paris (FRA)
08/05 - Paradiso, Amsterdam (NL)
08/07 - Strand, Stockholm (SWE)
08/09 - Vega, Copenhagen (DK)
08/10 - Kunst, Hamburg (GER)
08/11 - Lido, Berlin (GER)
08/13 - Way Out West, Göteborg (SWE)
Lydia Laska - Nervous
Norwegian black-metal-pop act Lydia Laska are now streaming their new single "Nervous" at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/lydialaska
Look for their debut full-length "Krankenhaus" to be released in August via .