Hammarin & Robin - Spit
Mad for It has a new single from Hammarin & Robin posted for free download: http://www.madforit.se/index.php?id=88
Also be sure to check out Square's tourblog from earlier in the week.
Massgrav gets a new drummer, Sayyadina tours the East Coast
Swedish crusties Massgrav have enlisted Ove Wiksten (Sayyadina, Nice Idiot) as their new drummer. And speaking of Sayyadina, here are some US tourdates:
05/16 - Club Europa, Brooklyn, NY
05/18 - O'Brien's, Boston, MA
05/19 - AS220, Providence, RI
05/20 - The Bug Jar, Rochester, NY
05/21 - tba
05/22 - Sonar, Baltimore, MD
This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart
This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart:
01. BigBang - Edendale
02. Eriksen - De aller beste
03. Röyksopp - Junior
04. Tone Damli Aaberge - I Know
05. Diverse artister - Melodi Grand Prix 2009
06. Jonas Fjeld og Chatham County Line - Brother Of Song
07. Lene Marlin - Twist the Truth
08. Sigvart Dagsland - Hymns
09. CC Cowboys - Morgen & kveld
10. Noora Noor - Soul Deep
11. Silje Nergaard - A Thousand True Stories
12. Kari Bremnes - Ly
13. Karpe Diem - Fire vegger
14. Kristin Asbjørnsen - The Night Shines Like the Day
15. deLillos - Huskeglemme
16. Maria Mena - Cause & Effect
17. Skambankt - Hardt regn
18. Marius Müllers Funhouse - Plugged 2 - Rett og slett
19. AF1 - Alle For En
20. Tommy Tokyo feat Starving for My Gravy - Smear Your Smiles Back On
This week's top 20 Swedish album chart
This week's top 20 Swedish album chart:
01. Caroline Af Ugglas - Så gör jag det igen
02. Malmö Opera Kör & Orkester - Jesus Christ superstar
03. Larz Kristerz - Hem till dig
04. Alcazar - Disco defenders
05. E.M.D. - A state of mind - deluxe
06. Lisa Ekdahl - Give me that slow knowing smile
07. Thåström - Kärlek är för dom
08. H.E.A.T - Heat (bonus spår)
09. Agnes - Dance love pop - The love love love edition
10. BWO - Big science
11. Miss Li - Dancing the whole way home
12. Maia Hirasawa - GBGvsSTHLM
13. Måns Zelmerlöw - MZW
14. Veronica Maggio - Och vinnaren är...
15. Kevin Borg - The beginning
16. Hammerfall - No sacrifice, no victory
17. Sofia Karlsson - Söder om kärleken
18. Hello Saferide - More modern short stories from Hello Saferide
19. Sahara Hotnights - Sparks
20. Kent - Kent box 1991-2008
Rigas - It's a shame (video)
Check out Rigas' brand new video for the single "It's a shame": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8OSHwjeh_E&fmt=18
The 4-track EP (featuring a cover of the same by Labrador act The Sound of Arrows plus a skweee remix by Pavan) comes out May 1 via Flora & Fauna.
Kiki Pau to play Paris, London
Finnish indiepop act Kiki Pau will be doing a few shows in France and the UK:
05/05 - Pop-In, Paris (FRA)
05/06 - tba, London (UK)
05/07 - Dublin Castle, London (UK)
Watch The Alexandria Quartet live in London
The Alexandria Quartet have a professionally filmed full live set from 93 Feet East in London up on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DH-S4rx3PP4
Avner - Bed för mig
Sincerely Yours has just released a new single + video from the artist Avner entitled "Bed för mig". Check it: http://www.sincerelyyours.se/
MP3: Convoj - Liberty City
Tomorrow at Debaser Malmö: It's a Trap! Clubnight featuring Convoj and Pretty Whores! I shouldn't have to remind you how great Convoj are since I've been talking them up from the very beginning, but I've got an mp3 below just in case you remain ignorant. Those guys are easily one of the best acts keeping the classic Swedish indie/noiserock/post-hardcore/post-punk sound alive. Few others compete; I can count them on one hand: NEI, The End Will Be Kicks, Giant Boar, Voices Break the Silence. Am I missing anyone? You might be able to lump Aerial in there once their new album comes out, but that's about it. Anyhow, point being: great band, not to be missed.
As for Pretty Whores, I haven't heard their new EP yet, but it seems to be getting good reviews and I most certainly approve of their shortened name (minus "Of Manhattan"). I think they'd be better off dropping it altogether and starting fresh, but whatever -- they're young dudes, they'll figure it out.
Convoj - Liberty City
When pays tribute to Sun Ra
The new When album, their 13th in their 25-year existence, is called "Homage series vol 1: Sun-Ra" and will be released on April 20. As the title suggests, the record is a "plunderphonic" mixtape/mashup tribute to jazz legend Sun Ra. More details here: http://www.plastichead.com/catalogue.asp?ex=fitem&verb=F&target=TRICK044CD
Compute + Liechtenstein
Live @ Bang Bang Club, Berlin 04/15/2009
Berlin's small scene of twee-lovers came together last Wednesday to enjoy a six-band bill including two upcoming Scandinavian bands. After semi-interesting German opener Skirt and charming British band Horovitz, Swedish electronic artist Compute took the stage. Their minimal setup -- singer/composer Ulrika at drum machine and iPod supported by Liechtenstein's singer Renée at keyboards -- contrasted with the more traditional instrumentation of the other five bands. Compute went on to deliver their version of typical contemporary Swedish-pop where cheap-sounding synthesizers and analogue pre-programmed drums are combined with somewhat hysteric, slightly off-key Knife-ish singing. Somehow, their performance seemed unnecessarily restrained though, as if held back by the typical twee shyness surrounding them on this evening. The second Scandinavian band of the night, indiepop trio Liechtenstein from Göteborg, then topped the bill after the crowd had enjoyed very pleasant sets from Australian indie-darlings The Motifs and The Crayon Fields. Liechtenstein actually seemed to be a much better pick for the night than Compute -- people in the half-full club couldn't help moving and dancing to their mixture of mid-eighties indiepop with a few punk influences thrown in. For me, it was especially the driving bass-playing that made Liechtenstein more than just a simple retro-act. Not that I would mind the retroness of it though, in fact, I am actually glad sometimes that my knowledge of "classic" eighties indiepop is small enough so that I can still enjoy such charming current bands without catching all the obvious references to earlier songs and sounds.
- Arnulf Köhncke
The Pirate Bay found guilty
A guilty verdict has been delivered in the Pirate Bay case: http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/pirate-bay-founders-get-jail-sentence-1003963586.story
New Victims 7", UK tourdates
Victims will have a new 2-song 7" on Deathwish Inc. released in time for their upcoming US tour with Black Breath and Trap Them. They'll also be playing a batch of UK shows in May:
05/01 - Grosvenor, London
05/02 - Chesters, Bristol
05/03 - 1in12 Club, Bradford
05/04 - Old Angel, Nottingham
Ghost Brigade in Germany
Finnish act Ghost Brigade will do a couple shows in Germany this coming August:
08/12 - Bastard Club, Osnabrück
08/13 - Wild At Heart, Berlin