Said before, but bears repeating: I don't care much for Sonic Youth. Great ideas, even brilliant at times, but all too often sidetracked by self-indulgent tendencies. Composition? Out the window. Take those ideas and apply them effectively, I'm all about it. Denmark's Livaventura is a casebook example. Tons of discordant guitars, male/female vocals, always walking the thin line between noise and rock. "Keep on driving" indeed, but I really do hope they get far. As stated before, this comes off of one of the best records of 2009; too bad the release got pushed back to August 28. Until then, enjoy the single and keep on waiting.
Livaventura - Keep on driving
Cilihili's brand new video for "Happy without the boy" is online: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90J0fvF9zaQ
Service is releasing the new single "You tend to forget" from The Embassy in a limited edition of 3: http://www.srvc.se/
Buy it on eBay.
The Silent Ballet reviews Norwegian ambient artist Svarte Greiner's latest work "Kappe": http://thesilentballet.com/dnn/Home/tabid/36/ctl/Details/mid/384/ItemID/2190/Default.aspx
Britta Persson will be supporting Eleni Mandell on tour in Germany + Austria come May:
05/08 - Knust, Hamburg (GER)
05/10 - Quasimodo, Berlin (GER)
05/11 - Objekt 5, Halle (GER)
05/12 - B 72, Wien (AUS)
05/13 - Registratur, München (GER)
05/15 - Kino, Ebensee (AUS)
05/16 - Schlachthof, Wels (AUS)
05/17 - E-Werk, Erlangen (GER)
This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart:
01. Silje Nergaard - A Thousand True Stories
02. Elisabeth Andreassen - Spellemann
03. Frøya - Jenta fra landet
04. Kari Bremnes - Ly
05. Sie Gubba - Hemafrå
06. deLillos - Huskeglemme
07. Marit Larsen - The Chase
08. Kristin Asbjørnsen - The Night Shines Like the Day
09. Maria Mena - Cause & Effect
11. Tommy Tokyo feat Starving for My Gravy - Smear Your Smiles Back On
12. Vestlandsfanden - Tipping & Trygd
13. Zeromancer - Sinners International
14. Åge Sten Nilsen - Glamunition
15. Black Debbath - Black Debbaths beste. 10 år
16. Skambankt - Hardt regn
17. DDR - Das War Das
18. El Caco - Heat
19. Bugge Wesseltoft - Playing
20. Karpe Diem - Fire vegger
21. AF1 - Alle For En
Kristofer Åström will be supporting A Camp on tour across Europe:
03/27 - John Dee, Olso (NOR)
03/30 - Train, Århus (DK)
03/31 - Lille Vega, Copenhagen (DK)
04/02 - Konserthuset, Jönköping (SWE)
04/03 - Konserthuset, Göteborg (SWE)
04/04 - Konserthuset, Malmö (SWE)
04/06 - Cirkus, Stockholm (SWE)
04/07 - Konsert & Kongress, Uppsala (SWE)
04/09 - Louise de geer, Norrköping (SWE)
04/12 - Trix, Antwerp (BEL)
04/13 - Luxor, Cologne (GER)
04/15 - Ubel & Gefahrlich, Hamburg (GER)
04/16 - Lido, Berlin (GER)
04/17 - Fabryka Trzciny, Warsaw (POL)
04/19 - Flex, Vienna (AUS)
04/20 - Magnolia, Milan (ITA)
04/21 - Backstage, Münich (GER)
04/23 - Abart, Zurich (CH)
04/24 - Docks, Lausanne (CH)
04/26 - Maroquinerie, Paris (FRA)
04/28 - Glee Club, Birmingham (UK)
04/29 - Academy, Dublin (UK)
04/30 - Spring & Airbrake, Belfast (UK)
05/03 - Cockpit, Leeds (UK)
05/04 - Academy 3, Manchester (UK)
05/06 - Kings College, London (UK)
The Rainaways will back him on the Swedish dates otherwise he'll be performing solo.
If Society reports that they just sent off the posthumous album "Ensinäytös 1997" from Finnish goth-punks Varjo out to be pressed. Guitarist Henry Waldén passed away last September and the band has assembled this collection of old demos and a promo EP as a tribute to him, especially since he was heavy into vinyl. Sample the band here: http://www.myspace.com/varjoyhtye
Otherwise, read more about Henry here: http://www.ifsociety.com/blog.php?id=36
Astor Bell is a new Swedish netlabel specializing in minimal, IDM and techno. Check out their site and download their first three releases: http://www.astorbell.com/
Photographer Martin Norberg and journalist Klas Ekman have put together a book on Broder Daniel featuring pictures and stories from the infamous band's history up until (and after) their tragic end. The full title is "Broder Daniel - When we were winning" and it hits Swedish bookshelves on March 11.
This week's top 20 Swedish album chart:
01. Larz Kristerz - Hem till dig
02. Hammerfall - No sacrifice, no victory
03. Perssons Pack - Öster om heden
04. Mando Diao - Give me fire!
05. Zillah & Totte - Det låter apa
06. Scotts - På vårt sätt
07. Anna Ternheim - Leaving on a mayday
08. A Camp - Colonia
09. Mikael Wiehe - Sånger från en inställd skilsmässa
10. Laleh - Me and Simon
11. Veronica Maggio - Och vinnaren är...
12. Kim - Kim
13. Janet Leon - Janet
14. Dundertåget - Skaffa ny frisyr
15. Jill Johnson - Baby blue paper
16. Freddie Wadling - The dark flower (den mörka blomman)
17. Frida Hyvönen - Silence is wild
18. H.E.A.T - Heat
19. Mojje - Popcornfrisyr
20. Takida - Bury the lies
Two thoughts for a Friday:
#1. Lack as a damn good band.
#2. Work sucks.
Lack - Simonix
4
Oslo shits out yet another shoegaze band and of course Emil Nikolaisen from Serena Maneesh is in the credits, this time as producer, alongside Bjarne Stensli (Harrys Gym, I Was A King). Hoo-boy, that's quite a lineup of mediocre bands, so why should this be any different? Actually, the a-side ("Taste the trash") isn't all that bad, despite the robotic drumming. I'd even say that the abundant feedback squalls adequately compensate for the overall lack of energy, egged on by by the heavily layered and buried female vocals. Side two ("Spit voyage") aims to repeat the formula by amping things up even higher, but the polyrhythmic arrangement doesn't work at all and subsequently comes across like a huge mess. And again, that damn drummer! I swear, if you told me it was a machine I'd believe you, he's so competently lifeless. Loosen up man! The future of your band depends on it.
- Avi Roig
Check out the video for the new Two White Horses single "Good times are gone forever": http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=52966531
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