This week's Last.fm chart

Here is the It's a Trap! listening group top 10 artists of the week, unique to our group:

01. El Perro del Mar
02. Håkan Hellström
03. Loney, Dear
04. Jenny Wilson
05. Detektivbyrån
06. Bob Hund
07. Sahara Hotnights
08. Kleerup
09. Camera Obscura
10. Hello Saferide

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/

This week's Last.fm chart

Here is the It's a Trap! listening group top 10 artists of the week, unique to our group:

01. Loney, Dear
02. A Camp
03. Jens Lekman
04. Bob Hund
05. Maia Hirasawa
06. Jenny Wilson
07. Frida Hyvönen
08. Sahara Hotnights
09. The Hidden Cameras
10. Fever Ray

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/

This week's top 20 Swedish album chart

This week's top 20 Swedish album chart:

01. Caroline Af Ugglas - Så gör jag det igen
02. Malmö Opera Kör & Orkester - Jesus Christ superstar
03. Larz Kristerz - Hem till dig
04. Alcazar - Disco defenders
05. E.M.D. - A state of mind - deluxe
06. Lisa Ekdahl - Give me that slow knowing smile
07. Thåström - Kärlek är för dom
08. H.E.A.T - Heat (bonus spår)
09. Agnes - Dance love pop - The love love love edition
10. BWO - Big science
11. Miss Li - Dancing the whole way home
12. Maia Hirasawa - GBGvsSTHLM
13. Måns Zelmerlöw - MZW
14. Veronica Maggio - Och vinnaren är...
15. Kevin Borg - The beginning
16. Hammerfall - No sacrifice, no victory
17. Sofia Karlsson - Söder om kärleken
18. Hello Saferide - More modern short stories from Hello Saferide
19. Sahara Hotnights - Sparks
20. Kent - Kent box 1991-2008

Stream Two White Horses

Two White Horses are now streaming their entire new record at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/2whitehorses
The self-titled debut is officially released on April 1 via Sahara Hotnights' label Stand By Your Band.

MP3: Sahara Hotnights - Quite a feeling

Hard to believe this came out 10 years ago already. Sahara Hotnights have come a long way as a band, but they'll never recapture the vibe that made their debut so special. There's a freshness and an energy to it that's impossible to fake, impossible to resurrect. In many ways they're a better band nowadays - better musicians, better pop craftsmen and so on -- but here, at their rawest, more premature stage, you knew they had something and that's why they blew up almost immediately. Of course, being a band of attractive females didn't hurt either though I'd argue it was hardly crucial to their success. They're a great band; always have been and still are.

Sahara Hotnights - Quite a feeling

This week's top 20 Swedish album chart

This week's top 20 Swedish album chart:

01. Thåström - Kärlek är för dom
02. Larz Kristerz - Hem till dig
03. Sofia Karlsson - Söder om kärleken
04. Kevin Borg - The beginning
05. Alcazar - Disco defenders
06. Zillah & Totte - Det låter apa
07. Olle Ljungström - Sju
08. Hammerfall - No sacrifice, no victory
09. H.E.A.T - Heat (bonus spår)
10. Jill Johnson - Baby blue paper
11. Veronica Maggio - Och vinnaren är...
12. Mikael Wiehe - Sånger från en inställd skilsmässa
13. A Camp - Colonia
14. Takida - Bury the lies
15. Mando Diao - Give me fire!
16. Laleh - Me and Simon
17. Bengt Hennings - Låt kärleken slå till
18. Perssons Pack - Öster om heden
19. Sahara Hotnights - Sparks
20. Jenny Wilson - Hardships!

This week's top 20 Swedish album chart

This week's top 20 Swedish album chart:

01. Larz Kristerz - Hem till dig
02. Kevin Borg - The beginning
03. Sofia Karlsson - Söder om kärleken
04. Olle Ljungström - Sju
05. Hammerfall - No sacrifice, no victory
06. Zillah & Totte - Det låter apa
07. Sahara Hotnights - Sparks
08. Bengt Hennings - Låt kärleken slå till
09. Perssons Pack - Öster om heden
10. Jenny Wilson - Hardships!
11. Laleh - Me and Simon
12. Veronica Maggio - Och vinnaren är...
13. Mando Diao - Give me fire!
14. CC & Lee - Gåva till dig
15. Anna Ternheim - Leaving on a mayday
16. Takida - Bury the lies
17. A Camp - Colonia
18. Kim - Kim
19. Jill Johnson - Baby blue paper
20. Freddie Wadling - The dark flower (den mörka blomman)

This week's Last.fm chart

Here is the It's a Trap! listening group top 10 artists of the week, unique to our group:

01. Hello Saferide
02. A Camp
03. Frida Hyvönen
04. Håkan Hellström
05. Sahara Hotnights
06. Montt Mardié
07. Tiger Lou
08. The Soundtrack of Our Lives
09. Loney, Dear
10. Isolation Years

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/

This week's top 20 Swedish album chart

This week's top 20 Swedish album chart:

01. Larz Kristerz - Hem till dig
02. Hammerfall - No sacrifice, no victory
03. Sahara Hotnights - Sparks
04. Perssons Pack - Öster om heden
05. Jenny Wilson - Hardships!
06. Scotts - På vårt sätt
07. CC & Lee - Gåva till dig
08. Bengt Hennings - Låt kärleken slå till
09. Mando Diao - Give me fire!
10. Zillah & Totte - Det låter apa
11. Laleh - Me and Simon
12. Janet Leon - Janet
13. Veronica Maggio - Och vinnaren är...
14. Anna Ternheim - Leaving on a mayday
15. Kim - Kim
16. Mikael Wiehe - Sånger från en inställd skilsmässa
17. A Camp - Colonia
18. Dia Psalma - Re voltere
19. Takida - Bury the lies
20. Freddie Wadling - The dark flower (den mörka blomman)

This week's Last.fm chart

Here is the It's a Trap! listening group top 10 artists of the week, unique to our group:

01. A Camp
02. Jenny Wilson
03. Frida Hyvönen
04. The Bear Quartet
05. Fever Ray
06. Shout Out Louds
07. The Concretes
08. Jonathan Johansson
09. Phoenix
10. Sahara Hotnights

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/

Sahara Hotnights 'Sparks' now streaming

Sahara Hotnights' new covers album "Sparks" is streaming at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/saharahotnights

'Sparks' tracklist revealed

Finally, the tracklist for Sahara Hotnights' new cover album "Sparks":

01. Wide river (Steve Miller Band)
02. In private (Dusty Springfield)
03. Big me (Foo Fighters)
04. Mess around (Redd Kross)
05. Japanese boy (Aneka)
06. City of brotherly love (Cass Mcombs)
07. Calm down (Birdy)
08. Love will never do without you (Janet Jackson)
09. If you can't give me love (Suzi Quattro)
10. Be forwarned (Pentagram)

Very weird for me to see them covering Cass - we grew up in the same town and has overlapping social circles.

New Sahara Hotnights album gets title, release date

The new Sahara Hotnights album "Sparks" is officially confirmed for release on February 25.

Timo Räisänen
...And then there was Timo
Razzia Records

I lost all hope for Timo Räisänen when the album "Love will turn you around" was released. So when I heard about "...And then there was Timo", a cover album on top of everything, I was not too excited. After hearing it later at a friend's house I realized I'd made a big mistake. This is the old Timo, the "Lovers are lonely"-Timo singing covers with his old original sound that on this record has made room for a more distinct guitar tone. The covers are not perfect and even painful at times compared to the originals. An example is when he sings AC/DC's "You shook me all night long" with his high-pitched and vibrant voice. On the whole though, Timo does a pretty good job when he takes on artists like Whitney Houston, Depeche Mode, Sahara Hotnights and even Josh Groban. But the fact that it is a cover album and the difference between the originals compared to the covers does not really affect me. What really gets to me is the sound of Timo, who makes the songs his own. Timo is still not as good as he used to be and maybe he shouldn't cover AC/DC, but I still get the feeling that the old Timo is there. The Timo who does not sing songs like "My valentine" and stays within the indiepop frameset.
- Morten Frisch

Sahara Hotnights have posted their cover of Dusty Springfield's "In private" on myspace: http://www.myspace.com/saharahotnights