Norwegian label Psykosedyr, run by Trine of Trine + Kim, has a new comp out called "Sex, murder, art" featuring what they consider to be some of the best twisted underground music Norway has to offer. Artists featured include Zweizz, Virus, Dagfinn Gloersen, Three Winters and many more... preview here: http://www.psykosedyr.no/
Peaceville will be doing vinyl reissues of Darkthrone's classic albums beginning with 1992's "A blaze in the northern sky" on December 7. 180g vinyl, gatefold sleeve, new liner notes from Nocturno Culto and limited to 1000 copies.
Thomas Denver Jonsson and Bobby Baby are touring Germany later this month:
11/24 - Societätstheater, Dresden
11/25 - Kunstbauerkino, Großhennersdorf
11/26 - Metropolis, Münster
11/27 - Güterbahnhof, Bremen
11/28 - Astra Stube, Hamburg
11/29 - Hinz und Kunz, Leipzig
11/30 - Matahari Bar, Nürnberg
12/01 - Nähfabrik, Schrobenhausen
12/02 - Avocado, Kassel
12/03 - Schokoladen, Berlin
SwitchbladeWhen it comes to a matter (or lack) of speed there aren't that many bands capable of touching Switchblade. The Stockholm trio have taken the rules of drone/doom to the extreme in order to spew forth a barrage of sickening dread upon anyone who dares listen. Think of an ambient, guttural drone coupled with a tortured, black metalesque vocal and you get the idea of what this band are all about. Given the ultraslow nature of Switchblade, mention must be made of how tight the musicianship is on here. With vast chasms between beats, it's inspiring to hear everyone come in on cue every time, and that's not easy when the bpm borders on the negative. That said, with little in the way of variety on display, it can be a difficult and, at times, tedious listen if you're not in the right frame of mind. Released on drummer Tim Bertilsson's own label Trust No One, this fifth full-length recording might be more of the same from Switchblade, but it's sure to leave die-hard fans of the genre in awe.
- John Norby
As I offhandedly mentioned the other day, the new Mikkel Meyer record "Bacon" is pretty great, easily one of the best electronica releases I've heard in 2009. For a while I had him confused with Mikkel Metal, another Danish electronic artist whose work tends to be jazzier, more minimal, and frankly, pretty damn boring, but lucky for Meyer, his work is nothing like that at all. "Tunge" is one of the few non-instrumental tracks from the record and sees him paired with rapper Non from Chicago-based act Shadowhuntaz, quite a complementary pairing I'd say. Non's basso profundo voice works quite well on top of Meyer's gut-churning worble and staggering beats. Twisted in all the right ways, I say, not like a lot of the over-quantized easy-listening garbage that normally gets sent my way. It's got character, damn it! Hear more at label Statler & Waldorf's website: http://www.statler-waldorf.dk/
Mikkel Meyer - Tunge (feat. Non)
The Line of Best Fit talks to Finnish act TV Off ahead of their UK live appearance at Ja Ja Ja: http://www.thelineofbestfit.com/2009/11/ja-ja-ja-tv-off/
Norwegian indie acts Truls & The Trees and Center of the Universe are putting out a split/collaborative release called "Surfing USB" which of course will come on a USB drive. Download a sample here: http://www.metronomiconaudio.net/mp3/Truls%5ETrees%20vs.%20C.O.U.%20-%20Terrella.mp3
There will be a release show with both bands plus Children and Corpse Playing in The Streets and Pilemil at Parkteateret in Oslo on December 5.
Swedish hip-hop mainstays Looptroop Rockers have posted a new track called "Radiation" for free download: http://www.looptrooprockers.com/song-of-the-month-special-looptroop-edition/
Here is Katatonia's new video for the song "Day and then the shade": http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=100584079
Hybris have revamped their website: http://www.hybrism.com/
They've also announced that while Sibiria and Vapnet have joined forces to sing in English with Kommun, labelmate Montt Mardié has done the opposite: he's working on a new album in Swedish under the name Monty.
Swedish stonerrock label Fuzzorama Records has announced three new releases for January:
Asteroid - II
Dexter Jones' Circus Orchestra – If light can't save us, I know darkness
Stake Off the Witch (ITA) - Medusa
Head to the label's website for samples and more info: http://www.fuzzoramarecords.com/
PopMatters gives high marks to the new Katatonia record "Night is the new day": http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/115841-katatonia-night-is-the-new-day/
The Silent Ballet gives their opinion of the new Supersilent album "9": http://thesilentballet.com/dnn/Home/tabid/36/ctl/Details/mid/384/ItemID/2885/Default.aspx
David Fridlund (David & the Citizens) may have moved to Austin, but that's not gonna stop the Swedish release of his new album which will be out in January, via Fashionpolice if I remember correctly.
Hari and AinoThe band's self-titled full-length was just okay, but give me two all-star tracks with zero filler and you'll hear no complaints whatsoever. Once again, Hari and Aino play the kind of professional upbeat indiepop you should be familiar with from The Cardigans' early records, but never too sweet or cloying, nor too cute for its own good. What's left is what's most important; the strong, yet understated female vocals, the super-crisp rhythm section and the kind of guitar playing that perfectly suits each part, always with just the right amount of notes and not one iota more. The band's sole misstep is the keyboards on the flip, my pick for the single's best track and a totally unnecessary addition for an already effective arrangement. Beyond that, this is exactly the kind of pop I like to hear from a label like Cloudberry.
- Avi Roig
