IT'S A TRAP! Scandinavian Music Journal

Svart Ljus at Svenska Grammofon

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 15:37:26 -0700

The Göteborg-based recording studio Svenska Grammofon is playing host to the art exhibit "Svart Ljus" this weekend, a collection of drawings, photos and other multimedia from the highly vaulted local scene centered around the labels Radium 226.05 Records and Firework Edition between the years 1983-1993. Featured artists include Freddie Wadling and Cortex as well as Annika von Hausswolff, Union Carbide Productions/Henrik Rylander, among many others. For what I imagine will be a taste of what to expect, go here.
The exhibit will run from April 6-8, between the hours of noon and 6pm.

Wadling, Freddie Wadling

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 13:31:49 -0700

Freddie Wadling (Cortex, Blue for Two, etc.) will release his new album "With a License to Kill", a collection of James Bond soundtrack songs and other secret agent tunes, on November 9. I hesitate to say that I'm excited to hear it, but I am definitely curious.

Slaktattack - The freaks (Cortex cover)

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 13:37:19 -0800

Slaktattack have posted their cover of the Swedish postpunk classic "The freaks" by Cortex for streaming at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/slaktattack

Sirius playlist week #43

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:37:22 -0700

Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU, a special pre-Halloween edition:

01. TALK 1
02. Switchblade - 1815
03. TALK 2
04. Abandon - In reality suffer
05. Raison d'Etre - Metamorphyses phase III
06. TALK 3
07. Notre Dame - Le theatre du vampire
08. Mercyful Fate - Desecration of souls
09. Cortex - Warrior night
10. TALK 4
11. Immortal - All shall fail

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 #35

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 12:18:14 -0700

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

01. Elmo - Blind heart
02. TALK 1
03. Moritz von Oswald Trio - Pattern 3
04. Carpet People - All that ails must pass
05. Fronda - Andas
06. TALK 2
07. Siena Root - Time will tell
08. Cortex - No connections
09. Kornstad - Oslo
10. TALK 3
11. The Silent Section - In snow forever
12. Familjen - Huvudet i sanden
13. Band in Box - B33
14. TALK 4
15. The Bear Quartet - Northern

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: Cortex - Shark boys die hard

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 11:30:36 -0800

Question: Is the "Popular Searches" list at the bottom of the page self-perpetuating or does it realistically reflect current artist popularity? Do people click out of curiosity or are the results more organic? I'm really not sure. I know Moto Boy rose through the ranks the day his music box was announced. And Anna Ternheim's recent Grammy wins are good reason to be popular. But what about some of the others? WE? Haven't heard much from them in quite some time. But I am stoked to see Cortex in the list, though a bit confused. Are people as into the band as me? Or are they curious about Freddie Wadling's forthcoming solo joint? What's the deal? But while we're on the subject, I might as well brag that I finally scored a copy of their 1986 LP "You can't kill the boogeyman". It's some weird Euro pressing and the sleeve is not in perfect shape, but the vinyl is good and that's really all that matters. Oh, and it wasn't that expensive either - another bonus. Now I just need some charitable soul to sell me an affordable copy of "Spinal injuries" and I'll be set. Help me out people! In the meantime, here's a track from "You can't kill...". Perhaps not their strongest work, but still quite good.

The dark flower preview

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 23:32:17 -0800

Freddie Wadling (Cortex, Blue for Two, etc.) is streaming a few sample tunes from his forthcoming double album "Den mörka blomman/The dark flower" at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/freddiewadling
Guests vocalists on said album include Stina Nordenstam, Peter LeMarc, Anna Ternheim and Tomas Andersson Wij and the song selection includes covers of "Jennifer" (Faust), "In heaven (Lady in the radiator song)" (David Lynch & Peter Ivers) and "Cafe Cosmopolite" (Imperiet). The official release date is January 28.

Sirius playlist week #52

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 00:35:42 -0800

Here's the playlist for last week's radio show on 12/28, a special all-jazz program to close out the year:

01. TALK 1
02. Jan Johansson - Visa från Utanmyra
03. Saft - Marching for no. 1
04. Auton - El Dorado
05. TALK 2
06. The Splendor - Canary Islands
07. Kornstad/Opsvik - Happy house (live)
08. TALK 3
09. Yttling Jazz - Konstant krease
10. Jonas Knutsson - Glaciär
11. Moha! - Teknosangen
12. Oskar Schönning - Faustine
13. TALK 4
14. E.S.T. (Esbjörn Svensson Trio) - Leucocyte (ad initio)

And in case you happened to catch it, here also is my Sirius XMU top 10 most important albums of 2008 playlist:

#10 - Fucked Up - Days of last
#09 - Commando M Pigg - Baby doll
BEST COVER SONG - The Kid - Mayhem troopers (Cortex)
#08 - Katzenjammer - Le pop
#07 - Tobias Hellkvist - Wintervarm
#06 - The Goner - Field ceremony
BEST REMIX OF 2008 - Firefox AK vs Laid - Once I was like you
#05 - Haust - Ugly fucking Oslo
#04 - Eddy Current Suppression Ring - Which way to go
#03 - Sort Sol - White shirt
BEST LIVE ACT OF 2008 - Sex Vid - Cleansing
#02 - Montys Loco - Farewell Mr Happy
#01 - Lukestar - White shade

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.

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 18:18:51 -0800

Freddie Wadling (Cortex, et al) will release his new double solo album "Den mörka blomman/The dark flower" on January 28 and will spend the following month touring Sweden. Dates:

02/18 - Mariestads Teater, Mariestad
02/19 - Sigurdsgatan 25, Västerås
02/20 - Garden, Linköping
02/21 - Spegeln, Gävle
02/23 - Reginateatern, Uppsala
02/24 - Reginateatern, Uppsala
02/25 - Sagateatern, Borås
02/26 - Växjö Teater, Växjö
02/27 - Mejeriet, Lund
02/28 - Konserthuset, Göteborg
03/01 - Rival, Stockholm

The Kid Transient blood Hybris

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

After their raw, goth-encapsulated debut record, The Kid have returned with a very impressive follow-up. The production is fuller, the aura less dark, but what they have created here is a brooding, even industrial, dance-pop album. The hooks in "Transient dance" and "The shadow of a horse", combined with 80s-inspired beats, have a certain breathing room that is lacking from most dance records. The slow, plodding "Bluemoon" is foiled perfectly at the end of the album by their cover of Cortex's "Mayhem troopers". A great album that updates, instead of retreads, the genres to which The Kid obviously loves.

MP3: Cortex - Safe in the dark

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Thoughts on seeing "Let the right one in/Låt den rätte komma in" at the Olympia Film Festival this past weekend:

It's lonely being a pre-teen misfit
Being a vampire is far more lonely
It takes a really creepy dude to live in servitude to an eternally 12 year-old vampire
Stockholm suburbs haven't changed much in 26 years, at least in my (admittedly small) experience
If someone hits you, hit back harder
The previous is even better if a vampire's got your back
Sewn-shut genitals are never a good look on anyone
Everyone just wants to be understood

Since the film was set in 1982, here's a thematically appropriate track from the mighty Cortex recorded live the same year for the famed show "Ny våg" on Swedish Radio. Download more awesome live Cortex stuff at Tonkraft: http://tonkraft-sr.blogspot.com/

MP3: Silverbullit - Only gold

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 09:19:50 -0700

Besides Broder Daniel, the one band I really would have wanted to see at Way Out West was Silverbullit. I've actually been fortunate enough to see them twice already, once when opening for The Soundtrack of Our Lives in SF and again at Umeå Open in 2005 when they so obviously blew away every other band. Even today, without a new album to support since 2004's "Arclight", I'd still rank them as one of Sweden's best bands. And now I read that they even got Freddie Wadling (Cortex, Blue for Two, etc.) to make a guest appearance? Gah! I should've been there! YouTube just ain't gonna cut it. Silverbullit's massive wall of sound simply doesn't translate to the small-screen format.

Still no word on whether there will ever be a new album, but at least we can still celebrate their back-catalog. Here is "Only gold" from the aforementioned "Arclight".

MP3: Cortex - Animals (...looking at me)

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 11:06:22 -0700

As I've been saying, one of my main missions while in Sweden was to acquire old vinyl I wouldn't be able to find anywhere else, primarily Swedish postpunk from the 80s. The one act at the very top of my list: Cortex. For those already in the know, Cortex vinyl is rare and highly desirable, so I didn't have much luck, but I did score a copy of their final release, the "Animals (...looking at me)" 7" so I didn't have to come home completely empty handed. It's a killer record too, a claustrophobic, paranoid chant over stomping distorted drums and wailing guitar. Also note the particularly strong Freddie Krüger influence (he is credited for "useful inspiration"). As for the b-side "Tears in the rain", well, it's a ballad and it's pretty good, but it's definitely a b-side. It points more in the direction that Freddie Wadling was heading, not so much where he came from (goth/punk). Still though, without a doubt, one of Sweden's best artists. Well worth the money I paid for it, now I just need to score a copy of "Spinal injuries"...

MP3: Abcess Exil - Stormens öga

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 11:20:03 -0700

I got a lot of new music while traveling around Sweden, but the main thing I was on the prowl for was old Swedish postpunk vinyl. I only found one Cortex record (the "Animals" 7") as Nostalgipalatset in Stockholm (tack igen for the recommendation Joakim!), but I did manage to put together quite a stack of other albums from my list: Commando M. Pigg, Camouflage, Reeperbahn, Lolita Pop, Ståålfågel and so on, as well as the "För fulla segel" LP from Abcess Exil. They're not a band I know much about, but I know their tracks on the 4-way split with Cortex, Mystikens Vacuum and Bumsen Muss Mann are great, so I figured why not? It's not as if I'll ever stumble across it again here in the US. I'm glad I did too because it's pretty great classic dark Swedish postpunk/new-wave, though the record does veer a bit towards new romantic pop at times, sometimes even reminding me a bit of early INXS (not necessarily a bad thing). It's hard to pick a good song to represent the whole, but I like "Stormens öga", the first track on side two, because of that sinister synthbass pulse and the heavy percussion breakdown so that's the song you get today. However, should you be curious the hear more, I suggest you head over to Med Denna Verkliga Kniv because they just posted a quality rip of the full album a few days ago. Thanks for saving me some work!

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 15:53:34 -0700

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

01. Lögnhalsmottagningen - Bodybuilder
02. TALK 1
03. Svart - Carl du lever i en dröm
04. Majessic Dreams - Beautiful days
05. Antennas - Lies (Oscar Tillman remix)
06. TALK 2
07. The Sound O.E - Universal tourist
08. Kaipa - Nattdjurstid
09. Murmansk - Pale
10. TALK 3
11. On Volcano - Ride the wolf
12. Markus Krunegård - Samma nätter vänter alla
13. Ondo - Mahavishnu
14. TALK 4
15. Popsicle - Hey princess
16. CMX - Tulikiveä
17. Ström i P2/Håkan Lidbo - Strömavbrott (Boeoes Kaelstigen Etsi remix)
18. TALK 5
19. The Goner - Kill them all save Simon Joyner
20. Cult of Luna - Eternal kingdom
21. Montys Loco - Ages ago
22. TALK 6
23. Mattias Alkberg BD - Allting är drömt
24. Masshysteri - Monoton tid
25. Ljudbilden & Piloten - You know you're doing OK
26. Abduktio - Thermador
27. TALK 7
28. Hebosagil - Big sun
29. Anna Ternheim - To be gone
30. Kusowsky - Tjuvar
31. Fredrik - 1986
32. TALK 8
33. Johan Heltne - 16 Avenue de l'Opera
34. Cortex - Arkham
35. Kleerup - Until we bleed (ft. Lykke Li)
36. TALK 9
37. Coldworker - Citizens of the cyclopean maze

Heads-up: my show is moving to a new time next week! Starting on Sunday, June 8 my show will be on at 11pm Eastern / 8pm Pacific with a repeat on Monday at the exact same time. I'm also paring down to an hour of programming a week, so expect all-killer/no-filler from here on out! Also, seeing as how I'm leaving for Sweden on June 9, this week's coming show will be a Hultsfred Festival special so mark your calenders, update your alarm clocks or do whatever it is you need to do to remind yourself to listen in!

MP3: The Leather Nun - No rule

Sat, 24 May 2008 11:39:17 -0700

Freddie Wadling has been a Göteborg mainstay for many, many years. I've covered Cortex before, but he also did time in early punk acts such as Liket Lever and Straightjackets and various other influential acts such as The Leather Nun (today's featured mp3), Blue for Two, Fläskkvartetten/Fleshquartet, not to mention his work as a solo artist and more recently, with the group Mother. And that doesn't even touch on his work in other arenas, such as the stage. So yeah, a busy guy with a vast discography. While I appreciate a huge swath of his work, I'm definitely drawn more to his earlier material. Naturally, Cortex is a huge favorite (easily my #1 Swedish postpunk band), but I also really like The Leather Nun, especially their debut record "Slow death". This is proto goth rock, stripped raw and angry. They do sometimes exhibit some of the theatrics inherit in the genre, but you'd never know it by hearing "No rule", a revved-up fury of a track. More Misfits than Bauhaus, if you know what I mean. The band would later polish up quite a bit on subsequent recordings though they never were able to top the debut in my mind. A certified classic, if you ask me.

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 11:41:02 -0700

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

01. Boys of Scandinavia - Worse than a girl
02. TALK 1
03. Markus Krunegård - Jag är en vampyr
04. Deathbed - Neon light fantasy
05. The Grand Opening - Dark dark dawn
06. TALK 2
07. The Bear Quartet - I have an itch
08. C.Aarmé - Dustin
09. Noxagt - Wall's end
10. TALK 3
11. Menfolk - Hell is in Texas
12. Detektivbyrån - Hemvägen
13. Folk&Røvere - Solveigs sang
14. TALK 4
15. Bobby Baby - Goodbye love
16. Häive - Raina: Yömyrsky
17. Peter Bjorn and John - All those expectations
18. TALK 5
19. Meleeh - Vittra
20. Rigas - The hardest pocket to pick
21. The Kid - Mayhem troopers
22. TALK 6
23. Cortex - Warrior night
24. Tiger Lou - The war between us
25. Sophie Rimheden - Stay the night (ft. Adam Tensta)
26. TALK 7
27. Moto Boy - Beat heart
28. Nina Ramsby & Martin Hederos - Kanske jag kommer hem
29. September Malevolence - Who watches the watchmen?
30. TALK 8
31. Säkert! - Sanningsdan
32. Paper - Before that day
33. Moonbabies - Walking on my feet
34. TALK 9
35. Susanne Sundfør - I resign
36. Stina Nordenstam - Trainsurfing
37. Red Moon - The height
38. TALK 10
39. Broder Daniel - When we were winning

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 15:28:22 -0700

Check out the video for Freddie Wadling's (Cortex, Blue For Two, etc.) cover of "Let's dance" by David Bowie: http://youtube.com/watch?v=bTSztPm3D5s
Said track appears on the soundtrack to Pernille Fischer Christensen's film "Dansen".

MP3: The Kid - Mayhem troopers

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:49:28 -0700

Hi, my name is Avi and I'm an idiot. Here's the excellent new single from The Kid. It's a Cortex cover.
(yes, there was a different post here before, but it has been removed due to my embarrassment)

Sat, 02 Feb 2008 23:26:31 -0800

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

01. Annika Norlin/Säkert! - Generalens visa
02. TALK 1
03. Downstairs - Legs for arms
04. Dmitry Fyodorov - 1b-1
05. Northern Fields - Never take the beauty
06. TALK 2
07. Barra Head - Undermine
08. Fläskkvartetten - Som glas (ft. Nina Persson)
09. Benea Reach - New waters
10. TALK 3
11. Firefox AK - Winter rose (Tellevika remix)
12. Dansdepartementet - Svarta brev
13. Randy - Little toulouse
14. TALK 4
15. Britta Persson - At 7
16. M:40 - Brännmärkt
17. Mechanical Bird - Martha
18. TALK 5
19. Marvins Revolt - Multiple fractures
20. The Drawbacks - Straight lines & circles
21. Isolation Years - Say-nothing day
22. Christian Kjellvander - Poppies and peonies
23. TALK 6
24. Little Dragon - Recommendation
25. FAP - Sjömannen
26. Cortex - Animals (...looking at me)
27. TALK 7
28. Ulf Ljusberg - Whatever was
29. Mayhem - Deathcrush
30. Alog - St.Paul sessions II
31. TALK 8
32. Tigerbombs - 1000 sparks
33. Mainliners - Bourbon and ice
34. Mando Diao - San Francisco Bay
35. Madrugada - Look away Lucifer
36. TALK 9
37. Matts Katt - Refused was fucking murdered

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 16:12:49 -0800

Check out Mother, a new all-star acoustic project of sorts featuring contributions from Monika Törnell, Freddie Wadling (Cortex, Fläskkvartetten), Karin Wistrand (Lolita Pop) and others: http://www.myspace.com/mothersongs

Tue, 08 Jan 2008 15:09:26 -0800

Blue for Two, the duo of Fredrik Wadling (Cortex) and Henryk Lipp (known for his production work with Thåström, Millencolin, Håkan Hellström, among others), have a new website: http://www.bluefortwo.com/
Check the music section for a sample from their forthcoming album.

Sat, 29 Dec 2007 19:00:31 -0800

Here's the playlist for this week's radio show, a special feature on 80s punk/postpunk:

01. Cortex - Warrior night
02. TALK 1
03. Docent Död - Solglasögon
04. Dansdepartementet - Wankers!
05. Camouflage - Syster sol
06. TALK 2
07. Di Leva - The single man
08. The Leather Nun - No rule
09. Lolita Pop - Salta diamanter
10. TALK 3
11. Ståålfågel - Något senare
12. Secret Service - A flash in the night
13. Tant Strul - Hela mitt guld
14. TALK 4
15. Kitchen & the Plastic Spoons - Happy funeral
16. Reeperbahn - Främling
17. KSMB - Jag vill dö
18. TALK 5
19. En Halvkokt i Folie - Röda rattor
20. Dom Dummaste - John
21. Unter Den Linden - Film noir
22. TALK 6
23. Ebba Grön - 800°
24. Black Uniforms - F.O.A.D.
25. Lustans Lakejer - Begärets dunkla mål
26. TST - No government
27. TALK 7
28. Sator Codex - Leech
29. Strasse - A stairway to you
30. TT Reuter - 2000 år
31. Syster Lycklig - Drömgränd
32. TALK 8
33. Odd Stories - Dance
34. Stadion Der Jugend - Väktare av mörkret
35. Samedi - Between two hearts
36. TALK 9
37. Ur Kaos - Loved missile
38. Adolphson & Falk - Blinker blå
39. Abcess Exil - Hav av hat
40. Commando M Pigg - Att kasta spjut
41. TALK 10
42. Cortex - Arkham

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 16:52:23 -0800

It's not quite as cool as a proper Cortex reissue, but MNW is putting out a 2CD Freddie Wadling (Fläskkvartetten, Blue For Two, etc.) compilation on December 27 as part of their ever-expanding Klassiker series.

Sun, 28 Oct 2007 12:25:21 -0700

Here's the playlist for this week's special spooky/scary Halloween edition radio show:

01. TALK 1
02. Entombed - Hollywood Babylon
03. ARM - Humming bug
04. Camouflage - Oktober
05. TALK 2
06. Notre Dame - Red Cross
07. Sanctum - Lie low
08. Bay Laurel - Pale colours
09. TALK 3
10. At the Gates - Blinded by fear
11. Frode Haltli - Lude
12. Brighter Death Now - Little baby
13. Death Breath - Lycanthropy
14. TALK 4
15. Breach - Mr. Marshall
16. The Skull Defekts - Carved in bones
17. The Cardigans - Mr. Crowley
18. TALK 5
19. Diabolique - Catholic
20. Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words - Masks, walls and other ways to keep things out, to keep things in
21. The Bear Quartet - Broken heart
22. Mercyful Fate - Come to the Sabbath
23. TALK 6
24. Beyond Dawn - Cigarette
25. Pimentola - Heart's dementia (Phase I)
26. Repoman - Chemically obsessed
27. TALK 7
28. MZ412 - Infernal affairs II
29. Satyricon - Nemesis divina
30. Switchblade - Selfdestruct schematics / Open aftermath
31. TALK 8
32. Rasion D'etre - Metamorphyses Phase IV
33. Cortex - We are the dead
34. TALK 9
35. Emperor - I am the Black Wizards

Sat, 29 Sep 2007 18:18:29 -0700

The playlist for this week's radio show:

01. TALK 1
02. Repoman - Chemically obsessed
03. Moder Jords Massiva - Vapen
04. Kornstad Trio - Intornette
05. TALK 2
06. Ghost Brigade - Autoemotive
07. Rather Sound Than Safe - The beat
08. September - My neighbourhood
09. TALK 3
10. Ebba Grön - 800°
11. Torpedo - My evil twin
12. Jonna Lee - Dried out eyes
13. TALK 4
14. Marvins Revolt - Bugs in time
15. Pimentola - Death is a secret
16. Nils Berg - Sailors fighting in the dance hall
17. TALK 5
18. Lampshade - By and by I come
19. Midnight Choir - Will you carry me across the water
20. Moonbabies - Walking on my feet
21. TALK 6
22. Candlemass - Elephant star
23. Front and the Factory Lies Beneath - Under a black sun
24. Cortex - Warrior night (live)
25. TALK 7
26. The Grizzly Twister - This city is a halo
27. New Decade - I guess you ran from something
28. The Grand Opening - Don't drop off
29. TALK 8
30. The Bear Quartet - I'm still her
31. Paper - My life is going under
32. Darkthrone - Wisdom of the dead
33. Detektivbyrån - Nattöppet
34. TALK 9
35. Mob - Ghost track
36. Fare You Well - Deceiving eyes
37. TALK 10

Sat, 08 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0700

The playlist for this week's radio show:

01. Timo Räisänen - My valentine
02. TALK 1
03. Torpedo - From Russia with love
04. Desert Planet - Breakout button
05. Ebba Grön - Mamma pappa barn
06. TALK 2
07. The End Will Be Kicks - Don Johnson
08. Skywriter - Where both worlds never meet
09. Skull Defekts - The secret
10. TALK 3
11. Tsukimono - Tokyo OEast
12. Kristin Asbjørnsen - Trying to get home
13. Enemy Alliance - Government subsidized ghetto
14. TALK 4
15. The Indecision Alarm - Where every fucking dream is killed
16. Dismember - Soon to be dead
17. Mixtapes & Cellmates - Moments
18. TALK 5
19. Kristofer Åström - All in
20. Pan Sonic - Virta 1
21. Ulver - Of wolf and fear
22. TALK 6
23. Mainliners - Olivia
24. 120 Days - Let me come down
25. Universal Poplab - 60 is the new 40
26. TALK 7
27. Dag Vag - Popitop
28. The Bombettes - Lust is the new black
29. Breach - Big strong boss
30. TALK 8
31. CS Nielsen - Black spots
32. Tape - Sand dunes
33. The Psyke Project - For us to see for us to help
34. TALK 9
35. Cortex - Shark boys die hard
36. Viola - I don't know how to party
37. Don't Be A Stranger - Lonely together
38. TALK 10
39. Broder Daniel - What clowns are we

MP3: Cortex - Arkham

Fri, 24 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0700

I've been accumulating so much amazing early 80s Swedish postpunk these past few months, I could probably spend every Friday talking about it for the rest of the year. In fact, I'm quite tempted to do just that. Today's band: Cortex, the band that Freddie Wadling fronted after Liket Lever and Straitjackets. His other band The Leather Nun acheived far more widespread success (mostly after he left the group), but I find Cortex to be a far better band. On the other hand, today's song "Arkham" is definitely not their best material, but who can resist musical references to HP Lovecraft? In film, that's a whole different story - for the love of god, don't ever see "Cthulhu" should someone be dumb enough to finance a proper release, even on DVD. This fact alone is probably telling: Tori Spelling is the best thing about the movie. I saw the premiere and people practically ran from the theater to avoid the Q&A with the writer and director. Anyhow, back to Cortex... Unsurprisingly, the band's later material such as 1986's "You can't kill the boogeyman" (from which this song comes) tends to be overproduced and drenched in 80s excess, but I think their talent still shines through in this extended dirge. "A dream for some / A nightmare to others / Like a dream within a dream" Awesome.

Sat, 07 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0700

The playlist for my radio show this week:

01. Death By Kite - Scared of heights
02. TALK 1
03. Kompjotr Eplektrika - Crakkin zombees...
04. Monomen - Asian spacestation
05. José González - Hints
06. TALK 2
07. I Am Bones - Backpackers
08. Ellen Beach - The widespread acclaim
09. Moder Jords Massiva - Ingenting
10. TALK 3
11. Iisole - The words
12. Kornstad - Sweden
13. Cortex - Mind of darkness
14. TALK 4
15. Silverbullit - Run
16. [ingenting] - Hollywood dreams
17. In Flames - The jester race
18. TALK 5
19. Nicolai Dunger - Soul rush
20. Existensminimum - Changing lines
21. Echo Is Your Love - Peace song
22. TALK 6
23. Laakso - The death of us
24. Christian Kjellvander - Words in the wires
25. Mustasch - Double nature
26. TALK 7
27. Tellevika + Firefox AK - Eric
28. Tape - A spire
29. C.Aarmé - Golden retriever
30. TALK 8
31. The Bear Quartet - Put me back together
32. Susanne Sundfør - Walls
33. The Hellacopters - Like no other man
34. TALK 9
35. Aerial - You will all die, all things will

Profile: The Kid

Mon, 04 Sep 2006 00:00:00 -0700

Name: The Kid

From: Göteborg, Sweden

Sounds like: Darkwave for the dancefloor

Listen: Kit club hotel

Discography:
2005 - Kit Club Hotel CDS (Hybris)
2006 - La Société Nouvelle CD (Hybris)
2006 - Portion Control CDS (Hybris)

Links:
www.thekid.se
www.myspace.com/thekidsweden

I find myself listening to more and more dark music nowadays. I'm not angry, so while I still love metal, that's not the sort of thing that I need to hear. What I need is goth. Darkwave. Industrial. Music that feeds from darkness and is both powerful and artful. Music that makes you move and react. The old bands still sound good, but sometimes I want to hear something new. Enter: The Kid. Their music acknowledges past masters, but moves the genre forward in new ways. Nothing sounds better to me right now.

Who are you and where are you from? How did everyone in the band meet up?

We are four kids in our late 20s we moved to Gothenburg for different reasons. Patrik and Maja came from the same smalltown in Småland, Frida came from another Småland smalltown and Johan came from a litttle hunting town in the northen parts of Sweden (almost in Russia). As all other bands, we met up at bars and clubs. And after several harsh discussions about the crappy popscene we formed The Kid.

What makes you special? Why should anyone care about The Kid?

The Kid loves to move the body to music. Taking avant-garde steps on the dancefloor and throwing their fist in the air while The Kid is screaming out the lyrics. The Kid listens to all the great new-wave bands from the beginning of the 80s. The Kid try to squeeze out the essence of life, that's why The Kid always leaves the club last and is always too drunk and sweaty because of all the dancing. Because tomorrow The Kid has got to go to work. So The Kid is not that special after all, The Kid is just really good to combine dance music with punk and if you act the same as The Kid, then we are you new favorite band.

Who is your hero?

Wang Weilin the "unknown rebel." He's the guy that stopped the tanks during the demonstration on the Tiananmen Square in Bejing. He showed the world that beliefs are larger then death, in a very esthetic and frank way.

I imagine you guys all have day jobs. Tell me about what you do when you're not playing music.

As everybody else in our generation, we work with "projects" in the area "art, theater and architecture," but as you understand, those things don't pay our rent, so in-between music and "projects" we take care of old people and handicapped people and some of us work in bars and record stores.

Tell me about an album that changed your life.

No, I will tell you about 4 important records in The Kid's life:

"Nevermind the bollocks" - Sex Pistols
This record changed our life. The anger! Best record ever recorded!

"Closer" - Joy Division
Beautiful, dark. The way it sounds, still avant-garde.

"Saturday night engine" - Broder Daniel
The soundtrack to our life between age 15-65. Desperate, wonderful.

"Spinal injuries" - Cortex
The best record ever recorded in Sweden. Freddie Wadling's band. Grown-up people start to cry when you play this record for the fist time.

What exactly does 'punk' mean to you? What's the punkest thing a band can do nowadays?

To act opposite to the common order, it's naive but someone has to do it. Make a fanzine about how fucked up this world is while your friends just drink lattes and have weight problems.
Dixie Chicks were punk when they almost fucked up their business when they said that the didn't like their president and what he was doing. To have a opinion and to stand for it is unusual nowadays, so that is punk.
Rage Aginst the Machine left a million dollar contract with Sony back in the days when they discovered that they are into weapons manufacturing, that is punk as well.
Nowdays, even the indie bands are afraid to do statements and take avant-garde steps. That's not good because music will always be a weapon against those who have the power and misuse it. But perhaps they don't want to say anything. In the end, almost every Swedish indie band are brats and they think Palestine is a brand name for a scarf.

Do you think the world is ready for a goth/darkwave revival? Do you even consider The Kid to be part of that sound?

Yes, for a couple of years ago all the cool DJ's had never heard of bands like DAF, Front 242, Portion Control, Sisters [ed: of Mercy] ect. All they knew about the goth/synth scene was the Sister/O. Haza remix of "Temple of love" and they thought it was lame. Nowadays every one of them is so darkwave, remixing Front with 50 Cent or something, and every one of them is so "bodymusic" and always has been.
Sisters, Front, DAF, Alien Sex Fiend have always been our idols, so of course we are a part of that scene. I think I speak for everyone that that is the scene we want to belong to if you have to choose. The best part is that we dont have to, so... but to answer your question: no, the world is not ready for a revival and yes The Kid is a darkwave band.

What's the future for the The Kid look like?

We gonna record some new songs during the fall, and release them as soon as they are good. Then we hope that someone will book us for a couple of German gigs and maybe some French gigs as well.