Swedish classic-metal act Enforcer will be going into the studio on November 27 to begin work on their sophomore album "Diamonds", tentatively set for a late April 2010 release. Rikard Löfgren (ex-Bay Laurel?) will produce.
Swedish act O'Spada was selected by PopJustice for their song of the day earlier this week: http://www.popjustice.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4221&Itemid=279
Friendly Fire has confirmed that the US release of Oh No Ono's album "Eggs" will be on January 26. They'll also be coming over around then for their first NYC shows:
01/27 - Mercury Lounge, New York, NY
01/28 - Union Hall, Brooklyn, NY
This week's top 20 Swedish album chart:
01. Kent - Röd
02. Amanda Jenssen - Happyland
03. Jill Johnson - Music row II
04. Carola - Christmas in Bethlehem
05. Jessica Andersson - Wake up
06. Bo Kaspers Orkester - Samling
07. Lars Winnerbäck - Tänk om jag ångrar mig och sen ångrar mig igen
08. Peter Jöback - East side stories
09. Larz Kristerz - Om du vill
10. Melissa Horn - Säg ingenting till mig
11. Louise Hoffsten - På andra sidan vättern
12. Lotta Engberg - Jul hos mig
13. Takida - The darker instinct
14. Nisse Hellberg - En modern man
15. Amy Diamond - Swings and roundabouts
16. Malena Ernman - La voix du nord
17. Christer Sjögren - Schlagerminnen
18. Peter Lemarc - Klassiker
19. Sofia Karlsson - Det allra bästa 1999-2009
20. Europe - Last look at Eden
MangroveIt's hard to mention "Endless skies" without making reference to Mangrove's fellow countrymen The Quill, as some aspects of this album could sit very comfortably on any release by the aforementioned quartet. Just like the genre stalwarts, this Stockholm trio are to be commended for striving to keep their output a bit more inventive by showcasing a hard-rock sensibility while generally remaining within the confines of stoner conventions. It works well in that it offers a good deal more variety than a lot of the third-rate genre bands out there who opt for the mind-numbing two-riffs-and-one-beat in a six-minute song approach. With Mangrove we get melody, dischord, simplicity and intricacy, stoner, doom, hard-rock and metal in one neat package. It's not really too far away from a lighter version of Norwegian doomrockers Sahg. Frontman Jani Kataja is easily one of the best vocalists in the game and it's this quality that helps raise Mangrove's debut above the bar in a class that, despite brimming with top-notch bands, sports a style that never really varies that much. Steeped in a passion for '70s psychedelia, Mangrove don't seem like they're ready to enter the 21st Century anytime soon and, for fans of this type of stoner-based nostalgia, this can only be a good thing.
- John Norby
Swedish techno artist Håkan Lidbo has a great new video for his track "Let's rock!": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihtOUQn6qqM
Danish indie act Oh No Ono in the Pitchfork track reviews: http://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/11646-internet-warrior/
Here are this week's Warmer Climes mixtapes: The New Waves, Kuryakin and Avner
Live music with Ironville at PSL: http://blogg.svt.se/psl/2009/11/20/musik-med-ironville/
KörsbärsfetteraI wish I could put the finger on why I like this album so much. Not being a big fan of oi! or this type of street punk normally, I'm quite baffled by how I, in the past four months, have been addicted to this self-released album of Swedish street punk sung in Swedish. Is it due to the catchy melodies? Is it because the lyrics about the working class life and getting drunk (+ other punk clichés)? It could also be all the oooh and aaah choirs. Either way, it's an excellent little album (it clocks in under thirty minutes!) with lots of attitude and charming melodies and lyrics. It might not be original, but it's utterly engrossing nevertheless, and one of my favourite albums of the year. I'd even go so far as to say it's one of the best Swedish punk albums in the past 10 years.
- Simon Tagestam
Check out a new stop-motion animated video for "Pop pills" by Dear Euphoria: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jy6D0wiG-5s
The Line of Best Fit talks to Icelandic artist Kira Kira: http://www.thelineofbestfit.com/2009/11/ja-ja-ja-kira-kira/
Nö Music talks to upstart Norwegian disco label Untz Untz: http://www.nomusicmedia.com/2009/11/18/disco-beats-from-the-gateway-to-the-fjords/
(Say the name out loud. Repeat. Ad infinitum.)
Skitsystem will be reuniting for a one-off gig in Göteborg in late February.
The Idle Hands' new single "Hearts" is now posted for free download at Bandcamp: http://theidlehands.bandcamp.com/
