All About Jazz praises Elephant9
All About Jazz gives high marks to Elephant9's new album "Walk the Nile": http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=35810
Fredrik - Milo (video)
Fredrik have a new video for the track "Milo": http://vimeo.com/9786275
Ghost Society in the US
Danish act Ghost Society (feat. members from Blue Foundation, People Press Play, Choirs of Young Believers) will play a new shows in the US this month:
03/21 - Littlefield, Brooklyn, NY
03/23 - Union Pool, Brooklyn, NY
03/24 - LitLounge, Manhatttan, NY
03/25 - Sierra Grille Music, Northampton, MA
03/26 - Castle Rockmoore, Syracuse, NY
Presenting: Irrlicht
is a new label founded by Håkan Jonson and Erik Enocksson with a focus on putting out limited edition vinyl records and books. Their first release will be "Misantropi för nybörjare" ("Misanthropy for beginners") by Chicagojazzen (aka Erik Karlsson of Skellefteå, Sweden), an record they describe as "37 minutes worth of instrumental pop, neatly tucked into a bed of tape-hiss and crooked arrangements owing as much to Norwegian second wave black metal and American Eastcoast hiphop as to late '80s Brittish shoegaze." The official release date is April 30 and said LP will be available limited to 250 copies on 140g white vinyl. Release #2 will be "Den vita staden", a poem by Jessica Andersson with an expected release later this coming spring. More here: http://www.irrlicht.se/
Elias & the Wizzkids
Just do it!
Hybris
After releasing two stellar singles in 2009, Elias & the Wizzkids have returned with their second album, "Just do it!". They have changed their sound immensely since the early days, and said singles alluded to the band's new, finely honed pop sound and clean production as opposed to the alt-country leanings of their first record. I must say thought, it's quite enjoyable hearing Elias Åkesson's scratchy voice over the lush arrangements of this new set (see "Oh these nights" with it's anthemic chorus). However, the band doesn't fully forsake their old sound, they just consolidated it to the closing track "What would kill us". And it works so well, because each track recalls varying influences, and excels wholly on its own. The 80s-leaning opener "Waste of time", the 70s-pop-meets-Beatles aspect of "Crooked road" and the absolutely huge "Hit & run". But the underlying strength of each one makes this a much more cohesive set than this review may lead on -- the structure of the album is as impeccable as the songwriting and performance. It's hard not to gush (in the professional sense) over a great album, but when one hears it, it is the logical conclusion.
- Matt Giordano
Ludwig Bell - Jag är en idiot
Ludwig Bell (Dreamboy) is now streaming his debut solo single "Jag är en idiot" at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/ludwigbell
PlayRec signs Obstacles
has officially signed Danish instrumental/noiserock act Obstacles, a fact that shouldn't be too surprising if you read the label's "Top 10s for 2009" list. Look for them to release the band's debut full-length in August.
New old music from Insurgent Kid
Swedish hardcore act Insurgent Kid never managed to release the "Bad DNA" EP they recorded back in 2007, so they've posted the whole thing on myspace along with an unnamed and unreleased cover tune: http://www.myspace.com/insurgentkid
Metal Punk Bliss
Another mostly OT post, but again, totally worth checking out: Fenriz of Darkthrone has made another mix for Vice, this time featuring tracks from his vinyl collection for a mix he called "Metal Punk Bliss": http://www.viceland.com/music/2010/03/a-fist-in-the-face-of-god-fenriz-presents%E2%80%A6-trapped-under-vice-vol-iii/
Featured Scandinavian artists include Puke and Darkthrone ('natch!).
The Tarantula Waltz - Bacchus (live, feat. Nicke Andersson)
Check out a live video of The Tarantula Waltz playing their new single "Bacchus" with a guest appearance by Nicke Andersson (Hellacopters, Death Breath, Entombed, etc.): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jtkF6WbpEQ
Be sure to also peep the more/related for lots more clips from the record release show.
"Abyss in B minor" now streaming
is streaming Serena-Maneesh's entire new album "S-M 2: Abyss in B minor" at their website: http://4ad.com/news/stream-entire-re/
MP3: Kite - I give you the morning
Here is Kite covering "I give you morning", one of my all-time favorite ballads. Like a lot of people who read this site, I suspect we all first heard the song when Weeping Willows covered it, though of course it's been a longtime Swedish evergreen from way back when Fred Åkerström first did it på Svenska ("Jag ger dig min morgon") in 1972 on the album "Två tungor". And of course Håkan Hellström did it as well on his "visor" EP "Luften bor i mina steg". There's probably more versions out there, but let us not forget the original by Tom Paxton which I believe originally appeared on 1969's "The things I notice now" (and was rerecorded for 1982's "Even a gray day", an LP I have in my collection). Now, as far as ranking them goes, I consider the OG and WW versions to be my favorite, but this new one by Kite is pretty darn good, but even better: it's different. Reverence is for the weak; let's give it up for Kite's pulsating synth version!
Kite - I give you the morning
Telephone
Mostly OT, but still worth checking out: the new Jonas Åkerlund-directed Lady Gaga video is a mindblower: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQ95z6ywcBY
The Radio Dept. tour Europe
Are The Radio Dept. still a terrible live band? Find out on their upcoming tour:
05/08 - V-dala Nation @ Velvet, Uppsala (SWE)
05/13 - Herrgår'n, Linköping (SWE)
05/14 - KB, Malmö (SWE)
05/15 - Vega, Copenhagen (DK)
05/20 - Bush Hall, London (UK)
05/21 - The Legion @ Stag And Dagger Festival, London (UK)
05/22 - Debaser Medis, Stockholm (SWE)
05/27 - Siesta!, Hässleholm (SWE)
06/03 - Hana Bi, Ravenna (ITA)
06/04 - Circolo Degli Artisti, Rome (ITA)
06/05 - Spazio 211, Turin (ITA)
Phil Freeman interviews Hammerfall
Reprinted from Cleveland Scene, an interview with Hammerfall: http://runningthevoodoodown.blogspot.com/2010/03/this-week-in-cleveland_11.html