Danish postrock act Mimas has signed with French indie label Distile Records and will see their latest album "The worries" released throughout Europe this coming February, excluding the UK and Denmark where it is already available via Big Scary Monsters. Expect tourdates to follow.
Swedish art-rock ensemble Fredrik has a new single called "Holm" out now on the Heartphone netlabel: http://cllct.com/release/holmsingle
Said release includes the exclusive b-side "Maran" as well and the title track will reappear on the forthcoming EP of the same name, due out November 20 via Jezebel Records. This new 4-song EP will be the first of three the band is planning on releasing and will be packaged as a 3" CD in octangular folded sleeve.
Norwegian metal act She Said Destroy has signed with Tabu Recordings and will be releasing their sophomore album "This city speaks in tongues" in Norway on November 17 with a full European to release to follow on February 2. The band will also play a record release show at Elm Street in Oslo on November 14. Hear the title track at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/ssdband
Washington Post Express checks back from Watain's Halloween show: http://www.expressnightout.com/content/2008/11/ooooh_that_smell_watain.php
New SoCal dates for The (International) Noise Conspiracy:
11/12 - El Cid, LA w/Night Horse
11/14 - Eagle Rock Arts Center, LA w/Night Horse, Hit Me Back
11/15 - SoundDowntown 2008, Santa Ana
Swedish indie troubadour Moto Boy will be releasing a new EP on December 3 via Songs I Wish I Had Written.
Check out Norwegian artist Christer Knutsen and Sacred Hearts and the new video for his new single "The way it will always be": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EI9Ez_qrms&fmt=18
Said track will be appearing as the theme song for Norwegian TV series "High Hopes" which premiered this past weekend. It's currently available as a paid download, but will also be appearing on 7" vinyl in the near future.
Soundcheck Magazine talks to Finnish act Hundred Million Martians: http://www.soundcheck-magazine.net/martians.html
Listen to Ida Maria cover the Avril Lavigne song "Dophins" at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/idamaria
Swedish act Tony Clifton are streaming a few more tracks off their new album "White elephant" at myspace right now: http://www.myspace.com/tonyclifton11
The official release date is November 5.
Here's the playlist for this week's radio show:
01. Detektivbyrån - Partyland
02. TALK 1
03. Björn Kleinhenz - At night we die
04. Hjertestop - Illegalt signal
05. Idoru - Chase
06. TALK 2
07. Fever Ray - If I had a heart (instrumental edit)
08. Champagne Riot - Scandinavian warfare
09. Caesars Palace - Only you
10. José González - How low
11. TALK 3
12. Alarma Man - Nightwolf
13. Adolf Filter - 1982
14. Brick - Ha ha ha
15. TALK 4
16. Auton - El Dorado
17. Gutted String - Feeling small
18. The Bombettes - It ain't me babe
19. Tiger Lou - Trust falls
20. I'm from Barcelona - Headphones
21. TALK 5
22. Kite - Ways to dance
Reminder: my show airs on Sirius Left of Center (channel 26) at 11pm ET with repeats on Monday at the same time.
Here is the It's a Trap! listening group top 10 artists of the week, unique to our group:
01. Frida Hyvönen
02. Tiger Lou
03. Hello Saferide
04. Håkan Hellström
05. Glasvegas
06. Jens Lekman
07. Detektivbyrån
08. The Tough Alliance
09. The Legends
10. Anna Ternheim
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/
New discs from Björn Kleinhenz in stock and ready to order:
Björn Kleinhenz - Quietly happy and deep inside (CD)
Björn Kleinhenz - The Rain Fish / 217 km (CD)
Support this artist! I love this man like a brother! If you've downloaded any of his many netreleases, you should own this stuff too.
MP3: Lampshade - Den støjende tid
What we have here today is a new track from Swedish/Danish act Lampshade, their first in quite some time. It's actually a Nikolaj Nørlund cover song, their contribution to the Danish classic artist tribute comp "Kender du det?". I won't pretend that I actually know anything about Nørlund and I will refer you to Hits in the Car for more details on said comp, but I do have this story as provided by vocalist Rebekka Maria Andersson:
"When I was phoned by Franka Abrahamsen, who asked if we would like to contribute with a cover version of a Nikolaj Nørlund song, I couldn't help but laughing a bit. Fact was, that we were at the Sauna Studio with the same guy producing new Lampshade material. We asked Nikolaj is he would produce his own song in a new version, and he answered with a dry smile that he could at least help us with the chords..."
More new Lampshade material? Finally! Apparently an EP in on the way before the end of the year and I have to say, I'm pretty excited about it. While the members of Lampshade have been quite busy with various sideprojects such as As In RebekkaMaria, This Is Head and so on, none compare to the original. I will not settle, I will not accept substitutions.
Lampshade - Den støjende tid
Park Hotell
Free for friends
Ultra Radio Records/BD Pop
I've been waiting for Park Hotell's debut full length since the summer of 2007, the moment after the final track of their "The guest who stayed forever" EP came to a close. While fulfilling on its own, "The guest..." heralded a new Norrland talent, and six songs can only hold one over so long. "Free for friends" continues on in their C86-style -- the jangled guitar work struggling its way through the fantastically lower-fi production, the bass and superb drum work reinforcing the sound, with the vocals settled comfortably atop the swells of melody. Opener "Dead ringers", which It's a Trap! made available back in August, is easily one of the best songs of 2008, bringing to mind both The Bear Quartet and early New Order. With the standard set, "Free for friends" continues to deliver: "Black hole" with its wonderful, anthemic chorus of "Let some light in" perched perfectly upon surging instrumentation; the delightfully frantic guitar arrangements of "Happy love"; the chorus and ending of "Pandemonium ducks"; the grungy, angular attack of instrumental "Trouble kid"; and the powerful close provided by the title track and "Rubberneck". In the beginning, there were tracks I had to learn to appreciate through repeated listening, but I find this a compelling aspect of a record rather than a dissatisfying one. I like records that surprise me as they continue to reveal layers not visible on first glance. "Free for friends" is a perfect autumn record: tracts of introspection still fuelled by the reckless hope of summer days. Well worth the wait.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
