Frukt Records has Fredrik Ståhl's new album "Universally personal" posted today as a free download: http://www.fruktrecords.se/
Says the label: "Mixing a bit of catchyness with a bit of subtleness. Pop with a splash of electronica."
Finnish negative-punks Frivolvol report that their new record "Blades of steel" is finished and will be released via Rabbit Ilsn Records sometime... before the end of the year? Look for the band to tour their home country this summer with pals Sur-rur and Aortaorta and maybe Russia too.
Emiliana Torrini is coming to North America for a few dates in August:
06/13 - Cabaret Du Musee, Montreal
08/14 - Highline Ballroom, NYC, NY
08/15 - Paradise, Boston, MA
08/17 - Crocodile Cafe, Seattle, WA
08/18 - Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA
08/19 - El Rey Theater, Los Angeles, CA
US-based powerpop label Zip Records will be releasing Mother James' debut album "Stomping grounds" on July 14. Listen at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/motherjames
Danish psychobilly act The Defectors have a new collection of demos, b-sides and other assorted leftovers posted for free download called "Takin' out the trash": http://www.thedefectors.com/
I look at the ever-increasing piles of mediocre CDs crowding my desk and I can't help but feel defeated. There's a few gems in there to be sure, but I'm fully daunted. To say nothing of all the downloads in my incoming directory -- more often than not, I'd much rather listen to all the old-school death metal I've been gathering than some uninspiring no-name wannabees. Like I said though, it's not all bad. Only a few are truly awful, the overwhelming majority are merely forgettable. What's it take to stick? Name recognition helps. My God Damn Territory's bio mentions ex-ex-members from Blithe, Randy and Refused as well as Celestine and, even though I recognize none of the actual personnel names, I figure that at least earns them a cursory listen. Of course I wouldn't be telling you about them if they weren't good, so let me spell it out: My God Damn Territory are a solid band. They've got a ridiculously long roster of musicians who appear on their new self-released album "Between art and failure" and the record's widely varied sound reflects that, though the songwriting remains consistent. They cover a lot of ground from noisy 90s-style indie to postrock and beyond, but you can always tell it's the product of the same mind(s). "Used to be" stands out to me as one of the more driving numbers and the repetitive, overlapping vocal melody is hard to forget, especially with those bendy guitar notes that bookend it. Best of all, it just sounds so different from anything else I've heard as of late. And the whole album is available as a free download. Good enough!
My God Damn Territory - Used to be
Vladislav Delay's new album "Tummaa" ("Dark") is now confirmed for release on August 24 via The Leaf Label. For more details and a streaming sample, check out this interview with mainman Sasu Ripatti over at FACT Magazine: http://www.factmagazine.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2692&Itemid=26
Two White Horses, the brother/sister duo of Jakob and Lovisa Nyström (Isolation Years, Säkert!), will be going to NYC in the near future. Details soon?
Discobelle on Zebra & Snake, an act they describe as a Finnish version of The Tough Alliance: http://www.discobelle.net/2009/06/04/zebra-snake/
Convoj are heading to Germany in September:
09/22 - Cafe Glocksee, Hannover
09/24 - Parkside, Aachen
09/25 - Cobra, Solingen
09/26 - Schokoladen, Berlin
Pearl from artsy electro act Zeigeist has a new musical project called Pearl Fiction: http://www.myspace.com/pearlfiction
Jenny Wilson in the Pitchfork Forkcast with the video for "Like a fading rainbow": http://pitchfork.com/forkcast/12956-like-a-fading-rainbow/
Swedish organ/drums duo Sagor & Swing are back together and will be playing a couple of shows with Blända in the next week:
06/05 - Kafé Deluxe, Växjö
06/12 - Pluto, Gröndal
As to whether or not they'll keep it together to record new material, wait and see...
Foxy Digitalis gives Tsukimono's "Time canvas" a score of 9/10: http://www.foxydigitalis.com/foxyd/reviews.php?which=4374
Four songs from The Bear Quartet's forthcoming album are now streaming: http://www.adrianfiles.com/thebearquartet/
Yes, this is essential listening. The new album (title tba) "89" will be out in September via Adrian Recordings.