A new animated video from Norway's Casiokids.

Here's a new video from Norwegian act Casiokids.

Female artist:
Ane Brun - "It All Starts With One"
Hilde Marie Kjersem - "Let's Let Go"
Marit Larsen - "Spark"
Siri Nilsen - "Alle Snakker Sant"

Male Artist:
Bernhoft - "Solidarity Breaks"
Jonas Alaska - "Jonas Alaska"
Odd Nordstoga - "Bestevenn"
Sivert Høyem - "Long Slow Distance"

Pop Group:
Eva & The Heartmaker - "Dominoes"
Katzenjammer - "A Kiss Before You Go"
Montée - "Rendition Of You"
Real Ones - "First Night On Earth"
Team Me - "To The Treetops!"

Rock:
Honningbarna - "La Alarmane Gå"
John Olav Nilsen & Gjengen - "Det Nærmeste Du Kommer"
Kaizers Orchestra - "Violeta Violeta Vol. 1"
Oslo Ess - "Uleste Bøker Og Utgåtte Sko"
Rumble In Rhodos - "Signs Of Fervent Devotion"

Metal:
Insense - "Burn In Beautiful Fire"
Shining - "Live Blackjazz"
Taake - "Noregs Vaapen"
Vreid - "V"
Årabrot - "Solar Anus"

Electronica:
Biosphere - "N-Plants"
Bugge Wesseltoft & Henrik Schwarz - "Wesseltoft Schwarz Duo"
Casiokids - "Aabenbaringen Over Aaskammen"

Hip-hop:
Joddski - "Bensin På Bålet"
Lars Vaular - "Du Betyr Meg"
Son Of Light - "War Of The Worlds"

Folk/Traditional:
Hekla Stålstrenga - "Makramé"
Juusk - "Juusk"
Ragnhild Furebotten - "Never On A Sunday"
Øystein Sandbukt - "Normør"

Jazz:
Helge Lien Trio - "Natsukashii"
Håkon Kornstad - "Symphonies In My Head"
Mats Eilertsen - "Skydive"
Nils Petter Molvær - "Baboon Moon"
Ola Kvernberg - "Liarbird"

Open Class:
Bárut - Inga Juuso - "Balggis"
Biret Ristin Sara - "Áidnen"
Fargespill - "Fargespill"
Skáidi - "Headland - Skáidegeahci"
Susanne Lundeng - "Mot"

Lyrics:
Jonas Alaska - "Jonas Alaska"
Lars Vaular - "Du Betyr Meg"
Maria Mena - "Viktoria"
Martin Hagfors - "I Like You"
Odd Nordstoga - "Bestevenn"

Composer:
Ane Brun - "It All Starts With One"
Hilde Marie Kjersem - "Let's Let Go"
Marit Larsen - "Spark"
Rolf Wallin/Lundeng/Torjesen/Bodø Symfonietta/Eggen - "Wire And String"
Synne Skouen - "Call-Notes"

Newcomer/Gramostipend:
Honningbarna - "La Alarmane Gå"
Jonas Alaska - "Jonas Alaska"
Ragnhild Hemsing - "Yr"
Razika - "Program 91"
Team Me - "To The Treetops!"

Read more: http://www.spellemann.no/index.php?option=com_winner&Itemid=29&year=2011

Modular has picked up Norwegian act Young Dreams and will be releasing their debut album in 2012. The apparently huge band features Matias Tellez alongside members from bands such as Casiokids, The Megaphonic Thrift and Bloody Beach and, if the sample above is any indication, are yet another act playing semi-dreamy tropical pop. Yawn.

"Det haster!" is the latest single from Norwegian act Casiokids.

11/10 - Marz, Tokyo
11/11 - Unit, Tokyo
11/12 - R.A.D., Nagoya
11/13 - Shangri la, Osaka

Norwegian label Splendour (Casiokids, Harrys Gym) has announced the signing of Finnish "Krautpop" act Siinai, apparently a very popular sound these days (see: Torpedo, This Is Head and many many others). Look for the band's debut album "Olympic games" to be released this summer and/or check out the video for the tune "Anthem part 1&2" right here: http://youtu.be/COIM2NJk8B0

01. Håkan Hellström - 2 steg från paradise
I like all of Hellström's albums but his previous one had about 3-4 songs that I loved, so I was a but surprised that "2 steg..." turned out to be his best album of his career.

02. Masshysteri - Masshysteri
Pure melodic punk perfection. A darn shame they've split up.

03. Robyn - Body talk
A bit disappointing that all the talk of 3 albums turned out to be 15 new songs in total, but thankfully some of the songs were killer ones!

04. Monty - 2010
A great album that I believe didn't get the attention it deserved. Montt Mardié in Swedish sounded excellent.

05. Johan Heltne - Sara,
This is what Kent would sound if they were still good (plus if they were a bit more into jazz).

06. CEO - White magic
With no new The Tough Alliance we had to do with CEO, which was just fine, just fine.

07. jj - jj n° 3
A lot of people weren't that keen on jj's second album but I really liked it. Shame they're so terrible live though.

08. The Radio Dept. - Clinging to a scheme
Another boring live band, although I don't care as long as they release albums as brilliant as this.

09. Ludwig Bell - Jag har försökt förklara
Some of it a bit too cheesy perhaps, but some of the songs on Bell's album are pure pop masterpieces.

10. Orup - Född i november
The big Swedish comeback of the year? Orup delivered a great personal album, oddly enough with lyrics not written by him.

Fantastic songs in no particular order

Supergruppen - Farsta centrum by night
Ludwig Bell - Silvertejp
Oskar Linnros - Ack, Sundbyberg
Masshysteri - Dom kan inte höra musiken
Robyn - Dancing on my own
Håkan Hellström - Man måste dö några gånger innan man kan leva
Museum of Bella Arts - Who do you love
Säkert! - Dansa, fastän

Best cover of the year:
jj - My life

Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson

Albums (in no particular order, except for "You're a wasteland...""):

"You're a wasteland, honey" Robert Svensson (my album of the year)

"Let this be the last night we care" Alcoholic Faith Mission (my only other 10/10)

"Trilogi" Fredrik

"This wilderlessness" Yamon Yamon

"In never out" Pg.lost

"Conscious castle" Another Nation's National Anthem

"s/t" EP, Night Minutes

"Dada bandits" Rubik

"White mountain" Kiki Pau

"Clinging to a scheme" The Radio Dept.

mp3:
"The sound and the sore" Cut City

Laura Studarus

Jónsi: Go -- Not just my top Scandinavian album, but my top album of the year. Period. There's so much emotion in this one that the first time I heard it (a lo-bit stream over crappy computer speakers) I cried. The fact I also happen to be a noted wimp should in no way stop you from checking this out.

Club 8: The people's record -- Yet another in a long string of reasons why Johan Angergård (Club 8/Legends/Pallers/Acid House Kings) should continue on his quest for world domination. (Or failing that, musical domination.) So many bands lose their way after so many albums -- their attempts to infuse their sound with new elements as convincing as a child's Halloween "scary" costume. And then there's Club 8 -- who has mixed afro/Cuban beats in with their sweet pop, and created a delicious hybrid beast...all without sacrificing an iota of their identity along the way.

Jens Lekman: Sure he didn't put an album out this year, but he played a one-off gig in Los Angeles that had everyone swooning. One of the best performers working today. Full stop.

Ólafur Arnalds: ...And they have escaped the weight of darkness -- Second in emotional resonance only to Go. It can be difficult to write about experimental instrumentals without sounding foolish -- so at the risk of sounding increasingly stupid, this album will recalibrate your perception of beauty.

The Radio Dept.: Clinging to a scheme -- It's about time! Back and better than ever. Welcome.

Casiokids: Topp stemning på lokal bar -- Are these "kids" playing near you? (Given their touring schedule it's a real possibility.) Go! Go! Go! Are you currently at a Casiokids concert? Dance! Dance! Dance!

Seabear: We built a fire -- Another gloriously dreamy album from the Icelandic collective. This is nostalgic chamber pop ready to soundtrack new memories.

Kaskas: In the meanwhile -- Finland's Yo La Tengo blending influences and styles with grace. A side-project that -- if the world is just and good -- will become a full-time gig.

Söder tea: If this were music, it would be a perfect ten. I'm starting to feel like a junkie asking my friends in Sweden to hook me up. No I can't quit any time I want, and of course, I don't have a problem.

Sambassadeur: European -- Classic pop with an orchestral flair. Why these guys haven't caught on stateside is one of life's great mysteries. (Then again, I'm from the country that just nominated Justin Bieber for a Grammy, so what do I know?)

01. Kvelertak - Kvelertak
02. Susanne Sundfør - The Brothel
03. Motorpsycho - Heavy Metal Fruit
04. Lars Vaular - Helt om natten, helt om dagen
05. Serena Maneesh - S-M No 2: Abyss In B Minor
06. Thomas Dybdahl - Waiting For That One Clear Moment
07. Ost & Kjex - Cajun Lunch
08. Hellbillies - Leite etter lykka
09. Odd Nordstoga - November
10. Kråkesølv - Bomtur til jorda
11. Röyksopp - Senior
12. Shining - Blackjazz
13. Karpe Diem - Aldri solgt en løgn
14. Frida Ånnevik - Synlige hjerteslag
15. Narum - Ælt som var søkk borte
16. Lindstrøm & Christabelle - Real Life Is No Cool
17. Casiokids - Topp stemning på lokal bar
18. Bjørn Eidsvåg - Rundt neste sving
19. Grande - You Are The Night
20. Kenneth Ishak & The Freedom Machines - Kenneth Ishak & The Freedom Machines

Link: http://www.dagbladet.no/2010/12/07/kultur/musikk/musikkanmeldelser/anmeldelser/arets_beste/14613152/

01. Kvelertak - Kvelertak
02. Susanne Sundfør - The Brothel
03. Röyksopp - Senior
04. Kollwitz - Like Iron I Rust
05. Youth Pictures of Florence Henderson - s/t
06. Casiokids - Topp steming på lokal bar
07. Shining - Blackjazz
08. Kråkesølv - Bomtur Til Jorda
09. Pow Pow - Last Days On Earth
10. Death By Unga Bunga - Juvenile Jungle

Read more: http://www.musikknyheter.no/news/7505 (in Norwegian)

Top songs:

01. Susanne Sundfør - The Brothel
02. Kvelertak - Mjød
03. Lars Vaular - Rett Opp og Ned
04. Kråkesølv - Nordavind Mot Varme Kinn
05. Cold Mailman - Put Yourself Together And Fall In Love With Me
06. Röyksopp - The Alcoholic
07. Lindstrøm & Christabelle - Lovesick
08. Kvelertak - Ulvetid
09. Honningbarna - Våkn Opp
10. Pow Pow - Solar Eclipse

See videos for every track here: http://www.musikknyheter.no/news/7511

While the size of the venue -- really the backroom of French restaurant Taix -- made it a bid difficult to call her Saturday night performance a case of taking the city by storm, those present were treated to an all-too-brief intimate performance an incredibly skilled storyteller. (Heck, she didn't name her sophomore album, "More modern stories from Hello Saferide" for nothing.) Replacing the album's electric guitars for an acoustic axe and a kick drum, Norlin breathed new life into the material -- most notably during "Anna", and the onomonopia-dense "Arjeplog" where the stripped-down version elevated Norlin's art of the broken heart.

From apologizing to an über fan parked in the front row for playing the same set three days in a row (he didn't seem to mind), to telling the audience about her wacky Los Angeles pen pal ("She slept with all these hockey players and then wrote to me about it. I was thirteen!") Norlin came across as an every-woman worth knowing. Here's hopping Los Angeles was listening.]]> Mon, 11 Oct 2010 12:04:47 -0700 reviews http://www.itsatrap.com/n/34626-casiokids-win-a-ha-million http://www.itsatrap.com/n/34626-casiokids-win-a-ha-million http://www.itsatrap.com/n/34626-casiokids-win-a-ha-million#comments As predicted, Casiokids picked up the fourth and final of the $1-million NOK A-ha stipend awards.

08/18 - Cafe Du Nord, San Francisco, CA
08/19 - Mississippi Studios, Portland, OR
08/20 - The Vera Project, Seattle, WA
08/21 - Media Club, Vancouver, BC
08/24 - 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis, MN
08/25 - Schubas Tavern, Chicago, IL
08/26 - Magic Stick, Detroit, MI
08/27 - Supermarket, Toronto, ON
08/28 - Glasslands, Brooklyn, NY
08/29 - Kung Fu Necktie, Philadelphia, PA
08/30 - DC9, Washington, DC
10/08 - Spaceland, Los Angeles, CA

05/26 - Heaven, London
05/27 - Hare and Hounds, Birmingham
05/28 - The Forum, Tunbridge Wells
05/29 - Dot to Dot Festival, Bristol
05/30 - Dot to Dot Festival, Nottingham
05/31 - Dot to Dot Festival, Manchester

01. Raga Rockers - Shit Happens
02. Diverse artister - Melodi Grand Prix 2010
03. Donkeyboy - Caught in a Life
04. Navigators - The Straight And Narrow
05. Ingrid Olava - The Guest
06. Audrey Horne - Audrey Horne
07. WigWam - Non Stop Rock'N'Roll
08. Diverse artister - Dugnad For Haiti
09. Pelbo - Pelbo
10. The Pink Robots - The Pink Robots
11. John Olav Nilsen & Gjengen - For Sant Til Å Være Godt
12. Sivert Høyem - Moon Landing
13. Frøya - My American Dream
14. Bjørn Hellfuck - Innforjævlig
15. Burzum - Belus
16. Moddi - Floriography
17. Zeromancer - Death Of Romance
18. Casiokids - Topp Stemning På Lokal Bar
19. Joddski (Jørg1) - Krig & Kjærlighet
20. Bare Egil - I Fyr og Flamme

01. Navigators - The Straight And Narrow
02. Diverse artister - Melodi Grand Prix 2010
03. Ingrid Olava - The Guest
04. Donkeyboy - Caught in a Life
05. WigWam - Non Stop Rock'N'Roll
06. Bjørn Eidsvåg - De Beste
07. Jahn Teigen - Teigen - 40 Største Hits
08. Sivert Høyem - Moon Landing
09. Bjørn Hellfuck - Innforjævlig
10. Frøya - My American Dream
11. Dum Dum Boys - Tidsmaskin
12. John Olav Nilsen & Gjengen - For Sant Til Å Være Godt
13. Joddski (Jørg1) - Krig & Kjærlighet
14. Motorpsycho - Heavy Metal Fruit
15. Casiokids - Topp Stemning På Lokal Bar
16. Kråkesølv - Trådnøsting
17. Moddi - Floriography
18. D-Techs - From the Street to the Stage
19. Jaga Jazzist - One-Armed Bandit
20. Stage Dolls - Always

01. Ingrid Olava - The Guest
02. Diverse artister - Melodi Grand Prix 2010
03. Donkeyboy - Caught in a Life
04. Bjørn Hellfuck - Innforjævlig
05. WigWam - Non Stop Rock'N'Roll
06. Joddski (Jørg1) - Krig & Kjærlighet
07. Bjørn Eidsvåg - De Beste
08. Casiokids - Topp Stemning På Lokal Bar
09. Jahn Teigen - Teigen - 40 Største Hits
10. Motorpsycho - Heavy Metal Fruit
11. Frøya - My American Dream
12. John Olav Nilsen & Gjengen - For Sant Til Å Være Godt
13. Moddi - Floriography
14. Sivert Høyem - Moon Landing
15. Jaga Jazzist - One-Armed Bandit
16. Dum Dum Boys - Tidsmaskin
17. Diverse artister - Dugnad For Haiti
18. N'Jie Haddy - World of the free
19. Stage Dolls - Always
20. Shining - Blackjazz

Andreas Tylden (from JR Ewing) and Sten Ove Toft (Utarm, Ryfylke, Roggbif, etc.) have formed what Andreas describes as "an avant garde metal, post metal band", whose influences include Phillip Glass and John Cage. "We're a brand new band, we've only done five shows," he explains. That might explain why the crowd for the show was small, but everyone present -- include NME reporter Matt Wilkinson, and Edgar Smith of leading British indie mag Loud and Quiet -- instantly became a loyal fan.

Sten tells IAT: "it would be too easy to do nothing but noise, nothing but metal... but at its best, black metal is one of the most carefully composed musical genres, with great melodies, it's just that there's lots of noise around them."

So far, so civilised. They are even sharing their Tuborg with everybody -- nice guys. So Altaar aren't into burning down churches, then? "There are other ways to break down Christianity," muses Andreas. "If we burned down a church the state would have to pay for it and it would cost the tax payer money, so that's why we wouldn't want to do that." Sten adds: "Burning down churches makes the Christians feel stronger and makes them unite. It's better to ignore them." There were certainly enough candles on stage to fill any Catholic crypt, and it took the band some time to personally blow them all out before they left the stage.

Also getting a warm reception in frosty Oslo were Iceland's Seabear, who are playing again tonight. Initially a solo project by Sindri Mar Sigfuson -- who was once described by Rolling Stone as "the Icelandic Beck", the group from Reykjavik now has seven permanent members.

Tonight will see a repeat performance from Bergen's Social Suicide, too, whose set yesterday was arguably the festival's most exciting so far. Any New Yorker who hung out upstairs at Max's Kansas City in 1970s would, I imagine, have felt quite home here last night. The bigger name bands to have played so far include Casiokids and Oh No Ono, but many of us were far more taken by a group of Gothenburg Krautrockers called Fontän. Member Johan Melin tells IAT "I hope people hear us, like us and like the fact that something is going on in the psychedelic scene. We have a disco thing going on in Scandinavia right now. We're influenced by bands like Can but it's nice to merge different genres. We're trying to do it. I'm into drum and bass and electronic music, and when I was 15 I listened to a lot of British hip-hop like Killer Instinct, but you wouldn't guess that to listen to us... We listen to everything."

I'm going back into the conference now, but if anyone has any tips for bands I should check out while here, please drop me or Avi a line [or post a comment here -ed]. Apologies for my poorly articulated reporting, but I am very hung over.

Over and out for now Scandi-philes.
- Sophy Grimshaw

02/12 - Academy, Glasgow
02/13 - Picture House, Edinburgh
02/15 - Rock City, Nottingham
02/16 - Academy, Leeds
02/19 - Academy, Manchester
02/20 - O2 Academy, Birmingham
02/21 - Joiners, Southampton*
02/22 - O2 Academy, Bournemouth
02/23 - O2 Academy, Bristol
02/24 - O2 Academy, Norwich
02/25 - Barfly Camden, London*
02/26 - O2 Brixton Academy, London

*Casiokids only

08/05 - El Mazambo, Toronto
08/06 - La Sala Rosa, Montreal
08/07 - Seaport Music Festival, New York, NY
08/08 - Spaceland, Los Angeles, CA
08/10 - Bottom of the Hill, San Francisco, CA
08/11 - Doug Fir Lounge, Portland, OR
08/12 - Media Club, Vancouver BC
08/13 - Crocodile Cafe, Seattle, WA

03/16 - Bell House, NYC w/Anamanaguchi, Kittens Ablaze
03/19 - Habana Annex Backyard, Austin (SXSW) w/Max Tundra, Wavves, more

Both acts are also playing a bunch of other showcases at SXSW, so keep your eyes peeled.

Old analogue and trashy keyboard enthusiasts Casiokids have been active on the Bergen music scene since 2005. Recently they got signed by British label Moshi Moshi (renowned for discovering acts like Bloc Party, Hot Chip and Kate Nash) and their new single "Grønt lys i alle ledd" became the first Norwegian-language single to get a proper release in the UK. This was a good occasion for It's a Trap! to have a chat with singer/keyboardist Ketil Kinden.

How did you guys meet?

We met in Bergen through the studies and also through the music scene there.

What were you studying?

I was studying art history at the time. We were all playing in more pop-rock oriented bands and wanted to try out an electronic music project. So we started jamming together. In the beginning Casiokids were more collective with a lot of improvised things on stage.

How many members were you at the time?

It varied from three to twelve. A year later we started making more pop-structured songs, still with electronic elements, still with Casio keyboards. Now we are a set group of five.

Is this your full-time occupation?

It is starting to become like that. We were on tour with Of Montreal for two weeks and now we are going for a one-month tour in France. Then we're going to the UK and the US. But we have a lot of other projects combined with Casiokids: workshops in kindergartens, sound installations and DJ jobs. These are all variations of our songs; we use themes and sounds from the songs and we experiment with the live format and how to present music to other people, so we are not only doing rock concerts.

How old are the members of the band?

Anything from 23 to 33.

Where do you get your samples?

Some parts from are from audio books and some parts are from interviews we've done ourselves.

How do you write your songs?

We have our own studio so we work more with the recording part of it and the plan how to do things live afterwards. Different band members have different ideas.

Is it a conscious decision that you sing in Norwegian despite the fact that this might make more difficult your breakthrough to the rest of Europe or elsewhere?

We have also tried singing in French, but we settled on Norwegian because it was more natural for us.

English doesn't come into question?

Not so far. We are happy to be singing in Norwegian. But usually when the setting is right, we have a theatre group, which is called Digitalteater. They help us communicate the themes and the songs to the audience.

How many people are they?

They are four. They have shadow puppets and digital animation live on stage. Our music is based around the beats and it is sort of danceable music and we communicate quite a lot of things apart from the lyrics. And it works pretty well because it is such upbeat music.

So what do your lyrics talk about? Is there a main theme?

There's no main theme really. For instance our single "Grønt lys i alle ledd" is inspired by the feeling that in Bergen everyone is so "over-safe" and they became a bit apathetic. It's about that feeling of having it too well and about the necessity of obstacles.

How come you wanted to write about such a topic? Is it out of personal experience?

No, it's just something I thought about from living in Bergen.

You reject the notion of b-sides. Elaborate.

We had this idea that the record industry has come to the point where you can feel free to experiment with the formats and how you release your music. And we thought about what would suit our music best. Because our music is more immediate, we are going to focus on singles. We have our own studio and we are also releasing the things we record not so long after they've been recorded. Trying to keep the audience at the same pace we're at. There is going to be a singles collection at some later stage.

What do you usually listen to at home?

I am listening to this English folk singer; he's called Vashti Bunyan. I also listen to a lot of Nigerian music. Pop music as well, like Jens Lekman.

How did the deal with Moshi Moshi materialise?

We got first in contact with them during by:Larm last year. Right after that we played in the UK a couple of times. We got along with them. They really liked our music and we liked to share. I think it was just a good match with them.

Finally, why does Bergen has such a vibrant music scene?

We are more inspired by the last generation of up-and-coming Bergen musicians. Well, they are still active, like Kings of Convenience. They inspired a lot of new musicians, they brought a lot of musicians to Bergen. More musicians are coming to Bergen; more creativity coming to Bergen; more audience coming to Bergen.

Words and picture by Vasilis Panagiotopoulos

Groningen is a small student town in northern Netherlands. Normally it's pretty calm, but at the beginning of every year it becomes home to one of Europe's busiest music industry gatherings. Eurosonic - along with its only for Dutch artists younger brother, Noorderslag - offers the opportunity to see over 200 performing artists in various venues and has a total number of approximately 18,000 visitors of over 30 nationalities. Apart from the night time gigs, a music industry conference takes place during the day and offers professionals plenty of opportunities for networking and shoulder-rubbing.

The Scandinavian presence at Eurosonic is substantial. Actually there's a mini-Nordic invasion taking place! In total, 32 Scandinavian bands were performing this year (11 Swedish, 6 Danish, 6 Norwegian, 4 Finnish, 4 Icelandic and one Faroese). Furthermore, the conference was attended by various Scandinavian music export associations, ministries, festival bookers, record labels, along with several press and media representatives and other curious types like me.

Day One

The evening programme starts at 8pm and the first band I go to see are Danish act Vincent Van Go Go, playing at the Vindicat which normally houses one of Groningen's student societies and their countless piss-ups. I assume the diabolic similarities of the band's name with the famous Dutch painter must have puzzled the organisers. They play a mixture of reggae and afro-beat, combined with electronic elements. It is still the beginning of the evening and the venue is semi-empty, but the people who are here seem to be enjoying themselves with these well-presented Danes.

Immediately after the gig finishes I rush down to De Oosterpoort, the main conference venue, to see the highlight of this year's festival, the European Union's "European Boarder Breakers Awards" (EBBA). The awards show is broadcasted throughout Europe (or at least this is what the organisers told the journalists) and is presented by veteran BBC host Jools Holland, who's in good form tonight. Among the 10 awarded artists, three are Scandinavian. Not bad! The artists in question: Danish soul diva Ida Corr, pop sensation Alphabeat and emerging Swedish indiepop talent Lykke Li. Alphabeat are not here to collect their award, but Lykke Li and Ida Corr are present, modestly-dressed as the occasion requires, and they deliver professional performances. Although award ceremonies can be sometimes quite amusing, the fact that 5 of the 10 awarded artist didn't bother turning up is quite telling of their enormous popularity. I won't mention now the ridiculous amounts of confetti I had to suffer in order to take some decent pictures...

Later on I head to the USVA, a cultural student centre a couple of minutes away to see Marching Band, a Swedish indiepop pair from Linköping. These guys must have been listening to a lot of The Shins, Belle and Sebastian and Sufjan Stevens. Their upbeat power-pop is equipped with good harmonies and the crowd is very engaged and smiling, despite not knowing the tunes. They clearly steal the tonight's show and on the way to the next gig I just can't stop singing the melody of "Make up artist", their latest single. I hope I get to see them again soon.

Next on my list are Icelandic 'chamber-pop' (is that a genre?) Hjaltalín, who are playing in the Stadsschouwburg, the Groningen theatre/opera house. Their large lineup which consists of, apart from the usual instruments, a piano, accordion, bassoon, clarinet, cello and a violin is perfectly suited for this type of venue. The crowd is mesmerised by their melodies and their Icelandic chart-topping song "Þú komst við hjartað í mér" (Icelandic for "You touched my heart") is the strongest moment of their set. And the singer is insisting that it doesn't sound that cheesy in Icelandic...

Final band for today are playing in the Magic Mirror, a tent on the main square, they are from Malmö, and are called Billie the Vision & the Dancers. Such an unusual name and such an unusual lot! They're definitely not easy to forget, dressed-up like a travelling gypsy circus, and with a drag queen for a singer. But it's not just the looks; their music is profound and leaves you with a strange and beautiful bittersweet taste. Nice!

Day Two

Back again at the USVA, I am chuffed to see at last the Danes Our Broken Garden who are signed by US label Bella Union (Explosions In The Sky, Fleet Foxes, The Dears). They are slow-tempoed and have a vintage feel, with the soft voice and strong presence of Anna Brønsted. A lot of interesting elements here: the guitar is channelled through some sort of an analog synth and is making weird noises, they are using an e-bow and an original Fender Rhodes keyboard; but most interestingly they have a Hammond organ on stage, complete with a not-so-portable Leslie rotating speaker. It's very rare and cool to see bands playing with such vintage instruments, when they could always opt for a digital and much more compact and reliable option.

Folksy First Aid Kit are playing next in the Grand Theatre. Although from a Stockholm suburb, these checker-shirted girls play convincing Americana and their harmonies are perfectly in tune. Despite their young age they prove to be very comfortable on stage. It remains to be seen to what extent a stripped-down, back-to-basics show of just voice/keyboard/acoustic guitar can be interesting for a full-length gig. These girls have got huge potential, especially if they were properly backed-up by a full band.

Next stop is the jazz bar De Spieghel. If this is the first time you're reading about The Asteroids Galaxy Tour, I assure you, it's definitely not going to be the last. Even before these Danes released their first single, Apple chose their song to support the iPod Touch campaign. This band has all the elements it takes to make it big, let alone the attitude, a stunning female singer and good tunes. Musically they remind me of Morcheeba, with a couple of afro-reggae elements, along with some saxophone and trumpet support. I am in the first row and dancing non-stop. What a show!

Young shoe-gazing Icelanders For A Minor Reflection are a good follow-up to the poppy Danes. Their Mogwai-influenced postrock is very sincere and energetic. Unfortunately, it's only me who is getting really tired at this stage!

The last band for tonight, again in De Spieghel, are Norwegians Casiokids, and they are having immense fun on stage. They come with lots of synths and funky dance moves and a deal with British label Moshi Moshi in their back pockets. The fact that they sing in Norwegian alienates the crowd a bit at the beginning, but slowly people start engaging with their naïve electropop. Ones to watch.

I am now knackered and head back to my hotel. Eurosonic was great fun, and although it's an extremely tight schedule involved lots of running between venues and negotiating with Dutch bouncers, it was definitely more than worth the mid-winter hassle. I am already looking forward to next year.

Words and pictures by Vasilis Panagiotopoulos

Årabrot (NOR)
Baskery (SWE)
Benny Crespo's Gang (ICE)
Blood Red Throne (NOR)
Bloodgroup (ICE)
Casiokids (NOR)
Dmitry Fyodorov (SWE)
Grande (NOR)
Adam Heldring (SWE)
Jaakko & Jay (FIN)
Kaka (SWE)
Kakkmaddafakka (NOR)
The Latebirds (FIN)
Love:Fi (NOR)
Mixtapes & Cellmates (SWE)
Peter Bjorn and John (SWE)
Kristofer Ragnstam (SWE)
Sprengjuhollin (ICE)
Steed Lord (ICE)
Steso Songs (SWE)
The Shitsez (NOR)
The Tallest Man On Earth (SWE)
Sofia Talvik (SWE)
Those Dancing Days (SWE)
The Tiny (SWE)
Wildbirds & Peacedrums (SWE)