Here's the Swedish nominees for this year's Rockbjörnen:

Female artist:
Amy Diamond
Anna Ternheim
Laleh
Lena Philipsson
Robyn

Male artist:
Darin
Håkan Hellström
Lars Winnerbäck
Moneybrother
Timbuktu

Group:
Bodies Without Organs
Cardigans
Kent
Millencolin
The Ark

Song:
Darin - Step Up
Laleh - Live Tomorrow
Robyn - Be Mine
Thåström - Fanfanfan
Timbuktu - Alla Vill Till Himmelen Men Ingen Vill Dö

Album:
Darin - Darin
Håkan Hellström - Ett Kolikbarns Bekännelser
Kent - Du Och Jag Döden
Laleh - Laleh
Robyn - Robyn

Newcomer:
Amy Diamond
Bodies Without Organs
Darin
Hello Saferide
Laleh

Vote here: http://www.aftonbladet.se/ettor/webb/2805_normal.html

Anna Ternheim's debut album "Somebody outside" will be released internationally in February along with the single "To be gone". The US is not yet on the territory list, but folks throughout Europe and Japan should be able to find it.

Hello Saferide
Introducing...
Razzia Records

If you've heard other Swedish female artists such as Britta Persson, El Perro Del Mar, Frida Hyvönen or even Anna Ternheim (for a non-Swedish example, let's use Joanna Newsom) and found them too edgy and/or leftfield, I think you should welcome Hello Saferide with open arms. She got that chart-topping MOR thing going on, that is both radio friendly and not too shallow. What a disappointment this album was.
- Simon Tagestam

The third annual Access All Area music conference has started to come together. It will take place November 9-10 in Stockholm and will feature live music from Sugarplum Fairy, Crashdiet, Anna Ternheim, CDOASS, Deportees and SLS as well as a number of informative discussions on the future of the music industry. As always, I am always willing to entertain any offers to fly me out. For more info, go here: http://www.accessallareas.se/

This week's Friday oldie is actually only a couple years old, but I'm going to post it anyway. With all the hype that Anna Ternheim has been getting for her version of "Shoreline", I realized that there's probably quite a few people out there who have never heard the original. Outside of Sweden that is. Anna's version brings out the most despondent, alienating aspects of the song, but the original is a rousing anthem. It revels in its lonliness and depression. Like the rest of Broder Daniel's best material, the message is simple and universal. I'm no longer consumed by teen angst myself, but I empathize completely. Who couldn't? Nobody's that well-adjusted. That's what makes BD so damn effective and brilliant. So which take is better? Listen and decide for yourself.

MP3: Broder Daniel - Shoreline

This week's Friday oldie is actually only a couple years old, but I'm going to post it anyway. With all the hype that Anna Ternheim has been getting for her version of "Shoreline", I realized that there's probably quite a few people out there who have never heard the original. Outside of Sweden that is. Anna's version brings out the most despondent, alienating aspects of the song, but the original is a rousing anthem. It revels in its lonliness and depression. Like the rest of Broder Daniel's best material, the message is simple and universal. I'm no longer consumed by teen angst myself, but I empathize completely. Who couldn't? Nobody's that well-adjusted. That's what makes BD so damn effective and brilliant. So which take is better? Listen and decide for yourself.

Broder Daniel - Shoreline

I wouldn't normally indulge in such a blatant novelty tune, but I'm gonna say screw it and do it anyways since I'm actually a fan of Children of Bodom's own original material. Covering Britney Spears isn't even close to an original idea, but this is definitely one of the better, more entertaining versions of her material that I've heard. And face it: covering a song that's already been a hit has got to be the cheapest, most crass thing a band can do to get attention. Look what it did for Alien Ant Farm fer crissakes. Anna Ternheim, too. Puff Daddy and The KLF both made entire careers out of it. Anyhow, CoB are a metal band from Finland that often skirts of boundries of ridiculousness. They're one of the few heavy groups that doesn't shy away from fun and they do it without irony. They're a true metal band, but they realize that virtuostic keyboard lines are both totally silly and still, totally awesome. You can't hear it on this track unfortunately, but the dude goes off. One thing you can hear though is that amazingly tight rhythm section. It reminds of Anthrax, one of the all-time thrash greats. They're another band that doesn't hate fun either. Indulge yourself. It's a good way to start off the week.

Womenfolk posts about Swedish singer/songwriters Anna Ternheim and Sophie Zelmani: http://womenfolk.net/2005/07/swede-tooth.html

This week's top 20 Swedish album chart:

01. Bodies Without Organs - Prototype
02. Amy Diamond - This Is Me Now
03. CajsaStina Åkerström - De vackraste orden
04. Timbuktu - Alla vill till himmelen men ingen vill dö
05. Kina Jaarnek & Elvis Presleys Band - En hyllning till Elvis
06. Robyn - Robyn
07. Ulf Lundell - Högtryck
08. Magnus Uggla - Den tatuerade generationen
09. Di Leva - Själens krigare: samlade sånger 1980-2005
10. Lars Winnerbäck - Vatten under broarna
11. Darin - The anthem
12. Kent - Du & Jag Döden
13. Sofia Karlsson - Svarta ballader
14. Musikal - Mamma Mia
15. Christian Walz - Paint By Numbers
16. Carola - Störst av allt
17. Laleh - Laleh
18. Nanne - 20 år med Nanne
19. Lena Philipsson - Det gör ont en stund på natten men inget på dan
20. Anna Ternheim - Somebody outside

This week's top 20 Swedish album chart:

01. Bodies Without Organs - Prototype
02. CajsaStina Åkerström - De vackraste orden
03. Amy Diamond - This Is Me Now
04. Timbuktu - Alla vill till himmelen men ingen vill dö
05. Robyn - Robyn
06. Ulf Lundell - Högtryck
07. Di Leva - Själens krigare: samlade sånger 1980-2005
08. Musikal - Mamma Mia
09. Carola - Störst av allt
10. Sofia Karlsson - Svarta ballader
11. Kent - Du & Jag Döden
12. Anna Ternheim - Somebody outside
13. Kina Jaarnek & Elvis Presleys Band - En hyllning till Elvis
14. Lars Winnerbäck - Vatten under broarna
15. Nanne - 20 år med Nanne
16. Totta Näslund - Totta 8: Greatest Hits
17. Magnus Uggla - Den tatuerade generationen
18. Laleh - Laleh
19. Monica Zetterlund - Monicas bästa
20. Darin - The anthem

Mayhem's upcoming show at the Slottsfjellfestival this weekend will be filmed by the BBC for use in a documentary. In other news, the band is putting together an EP of cover tunes and rerecordings for release this fall before they head back into the studio early next year to record what will be their next full-length.

This week's top 20 Swedish album chart:

01. CajsaStina Åkerström - De vackraste orden
02. Bodies Without Organs - Prototype
03. Amy Diamond - This Is Me Now
04. Timbuktu - Alla vill till himmelen men ingen vill dö
05. Robyn - Robyn
06. Musikal - Mamma Mia
07. Di Leva - Själens krigare: samlade sånger 1980-2005
08. Ulf Lundell - Högtryck
09. Kent - Du & Jag Döden
10. Carola - Störst av allt
11. Lars Winnerbäck - Vatten under broarna
12. Darin - The anthem
13. Magnus Uggla - Den tatuerade generationen
14. Sofia Karlsson - Svarta ballader
15. Totta Näslund - Totta 8: Greatest Hits
16. Nanne - 20 år med Nanne
17. The Hellacopters - Rock & Roll Is Dead
18. Anna Ternheim - Somebody outside
19. Kina Jaarnek & Elvis Presleys Band - En hyllning till Elvis
20. Monica Zetterlund - Monicas bästa

Podcast: Summer bummer, pt. 2

Here's this week's MTVe UpNorth video chart:

01. DAD - Scare Yourself
02. Darin - Why Does It Rain
03. Robyn - Be Mine
04. Ane Brun / Ron Sexsmith - Song No. 6
05. Sara Nunes - Simon Can't Sing
06. Looptroop - Fort Europa
07. Lene Marlin - How Will It Be
08. Jori Hulkkonen - Lo Fiction
09. Midnight Monkeys - Monkeys On Attack
10. Paperboys - Wiggle It
11. Paris - 60 Minutes
12. Beezewax - I'm Not Where I'm Supposed To Be
13. Soak The Sin - Hands Up
14. London MC - What Is My Name
15. Håkan Hellström - Dom Kommer Kliva På Dig Igen
16. Hellacopters - Everything's On TV
17. Laleh - Storebror
18. Jim Stärk - Going Down That Lonely Road
19. Cheek - Liiku
20. Anna Ternheim - Shoreline

Challengers:
01. Da Fugitivz - It's All Good
02. Maria Arredondo - Cross Every River
03. Span - The Outside
04. The Maryonettes - Make My Last
05. Amerika - Big City Boy

Go here to vote for your favorite.

Here's this week's MTVe UpNorth video chart:

01. DAD - Scare Yourself
02. Darin - Why Does It Rain
03. Looptroop - Fort Europa
04. Smak - Nousen
05. Robyn - Be Mine
06. Ane Brun / Ron Sexsmith - Song No. 6
07. Paris - 60 Minutes
08. Sara Nunes - Simon Can't Sing
09. Paperboys - Wiggle It
10. Jori Hulkkonen - Lo Fiction
11. Diefenbach - Favourite Friend
12. Beezewax - I'm Not Where I'm Supposed To Be
13. Soak The Sin - Hands Up
14. Lene Marlin - How Will It Be
15. Midnight Monkeys - Monkeys On Attack
16. Eskobar - Even If You Know Me
17. London MC - What Is My Name
18. Håkan Hellström - Dom Kommer Kliva På Dig Igen
19. Anna Ternheim - Shoreline
20. Don Diego - Om Ni Undrar

Challengers:
01. Hellacopters - Everything's On TV
02. Laleh - Storebror
03. Jennie Löfgren - Gonna Make You Smile
04. Jim Stärk - Going Down That Lonely Road
05. Cheek - Liiku

Go here to vote for your favorite.

This week's top 20 Swedish album chart:

01. Ulf Lundell - Högtryck
02. Robyn - Robyn
03. Kent - Du & Jag Döden
04. Carola - Störst av allt
05. Amy Diamond - This Is Me Now
06. Nanne - 20 år med Nanne
07. Mustasch - Powerhouse
08. Sofia Karlsson - Svarta ballader
09. Timbuktu - Alla vill till himmelen men ingen vill dö
10. Helena Paparizou - My Number One
11. Electric Banana Band - Electric Banana Band och Trazan & Banarnes bästa
12. Laleh - Laleh
13. Anna Ternheim - Somebody Outside
14. Lars Winnerbäck - Vatten Under Broarna
15. Jill Johnson - Being Who You Are
16. Bodies Without Organs - Protoype
17. Caroline W. - Bossa Supernova
18. Shirley Clamp - Lever Mina Drömmar
19. Moneybrother - To Die Alone
20. Eldkvarn - Atlantis

No One Here is Asking posts some tracks from the new JR Ewing: http://discodeath.blogspot.com/2005/06/jr-ewing-maelstrom.html