This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart:
01. Espen Lind - Army of one
02. Kurt Nilsen - Rise To The Occasion
03. Åge Aleksandersen - Katalysator
04. Vassendgutane - Xo
05. Too Far Gone - Livåt
06. Morten Harket - Letter From Egypt
07. Malin - Pang
08. Knutsen & Ludvigsen - Dum og deilig -beste
09. Maria Haukaas Storeng - Hold On Be Strong
10. Ida Maria - Fortress Round My Heart
11. Songns - Det koster å vara kar
12. Madrugada - Madrugada
13. Ane Brun - Changing Of The Seasons
14. Kaizers Orchestra - Maskineri
15. Åsmund Åmli Band - Panorama
16. Harald Heide Steen jr. - Musikalske Minner
17. Hellbillies - Spissrotgang
18. Sie Gubba - Sånn e livet
19. Real Ones - All For The Neighbourhood
20. Paal Flaata - Old Angel Midnight
Check out the new video for "Hop-up-pop" from The Norwegian Fords: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ntX11fIYPI
Pistol Disco's upcoming album "Evergreen" will be released later this year via Celebrity Lifestyle Records and will be available either on 12" vinyl or as a free digital download. Look for new remixes from them for artists such as Ikons and Maria in the near future as well.
This week's top 20 Swedish album chart:
01. Lasse Stefanz - Rallarsväng
02. The Real Group - Håll musiken igång! The Real Group sjunger Povel
03. Sten & Stanley - Det känns när det svänger
04. Takida - Bury the lies
05. Amanda Jenssen - Killing my darlings
06. Hammerfall - Rebels with a cause
07. Evert Taube - Mästerverk!
08. Kleerup - Kleerup
09. E.M.D. - A state of mind
10. The Refreshments - Jukebox - Refreshing classics
11. Miss Li - Best of 061122-071122
12. Sanna Nielsen - Stronger
13. Nordman - Djävul eller gud
14. Eric Gadd - Stockholm står kvar men jag ligger
15. Håkan Hellström - För sent för Edelweiss
16. Rongedal - Rongedal
17. Roxette - A collection of Roxette hits! Their 20 greatest
18. Christer Sjögren - Jubileum 40 år med Christer Sjögren
19. Trazan & Banarne - Swingtajm! Trazan & Banarnes 30-årsskiva!
20. Maia Hirasawa - Though, I'm just me (new edition)
July 4th is Independence Day here in the US, so I'm taking most of the day off. The weekly newsletter will go out as usual, but full news updates won't be back until Monday. Thanks!
With first single "Gobbledygook" as the presupposed manifesto for the anti-"Heima" -- recorded in NYC, London, and Havana instead of the usual Reykjavík -- it's a bit disappointing to see Jonsi & Co can't avoid their own pitfalls, falling prey at various times to a retread of the idiosyncrasies that made "Agaetis byrjun" and "( )" great. The melodies remain memorable, and "Goðan daginn" with its middle-register acoustic guitar atop a feathered cadence, is a pristine example of "Heima" creative holdover. But their particular brand of four-to-the-floor pulses tiredly through the first half of the album, and the on-paper majesty of "Ára batur"'s full orchestra and boys choir turns out to be little more than bloated "Takk" fare. Their marketability, sadly, climbs ever upward as they half-manage to fit their Aleph of tinkling instruments into these smaller and smaller packages.
I guess after their 2006 tour of Iceland that championed their cultural and musical past, "Með suð..." seemed the perfect vehicle for a massive paradigm shift. My hopes buoyed by that gloriously playful first single, I saw this album marrying the time signature mystique of "Amnesiac" and the ornery appeal of "Sung Tongs" through their distinctive Icelandic style. Instead, all I got was an admittedly beautiful "Takk" remake, marked with the somber organs, plaintive strings, and playful glockenspiels of old.
- Nathan Keegan
If you mistake this track for The Jesus Lizard, I don't blame you. That main riff is awfully similar to "Lady shoes". The thing is though, KTMK (short for Kansanturvamusiikkikomissio, try saying that one five times fast) predates 'em by five full years, having recorded "Kalinka" in 1985 for the "666" album. "Goat", on the other hand, was recorded in 1990 and it's no secret that at least engineer Steve Albini was a big fan of weird Finnish hardcore. The more I dig into the stuff, the more obvious the influence is, regardless of whether it's out in the open or not. So are Chicago and Finland kindred spirits? Maybe? I've never been to either, but I gotta say that I certainly love the music.
KTMK - Kalinka
The new Universal Poplab single "Summer struck" is now available for free download: http://www.universalpoplab.com/
Swedish new-wave/postpunk act The Bell is back in the studio working on material for their 2nd album. Otherwise, look out for a new remix 12" EP featuring cuts by Mixhell, Arne Blackman, Diskjokke, Whitnoise, Joe & Will and more to surface later on this summer.
Look for Rune Grammofon to release the new album "A killer for that ache" from singer/songwriter Hilde Marie Kjersem in mid-August. Also on the way later this year are new records from MoHa!, Huntsville (+ special guests), Susanna (of Susanna and the Magical Orchestra) and Humcrush (live) as well as the sequel to the "Money will ruin everything" art-book/2CD compilation.
Gbg-based hardcore act The Eight Arms Around You has a ripping new track up on myspace: http://www.myspace.com/theviiiarmsaroundyou
Music Export Finland's July newsletter is now online: http://musex.fi/mxf/news?articleId=160
Pelle Carlberg's new album "The lilac time" is confirmed for release on August 27 via Labrador Records.
Finnish indie/synthpop act Déclassé has confirmed that their new album "Silos" will be released on August 13. Hear the first single "She's a raver" at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/declassetheband
The Silent Ballet has posted two new volumes of their postrock comp series for free download: http://thesilentballet.com/dnn/
I'd highlight the Scandinavians for you, but Icelandic artists Olafur Arnalds and Mimas are the only ones I immediately recognize.
Sigur Rós