Zweizz & Joey Hopkins - s/t
(Jester Records)

It's clear from the offset that this album is something unique. After all, when you have so many tracks in which beauty and madness share a simultaneous space, there's no denying that there's a creative genius at work here. As it happens, we have two creative geniuses in collaboration on this album: Norway's Svein Egil Hatlevik (here under the guise of Zweizz) and the sadly departed US-chaos merchant Joey Hopkins (of Midget Factory fame). The two met online a few years ago and promptly put their maniacal heads together to come up with eleven tracks of unclassifiable weirdness that have culminated in this self-titled opus. There's so much going on here that it's impossible to take in on one listen, from the Commodore 64-industrial barrage of "dWill 2 dPower" to the off-kilter ABBA-esque musings of "How we ate the flesh", this is an album that commands respect. Track of the album is "The goat", which kicks off with a cybersheep chorus followed by something that sounds like a bizarre reimagining of the "Alien" soundtrack. The album also benefits from a wealth of guest appearances from Carl-Michael Eide (Virus, Aura Noir), Kristoffer Rygg (Ulver), Torgny Knutson Amdam (Amulet) and Ingrid Aarvik Berge (Norma Sass), to name a few. To the untrained ear most of this might sound like random incoherence. In actual fact, it's one of the best lessons in controlled chaos that you're ever likely to find. This is a whole new level. This is lounge music for lunatics.
- John Norby

ABBA City Walk Stockholm

Premium Publishing & Stockholm City Museum have teamed up to produce a guidebook for an ABBA-themed walking tour of Stockholm for all the superfan tourists who want to retrace the steps once taken by Björn, Benny, Agnetha and Anni-Frid: http://www.premiumpublishing.com/en/art/abba-city-walk-ukde-stockholm.php

Tesco Vee on Abba

Florida weekly mag Folio needed pull-quotes for an Abba article, so they turned to mega-fan Tesco Vee: http://blog.bazillionpoints.com/2011/02/03/punks-leading-abba-expert-sounds-off/

ABBA, the app

ABBA now has an official singalong app: http://www.9to5mac.com/40754/official-abba-app-is-singalong-friendly

Back from the 80s: Jakob Hellman

Way more exciting than a potential ABBA reunion, but even still kinda underwhelming: renown recluse artist Jakob Hellman will once again grace the live stage on an 80s reunion tour under the banner "Forever Young" alongside Reeperbahn (and Alphaville): http://www.foreveryoung2010.se/
Still no plans for a new album and personally, I think it's better that way.

No really, this time it might just happen

Silly Swedes, getting way too excited for even a glimmer of hope at an ABBA reunion: http://www.aftonbladet.se/nojesbladet/musik/article6845306.ab

Interview: Cecilia Klingspor

This week's top 20 Swedish album chart

This week's top 20 Swedish album chart:

01. Erik Hassle - Hassle
02. Drifters - Ljudet av ditt hjärta
03. Malena Ernman - La voix du nord
04. Tomas Ledin - 500 dagar om året
05. Scotts - Längtan
06. Irya's Playground - Irya's playground
07. Lasse Stefanz - Truck stop
08. Rolandz - Efter regn kommer solsken
09. Veronica Maggio - Och vinnaren är...
10. Hans Edler with String Orchestra - Remember the sixties
11. Dead By April - Dead By April
12. Caroline Af Ugglas - Så gör jag det igen
13. Erik Linder - Inifrån
14. ABBA - Nore ABBA gold
15. Benny Andersson Band - Story of a heart
16. Blackjack - Summertime blues
17. Smurfarna - Smurfparty 2
18. Thorleifs - Sweet kissin' in the moonlight
19. Style - Vill ha dej igen
20. Bullet - Bite the bullet

This week's top 20 Swedish album chart

This week's top 20 Swedish album chart:

01. Scotts - Längtan
02. Malena Ernman - La voix du nord
03. Tomas Ledin - 500 dagar om året
04. Caroline Af Ugglas - Så gör jag det igen
05. Rolandz - Efter regn kommer solsken
06. Veronica Maggio - Och vinnaren är...
07. Lasse Stefanz - Truck stop
08. Irya's Playground - Irya's playground
09. Hans Edler with String Orchestra - Remember the sixties
10. ABBA - Nore ABBA gold
11. Erik Linder - Inifrån
12. Larz Kristerz - Hem till dig
13. Jannez - Guenerina
14. Benny Andersson Band - Story of a heart
15. Smurfarna - Smurfparty 2
16. Ted Gärdestad - Helt nära dig - samlade album
17. Eva Dahlgren - En blekt blondins ballader
18. Blackjack - Summertime blues
19. ABBA - ABBA gold - Greatest hits
20. Dead By April - Dead By April

Björn & Benny + Hotel Rival = 2nd best to none

Check out the new Björn & Benny (Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, y'know... from ABBA?) penned single "2nd best to none" as sung by the staff at Stockholm's Hotel Rival: http://www.rival.se/