IT'S A TRAP! Scandinavian Music Journal

Chicagojazzen - Beach 2012

Tue, 29 May 2012 21:27:32 -0700

From the new Chicagojazzen album "Elände", coming this June via Periferin.

Chicagojazzen - Jörn del 4

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 12:33:56 -0700

Something new from Chicagojazzen, from the soon-to-be released cassette "Övik/Jörn" due out October 28 via Ominous Recordings. Details: http://c-h-i-c-a-g-o-j-a-z-z-e-n.blogspot.com/2011/08/eyes-burst-at-dawn.html

New Chicagojazzen gets release date, sample posted

Fri, 05 Aug 2011 12:13:51 -0700

The new Chicagojazzen release "Brachiosaurus II" has been confirmed for an August 20 release via Native Parts Records. 17 tracks, including "Duane Weber 2" which can be sampled above.

Vote Dukakis - Canada

Wed, 04 May 2011 15:14:23 -0700

New music from Skellefteå-based artist Vote Dukakis plus a tweaked-out remix courtesy of fellow Norrlander Chicagojazzen: http://c-h-i-c-a-g-o-j-a-z-z-e-n.blogspot.com/2011/05/just-real-mothafucka-goin-out-for-loot.html
Worth checking out.

Top tens for 2010: Mother of the Forest

Thu, 09 Dec 2010 11:37:13 -0800

1. Crossover - Space death (best album of the year)

2. The summertime and how much wine i drank

3. White Ring - Black earth that made me

4. The trip I took with Hamngatan to Kiruna, I love Hamngatan

5. Bear Quartet - Monty Python

6. My new home Gothenburg

7. When I discovered Madvillain (Chicagojazzen introduced me to the Madvillainy album)

8. When the bassplayer in Hamngatan woke me up with a pizza

9. My graduation

10. Salem - King Night

---------------------------
Mother Of The Forest released three EPs this year, all of which are available for free download at his website. Look for his debut LP to be released next spring.
http://motheroftheforest.blogspot.com/
http://www.myspace.com/motheroftheforest

The Silent Ballet recommends Chicagojazzen

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 15:32:05 -0700

The Silent Ballet reviews the intriguing Swedish artist Chicagojazzen: http://thesilentballet.com/dnn/Home/tabid/36/ctl/Details/mid/384/ItemID/3425/Default.aspx

Sirius playlist week #24

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 11:29:21 -0700

Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU:

01. Randy - Who's side are you on?
02. TALK 1
03. Randy - Freedom song
04. Far From Tellus - Rosemary
05. Chicagojazzen - 18 år i en ruttnande kropp
06. TALK 2
07. Andreas Söderlund - Hawaii
08. Noisebud - Truck driver
09. Montys Loco - Heavy
10. TALK 3
11. Maim - Maimed
12. Turboweekend - Sweet Jezebel (Efterklang remix)
13. Pearl Fiction - The ruby fever
14. Meleeh - Hells mouth
15. TALK 4
16. Oranssi Pazuzu - Korppi
17. Brutus - Swedish lady
18. Entombed - Something out of nothing
19. Katzenjammer - To the sea
20. TALK 5
21. Robyn - Dancehall queen

Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.

Sirius playlist week #21

Mon, 24 May 2010 11:41:17 -0700

Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU:

01. Elephant9 - Fugl fønix
02. TALK 1
03. Håkan Lidbo - X-Bot-DXC vs MC-Monstrux - EuroAsian Warzone Cronicle
04. Disco Ensemble - Protector
05. Kausal - Evac
06. TALK 2
07. Smoke Mohawk - Murder attempt
08. Masshysteri - Dom kan inte höre musiken
09. MF/MB/ - The big machine
10. Chicagojazzen - VI
11. TALK 3
12. Monty - Seglaren
13. Sweatmaster - Turnover
14. The Aches - Count slowly to ten
15. Dismember - Misanthropic
16. TALK 4
17. Camouflage - Syster sol
18. EL-SD - SÖSJÖ
19. Darkthrone - Those treasures will never befall you
20. TALK 5
21. Deathbed - Black sky

Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.

MP3: Chicagojazzen - 18 år i en ruttnande kropp

Thu, 20 May 2010 12:22:43 -0700

Chicagojazzen's new LP "Misantropi för nybörjare" ("Misanthropy for beginners", out now via Irrlicht on limited vinyl only) plays like an audio sketchbook for a hyperactive imagination. Ideas are cast out, explored and rendered in abstract lofi; a decision guided by what seems to be aesthetic choice as opposed to pure circumstance. Many artists go that route to conceal their lack of talent or to adhere to some sort of genre orthodoxy, but in this particular case I find that the roughness of the sound nicely compliments the roughness of the material. Which is not to say that it works every time -- some songs come across as quite under-composed or even half-assed -- but the overall feeling I get from the record is very positive. I keep listening because I'm intrigued, because I'm curious about the process. So it's hard to isolate a particular instance to give others a best impression; it's preferable that you sit down, put the record on and listen the whole way through, letting your mind wander as the sounds do the same, but I'll try with "18 år i en ruttnande kropp", a seemingly pastoral postrockish piece with a darker undercurrent as befits the title ("18 years in a decaying body"). It builds long and slow before stumbling to an awkward conclusion which, I suppose, is an apt metaphor, though that could just be stream of consciousness running its course and petering out. Regardless, it sounds interesting and the overall tibre never goes exactly where I'd expect. As to where Chicagojazzen goes next as an artist, I'm very curious to hear.

Musik med Chicagojazzen

Wed, 19 May 2010 19:19:59 -0700

Live music at PSL with Swedish experimental/lo-fi artist Chicagojazzen: http://blogg.svt.se/psl/2010/05/18/musik-med-chicagojazzen/

Presenting: Irrlicht

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:57:42 -0800

Irrlicht is a new label founded by Håkan Jonson and Erik Enocksson with a focus on putting out limited edition vinyl records and books. Their first release will be "Misantropi för nybörjare" ("Misanthropy for beginners") by Chicagojazzen (aka Erik Karlsson of Skellefteå, Sweden), an record they describe as "37 minutes worth of instrumental pop, neatly tucked into a bed of tape-hiss and crooked arrangements owing as much to Norwegian second wave black metal and American Eastcoast hiphop as to late '80s Brittish shoegaze." The official release date is April 30 and said LP will be available limited to 250 copies on 140g white vinyl. Release #2 will be "Den vita staden", a poem by Jessica Andersson with an expected release later this coming spring. More here: http://www.irrlicht.se/