Got the new Regulations LP "To be me" in the mail yesterday and it's pretty sweet, just like I expected. The bonus "Live radio EP" 7" that I picked up along with it is pretty damn good too, perhaps even a bit moreso than I anticipated. Regulations continue to deliver solid, tightly wound punk rock as always and once again they pull off the magic trick of sounding timeless. Classic sounds made fresh; it's a rare feat, especially when talking about a blueprint that was more or less codified and set in stone back in 80s. Whatever, here we are decades later and these dudes are nailing it. Witness "Baghdad beach party" with its ringing two-note melody and sardonic lyrics -- that's all you need.
Paper will be putting out "Before that day" as a new single to coincide with the re-release of their album "An object" on vinyl via . The official release date is February 4 for radio, March 1 elsewhere. Not sure if there will be a 7" version or what, but I'll keep you posted.
Issue #12 of email newsletter/mag The Swede Beat is now online: http://www.theswedebeat.com/magazine/nordic-night/
Featured artists include Stockholm Beat Connection, Dmitry Fyodorov and Jesper Waldersten.
Nö Music has the lowdown on this year's nominees for the Norwegian Statoil artist stipend: http://www.nomusicmedia.com/2010/01/30/nominees-for-statoil-funding-announced/
Also worth noting: a number of bands have refused to participate including hyped up-and-comers Kråkesølv, citing Statoil's offshore drilling near Lofoten as reason to protest.
will release the self-titled debut EP from No Blood in Bones on March 15, both on vinyl and digital. Full tracklist, artwork and samples: http://morningsiderecords.dk/?p=291
One of the main reasons I created the site's new custom filter feature is to create lists, both for my own good but also for you, the reader's benefit. Instead of keeping my own private list of my most anticipated releases of 2010, along with tracking all the excellent albums I've already heard and rank highly, I've created a custom filter to do it for me: http://www.itsatrap.com/filter/2010-watchlist
Keep track of my favorites and follow what I say about them; create your own list and do the same!
is the name of a new noise/dark ambient label founded by the folks behind and Ättestupa. Their first releases: a self-titled 12" from Göteborg duo Källarbarnen and the Kristian Olsson album "Att vara där jag var innan jag var jag". Full details and ordering info: http://www.nattmaran.se/
If you dig latter-day Anathema, ie. pretty much anything after they figured out that the progressive sounds of Pink Floyd better suited their melancholy doomscapes better than ye standard downtuned metal growl, you'll like Norwegian act Airbag. That is unless you're iffy on whether or not imitation is the sincerest form of flattery because Airbag sounds exactly like Anathema. Same tones, same vocal inflections, same everything. It's uncanny. Pick your side!