Division of Laura Lee will be heading out later this week to do some European dates:
05/20 - Knaack, Berlin (GER)
05/21 - 59:1, Munich (GER)
05/22 - ISC, Bern (GER)
05/23 - Biomill, Laufen (GER)
05/24 - Scene Bastille, Paris (FRA)
05/25 - Cousty Bar, Besançon (FRA)
05/26 - Rote Fabrik, Zurich (CH)
05/27 - B72, Vienna (AUS)
05/29 - Headcrash, Hamburg (GER)
All of the songs from The Sweptaways' new album "The Sweptaways show" have videos and you can watch them all on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=4F32017D23489E33
Swedish pop artist Montt Mardié has written an anthem for The Pirate Bay and of course it's available for free download: http://thepiratebay.org/special/2009mmtpb.php
"The summer never ends", a new mixtape from Jens Lekman: http://www.jenslekman.com/records/smalltalk.htm
Hyper PlasticOpening with the wryly constructed "Ron Asheton's loafers", Hyper Plastic, the electronic solo project of former This Perfect Day guitarist Rickard Johansson, establishes what we can expect from the EP - clever arrangements of simple melodies, a mess of blips and bloops entwined with Johansson's guitar work, driving electronic drums, and coolly detached vocals. One can't but hear elements of "Punk rocker"-era Teddybears throughout the EP, even in its most inspired moments for at the core of Hyper Plastic is a need to channel angular punk energy down the darkest of pop-saturated avenues. As "Love & hate" demonstrates, Johansson has a fantastic understanding of atmosphere and mood (favoring the brooding kind), and utilizes this awareness to elevate his compositions just clear of being dismissed as merely simplistic distortion-tinged pop songs. That said, the cynical charm of Hyper Plastic starts to lose some of its appeal after a few listens -- though, in all honesty, this fate awaits the vast majority of four-track EPs. I'm curious to see what Johansson could do with more time.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
Check out Dundertåget's new video for "Delad vårdnad (ska du ha spö)": http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=57553750
The Bombettes are working on writing material for their debut full-length which they hope to record in June. They also plan on doing a short tour in Sweden, Denmark and Germany come July, so keep an eye out for that as well.
NRK has the premiere of the new Skambankt video "Kom hell": http://www.nrk.no/lydverket/videopremiere-skambankt-kom-hell/
Mixtune for Cully have a new video for the track "Daggers and knives": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HN917c-bH74&fmt=18
As long as I don't have to hear the winny of Sissyfus' lackluster, indie-flavored vocals (think Loney, Dear but far less compelling), I can back Center of the Universe. As a long-time appreciator (connoisseur?) of folk-influenced music from Scandinavia, how could I not? They call it "folksploitation" as it's only loosely based on tradition (if that), but I actually think that strategy works out to their benefit as they're not hemmed in by imaginary boundaries. Melodies of the Middle East co-mingle with sounds of the northern climes and get funneled through the psychedelic vision of the aforementioned Sissyfus to be transformed into something unique. "Apokryfa" is the title track of the third part of their just-completed trilogy, an album they say is about origin. I don't know about that, I just love the way they jam out this odd-timed number and turn it into a total workout. Keep the indierock tendencies to a minimum, please. Prog is all good by me.
Center of the Universe - Apokryfa
Danish fuzz-heavy synthpop act Small is now streaming their entire album "Teenage cover" at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/smallatmyspace
Recommended!
Norwegian rockers Spirits of the Dead have started work on their second album with an eye towards a January release. Keep an eye out for their self-titled debut to get a wider release in Europe very soon.
Kamera is now streaming the new single "Dead man walking" at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/kamerastyle
The group's new album "Blank expressions" is released on May 20.
Swedish hard-rockers Graveyard are coming back to the US this summer to do a bunch of dates with CKY:
07/21 - The Clubhouse, Tempe, AZ
07/22 - Gators Bar and Grill, Farmington, NM
07/24 - Granada Theatre, Dallas, TX
07/25 - White Rabbit, San Antonio, TX
07/26 - The Meridian, Houston, TX
07/28 - The Culture Room, Fort Lauderdale, FL
07/29 - The Social, Orlando, FL
07/31 - The Loft at Center Stage, Atlanta, GA
08/01 - Pop's, Sauget, IL
08/02 - The Rave, Milwaukee, WI
08/03 - Station 4, Saint Paul, MN
08/05 - House of Blues, Chicago, IL
08/06 - Peabody's, Cleveland, OH
08/07 - St. Andrews Hall, Detroit, MI
08/08 - Mr. Smalls Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA
08/09 - Xtreme Wheels, Buffalo, NY
08/10 - Recher Theatre, Towson, MD
08/11 - The Norva, Norfolk, VA
08/13 - Blender Theatre at Gramercy, New York, NY
08/14 - Paradise Rock Club, Boston, MA
08/15 - Theatre of Living Arts, Philadelphia, PA
Look for earlier West Coast headliner dates to be announced shortly as well.
Kranium Records reports that volume two of their "Fuck your scene, kid" split 7" series has been sent off for pressing. This one features Swedish hardcore acts Fredag den 13:e and Dobermann Cult and will be issued in a limited edition of 500 numbered copies on red vinyl.
