MP3: Disco Ensemble - White flag for peace

Direct link: http://vimeo.com/9760261

I've long considered Disco Ensemble to be a bit too mainstream/polished for my tastes as far as punkrock goes, but I do dig this new single, especially the stuff with the octave pedal hammer-ons. And the rhythm section sounds remarkably burly too, a trait I can always appreciate. So yeah, no disrespect intended, but consider me pleasantly surprised. Even better to see it paired with an interesting video as directed by boss Sami Sänpäkkilä. Lots of great, awkward closeups and good movement. Not so sure I get the "plot" with the architect as played by Tero Jartti, but whatever -- it's still 1000x better than most of the schlock I see on a daily basis and it never overwhelms the performance shots. Also, if you want to know more, you can soak up the full technical details over at Sami's blog; yet another welcome attribute to said single/song/video.

Disco Ensemble - White flag for peace

The Silent Ballet reviews Bjørn Svin

The Silent Ballet reviews Danish electronic artist Bjørn Svin: http://thesilentballet.com/dnn/Home/tabid/36/ctl/Details/mid/384/ItemID/3189/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. Beach House
02. The Radio Dept.
03. Loney, Dear
04. Shout Out Louds
05. jj
06. Moto Boy
07. Håkan Hellström
08. Yeasayer
09. David & the Citizens
10. Efterklang

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/

Svensk Punkgala details

Remember this? The Swedish old-school punk gala set for April 1-3? More details are now confirmed, including a schedule for who's playing what days: http://event.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=events.detail&eventID=525296.18196

New Murder album coming in October

Danish duo Murder have announced that their forthcoming album "Gospel of man", their third overall, will be out in October.

CMI to release new IRM album in late March

will release the new IRM album "Order4" on March 31. Says the label: "Comprised by four tracks, each exactly 15 minutes in length we are thrown into a vortex of feedback, cymbaldrones, heavy bass-strumming, nightmarish pianotinkles and irreproachable synthwork." Sample at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/thesoulcleaner

Agent Side Grinder to tour in May

The excellent Swedish industrial act Agent Side Grinder will be playing a few European dates in May:

05/01 - OCCII, Amsterdam (NL)
05/03 - LiWi, Leipzig (GER)
05/06 - Pipeline Bar, London (UK)
05/07 - Le Klub, Paris (FRA)
05/08 - La Peniche, Lille (FRA)
05/18 - Debaser, Slussen (SWE)

More dates TBA.

Early Ane Brun albums to get American release, more

Ane Brun's albums "Spending time with Morgan", "Duets" and "Live in Scandinavia" will be released digitally in North America on April 27 via Amazon and elsewhere on May 4. She's also lined up a couple solo dates to promote them:

05/08 - Largo, Los Angeles, CA
05/10 - Bowery Ballroom, NYC, NY

He is the working class

Darkthrone, black metal and class war as discussed by 138 aka Christoffer Jonsson in Aftonbladet: http://www.aftonbladet.se/kultur/article6704030.ab (in Swedish)

Daytripping: Peter Bjorn and John

Check out Peter Bjorn and John performing for Pitchfork.tv's "Daytripping" program: http://pitchfork.com/tv/#/episode/1821-peter-bjorn-and-john/1

Casablanca - The juggler (live acoustic)

Watch Swedish rockers Casablanca perform an acoustic version of their song "The juggler": http://www.press2play.tv/rekommenderat/15/exklusivt-casablanca-live-the-juggler

The Göteborg String Theory/Jaw Lesson - Rats and rifles (video)

The Göteborg String Theory have posted a studio video of them performing the song "Rats and rifles" with Jaw Lesson (nee Hajen) taking lead vocals: http://www.tgst.org/

The Je Ne Sais Quoi - Bye bye pianotie (video)

Check out The Je Ne Sais Quoi's brand new video for "Bye bye pianotie": http://www.tjnsq.net/pianotie/

Behind "A voice from dead radio"

Jasper TX discusses the process behind putting together his new odds'n'ends + remix collection "A voice from a dead radio": http://www.underthespire.co.uk/2010/03/a-few-words-from-mr-dag-rosenqvist/

Eardrums to release new comp, offer preview

The Eardrums blog will be putting out a new comp in April called "Between two waves" featuring a collection of collaboration tracks, all exclusive to the release except for one. The tracklist has not been revealed yet, but the first sample is now online and it features Sweden's Cake On Cake mixing it up with Amercian Jacob Borshard. Read more and check it out: http://www.eardrumspop.com/2010/03/13/soon-friends-soon-and-a-little-preview/