Jens Lekman will be heading to Indonesia and the Philippines for a few shows with Kings of Convenience:
03/27 - Sabuga, Bandung (IDN)
03/28 - Ritz Carlton Ballroom, Jakarta (IDN)
03/30 - Saguijo (Jens only), Manila (PHL)
03/31 - NBC Tent, Manila (PHL)
EP's Trailer Park will release the new full-length album "Scissors & knives" on April 12 via .
Swedish indie/punk/funk act The Je Ne Sais Quoi will release their new album "Transparent for you all" on April 5 via the band's own label and will only be available either as a digital download or vinyl. This will be the band's first recordings with new drummer Pontus Levahn (Tiger Lou, Torpedo, etc.) and you can hear a few sample tunes (and read more about it) at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/thejenesaisquoi
I posted it before back in late January, but now it appears to be confirmed: Finnish act Joensuu 1685 will support Wolf Parade on tour in Europe:
05/17 - Concorde 2, Brighton (UK)
05/18 - The Forum, London (UK)
05/19 - Glee Club, Birmingham (UK)
05/20 - Vicar Street, Dublin (IE)
05/21 - Club Academy, Manchester (UK)
05/22 - Tivoli De Helling, Utrecht (NL)
05/25 - Teatar Itd, Zagreb (HUN)
05/26 - Menza Pri Koritu, Lublijana (SLO)
05/27 - Salumeria della Musica, Milano (ITA)
05/31 - Noveau Casino, Paris (FRA)
Vanhelgd will be going into the studio on March 19 to record 10 songs for their sophomore album. Says the band, "Hopfully we will get a crappier sound than on our hifi nu-metal album Cult of Lazarus."
Nikola SarcevicMillencolin have written some very catchy skate punk songs during the 16 years they've been around, but unlike some of their contemporaries (e.g. NOFX) you can't give them any credit for much lyrical flare. Back in the day when CDs were all the rage it happened to me more than once that I bought a new Millencolin CD and reading the lyrics in the booklet on my way home totally killed all the excitement I'd built up in shop when buying the album. Usually I tried to ignore the lyrics when listening to the CD and most of the time it still sounded alright, but I couldn't completely ignore their crassness. This problem has only increased with the years and it really came to show when in 2004 Nikola Sarcevic released his first solo album "Lock-sport-krock" (with English lyrics, it very much sounded like an acoustic version of Millencolin). I liked a couple of songs on it, but the cheesy lyrics make it quite a hard listen. "Roll roll and flee" that was released two years later and was an improvement, so I'm a bit disappointed that Sarcevic now has decided to sing in Swedish on this, his third solo album ("Nikola & Fattiglapparna"). By having Swedish lyrics Sarcevic really puts them in the spotlight (if you're Swedish that is; if you're not, it probably has the opposite effect). Even though there are one or two good moments to be had on the album, most of it sounds like a poor man's Kristofer Åström with kindergarten-like lyrics and some terrible rhymes. I heard in an interview that Sarcevic wrote the lyrics first in English then translated them to Swedish which, to be honest, doesn't sound like such a great idea. It's a bit of a shame that the album is so dire, since Sarcevic's got a bit of knack for a melody and I kind of like his voice.
- Stefan Nilsson
Live music at PSL with an acoustic performance from Johan Borgert & Holy Madre: http://blogg.svt.se/psl/2010/03/08/musik-med-johan-borgert-holy-madre/
will be releasing the new Lama 12" single "Curses and broken glass" on April 19.
Absolut Noise has been going on and on about Du Pacque for years, but until I heard this song, nothing clicked. The difference? As Absolut Noise correctly points out, they've upped the intensity, both in terms of their performance and also sheer noise level. Perhaps I was blind to their potential before, but let it be known that I have been enlightened. I'm on the bandwagon; this is an act to keep an eye on.
Du Pacque - Walk straight
Here is the It's a Trap! listening group top 10 artists of the week, unique to our group:
01. The Radio Dept.
02. Beach House
03. Sambassadeur
04. Moto Boy
05. Jens Lekman
06. Håkan Hellström
07. Shout Out Louds
08. Jonathan Johansson
09. Yeasayer
10. Club 8
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/
MIC Norway lists the official showcases for all of the acts representing their country at SXSW: http://www.mic.no/mic.nsf/doc/art2010030914074657583886
Dusted reviews the new jj album "jj nº 3": http://dustedmagazine.com/reviews/5579
"Timothy's monster" has been selected as the one album Motorpsycho will perform in its entirety at this year's Øyafestivalen: http://www.oyafestivalen.com/pages/eng/593-motorpsychos_masterpiece_timothys_monster_to_be_played_at_oeya
PopMatters is so-so on the new Sambassadeur album "European": http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/121511-sambassadeur-european/
Direct link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Frzt-be_nI
I saw a preview of this clip about a month ago and was eager to post it, but was told to hold off until they were ready. Now, We Are the Storm are ready. This is the first taste of the band's new material, recorded live in an old theater in Uppsala, Sweden and it is killer. Now I'm eager to hear more.
