Svenska Akademien are no more
Swedish reggae/hip-hop act Svenska Akademien have decided to call it quits after 10 years: http://svenskaakademien.just.nu/
Alleycat signs The Don Darlings
Swedish rock'n'roll label Alleycat Records has announced the signing of The Don Darlings and will be releasing their debut album on January 27, 2010. Preview here: http://www.myspace.com/thedondarlings
Starlet - St Pauls & Betania (unmastered)
Labrador Records act Starlet have a new track streaming called "St Pauls & Betania": http://screamingswifts.tumblr.com/post/201044481/st-pauls-betania-by-starlet-unmastered-version
Múm - Sing along (video)
Stereogum has the premiere of the new Múm video "Sing along": http://stereogum.com/archives/video/new-mum-video-sing-along-stereogum-premiere_093061.html
Digfi goes dormant
Swedish music site Digfi has ceased publishing new editorial content: http://www.digfi.com/default.aspx?id=12699
The Topeka Twins added to November Clubnight
Confirmed as support for It's a Trap! Clubnight on November 14 w/Kristofer Åström: The Topeka Twins! Hell yes, the duo of Björn Kleinhenz and Thomas Denver Jonsson will grace the stage of Debaser Malmö! Be there!
MP3: Sofia Karlsson - Visa från Kåkbrinken
In America an artist like Sofia Karlsson would be playing nightly to 10s of fans at cafés and coffeehouses around the country, probably living out of her VW Van and ekeing out a (very) modest living. In Sweden, her albums go gold and she plays to packed theaters. As I've long stated, one of the best aspects of Scandinavian music is the deep appreciation of folk tradition; Sofia Karlsson is living proof, as are deserving upstarts such as Detektivbyrån. "Visa från Kåkbrinken" is Sofia's latest single off her album "Söder om kärleken" and of course it is pure excellence. It reminds me a bit of Dolly Parton's semi-recent bluegrass jaunts ("Little sparrow", "The grass is blue", etc.), 'cept a bit more pared down and intimate. Similar 'grass vibe though f'sure, but without the dense vocal harmonies. You can't have it all I guess, and hey, sometimes that more personal feel is better anyway.
I post a lot of music on this site that I'm fully aware has no broad appeal. Not so with this! If you can't hang with a little Sofia Karlsson, you're dead to me.
Sofia Karlsson - Visa från Kåkbrinken
Two new Warmer Climes mixtapes
The Warmer Climes blog has new mixtapes from Jens Lekman and two of the guys from Endiamonds.
Giana Factory confirm debut EP
Hyped Danish indie act Giana Factory have confirmed that their debut 4-song EP "Bloody game" will be released on October 12. Preview at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/gianafactory
Beezewax reunites for debut album reissue
SellOut! Records, in collaboration with UK-based label Boss Tuneage, will be reissuing Beezewax's first, long out-of-print 1998 debut "A dozen summits" on November 2 in a new remastered edition, complete with two bonus tracks from their demo. The band will also be coming back together in their classic 1999-2003 lineup for a record release/one-time reunion show at Revolver in Oslo on October 31.
Premium Publishing presents 'Stick iväg, Jack! Historien om Radio Nord'
Premium Publishing is putting out both a book + bonus DVD collection and a 2CD compilation commemorating Radio NORD, a short-lived pirate radio station that operated offshore from a ship in the Baltic Sea near Stockholm during the period of March 1961 through June 1962. The author is Jan Kotschack, son of famed Radio NORD DJ Jack Kotschack and the bonus DVD content includes the 1961 documentary short "Låten från Båten" ("Songs from the boat", but it sounds much better in Swedish). For full details and even a dozen or so preview pages, go here: http://www.premiumpublishing.com/se/art/stick-ivag-jack-radio-nord.php
The Guardian on the cult of raggare
Not exactly music-related, but maybe worth reading anyways: UK paper The Guardian on Swedish raggare culture: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/oct/01/raggare-swedish-rocknroll-cult
Dupont - New dawn (video)
Swedish electro/EBM act Dupont has a new video for the single "New dawn": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9DyhlAmOwI
At first I thought it was pure comedy, but the further I get into it, the more I like it.
Bröderna Lindgren album update
Details for the upcoming Bröderna Lindgren album are in: it will be called "Presenterar meningen med livet" and it will be released on October 26. Here's the full tracklist:
01. Annan sort (Britta Persson)
02. Superhjälten (Hajen)
03. Det är jag som bestämmer (Patrik Arve)
04. Dom bästa (Those dancing days)
05. Aldrig hem igen (Nina Ramsby)
06. Helt ny värld (Ebbot Lundberg)
07. Kasta iväg mig (Olle Ljungström)
08. Nu (Britta Persson)
09. Här kommer ambulansen (Nina Ramsby)
10. Snabba som raketer (Mattias Alkberg)
11. Om en skalbagge (Caroline Wennergren)
12. Jag vet (Kristofer Åström)
13. Vilse (Hajen)
No Shame are back
Finnish punk act No Shame is back in effect with the recruitment of Hybrid Children/Kerho drummer Saska Ketonen, so now they will finally release the new album they recorded back in 2008 with ex-drummer Teemu Horto. Expect an early 2010 release via Fullsteam Records with the first single "Better drunk than part of the machine" coming on October 7; in the meantime check out the band's entire back catalogue for free at their website: http://www.ifeelnoshameatall.net/