I've found most of Markus Krunegård's post-Laakso work to be pretty boring, but this epic slow-burner ain't bad.

"Askan är den bästa jorden " is the latest single from ex-Laakso frontman Markus Krunegård. It's okay, I guess.

11/22 - Electricity Showrooms, London (UK)
11/23 - Slaughtered Lamb, London (UK)
11/24 - Comet Club, Berlin (GER)
11/26 - ON3 Festival at BR Funkhaus, Munich (GER)

A quick teaser of the new Sahara Hotnights single "Oh's", produced by Jari Haapalainen (The Bear Quartet, Laakso, etc.).

01. Håkan Hellström
02. Säkert!
03. The Radio Dept.
04. Hello Saferide
05. Familjen
06. Jens Lekman
07. Robyn
08. Laakso
09. Kent
10. Masshysteri

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As I sneak up on thirty, I worry, much more so than in my younger years, that whatever visceral, overpowering connection I once had with music is slipping -- the records that were going to tear right into me have already done so; everything else is going to be an echo of those experiences. "You're a wasteland, honey", however, tore right into me. Listening to the record, I couldn't help but remember falling in love with Bruce Springsteen's "Born to run" in the mid-'90s while my peers at British boarding school were enraptured by Brit Pop, though this parallels my experience with Robert Svensson's most recent offering, it doesn't mock the occasion.

While I enjoyed Svensson's "Beat EP", I worried that it signaled his future trajectory, with bands such as Bloc Party already demonstrating how the allure of electronic music can unravel even the most talented of musicians. "You're a wasteland, honey", thankfully, is the fitting follow up to Svensson's fantastic debut, "Young punks are on the never-never". Everything I enjoyed about that first record is improved upon with "...wasteland". It's been a while since the release of a record that after the fifth or sixth listen I am not just skipping to my favorite tracks, often leaving more than half of the album behind; there is nothing to leave behind here. The record is effortlessly brilliant throughout, demonstrating how Svensson's many strengths and talents have developed since his gorgeous "Young punks..". Hands down, this is the record of the year, and the first in a while, perhaps since Laakso's "My gods" or Shout Out Louds' "Our ill wills", that has made such a profound impact on me.]]> Thu, 18 Nov 2010 12:31:31 -0800 reviews http://www.itsatrap.com/n/34650-this-weeks-last-fm-chart http://www.itsatrap.com/n/34650-this-weeks-last-fm-chart http://www.itsatrap.com/n/34650-this-weeks-last-fm-chart#comments Here is the It's a Trap! listening group top 10 artists of the week, unique to our group:

01. Kent
02. CEO
03. Robyn
04. Bob Hund
05. Familjen
06. Håkan Hellström
07. The Radio Dept.
08. Laakso
09. Shout Out Louds
10. The National

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01. Laakso - Worst case scenario
02. TALK 1
03. Du Pacque - Walk straight
04. Pascal - Tutti frutti
05. Nirvana 2002 - The awakening of...
06. Lapko - I shot the sheriff
07. TALK 2
08. The Floor is Made of Lava - The bigger picture
09. No Balls - Guilt blocker
10. Obliteration - Styxerian path (into darkness)
11. Next Life - Anti matter
12. TALK 3
13. Ikons - Imperiet
14. The Skull Defekts - Habit
15. Familjen - När planeterna stannat
16. TALK 4
17. Meleeh - Sun and moon
18. Kite - I give you the morning
19. Ef - 401 Lwa
20. TALK 5

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.

01. Kent
02. Hello Saferide
03. Local Natives
04. Håkan Hellström
05. Jens Lekman
06. Port O'Brien
07. Taken By Trees
08. Efterklang
09. Laakso
10. Phoenix

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The 2009 Emmaboda Festival is bigger than ever, more bands, more spectators, more camp sites. It offers a broader selection of music than ever and it is one of few Swedish festivals with a positive growth rate. Yet it is still the smallest and coziest festival I have been to. The festival that used to be all about indiepop is nowadays all about variation and this years program contains everything from electropop to Springsteen influenced rock and ultra-commercial metal. Major foreign artists include 2 Many Djs, The Wombats, Metronony and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, among others, but I will keep my focus on the Swedish bands.

The site of the festival is the small town of Emmaboda; a sleepy industrial city in the middle of the Småland forests in south-eastern Sweden that is brutally awakened by thousands of partying, concert-going teens and twenty-somethings once a year. The festival area itself consists of one big forest-covered field that contains everything: stages, camping, bars, food facilities and port-a-potties. This also means that you can camp more or less right next to a stage and, if you wish, bring your own drinks to concerts.

There are two stages (they are actually more like barns-turned-stages) at the festival: one called "the forest" located in, well, the forest and one called "the meadow" located on the open field in the middle of the festival area.

Thursday

The first thing I do as I enter the festival area is to hurry over to the forest stage where Stockholm pop sensation Jonathan Johansson is performing. He is telling anecdotes from the cool elitist nightclubs of the Swedish capital and plays drum machine powered pop, reminiscent of early Swedish 90's pop. If the Smashing Pumpkins had formed in a Swedish suburb instead of Chicago, it would have sounded like this. However, it is a little too slow to wake up the sleepy audience and it is only the finishing Bruce Springsteen cover "Dancing in the dark" that really stand out.

Next up is Skansros, a Göteborg-based pop ensemble with a Håkan Hellström hangup. Their set includes everything from funky pop pieces to a little too pretentious out-of-tune ballads, but most of it is just plain excellent pop music.

Dead By April, Sweden's hottest commercial metal act and this year's least expected booking at the festival take their time to sound check and enter the stage a good half hour after set time. Their music combines growling and delicate singing with sweet melodies and heavy riffs. Their act of trying to look hard and sensitive at the same time fails miserably, and they end up looking like Sweden's version of Crazy Town or Evanescence.

Thursday's headliner are Skåne's legendary Bob Hund. They perform a super tight set as always. Top-notch both when it comes to song selection (a good mix of new songs and old hits like "Hörlurar" and "Min lilla planet") and crazy antiques from singer Thomas Öberg, today wearing a black mask instead of the usual white one. A perfect synthesis between madness, genious and rock music.

Detektivbyrån start off playing their harpsichord-powered folk pop just after dusk and perform a beautiful, almost meditative set. However, their attempt to make us listen closer by playing at a lower volume fails totally, plenty of times throughout the set their songs are overpowered by a screaming audience. But that is all forgotten when they finish the concert with two covers: "Lambada" and Klaus Wunderlich's classic "Popcorn". Pure genius.

Friday

Friday starts off with a mild breeze, blue skies and a cozy breakfast gig by Miss Li. Her naive, yet clever songs and piano hammering is a perfect combination and makes the audience forget their hangovers right away. It is a charming and relaxed show, at times perhaps a bit too relaxed when she repeatedly forgets lyrics and talks at length with her band mates about Ulf Lundell.

A few hours later Joel Alme gives us a solid rock show from the forest stage. There are strings, brass, warm melodies and heartfelt lyrics that never becomes too pompous or pretentious. Plenty of new songs show there is still a lot more to come and modern classics like "Always on my mind" and "Queens corner" draw down massive cheers. Perfect pop hits from the Swedish West Coast. Joel is Emmaboda's own Bruce Springsteen.

I have never seen The Baboon Show perform their chaos rock live before. Today's great show is sadly wasted on way too sparse an audience but frontwoman Cecilia Boström is never the less all over the stage from the second the band enters. Hits like "Faster faster harder harder" stick out in a set that is exemplary short. Like The Hives with a female lead singer.

Florence Valentin's performance on the Meadow stage proves that they have grown into a tight live music machine. The show kicks off with the bands most recent single "Spring Ricco" and from then on it is a full-frontal, left-wing pop attack. Lead singer and agitator Love Antell is cocky as ever, one second he talks about bringing down the government and the next he dedicates "Uppå sociala", a song about spending your welfare money on alcohol, to all the recent high school graduates in the audience. If you can stand the super obvious Clash influences, this is a really great show.

Legendary raw punks Moderat Likvidation made their first gig since the 80's last year and have been touring off and on since then. At Emmaboda they mix classic songs like "Köttahuve" with new ones from their most recent album "Mammutation". It is punk with d-beat, death and hardcore vibes. The old songs has the crusties moshing and the audience cheering and singing along while the new songs mostly leave people waiting for another oldie... But it is, all in all, a very good performance, appreciated both by the punk-dads and the new generation punks in the audience.

Laakso singer Markus Krunegård has had a massive success with his solo career. If it is the timely release of the vampire themed single "Jag är en vampyr" or just the winning concept of great pop melodies, I don't know, but when he enters the Meadow stage one thing is clear: he is a superstar. There is a huge audience, teenage girls scream at the top of their lungs and sing along to every song. The show is remarkably average though, it lacks structure (perhaps due to things repeatedly being thrown onto the stage) and is not very engaging if you're not already a big fan.

Saturday

Saturday offers yet another perfect festival morning with sunny, not too warm weather. My first show for the day is mp3 blog hyped electropop dude Nordpolen. His show starts off with a sample of Swedish opera classic "O helga natt" that turns into a loop and builds up to the first song. The band mixes electronic pop harmonies with a steady beat and bare chested lead singer Pelle Hellström looks like a young Dave Gahan in his leopard jacket. A decent set, but it is only hit single "Skimret" that really stands out.

Göteborg rockers Franke enter the main stage wearing corpse paint and start off their set without uttering a word. As usual. Today, their angst powered reverb heavy brand of rock is lost in poor sound and distortion, perhaps by accident, perhaps on purpose. Their distaste for their audience is as apparent as ever. After 30 minutes singer Niklas Franke whispers "We are Franke" into the microphone, that is the only words they speak other than their barely audible lyrics throughout the whole set. The few older songs they play are great, but otherwise it is just remarkably dull. Old hits such as "Aldrig förstå" are sorely missed.

The Haunted perform their death metal without compromise and deliver a excellent set despite poor sound conditions and when they encourage us to "open your hearts to Lucifer" at the end of the show, I think we are all ready to do just that. Most memorable is however singer Peter Dolving who between songs tells stories of obscure Norwegian Nazi porn, repeatedly tells us to take good care of each other and, at the end of the set, strips butt naked before he walks off stage.

The closing act at the Meadow stage are electro pop duo Familjen. A massive crowd has gathered and after two seconds of the first song they all start dancing. The dancing continues throughout the set and then out through camp sites and to the out door dancefloor/stage Trädgården where Den Svenska Björnstammen and Adrian Lux keep the dancing going on all night or at least until I leave the premises for this year. Good night Emmaboda, see you next year.

Words and pictures by Kalle Landin

01. Sonic Ritual - Take the edge off
02. TALK 1
03. Thåström - Kärlek är för dom
04. Elenette - Att göra en hit
05. Maskinen - Bränner
06. TALK 2
07. The Skull Defekts - Habit
08. Grave - Into the grave
09. Murmansk - Moth
10. TALK 3
11. Kite - My girl and I
12. Laakso - Worst case scenario
13. Samtidigt Som - Denna sida mot fienden
14. TALK 4
15. David Åhlén - We sprout in thy soil
16. Knife and Ape - Buck teeth
17. Existensminimum - 1993
18. Cut City - Departure in particular
19. TALK 5
20. Masquer - Hanging garden

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.

01. C.Aarmé - M.P.P.
02. TALK 1
03. Existensminimum - Fuglesang
04. The Animation - Overboard
05. Jonathan Johansson - En hand i himlen
06. TALK 2
07. AlabamicA - You can't save the world
08. Franke - Skinnad
09. October Falls - III
10. TALK 3
11. Suburban Kids with Biblical Names - 1999
12. Wolfbrigade - Barren dreams
13. Viisikko - Vapaus valita
14. Culkin - Payperfist
15. TALK 4
16. Lowood - Crash
17. Cut City - Departure in particular
18. Wardruna - Dagr
19. Laakso - In my blood
20. TALK 5

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.

01. The Bear Quartet
02. Håkan Hellström
03. Laakso
04. Marit Bergman
05. Anna Ternheim
06. Frida Hyvönen
07. Hello Saferide
08. Glasvegas
09. Markus Krunegård
10. Bon Iver

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So with a rather large grain of salt, let me present to you It's a Trap's 2008 top albums of the year.
- Avi Roig

10. Siena Root - Far from the sun (Transubstans)
Graveyard and Witchcraft get all the acclaim, but Siena Root is the better band.

09. Nitad - Ibland kan man inte hindras sig själv (Kranium/Deranged)
Fucked Up, another band who put out one of 2008's best releases ("The chemistry of commmon life"), have moved far beyond the realms of hardcore. Nitad have stepped up to take their place.

08. Park Hotell - Free for friends (Ultra Radio Records/BD Pop)
I can't stand Morissey, yet somehow some Swedish acts are able to take his influence and turn it into something wonderful. If only more indiepop bands were as good as Park Hotell.

07. Katzenjammer - Le pop (Propeller Recordings)
I fully expected Detektivbyrån to be my favorite folk-crossover act, but these ladies from Norway snuck in ahead of them.

06. Hello Saferide - More modern short stories from Hello Saferide (Razzia)
Even better than I hoped. The perfect follow-up to the first album.

05. Johan Heltne - Vetenskapliga bevis för att Jesus lever (Raffaella)
A beautiful and beguiling album. So weird and mysterious, so absolutely entrancing.

04. Montys Loco - Farewell Mr Happy (NONS)
Of all the bands on my list, these ladies are the only ones to truly create something new and unique sounding. Sweden's most consistently underrated and underappreciated band.

03. Haust - Ride the relapse (Fysisk Format)
If there's a more pissed-off, evil sounding album in 2008, I haven't heard it.

02. Lukestar - Lake Toba (Phone Me Records)
A full year later and I still love this album just as much when it first came out.

01. The Goner - H-Trilogy: Hind hand, Hallartrallar, Haven (Svarta Markaden)
I realize it's pretty lame to put a series of limited cult releases at #1, yet no other artist this year has intrigued me as much as The Goner. "Hind hand" blew me away when I first heard it, the following two were even better.

Jonas Appelqvist

10. Wildbirds & Peacedrums - The Snake (Caprice Records)
This headstrong indie duo got me convinced at a festival gig this summer. And when I heard "The snake" for the first time I was hooked. It's that good.

09. Frida Hyvönen - Silence is wild (Licking Fingers)
Frida goes from strength to strength and with this album she has established her status as one of the finest songwriters in Sweden right now. Don't believe me? I dare you, listen to "Dirty dancing" and you'll know what I'm talking about.

08. Paper - An object (Novoton)
A homage to Suicide, Joy Division and monotonous kraut rock. The mix between The Bear Quartet and Audionom is a win-win. Literally.

07. Satyricon - The age of Nero (Roadrunner)
With massive walls of sound this Norwegian old school combo decided to continue to piss off black metal fans that claim they're not "true" anymore. Hell, when it sounds this good, I couldn't care less.

06. David Sandström Overdrive - Pigs lose (Razzia)
David Sandström and Oskar Sandlund went into the studio and came out with an astounding album only surpassed by early career move Refused.

05. Lack - Saturate every atom (Play/Rec)
2008 turned out to be the year of resignation for Lack. At least they got to resign at the peak of their career; "Saturate every atom" is proof of that.

04. Britta Persson - Kill Hollywood me (Amigo)
Britta released this album with a somewhat secluded approach and it was received with open arms by almost everyone. Sounds contradictory? It's not, just pure genius.

03. Cult of Luna - Eternal kingdom (Earache)
It just goes to show, these guys don't know how to fail. Top notch!

02. Division of Laura Lee - Violence is timeless (I Made This)
Göteborg's finest spent three years in the studio. The result, Fugazi-esque punk rock, shows that it was worth the wait.

01. Lukestar - Lake Toba (Phone Me Records)
Indie rock at its best - edgy, melodic and, at the same time, raw and hard hitting as hell! The number one spot was, even in January, Lukestar's spot all along.

Matt Giordano

06. Vapnet - Döda fallet (Hybris)
Their track record has been making consistently good albums, and this is not an exception.

05. Robert Svensson - Young punk are on the never-never (Nomethod)
A fantastic pop album that has me looking even more forward to the next Mixtapes and Cellmates record.

04. The Kid - Transient blood (Hybris)
On their second album, The Kid has transformed themselves into brooding pop masters.

03. Paavoharju - Laulu laakson kukista (Fonal)
A beautiful, cold, meandering album. Not only does this album sound natural, it sounds symbiotic with nature.

02. Markus Krunegård - Markusevangeliet (V2/Universal)
He's made classic albums with Laakso, and a great Hets album. Now Markus is a bonafide solo artist, and, with this maintains that he's one of the best songwriters around.

01. Juvelen - 1 (Hybris)
One of my most anticipated of the year. Ten songs, ten potential singles, yet one cohesive pop statement. Juvelen is here to stay.

Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson

10. Division of Laura Lee - Violence is timeless (I Made This)
This is a total gut decision. Part of me is not okay with this result, but enough of me is perfectly alright ousting at least five other contenders to make room for this dirty, energetic album in my top 10. Despite giving this album only an 8, it has survived in far better standing than a few 9s from this year. "LAX" has been on quite a few of the mixtapes I've made for friends over the past few months, and DoLL launched my brother and I across America this summer... I couldn't imagine 2008 without "Violence is timeless".

09. Robert Svensson - Young punks are on the never-never (Nomethod)
Mr. Svensson lost considerable ground on this list, especially compared to the first draft I worked up a few weeks ago. Still, even at number nine, "Young punks are on the never-never" made it. A wonderful debut solo album from Mixtapes & Cellmates' vocalist, marking the beginning of what is sure to be a fine career.

08. Park Hotell - Free for friends (Ultra Radio/BD Pop)
This top 10 list is populated with a lot of debut records. "Free for friends" is definitely one that I had been waiting for, and it didn't let me down. It's a perfect autumn record: tracts of introspection still fuelled by the reckless hope of summer days.

07. Kiki Pau - Let's rock (Pyramid/Johanna Kustannus)
While I was completely surprised by "Book of Norma", I at least knew who Norma were. Kiki Pau are my favorite surprise this year. Their style of indie rock is confident well beyond their years, harkening back to "Meat is murder"-era Smiths, contemporary NYC garage, The Clash ... and any album with a song titled "Bukowski" (with the lyric: "Steinbeck made me want to get drunk") gets my vote.

06. Convoj - Exceptionnel (Wonderland)
This latecomer also forced me to reconstruct my list. It was all about complete, too. Oh well. Convoj's "Exceptionnel" is a brilliant record, more than deserving of a top 10 spot.

05. Håkan Hellström - För sent för edelweiss (Dolores)
If it weren't for all the summer memories I attach to "Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust", Hellström's effort would be in fourth place. The fact that this album is in fifth place is a testament to the creative forces at work in Northern Europe. When I first heard this record, I was pretty sure it would be in my top three albums of the year. How wonderful it is to be so wrong. "För sent för edelweiss" has become my favorite Håkan Hellström album, just edging out "Känn ingen sorg för mig Göteborg".

04. Sigur Rós - Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust (XL Recordings/EMI)
The fact that Sigur Rós took risks on this album when they could have skirted by with "Takk pt. II" impresses me. It may not be their finest album, but it's fun, kinetic, and lush; everything we expect from the Icelanders, and yet something quite different, too.

03. Tiger Lou - A partial print (Startracks)
I struggled a little with "A partial print" at first, but it eventually won out. As I wrote in my review, the album is "a collage, a collection of images, all of them darkly beautiful extensions of the emotional landscape of "The loyal", but the connections between these impressions can take some time to present themselves, but they will, and then "A partial print" comes fully into being."

02. Markus Krunegård - Markusevangeliet (V2/Universal)
While I gave "A partial print" higher marks, "Markusevangeliet" has been a valued companion of mine since April -- and there's something to be said about resilience. I said back then that I thought Laakso frontman Markus Krunegård had possibly crafted the best record of the year... and, although I might have proven myself wrong, his accomplishment is by far one of the best solo records in recent memory.

01. Norma - Book of Norma (Novoton)
In a damned impressive year for Scandinavian music, my top prize goes to "Book of Norma". It's been a while since I have been as taken aback by a record as I was with Norma's latest effort, the first album I have ever given a 10 to here on It's A Trap! Just an absolutely brilliant album.

Arnulf Koehncke

10. Ane Brun - Changing of the seasons (DetErMine)
Someone wrote somewhere how well recorded this album is -- I can't help but agree. The songs are good too and it's actually the first Ane Brun record that I can really relate to.

09. Audrey - The fierce and the longing (Tenderversion)
Honestly, this record sounds a lot like their last one. That's a good thing in Audrey's case -- I think it's really rare that a band is this well defined regarding both songwriting and sound-aesthetics.

08. Fredrik - Na na ni (Jezebel)
It surprises me how much I still like this record. I didn't think it would be such a grower -- guess I was wrong.

07. Snöleoparden - Snöleoparden (Rump)
I just like the whole of-the-cuff playfulness and complexity that this record embodies. I dare anyone to listen to the daycare-singalong second track and not smile.

06. Hello Saferide - More modern short stories from Hello Saferide (Razzia)
If you'd asked me in the beginning of the year, I'd probably have predicted this album to top my year-end list. Well, it hasn't completely gotten me hooked yet, though I totally agree with all the praise for Annika's development. And "Lund" has already become a personal favorite of mine.

05. Bobby and Blumm - Everybody loves... (Morr Music)
This record is just so playful -- there's so much to discover in F.S. Blumm's guitar work and Ella's charming voice. It makes me wish I could see them live again.

04. V. Sjöberg New Jazz Ensemble - Do nothing 'til you hear from me (iDEAL)
Another great record, though it needs patience and concentration to really enjoy it as a whole. It's just great how it builds up all this tension with its drones and suspense curves only to then release the listener with a soothing return to tonality in the next to last track.

03. The Radio Dept. - Freddie and the Trojan Horse (Labrador)
Too bad their album was delayed until next year. This EP showed such potential with all its Prefab Sprout'ish moments and melodies. And it even delivered some nostalgia to me as a long-time fan when I listen to the hidden track's distortion and overdrive.

02. Vapnet - Döda fallet (Hybris)
It's amazing: This record is such an instant classic that I almost didn't think of it as a 2008-release. And doesn't that already say all there is to say?

01. Auton - Anywhere out of this world (Structures Sonores)
This record is just so good (which is why my review of it is just so overdue). Incredibly virtuosic yet never overbearing musicians that shift from straight-out jazz to drone to post-rock to Satie-like piano moments with such casualness and grace. My Scandinavian record of the year. Go to the label website now and order copies to give away as christmas presents ;-)

Nancy Baym

10. Don't I wish I could put something here. Like the Caesars. What a bummer that record was.

09. Mikko Singh - Uskotko että siellä on kukkia? (self-released)
An almost-entirely instrumental record that's somewhere between pop and new age, equally well suited to a massage or mellow downtime at home. Very pretty with some nice elements of fun.

08. Violent Years - s/t (Playground)
A fine contribution to the southern gothic alt country genre with many outstanding moments and at least one truly great song.

07. Kusowsky - Något speciellt (self-released)
Kusowsy are so unabashedly singalong guitar pop that I feel a little guilty enjoying them, but everytime a song from this EP showed up on shuffle this year I found myself stopping to smile.

06. The Social Services - It's nothing personal, it's national security (Stereo Test Kit)
Only 1/3 Scandinavian, but she's the singer so she gets extra credit. It's a smart, eclectic, cynical, funny, and loose indie pop album.

05. Tiger Lou - A partial print (Startracks)
I really wanted to love this record, but don't. As background music its dark, hypnotic and self-contradictory sound is stunningly close to perfect, but on close listening its repetitiveness becomes abrasive in ways I don't think were intended.

04. Markus Krunegård - Markusevangeliet (V2/Universal)
On his solo record, Krunegård avoids most of Laakso's glam excesses to deliver a powerful and rich electronically-driven yet organic and seductive sonic environment.

03. Vapnet - Döda fallet (Hybris)
They don't stray too far from the distinctive, poppy, and borderline corny sound of their previous recordings on this one, but that's a good thing because they are one of the most calming make-you-happy bands going today. I highly recommend this as a soundtrack for either hanging out on a warm beach or cleaning house, cooking, and other mundane chores of daily life.

01. Madrugada - s/t (Virgin/EMI)
Faced with the sudden death of their guitarist and an album 80% completed, Madrugada did the right thing by finishing it up. Even without the tragic back story, it's a powerful and mature rock album that I am still listening to regularly almost a year after its release.

01. Detektivbyrån - Wermland (Danarkia)
In a very disappointing musical year, this instrumental genre-collapsing folk album based on accordion and glockenspiel was the one extraordinary surprise. Everyone I've played it for ran out and got it immediately. You should too.

Simon Tagestam

10. Nordpolen - s/t (Sincerely Yours)

09. Joel Alme - A master of ceremonies (Sincerely Yours)

08. Envelopes - Here comes the wind (Brille)

07. Håkan Hellström - För sent för edelweiss (Dolores)

06. Markus Krunegård - Markusevangeliet (V2/Universal)

05. Love Is All - A hundred things keep me up at night (What's Your Rupture?)

04. Afasi & Filthy - Fläcken (P.O.P.E.)

03. Frida Hyvönen - Silence is wild (Licking Fingers)

02. Moto Boy - s/t (Songs I Wish I Had Written)

01. Vapnet - Döda fallet (Hybris)

01. Familjen - Nu händer det igen
02. TALK 1
03. Murmansk - Pale
04. KTMK - Valaistu risti
05. Lapko - Hugging the phone
06. Hebosagil - Big sun
07. TALK 2
08. Samuraj Cities - Washed up!
09. Sad Day for Puppets - Marble gods
10. Logh - An alliance of hearts
11. Epidemics - Never grow up
12. TALK 3
13. Simon Says No! - Shiver
14. Kornstad - Turkey, Texas
15. Spirits of the Dead - White lady/Black rave
16. TALK 4
17. Laakso - Hang me in the Christmas tree

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

01. Hello Saferide
02. Glasvegas
03. Laakso
04. The Radio Dept.
05. Those Dancing Days
06. Familjen
07. Håkan Hellström
08. The Embassy
09. Kent
10. Tiger Lou

Do you listen to music on your computer or with an iPod? Please join us and make your playlist count! Go here to learn more: http://www.last.fm/help/

01. Hello Saferide
02. Vapnet
03. Laakso
04. Those Dancing Days
05. Tiger Lou
06. Juvelen
07. The Tough Alliance
08. Anna Ternheim
09. The Legends
10. Detektivbyrån

Do you listen to music on your computer or with an iPod? Please join us and make your playlist count! Go here to learn more: http://www.last.fm/help/

01. Håkan Hellström
02. Laakso
03. The Radio Dept.
04. Detektivbyrån
05. Kent
06. Sambassadeur
07. The Concretes
08. The Kid
09. Studio
10. Tiger Lou

Do you listen to music on your computer or with an iPod? Please join us and make your playlist count! Go here to learn more: http://www.last.fm/help/

01. Håkan Hellström
02. Laakso
03. The Radio Dept.
04. Detektivbyrån
05. Kent
06. Sambassadeur
07. The Concretes
08. The Kid
09. Studio
10. Tiger Lou

Do you listen to music on your computer or with an iPod? Please join us and make your playlist count! Go here to learn more: http://www.last.fm/help/

"Dead ringers" features aforementioned producer extraordinaire Jari Haapalainen on drums and fellow Swedes/sister duo Taxi, Taxi! on backup vocals. Look for the new (as yet unnamed?) album to be released this fall via BD Pop/Ultra Radio Records.

01. Broder Daniel
02. Laakso
03. Kristofer Åström
04. Håkan Hellström
05. Pelle Carlberg
06. Hello Saferide
07. The Bear Quartet
08. Juvelen
09. Jens Lekman
10. Club 8

Do you listen to music on your computer or with an iPod? Please join us and make your playlist count! Go here to learn more: http://www.last.fm/help/

01. Laakso - Worst case scenario
02. TALK 1
03. The Kid - Mayhem troopers
04. We Live In Trenches - Autonomy clinic
05. Detektivbyrån - Om du möter varg
06. TALK 2
07. I'm From Barcelona - Paper planes
08. Wired for Mono - The man behind the wall
09. The Amazing - Dragon
10. TALK 3
11. Pugh Rogefeldt - Surabaya Johnny
12. Opeth - The lotus eater
13. The Knife - Silent shout
14. TALK 4
15. Culkin - Allegiance
16. Haust - Desperate living
17. Lack - Behead
18. Nitad - Ge mig ge mig
19. TALK 5
20. Kamraterna - Det här är ditt land

Reminder: my show on Sirius Left of Center (channel 26) airs Sundays at 11pm ET with repeats on Monday.

01. Juvelen
02. Laakso
03. Kleerup
04. Pelle Carlberg
05. Håkan Hellström
06. Audrey
07. Fleet Foxes
08. Jens Lekman
09. Detektivbyrån
10. Christian Kjellvander

See, now that's more like what I would expect! Do you listen to music on your computer or with an iPod? Please join us and make your playlist count! Go here to learn more: http://www.last.fm/help/

Despite all of the warnings that Laakso's impressive catalog sent out, "Markusevangeliet" affected me in a way that few records have ever been able to. Markus Krunegård may very well have crafted the best album of 2008.]]> Mon, 21 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0700 reviews http://www.itsatrap.com/n/22066 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/22066 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/22066#comments You can now hear new tracks that Park Hotell recorded with Jari Haapalainen (The Bear Quartet, Laakso, etc.) at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/parkhotell
The band still remains unsigned and is actively seeking a label to work with.

01. Elias and the Wizzkids - Young and hairy
02. TALK 1
03. Barra Head - Common ground
04. Familjen - Kom säger dom
05. José González - Killing for love
06. TALK 2
07. Marybell Katastrophy - Red red lips
08. Trentemøller - Moan (Trentemøller remix ft. Ane Trolle)
09. Lykke Li - I'm good, I'm gone
10. TALK 3
11. Dreamboy - Stars
12. Laakso - Worst case scenario
13. Marit Bergman - This is the year
14. TALK 4
15. Abhinanda - Rumble
16. Docenterna - Bensin i blodet
17. The Bombhappies - And at Belle Bed Inn, I found you
18. TALK 5
19. Firefox AK - Winter rose (ft. Tiger Lou)
20. Peloton - Nozal
21. The Bell - Target group
22. TALK 6
23. Moto Boy - Young love
24. Aerial - Kallisti
25. Truckfighters - Atomic
26. TALK 7
27. I'm From Barcelona - Treehouse
28. Pascal - Smärtsillande
29. Hero Dishonest - Fist song
30. Vijaya - Your gun will never set you free
31. TALK 8
32. Matts Katt - About the French
33. C.Aarmé - Dustin
34. Leütenhaven - Abbatoir the ghost
35. TALK 9
36. Lukestar - Shade you hide
37. Christian Kjellvander - Two souls
38. Royal Downfall - A life of constant failure
39. TALK 10
40. Entombed - Lights out

Rhythm:
Kapten röd - Stjärnorna finns här (SwingKids/Border)
Million stylez - From a far (Bonnier Music/Bonnier Amigo)
Governor Andy – Underhållningsmaskinen (KBC Music/Border)
Livelihood - Sagans Sånger (SwingKids/Border)

Pop/Electronica:
Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala (Service/Border)
The Honeydrips - Here Comes The Future (Sincerely Yours/Playground Music)
Erik de Vahl - Oh! My Spine
The Mary Onettes - The Mary Onettes (Labrador/Border)

Rock/Rockabilly/Blues/Garage:
Murder by Guitar - On Parade (Human audio recordings/Sounds of Subterrania)
Maharajas - In Pure Spite (Low Impact Recordings/Sound Pollution)
Alex Face - Smell Like A Woman (Alleycat/Sound Pollution)
High Hats - Too Much Is Never Enough (Alleycat/Sound Pollution)

Hardrock/Metal:
Arch Enemy - Rise of the tyrant (Century Media/EMI)
Dark Tranquillity - Fiction (Century Media/EMI)
Hardcore Superstar - Dreamin' in a casket (Gain/Sony BMG)
Watain - Sworn to the dark (Season Of Mist/Sound Pollution)

Hiphop/R&B/Soul:
Timbuktu - Oberoendeframkallande (Juju Records/Playground Music)
Adam Tensta - It's A Tensta Thing (K-Werks/Border)
Ken - Äntligen hemma (Pope/Playground Music)
Basutbudet - Startpaketet/Pluspaketet (Devrim/V2/Bonnier Amigo)

Experimental:
Jean-Louis Huhta - Halfway Between the World and Death (Slottet Records/Dotshop.se)
Mårten Falk - Eclectric Guitar Experience (dB Productions/CDA)
Rolf Enström - Quarks (Caprice Records/CDA)
Tape & Minamo - Birds of a Feather (Headz/Dotshop.se)

Dance:
Mikael Stavöstrand - Various productions 2007
The Field - From here we go sublime (Kompakt)
Minilogue – Orglar (Minilogue Rec)
Hug - Heroes (Kompakt)

Folk/Ballad:
Ale Möller Band - Djef Djel (Amigo/Bonnier Amigo)
Various Artists - Poem, ballader och lite blues - Återbesöket (Amigo/Bonnier Amigo)
Lisa Rydberg och Gunnar Idenstam - Bach på svenska (Gazell Records AB/Bonnier Amigo)
Sofia Karlsson - Visor från vinden (Amigo/Bonnier Amigo)

Jazz:
Ludvig Berghe Trio - An unplayed venue (Moserobie Music Production/Bonnier Amigo)
e.s.t. (Esbjörn Svensson Trio) - e.s.t Live in Hamburg (ACT/Bonnier Amigo)
Adåker, Milder, Stenson, Danielsson, Öström - Miles by Five (Touché Music AB/CDA)
Lennart Åberg & Norrbotten Big Band - Up north (Caprice Records/CDA)

Synth:
Emmon - The art and the evil (Wonderland records)
Endless Shame - Price of Devotion (KTOWN Records/Misty Music)
Mr Jones Machine – Återvändsgränd (Progress Productions/Border Music)
Terror Punk Syndicate - Extended Playtime (Progress Productions/Border Music)

Punk/Hardcore:
Wolfbrigade - Prey to the world (Agipunk/Unrest/MCR/Sound Pollution)
The Accidents - Summer dreams (Burning Heart/Epitaph/Bonnier Amigo)
Auktion - Spader ess (Cage Match Federation/Border)
The Mockingbirds - Always late and not even close (HepTown Records/Sound Pollution)

Singer/Songwriter:
Christian Kjellvander - I Saw Her From Here/I Saw Here From Her (Startracks/V2/Bonnier Amigo)
Kristofer Åström - Rainaway Town (Startracks/V2/Bonnier Amigo)
José González - In Our Nature (Imperial/Playground Music)
Mattias Bärjed - Originalmusiken till Upp till kamp! (Razzia/Bonnier Amigo)

Best Live Artist:
Familjen
Säkert!
Maia Hirashawa
Laakso

Digfi-prize (unsigned act):
Cocoanut Groove (Umeå)
Emily McWilliam's Desert Soul (Stockholm)
Cartwall (Piteå)
Knivderby (Jönköping)

Read more: http://www.manifestgalan.se/122.aspx

Britta Persson - Kill Hollywood me (CD)
Commando M Pigg - Decenniet 1980-90 (CD)
Don't Be a Stranger - Frutti di mare (CD)
v/a - Svensk Punkklassiker vol. 2 (2CD)
Freddie Wadling - Klassiker (2CD)

Restocks of Hello Saferide and Laakso on the way too!

01. Susanne Sundfør - I resign
02. TALK 1
03. Familjen - Det snurrar i min skalle
04. The Skull Defekts - The secret
05. Ted Gärdestad - Räcker jag till
06. TALK 2
07. CS Nielsen - Black spots
08. Kornstad - Turkey, Texas
09. Moonbabies - Take me to the ballroom
10. The Bombettes - I wanna
11. TALK 3
12. Promise and the Monster - Sheets
13. Repoman - Chemically obsessed
14. The Bell - I am history
15. Säkert! - Allt som är ditt
16. TALK 4
17. Mainliners - Olivia
18. Superfamily - The radio has expressed concerns about what you did last night
19. Karin Ström - Ordlös
20. TALK 5
21. Fun - I've got a truck
22. Tobias Hellkvist - Moment at ven
23. Juvelen - Hanna
24. TALK 6
25. Laakso - Worst case scenario
26. Closer - Sensing the wake
27. Asha Ali - A promise broken
28. TALK 7
29. Paper - My life is going under
30. Boeoes Kaelstigen - Flir
31. Lukestar - White shade
32. TALK 8
33. Maia Hirasawa - Gothenburg
34. Aerial - You will all die, all things will
35. Sambassadeur - Subtle changes
36. TALK 9

Next week (12/29) I'm doing another special theme show on Swedish postpunk.]]> Sun, 23 Dec 2007 11:11:09 -0800 news sirius http://www.itsatrap.com/n/20689 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/20689 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/20689#comments Rumors are circulating that Laakso is considering an entry into the next Melodifestivalen.]]> Wed, 19 Dec 2007 12:47:15 -0800 news general http://www.itsatrap.com/n/20640 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/20640 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/20640#comments Specialty Show Of The Year (Commercial Radio)".]]> The playlist for this week's radio show, an all-winter theme:

01. Ricochets - Cold outside
02. TALK 1
03. Shining - Winterreise
04. Britta Persson - Winter tour
05. Svenson - In the snow
06. Weeping Willows - Christmas in prison
07. TALK 2
08. The Tiny - No money (for X-mas)
09. Kompjotr Eplektrika - Blikktztunddonner
10. The Knife - Reindeer
11. TALK 3
12. Hello Saferide - iPod X-mas
13. January Jaunt - Stuck in glaziers
14. Darkthrone - Too old, too cold
15. TALK 4
16. Sällskapet - Nordlicht
17. E.S.T. - Strange place for snow
18. Sort Mel - Det grønne flesket
19. Notre Dame - A scrooge tale
20. TALK 5
21. Kristofer Åström & Hidden Truck - Winter moment
22. Syster Lycklig - Bilden till snöstorm
23. The Book of Daniel - 3rd of December
24. TALK 6
25. Samuraj Cities - Cold feet
26. Amandine - Silver bells
27. Logcabin - View of frost
28. Silverbullit - Winter coat
29. TALK 7
30. In Flames - December flower
31. Viktor Sjöberg - On a winters day
32. The Bear Quartet - Blizzard
33. TALK 8
34. Brick - Gray day
35. Laakso - Merry Christmas
36. Strayfolk - Another year before the mast
37. TALK 9

Don't forget to vote for Sirius Blog Radio at the Plug Awards! Vote here: http://www.plugawards.com/general_vote.php
We are nominated under the category "Media (Obsessive) > Specialty Show Of The Year (Commercial Radio)".]]> Sat, 15 Dec 2007 19:47:25 -0800 news sirius http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25747-top-10s-for-2007-its-a-trap http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25747-top-10s-for-2007-its-a-trap http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25747-top-10s-for-2007-its-a-trap#comments Another year down, another batch of top 10 lists to add to the already overwhelming commotion. I probably listened to more music than ever in 2007, yet putting together this year's list was painless compared to year's past. The simple reason why: all the best releases were obvious. Yes, there were notable also-rans, but let's leave that to the comments section. For now, let's just stick to top tens.
-Avi Roig, Editor-in-Chief

10. Various Artists - Ny musik för landssorg (Container Recordings)
Exceptionally moving. A high-concept work of art.

09. Repoman - s/t (Monument)
Fierce, unrepentent hardcore. I can only imagine how good this must sound live.

08. Tobias Hellkvist - Transports (self-released)
Beautiful, blissed-out drone. Pure aural sunshine.

07. Familjen - Det snurrar i min skalle (Adrian Recordings/Hybris)
The perfect response for anyone put off by the coldness of The Knife. Familjen is destined for greatness.

06. Maia Hirasawa - Though, I'm just me (Razzia)
Cute without being too cloying, sweet without being too twee. The best indiepop album of the year.

05. Susanne Sundfør - s/t (MBN)
A tremendously talented young lady from Norway who's probably only just getting started.

04. Aerial - The sentinel (Nomethod/Tangled Up!)
I knew this was top 10 material the first time I heard it. Nobody does epic noiserock better.

03. Laakso - Mother, am I good looking? (V2)
The easy consensus pick. Uneven overall, but forgivable when you consider that this record contains more than a handful of the year's best songs.

02. Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words - Fall, fall, falling (Kalligrammofon)
The yin to Tobias Hellkvist's yang. Where Hellkvist's music makes me want to stand with arms outstretched, ready to embrace the world, Dead Letters makes me want to curl up in a fetal position in a dark corner. I never realized how profoundly moving drone could be until I heard this.

01. Kristofer Åström - RainawayTown (Startracks)
Far and away the album I listened to the most this year and the one I know I'll hold dear for years to come. From tender ballads ("Fallen") to raucous rock'n'roll ("A little out of tune"), this record covers the full spectrum of human experience and puts it into song.

Jonas Appelqvist

10. The Fine Arts Showcase - Sings Rough Bunnies (Adrian Recordings)
A cover album strictly consisting of songs from obscure indie duo Rough Bunnies is commercial suicide. But Gustaf Kjellvander's craftsmanship is so honest and true, it's impossible not to capitulate.

09. Knugen Faller – Lugna favoriter (Cage Match Federation/Ny Våg)
Fans of Buzzcocks, Gorilla Angreb and X should immediately go get a copy of this one!

08. The Lionheart Brothers – Dizzy kiss (Racing Junior/NONS)
Psychedelic rock in the vein of fellow countrymen Euroboys.

07. Moonbabies – At the ballroom (Startracks)
The duo of Ola Frick and Carina Johansson left their more experimental side at home, recorded and released a wonderful pop oriented full-length album and it is infectious.

06. Repoman – s/t (Monument)
The ferocity in Repoman's music is breathtaking. Hardcore resembling Converge is always welcome in my book.

05. My Midnight Creeps – Histamin (Dead Moose/EMI)
In the absence of new material from The Soundtrack of Our Lives, this is where to go. Primal rock at its best suffered a huge loss with the death of guitarist Robert Burås. He will be missed. RIP.

04. Aerial – The sentinel (Nomethod/Tangled Up!)
These guys go from strength to strength. "Black rain from the bombing" gave us a hint on what was coming. This is headstrong indierock that has no intention to rub the right way. Kudos to that!

03. MABD – Ditt hjärta är en stjärna (A West Side Fabrication)
I adored "Tunaskolan" when it came out. This is an even better record. Cynical lyrics, Springsteen-ish vibes and punk rock mixed with Matti Alkberg's unmistakable voice. Magic!

02. Laakso – Mother, am I good looking? (V2)
There's not a chance to defend you from the attack that is this record. And really, why should you? Surrender to Sweden's finest pop combo!

01. Logh – North (Bad Taste Records)
Having released several wonderful records, this is the culmination of their career thus far. Indierock has never sounded this beautiful.

Nancy Baym

10. Pelle Carlberg - In a nutshell (Labrador/Twentyseven Records)
I still feel like he's falling short of his potential, but even a so-so Pelle Carlberg record has enough outstanding moments to carry the day.

09. Vapnet - Något dålight nytt har hänt (Hybris)
Who was it that said they like this band more than ice-cream? Tasty bouncy sweets.

08. Thirdimension - Before the end begins (Hidden Agenda)
A quiet acoustic live performance lets the strength of the songs shine through.

07. Familjen - Det snurrar i min skalle (Adrian Recordings/Hybris)
I am no fan of electronica, but this record's got too much pop sensibility to ignore.

06. Les Issambres - Late fairytales (Fifth Week Records)
This surprise little record out of nowhere enchanted me with its sister/brother vocal arrangements, simple but compelling songs, and non-pretentious flute.

05. Isolation Years - Sign, sign (NONS)
Their most consistent record to date has some great songs, and no duds, but doesn't have the outstanding highlights of some of their previous efforts.

04. Sambassadeur - Migration (Labrador)
The word "lush" is getting tossed about a lot in reference to this record, and indeed, it shimmers and shines. Very nice second record sees them grow in new directions.

03. Club 8 - The boy who couldn't stop dreaming (Labrador)
Soft, seductive, and beautifully performed, the sixth record from Club 8 is easily their best, despite a couple of dull moments.

02. My Midnight Creeps - Histamin (Dead Moose/EMI)
Robert Burås' far-too-early death this year was a heartbreaking loss, but this last offering wonderfully showcases the magnitude of his epic guitar playing genius.

01. The Fine Arts Showcase - Sings Rough Bunnies (Adrian Recordings)
Gustaf Kjellvander transforms lofi seeds of great ideas into ultracatchy pop brilliance. Easily got more playtime out of me than anything else this year.

Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson

10. The Mary Onettes – s/t (Labrador)
80s throwback bands may have finally been forced to take a backseat this year, but The Mary Onettes celebrate that strange and influential era of music in a way that few bands could ever claim to.

09. Seabear – The ghost that carried us away (Morr Music)
Seabear exude a delightful warmth into their compositions: something lost, almost nostalgia inducing, foreign without being unfamiliar, and altogether wonderful.

08. Jens Lekman – Night falls over Kortedala (Service/Secretly Canadian)
Darling of every blogger and hype-generating music website the world over, Jens Lekman did indeed make his mark upon 2007.

07. CS Nielsen – Against the dying of the light (Songcrafter Music)
In September, I wrote that CS Nielsen had crafted one of the greatest albums of the year. I stand by that statement.

06. Anna Järvinen – Jag fick feeling (Häpna)
"Jag fick feeling" will, for the foreseeable future, be one of the first albums I run to as the leaves sicken, bleed out their autumn hues, and gracefully descend to the ground below.

05. Immanu El – They'll come, they come (And the Sound)
As I wrote in my review of this album, Immanu El's "They'll come, they come" is unquestionably a forceful and substantial album; an effort that probes sections of our musical consciousness that have fallen into shadow and been ignored too long.

04. The Chrysler – The Benelux years (Flora & Fauna)
Dropping one spot since the June round up, "The Benelux years" still surprises me with new layers every time I listen to it. The Chrysler are one of the most underrated bands of all time.

03. Kent – Tillbaka till samtiden (SME)
Kent have absolutely nothing to prove anymore - they are arguably one of the best Swedish bands of all time - and yet they continue to prove themselves, over and over and over again. It's frightening.

02. Shout Out Louds – Our ill wills (Bud Fox/Merge)
Another album whose position was solidified earlier in the year, "Our ill wills" is still one of the best sophomore albums I have ever heard.

01. Aerial – The sentinel (Nomethod/Tangled Up!)
I fell in love with this album in January, continued to proclaim its brilliance in June, and, a few hours from December, crown "The sentinel" the best album of 2007. Absolutely brilliant.

Matt Giordano

10. Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words - Fall, fall, falling (Kalligrammofon)
Beautifully subtle and understated noise.

09. The Chrysler - The Benelux years (Flora & Fauna)
The Chrysler upped the tempo on their third album, and it's easily their best.

08. Christian Kjellvander - I saw her from here/I saw here from her (Startracks)
On his third, and best album, the arrangements have finally acted on the ideas.

07. Boeoes Kaelstigen - Pan European (Adrian Recordings)
Brilliant electronica from this Swedish duo.

06. Montt Mardié - Clocks/Pretender (Hybris)
This second album sees big band and swing return to the musical landscape.

05. The Fine Arts Showcase - Sings Rough Bunnies (Adrian Recordings)
Gustaf reinterprets the Rough Bunnies to gorgeous results.

04. Juvelen - s/t (Hybris)
Hot and sweaty pop music has returned!

03. The Tough Alliance - A new chance (Sincerely Yours)
Göteborg's best have honed their sound into hedonistic pop bliss.

02. Laakso - Mother, am I good looking? (V2)
Sweden's best band delivered its third album in such a fashion only they could - with "Italy vs. Helsinki".

01. Familjen - Det snurrar i min skalle (Adrian Recordings/Hybris)
Familjen's debut album is the best pure pop full-length I have heard all year.

Nick Levine

10. Ninja – I don't play guitar (Popyhtiö)
Finland's answer to Robyn. At the forefront of Finnish pop music. This record has some serious crossover potential.

09. Billie the Vision & The Dancers – Where the ocean meets my hand (Love Will Pay the Bills)
Not a radical departure from previous releases. But hey, if it ain't broke don't fix it.

08. Familjen - Det snurrar i min skalle (Adrian/Hybris)
Zeitgeist-defining record. Sweden's answer to new rave?

07. Jens Lekman - Night falls over Kortedala (Service/Secretly Canadian)
More upbeat than Jen's previous efforts. Is this mellowing due to his recent engagement?

06. Boat Club – Caught the breeze (Luxury)
Atmospheric shoegaze and Balearic-lite prog pop.

05. Laakso – Mother, am I good looking? (V2)
The most commercially successful release from Laakso thus far.

04. Studio – West Coast (Information)
I'm counting this as it only got a UK release this year. Credit must also be given for some of Studio's superb remixes for the likes of Shout Out Louds and Rubies.

03. Those Dancing Days - s/t (V2)
Undoubtedly the biggest Swedish buzz band of the year. Helped in no small part by It's a Trap.

02. The Tough Alliance – A new chance (Sincerely Yours)
Stunning comeback record, after the experimentation of 2006's "Escaping your ambitions".

01. Shout Out Louds – Our ill wills (Bud Fox/Merge)
This records features the best use of cowbell in 2007.

Christian Stenbacke

10. Kent – Tillbaka till samtiden (SME)
The journey back into the dark electronical realms of the 80's might not have been the perfect career move, but on the other hand, since when has Kent ever cared about such a petty thing?

09. Sällskapet – s/t (Universal)
Cold and dark and damp - Pelle Ossler vs. Joakim Thåström - Life drained from the body, machines in control, the last thing leaving mankind is hope. Are you ready to enter room 212?

08. Kristofer Åström – RainawayTown (Startracks)
There is something special about Kristofer Åström. He has the ability to get to the things that really matter with small words and measures.

07. Bloodlights – s/t (Playground Music)
All things have to come to and end, Glucifer is no more, but the Captain lives on. Bloodlights is cock rock at its best.

06. The Mary Onettes – s/t (Labrador)
It's so obvious and it's so perfect. The Mary Onettes hardly try to hide their Anglophile influences and why should they?

05. Christian Kjellvander – I saw her from her/I saw here from her (Startracks)
Christian Kjellvander is a man of quality; every song sung from his lips is of highest standard.

04. José González – In our nature (Imperial/Mute)
The man is just marvelous; catching every single raw emotion there is with his incredible guitar work and simple, yet direct, voice.

03. The Raveonettes – Lust lust lust (Border Music/Vice)
Finally back to basics; the magic of Sune Wagner and Sharin Foo's voices bound together and the bleak Jesus & Mary Chain meets 50s surf music is a fascinating combination.

02. Logh – North (Bad Taste Records)
Instead of calling it quits, Logh decided to pull it together and release a new album, the best decision ever made.

01. Sound Like Violence – With blood on my hands (Burning Heart)
What is Niccokick compared to this? This is the best album this year by far; the impact of every song is overwhelming.

Simon Tagestam

10. The Hives – The black and white album (Interscope)
Not as good as I wanted it to be, but The Hives manage to deliver a bunch of great songs.

09. Shout Out Louds – Our ill wills (Bud Fox/Merge)
A strong and solid second album from Shout Out Louds.

08. Frida Hyvönen – Pudel (Licking Fingers)
A mini album that has given me very high hopes for Hyvönen's second proper full-length.

07. Anna Järvinen – Jag fick feeling (Häpna)
It took me some time to warm to this Järvinen's solo debut, but now I find it really cosy and pleasant, it's a great album for cold winter nights.

06. Jonas Game – ADHD (Sincerely Yours)
Bad Cash Quartet's drummer managed to make a very personal and intriguing album full of hits.

05. The Tough Alliance – A new chance (Sincerely Yours)
Nice to see TTA back on track after last year's weird ambient album.

04. The Lovekevins – Vs the snow (Songs I Wish I Had Written)
I knew that The LKs were good, but I didn't think they could be this good!

03. Alexis Weak – Välkommen till Gullmarsplan (La Vida Locash)
Ok, it's only a half an hour (free!) mixtape, but I got really addicted to Alexis Weak's personal rapping style in 2007.

02. Säkert! – s/t (Razzia)
It was nice to see the Swedish public embracing Annika Norlin's side project and making her the star she deserves to be.

01. Jens Lekman – Nights falls over Kortedala (Service/Secretly Canadian)
Ah, the King of Sweden! Or, at least he should be. Lekman is the greatest.

]]> Fri, 14 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0800 articles top10s http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25746-podcast-top-songs-of-2007 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25746-podcast-top-songs-of-2007 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25746-podcast-top-songs-of-2007#comments DATE ADDED : 12.13.07
LENGTH : 29:24 min
DOWNLOAD : itsatrap_podcast_12132007.mp3 (33.7mb)
RSS : [click here]

Tracklist: (select text to view)
08. The Lovekevins - Tamagochi freestyle
07. Sambassadeur - Subtle changes
06. Pelle Carlberg - I love you, you imbecile
05. Vapnet - Tjernobyl
04. Asha Ali - A promise broken
03. Laakso - Norrköping
02. The Tough Alliance - First class riot
01. Laakso - Worst case scenario

]]> Thu, 13 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0800 articles podcast http://www.itsatrap.com/n/20550 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/20550 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/20550#comments Nöjesguiden's top 10 Swedish albums of the year:

01. Säkert! - Säkert!
02. The Tough Alliance - A New Chance
03. Laakso - Mother, Am I Good Looking?
04. Dungen - Tio Bitar
05. Christian Kjellvander - I Saw Her From Here/I Saw Here From Her
06. The Field - From Here We Go Sublime
07. Frida Hyvönen - Music From the Dance Performance Pudel
08. Conny Nimmersjö - Skörheten & Oljudet
09. Shout Out Louds - Our Ill Wills
10. Anna Järvinen - Jag fick feeling
]]> Mon, 10 Dec 2007 13:04:54 -0800 news general http://www.itsatrap.com/n/20538 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/20538 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/20538#comments Here's the playlist for this week's radio show:

01. The Bombettes - I wanna
02. TALK 1
03. Anna Järvinen - Helsinki
04. Leütenhaven - Still life (trompe l'oeil)
05. Pay TV - Fashion report
06. TALK 2
07. Timo Räisänen - My valentine
08. Jonna Lee - And your love
09. José González - Killing for love
10. The Bear Quartet - It only takes a flashlight to create a monster
11. TALK 3
12. Kristofer Åström - The dark
13. Munck//Johnson - The streets
14. Bertine Zetlitz - Draggin' me down
15. Dieter Schöön - Warm hearts
16. TALK 4
17. Superfamily - The radio has expressed concerns about what you did last night
18. Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words - Ashen like the sky
19. Kazakstan - Song to the past
20. TALK 5
21. Marvins Revolt - Bugs in time
22. Menfolk - Ghosts
23. Pelle Carlberg - I love you, you imbecile
24. TALK 6
25. Sambassadeur - Subtle changes
26. Stina Nordenstam - So Lee
27. Tobias Hellkvist - Abomination
28. TALK 7
29. Marybell Katastrophy - Slabiak
30. Sinikka Langeland - Høstnatt på Fjellskogen
31. David Åhlén - Wasted breaths
32. Printer - Minds out
33. TALK 8
34. Montys Loco - Wasteland
35. Lampshade - Fjäril
36. NEI - Trip to Luleå
37. Laakso - Hang me in the Christmas tree
38. TALK 9
39. Honey Is Cool - Drums and boys

Don't forget to vote for Sirius Blog Radio at the Plug Awards! Vote here: http://www.plugawards.com/general_vote.php
We are nominated under the category "Media (Obsessive) > Specialty Show Of The Year (Commercial Radio)".]]> Sat, 08 Dec 2007 14:04:01 -0800 news sirius http://www.itsatrap.com/n/20536 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/20536 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/20536#comments Säkert!'s next single will be "Det kommer bara leda till nåt ont", a duet featuring Markus Krunegård of Laakso. Look for a video soon.]]> Fri, 07 Dec 2007 15:00:24 -0800 news general http://www.itsatrap.com/n/20426 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/20426 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/20426#comments The nominees for the Swedish Radio P3 Guld awards have been announced:

Pop:
Anna Järvinen - Jag fick feeling
Friday Bridge - Intricacy
Jens Lekman - Night falls over Kortedala
Sambassadeur - Migration
Taken By Trees - Open Field

Dance:
Aril Brikha - Ex machina
Axwell - collected work
Minilogue - collected work
The Field - From here we go sublime
Tiger Stripes - collected work

Rock/metal:
Arch Enemy - Rise Of The Tyrant
Dark Tranquility - Fiction
Kongh - Counting heartbeats
Marduk - Rom 5:12
Mustasch - Latest version of the truth

Hiphop/soul:
Petter - God damn it
Ken - Äntligen hemma
Adam Tensta - It's a Tensta Thing
Million stylez - From A Far
Basutbudet - Svensk bas

Newcomer:
Adam Tensta
Maia Hirasawa
Million Stylez
Neverstore
Those Dancing Days

Female artist:
Laleh - Prinsessor
Maia Hirasawa - Though, I'm Just Me
Miss Li - God Put A Rainbow In The Sky
September - Dancing Shoes
Säkert! - Säkert!

Male artist:
Danny - Heart. Beats.
Jens Lekman - Night falls over Kortedala
Lars Winnerbäck - Daugava
Mange Schmidt - Känslan kommer tillbaks
Salem Al Fakir - This Is Who I Am

Group:
Kent - Tillbaka till samtiden
Mando Diao - Never Seen The Light Of Day
Sahara Hotnights - What If Leaving Is A Loving Thing
Shout Out Louds - Our Ill Wills
The Ark - Prayer For The Weekend

Song:
Kleerup with Robyn - With Every Heartbeat
Mange Schmidt feat. Petter - Giftig
Oh Laura - Release Me
Sahara Hotnights - Cheek To Cheek
Säkert! - Vi kommer att dö samtidigt

Guldmicken (live):
Laakso
Mustasch
Salem Al Fakir
Säkert!
Timo Räisänen

More info: http://www.sr.se/cgi-bin/p3/nyhetssidor/index.asp?programID=3014]]> Mon, 03 Dec 2007 11:22:11 -0800 news general awards http://www.itsatrap.com/n/26104-herr-nilsson-downhill-thrill-karisma-records http://www.itsatrap.com/n/26104-herr-nilsson-downhill-thrill-karisma-records http://www.itsatrap.com/n/26104-herr-nilsson-downhill-thrill-karisma-records#comments "Would you trade a dysfunctional kidney for a broken heart?" has my immediate attention. As far as opening tracks go, Herr Nilsson put an inspiring foot forwards with "Camera for an eye", a tune whose competence and peculiar drive brings "Downhill thrill" completely alive and kick-starts its strange exploration. While comparable in many ways to Shout Out Louds and Figurines, and quite prone to the unusual bursts of energy that endear Laakso to their fans, Herr Nilsson are almost a distillation of everything that makes quirky Scandinavian pop so damned appealing. Title track "Downhill thrill" dances a little into Of Montreal's territory in its midsection before sealing the deal with thin guitar chords, building strings, and anthemic lyrics. It was "Huskies", though, that completely won me over, four tracks into a record I was already stirred by. "Downhill thrill" does meander into more bizarre terrain as it reaches its conclusion, quite markedly during the Beatles-esque, Consciousness Expansion-era duo "On the road again" and "Killerbee", but overall it is yet more proof that the Scandinavian music gods have smiled fondly upon 2007.]]> Sat, 01 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0800 reviews http://www.itsatrap.com/n/20326 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/20326 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/20326#comments Here's the playlist for this week's radio show, featuring special guest Pontus Levahn from the band Torpedo:

01. Fireside - Let Rasputin do it
02. TALK 1
03. Britta Persson - You are not my boyfriend
04. Hyacinth House - Lucky stranger
05. The Bear Quartet - Sailors
06. TALK 2
07. Jennie Abrahamson - In this life to live
08. Margaret Berger - Seek I'll hide
09. Heroes & Zeros - The foolproof
10. TALK 3
11. Folie - Strum
12. Ellen Beach - The widespread acclaim
13. The Indecision Alarm - Where every fucking dream is killed
14. TALK 4 (INTERVIEW)
15. Torpedo - From Russia with love
16. Rupesh Cartel - Comes the hour comes the man
17. TALK 5 (INTERVIEW)
18. Torpedo - Hospital
19. Tiger Lou - Until I'm there
20. TALK 6 (INTERVIEW)
21. Simon Ryman - Walk with me instead
22. Fanny Risberg - Stay with me forever
23. Lack - Deserters
24. TALK 7
25. The Je Ne Sais Quoi - Manic panic
26. Hebosagil - Slightly confusing
27. Dieter Schöön - The harbour's cold
28. TALK 8
29. Lukestar - White shade
30. Fun - Hold it close
31. The Skull Defekts - The secret
32. TALK 9
33. Laakso - Great times underground
34. CS Nielsen - Black spots
35. Knugen Faller - Lugna favoriter
36. TALK 10
37. Säkert! - Allt som är ditt
]]> Sun, 25 Nov 2007 11:40:54 -0800 news sirius http://www.itsatrap.com/n/20243 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/20243 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/20243#comments Check out an unofficial but Laakso-approved video for "Lack of blood", one of the b-sides from the new "Västerbron & campires" EP: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNZXD3xInHE]]> Mon, 19 Nov 2007 11:14:10 -0800 news multimedia http://www.itsatrap.com/n/20145 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/20145 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/20145#comments Here's the playlist for this week's radio show:

01. The Bombettes - Dating scene
02. TALK 1
03. Leütenhaven - Still life (trompe l'oeil)
04. Dieter Schöön - Warm hearts
05. Kasper Bjørke - Back & spine (Fidel Astro remix)
06. TALK 2
07. Come Sleep - Be the end
08. Promise and the Monster - Trials
09. Immanu El - Home
10. TALK 3
11. Lukestar - Lake Toba
12. Marit Bergman - No party
13. Mando Diao - Never seen the light of day
14. TALK 4
15. Jonas Game - ADHD
16. Kornstad - Turkey, Texas
17. Josse - You had a plan
18. The Hives - You dress up for Armageddon
19. TALK 5
20. Randy - Freedom song
21. Ted Gärdestad - Så mycket bättre
22. Motorhomes - Into the night
23. TALK 6
24. Laakso - Västerbron
25. The Bear Quartet - Hunchback
26. Susanne Sundfør - The dance
27. TALK 7
28. New Moscow - Turbonegro must be destroyed
29. The Bell - Target group
30. Vaiping - The great polar expedition
31. TALK 8
32. NEI - City of gold
33. Asha Ali - Fire, fire
34. My Enemy - My time coming (Johan Formeijer remix)
35. TALK 9
36. CS Nielsen - Black spots
37. David Sandström Overdrive - The Fatville Treaty
38. C.Aarmé - Golden retriever
39. TALK 10
40. Aerial - My god, it's full of stars!
]]> Sun, 11 Nov 2007 23:03:17 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/20084 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/20084 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/20084#comments Finally here, in-stock and ready to ship:

Laakso - Västerbron & vampires
Jonna Lee - 10 pieces, 10 bruises
Miss Li - Songs of a rag doll

I also have restocks of Hello Saferide, September and Miss Li, so get on it if you want 'em because there's a good chance I might not get more copies until next year. Also, consider the sale I'm currently running - the more you buy, the more you save.]]> Mon, 05 Nov 2007 16:58:39 -0800 news sitenews http://www.itsatrap.com/n/26032-laakso-vasterbron-vampires-v2 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/26032-laakso-vasterbron-vampires-v2 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/26032-laakso-vasterbron-vampires-v2#comments "Västerbron" single with three new tracks (that feel more like demos), Laakso has gotten a bit more dark to kick into their fall tour. Other than the single, "England" would have to be the best track on the album, and, clocking in at over seven minutes, is quite epic for Laakso. The lyrics and melody are in top self-depricating fashion and it's the most complete of the three b-sides. The middle two, "Lack of blood" and "Great times underground", come across more as rough ideas and, when it comes down to it, lack those great hooks we all have come to love Laakso for. However, the potential is still there for the next Laakso album being great.
(As a comparison, the feel of this is very similar to the "Aussie girl" EP).]]> Wed, 31 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0700 reviews http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19989 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19989 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19989#comments Watch Laakso perform their new single "Västerbron" acoustic for PSL: http://svt-psl.colo.netstar.se/default.aspx?entryID=248]]> Mon, 29 Oct 2007 15:38:02 -0700 news multimedia http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19897 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19897 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19897#comments Laakso's new video for "Västerbron" is now online: http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=20574578]]> Tue, 23 Oct 2007 09:34:25 -0700 news multimedia http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25723-column-a-postcard-life-4 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25723-column-a-postcard-life-4 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25723-column-a-postcard-life-4#comments My first exposure to Laakso was through my friend Pekka Pörtfors. He used to play a damn fine version of "Long beach" when we were out at parties where there was a guitar lying around. Eventually I checked out the "Long beach EP", but during this stage of my life, I was still quite wrapped up in the world of avant-garde, post-rock inspired hardcore and wasn't immediately blown away. It was intriguing, especially Markus Krunegård's delivery and choice of words, though I still found bands like City of Caterpillar and Envy better companions when walking the streets of Stockholm city.

It was with Pekka again, out on one of our numerous visits to his hometown of Mariehamn, Åland, that I was exposed to Laakso again. I'd woken up early as the sun spilled through the curtains into the guest room. We had been out drinking quite heavily the night before and I saw "I miss you, I'm pregnant" sitting on the table in his upstairs den area as I tried to creep quietly over his noisy floorboards to get a glass of water. I grabbed the CD and my cigarettes, and went outside to smoke on Pekka's father's steps. It was late spring and the Scandinavian weather was just starting to free itself of the dismal, damp grey that always seems to come for at least a month or so after the Great Thaw. There were still a few cold teeth in the air, but it was pleasant, especially when trying to shake the ghostly reminders of the previous night's bar tab still present in my blood.

My first impressions of "I miss you, I'm pregnant" were surprisingly energetic, especially as "Fight the fight" slipped into "Aussie girl". I'd seen favorable reviews of the album in Swedish music magazines, and two extremely complimentary ones in Aftonbladet and SvD, but hadn't known what to make of their words, chiefly because I had merely enjoyed the "Long Beach EP", and had not been truly enamored or captivated by it. It was obvious in the craftsmanship, layering, and delivery of the first few compositions how far the band had come between the two recordings. Not to be dismissive of the earlier effort at all, but songs like "Clear", "Demon", and the closer "Laakso" affected me far more deeply than most of the tracks off the "Long beach EP" had. I appreciate the EP far more now than I did then, but it is still easily eclipsed by Laakso's first full-length recording (and the EP length single for "Aussie girl").

Right before I returned to the United States in 2005, Pekka took me to see Laakso at the Popaganda Festival held on Stockholm University's grounds. We'd both been drinking, and my thoughts were very much wrapped up with a young lady who was at the festival with us, but all of this slipped away when the band started playing. The drink may have aided in my reaction, but I was undeniably smitten when the show was over. It took me a while to adjust. Night had been falling during the concert, the light summer's breeze weighted a little heavier by the cold, though I hadn't noticed any of this during the show. All of the sudden I wished I'd had a light jacket or a sweater and remembered the girl my thoughts had been so consumed with.

I wouldn't hear the recorded versions of the songs Laakso had played from "My gods" at Popaganda until my return to the United States. My current roommate Alan put on the record one day towards the end of 2005 as we were driving to do errands. I ordered the record as soon as we got home and cursed myself for having somehow forgotten about it during the turbulent last few months I spend in Stockholm, and the difficult readjustment period I floundered in upon my return to America. For whatever reason, "My gods" dulled the strangeness of being back in the United States for the first time in a decade without a return flight to Europe.

Since then, there have been very few mix CDs I've made for friends that haven't had at least one Laakso song on them. Anytime a good friend asked me to suggest a band for them to check out, I recommended checking out "My gods" or "I miss you, I'm pregnant". Despite all of this, very few of my companions here in the United States have been overwhelmed by Laakso, a phenomenon I can't quite fathom. For a while I was quite content to let things be - Laakso were a secret that only a few of us were in on, and there was something nice about that. But a band like this shouldn't have been kept underground for so long.

The newest effort, "Mother, am I good looking?" may not have the consistency of the previous two albums, but its highs are exceptional. "Worst case scenario" and "Norrköping" are two of the best songs Laakso have ever written, and there are plenty of other champions on the record - "Dancing queen" having become one of my favorite pre-party songs. Fellow It's A Trap! writer Matt Giordano and I thought "Mother..." might be the record to break Laakso on this side of the Atlantic. So far our prediction has been proved premature... a shame, really.

There will be days when everything in your record collection will temporarily lose its usual luster - it happens to us all, no matter how fine the selection may be - and you'll condemn the present condition of contemporary music as you search in vain for something new to fill your speakers and headphones. As Pekka did for me years ago, may I suggest filling those empty, disillusioned moments with Laakso? There have been very few bands that have affected me quite as deeply as have the works of these outlandish upstarts. Their albums don't grow old or monotonous, nor does the edge dull with the passage of time. Laakso have a distinctly original sound which Krunegård's lyrics and eccentric tone elevate to levels that few bands have the ability to reach. It doesn't even really matter which album you decide to start with, all of them are superb and unique, and just different enough from the others to remain well out of their shadows.

With so many bands hyped into the upper echelons of indie stardom, I can't quite grasp how Laakso have remained nothing more than a soft whisper in North America. Oh well... life is strange. It wouldn't be worth living if it wasn't.

Until next time,

I remain,

/Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson]]> Thu, 18 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0700 articles column http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19747 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19747 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19747#comments #1 Hits from Another Planet has a track from the new Laakso EP "Vasterbrön & Vampires": http://alienhits.blogspot.com/2007/10/laakso-great-times-underground-we-grow.html]]> Thu, 11 Oct 2007 13:44:36 -0700 news general http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25720-column-a-postcard-life-3 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25720-column-a-postcard-life-3 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25720-column-a-postcard-life-3#comments Autumn is my favorite season, though it has not always been the kindest one. With the days growing shorter and colder, and with summer bleeding out so beautifully in the yellows, oranges, and reds of the decaying leaves, I often find myself looking inwards and backwards over the past year, examining its successes and failures, and tallying up all of those missed opportunities and regretted memories. Some years this is a more difficult process than others. The future seems much further off with scarves wrapped around our necks and layers of clothing attempting the stave off the sharp teeth of impending winter. These are the times when music becomes necessary for our mental stability and survival, and can assist in properly facilitating and strengthening those introspective rambles into the layers of experience that make us the individuals we are. The end of the year is indeed a good time to take stock of where we are. By doing so we increase the likelihood that once spring hits, we know where we want to go as the momentum of another year starts up. And what medium better to guide our hands than music, specifically creations from the Scandinavian states - a people who know all too well the darkness of autumn and winter.

While my first winters in Stockholm were difficult - those first days of near perpetual darkness, combined with the cold and quiet, the snow absorbing so much of life's clamor - they pale in the face of what the robust souls of Norrland face every year. This might be why there is such presence to their music in these festering months of a lost year.

The Bear Quartet have quite the catalog to peruse in these moments, though I'd probably fall into "Angry brigade" and "Personality crisis" at this early stage of the decay, saving "Gay icon" for when summer becomes something that is coming, not a string of events that have just passed. "Vi kommer att d� samtidigt" from S�kert!'s self-titled album will also help bridge that twilight period between autumn and winter.

The Perishers' "Let there be morning", and even this year's "Victorious", will funnel themselves into my headphones as October overtakes my present and the sun starts to ignore this northern hemisphere. "My heart" and "Come out of the shade" are near perfect examples of songs that traverse those strange corridors between hope lost and hope rediscovered. Compositions like these thrive as winter's influence starts to win out over the summer's optimism and as life slows to a less frantic pace. Upbeat melodies will fit certain days of chilly sunlight, but building landscapes of softer tones and less buoyant themes seem more apt as calendars reach the end of their tenure on our walls.

And while I am not as familiar with groups like KVLR, Isolation Years, Fireside, and Carpet People, the tracks I have heard present further evidence of Norrland's artists' ability to purposefully color the passing moments of autumn and winter. But, bands from Sweden's more populated south are not to be ignored.

"Howl howl gaff gaff" has a few tracks that fit the coming months, but the Shout Out Louds' sophomore effort "Our ill wills" has the malleability to be just as relevant in November as it was for me in May, and will easily survive in its relevance as 2008 comes more clearly into focus. "Normandie", "You are dreaming", and "Impossible" have risen to the upper echelons of my favorite Scandinavian compositions, exemplifying that strange exploration of loss and potential salvation that Scandinavian musicians have perfected over the past few decades.

While I enjoy this year's "Mother, am I good looking?", and agree that it has some of Laakso's best material to date (especially "Worst case scenario" and "Norrk�ping"), it is "My gods" that is the more solid and focused record overall, a record that constantly unveils new strata, especially when viewed through the different lenses provided by shifting phases of the year, and thematically more compatible with the liminal period of cold and darkness before next year's thaw.

Kent have a plethora of songs that fit well into any autumn playlist, and their seventh studio album "Tillbaka till samtiden" is due out October 19. Jens Lekman's most recent effort will undeniably play some role in distracting me from the cooler temperatures and from my own pressing concerns. And pushing from Sweden into Denmark, The Kissaway Trail's striking debut album will gather some inertia as yellow and brown leaves cover the once green lawns of our neighborhoods, CS Nielsen's leading effort will take on a slightly heartbreaking tone, and I've never been one to dismiss Figurines' ability to bring a little cheer into the gloomiest moments.

This list could go on for quite some time, which quite succinctly sums up the state of Scandinavian music, especially compared to more populated countries such as America, Canada and Great Britain. I never even got to touch upon Norway's or Finland's musical contributions, and could probably create an entire column devoted to that one purpose alone, nor was I really able to go into much depth or cover all the bands I'd have liked to.

Many things become less cheerful as the year becomes less of a youthful cry and more of an echo, but there are soundtracks to elevate us above these dark currents, or allow us to plunge fully into them - and a sickening number of the most powerful of these are created in Scandinavia. There is a great deal of hope to be taken from that statement, more than enough to get me through until next spring.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson]]> Tue, 02 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0700 articles column http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25895-timo-raisanen-love-will-turn-you-around-razzia-records http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25895-timo-raisanen-love-will-turn-you-around-razzia-records http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25895-timo-raisanen-love-will-turn-you-around-razzia-records#comments "Love will turn you around" has already solidified its placement as a record that will receive heavy rotation in my stereo this autumn. There are a few stumbles as Räisänen's more eccentric qualities overpower his usually solid deliveries - "Spill your beans" is far from awful, it just doesn't sit as solidly in the tracklist as the majority of the other compositions do, and makes for a bizarre transition between the heavy, dark delivery of "Sunday" and the softer "Stop rocking the boat" (which, for whatever reason, reminds me of those brilliant early tracks from Ben Folds Five); and "I wash my mouth with soap before I go" could easily be removed from the album without causing much fuss. "Love will turn you around" synthesizes the complicated optimism present in both Swedish indierock and bands like Pavement and, to some extent, Weezer - "Valentine" establishing this talent early on - and yet doesn't shy away from the shadows or more distortion saturated approaches as "Sunday" attests. "Michael" has quickly become my favorite Timo Räisänen song, ousting "Sweet Marie" and "Fear no darkness, promised child" with it's nearly immaculate craftsmanship and delivery, and is almost worth the price alone. The true power of this album is its appeal to a broad spectrum of listeners - as comparable to Shout Out Louds as it is to Laakso or The Bear Quartet - and what could be more important as the days shorten and grow colder than a solid collection of idiosyncratic, yet ultimately hopeful indie anthems?]]> Mon, 01 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0700 reviews http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19489 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19489 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19489#comments A West Side Fabrication has posted a new track from A Saga on their myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/westsidefabrication
The song is called "Like water" and was produced by Jari Haapalainen (The Bear Quartet, Laakso, The Concretes, etc.).]]> Wed, 26 Sep 2007 10:20:12 -0700 news multimedia http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19335 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19335 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19335#comments Here's the playlist for my radio show on Saturday:

01. Ted Gärdestad - Räcker jag till
02. TALK 1
03. The Setting Son - In a certain way
04. Beyond Dawn - TRNQL
05. Miss Li - Let her go
06. TALK 2
07. Jonna Lee - Dried out eyes
08. Death By Kite - Hiroshima
09. The Motorhomes - I wanna make you sing
10. TALK 3
11. Printer - Minds out
12. Alarma Man - Sweden, Sweden
13. Pistol Disco - Radiation
14. TALK 4
15. Knugen Faller - Lugna favoriter
16. Scraps of Tape - Since all the birds are moving, shouldn't we
17. Carpet People - If I lose my voice
18. TALK 5
19. Asha Ali - A promise broken
20. Ingenting - Punkdrommar
21. Holiday for Strings - I got two hands
22. TALK 6
23. NEI - City of gold
24. FAP - Sjömannen
25. Monoton - Hours
26. TALK 7
27. Deathbed - Everyday heroin
28. Dibaba - Go marching in
29. Johnossi - Execution song
30. Sista Sekunden - Se opp
31. TALK 8
32. Laakso - Worse case scenario
33. Tiger Lou - Sell out
34. Peter Bjorn and John - Matchmaker
35. TALK 9
36. Johndoe - Hardt som faen
37. Espen Jørgensen - Move ahead - quickly
38. Säkert! - Och jag grät mig till sömns efter alla dar
39. TALK 10
40. KVLR - Slow clapping
41. Anna Leong - 61
42. Final Exit - Bent out of shape
43. TALK 11
44. The Bear Quartet - Lights out, sound off]]> Mon, 17 Sep 2007 07:58:00 -0700 news general http://www.itsatrap.com/n/166 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/166 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/166#comments Laakso will be releasing a new EP on October 10 entitled "Västerbron and vampires", naturally featuring the track "Västerbron" from this month's Record Club selection "Mother, am I good looking?" as well as three brand new songs. Look for the band to tour Sweden again starting in mid-October too and note that a purchase said new EP will be included in the ticket price.]]> Thu, 06 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/27635-mp3-laakso-italy-vs-helsinki http://www.itsatrap.com/n/27635-mp3-laakso-italy-vs-helsinki http://www.itsatrap.com/n/27635-mp3-laakso-italy-vs-helsinki#comments We're on the cusp of September going into a three-day weekend (Monday is Labor Day in the US), so I'm gonna go ahead and declare that next month's Record Club selection is Laakso's "Mother, am I good looking?". No big surprise there, especially since I've been raving about them quite a bit recently. I had actually considered making it my pick in previous months, but there was always some other record that took precedence. Do I regret it? Nope, not at all - I stand by all my selections. Already have the record? Maybe you want to pick "My gods" as replacement? Or maybe one of the many other new releases I've recently added to webstore? No worries, I'm always happy to work something out. As for today's mp3, well, let's consider the year's best single "Italy vs Helsinki". Is it not a completely over-the-top gay anthem? So how could you make it even more of one? By doing a house remix, naturally. I still prefer the original, but I know that if SoundFactory didn't give it this treatment, someone else sure would. It makes perfect sense and works far better than you could possibly imagine. Enjoy!]]> Fri, 31 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0700 mp3s http://www.itsatrap.com/n/276 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/276 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/276#comments The video for the new Laakso single "Dropout" is now online: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMY7DBshZjU]]> Thu, 30 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/27638-mp3-closer-sensing-the-wake http://www.itsatrap.com/n/27638-mp3-closer-sensing-the-wake http://www.itsatrap.com/n/27638-mp3-closer-sensing-the-wake#comments Tuesdays are new release days here in the US, so it's quite appropriate that I just added a vast quantity of new items to the webstore. Yep, new fall releases are on the way in, but not only that - I've also picked up a whole load of reissue/remasters such as the Ebba Grön discography and the rest of the MNW "Klassiker" series. "Svensk postpunk" has been restocked as well and its price reduced. I also am finally getting restocks of Hello Saferide's excellent "Would you let me..." EP (about time!). Oh, and I also got copies of Laakso's superb 2005 album "My gods" for a good price. However, the one new addition that I know a lot of people have been waiting for is the release of Closer's new EP "The 39". Maybe you remember when I posted about it in early June, but if not, I've reposted opening track "Sensing the wake" again for your listening pleasure. Simply put, this is some of the best heavy rock music you'll hear this year. Hard to believe, but this new EP is even darker and more epic than the debut "Tokpela". The only question is where do they go from here? What path do you take when you're already at the summit?]]> Tue, 28 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0700 mp3s http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25808-laakso-mammilarock-bale http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25808-laakso-mammilarock-bale http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25808-laakso-mammilarock-bale#comments Laakso's other release this year, "Mämmilärock", and although it involved an iTunes purchase (which means no artwork), I'm still rather pleased. The main difference with this album is the obvious language choice, as this is mostly all in Finnish; also, this album was recorded almost two years prior to its release this April (which coincided with the release of "Mother, am I good looking?" in Finland). Needless to say, it does not disappoint. From the balls-out rocker "Stockholm rock city" to mid-tempo, yet very catchy "See you in Huhtikuu" and "Hetkinen juice leskinen" to the heavy Eastern European influence on "Unelmia oli" and "Hurrin hurjaa elämää", Laakso is consistently at the top of their game. Although there is a slight language barrier on my part, Laakso has again produced another stellar album, and continues to cement their place in the upper echelon of Scandinavian music.]]> Mon, 27 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0700 reviews http://www.itsatrap.com/n/335 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/335 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/335#comments The playlist for this week's radio show:

01. Laakso - Worst case scenario
02. TALK 1
03. Superfamily - I want my money back
04. The Bear Quartet - Ask me don't axe me
05. Ståålfågel - Små gröna män
06. TALK 2
07. Printer - Satisfaction (radio edit)
08. NEI - New morning
09. Paper - Out of it into it
10. Darkthrone - Canadian metal
11. TALK 3
12. Sweatmaster - Animal
13. Bloodbath - Buried by the dead
14. Moneybrother - Guess who's gonna get some tonight
15. TALK 4
16. The Perishers - Victorious
17. The Skull Defekts - Unholy drums are singing
18. Hell On Wheels - Alexander
19. TALK 5
20. Karin Ström - Ordlös
21. Kompjotr Eplektrika - Skulldrummantra
22. Scraps of Tape - How your heart gets thrown
23. TALK 6
24. Brainbombs - Stinking memory
25. M:40 - Brännmärkt
26. Logh - Bring on the ether
27. TALK 7
28. CS Nielsen - Happy
29. Amorphis - Weaving the incantation
30. Juvelen - Hanna
31. TALK 8
32. Killerchaps - Equally dumb
33. Dinosau - Derr lady
34. Knugen Faller - Inte som ni
35. TALK 9
36. The Kissaway Trail - La la song
37. Pg.Lost - Yes I am
38. Suburban Kids with Biblical Names - Marry me
39. TALK 10
40. Don Juan Dracula - Take me home]]> Sat, 25 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25713-column-a-postcard-life-1 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25713-column-a-postcard-life-1 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25713-column-a-postcard-life-1#comments "The people in my films are exactly like myself - creatures of instinct, of rather poor intellectual capacity, who at best only think while they're talking. Mostly they're a body, with a little hollow for the soul," the recently deceased Ingmar Bergman once said. For whatever reason this particular fragment struck a chord in me, a few loose strands of the fraying tapestry of my mind were forced taut, and I realized the Swedish director's words succinctly explained my experience as a music junky; a detailed snapshot of that windswept section of our hearts that bleeds and sings and dances when a particular song floors and overwhelms us, adds meaning to a moment of our lives - a timestamp with a soul and a pulse that will forever remain entwined with one powerful memory, or a series of events, and will always be able to throw us back into our pasts even as its melodies encircle and color our present. With music, the only 'thinking' is done through the vocal delivery, the rest is pure emotion, 'instinct' if you'll allow me to thoroughly dissect the quotation. We don't always require the lyrics to be on par with Shakespeare's sonnets or to keep pace with Fitzgerald's poetic prose, they just have to ring true, to remind us of ourselves, of our own memories, hopes, dreams, and failures. The thematic exploration of an artist's music is very much composed of their own experiences, but it would not affect us as powerfully as these creations often do were we not able to see a dim reflection of ourselves looking up out of the compositions.

For the past half decade or so I've slowly found the ranks of my favorite musicians being peopled more and more frequently by Scandinavian artists. I understood the subtle phasing out of my youthful love of punk and hardcore music by other bands of the 70s and 80s, the bands they influenced, and even my attraction to the cinematic efforts of post-rock bands, but it's puzzled me how Scandinavian bands have been able to cut noticeably deeper in the years since my musical tastes have, for the most part, solidified. As I poured over the Washington Post the day after Bergman died, Adam Bernstein's piece, a summation of Bergman's illustrious career and a mournful farewell to the dynamic and brilliant director, seemed to clarify certain facets of Scandinavian music that hold this dark attraction for me (though all clarity is accomplished through a blurring of further details).

"Critics saw in Bergman's films a tendency for characters to use sex as a way of overcoming their sense of isolation and finding tenuous connections with one another. Yet fear of intimacy frequently caused the characters to cloak their true emotions. Bergman underscored this theme by focusing on people who were involved in theater and used disguises as role-playing," Bernstein wrote. While explorations of physical intimacy, ulterior and hidden agendas, alienation, and strained bonds are not exactly rare topics for music of any origin or genre, my life has led me down certain roads which make me more susceptible to Scandinavian analyses. While brash British deliveries will add a little swagger to my walk and my Polyvinyl Records collection will find me longing for a striped wool sweatshirt and a girl once loved, now lost, a quick examination of my favorite records and most played tracks on iTunes and last.fm quickly reveal a shadowy fascination with Scandinavian music, from playful pop melodies to the fading notes of a lost orchestral expedition. There is something distinct about the Scandinavian music scene as a whole (for if there was not, sites like It's A Trap! would not have sprung up nor command a loyal fanbase), and even more so when split into it compositional genres. This inarticulately labeled 'something' is a collage of places I've been and settings I've not yet experienced; a strange nowhere from which my past is cut more vibrantly into who I am, the present is constantly reinventing itself, and from where the future stretches on as a series of new dawns and novel chances to recapture all that is beautifully recorded in nostalgic compositions - an optimistic sight enhanced through a sense that we can survive all the obstacles that will invariably cause us to stumble, or that we will at least have good company (provided through records we own and ones not yet purchased or released) throughout these ordeals. This broken logic, possibly influenced by the changing landscapes seen out of bus windows and the realities of my rootless youth, set me along towards the 'tenuous connection' between Markus Krunegård and a girl half the world away in Laakso's wonderful "Aussie girl", from which I borrowed the title of this column.

As an introduction, this fractured installment works. Further additions will be more focused, threaded around an album, band, or genre, amongst other musical backdrops, and shall not sprawl quite so carelessly through elongated sentence structures, adjectives, and metaphor... well, one can always hope. It's difficult to sum up a love for music as a whole, and this effort proves even more complicated once lines are drawn in the sand. Without delving into Håkan Hellström's lyrical explorations on "Känn ingen sorg för mig Göteborg" or the evolution of bands like Shout Out Louds or the Legends, I hope that I have at least shown a near rabid fascination with the craftsmanship of musicians from northern Europe, and have provided an appropriate prologue for 'A Postcard Life' and an introduction of myself as a columnist. Criticisms, no matter how brutally honest or savagely delivered, suggestions, comments, and general thoughts and ideas are always welcomed, be they added as a comment or emailed to me directly, and I hope none of you shy away from saying what you feel about the words put down here.

Until next time...
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson]]> Thu, 23 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0700 articles column http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25710-festival-report-way-out-west http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25710-festival-report-way-out-west http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25710-festival-report-way-out-west#comments Thursday

The day started off well enough. I woke early and had a good stroll around central Göteborg and managed to get myself fairly oriented to city. I also had a surprise run-in with Viktor Sjöberg in an empty parking lot and his dog Douglas suprised me right back, sending my cup of coffee flying through the air. Things were off to a good start! The majority of my afternoon was spent exploring the Konstmuseum (I think I'll be needing an Ivar Arosenius print at some point) and then it was time to meet more friends and start the Way Out West concert experience.

I missed openers Function, but Low exceeded expectations with their set at Trädgär'n. I'm only moderately familiar with their catalog, but what I saw was understated, elegant and quite powerful. Following them was another American act, Woven Hand. Naturally, I came to WoW primarily to see Swedish acts, but since Woven Hand tours Sweden far more often than the US, I made sure to make this show and they did not disappoint one bit. Frontman David Eugene Edwards has an incredibly intense stage presence, on par with Neurosis, easily one of the most emotionally demanding bands I've ever been fortunate enough to see.

Knowing fully well that there would be no way to top Woven Hand, I still set out to Pustervik to catch some more bands for my evening's entertainment. ...And You Will Know Us By Our Trail of Dead was packed solid and admitting no new patrons, so I went upstairs to check out Last Days of April. The wait was slightly longer than expected, but Håkan from Division of Laura Lee/Carcrash Records kept things interesting from his position behind the DJ booth. As for LDOA when they did finally take the stage, they were 100% solid despite a less-than-stellar placement in the lineup. I couldn't help but feel underwhelmed. Another time, another place perhaps.
(AR)

Friday

At last, the start of the 'real' festival and the Boredoms set things off right. I was bit hesitant, having been disappointed by a show sometime around the period of "Super Æ", but this was something else entirely. My impression is that today's music was based on (or at least similar to) the recent "77 drummers" performance. It featured a steady onslaught of three pounding drummers and the reappearance of Eye's percussive guitar tree. The meandering psychedelia of years ago was vanquished from my mind and I let myself get lost in the endless hypnotic beat. I still can't say that I'll always be into everything the Boredoms do, but it's undeniable that they are always interesting and this performance certainly lived up to the hype.

I tried my best to avoid Salem Al Fakir's weak Billy Joel impression at one of the many beer tents before securing myself a proper position up front for Hello Saferide. The show was everything I'd hoped for: charming and sweet; equally balancing the upbeat, poppy material with the darker, more soulful (and often far more satisfying) ballads. All of the proper album highlights were played as well as a brand new track and the recent "I was definitely made for these times" single. It wasn't quite the transcendent experience I had hoped for, but it was quite nice to finally hear the songs in-person from the band's own instruments.

After Hello Saferide, it was proper time again for more beer and meeting friends. Finally got a chance to meet up with contributor Simon Tagestam (his SMS: "Hey Avi! You at the festival? Watching rubbish Laleh...") as well as a multitude of other folks. The next band to catch my attention: The Hellacopters. An experience made all that much greater from standing next to Fredrik Holmgren of Startracks who would constantly interrupt himself to yell things like "Oh my god! This fucking song! Yes!". Yeah, they were pretty good. And then The Hives - jeez, now there's a band that know's how to work a crowd of 16,000. Performing a few tracks from the forthcoming "The black & white album" as well as a plethora of classics, Pelle and the boys put on a proper show. Even if said record ends up being a total disaster, they are still a band not to be missed on tour. That's been obvious ever since the first time I saw them blow The (International) Noise Conspiracy off the stage.

Having now hooked up with another IAT contributor, a certain Jonas Appelqvist along with photographer companion Sofia Qvarnström, we decided it was a good time to exit the main festival grounds, seek nourishment from something besides weak Swedish lager and headed up to Sticky Fingers for Juvelen and Laakso. Once we arrived, it became instantly obvious that we made the right decision because the venue filled up right after our arrival. The unmistakable Ebbot Lundberg kept the people entertained from behind the decks as we waited patiently for the show to get underway.

Juvelen proved himself to be a considerably bigger draw than I anticipated and the crowd gushed with adoration as he strutted back and forth across the stage. No backing band, just lights, smoke and a guitar. That's all he needed. The females in attendance didn't seem to mind that he kept shedding layers of clothing as well. Impressive, for sure!

Of course, the big draw of the evening, especially for me, was Laakso and they were absolutely everything I had hoped them to be. Anthemic and glorious, perhaps even a bit cathartic. They played the hits and then they played some more. Annika Norlin came out and joined them for a rousing version of "Italy vs Helsinki". The band performed with fiery vigor and not a single moment was wasted. Some say that Laakso is currently Sweden's best band. I'm inclined to agree.

I should've called it a night following Laakso, but instead I set out on a fool's errand for a proper after-after-party. A wasted effort and a long walk home, but a good way to clear my jetlagged-rattled head and wind down. Lesson learned!
(AR)

Due to a wedding on the Saturday I was only able to attend Way Out West on Friday and I also had to leave early (halfway through The Hives' decent set) which meant I missed all the club nights too. Instead of getting to see Moneybrother, Regina Spektor, Juvelen, Laakso, TTA, Säkert!, Kanye West, Franke etc I was treated to the dire 'talents' that are Salem Al Fakir, Laleh, Albert Hammond Jr and the now questionable lot of The Hellacopters. Salem Al Fakir and Laleh could have been the worse festival combo I've ever witnessed, I was in shock by their horrible performances. Thankfully, Hello Saferide turned out to be a hint of sunshine in the rain, her set was much better than I expected it to be (I'm half a fan). The weather was rubbish, it was humid and rained most of the time, but the festival itself was nice. I love festivals near city centres! I'm definitely coming back if there will be a WoW in 2008, as long as I can go to the day when all the good bands are playing (no weddings then, please).
(ST)

Anticipations for the forthcoming album by The Hives are sky-high worldwide. And by all means, they should be. We're talking about a band putting up with a lot of pressure from, like, everywhere; the media, the record label and, most of all, the fans. And they know it. 'Cause what we saw was a hungry band eager to show off some new tunes and live up to the live rumor they've earned. After being locked up in studios around the globe for a long, long time it was quite obvious that Howlin' Pelle, Chris Dangerous, Vigilante Carlstroem, Dr. Matt Destruction and Nicholaus Arson wanted to kick ass. And maybe that's what made it come off as overkill. Sure, the band is a really tight one; the entertainment is top notch (especially Howlin' Pelle's banters wherein he heckles the crowd while stating that what we're watching is the greatest band in the world) but there's a downside to the enthusiasm. The new songs suffer from the furious tempo on stage. And frankly, those songs were the ones I wanted to hear. The new single "Tick tick boom" is a good choice for the first one out from "The black and white album" with its hooks and easy sing-along, but as a whole, the other new ones tleft me a bit disappointed. The patented Hives-sound was all over and that's what I'm having problems with. Been there, done that. But hey, don't worry; the gig as a whole wasn't a disappointment. It's when these guys from Fagersta play the wonderful "AKA I.D.I.O.T" from my favorite album "Barely legal" the show starts for real! Elegant as always, they deliver punk rock for the masses with crowd pleasers such as "Walk idiot walk" and "A little more for little you" (dedicated to Nicke Andersson from The Hellacopters who was celebrating a birthday). Pelle had the crowd right where he wanted them, following his every move. And guess what?! His voice lasted the whole show. A seldom heard thing.

To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of electronic dance music, or Prince for that matter. But I can tell when competent music is performed and this was one show that proved me wrong. Performing inside a club and not on a stage at an outdoor festival definitely improved Juvelen since his music is made for the dance floor. And the crowd danced! And that's what it's all about I guess. The live show is secondary in this case and it should be, as long as you have great music to back things up. The hit single "Hannah" is a perfect example of that. Sung in a high falsetto over samples and a hot-tempered distorted guitar, the tune almost gets me down on the dance floor myself. And that is perhaps the best review you can get from me, seeing that I very rarely do such a thing! I have problem with the fact that a lot of the songs get kind of monotonous, but this one man show was a small success. At least if you're dancing.

Entering the stage 1:30 am and what a show they put on! Laakso's "Mother, am i good looking?" is one of this year's best records this far and Avi, photographer Sofia and me weren't the only ones at the venue with that opinion. Right from the first chords of "Worst case scenario", the band kickstarts into a euphoric journey full of Markus Krunegård's lyrical anguish with the added glam touch and disharmonic guitar licks of Bear Quartet's Jari Haapalainen. You could definitely tell that the band really loved this gig as they repeatedly stated that the clock was too much. The wonderful storytelling on "Västerbron", the heavy metal shouts on "In my blood", the reckless drumming on "Hang me in the Christmas Tree" and, of course the duet with Annika Norlin on "Italy vs Helsinki"; all that made this gig a tremendous experience.
(JA)

Saturday

The euphoria of the previous evening must've still been with me because I rose early again, ready and raring to go despite very few hours of sleep. I had some doubts about passing on The Pogues the previous night, but those fears were allayed from friends who declared the performance to be a pathetic travesty of a freakshow. No thank you! So with that, it was off for another long day of performances, starting off with Florence Valentin who were a perfect, rousing way to start the afternoon. The band's ample membership filled the Linné stage and their considerable energy got the crowd moving. That's some classic Göteborg indiepop done right and I'm glad they're back.

From Florence Valentin, it was back to the beer tent for refreshment after a quick glimpse at Shout Out Louds who were just as exciting as expected (read: not very). Caught a few songs from Sparta somewhere in there, then back for more beers to allay the boredom of the mid-afternoon lull. It was quite telling that the random dude Devandra Banhart invited up to perform a song far outshined the man himself. Moneybrother, sadly, proved to be equally lackluster, especially when compared to the full band with strings show I saw at Umeå Open two years ago. Again: no thanks.

Peter Bjorn and John on the other hand, delivered a strong and confident set, no doubt a testament to their endless tour schedule. Seeing as how they are still a small-stage act in their native Sweden, the set was all top-shelf material of wall-to-wall hits. Once again, Annika Norlin came out for a duet, this time filling in for Victoria Bergsman on the ubiquitous "Young folks". Well done! Funny that I had to travel thousands of miles to finally see these guys in the flesh, but I know it won't be for the last time. A small taste here at Way Out West whetted my appetite for the band's forthcoming club tour in the US this fall.

A break now for dinner (including a decent Swedish microbrew! shocking!) and then back in time for Säkert!, yet another festival highlight. Obviously I'm a big fan of Hello Saferide, but seeing Annika with the good folks of Isolation Years (plus Henrik Oya of The Spacious Mind and Jakob Nyström's sister Lovisa on keys/backing vocals) was fantastic. No gueststars today as all duets were aptly handled in-band, not that it mattered. They wrapped up the Parksommar tour here in top-notch style. The driving stomp of set-closer "Allt som är dit" was perfection and the crowd responded in kind. After that, I wandered over to catch the tail-end of The Ark's set, but was driven to seek shelter by the pounding rain. Had I been up front with sympathetic souls, I'm sure I would've loved it, but I opted for the easier (and drier) choice of watching from the safety of the beer tent. Hearing Ola Salo deliver a verse from "Känn ingen sorg för mig Göteborg" during one of their triumphant breakdowns was a nice touch.

Lily Allen replacement Teddybears STHLM proved to be far better than expected. Despite having a softspot for the band's obnoxious early years as a hardcore band, there's no denying the group's reinvention as the new century's biggest hitfactory. Each and every song, another solid gold single. It also must be said that the overwhelmingly surreal experience of thousands singing along to final track "Punkrocker" was a capper. "Cuz I'm a punkrocker, yes I am!" Oh, really?

The spectacle of Kanye West was alluring, even moreso with the promise of a PB&J cameo, but my friends and I opted instead for the elusive Franke. Bad move! Not that Kanye West would've been much better (reports have not been flattering), but Franke was absolutely dreadful. The sound was shit and so was the performance. By far the biggest disappointment of the entire festival. Wisely, we decided to cut our losses and headed back to the Norrländska Generalkonsulatet for late-night Randy and Bruce Springsteen singalongs plus plenty of Norrlands Guld. Now that is a proper way to end an evening and a perfect conclusion to the Way Out West experience.
(AR)

Anders Wendin has been a class act entertainer ever since the days he fronted the sadly missed Monster. Something that's oh so obvious at this gig as well. As with The Hives, Moneybrother also have a new record due to be released and the focus is concentrated on material from that one, "Mount pleasure". Apart from the first single "Just another summer" ,I have not yet heard the record, but what they presented live sounded great and familiar. And that is, as always, a problem. The songs sound a bit too alike live. But when putting on such a live show, you're excused. This, the only Moneybrother festival gig this year, was a pure discharge after just recently completing a summer tour. And with hits like "They're building walls around us", "The pressure" and the marvelous final number "Reconsider me", you just can't go wrong. Too bad the guys (presented by Anders as the most attractive band out there) had some difficulties with the sound at times, but that's a problem I can overlook. I can't wait to see this again in a more intimate club venue some time soon.

I'm sure everyone knows about Annika Norlin's Säkert! by now. But I could never imagine that she'd bring such an all-star team to Way Out West. The fellow musicians were, among others, Mats Hammarström and Jakob Nyström from Isolation Years, Henrik Oja from David Sandström Overdrive and Tonteknik and other studios way up north (he's like the Swedish equivalence to Steve Albini, lots of great records bear his mark)! Aware of this fact or not, the crowd was euphoric and sang along to every song. The feeling in that big tent was a warm and fuzzy one and just what this, in Annika's own words, more outspoken cousin to Hello Saferide deserves. As much as I adore HS, I must say that Säkert! gets to me in a more direct way. And that's not at all just about me understanding the words, the music is more exposed and in your face. This is exactly why this was a really nice experience. With only one record out, the band can only do so much, but what they did was more than enough. Hearing Jakob singing Martin Hanberg's part on "Sanningsdan" is something I will remember as one of the finest things from this festival. The only downside was that Juliette & the Licks drowned some of the more mellow songs with their mediocre rock n' roll. Definitely nothing that Annika can be held responsible for. All in all, one of the finest shows at the festival!
(JA)

What can I say? Way Out West was a smashing success. And I nearly missed it. Who could have thought that this rookie-festival would sell out as fast as it did? With such a strong line up, it was a matter of time really, but several weeks ahead? And with me being quite lazy, well, Friday came and I still had no ticket. I did try though, I even went to the black market, but no. The Hives, Hello Saferide, The Hellacopters, and I wasn't there. Saturday came and I was about to lose all hope when luck finally came about. 200 extra tickets where released on demand and I got one. Off to the festival then!

Even though I couldn't make it the day before, I wasn't all bummed out. Saturday actually held a couple of really good and exciting Scandinavian bands as well. I missed Shout Out Louds due to my ticket problem, but since I've already seen them on just about every festival this summer, I couldn't care less. A little part of me felt sad for not being able to see the Saturday opening act Florence Valentin though. Instead, I arrived right on time to catch the one and only Moneybrother. In 2003 I saw Anders Wendin perform on one of the smaller stages on Accelerator, The Big One. Some had heard of Monster, none had heard of Moneybrother. And the gig was great. The two following records, "Blood panic" and "To die alone" were also great. Moneybrother was here to stay. But things change - sometimes you can only push things to a limit and thereafter it becomes boring. Anders Wendin and his colleagues give their best, but the news songs simply won't stick to my mind. No, more of the old Anders and less of Bruce Springsteen/Ulf Lundell.

Peter Bjorn and John. I've given these guys a hard time in the past, I know. I still think "Writers' Block" is a mediocre record, but live these guys rock! The place is crowded and I even forgive those who wait for that one special song alone. There's no Victoria Bergman on guest vocals today, but Annika Norlin from Säkert!/Hello Saferide still manages to give a golden touch to the indie anthem "Young folks". The gossip of today is, or course, what will Peter Bjorn and John pull off when they are to play with Kanye West this evening? Speaking of Annika Norlin, I was quite sceptical of her new project Säkert! when I heard the first single "Vi kommer att dö samtidigt", but yet again, I'm overwhelmed by the outcome live. It just sounds great. A little bit more raw and intense, exactly how I like my music. Annika Norlin is truly something special.

I skipped Timo Räisänen to get something to get something to eat and a new set of dry clothes (the sky opened up during the Regina Spektor concert, of course). I wasn't that sad about it, you've heard one Timo song, you've heard them all. Come to think of it, having already released two records, with a third on the way, and still getting to play just about anywhere, the guy must be doing something right. But you can't argue with hunger and cold. The Ark played about every festival I've been to this summer as well, but I still haven't been to an entire concert up to now. Why you ask? Well, it tends to become quite static after a while. This time it's different. As Ola Salo points out, it's the almost the end of the summer and soon enough it's back to school or to the old job. And we don't want that. So they play and we sing along.

Lilly Allen had to cancel, say hello to Teddybears STHLM! I've never been too fond of this band either (I know, I sound like a grumpy old man), but you can't argue with the hits. Who can say no to "Cobra style", "Punkrocker" and "Hey boy"? But there's Way Out West for you, bands you didn't expect to do well, did awesome instead.

I really wanted to get in the day before as well, but the Saturday alone gave me the chills. Too bad I was trapped inside a manic crowd during Kanye West (and yeah, Peter Bjorn and John did play "Young folks" again. This time it sucked though), I really wanted to see a couple of songs with Franke. Next time perhaps.
(CS)

Who's who:

CS: Christian Stenbacke

ST: Simon Tagestam

AR: Avi Roig

JA: Jonas Appelqvist

Pics by Sofia Qvarnström]]> Fri, 17 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0700 articles fest http://www.itsatrap.com/n/27649-mp3-laakso-worst-case-scenario http://www.itsatrap.com/n/27649-mp3-laakso-worst-case-scenario http://www.itsatrap.com/n/27649-mp3-laakso-worst-case-scenario#comments The question that everyone wants to know: who was the best band at Way Out West? Sounds easy enough, but it's almost impossible to answer. How can you compare Woven Hand to Boredoms to The Hives? All were fantastic, albeit in totally different ways. However, it must be said that one of the most satisfying live experiences of the entire festival had to be Laakso. A small club show at Sticky Fingers was a perfect way to close out Friday night and easily one of the biggest highlights of my trip. It's funny - except for fellow IAT contributor Jonas Appelqvist, most everyone else I know in GBG could care less about the band, but we were both incredibly excited to see them. Not that I'm all that surprised though - I can totally understand why most Swedes would be bored with the big indie acts. On the other hand, everybody agrees that "Italy vs Helsinki" is a fantastic song. It's also unanimous that The Hives are one of the world's best live bands. Not that that fact should come as a surprise, but there you go. Anyhow, Laakso delivered the kind of show I was hoping for. Energetic, cathartic, glorious, beautiful.]]> Wed, 15 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0700 mp3s http://www.itsatrap.com/n/519 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/519 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/519#comments Fest update! Friday was great - Low exceeded expectations and Woven Hand was amazing. I couldn't get into Trail of Dead, but I did manage to catch Last Days of April to wrap up the evening and they were pretty damn good too. Saturday started nicely with a thunderous set from Boredoms followed by my first-ever in-person Hello Saferide show. Some folks tell me it wasn't their best, but I was more than happy. The Hellacopters and The Hives both brought the rawk like you would expect and after that I decided to bail early to Sticky Fingers so I could stake out a position for Laakso. It was obviously the right move 'cuz that place filled up mighty quick right after we got there. Seeing Juvelen open was bonus. As for Laakso, it was brilliant. Practically a greatest-hits set you could say. Oh, and Annika Norlin performed the "Italy v Helsinki" duet. Good times! Pictures to come as well.]]> Sat, 11 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/536 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/536 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/536#comments This week's It's A Trap! Last.fm listening group top 10 artists of the week:

01. Interpol
02. Shout Out Louds
03. Architecture in Helsinki
04. The Shins
05. Bright Eyes
06. of Montreal
07. Stars
08. Laakso
09. Death Cab for Cutie
10. Belle and Sebastian

Do you listen to music on your computer or with an iPod? Join us! Go here to learn more: http://www.last.fm/help/]]> Mon, 06 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/537 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/537 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/537#comments The tracklist from this week's radio show featuring special guest Magnus Bjerkert of Adrian Recordings:

01. TALK 1
02. Familjen - Huvudet i sanden
03. Andreas Tilliander - Untitled
04. TALK 2
05. Printer - Minds Out
06. Boeoes Kaelstigen - Flir
07. TALK 3
08. Björns vänner - Isoleringskvall
09. The Fine Arts Showcase - Chemical girl (Familjen remix)
10. Laakso - Truck Driver
11. TALK 4
12. Breach - Diablo
13. Kent - Ingenting någonsin
14. Stina Nordenstam - Crime
15. Stardog - Lack of time
16. TALK 5
17. Bob Hund - Förträngda problem
18. Den Svenska Tystnaden - Reaktor
19. Björk - Venus as a boy
20. TALK 6
21. Honey is Cool - If I go
22. The Knife - We share our mother's health (Trentemøller remix)
23. Silverbullit - Buddy
24. TALK 7
25. Sharif - E.A.A. (Eagerly awaiting anytime)
26. TALK 8
27. eMiL Jensen - Bud från April]]> Sat, 04 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/607 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/607 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/607#comments Visual artist Ander Weberg has compiled all of the various music videos he did between 2003 and 2006 and has posted them here: http://recycled.se/mintv.htm
Artists featured include David & the Citizens, Folie, The Mo, Sophie Rimheden, Laakso and more.]]> Mon, 30 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/615 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/615 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/615#comments Laakso has been added to the Way Out West lineup. Looks like I really did choose the one best festival to attend this year.]]> Fri, 27 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/793 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/793 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/793#comments This week's It's A Trap! Last.fm listening group top 10 artists of the week:

01. Shout Out Louds
02. Interpol
03. Feist
04. Belle and Sebastian
05. The Smashing Pumpkins
06. Jens Lekman
07. Bloc Party
08. The White Stripes
09. Death Cab for Cutie
10. Laakso

Do you listen to music on your computer or with an iPod? Join us! Go here to learn more: http://www.last.fm/help/]]> Mon, 09 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/802 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/802 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/802#comments 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]]> Sat, 07 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/827 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/827 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/827#comments Luger has added Peter Bjorn and John to the lineup of Way Out West. Now if only they'll get Kristofer Åström, Laakso and/or Aerial and they'll have pretty much every decent-sized Swedish act I want to see in one event.]]> Wed, 04 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/914 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/914 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/914#comments This week's It's A Trap! Last.fm listening group top 10 artists of the week:

01. Shout Out Louds
02. Interpol
03. Justice
04. Feist
05. The White Stripes
06. Jens Lekman
07. The Arcade Fire
08. Death Cab for Cutie
09. Laakso
10. Modest Mouse

Do you listen to music on your computer or with an iPod? Join us! Go here to learn more: http://www.last.fm/help/]]> Mon, 25 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0700 news