Sjöarna = A new Swedish band featuring Pelle Lindroth (Parken), Andreas Söderström (ASS), Cecilia Österholm and Henrik von Euler (Rigas). Look for their debut album to be released on October 19 via Flora & Fauna.

01. Pelle Lindroth (Parken, the best companion there is)

02. We call it Skweee (documentary by David Giese and Iacopo Patierno)

03. Mattias Alkberg (the man)

04. winter bathing (the activity)

05. Rigas balsam (the drink)

06. Thåström live at Storsjöyran

07. Can it be all so simple - Wu Tang Clan

08. Gävle (the city)

09. Hjälmaren (the restaurant)

10. Nya Sampans Tangoorkester

---------------------------
The new Rigas album "Let's get gone" will be out in February and there will also be a new Markis Sage album as well. Look for a new Bethlehem Beard Corporation album on F&F soon, too. Eventually Henrik plans to take a holiday sometime in 2010, but we'll see if it actually happens.
http://www.brilliant.nu/
http://rigas.blackside.org/
http://www.myspace.com/102670709

Not only is it constantly snowing in Oslo but there's also some kind of snowboarding even going on outside the city somewhere, which means you're constantly bumping into some guy in full ski gear walking around with a snowboard – quite bizarre I must say, especially since it snows all the time! I was very tired when I woke up on the morning of the second day of by:Larm 2009, and after working all day from my hotel room I wasn't really in a gig mood, but come 7 pm and I ventured to Sub Scene to check out Merlin, a Norwegian Dead Kennedys-sounding band that also has something psychobilly about them. Not exactly the greatest start of the day for my sore head, but Merlin's playful rock'n'roll put me in a good mood and I got hungry for more gigs.

Next up was Kaja Bremnes who to my pleasant surprise played at a seated venue! "Hooray!", my lazy legs screamed in unison. Unfortunately Bremnes couldn't live up to the great interior arrangements at the venue, and despite being quite good at what she does, her Tori Amos sounding songs just didn't penetrate my skull.

For a second day running, I tried to get into the venue called Mono, this time to check out Sweden's First Aid Kit, only to be turned away at the door by the same lusekofte-wearing bouncer that turned me away almost exactly 24 hours prior. Just like the day before I quickly scanned the festival program and any future plans and decided to go and see Matias Tellez who performed in the vicinity of the next gig I planned to go to. Tellez turned out to play tired cheesy pop rock. What a waste of time!

Leaving Rockefeller where Tellez played, I only had to walk around the corner to see Frida Hyvönen play a majestic set, in that lovely seated venue that I previously saw Kaja Bremnes at. Hyvönen seemed to be in a great mood, and she charmed everyone who was there to see her. I'm glad I went to see her play a "proper" show a few weeks ago, this 30 minute show was good but it also made me want more.

Lo and behold! Trying to get into Mono for a third time, I hit the jackpot and managed to squeeze in to see Retro Stefson once again. Yesterday I called them an Icelandic teenage Vampire Weekend, which I must say is quite inaccurate. This gig had a different vibe to it, and now I'd like to dub them Iceland's teenage Bee-Gees. Their disco grooves almost tore the roof off!

From disco to hip-hop, and the lovely 11th floor of Stratos where Danish hip hop crew Majors tried their best to charm a room half full of skeptics with their party hip-hop, with varied results. Full marks for effort though!

After Majors I went to the Dagbladet tent across the road to wait for Jenny Wilson. While I waited, John Olav Nilsen & Gjengen played. I believe he's tipped to become Norway's own Håkan Hellström. His melodramatic performance, dedicated fans and sing-a-longs were all quite charming, but I couldn't stop thinking that most of his songs sounded like Tom Robinson Band's "2 4 6 8 Motorway".

A bit after 11:30 pm Jenny Wilson went on stage. I'm no great follower of fashion, but judging by Jenny Wilson and thousands of girls in Oslo, I would go as far as saying that dressing like an old lady is pretty hip right now. Wilson looked very stylish though, I must say. It might have been due to fatigue, but I had serious problems engaging with her set. I'm a fan, so I'd like to think that it was me that underperformed and not her. Next time I see her I'll try to come with a fresh mind in tow, and hopefully I'll also have had the chance to listen to her forthcoming album by then.

The last gig of this second day at by:Larm I saw was Parken who played at the for me infamous Mono. By this stage my brain was frazzled and despite Parken playing a couple of corkers that drove the crowd nuts, I had given up on gig experiences for the day.

Words and pictures by Simon Tagestam

I'm not sure what's best about Oslo, that the 2 hour drive from the airport made me feel like I've ended up in Narnia, or that the sound at the pedestrian crossings reminds me of the intro to Lil Wayne's "Lollipop". Either way, it's a pretty neat town (despite being ridiculously expensive, I'm trying to ignore what I'll have spent on beer alone come Sunday). It's constantly snowing here, but even though it's quite cold it could have been worse – prior to last year (and since 1998) the festival was based in Trondheim which is further north and allegedly much colder. The gigs at by:Larm are at various Oslo venues, and most of them are within walking distance from each other (like The Great Escape in Brighton, UK or SXSW in Austin, TX). Yesterday I was very lucky, pretty much all the shows I went to were at venues almost door to door. The majority of the shows start at 8 pm, and it's all pretty much over by 2:00 am. There are some shows early on though, one of these was Children and Corpse Playing in the Street who, despite their creepy moniker, play sweet twee folk. It was a little bit short of great melodies, but charming nevertheless. Shame that the tent that they played in was almost empty.

After the show I went for a light lunch, light for the stomach but heavy for the wallet (150 NOK – yipes!). I also managed to have a little nap back at the hotel (I planned to camp, but couldn't find my tent) before I braved the cold again to see the next band. Pony the Pirate are probably getting used to be called "Norway's Arcade Fire" by now, but it is a very fitting description. At first I was very charmed by their sheer energy and drive, but after a while their pompousness and "in your face" style started getting on my nerves. At times it was so pompous that I got vibes reminiscent of 80s power ballad bands such as Scorpions. I'm sure there are a whole bunch of people out there who will go nuts for this though. Good on them!

The contrast between Pony the Pirate and the next band I saw, Denmark's Choir of Young Believers, could hardly have been greater. Whereas the former are so energetic it almost hurt the eyes to watch them, the latter are a rather dull Americana MOR sounding band. My first disappointment at by:Larm!

Just one floor down in the same building as I saw COYB, Iceland's Retro Stefson were meant to play. This was one of the bands I'd looked forward the most to see at the festival. When they entered the stage I was certain I'd gone to the wrong place though, in walked a bunch of teenagers looking way too young to play the music I've listened previously to on their Myspace. Imagine my surprise when they played a set that was one of the best I've seen in some time. It's as if these kids have channelled all their teenage energy into writing and performing fantastic complex songs. I wonder, don't they have video games Iceland? Their charisma and playful songs make them a kind of teenage Icelandic Vampire Weekend. Dang, they were great!

There's no time for sitting down on a bus or in a pub after the gigs at by:Larm to reflect of what you've just experienced. It's hard finding time off to eat, and I've come to realise that I should always have a back-up plan in case the gig I plan to go to is full. I panicked a bit when I couldn't get into Mono to see the daftly named My Little Pony, but then I came to my senses, checked the program and rushed to Sub Scene to catch Manatee Racket, which proved to be a lucky move! Manatee Racket are not as young as Retro Stefson, but equally as energetic (especially their drummer who hit those skins as if his life depended on it). But where Retro Stefson are more of a bunch of geeky teenagers who are yet to discover alcohol, Manatee Rackets came across as a gang of snotty teenagers who are quite familiar with moonshine and dancing until you puke (nothing wrong with either way, and I might be totally wrong, it could be the other way around, who knows what the kids are up to these days, eh!). Erm, anyway, I found their XTC-tinged songs quite alluring.

Einar Stray could have done with a little of Retro Stefson and Manatee Racket's teenage energy. He's a hip looking singer songwriter with an even hipper looking backing band, and he sounds a bit like an early Brigh Eyes on Xanax. Not too exciting, but ok.

While waiting in the Dagbladet tent after Einar Stray played and before Ingeborg Selnes's show, I by chance caught Anne Lene Hägglund play. She's a happy-go-lucky girl playing harmless songs on her acoustic guitar. Nice and as subversive as a cup of tea, although not my cup of tea.

Unfortunately I only managed to catch half of Ingeborg Selnes who played next. It sounded quite good, she's a very charming and quirky singer songwriter. I'm definitely going to try and see her properly today or tomorrow.

My hasty departure from Selnes's gig was due to trying to see Swedish band Parken at Fisk & Vilt. I'm not too familiar with how Parken looks but I think it's a blonde Swedish guy (not too many of them in these parts, right?). So when I got to the venue and saw such a man with a guitar I assumed I was in for a Parken gig. Imagine my surprise when the blonde man started singing in English. It wasn't Parken, but Robert Svensson! Someone had change the bill without telling! Shame on them! Robert Svensson was ok, but I was quite disappointed with not seeing Parken so I couldn't really pay him enough attention. This is where my Swedish part of the night started.

Second Swedish act of the night was Juvelen who played at the lovely Stratos that is situated on the 11th floor of a building with a great view of Oslo (that also has an outdoor part, which makes the venue very popular with smokers and others alike). I've seen Juvelen once before, then it was just him with an electric guitar. This time he had two band members with him, which proved to be much to his advantage, he appeared more comfortable and the sound was far richer than at his solo show. I'm crazy about Juvelen's Prince sounding music so seeing him at this picturesque place was a real treat!

After Juvelen it was back to the mess of a bill at Fisk & Vilt. Far och Son was meant to play, but when I got there The Fine Arts Showcase were setting up their gear. Far och Son was pretty much one of the bands I wanted to see the most at by:Larm, cue similar disappointment as at previous Robert Svensson gig – and despite TFAS having a bunch of great songs, I couldn't really get into it.

At this stage my original plan was in tatters, I had intended to see Jenny Wilson after Far och Son's nonexistent previous performance, but oddly enough they were scheduled to play at Stratos straight after their Fisk & Vilt show. The temptation to see Far och Son at Stratos was just way too much for my intoxicated mind, so this is where I went, and I'm very glad I did. Far och Son rap in Swedish, over fast electro-like pumping beats. Their fun show (especially their phenomenal single "Panik") really got the crowd moving and it was a great way to end my first night in Oslo.

Ok, the night didn't really end there, I managed to go to the Dagblad tent for more drinks, then back to Fisk & Vilt for further refreshments, only to catch the last half of Far och Son doing another show. I enjoyed my first day at by:Larm immensely and now I've got two more to go. Woop! Woop!

Words and (amateur) pictures by Simon Tagestam

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. Fuck Buttons - Street horrrsing

02. Parken - Länge leve parken

03. James Yorkston - When the haar rolls in

04. Bon Iver - For Emma, forever ago

05. Cat Power - Jukebox

06. Mogwai - The hawk is howling

07. Li'l Wayne - Da Carter III

08. Justus Köhncke - Safe and sound

09. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes

10. St Thomas - Memory box set

---------------------------
Besides moving to southern Sweden, Thomas Denver Jonsson is currently working on his fourth album "Arctic", due out sometime in the next year or two. Also, keep an eye out for the new EP "Swim, swam, swan" from The Topeka Twins, his duo with Björn Kleinhenz, which will be available both as a free download and a limited edition CD in the very near future.
www.thomasdenver.com
www.myspace.com/thomasdenverjonsson

01. Tomas Halberstad - Travel as I wait
02. TALK 1
03. Robert Svensson - 1991
04. Auton - El Dorado
05. Parken - Jag har varit vilsen, Lisa
06. TALK 2
07. Tiger Lou - Trust falls
08. Promise and the Monster - Night out
09. Park Hotell - Black hole
10. TALK 3
11. Sort Sol - Excalibur
12. Convoj - The shovel
13. Satyricon - Black crow on a tombstone
14. On Volcano - Out of sight
15. TALK 4
16. Hello Saferide - Anna
17. Him Kerosene - Ventilate
18. Tobias Hellkvist - Ships of the North Atlantic
19. TALK 5
20. Division of Laura Lee - LAX
21. Oskar Schönning - Nino casino
22. Haust - Success
23. TALK 6
24. Passiv Dödshjälp - Helvetet, tur och retur

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 - Birds fly away
02. TALK 1
03. Nitad - Pengaproblem
04. Parken - Jar har varit vilsen, Lisa
05. Hello Saferide - Anna
06. Alouatta - Animal
07. TALK 2
08. Bloodbath - At the behest of their death
09. Anders Teglund - I whisper, he lives
10. Familjen - Huvudet i sanden (ft. Adam Tensta)
11. TALK 3
12. Mikko Singh - Laodi majra
13. They Live - My favorite color is gold
14. Massgrav - Vuxenliv
15. Snøras - Lucid river
16. TALK 4
17. Lassus - Tummen upp
18. BJ Nielsen - Tummen upp
19. Ass - Tummen upp
20. The LK - Tummen upp
21. TALK 5
22. Quagmire - I've got a gun and I'm... afraid to use it

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

01. Hello Saferide
02. Frida Hyvönen
03. Håkan Hellström
04. Detektivbyrån
05. Familjen
06. Vapnet
07. Christian Kjellvander
08. David & the Citizens
09. Parken
10. Jens Lekman

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/

Our train arrived Thursday afternoon and were whisked away to the Rockparty HQ for a quick seminar and a whirlwind tour of the Swedish Rock Arkiv (something I would love to revisit when I have more time). Unfortunately, these meetings meant missing the first acts of the festival: Anti-Flag, Markus Krunegård and Parken. Once we finally made it to the festival grounds, I decided to take it easy and start off slow by catching up with old friends such as the dudes from Dagensskiva before watching my first band of the day, Shiloh. And what a great start that was! Pure over-the-top melodrama in fine Svenska tradition. Not many bands can pull that off convincingly, but Shiloh has the exact attitude to make it work. Kudos!

After retreating back to the backstage bar area, we were treated to an encore performance by the adorable Little Marbles, which was cute (are they old enough to be back here, I wondered), but otherwise unexceptional. I'm not sure if they're a band better suited to their peers or what, but it's not for me.

There's a ton of other worthwhile acts I probably should've checked out after that, but again I opted for socialization over the foreign imports and mediocre hip-hop (ie, Adam Tensta and Lazee). No, I decided to wait it out for Familjen at 1:30am and I'm glad I did because it was worth it. Now that was a proper finish for day 1: bright lights and dancing until the sun started to rise in the wee hours. I couldn't quite muster the stamina to catch Özgur Can at quarter-till 3, but I assume it was great. Uh, maybe next time?

Day 2 started off fairly similar to the first. Early (relatively) seminars at Rockparty HQ followed by a tardy festival arrival. Sorry to Palpitation, Raised Fist and The Process; you were on my to-see list, but it wasn't meant to be. Instead, my first act of the day was Billie the Vision and the Dancers. I can't say that I'm that big of a fan to be honest, but they are awfully charming in-person and the packed Teater crowd was loving every minute. Undeniably fun, I must admit. Up next: Säkert!. The band opened the big stage Hawaii and attempted to recreate a living room atmosphere on stage, but it ended up kind of pathetic compared to The Hives' massive neon backdrop which would fill the stage later that evening. Still, the band gave it their all and sounded great. A guest spot from Markus Krunegård and the now-traditional encore of The Wannadies' "My hometown" på Svenska ("Min hemstad") were bonus for those who stuck it out.

Timo Räisänen, on the other hand, had no trouble getting the crowd riled up with a powerhouse lineup that included two drummers. I forget that he used to be a lead guitarist before striking out on his own, so his heroics were all the more surprising and impressive. Maybe not quite my favorite act of the fest, but a strong contender. (also worth noting, this quip which I only caught half of at the time)

A short beer-break later and it was time for the aforementioned Hives to take the stage and show everyone what it takes to a headliner act. Having seen them wow a festival audience before, their usual shtick was comforting and familiar and entertaining as always, so it wasn't until they covered "(Gotta get some action) Now!" by The Hellacopters that my excitement level was peaked. I expected complacent consistency, but that was something special.

Looptroop Rockers were next on my list and they brought a set full of hits, but had a hard time holding my attention. Instead, I found that Afasi & Filthy put on a much better show later that evening at the Teater stage. They weren't an act I expected to catch, so file that one under pleasant surprises. I'm very glad I let my friends drag me along to see them.

Unfortunately, I didn't have time to catch more than three songs from Witchcraft, but what little I did see was awesome. It also marked the first (and last) time I smelled dope at the fest, something that seemed very appropriate considering their heavy stonerrock sound. No, three songs were all I had time for as my presence was required at Pampas for Mustasch, an absolute must-see band I've wanted to catch for a long, long time. People tell me it wasn't their best performance, but whatever it was, I was plenty satisfied. Nice Hasselhoff altar dudes!

Day 3 was far more relaxed than the previous two. No rushing off to seminars, just an easy morning catching up on email and the like before strolling over around mid-afternoo to catch Ane Brun who, I must say, sounded marvelous. I can imagine that she'd be absolutely stunning in a proper theater-type venue, but the Pampas stage was still a nice start for my 3rd and final day of the fest. What a great backing band too! I slipped away after a bit to see a few songs from Herbrightskies, but quickly discovered that was a terrible idea, so it was back to the backstage bar until The Deer Tracks took over Stora Dans. Now this was what I wanted to see: a small band with no expectations who ended up totally flooring me. The core duo of David and Elin was augmented by a small ensemble and the fullness of their sound was amazing. Really looking forward to their new album when it finally comes out now - this is a band to watch out for.

Heeding the advice of IAT contributor Nancy, I made my way across the festival grounds to Atlantis for Miss Li who proved to be every bit as charming as I had hoped. It's worth noting that she held on to her sizable audience even after the football game started also! Firefox AK fared reasonably well too, despite said game. The band might tell you different considering the various technical problems they encountered, but I found the show to be great -- even better than the intimate gig I attended at Kafé 44 earlier in the week. Everything came together in just the right way as far as I was concerned.

After watching lots of dudes get very upset due to Team Sverige's loss (I watched the viewers more than the game), I caught a bit of Those Dancing Days, a band with far more moxie than actual talent for the time being. I don't wish them ill, I just hope they are able to persevere long enough to get good because I think they have the potential. Following that, I took a break and eventually wandered over to catch Denmark's The Blue Foundation, but after waiting 30 minutes with no show, I gave up. You blew it guys.

Otherwise, forget Lykke Li -- she'll tour the US again -- next on my agenda was Håkan Hellström, the one artist I absolutely knew I had see! I made sure I placed myself among the throng for the full fan experience and was rewarded justly. The man is a great entertainer with a great band and he put on a fantastic show. As I said on my blog report, the encore probably should've ended with "Kom igen Lena", but I still walked away more than happy. That was the Swedish festival experience I came for and I didn't dare taint it with any more bands so with that I said goodnight! Back to the bar for final farewells and well-wishing. Until next year?