09/05 - Rote Sonne, Munich
09/07 - Molotow Bar, Hamburg
09/08 - Roter Salon, Berlin

05/15 - KULLUKCU, Münich
05/16 - Privatclub, Berlin
05/17 - Molotow Bar, Hamburg

Check out Paper performing a new, as-yet-unrecorded song live at Sticky Fingers in Göteborg.

- The words "self-destructiiiiive" shouted all over and over again by Paper at the end of their song "Don't go out with him". The perfect soundtrack of the current worldwide economic crisis.

- When the guitars of Riddarna eventually start at 0'54 in their song "Glömma allt". Best rock n' roll band in Sweden (also because they are the only ones who make proper rock'n'roll in Sweden!)

- Anytime Mattias Alkberg's voice gets high pitched in his brilliant record "Anarkist". How this guy manages to reinvent himself every year remains a mystery to me.

- When Nina Kinert claps her hand before to start "Play the world" live. Because seing Nina live made me rediscover her 2010 record "Red leader dream" wich grew on me more in 2011 than in 2010.

- The Iranian "whooo whoooo whooo" at 2'08 in the totally addictive Compadre's "Golden Trumpet". My favourite Swedish song of the year.

- The violins of The Culture in Memoriam's "Run Emelie". One of the few moment this year when a song surprised me.

- The ending of Du Pacque's debut album "Erotique Du Pacque" and its line "my eyes are perfectly still." My favourite ending of a record this year.

- Katharina Nuttall singing "Let me see you stripped down to the bone" in her cover of Depeche Mode's "Stripped". It gives me the creeps.

- Listening to the band No Sleep and realize that it is a new project from Samuraj Cities. Most underappreciated Swedish band.

- Patrik Backlund's chorus in his song "Seesaw", "I see everything." My Swedish pop idol.

- The sound of Billie's voice (i.e. Promise and the Monster). She is a witch.

---------------------------
Absolut Noise is a France-based audioblog dedicated to Swedish music. It was launched in February 2006.
http://www.absolutnoise.com/

1. Skriet - Det beslutande organet
I thought I'd separate my own releases (Novoton) from the list this year but Skriet's second album "Det beslutande organet" ("The governing body") hit me like a ton of bricks (and all the critics as well). It is easily the I album I have listened to and enjoyed the most this year so it has to be number one. A self-recorded beauty with traces of Joy Division, Einstürzende Neubauten and Talk Talk. What's not to like?
http://open.spotify.com/album/3H2WwXXWkvM5AYe4BFdkoo

2. Mattias Alkberg - Anarkist One of Sweden's most skillfull songwriters, authors and singers, with more than 20 years in action (both solo and with The Bear Quartet), returns with an excellent album and poetry book. It got me going anyway!
http://open.spotify.com/album/682R2oGfkyHy1elSmNmf26

3. Cat's Eyes - Cat's eyes
Cat's Eyes, Faris Badwan's (Horrors front man) collaborative project with Canadian opera singer and multi-instrumentalist Rachel Zeffira. Reverb drenched and enjoyably sinister, richly atmospheric and soft-focused pop music. For me, miles better and more exciting than his "real" band. "Face in the crowd" is one of my favorite songs this year.
http://open.spotify.com/album/6IsCfeYFiuk5MhdV69Tvgt

5. The Black Angels - Phosgene nightmare
Last year brought The Black Angels (with "Phosphene dream") back to great form and with the release of "Phosgene nightmare" (Limited Edition B-sides on White Vinyl) I was in heaven. I almost like this six track EP more than last year's proper album, and I loved that one.
http://open.spotify.com/album/72OunaSe9dTLfngPgVYSRB

6. The Vaccines - What did you expect from The Vaccines?
Every now and then a band comes that pick the cherry from all musical ages and make a great new album. Mixing everything from The Ramones to The Jesus and Mary Chain in three chords explosions they found a way into my heart.
http://open.spotify.com/album/6eWtdQm0hSlTgpkbw4LaBG

7. Timber Timbre - Creep on, creepin' on
Taylor Kirk has got loads of style and his croon empower the darkly atmospheric doo-wop and blues he create. All drenched with a style all its own. Quite haunting.
http://open.spotify.com/album/3MwhPlrS5HltOuXvEeWhuB

8. 16 Horsepower - Your, truly
This compilation got me back with 16 Horsepower and who can not love David Eugene Edwards' voice and music?
A nice trip down memory lane.
http://open.spotify.com/album/0fjdUv9iNvpvVkmFGlvRD9

9. Low - C'mon
Recorded in a old church "C'mon" is filled with athmosphere but direct as well. More uniform, in good way. Quite slow as usual but much more soulfull.
http://open.spotify.com/album/3FXselB2qG505kmuB5wL2n

10. Novoton releases 2011
By looking at the list it seems I have only listened to mellow and soft music this year, but that's not the case at all in fact. 2011 have been one of the best years for Novoton ever with five album releases (all with great reviews). It has been a magnificent year indeed. Besides Skriet, we have released albums by Riddarna, Katharina Nuttall, Paper and a split album with Pascal/Mattias Alkberg. You can listen to it all in the Spotify playlist below. It also looks like 2012 will be hectic for Novoton as well. Riddarna and Antennas have already recorded new albums for release next year and both Paper and Black Belt plan to have new albums out as well.
http://open.spotify.com/user/novoton/playlist/35RLkNoAJKiQrwZSrS82uI

---------------------------
Daggan Stamenkovic runs the Swedish label Novoton.
http://www.novoton.se/

Did I scare you? Truth is, I needed a day off and April Fools was a perfect excuse. The reality is that I don't think I can ever fully give this up because how else would I find out about all the new music that interests me? Sure, I could read rehashed press releases on many blogs from whatever artists currently happen to have the best PR and of course there's quite a few excellent genre-specialty sites covering mainstream pop, metal and hip-hop, but if there's anyone else out there covering underground/DIY indie/punk/hardcore/experimental/etc. with the same dedication, depth and breadth as IAT! please let me know so I can retire. I mean it.

Anyhow, the first three months of 2011 are now over and done with so let us now take the time to pause for reflection and for positivity's sake, let us first recount the highlights -- Peter Bjorn and John's "Gimme some" and Paper's "Mischmasch" are easily the two biggest standouts of the lot. Both superb albums, both well worth picking up. Niels Nielsen, Penny Century and Katharina Nuttall all released solid records as well, as did Maim, Iceage, Hymns From Nineveh and First Love, Last Rites. Been listening to Hexvessel and Sail a Whale a bit too, though the latter is a late discovery for me since it was released in 2010. Supersci's newest record "Timelines" from last year is another good one that I missed when it was fresh. Also still plenty to look forward to, Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words' swansong "Dreadcade" being a top pick, along with the arena-aspiring sounds of We are the Storm and Pixie Carnation and other exciting stuff like Gösta Berlings Saga looking quite promising.

As for reassessing my 2010 top picks, I'm still spinning all three on the regular -- Masshysteri, Dear Euphoria and Okkultokrati -- with no intention of shuffling them aside anytime soon. I revisited Johan Heltne's "Sara," this past weekend too and found that it's only gotten better over time. As for The Bear Quartet, as much I love them (and that's a lot), I don't feel the need to listen to "Monty Python" again for a while. Give me a year or two with that one to see where it stands against the rest of their impressive discography. Robyn, of course, remains tops, but you already knew that. I also revisited Underachiever's second demo and discovered that I totally get it now, while Faster Katt's latest is just ok when compared to the debut and Life Before Man's sole release has me wishfully thinking they'll actually get around to being an active band. 2010 was a good year and it feels good to say that my feelings on most of the records I praised has not diminished.

So while I'm still consistently fighting against burnout and the endless tide of mediocre music that makes its way to me, it's good to take a break to remember that there's still lots of reasons to be excited, both for now and for the future. There's always lots of good music, sometimes you just have to work a bit harder to find it.

I have been following P3 Guld/P3 Gold, Sveriges Radio/Swedish Radio's annual awards ceremony, for a long time now, almost as long as the event has existed. Which also happens to be about as long as I've been seriously following Swedish/Scandinavian music and running this site. There's no doubt that SR has been a huge part of my Swedish musical education over these years, both due to their outstanding website and online streaming offerings, but also because of their devotion to quality programming and the promotion of domestic acts. Of course, Sweden's outstanding music scene makes the latter a no-brainer, but you know that if someone's gonna mess it up, it's gonna be a state-run institution. Anyhow, I usually try to listen in to the show's audio broadcast every year (Swedish Television/SVT's live stream is blocked for international users), but never in my life did I ever expect the opportunity to attend in-person. The idea never even occurred to me. So as soon as I received an email asking me if I wanted to go, I immediately jumped at it. Who wouldn't? Even with a scarce one-week notice, I would be a fool to pass up the offer.

So off I went, spirited halfway 'round the world in some sort of fever-dream, all for a gala previously thought unaccessible. But before we get into my personal experience of the event, let us first take a history lesson.

P3 Guld was started by Swedish Radio nine years ago, evolving out of and superceding the then-current Popstad (Pop City) live music event. "So we have Grammy awards in Sweden as well and this was a year that there was some controversy surrounding them," says SR's Pia Kalischer, the official "mother" of P3 Guld, "They said they would no longer have anything to do with quality, they would only be based on sales and we thought that was kind of dumb so I saw a gap in market and I figured, well we should do something that's an event that will have to do with new music and also live music, as we broadcast a lot of concerts [see P3 Live for example]. So I figured it would be fun if we could do something that was open to an audience with live music and let's throw in a few awards to have a reason to throw this thing."

"Today I'm the Commissioner of Music and Events at Sveriges Radio, before that I was Head of Music for P3 for ten years. I was also a program manager and before that I was a producer and I've always had my heart in the music and for as long as I was working as Head of Music, I was continuously working with the P3 brands musically so that it would be connected to new Swedish music. That was the whole idea that people would associate P3 with new Swedish music."

And so P3 Guld came to be. The first year was small and humble, taking place at a tiny theater in Växjö (home of The Ark, Melody Club and uh, Birdflesh) before relocating permanently to its current home in Göteborg, Sweden's second city. Pia explains: "The city of Gothenburg came to us and said, "Please, come over, we'll help you. We have a very strong music scene in this city and all kinds of genres as well." It's the home of Swedish heavy metal and also lots of indiepop and also hip-hop, it's got everything basically. And a good organization within the city that helped us to get connected with the venues, the arenas, the people... so we grew from a small theater to a little bit of a bigger theater which seated 900 people, to [another] which seated maybe 1000 and then suddenly our partners said "Let's do this big" so we went to Scandinavium which is a huge arena that usually has hockey games. So went from 900 to 3000 people in a couple years. And we did that for 2 years in Scandinavium and that was huge." This year, however, the event has been scaled back and moved to the slightly smaller Lisebergshallen at the Liseberg amusement park. Seating approximately 2,500 with the complex, multi-tiered stage setup to allow for quick set changes, this is the first time the event was slated to include a standing audience. As to whether it was a fully conscious choice or rather the result of Scandinavium being booked for the European handball championships, nobody seemed too daunted or disappointed by the switch. "I personally feel that it was wonderful and it was fun and it just suddenly exploded, but for me," says Pia, "I've always wanted the P3 Guld to be sort of intimate. I want it to have a club feel so that audience gets closer to the bands and the bands get close to the audience. When the bands and audience connect that's when you get that certain electrical feel that really makes for good radio and good television. When it's real. That sounds so trite, but I really mean it."

All the same by me, as a newcomer to the P3 Guld live experience. I'm more than happy to play the part of the humble guest, letting myself get shuffled here and there for whatever pre-arranged activities my hosts have in mind. Well, except for the P3 Live-sponsored pre-pre-party on Friday night -- I really don't need to see some (ex?) cokehead pop-music producer's feeble attempt at playing in a rock band, so I opted out for a quality evening with my local friends, exploring the exciting, burgeoning world of Swedish craft beer. So then on Saturday, after a slow day of recovery and light window-shopping around Haga, we're spirited away to the official pre-party at the Brew House, a swirling mess of tabloid photographers snapping shots of the various pop artists who decide to make an appearance, mixed in among far greater numbers of industry reps and hanger-ons. I say hellos to the few folks I recognize and am introduced to many more, including a project manager from Music Export Norway down from Oslo to check things out (Øyvind, I'm ready to come over anytime!). Then there's also Watain, lurking on the fringes, looking seriously bummed and out of place. And intimidating -- no way am I going to attempt to introduce myself though a picture with the band would've surely been awesome. My fellow guest DJ Grace and I do a short interview on the air for the pre-show (I manage to be coherent enough to give props to the year's current best single, "Coming from you" by Paper) and we're off again, following a trail of torch-wielding sentries on our way to the venue.

As for the show itself, the live broadcast (on both P3 and SVT) demands a strict schedule. Pia has prepared us: "Some other award shows like the Swedish Grammis they have 21 prizes to give out. So you have to sit there for what? 3 hours? And they can only fit in 4 or 5 musical acts. So we do it in 90 minutes, 9 prizes and I think we have 10 bands this year. So it's very fast-paced. And there are always some of the big acts [who] really like to debut new songs... we don't only do the big hits of last year, we want them to play new music." Once things start moving, they stay moving and there is no downtime whatsoever.

The actual array of categories at P3 Guld is an interesting sidenote. Unlike every other music award, there are very few niches. "P3 Guld is really just a segment of the Swedish music business because we felt that we wanted to do something that reflects the music format of P3," Pia tells me, "The Grammis also gives out awards for, y'know, new children's music, classical music, jazz, every genre... which I really personally think is great. I think they should concentrate on being a very grand prize. And we basically do a rock show. [laughs] So it's pop, rock, some soul and hip-hop, some heavier stuff, but it's one piece of the cake of the whole musical landscape. So there's no jazz award, there's no opera award." And more importantly, there's also no longer an award based on gender. "We used to have two prizes for the best female artist of the year and the best male and we changed that two years ago," Pia informs me, a decision that apparently did not come without unintended consequences. "Last year we got lots of criticism because [P3 Guld] didn't feature enough females. Now it's hard for us to change the recording business where men seem to have an easier time than women, but we really tried to think about that this year. We really worked very hard to change and we also decided to joke around a bit with it." As we would later discover. Furthermore: "Part of the reason I'm afraid that we didn't have enough women solo artists last year, because not a lot of women released records. Or rather there were so many men last year who released records that were really good, that it was hard. But this year there are more females that have had a stronger... that have put their foot down I suppose."

"Is that just on stage or behind the scenes as well?" I ask.

"Well the thing is with P3 Guld is that behind the scenes, it's 98% women. I think that's due to me actually. Without thinking about it I appointed a female producer, we have female bookers and one of the TV producers is a woman and so in the production team, as it comes to the people who make the decisions, 70% are women."

"So do you think that's reflected in other parts of Sweden or do you think that this is a special thing you've created?"

"I don't know, I just know that... of course I'm a feminist. Yes I am. But I'm maybe not the most conventional one, I don't always count heads. I think that there's different ways of gaining equality, but I do think it was a good thing we were criticized last year and I do think we've really shaped up. There's a big discussion and I think the discussion in itself makes for change. What's been interesting is that you've seen all these women who've gone solo, women in the indie bands like Jenny Wilson, Sophia Somayo. They've decided to do everything by themselves as a way of being empowered and I think that's interesting. So that's kind of specific to the Swedish scene -- lots of women working and doing everything every step of the way, writing the songs, into the production, and gaining full control of the final product. Which I think is amazing."

Not to mention artists such as Marit Bergman and Robyn, I might add. The intersection of gender and music is an ever-evolving, fascinating subject, so it's especially interesting to see a prominent event such as P3 Guld tackle the issue head-on.

Which doesn't mean I could necessarily follow the discussion every step of the way during the actual show. I could understand when Howlin' Pelle of The Hives awarded Robyn the Guldmicken for Sweden's "2nd best" live act, I could understand host Kitty Jutbring's recurring references to Ace of Base thanks to the musical cue, but as far as gender-relations go, I could only really pick up on Kitty's vagina dress and her coinciding use of the word "fitta", which apparently is totally acceptable for broadcast. Not that I wasn't fully entertained. Like I said above, the show was action-packed and unrelenting and my language barrier did little to interfere.

Local fave Håkan Hellström kicked things off in style with "River en vacker dröm".

Säkert! performed an exceptional take on the song "Influensa".

Those Dancing Days killed it with "Reaching forward", as previously mentioned.

Awards were given, speeches were made. There were also a few surprises, a rarity for such a highly-scripted, high profile event. The biggest and most obvious: This Is Head winning Best Pop over Robyn. Another: Skudge winning Best Dance over the far more popular Swedish House Mafia, though it must be reiterated, P3 Guld is not necessarily a popularity contest. While some categories are decided by audience votes, the specialist genres are done by jury. Once again, Pia gladly fills in the details: "We have one jury that takes out the nominees for the audience to vote for and those are made up of the music editors that work within P3 and a couple of people from outside; we have one person from SVT [Per Sinding Larsen], so he's with us to do the five open categories. And then when it comes to specialist juries, there's a head of jury who's always that person who has that type of specialist program [at P3] and the brief to them was to select people that are experts in their field. So it's either very senior music editors and music journalists or very genre-specific experts [so we] have quality before the quantity or sales, which is not a parameter in this at all. But of course sometimes those things sort of match." As is the case with Robyn, who has deservedly won almost every award she's been nominated for this year.

Another highlight: the unexpected collaborations. Hello Saferide and Detektivbyrån from 2009 is a definite standout in my memory, Pia cites Anna Ternheim's collaboration with Max Peezay as hers. She says, "I like all the stuff that really goes under your skin and becomes exclusive for this event, things that touch people." As for 2011's best song medley by Orup and Spiderdogs, well, it was certainly nothing I expected, though I'm not so sure it will go down in history. What was far better however, was Tove Styrke doing "Million pieces" together with Familjen:

See, now that's the kind of perfect collaboration I'm talking about.

As with all major events, P3 Guld comes in three stages. We had the pre-party, the party itself and then of course, what remains at last is the after-party. Once Robyn brought the house down with her 3-song medley/finale (thankfully, rumors of a surprise Roxette appearance did not come to pass), we gathered our coats and made our way back through the cold to the Hotel Elite where, as with most large gatherings in Sweden, I felt like a fish out of water and about a foot shorter than everyone else, a feeling most easily remedied by the consumption of alcohol. Which is exactly the point -- the post-show party is when everyone finally starts to relax and feel comfortable enough to simply hang out and enjoy themselves. Free from expectations, they were all smiles and I was excited to reacquaint myself with numerous people I have met on previous trips over the years, or merely communicated with via email. And rub elbows with bonafide Swedish popstars: somehow I ended up getting my picture taken with a member of Kent, no fooling. Not at all what I expected, but more than welcome. Beyond that, what goes on at the after-party is off the record as far as I'm concerned, though it's not as if anything scandalous went down in my presence (besides the telling of tales from previous years). Perhaps everyone was holding out for the after-after-party, but with me scheduled for an early flight home only hours away, that was not even a remote possibility. The bar shut down, I went to bed, I was happy. Even if I never get a chance for a repeat visit, I'm more than content with my experience.

03/30 - Syket + First Love, Last Rites
05/28 - Paper

And of course, the previously confirmed Pascal/Sad Day for Puppets show on April 9. See you there?

1. Pascal - Orkanen närmar sig
Pascal is getting better all time and their third album is all I hoped it would be. Cave rock at it's best!
http://www.kyssmig.com/

2. The Black Angels - Phosphene Dream
I loved their first album and was quite disappointed with their second so i am very glad to hear they are back in great form.
http://www.theblackangels.com/

3. Wolf People - Tidings
I got all these singles/EPs and have loved them to bits but it's great to have them collected in one place. Don't miss out on this. Also check out "Steeple", their proper debut album.
http://www.wolfpeople.co.uk/

4. This Is Head - 0001
A more or less perfect debut album. Great stuff.
http://www.thisishead.com/

5. Archie Bronson Outfit - Coconut
Fine mix of psychedelic garage rock, swaggering grooves, stabbing riffs, and gouging pop hooks.
http://www.archiebronsonoutfit.com/

6. Clinic - Bubblegum
I've been a Clinic fan since day one and i really like this softer and poppier sound.
http://www.clinicvoot.org/

7. Riddarna - Släpp allt, glöm allt!
Riddarna (The Knights) are a trio from Gotland/Gothenburg in Sweden and they are best described like Dungen's obnoxious country cousins born and bred on stoner-rock. In other words, loudmouth rock'n'roll in Swedish that sounds quite unique. Great debut EP.
http://www.riddarna.com/blog/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1-vu-l9aaE

8. The Bear Quartet - Monthy Python
Not being a big BQ fan from the beginning I was surprised how great their album "89" was and now when they follow it up with this it is even better.
http://www.thebearquartet.com/

9. Mattias Alkberg - Nerverna
A quite dark and beautiful album.
http://www.mabd.se/

10. 2011 (Paper and Katharina Nuttall)
As always, stuff I have listened to and enjoyed immensly won't be released until next year. Paper will release a fantastic second album called "Mischmash" and Katharina Nuttall will release her third called "Turn me on". Both fantastic in their own ways. Also, Riddarna will release their debut album and Pascal a new EP. How could I not long for next year.
http://www.myspace.com/paperstockholm
http://www.katharinanuttall.com/

---------------------------
Daggan runs Novoton Records who will be doing a bunch of stuff in 2011 as outlined in #10 above.
http://www.novoton.se/

01. TALK 1
02. Monument - Feel failure
03. Regulations - To be me
04. Du - Bring down a house
05. Tyrant - Go ahead raise the dead
06. TALK 2
07. Tobias Fröberg - When we go to war
08. Next Life - Anti matter
09. Lo-Fi-Fnk - Marchin' in
10. Boy Omega - Just a boy
11. TALK 3
12. The Bear Quartet - I was a weapon
13. I'm from Barcelona/David Ljung - Silence
14. Thee Gutted String - I've been to town
15. TALK 4
16. Paper - Before that day
17. The Goner - Bright and colossal (risen mind)
18. At the Gates - Suicide nation
19. TALK 5
20. Madrugada - Look away Lucifer

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. Buying an old school and moving out in the country again and running a really cool café there this summer with some friends. Lots of work but definitely worth it.
http://www.hablingbo.com/

02. Releasing SKRIET's (Isak from Pascal's side project) debut album. A subdued and dark album which fit my autumn mood perfectly.
http://www.myspace.com/skrietsthlm

03. A Place to Bury Strangers - Exploding head. Great album I only which the vocals were a little bit higher, but great none the less.
http://www.aplacetoburystrangers.com/

04. Tap Tap - On my way. Maybe not as perfect as their debut album but great anyway. Maybe it's just that the surprise factor of hearing them for the first time isn't as big this time. I think it will grow on me though.
http://www.myspace.com/taptapmusic

05. Pascal - Orkanen närmar sig (The hurricane is approaching). Technically this won't be released until January 2010 [however] since we have been working with it since July it has made a big impact in me this year. Pascal's best and heaviest album so far. Really great stuff!
http://www.kyssmig.com/

06. Brian Eno & David Byrne - Everything that happens will happen today. Maybe I'm getting old but I really enjoyed this quite mellow album from two of my favorite artists. Nice to see them working together again. It's not as close to being as good as "My life in the bush of ghosts" (which is one of my favorite records) but very enjoyable anyway.
http://www.everythingthathappens.com/

07. Antennas album ("Feeling feline tonight") making great success in Austria and topping their indie charts for week. Also the band having a successful tour in Europe following the album.

08. Bat For Lashes - Two suns. An album filled with gauzy vintage synths and odes to teenage love . It's bravely backward-looking and weirdly prescient at the same time. If only all pop could be this good.
http://www.batforlashes.com/

09. Existensminimum - OK boys. Magnus returned with a synth driven pure pop album and I just love it to pieces.
http://www.existensminimum.com/

10. The Bear Quartet - 89. I never been a huge fan of The Bear Quartet but this album is so fucking good I just couldn't stop listening to it.
http://www.thebearquartet.com/

---------------------------
Daggan runs the label Novoton and is one of the founders of Klicktrack. Next year he is looking forward to releasing new albums by Pascal, Paper, Norma and Antennas.
http://www.novoton.se/
http://www.klicktrack.com/

01. Paper - Out of it into it
02. TALK 1
03. David Åhlén - Spirit fall
04. Rickard Jäverling - The wedding ring
05. Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words - This room seems empty without you
06. Erik Enocksson - Non strigis
07. TALK 2
08. Pistol Disco - Organ and drum
09. Dear Euphoria - Pop pills
10. The Skull Defekts - Waving
11. Boeoes Kaelstigen - Radius
12. TALK 3
13. Björn Kleinhenz - HAZ 920
14. [ingenting] - Medan vi sov
15. Agent Side Grinder - Black vein
16. Johan Heltne - Hjärte. Instinkt. Principer.
17. TALK 4
18. Jesper Norda - We have the guts

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.

So what's up with the three-day stand? Whose idea was that? Are you gonna switch things up from night to night or what? Do you guys have any expectations for how it's gonna go?

We thought it was time for something new and wanted to go to New York. We got in touch with a promoter here who set up these gigs. Yeah, we'll change the sets night from night, maybe an easier set the first night, so that nerves can be calmed, It's gonna go well and hopefully we'll meet a lot of nice New Yorkers.

Got any other plans while you're over here? Anything in particular that you are looking forward to doing or seeing?

We've seen Coney Island which was magic, we've also eaten lots of good food.

What else is going on in Paper's world? Got plans to release something new anytime soon?

We will release something soon I hope, but we'll know more after Friday night. Right now we are focused on doing the best shows ever.

When will that new Audionom record finally be released? I heard like 30 seconds of it this past summer and it sounded nuts. What's the hold up?

We don't know.

Likewise, what's going on with the long-awaited Bear Quartet record? A new BQ release used to be an annual occasion and now...?

We are planning a release this autumn. The reason for the holdup is that there was either time or money, important stuff for BQ...

Paddington DC seems to be awfully prolific these days - do you have any sort of guiding principal when it comes to releasing music? does that carry over into any of your other projects? Tell me about the new record.

Whatever I want. Whenever I want. The new album "No drums no fire no flags" is on some tracks more ambient like, the rest are danceable little gems...

Do any of you gents have anything else going on? I don't want to leave anyone out.

Right now we are 100% focused on Paper. We do some other things, but not right now.

And lastly, assuming you conquer NYC, what's the next step? Is there an ultimate goal?

First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin. We wanna tour the West Coast in the US and then later on visit our fans throughout Europe.

01. TALK 1
02. Culkin - Breathholders
03. Max Peezay - Boven i droven
04. Detektivbyrån - En annan typ av disco
05. Billie the Vision & the Dancers - You'd better watch out, 'cause I like you
06. TALK 2
07. Sad Day for Puppets - Marble gods
08. Viola - The hardest hit
09. Samuraj Cities - Spoonful of talk
10. Kalle J - I skydd av mörkret
11. TALK 3
12. Murmansk - Vague language
13. Boeoes Kaelstigen - Radius (Dmitry Fyodorov Radius Relaxation Remix)
14. The Low Frequency in Stereo - Texas fox
15. David Åhlén - We sprout in thy soil
16. TALK 4
17. Paper - Out of it into it
18. Andreas Tilliander - Caught in a riot
19. On Volcano - Out of sight
20. Entombed - Seeing red
21. TALK 5
22. Säkert! - Någon gång måste du bli själv

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. Emmon - Secrets & lies
02. TALK 1
03. Marions - Another hour
04. Mimikry - Alderland
05. Culkin - Glow
06. TALK 2
07. Ironville - Roses
08. Silver - The white logic
09. Powersolo - Pirates of the oblivion
10. The Scrags - TV messed up mind
11. TALK 3
12. Kusowsky - Dansa
13. Paper - To her
14. Marit Bergman - Bang bang
15. Trummor & Orgel - Main theme
16. Affordable Hybrid - If you've got a problem with me
17. TALK 4
18. The Fine Arts Showcase - London, my town
19. Hebosagil - The last one
20. Dyno - Don't speak love
21. Knugen Faller - Lugna favoriter
22. TALK 5
23. Jesper Norda - We have the guts

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.

The "whhooooopp" in Samuraj Cities' song "Washed up"

The chorus of the demo version of Holana's song "Dance man, you're a modern man"

The piano part of Anna Ternheim's "What have I done" acoustic version

The drums with a sound of coconut in Convoj song "Knives and riptides"

The Division of Laura Lee line "it makes sense to die young, back where I come from, violence is timeless" in their song "Violence is timeless"

Du Pacque's line "my eyes are perfectly still" repeated all over again in their song "The great reveal"

When Hajen starts to sing in her song "Sharks"

The drums in Johnossi's "Party with my pain"

The robotic voice of Lykke Li at the very beginning of "I'm good, I'm gone"

Nina Kinert singing "and the mother of his child, oh, I had to" in her song "I shot my man"

The beginning of Paddington DC's record "Love is leukemia", the song "White cells" and its "resistor... transistor"...

Palpitation's voice in "Can I blame you"

The scream at 1'05 in Paper's "Hit the floor"

When Sonjagon's voice goes in the clouds at 4'30 in their song "Buckybell w.t.a.i"

---------------------------
Absolut Noise is a French blog on Swedish music.
absolutnoise.blogspot.com

Black Metal: Behexen, Khold, Arckanum, Abomino Aetadeath, Krypt.

All released this year and all of them better than Darkthrone and Satyricon. Who's new records were great as well.

Straight music (i.e non-black metal) from abroad: Chad Vangaalen, Daniel Martin Moore, Portishead, The Fall, Gang Gang Dance, Robert Forster, Fucked Up, Mogwai, The Cure, Mudhoney, Josephine Foster, Roots Manuva.

I can't remember anymore right now. It was a good year, record-wise at least.

Swedish and not black metal: Dan Lissvik, Paper, PDC, Park Hotell, Vapnet, Hästpojken, Håkan Hellström, Masshysteri, Tristess, Joel Alme, Veronica Maggio, Frida Hyvönen, T(I)NC, TsooL. There are more, but these are the ones I liked the most. Mind you, some I just got and I will grow tired of them.

Records I missed last year that would have made the top five: Michael Dracula and Mayhem.

TV: True Blood, Dead Set, Dexter, The Office, (bits and pieces of) Livet i Fagervik, Survivors.

Movies: Trädälskaren, Stepbrothers.

Thats it really. Haven't seen Let the Right One In, De ofrivilliga yet. And I'm gonna see The Baader Meinhof Complex tonight.

It's been a so-so year. Better than the last one but not good.

I've been listening to Rockabilly and Black Metal for the most part, reading books, writing songs and poetry.

I toured a little with Bröderna Lindgren and played like ten gigs by myself or with others. Recorded some songs with different people. Been fucked over by record companies.

For 2009 I'm gonna make at least one record, hopefully three. Oh, and get a job. Really, it's true.

And not die, again.

---------------------------
Mattias Alkberg broke up his band MABD earlier this year, but he still plays with The Bear Quartet and has a burgeoning solo career. Expect a new single and album under his own name in 2009.
www.mabd.se
www.thebearquartet.com

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. Hello Saferide - 2008
02. TALK 1
03. The Fine Arts Showcase - Friday on my knees
04. Juvelen - Hanna
05. Dmitry Fyodorov - MD5VSSHA1
06. TALK 2
07. Paper - Out of it into it
08. Katzenjammer - Tea with cinnamon
09. Kristofer Åström - Just a little insane
10. TALK 3
11. Mattias Hellberg & The White Moose - Why is it so?
12. Parken - Vad ska vi göra med Henry?
13. Johan Heltne - Hjärta. Instinkt. Principer.
14. TALK 4
15. Marybell Katastrophy - Hidden agenda
16. The Bear Quartet - What I hate
17. Brainbombs - Stalker
18. TALK 5

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 831 for DirecTV subscribers.

01. Theresa Andersson - Na na na (empty heart)
02. TALK 1
03. Soviac - Malorca
04. Agent Side Grinder - Ricocheting memories
05. Svenson - Howlong
06. TALK 2
07. Hello Kinski - Summer is a waste of time
08. Britta Persson - Kill Hollywood me
09. Tredje Mannen - Cul-de-sac
10. TALK 3
11. The Goner - Spirit roundup
12. Liket Lever - Levande begravd
13. TALK 4
14. Paper - Out of it into it
15. Hebosagil - Big sun
16. Murmansk - Vague language
17. Randy - Who's side are you on?
18. TALK 5
19. The Deer Tracks - Slow collision

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

01. Pluxus - Bootstrap
02. TALK 1
03. Marit Bergman - Straight into my lovers arms
04. Grande Roses - Dead town
05. Mikko Singh - Rauha
06. TALK 2
07. Namur - Draw us near
08. Lapko - Sawyer the brother
09. Paper - To her
10. TALK 3
11. Johnossi - Train song
12. Markus Krunegård - Rocken spelar ingen roll längre
13. Printer - You need to
14. TALK 4
15. Firefox AK - Once I was like you (Boeoes Kaelstigen remix)
16. Aerial - Time is on fire
17. Sahara Hotnights - Visit to Vienna
18. TALK 5
19. Siena Root - Time will tell
20. Kristofer Åström - I collect knives
21. Anna Ternheim - Better be
22. TALK 6
23. Anna Leong - Guollotine
24. Folie - Krogg
25. Hearts of Black Science - Empty city lights
26. TALK 7
27. Inuit - En förlorad generation
28. The Psyke Project - Dark halls red floors
29. Memento Mori - Epilog
30. TALK 8
31. The Bear Quartet - Lights out, sound off
32. Fun - I know Ted Kennedy
33. Johan Heltne - Hjärta. Instinkt. Principer.
34. TALK 9
35. Lama - Bussi
36. Niccokick - Love & neon lights
37. Little Jimmy Reeves - Drowsy dogs
38. C.Aarmé - Visions
39. TALK 10
40. No Privacy - Blood over Denmark

Reminder: my show on Sirius Blog Radio runs Saturdays at 12 noon and midnight ET on channel 26 (Left of Center).

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

Tracklist:
01. TALK 1
02. Lukestar - The shade you hide
03. Marybell Katastrophy - Hidden agenda
04. Britta Persson - At 7
05. TALK 2
06. C.Aarmé - Blodet
07. Firefox AK - Winter rose (Tellevika remix)
08. Lack - Bombing the moon
09. TALK 3
10. Barra Head - Undermine
11. Paper - My life is going under
12. Montys Loco - Criminal
13. TALK 4

Paper - An object (CD)
Pascal - Galgberget (CD)

01. Figurines - The wonder
02. TALK 1
03. CS Nielsen - Happy
04. Superfamily - Teens of the 70s
05. Winter Took His Life - Oh
06. TALK 2
07. Frivolvol - Out come the knives
08. Bogus Blimp - Untitled jazz no. 1
09. Firefox AK - Pushing
10. TALK 3
11. Disfear - Get it off
12. Biker Boy - March song (Kalle J remix)
13. Eskju Divine - Darkness all around
14. TALK 4
15. Dogday - New romance
16. Mew - Am I wry? No
17. Det Är Jag Som Är Döden - Hello!
18. TALK 5
19. Familjen - Huvudet i sanden
20. Darkthrone - Skald av Satans sol
21. Caesars Palace - (I'm gonna) Kick you out
22. TALK 6
23. Lack - Behead
24. Bertine Zetlitz - Fake your beauty
25. Hebosagil - Old prophet
26. TIAC - OTW
27. TALK 7
28. Marybell Katastrophy - Hip
29. Strip Music - Never die
30. The Social Services - Electric brae
31. TALK 8
32. At the Gates - All life ends (live)
33. Fireside - Jupiter
34. Ulver - Funebre
35. Paper - They're gonna keep me
36. TALK 9
37. Convoj - Cultural legacy
38. Maia Hirasawa - Still June
39. Silverbullit - Run
40. TALK 10
41. Massgrav - Vuxenliv

01. Disfear - Deadweight
02. TALK 1
03. The Social Services - Up in arms
04. Kaka - The hotspurs (the less know the faster we go)
05. The Je Ne Sais Quoi - Manic panic
06. TALK 2
07. Tiger Lou - Patterns
08. Paper - My life is going under
09. Dreamboy - Stars
10. TALK 3
11. Lack - Watchmen
12. Don't Be A Stranger - Mon chi-chi
13. Ea Philippa - Heslenes sang
14. TALK 4
15. Ef - Thrills
16. Isolation Years - Yellow cross on blue
17. Frivolvol - Satellite kids
18. TALK 5
19. Enslaved - Eld
20. The Grand Opening - Secrets revealed
21. Ultralyd - Comphonie V
22. TALK 8
23. Firefok AK - Techno tears
24. The Indecision Alarm - Alienation process
25. Looptroop Rockers - Marinate
26. TALK 7
27. Markus Krunegård - Jag är en vampyr
28. The End Will Be Kicks - Exit ramps
29. Cadillac - Locomotive
30. TALK 8
31. Lukestar - Lake Toba
32. Commando M Pigg - Baby doll
33. Printer - Minds out
34. TALK 9
35. Seven Feet Four - Auto emotion
36. Tobias Hellkvist - Abomination
37. Barra Head - Undermine
38. TALK 10
39. Britta Persson - Happy hour
40. Anna Leong - Guillotine
41. Ted Gärdestad - Can't stop this train
42. TALK 11

01. C.Aarmé - Blodet
02. TALK 1
03. Kaka - The hotspurs (the less we know the faster we go)
04. Bitch Boys - Automobile
05. Benea Reach - Rejuvenate
06. TALK 2
07. The Second Band - The urgency of now
08. Breach - Murder
09. Montys Loco - Criminal
10. TALK 3
11. Det Gamla Landet - Krutrök
12. Trapdoor Fucking Exit - Cardiac arrest
13. I Am Bones - Home is the one corner of hell that didn't catch fire
14. TALK 4
15. Madrugada - Look away Lucifer
16. Timo Räisänen - Sixteen
17. When - The king
18. TALK 5
19. Beyond Dawn - Increasing the gravity
20. Ljudbilden & Piloten - Plokk
21. As In RebekkaMaria - She lion (Pato Sick Hangover remix)
22. TALK 6
23. Robert Svensson - 1987 (ft. Adam Olenius)
24. Paper - To her
25. Animal Alpha - Even when I'm wrong, I'm right
26. TALK 7
27. Niccokick - The poet
28. Asha Ali - Coward heart
29. Viola - I don't know how to party
30. TALK 8
31. Voices Break the Silence - No matter if it's now
32. Marybell Katastrophy - Red red lips
33. Anna Ternheim - Shoreline
34. TALK 9
35. Ulf Ljusberg - Here, me
36. Sir Eric Beyond and the Avant-garde - Democracy
37. Once We Were - Carnival
38. Birds On Holiday - I had a plan
39. TALK 10
40. Björn Kleinhenz - Tredje Långgatan 26

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/25755-top-10s-for-2007-daggan-novoton http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25755-top-10s-for-2007-daggan-novoton http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25755-top-10s-for-2007-daggan-novoton#comments Here's a "top-10" list from me. Feel free to use it if you like. In no particular order. Just 10 great releases which got my juices flowing ;-).

Tap Tap - Lanzafame
A truly superb album. I hear Bowie, Velvet Underground, Talking Heads in here and I love it.
http://www.myspace.com/taptapmusic

Wolf People - EP
A psych-rock treat
http://www.myspace.com/wolfpeople

Pascal - Galgberget (upcoming album)
Heavier and more noisy then ever. Don't miss this one.
http://www.myspace.com/raukenroll

The Wolfgang Press - Bird wood cage
An oldie from 1988 which I rediscovered and listened to a lot this year. It was great back then and I see now why I loved it so much, and still do.
http://www.4ad.com/thewolfgangpress/releases/birdwoodcage-0/

Pet Politics - When I get old (track)
A great artist and I really have to do something with him now.
http://www.myspace.com/petpoliticstheband

Norma - 1 (EP)
A perfect mixture of ambient, kraut, noise, electronica, indie
http://www.myspace.com/theamazingnorma

Dieter Schöön - Lablaza
A very original and cool album.
http://www.myspace.com/dieterschoon

Black Belt - Two minutes to midnight
A hard rocking epos. Just listen to the closing song "Midnight".
http://www.myspace.com/blackbeltspace

Hot Silk Pockets (band)
A recommended listen.
http://www.myspace.com/hotsilkpockets

Love Is A Burning Thing - Dancer on a chair (track)
A song that make me just want to jump around.
http://www.myspace.com/liabt

"Can't wait for"
Antennas', Paper's and Norma's upcoming albums. All due to be released this spring and from what I have heard all equally great in their own ways.

---------------------------

Daggan is the head of Novoton Records and also runs the mp3 download service Klicktrack.
www.novoton.se
www.klicktrack.com

]]> Sat, 22 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0800 articles top10s http://www.itsatrap.com/n/20238 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/20238 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/20238#comments Here's the playlist for this week's radio show:

01. Kristofer Åström - Just a little insane
02. TALK 1
03. Darkthrone - Canadian metal
04. Sambassadeur - Subtle changes
05. Niccokick - Love & neon lights
06. TALK 2
07. Death By Kite - Bhf. Asta
08. The Alpine - Iceland
09. Pluxus - Bootstrap
10. TALK 3
11. Graveyard - Thin line
12. Hospital - Something in the water
13. Attrap - Just a word away
14. TALK 4
15. Jonna Lee - I wrote this song
16. Paper - My life is going under
17. Broder Daniel - You bury me
18. TALK 5
19. Radio LXMBRG - Score on the floor
20. Maia Hirasawa - Gothenburg
21. Rather Sound Than Safe - The beat
22. Det Gamla Landet - Det heliga landet
23. TALK 6
24. Paris - When I laid my eyes on you
25. No Hope for the Kids - Rainy day
26. Sir Eric Beyond and the Avant-Garde - If this is the way
27. Barra Head - Overseas
28. TALK 7
29. Superfamily - Warszawa
30. Oskar Schönning - S
31. Brick - Automen
32. TALK 8
33. Miss Li - Leave my man alone
34. Kasper Bjørke - Liquid propagnosia
35. Loveninjas - I wanna be like Johnny C
36. Anti Cimex - Only in dreams
37. TALK 9
38. Pan Sonic - Virta 1
]]> Sun, 18 Nov 2007 12:51:08 -0800 news sirius http://www.itsatrap.com/n/20118 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/20118 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/20118#comments Swedish Kraut/postpunk act Paper has signed a licensing deal with Novoton Records via their own label Destruction Production for the release of their forthcoming album, due out in February. The band describes the situation like so:

Novoton releases/distributes everything that is released on Destruction Production (wich is a creative-destruction platform created and managed by Paper. The idea is to produce destruction by being creative. Much like the weapon industry but without the physical consequences. One could compare it to the Norwegian blackmetal scene as well).

Said album is currently in the mixing stage, but you can also check the band out at Debaser Malmö next Friday November 16.]]> Thu, 08 Nov 2007 11:04:59 -0800 news general http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19779 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19779 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19779#comments Paper is starting the hard work of sifting through the 21 new songs they recorded to put together their debut album.]]> Mon, 15 Oct 2007 12:16:32 -0700 news general http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19548 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19548 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19548#comments The playlist for this week's radio show:

01. TALK 1
02. Repoman - Chemically obsessed
03. Moder Jords Massiva - Vapen
04. Kornstad Trio - Intornette
05. TALK 2
06. Ghost Brigade - Autoemotive
07. Rather Sound Than Safe - The beat
08. September - My neighbourhood
09. TALK 3
10. Ebba Grön - 800°
11. Torpedo - My evil twin
12. Jonna Lee - Dried out eyes
13. TALK 4
14. Marvins Revolt - Bugs in time
15. Pimentola - Death is a secret
16. Nils Berg - Sailors fighting in the dance hall
17. TALK 5
18. Lampshade - By and by I come
19. Midnight Choir - Will you carry me across the water
20. Moonbabies - Walking on my feet
21. TALK 6
22. Candlemass - Elephant star
23. Front and the Factory Lies Beneath - Under a black sun
24. Cortex - Warrior night (live)
25. TALK 7
26. The Grizzly Twister - This city is a halo
27. New Decade - I guess you ran from something
28. The Grand Opening - Don't drop off
29. TALK 8
30. The Bear Quartet - I'm still her
31. Paper - My life is going under
32. Darkthrone - Wisdom of the dead
33. Detektivbyrån - Nattöppet
34. TALK 9
35. Mob - Ghost track
36. Fare You Well - Deceiving eyes
37. TALK 10
]]> Sat, 29 Sep 2007 18:18:29 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/63 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/63 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/63#comments Swedish post-punks Paper will be going into Cobra Studios in October with producer Konie to record their debut full-length. Expect an early 2008 release.]]> Wed, 12 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0700 news 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/613 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/613 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/613#comments The playlist for my radio show this week:

01. Paper - My life is going under
02. TALK 1
03. Mr. Suitcase - You don't smile anymore
04. Camouflage - Violetta du
05. Majessic Dreams - Black out
06. TALK 2
07. Amorphis - Towards and against
08. Beyond Dawn - Among the sedatives
09. Don't Be A Stranger - Perfect problem
10. TALK 3
11. Totalitär - Nej vi ska inte ha nåt
12. Miss Li - I'm glad I'm not a proud American
13. Tiger Lou - A lucky escape
14. Oskar Schönning - Fraid
15. TALK 4
16. Karsten Pflum - Draworder
17. Anna Ternheim - Lovers dream
18. Front and the Factory Lies Beneath - Drown in misery
19. TALK 5
20. Midaircondo - Could you please stop
21. Pg.lost - Yes I am
22. The Perishers - Carefree
23. TALK 6
24. Pistol Disco - Upside down
25. Nasum - The system has failed again
26. Sweatmaster - Mystery
27. The Second Band - The modern age
28. Träd, Gräs och Stenar - In kommer gösta
29. TALK 7
30. Ultralyd - Low waist
31. Ambulance - Forever friends
32. The Social Services - Up in arms
33. TALK 8
34. Barra Head - Overseas
35. Sivert Høyem - Exiles
36. Viola - Imaginary times
37. TALK 9
38. Kornstad - Turkey, Texas]]> Sat, 28 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/27675-mp3-paper-my-life-is-going-under http://www.itsatrap.com/n/27675-mp3-paper-my-life-is-going-under http://www.itsatrap.com/n/27675-mp3-paper-my-life-is-going-under#comments Time once again for a week of mp3 posts showcasing up-and-coming and/or unsigned bands. Up first: Paper, the band of Peter Backebo from Audionom, Calle Olsson from The Bear Quartet/Paddington DC and drummer Tobias Rask. Musically, Paper fits in perfectly with my recent postpunk obsession - cyclical, repetitive riffs, mantra-like vocals and a heightened state of anxiety. It's that anxious tension that I love - the band is so tightly wound, I feel like they could explode and lose it at any time and I keep waiting for it to happen. It comes close to the edge, but never crosses over. Within the realms of postrock, I need that that kind of cathartic release to feel satisfied, but that's the point here. There is no destination, no nirvana. Just an endless burning sensation that mirrors the frustrations of life. "My life is going under" is not pessimistic as much as it is nihilistic. It's going under, but yeah - it's always going under. That's life.
Hard to believe this band isn't signed yet. Listen to more here: http://www.myspace.com/paperstockholm]]> Mon, 16 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0700 mp3s http://www.itsatrap.com/n/870 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/870 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/870#comments Paper, the Kraut-punk band I posted about last week with members from Audionom and Bear Quartet are officially on the lookout for a record deal. After being a sideproject for 10 odd years or so, it's time for them to take the spotlight. Listen as Last.fm: http://www.last.fm/music/Paper+%5BSweden%5D
Very recommended.]]> Mon, 02 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/899 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/899 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/899#comments Check out Paper, a new band featuring Calle Olsson of Paddington DC/The Bear Quartet and Peter Backebo of Audionom: http://www.myspace.com/paperstockholm]]> Tue, 26 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25643-top-10s-for-2006-daggan-novoton http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25643-top-10s-for-2006-daggan-novoton http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25643-top-10s-for-2006-daggan-novoton#comments 01. The Black Angels - Passover (album)
The best album this year. This is how it should sound my friends

02. Pascal - Förbi Fabriken (album)
The best thing that have happened to me since JAMC

03. Existensminimum - Last night my head tried to explode and i wrote everything down (album)
Utterly brilliant neo-kraut debut album by Existensminimum

04. Antennas - Sins (album)
Antennas debut album promises greatness for the future

05. Pet Politics - "In my Head" and "The Spring" (EPs)
Two great, now probably sold out, EPs by one of Swedens finest artists

06. The Magic City - The Magic City (Promo EP)
Dark and hypnotic with a groove based on deep bass sound and monotone drumbeat. I know it was made in 2005 but I really got into it this year.

07. Promise and The Monster - Antarktis (song)
Hunting, desolate and beautiful. I just can't stop listening to it

08. Clinic - Visitations (album)
Another great album by one of my fav bands

09. Dödens Lammungar (band)
Neo-goth have never sounded this sweet

10. Danava - By The Mark (song)
Hawkwind lives!

Just outside the list: The new, Jari Haapalainen produced, album ("Two minutes to midnight") by Black Belt. It was recorded by the end of 2006 and I have listened to it a lot but it will be released in the beginning of February 2007 and I know it will end up on my best of 2007. No doubt about it. Paper - Great indiepunkkrautrocknewwave


---------------------------

Daggan is the head of Novoton Records and also runs the mp3 download service Klicktrack.
www.novoton.se
www.klicktrack.com

]]> Wed, 06 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0800 articles top10s http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25534-top-10s-for-2005-daggan-stamenkovic-novoton-klicktrack http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25534-top-10s-for-2005-daggan-stamenkovic-novoton-klicktrack http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25534-top-10s-for-2005-daggan-stamenkovic-novoton-klicktrack#comments 01. Seeing Pascal live for the first time and signing them on the spot

02. The Klicktrack.com launch

03. Pet Politics - The cold wind blows (song)

04. Paper - our so long (song)

05. Antennas - Always on my mind (single)

06. Existensminimum - Running down everyone (single)

07. Yttling Jazz - Oh Lord, why can't I keep my big mouth shut

08. Photographer Unknown - Sunday afternoon (song)

09. Seeing Efterklang live at Hultsfred

10. Grizzly Bear - Horn of plenty


---------------------------

Daggan is the head of Novoton Records and also runs the mp3 download service Klicktrack. His most recent signing Pascal will release their debut album in January.
www.novoton.se
www.klicktrack.com

]]> Tue, 20 Dec 2005 00:00:00 -0800 articles top10s http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19148 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19148 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19148#comments Check out some pics from the recent C.Aarmé/Alarma Man show at Club Surburbia.

The Caesars are doing a quick US tour in support of their recently released compilation album "39 Minutes Of Bliss (In An Otherwise Meaningless World)". The single "Jerk it Out" continues to gather more and more airplay (I heard it once myself on SF's Live 105) and will also be heard in an upcoming Michelob TV ad. They'll also be playing the Glastonbury in the UK on June 27. Anyhow, those US dates:

06/19 - San Francisco, Popscene
06/20 - Los Angeles, Spaceland
06/21 - Los Angeles, Viper Room
06/23 - New York, Sin'e
06/24 - Brooklyn, Southpaw
06/25 - Boston, Paradise

Fireside has posted a bunch of new pictures over at their website.

Via Home Groan Net comes these lo-fi videos of Groan Alone playing live opening for Lucinda Williams.

Martin Hagfos has now been confirmed to play the Øya festival along with a new backing band called "Cream of the Crop" that will feature some of Norway's best musicians. Check out the cast list: Martin Hagfors (Home Groan), Håkon Gebhardt (Motorpsycho, Tussler and HGH), Martin Horntveth (Jaga Jazzist), Lars Håvard Haugen (Hellbillies, Respatexans), Pål Flaata (Midnight Choir), Vidar Ersfjord (Velvet Belly), and Askil Holm.

Read a short review of the recent Radio Dept. show in London opening for Apples in Stereo.

Unioncarbideproductions.com sends word that they have received twenty promo copies of the new UCP single that will be given out at Hultsfred. Since not everyone can attend said fest, the aforementioned website will be holding a contest to give their copies away. Go here to find out how.

Bridge Records has posted an update on the label's recent activity. Head on over for the full skinny, otherwise note the most important thing is that the new Jam Session album is now out. Their intriguing description:

It all looks awesome, and sounds even better. This record has been doomed, but we stared Satan in his eyes and told him we would not give up until we got this shit out. Since this needs to be heard. Great melodic breakdowns and then it just erupts into manic, furious assault.

In other Bridge news, the label also has plans to release a 7" from The Accidents, a band which features members from Voice of a Generation, or what they call "fyllepunkös". They also have a new 7" coming out from I Ren Desperation, a new crust-style band with members from Nine, Totalitär and Millencolin. That one's a joint release with Finland's Combat Rock and Hater of God in the US, so be sure to check it out.

Some new bands have been announced for the Øyafestivalen Vika-scenen shows: Don Juan Dracula, Oslo Athletico, Wholy Martin, Point Shirley, and Lorenzo. More info here. (in Norweigan)

DigitalMetal.com reviews new albums from Enslaved and Passenger, the side project of Anders Friden from In Flames and Niclas Engelin from "the vastly under-rated" Gardenian.

Norway's Extol is heading over to the States for a number of dates. Shows on June 13 through July 1 are with Demon Hunter, Still Breathing and The Agony Scene and their latest album "Synergy" is out now from Century Media. The dates:

06/13 - Club Impact - Tacoma, WA
06/14 - Fat Tuesday - Spokane, WA
06/15 - The Zone – Yakima, WA
06/17 - Radio Rendezvous – Twin Falls, ID
06/19 - Meow Meow - Portland, OR
06/20 - JoshuaFest -Quincy, CA
06/21 - The Boardwalk -Sacramento, CA
06/22 - Showcase Theater - Corona, CA
06/23 - The Brickhouse - Phoenix, AZ
06/24 - TBA - Albuquerque, NM
06/25 - Sox Palace - Denver CO
06/26 - Ground Zero - Wichita KS
06/27 - The Door - Dallas, TX
06/28 - TBA - Little Rock AR
06/29 - El Torreon – Kansas City, MO
07/03-05 - Cornerstone Festival – Bushnell, IL
07/06 - The Oracle – Atlanta, GA
07/07 - Rocktown Skatepark – Nashville, TN
07/08 - Emerson Theater - Indianapolis, IN
07/10 - Sonshine Festival - Wilmar, MN

Children of Bodom and Soilwork will be teaming up for Japanese tour in September. Dates so far:

09/05 – Osaka, JAP - Big Cat
09/06 – Nagoya, JAP - Club Quattro
09/07 – Tokyo, JAP - Shibuya AX

MTV Nordic will broadcast their footage of this weekend's Stockholm Calling Festival on June 15 at 22:00 CET. Some of the bands scheduled to play the event include Christian Kjellvander & Lazy Grace Frontier, The Cardigans, De Stijl, and Thomas Rusiak.

P3 Musikjournalen reports that Håkan Hellström will be making a guest appearance on the upcoming Universal Poplab cover of the Morrissey classic "We Hate It When Our Friends Become Succesful". The song will be on the band's as-yet-untitled debut album, due out this coming fall. Their first single "Casanova Fall" is out now.

The new Accelerator comp comes out this week and it features some of the best indierock that Sweden has to offer. The tracklisting:

The Embassy - It never entered my mind
Radio Dept. - 1995
The Concretes - Forces
Laakso - Out of taste
Johan Borgert - Smal
David & the Citizens - Stop!
Bear Quartet - Load it
Isolation Years - Open those eyes
Moneybrother - Reconsider me
Franke - Aldrig förstå
Paper - Gone today gone tomorrow
The Knife - You take my breath away
Fireside - Thing on a spring

View the coverart here. Check out Club Accelerator's site here. To download the D&tC track, go here.

Da Buzz are hitting the road in support of the new single "Alive":

05/30 - Umeå, Umeåfesten
07/31 - Eskilstuna, Ungdomsfestivalen
06/06 - Katrineholm, Stadsparken
06/07 - Malmö, Dockan
06/13 - Sollentuna, Sollentunamässan
06/27 - Ludvika, Ludvikafesten
06/27 - Motala, Vätternfestivalen
06/28 - Enköping, Enköpingsfestivalen
06/29 - Uppsala, Birjer Jarl
07/03 - Halmstad, Halmstad stadsfest
07/03 - Sölvesborg, Killibomdagarna
07/04 - Töreboda, Torget
07/10 - LYSEKIL Meddelas
07/11 - Luleå, Hamnspelet
07/12 - Lekvattnet, Sommarens höjdare
07/19 - Åsele, Åsele marknad
07/24 - Karlskoga, Stranddagar
07/25 - Sävsjö, Sävsjöfestivalen
07/26 - Visby, Burmeister
07/31 - Karlstad, Hamnfestivalen
08/01 - Skellefteå, Underbar
08/02 - Öostervåla, Folkets park]]> Wed, 28 May 2003 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19227 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19227 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19227#comments A crapload of news from Startracks today. Here goes...

The new comp coming out will have one exclusive track from Kristofer Åström & Hidden Truck called "8 Long Years". The other artists on it will be Christian Kjellvander, Fireside, Loosegoats, Songs of Soil, Lost Patrol, Starmarket, Leiah, Buck, Jaffa de Luxe, Candysuck, Revolvo, Moneybrother and Monster. It'll be out on March 10 in Scandinavia and will be "dirt cheap" they say.

The label will also be doing yet another comp, this one to showcase "Stockholm's most popular indie club" Club Accelerator. Also coming out on March 10 and at a price around 100 SEK/$10 USD. The bands: Franke, Isolation Years, Fireside, The Radio Dept., Embassy, Bear Quartet, David and the Citizens, Moneybrother, Laakso, The Knife, The Concretes and Paper.

Christian Kjellvander will doing a few solo dates supporting American singer/songwriter Brendan Benson:

3/17 - Munich - Orange House
3/18 - Dresden - Star Club
3/19 - Berlin - Magnet
3/20 - Munster - Gleiss 22
3/21 - TBA
3/22 - Bochum - Matrix

The next Fireside single for the song "All You Had" will be out mid-March. The upcoming album, produced by Kalle Gustafsson (TSOOL) and mixed by Kalle with help from Guy Massey (Oasis, Radiohead, Spiritualized, Manic Street Preachers and Echo and the Bunnymen), is still being worked on but is on track for an April release. Touring will follow immediately, including the already confirmed Umeå Open Festival on March 28-29.

Dennis Lyxzen's Lost Patrol may have signed to Burning Heart, but they still will be doing something for StarEP in spring. Dennis will also appear on a panel on the program "Pop i fokus" on SVT today. Other folk on the panel include Marit Bergman and Candysuck.

and now for other news...

Could it be for real this time? Dolores Recordings says that Broder Daniel is going into the studio in March to work on a new album and a new single will be out in April or May. I'll believe it when I see it.

Shelflife Records will release the album "Lesser Matters" from Radio Dept. in the US in March. The label describes the band as "early Jesus and Mary Chain and Primal Scream" and they're getting quite a bit of hype in native Sweden, so check 'em out. Magnum Music will put out the album in Taiwan and Rex Records will do a single for the band in the UK.

Bad news for people looking forward to that Union Carbide Productions box set - looks like the date's been set back to September because Ebbot doesn't feel like he has enough time to put the thing together with how busy TSOOL is currently. There still might be a single around May for their appearance at Hultsfred Festival, so keep your fingers crossed.

Northside has confirmed that the 5th Annual Nordic Roots Festival in Minneapolis on September 18-21 is starting to come together. Already confirmed are Filarfolket (reunion), Ellika Frisell and Solo Cissokho, Maria Kalaniemi with Sven Ahlbäck and Johan Hedin, Gjallarhorn and Mari Boine Band. In other Northside live-happening news, Väsen Trio is booking a tour for October 16-26 and Värttinä will come over in November.]]> Fri, 14 Feb 2003 00:00:00 -0800 news