Norwegian act I Was A King will tour the UK in November:
11/19 - Ja Ja Ja @ The Lexington, London
11/20 - Tommy's Bar, Cardiff
11/21 - Amersham Arm's, London
11/22 - Masque, Liverpool
11/23 - The Social (Sonic Cathedral night), London
11/24 - Jam, Brighton
11/25 - Bush Hall, London
11/26 - O2 Academy, Oxford w/Swervedriver
Cloudberry Records will be releasing a new split 3" CDR EP from Swedish acts Madamm and Taggarna Ut on November 10. Samples at the label's website: http://www.cloudberryrecords.com/
There's a new track from Finnish epic hardcore act Abduktio streaming at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/abduktiofinland
The band's upcoming self-titled 12" will be released on December 2 via Combat Rock Industry.
Gbg punkrockers We Live in Trenches are streaming their new record "Modern hex" at Bandcamp: http://weliveintrenches.bandcamp.com/
Curious as to where Erik Hassle hangs out when he's home in Stockholm? Read this piece from the easyJet in-flight mag "easyJet Traveller": http://www.easyjetinflight.com/features/2009/10/erik-hassle-guide-stockholm-oct09
Icelandic act Seabear will release their new album "We built a fire" sometime around February/March 2009. Expect a two-song 7" preview to come in December.
Sound Pollution are streaming a new track from AC4 (ex-Refused/Final Exit/Step Forward) on their myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/soundpollutionstore
This is the sound of old dudes getting back to their roots and it's actually pretty damn good -- far better than you might expect even. There are also new tracks from DLK and Bonafide up there as well, but they are far less exciting.
Aerial has evolved from one of Sweden's most interesting postrock acts to something that almost approximates verse/chorus/verse indierock, albeit filtered through their twisted sci-fi vision. Their new album "Put it this way in headlines" borrows the twin guitar stylings of Him Kerosene and drags it through the dirt, making the notes bend and scream. The structure of "I am TV" may be typical, but the music most certainly is not. Strings and noise, harmony and discordance: this is the sound of Swedish indie that I fell in love with. Welcome back!
Aerial - I am TV
Fever Ray has a new video for her Nick Cave cover "Stranger than kindness": http://vimeo.com/7184074
The clip is directed by the always-fantastic Andreas Nilsson.
Here is the It's a Trap! listening group top 10 artists of the week, unique to our group:
01. Markus Krunegård
02. Jens Lekman
03. Fever Ray
04. Ane Brun
05. Kent
06. The Bear Quartet
07. Håkan Hellström
08. The Tough Alliance
09. Taken By Trees
10. Loney, Dear
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/
Ninja Tune has confirmed that the new Jaga Jazzist album "One-armed bandit" will be released on January 25 and are giving away the title track as a free download: http://ninjatune.net/jagajazzist/eflyer.php
PopMatters interviews Erlend Øye from Norway's Kings of Convenience: http://www.popmatters.com/pm/feature/113017-the-deafening-quiet-of-kings-of-convenience/
Danish act Dúné has a new video for the song "Let go of your love", the second single from their latest record "Enter metropolis": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNsBHEfe-o0
Swedish indie act Shout Out Louds report that they're nearly finished with their new album "Work" which they have been recording with producer Phil Ek (Built to Spill, Band of Horses, The Shins) both at Bear Creek Studio in Woodinville, WA and also back home in Stockholm. No word on a release date yet, but I wouldn't expect anything until early 2010 at least.