Finnish indie act Regina is giving away a new song as a free download: http://www.magicnights.org/Regina-Tapaa_minut_aamulla.mp3
The band's new album "Puutarhatrilogia" will be officially released on February 11 via Johanna Kustannus.
Scandinavian metalcore acts Burst and Medeia will be touring Europe together along with The Ocean and Bison BC:
02/26 - FZW, Dortmund (GER)
02/27 - Conne Island, Leipzig (GER)
02/28 - Progresja, Warsaw (POL)
03/01 - Exit Chmelnice, Prague (CZ)
03/02 - Arena, Wien (AUS)
03/03 - Dürer Kert, Budapest (HUN)
03/04 - Feierwerk - Hansa 39, München (GER)
03/05 - Dynamo 21, Zürich (CH)
03/06 - Latte + Club, Brescia (ITA)
03/07 - Rock Planet, Pinarella di Cervia (ITA)
03/08 - Die Stadtmitte, Karlsruhe (GER)
03/11 - tba, London (UK)
03/12 - Corporation, Sheffield (UK)
03/13 - Dornrosje, Nijmegen (NL)
03/14 - The Legend, Sneek (NL)
03/15 - VK, Bruxelles (BEL)
03/16 - Logo, Hamburg (GER)
03/17 - Mühltal Steinruch Theater, Darmstadt (GER)
03/18 - Kulturfabrik, Esch (LUX)
03/20 - Fernverkehr, Zedtwitz (GER)
03/21 - Lido, Berlin (GER)
Peter Morén (Peter Bjorn and John) will be heading down to Braga, Portugal for a one-off solo show at Theatre Circo on January 23.
Danish indie act Ruined By Martin is streaming a new demo track called "Self assured": http://www.myspace.com/ruinedbymartin
Dundertåget's debut single "Ifrån Mig Själv" is now streaming at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/dundertaget
The official release date for said single is January 28.
Swedish art-rock acts Baron Bane and Anna Frank are doing a couple dates together in Northern Europe:
02/14 - Aufsturz Klub, Berlin (GER)
02/16 - Hirscheneck, Basel (CH)
Too Many Notes is a new Swedish label home to Nutid and Alf: http://www.toomanynotes.se/
Look for Nutid's debut album in March.
In case you haven't noticed, I managed to get the label page back up this past weekend.
Word on the street has it that the new Cats On Fire album will be called "Our temperance movement". Assuming everything is going according to plan, it will be released on March 14 via Johanna Kustannus.
Here is the It's a Trap! listening group top 10 artists of the week, unique to our group:
01. The Bear Quartet
02. Håkan Hellström
03. Laakso
04. Marit Bergman
05. Anna Ternheim
06. Frida Hyvönen
07. Hello Saferide
08. Glasvegas
09. Markus Krunegård
10. Bon Iver
Do you listen to music on your computer or with an iPod? Please join us and make your playlist count! Go here to learn more: http://www.last.fm/help/
I can hang with some Nisse Hellberg and other revivalists such as The Blasters/Dave Alvin, but more modern rockabilly falls short as pointless nostalgia. However, when bands like Fatboy go for the old-fashioned torch song ballad, I can dig it. Obviously, that's the basis of Weeping Willows' entire career and I fully back them, so why should these guys be any different? And I always appreciate anyone who's willing to send me the LP version, especially when they've got cover art like this. Add an ex-member of Whale? Sure, why not? As for the song itself, Fatboy and Sarah Dawn Finer attempt to spice up the old formula with an extra bite, but really, the mild expletives are unnecessary and unfitting. They only serve to distract. So yeah, it won't ever compete with any classic Tammy Wynette weepers ("Don't wanna play house" and "D-I-V-O-R-C-E", to name two), but it's okay. In fact, that pretty much sums up my thoughts on Fatboy in general: just okay.
Fatboy - The way we were (ft. Sarah Dawn Finer)
Lisa Milberg of The Concretes has a new myspace page for her solo project: http://www.myspace.com/milbergmakesmusic
Pitchfork on José González' new "Live at Park Avenue" EP: http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/148386-jos-gonzlez-live-at-park-avenue-ep
The AnimationThe Animation gives us typical English alternative rock from the late 80s to early 90s with its underground melancholic sound, first associated with London, nowadays with Göteborg. They sound fascinatingly as British as a band can sound, imagine a blend between Keane, just a bit of Radiohead going into the same sentiment as The Verve and with a small portion of the modern vibe, The Killers. "Everest" is their debut and what a debut then! It's a kickass start for these guys and it will probably grow international, parallel to The Hives. Professional, deep and gloomy could be the headline for this album which contains 11 songs, all worthwhile listening too. Highlights are, without any doubt, title track "Everest", "Overboard", and "Confessions"; where lead vocalist Johan Hasselblom sounds like Chris Martin from Coldplay. Really, this is a red thread coming back and forth in a few songs, but don't be confused because even so, this is more edgy, more! A promising band for Göteborg, shall we expect internationalism and commercialism? Maybe. However, The Animation, with their brilliant song techniques and great instrumental blend, is something for you out there who are classical alternative rock diggers; heads up for this album.
- Therese Buxfäldt
