IT'S A TRAP! Scandinavian Music Journal

MP3: The Holy Ghost - Heavy light

Tue, 14 Aug 2012 12:28:52 -0700

One of the biggest frustrations from my recent trip to Sweden: you can't be two places at once. It's also impossible to see/do everything and nor should you try, but that doesn't mean I'm immune from regret. So, sorry to the friends I didn't connect with! There will be a next time. And howabout Randy playing West Coast Riot in Göteborg? Oops, I was in Stockholm. Cosy Den? Nope, gotta be back in Göteborg that night. The Holy Ghost's live debut at Lilla Hotellbaren? No way, that was actually the day we landed... in Göteborg, naturally. I would've loved to have been at that one too, especially now that I've gone back and revisited The Holy Ghost's 2011 demo tracks -- I've been eager to check them out ever since ex-Trapdoor Fucking Exit/Java/Ashram member Jens Åker announced the project some years ago and now that he's got a full live band together, I'm even more excited about it. Even better: they'll be going back into the studio in a couple weeks to record again and I've been told the revamped lineup w/2nd guitar adds a whole new dimension to the band. So once again, let us revisit that old demo and look forward towards what's to come.

The Holy Ghost unveiled

Thu, 13 Jan 2011 11:53:59 -0800

The Holy Ghost, the new band of Jens Åker (Trapdoor Fucking Exit, Java), finally has some new material up for preview: http://www.myspace.com/theholyghoststhlm
Good to hear even more quality noiserock coming out of Stockholm!

The Holy Ghost - Daggers

Mon, 17 May 2010 11:44:17 -0700

The first rough cut from The Holy Ghost, aka the solo endeavor of Jens Åker (ex-Trapdoor Fucking Exit, Java, etc.), is now streaming at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/theholyghoststhlm
RIYL Starmarket, KVLR, or any other Norrland indie.

MP3: Java - Smokescreen

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 17:01:17 -0800

The best new music is old, part II. Java was a somewhat short-lived instrumental act from Gävle, Sweden that formed out of the remains of the hardcore act Ashram. A mere footnote perhaps, but re-visitation might suggest otherwise. Also, consider that the 90s was a fertile time in Swedish hardcore, especially up in Norrland where you had acts such as Fireside, Breach, Refused and Starmarket; to say nothing of acts such as The Bear Quartet or Randy -- so many great bands, all from the same set of towns along the Bothnian coast. The year was 1996 and as such, Java embraced the zeitgeist and sought to expand the sound of modern hardcore as fragmented and moved towards postrock, a sound echoed in acts such as Slint, June of 44 and pretty much any Dischord act of that era. The remnants of the 90s 'core remains though, particularly on tracks like "Smokescreen" where you can hear the lingering effects of bands like Groundwork in the subtle mosh. Certainly not as overt as the stuff Desperate Fight was putting out further north, but oh yeah, it's there and it's alright. Java never amounted to much in their day, they never played a show even, but they did record a demotape and Dead Birds Records has seen fit for its rerelease. There is certainly nostalgia for those of us who remember this time in music and saw it firsthand, but I'd assert that Java is simply a good band that never got heard. Until now, that is.

Sirius playlist week #2

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 11:38:45 -0800

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

01. November - En ny tid är här
02. TALK 1
03. Viola - 2010s (maybe the world won't end)
04. Love Is All - Kungen
05. Niels Nielsen - We are youth
06. NEI - 40 rabbits
07. TALK 2
08. Voices Break the Silence - Lost
09. Oriel Joans - Knuckles whiten
10. Ljudbilden & Piloten - Arms and legs together
11. David Åhlén - Great is thy faithfulness
12. TALK 3
13. Sambassadeur - Sandy dunes
14. Folkvang - Stugsista
15. Nirvana 2002 - Slumber
16. TALK 4
17. Obliteration - Exterminate
18. Java - Smokescreen
19. Thee Gutted String - White
20. TALK 5
21. Grande Roses - The farm

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.

Top 10s for 2009: Jens Åker (Holy Ghost, ex-Trapdoor Fucking Exit/Java/Ashram)

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 01:00:00 -0800

Thanks for including me in this, it was fun!
So here goes, in almost no particular order:

01. Finally getting my shit together and working on music again.

02. Jesus Lizard @ Debaser. Old people rule.

03. Motorpsycho live and on record. Norwegian people rule.

04. Kenny's Corner @ Larry's Corner. Great bookstore for all your esoteric / non-fiction / music / weird phenomena needs.

05. Java cd is out.

06. Neil Young archives vol. 1. Very old, Canadian people also rule.

07. Making spiritual progress.

08. Re-discovering Govindas Ayurvedic, vegetarian restaurant.

09. Quintana having a healthy, beautiful baby boy. Newborn people rule.

10. Polvo re-uniting and releasing "In prism".

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Jens' new project with fellow ex-TFE member Thomas Hedblom is called Holy Ghost and they are currently working on material and hoping to put something out in 2010. His old band Java released a retrospective disc on Dead Bird Records earlier this year.
http://www.myspace.com/deadbirdsrecords
http://www.myspace.com/trapdoorfuckingexit

Java reissue samples now online

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 14:46:34 -0800

If you are curious about hearing samples of that Java reissue I mentioned last week, go here: http://www.myspace.com/deadbirdsrecords

Dead Birds to unearth Java (ex-Ashram) rehearsal recording

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 12:26:52 -0800

Before there was Trapdoor Fucking Exit, there was Ashram. After Ashram parted ways with their vocalist in '96, the band continued on as an instrumental act under the name Java. That band never officially released anything, but the new label Dead Birds will be putting out an old 5-song rehearsal tape as their first release. More details and samples soon?