IT'S A TRAP! Scandinavian Music Journal

Slagsmålsklubben - Jake blood (video)

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 11:59:58 -0700

At long last, something new from Slagsmålsklubben. "Jake blood" is the first single from the group's upcoming album "The garage".

City - Du ser lycklig ut, tur för dig (video)

Thu, 16 Dec 2010 12:55:02 -0800

Finally, new music from City, the hyped duo of Björn Nilsson (Slagsmålsklubben) and Tommi Levin (The High Fives). Direct link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTZoAbTXqiY

City unveil debut EP

Mon, 12 Apr 2010 19:13:56 -0700

Swedish electropop duo City (feat. members from Slagsmålsklubben and The High Fives) will be releasing their debut EP in May called "Det var inte bättre förr det är bara sämre nu" and you can already preview a few tracks at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/citysweden

Discobelle presents Den Svenska Björnstammen

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:53:13 -0700

Discobelle has new music from Swedish bitpop act (and friends of Slagsmålsklubben) Svenska Björnstammen: http://www.discobelle.net/2009/06/12/svenska-bjornstammen/

MyFriends: City, Dear Derailed, Livaventura, Pure Faen, Sonic Ritual, Viisikko

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 17:54:51 -0800

Time to face facts: almost all music sucks. Or it's painfully mediocre at best. Lucky for you, I dig through the dregs each and every day to bring you the cream of the crap. It's an ugly job, but someone's gotta do it.

City

SOUNDS LIKE: Two dudes, one from Slagsmålsklubben and another from The High Fives, combine the best of both for pure electropop awesomeness.
HIGHLIGHTS: Fantisera
LINK: http://www.myspace.com/citysweden

Dear Derailed

SOUNDS LIKE: Upstart Swedes resurrecting the sounds of early emo/hardcore and mixing it up with late-90s Swedish indie. Maybe not as promising as the disappointingly non-prolific Voices Break the Silence, but definitely along the same lines.
HIGHLIGHTS: Feel me tremble
LINK: http://www.myspace.com/dearderailed

Livaventura

SOUNDS LIKE: Total Sonic Youth worship/indie noiserock out of Denmark. Their upcoming album "...And they slept with their eyes open" is/will be one of 2009's best new releases.
HIGHLIGHTS: Keep on driving, Connections
LINK: http://www.myspace.com/livaventura

Pure Faen

SOUNDS LIKE: Lunkheaded rock'n'roll ala The Dictators/The Ramones with the singalong choruses of the Toy Dolls. Perfect drinking music!
HIGHLIGHTS: Pure faen for faen, Hold kjeft
LINK: http://www.myspace.com/purefaen

Sonic Ritual

SOUNDS LIKE: Dirtball 70s rock played with punkrock intensity and aggression. There was a trend of this stuff 10 years ago or so, but it sounded like a put-on -- nowadays it seems far more natural for old men to play old-man rock.
HIGHLIGHTS: Take the edge off, Don't wanna feel alright
LINK: http://www.myspace.com/sonicritualofficial

Viisikko

SOUNDS LIKE: Raw hardcore sludge from the darkest recesses of Finland. If a band is worthy of doing a split with Hebosagil, you know they're good.
HIGHLIGHTS: All (both?) tracks are good
LINK: http://www.myspace.com/viisikko

New website for SMK

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 14:30:10 -0800

Slagsmålsklubben have a newly revamped website: http://smk.just.nu/

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:55:40 -0800

Swedish indie hip-hop crew Maskinen will be releasing their debut full-length on January 19. The group features Frej Larson from Slagsmålsklubben, Kihlen from Snook and duo Afasi & Filthy.

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 13:07:01 -0700

Discobelle has a new track from Timbuktu featuring guest spots from Supreme (Looptroop) and Frej (Slagsmålsklubben, Maskinen, Far & Son): http://www.discobelle.net/2008/10/30/timbuktu-ft-frej-supreme-%e2%80%93-6an/

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 13:46:23 -0700

Discobelle has a new track from Swedish duo Far & Son, apparently a new Hybris signing: http://www.discobelle.net/2008/10/12/far-son/
The group features Frej of Slagsmålsklubben/Maskinen and Simon Gärdenfors.

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 15:19:11 -0700

Slagsmålsklubben has confirmed a large batch of new tour dates:

04/17 - The MacBeth, London (UK)
04/19 - Camden Crawl Festival, London (UK)
04/21 - Durrr @ The End, London (UK)
04/22 - White Heat, London (UK)
05/09 - Rust, Köpenhamn (DK)
05/12 - Atomic Café, München (GER)
05/13 - La Casa 139, Milan (ITA)
05/15 - Paradiso, Amsterdam (NL)
05/16 - Play Festival, Hasselt (BEL)
05/17 - Ekko, Utrecht (NL)
05/18 - Rock City, Nottingham (UK) w/Hadouken
05/19 - Academy, Bristol (UK) w/Hadouken
05/21 - Electric Ballroom, London (UK) w/Hadouken
05/22 - Electric Ballroom, London (UK) w/Hadouken
05/24 - The Mill, Rayleigh (UK) w/Hadouken
06/07 - Spot festival, Aarhus (DK)
06/24 - Hovefestivalen, Tromøya (NOR)
07/01 - Roskilde festival, Roskilde (DK)
07/05 - Get Wild In The Country, Knebworth (UK)
07/31 - Emmabodafestivalen, Emmaboda (SWE)
08/02 - Audunbakken, Oslo (NOR)
09/05 - Bestival, Isle Of Wight (UK)

Festival report: by:Larm 2008

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0800

It's very early morning back in January when I get an email out of the blue inviting me to give a keynote talk at by:Larm as part of their seminar. My son, ever the astute observer, rags on me: "I can't believe you get PAID to go to Norway and listen to rock bands!" I can only say "neither can I, I only hope you'll be as lucky one day."

Wednesday

I arrive on a Wednesday morning. Not long thereafter, I'm in the main tent the night before the festival officially launches, overwhelmed by the 170 bands on the program and ready to overindulge.

First up are UK act The Kooks who play a short acoustic surprise set which is great fun, though I have to admit it's already faded into a hazy memory.

The Lionheart Brothers are next. They've got a lot of buzz amongst the Norwegians, who seem quite proud of their perceived UK success and great reviews. Their sound is much harder live than I'd expect and never manages to gel. At points their harmonies are so off-key, it makes me wince.

Tingsek follow doing their pretty whiteboy soul/reggae thing. He is a pretty boy, and he works it, and I have to admit that they play quite well even if it seems a bit too designed to make girls swoon. I didn't.

Last band I catch that night is Familjen, who doesn't disappoint with a super-energetic performance including a shirt that says "Det snurrar i min skalle" in dayglo letters that shine in the light. I'm told by someone who'd seen him a month ago that he's much better tonight, and I leave a little frustrated by the brevity of the half-hour set all acts are limited to, but feeling my faith in him is well-invested.

Thursday

There wasn't anyone I was eager to see this night. I start at the main tent, which seems to be the congregation area. Metal band Harpiks open and are truly awful (even some of the metal fans I talk with think so), though I will give them credit for being the first band I've ever seen use chainsaws on fire as instruments.

Then I wind up following others' recommendations. I see Je Suis Animal, who have pretty good buzz, but whom I find so bad, I walk out and go next door to the church where the tranquil acoustic people are performing. Liev Reed is in the middle of his set. He's got a lovely voice and is a terrific guitar player, but he's kind of boring and I'm getting sleepy.

I head back to DagA where Lukestar side project Truls & The Trees are on stage. You'd think that with 9 people on stage, they could make some noise, but they've got almost no energy and I am seriously unimpressed. I leave again for the church next door where I catch Oslo's Therese Aune who blows me away completely. She's a tiny and incredibly sweet humble looking little girl who pounds the piano and sings like a banshee - beautiful, powerful, moving, and completely original.

Then back to DagA where Benni Hemm Hemm offer up a performance that's very well received, even if I find them boring. Again, you'd think that many people could make more noise and offer more energy, but it's a highly competent if slightly cold and languid orchestral set. The final act of the night is Ungdomskulen who are very nice men, but whose "punk prog" music is definitely not for me and who are so loud that the vibrations make my stomach cramp, sending me home to bed.

Friday

By this point I'm a little concerned, 11 bands and only 2 that really impressed me. But fear not, from here out, it's one slice of heaven after another.

First up is The Fine Arts Showcase at Park Teatret. They're my favorite Swedish band and despite the bad sound quality, they don't disappoint, playing a set that includes a lot of "Radiola", the singles from "Sings Rough Bunnies", and a couple of new songs to boot. Gustaf dedicates my favorite of his songs "Brother in black" to me, and I'm thinking I could head back to Kansas content at that point.

Then I catch a couple of Looptroop Rockers songs at Sentrum Scene, but Swedish whiteboy hip-hop is just not for me and I leave in hopes of catching Katzenjammer, but they've just finished their set, so I head back to Sentrum Scene where I see Salem Al Fakir. He's got a happy energetic performance style, and though it's not my genre, it's well worth seeing and the crowd loves him.

Then it's off to the small club John Dee where Bergen girlband Miss Motor put on a very fun show of 3 minute pop-punk numbers. I'm beginning to suspect that the women are going to rule this conference, a sense that's confirmed when I see Miss Li next. She's amazing - so radiantly joyous that my friend's headache disappears along with my own fatigue, and we leave happy to our very cores.

I tried to see Lykke Li next since she's got so much buzz, even if I'm far less than sold on her, but the line is long so I pop back to Sentrum Scene and catch The Violent Years' last 2 songs which leaves me regretting that I didn't see it all. What I heard sounded a bit like they might be thinking "what worked for Madrugada might work for us," but hey, that's fine with me. I'll be investigating them further.

The night ends with a power performance by what might be the most-buzzed artist, Ida Maria, who is all energy and has the crowd eating out of her hand. She's very fun, but not really very original and most of her songs seem to be one lyric repeated over and over. She's really good but I'm unconvinced.

Oh yeah, during the day I gave my keynote which was very well received. I talked about online fan community - how the internet has transformed fandom and what that means for artists and labels.

Saturday

Now it's the last day and I'm starting to get really sad realizing this is going to end so soon. In the afternoon I'm invited for "a surprise adventure" for international delegates. A dozen of us are taken to Oslo's well-kept secret, Emmanuel Vigeland's mausoleum. He's the little brother of the guy who did the sculpture park and his life's work was to paint the entire inside of this brick inverted-U shaped building with paintings so similar to his brothers' sculptures, I wonder what happened in their childhood to give them such common issues. The building has the unusual acoustic quality that all sounds reverberate for 12 seconds. There are no windows, and by the light of 2 candles, folk singer Unni Løvlid gives us a gorgeous voice-only performance of traditional Norsk folk that gives new meaning to the term "drowned in sound," which is kind of ironic since moments later I find myself talking to the fellow Drowned In Sound has sent to cover by:Larm.

I'm on a panel about digital music later that afternoon that again goes well and I meet several great people and learn several cool things I didn't know before. Fellow panelist, Jone Nuutinen, from super-cool about-to-be-Europe's-biggest street team site Urbanited, easily takes the award for person-who-looks-most-like-a-rock-star even if he's not one.

Madrugada fan that I am, the first act I catch that night, at John Dee, is Charlotte and the Co-Stars, who Madrugada's Frode Jacobson is producing. I can see the connection and am favorably impressed and look forward to hearing the record that results.

Then I race a few blocks to catch I Was A King who I just missed the night before. They're really good and make me feel good about having bought their record on eMusic before coming.

Floored as I was, I then take my friend Marika to see Miss Li, who's now at a much bigger club with a much bigger but equally adoring audience. Once again, she lights up the room with her smile and I leave bouncing and completely enamored.

There's no one really exciting in the next time slot, so we take a chance on the horribly-named All That And A Bag of Chips. Despite the funny name and humorous t-shirts that say things like "The Bass" and "The Guitar" and "The Vocals" their sound has no humor at all, and they're ok, but not that good, so we leave and head to Mono.

There we catch Miss Motor again, who are equally fun the second time. They're followed by another badly-named band, Harry's Gym, which is fronted by the woman who plays guitar for I Was A King. She's a very compelling character with more pedals for guitar effects than I've ever seen except for the Wrens' Charles Bissell, and they're really good, but their songs are very similar to one another and I'm glad the set is only half an hour.

Then we head back to Sentrum Scene for Superfamily who turn out to be expat Americans (who knew?). The place is so crowded and I'm so short that I can't see for the first half. When I finally find a spot where I can see, I realize seeing them without SEEING them is missing the point entirely. They're a fun live act, that's for sure, but the songs are nothing special and I start thinking that it would have been better if the two dancing backup guys could actually dance as well as the people they're spoofing.

Now, alas, it's 1 in the morning and the festival is way too close to being over. I head up to the delegate-only club Stratos which is located on the top floor of the old opera house with a walk-around terrace. Someone offers me a glass of champagne, and I sip it, shivering, looking at the view and thinking that this is just about as good as it gets. Slagsmålsklubben give the final show and, just as Stacey promised when she told me I HAD to see them, they are extremely entertaining and danceable. It's a perfect end to a fantastic weekend.

Final analysis: Well planned, well organized, well run, and wonderful festival. If the best band is to be judged by who leaves you happily humming their songs and ready to buy their complete collection, the festival belongs to Miss Li, someone I'd never given a second thought beforehand and could easily have missed entirely (thank goodness my friend who'd seen her told me otherwise!). Oslo's a great city. 23 bands in 3 nights and only a few of them disappointing. It's one of the best weekends of my life.
- Nancy Baym

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 13:13:42 -0800

Friday Bridge is collaborating with Labrador artists The Sound of Arrows on their new album, due out in August. Friday Bridge will also be contributing the track "It girl" to volume two edition of the "Digital penetration" compilation series being put out by UK-based label Alt Delete Records. Other Scandinavians on said comp include Slagsmålsklubben and Ungdomskulen and you can get more details at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/altdelete

Thu, 27 Dec 2007 11:18:21 -0800

The final list of this year's Swedish Grammi nominees have been confirmed:

Best Album
Kent - Tillbaka Till Samtiden
Lars Winnerbäck - Daugava
Sahara Hotnights - What If Leaving Is A Loving Thing
Salem Al Fakir - This Is Who I Am
Säkert! - Säkert!

Best Dance/Hip-Hop/Soul
Adam Tensta - It's A Tensta Thing
Familjen - Det Snurrar I Min Skalle
Ken - Äntligen Hemma
Mange Schmidt - Känslan Kommer Tillbaks
Petter - God Damn It

Best Folk/Country
Abalone Dots - From A Safe Distance
Ale Möller - Band Djef Djel
Lars Demian - Välkommen Hit
Sofia Karlsson - Visor Från Vinden
Sven-Bertil Taube - Alderville Road - Ord & Toner Av Evert Taube

Best Group
Kent - Tillbaka Till Samtiden
Mando Diao - Never Seen The Light Of Day
Sahara Hotnights - What If Leaving Is A Loving Thing
The Ark - Prayer For The Weekend
The Hives - The Black And White Album

Best Hard-rock/Metal
Entombed - Serpent Saints
Hardcore Superstar - Dreamin' In A Casket
Lillasyster - Hjärndöd Musik För En Hjärndöd Generation
Mustasch - Latest Version Of The Truth
Takida - Bury The Lies

Best Jazz
Alice Babs Med Jan Johansson & Georg Riedels - Orkester Illusion
Bitter Funeral Beer Band W Don Cherry & K. Sridhar - Live In Frankfurt 82
E.S.T. - Live In Hamburg
Nils Landgren - Funk Unit Licence To Funk
Rigmor Gustafsson - Alone With You

Best Songwriter
Annika Norlin - Säkert!
Benny Andersson - Bao 3
Joakim Berg & Martin Sköld - Tillbaka Till Samtiden
Ola Salo - Prayer For The Weekend
Salem Al Fakir - This Is Who I Am

Best Female Artist
Anna Järvinen - Jag Fick Feeling
Laleh - Prinsessor
Miss Li - God Put A Rainbow In The Sky
Sonja Aldén - Till Dig
Säkert! - Säkert!

Best Live Act
Lars Winnerbäck
Lena PH & Orup
Takida
The Hives
Timbuktu

Best Song
Lars Winnerbäck & Miss Li - Om Du Lämnade Mig Nu
Mange Schmidt Feat. Petter - Giftig
Sahara Hotnights - Cheek To Cheek
Salem Al Fakir - Good Song
The Ark - The Worrying Kind

Best Male Artist
Lars Winnerbäck - Daugava
Moneybrother - Mount Pleasure
Måns Zelmerlöw - Stand By For…
Salem Al Fakir - This Is Who I Am
Timbuktu - Oberoendeframkallande

Best Newcomer
Adam Tensta - It's A Tensta Thing
Maia Hirasawa - Though, I'm Just Me
Oh Laura - A Song Inside My Head, A Demon In My Bed
Salem Al Fakir - This Is Who I Am
Säkert! - Säkert!

Best Producer
Benny Andersson - Bao 3
Björn Olsson - Never Seen The Light Of Day
Björn Yttling - Writer's Block & What If Leaving Is A Loving Thing
Jon Joshua Schuman & Kent - Tillbaka Till Samtiden
Salem Al Fakir - This Is Who I Am

Best Lyrics
Annika Norlin - Säkert!
Eva Dahlgren - Petroleum Och Tång
Jason Diakité - Oberoendeframkallande
Joakim Berg - Tillbaka Till Samtiden
Salem Al Fakir - This Is Who I Am

MTV-Prize for Best Video
Adam Tensta - My Cool (Dir: Marcus Lundin)
Familjen - Det Snurrar I Min Skalle (Dir: Johan Söderberg)
Kent - Ingenting (Dir: Mattias Montero/Adam Berg)
Slagsmålsklubben - Malmö Beach Night Party (Dir: Andreas Nilsson)
The Ark - Prayer For The Weekend (Dir: Magnus Renfors / Kindpeople)

Wed, 26 Dec 2007 12:34:54 -0800

Updated international tourdates for Slagsmålsklubben:

01/10 - Eurosonic, Groningen (NL)
01/12 - Paradiso, Amsterdam (NL)
02/06 - Carling Academy, Oxford (UK)
02/07 - The Fez, Reading (UK)
02/09 - Forum, Tunbridge Wells (UK)
02/10 - Concorde 2, Brighton (UK)
02/11 - Esquires, Bedford (UK)
02/12 - The Underground, Stoke (UK)
02/15 - Cockpit, Leeds (UK)
02/16 - Bar Academy, Birmingham (UK)
02/17 - Club Academy, Manchester (UK)
02/19 - Carling Academy 2, Newcastle (UK)
02/20 - King Tubs, Glasgow (UK)
02/21 - Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh (UK)
02/23 - By:Larm, Oslo (NOR)
02/24 - The Met, Petersborough (UK)
02/26 - Plug, Sheffield (UK)
02/27 - Soundhaus, Northampton (UK)
02/28 - ULU, London (UK)

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 12:29:30 -0800

New European dates for Slagsmålsklubben:

12/28 - Indie Rock Festival, Pescara (ITA)
12/29 - Bronson, Ravenna (ITA)
12/31 - Interzona, Verona (ITA)
02/06 - Carling Academy, Oxford (UK)
02/07 - The Fez, Reading (UK)
02/09 - Forum, Tunbridge Wells (UK)

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 11:40:28 -0800

The final batch of Swedish acts confirmed for the next Eurosonic Festival: Wildbirds & Peacedrums, Familjen, Hyacinth House, Slagsmålsklubben, Kleerup and Robyn. More info: http://www.noorderslag.nl/

Fri, 19 Oct 2007 15:00:12 -0700

Slagsmålsklubben on tour in the UK:

12/06 - Amersham Arms, London
12/07 - The Monto @ Water Rats, London
12/09 - Old Blue Last, London

Tue, 03 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0700

Slagsmålsklubben's most recent, and generally underwhelming, album "Boss for leader" will get a digital release in the US on August 7 via Caroline Records/EMI.

Slagsmålsklubben Boss for leader Djur and Mir/Dolores

Wed, 06 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0700

This is not the impression I have of those prankters in Slagsmålsklubben. Frej and Co. always equals party-startin' and joyful madness! Or they used to at least. "Boss for leader" shows a much darker and stern side of the lads originally from Norrköping, Östergötland. Although "Hänt" and "Malmö beach night party" resembles somewhat of the 'old' Slagsmålsklubben (with hits like "Övningsköra", "Wellington Sears" and "SMK hittar munspelet", all taken from "Den svenske disco", a great album), "Boss for leader" never really becomes that great album I'd hoped for. And that's a shame, since this was going to be their big introduction to the masses. "Boss for leader" just ain't a fair representation of the band. Not that I think the hardcore fans will ever care, to them (and me) Slagsmålsklubben will always be the band to start up parties and "Övningsköra" will always be the song on max volume on everybodys boombox on every festival you go to.

Wed, 30 May 2007 00:00:00 -0700

The new single from Slagsmålsklubben will be "Sponsored by destiny" and will include a remix from Tomas Andersson as the b-side. It will be released digitally-only.

Thu, 19 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0700

This week's top 20 Swedish album chart:

01. The Ark - Prayer for the weekend
02. Sofia Karlsson - Visor från vinden
03. Slagsmålsklubben - Boss for leader
04. Eldkvarn - Svart blogg
05. Jerry Williams - I can jive - Det bästa med Jerry Williams
06. Markoolio - Värsta Plattan
07. Nanne - Jag måste kyssa dig
08. Marie Lindberg - Trying to recall
09. Salem Al Fakir - This is who I am
10. Timbuktu - Oberoendeframkallande
11. Andreas Johnson - The collector
12. Sällskapet - Sällskapet
14. Sophie Zelmani - Memory loves you
15. Svante Thuresson - Svante Thuresson & vänner
16. Mauro Scocco - Ljudet av tiden som går
17. Maia Hirasawa - Though, I'm just me
18. Ingmar Nordströms - Ingmar Nordströms Saxpartyfavoriter
19. Lena Philipsson - Lena 20 år
20. Björn Rosenström - Ett Jubileum som är sådär....10 1/2 år

Tue, 10 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0700

Salem Al Fakir and Slagsmålsklubben to perform live on the web. Read more: http://www.luger.se/_nyheter.asp?PK_Id=734 (in Swedish)

Mon, 05 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0800

Swedish lo-fi electro act Slagsmålsklubben has revamped their website now that their new single "Malmö Beach night party" is out and a new album is on the way: http://smk.just.nu/

Fri, 09 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0800

Dolores has signed bitpop pranksters Slagsmålsklubben. Look for a new album on April 11.

Tue, 09 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0800

The nominees for the 2007 Manifest Awards, Sweden's alternative to the Grammy:

Hip-hop/R&B/Soul:
Up Hygh! - Venus - The Album (Raw Fusion/Border)
Ison & Fille - Stolthet (Hemmalaget/V2/BAM)
Supersci - Pinetrees On The Pavement (Flyphonic/Lights Out/Border)
Lazee - It Is What It Is (Skrilla Music)
Promoe - The White Mans Burden (Burning Heart/BAM)
Electronica/Post-rock/Synth:
Covenant - Skyshaper (Subspace Communications/Playground Music)
Ebb - Loona (Gaymonkey Records/Border)
FAP - Malekasino Dondolo (Stupid Dream Records/Musicspot)
System - Sample And Hold (Progress Productions/Border)
The Idealist - I Am The Fire (AA/Nosordo/dotshop.se)
Pop/Rock:
The Radio Dept. - Pet grief (Labrador/Border)
Nicolas Makelberge - Dying in Africa (*Rico/Border)
Fibes, Oh Fibes! - Emotional (Pluxemburg/Playground Music)
The Concretes - In Colour (Licking Fingers/Playground Music)
Ebba Forsberg - Ebba Forsberg (EBOTH Production/BAM)
Jazz:
My Engström Renman - Abdominous (Footprint Records/CDA)
Jonas Kullhammar Quartet - Son of a Drummer (Moserobie/BAM)
Oddjob – Luma (Amigo/BAM)
Oskar Schönning - Happy Jazz, Please (Amigo/BAM)
Lennart Åberg with Peter Erskine - Free Spirit (Amigo/BAM)
Singer/Songwriter:
Andreas Mattsson - The Lawlessness Of The Ruling Classes (Hybris/Playground Music)
Britta Persson - Top Quality Bones And A Little Terrorist (Amigo/BAM)
The Lancaster Orchestra - Never Cried Once When I Could Have (Rootsy.nu/Border)
Loney, Dear - Sologne (Dear John Recordings/Dotshop.se)
Nina Ramsby & Martin Hederos - Jazzen (Amigo/BAM)
Dance/House/Techno:
The Knife - Silent Shout (Rabid Records/Border)
Unai - A Love Moderne (Force Tracks/Intergroove)
Dibaba - samlad produktion 2006 (Plong!/Kompakt mfl)
Pluxus - Solid State (Pluxemburg/Playground Music)
The Studio - West Coast (Information/Border)
Hard-rock/Punk:
In Flames - Come Clarity (Nuclear Blast/Sound Pollution)
Fingerspitzengefühl - Happy Doomsday (Kooljunk Communications/CDA)
Asta Kask - En För Alla Ingen För Nån (Burning Heart/BAM)
Wolverine - Still (Candlelight Records/Sound Pollution)
Memfis - The Wind-Up (Dental Records/TMC Nordic)
Folk/World/Reggae
Bosse Skoglund – Groovesopor (Rub-a-dub Records/Border)
Göran Månsson - Mon (Nordic Tunes/CDA)
Bebo Valdés – Bebo (Calle 54/BMG Dist)
Lena Willemark - Älvdalens elektriska (Amigo/BAM)
Ranarim - Morgonstjärna (Drone/CDA)
Best live act:
The Radio Dept.
Mapei
The Knife
The Je Ne Sais Quoi
Slagsmålsklubben
Best newcomer:
Vapnet - Jag Vet Hur Man Väntar (Hybris/Playground)
Britta Persson - Top Quality Bones And A Little Terrorist (Amigo/BAM)
The Kid - La Société Nouvelle (Hybris/Playground)
Loney, Dear - Sologne (Dear John Recordings/Dotshop.se)
Lo-Fi-Fnk - Boylife (La Vida Locash/dotshop.se)
Best unsigned act (Digfi Prize):
The Wonderful Guinea Pigs (Linköping)
Denver Mod (Jönköping)
The Open Up And Bleeds (Stockholm)
Trucker Cleavage (Stockholm)
Ikons (Göteborg)

Live report: David & The Citizens + Laakso @ the Social, London UK 12/11/06

Sat, 16 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0800

The events leading up to this month's T!T!T! almost threatened to overshadow the gig itself. 'Piegate' was an issue about treating bands from overseas with a good healthy square meal before taking to the stage. English promoters have a reputation overseas for giving bands a raw deal. We want to buck the trend and, after a lot of feet-stamping and shouting, we got our way.

While both of the artist's playing December's T!T!T! cannot lay claim to being new or hyped, they are both seasoned & professional acts who can draw large audiences in capital cities all over Europe. It was actually at a David & The Citizens gig that I first met Jason, almost three years ago to the day.

The love-in and comraderie continued with the re-acquaintance of Pipettes backing band members Jon + Seb Falcone with David & The Citizens. Both camps originally met up at the T!T!T! curated afternoon at the Citizens tent at last summer's Emmaboda festival. The Falcone brothers acted as guest jocks on the night and kept the crowd moving the between the bands, rinsing the likes of Jenny Wilson and Slagsmålsklubben.

The Citizens were the band first on and delved into both their back catalogue as well as playing tracks from the new "Stop the tape! Stop the tape!" album. Magnus made the most of the cramped surroundings by climbing onto a punter's table to really give his brass instrument some welly. The indie-Taliban down the front responded in the requisite style: they went mental.

Laakso's set acted as an end-of-tour party. The band had just come off the road, fresh from supporting Peter Bjorn and John. Singer Markus Krunegård made sure to acknowledge all the Swedish au pairs in the house. Maybe Swedish au pairs aren't that prevalent in London anymore. "But you all work in shoe shops now..." he assessed. Anyway, we won't question his judgement. Laakso played with an unbelievable amount of energy with sweat dripping from Krunegård' brow whilst David Nygård's head threatened to remove itself from his body, such was the intensity of his backing vocals on the likes of "In my blood", or "Drop out" (a new song set to feature on their third album). The band didn't play any of their well-documented Finnish versions of their catalogue. Not sure if the girl who was waving a Finnish flag for the duration of their set was disappointed, but the rest of us certainly weren't.
- Nick Levine

Thu, 07 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0800

Swedish lo-fi electropop act Slagsmålsklubben is working on wrapping up a new album for release in late March.

Video mix: Superfamily, Bobby Baby, Slagsmålsklubben, Robyn, Turbonegro, more...

Thu, 07 Sep 2006 00:00:00 -0700

Superfamily - It's a lie
If there's any justice in the world, this band should be HUGE on the basis of this video. I swear I've watched it at least a dozen times this past week, barely able to contain my enthusiasm. Thursday's video post seemed so far away when I first saw it late last week and it took every fiber of my being to hold off on posting it until now. Be sure to check out their equally great song and video "Taxi dancing" as well. (AR)

Bobby Baby - Goodbye love
So sweet, so sad, so lovely! I never thought a cartoon dog would make me weepy. Definitely adds another dimension to an already beautiful song. (SS)

David & the Citizens - Something, not sunlight (Live Malmö)
A masterpiece song transferred to guitar and played live one week ago. The power of the digital media – I feel old. This song feels fresher than ever. (JC)

Slagsmålsklubben - Övningsköra
A disco dance demonstration by two hott middle-aged scenesters. Need I say more? (SS)

Goodnight Monsters - 20 fingers, 20 toes
Not the offical video, but quite fantastic nevertheless. A bit like "South Park" but not as "refined". This is what Youtube should be for! Marvellous song too. (ST)

Robyn - Handle me
Who knew Robyn was so ghetto? Wow! (SS)

Turbonegro - Are you ready (for some darkness)
I've heard rumours that Turbonegro with their new album will get back to old form, which I guess is something like this. Less talk, more rock. (ST)

Enslaved - Path to Vanir
Yeah, it pretty much fulfills every black-metal stereotype - the corpsepaint, the band playing in the snow, the torches, uh... the bald Norwegian caveman weilding a club - but Enslaved still rules. They play up the imagery, but you can tell underneath it all that they are actually having fun. Believe it or not, the band actually smiles onstage. I swear to you I've seen it with my own eyes! (AR)

.:Who's who?

JC: Jason Christie
AR: Avi Roig
SS: Stacey Shackford
ST: Simon Tagestam

Thu, 31 Aug 2006 00:00:00 -0700

The good people at Djur and Mir want me to inform you that their new webstore is open for all your Slagsmålsklubben and 50hertz merch needs: http://www.djurandmir.se/
Listen to samples of both bands on myspace: www.myspace.com/slagsmalsklubben / http://www.myspace.com/50hertz

Thu, 23 Mar 2006 00:00:00 -0800

Longtime IAT favorites Desert Planet will be touring Germany in May and have posted a brand new mp3 to whet your appetite: http://personal.inet.fi/taide/junttila/desert/tourmay06/index.htm
Dates:

05/11 - Grüner Jäger, Hamburg w/Naomi Sample, The Go Go Ghosts
05/13 - Treibsand, Lübeck w/Räuberhöhle
05/14 - Asta-Wohnzimmer, Lüneburg w/Naomi Sample, The Go Go Ghosts
05/17 - Das Bett, Frankfurt/M
05/18 - K-19, Kassel
05/19 - Bastard Club, Berlin w/Slagsmålsklubben, Überraschungsact
05/20 - Popup Musikmesse, Leipzig

Thu, 08 Sep 2005 00:00:00 -0700

Slagsmålsklubben has a new webforum: http://www.slagsmalsklubben.se/

Festival report: Emmaboda Festival 05

Mon, 22 Aug 2005 00:00:00 -0700

The path to get here was long and hard. I hard originally planned to come with a good friend who pulled out. However, his subsequent cancellation made me all the more determined to make it out here. The Emmaboda Festival looked appealing as 90% of the bands on the bill had never played the UK before, plus there was a cheap(ish) hotel within a 20 minute walk of the site.

The first day of the festival opened with Band Of Joy. They're one of those groups that do exactly what it says on the tin. Instrumental gypsy party in this case. All sorts of crazy dancing ensued from stylish characters. These included one guy who wore a matching outfit of an incredibly light shade of pink, and another guy who dressed up in a full suit who danced like Elvis in his prime. After that it was off to the smaller stage to see Gaddan & Braxen. The group makes what Swedes call "Nintendo music." It's fairly inoffensive and there are a lot of bands who do that kind of thing better, notably Slagsmalsklubben who played on Friday. Slagsmalsklubben are lead by a chic geek with a curly afro and huge glasses. He dances incessantly, and the crowd are only too happy to mimmick him. SMK took me back to the early 90s and reminded me of a whole lot of forgotten euro pop bands who used to grace MTV's European Top Twenty.

Another of the best bands on the Friday were Lovekevins. To my knowledge this Swedish band are still unsigned. They came across like a slightly more shambolic version of the Lucksmiths, with beautiful songwriting at the core of their sound. They were shortly followed by the all female Rough Bunnies who are a modern take on Beat Happening. Apparently, they are also unsigned. After hearing so much it was greatly to finally get a chance to see the Detroit-based Saturday Looks Good To Me, who were a bluesier take on Motown. Interestingly, the band are relatively unknown outside of Scandinavia. I was annoyed to miss Springfactory, who I later found out feature a member of Suburban Kids With Biblical Names.

The final day started with Three Is A Crowd (TIAC). I must say that this band were a bit of a disappointment. They do that indie/dance crossover thing. "We fucked up" is a gem, but the rest of the set didn't live up to this song. Still, full marks for the matching brown tracksuit tops. Mixtapes & Cellmates are like a slightly more lo-fi version of Radio Dept. The drum machine sounded great. Not sure if these guys are signed. If so, surely this can't be the case for much longer? Over on the main stage Frida Hyvönen was a little disappointing. As good as she was, her songs lacked variation. Her lyrics and style are a bit kooky. I guess she's the closest Sweden has to Kate Bush. Jens Lekman gave one of the best performances of the festival. It's quite amusing that his whole band is made up of female members. The selection of songs he played was reasonably obscure, taking in just a handful of the tracks from "When I said I wanted to be your dog", a few songs from his EPs, and a couple I hadn't heard before. It's a mystery to me why he isn't better known in the UK.

The quality of the artists booked at Emmaboda is a testament to the promoters and organisers. Shortly after arriving at the festival, it soon became obvious that most of the crowd had only heard of a handful of the artists playing. For example, take the Pipettes, the only UK artists who played. The band had never played outside of the UK previously, yet the promoters had the foresight to predict that they would go down a storm. They weren't wrong, and in fact The Pipettes gave one of the best received performances of the entire festival. Surely their twee take on Motown and polka dot dresses is now destined to take the rest of Sweden by storm.

One of the reasons I wanted to come out to Emmaboda in the first place is that Sweden is great at predicting musical trends. Whilst it is only in the last year or so that England and America has started to "get" synth pop, the genre has been huge in Sweden for a good few years, with Weeping Willows and Melody Club serving as just two examples. If pushed to predict the next musical trend to emerge from Sweden, I'd suggest indie pop. Whilst this genre is not new at all, it has been out of vogue for quite some time in the UK. However, in Sweden the success of the entire roster of Labrador Records (including the excellent South Ambulance who played on Saturday) suggests that the tide might be about to change. This is given greater weight when you consider that The Boy Least Likely To (a relatively small UK indie pop band with one self-released album to their name) have already been booked to play a handful of club dates in Sweden, whilst the Pipettes are booked to return in November. Roll on next year…
- Nick Levine

Sun, 10 Jul 2005 00:00:00 -0700

The people behind Swedish indie electronic act Slagsmålsklubben has started a new label Djur and Mir Records and kicked things off by signing themselves and friends 50 Hertz. Their first release will be a comp entitled "Yesterdjur, yestermir, yesterday" featuring what they describe as a "a youthful bunch of tracks made by the new generation of Swedish kids." They continue: "If you feel that you are locked behind a mainstream-door and curious about what is happening in basements and practicing rooms in the electro-pop parts of Sweden, then this is the key to your new lifestyle." A number of the acts set to appear on the disc include Grapefruit and Bodybuilding, Gäddan och Braxen, Häxor och Porr and a number of others who are appearing at this year's Emmaboda Festival. There will be two release parties as well, one in Malmö on July 22 and one in Stockholm the very next day. Both 50 Hertz and SMK will perform. Download a clip from the comp here: http://www.djurandmir.se/yesterdjurpromo.mp3
Check out a poster for the shows here: http://biphome.spray.se/hatahund/smk/poster.jpg

Mon, 16 May 2005 00:00:00 -0700

The winner of the SAMA/Swedish Alternative Music Awards were announced over the weekend:

Best Newcomer: Lowe
Best Club/Festival: Arvikafestivalen
Best Song: Slagsmålsklubben - His morning promenade
Best Album: Universal Poplab - Universal Poplab
Best Artist: Slagsmålsklubben

Fri, 04 Mar 2005 00:00:00 -0800

The tracklist for Johnny Bråttom's upcoming "Svensk Populärmusik Volym Tre" compilation has been revealed:

01. Björn Kleinhenz - Better company
02. [brus] feat. Gisela - Long flowering day
03. Double-O - Call of a lifetime
04. CDOASS - The correct use of failure
05. The Tiny - Lake
06. Loney, Dear - A few good men
07. Slagsmålsklubben - Supermaskinen
08. Richard Reagh & wwnb2 - Friends
09. Memoplay - Words are small
10. Lassus - Sunshine
11. Soul Supreme - Hit and run
12. Boy Omega - By midnight we'll give it a go
13. Britta Persson - You are the best
14. Talking to Teapots - Waiting for it all to end
15. Kubot - Go west
16. 50 Hertz - Chansen finns men är försvinnande liten
17. Zacke feat. Johnny Redskin - I ain't lyin'
18. Niccokick - Some don't make it through the haze
19. Pete Thompson - Our roads
20. Hans Appelqvist - Godnatt Bremort

It comes out in April.

Mon, 14 Feb 2005 00:00:00 -0800

Swedish lo-fi electropop act 50 Hertz will contribute a track to the upcoming Björk remix/cover album "Army of me", coming out later this month on her own One Little Indian Records will all proceeds from sales being donated to UNICEF. The tracklist was hand-picked by Björk herself, so they consider it a great privilege to be included. The selection will be billed "50 Hertz featuring Slagsmålsklubben and Häxor och Porr" as members from both bands contributed to the recording.

Fri, 11 Feb 2005 00:00:00 -0800

Slagsmålsklubben has a new website design: http://www.smk.just.nu/

Tue, 01 Feb 2005 00:00:00 -0800

Download the Slagsmålsklubben "Uppercurt" remix of the new Peter, Bjorn and John single "Tailormade": http://www.smalls.nu/pbj/uppercurt.mp3

Thu, 21 Oct 2004 00:00:00 -0700

Swedish lo-fi electronic act Slagsmålsklubben has announced that their second full-length "Sagan Om Konungens Årsinkomst" will be released on October 28 in a fancy digipack. Tracklist:

01. Terror Flynn Ok Ok
02. Erd Ist Froh
03. Smart Drag Mr Christer
04. Djur Don't Love MIR Yet
05. Kom Igen Kommissarien
06. BIB
07. Rakade Ögonbryn Ska Det Vara
08. Grovhuggen Kepsgubbe
09. Spring För Livet Gottegris
10. I Hennes Majestäts Hemliga Hatt
11. Alfons Dolphins
12. 1888 Franklin
13. His Morning Promenade

View the cover art here: http://biphome.spray.se/hatahund/smk/album_stor.jpg
The group will also be playing two record release shows, one in Norrköping at Republik on October 28 and one at Othfors in Malmö the following day.

Thu, 15 Jul 2004 00:00:00 -0700

Rockfoto.nu has posted new pics of Slagsmålsklubben and footage from Arvika Festival is on its way up right now.

Tue, 04 May 2004 00:00:00 -0700

New mp3 posted yesterday from Slagsmålsklubben. Along with Finland's Desert Planet, they're one of the many great synthpop groups out there revitalizing the sounds of old-school 8-bit electronica. Very recommended.Note: If you downloaded the track earlier, it might be an incomplete version. A full version (2:13) is now available.

Tue, 04 May 2004 00:00:00 -0700

Differnet, Sophie Rimheden, Jens Lekman, The Legends, Paris, Slagsmålsklubben, The Kid and Hell on Wheels have all been confirmed for the Ohanami Saturday/Sound of Young Sweden Festival on May 22. Official event website: http://www.ohanamisaturday.com/

Mon, 26 Apr 2004 00:00:00 -0700

More bands confirmed for Popaganda: Bergman Rock, Tough Alliance, David & The Citizen, Division of Laura Lee, Last Days of April, Monkeystrikes, Fine Arts Showcase, Action Biker, Jmyhaze Beatbox, Differnet, Slagsmålsklubben, The Light Bulb Project, Anna Ternheim, Eskju Divine, Fibi Frap and Wonderboy. More info: http://www.popaganda.nu/

Tue, 20 Apr 2004 00:00:00 -0700

There's a new festival in Fagersta, Sweden on May 22 with Differnet, Sophie Rimheden, Jens Lekman, The Legends, Paris, The Kid, Slagsmålsklubben and Hell On Wheels. There will also be film, theatre, workshops, graffiti, exhibitions along with other artistic ventures, so it's sure to be a good time. It's online quite yet, but more info will be posted soon at http://www.ohanamisaturday.com/

Mon, 02 Feb 2004 00:00:00 -0800

The final nominees for the SAMA (Swedish Alternative Music Awards) have been revealed:

Best newcomer:
Alice in Videoland
Firevision
Pride and Fall
Slagsmålsklubben
Spetsnaz
Lowe

Best song:
"Black" - Colony 5
"Truth" - Firevision
"Heartbeats" - The Knife
"I’m Love" - Statemachine
"Neon Commando" - Surferosa
"Hit Me Hard" - Slagsmålsklubben

Best album:
"MaidenVoyage " - Alice in Videoland
"Deep Cuts" - The Knife
"Modus Operandi" - Project-X
"Hi-Fi" - Sophie Rimheden
"Short and Explosive" - Statemachine
"Den svenske disko" - Slagsmålsklubben

Best artist:
Bobby
Colony 5
Statemachine
Tyskarna Från Lund
Erlend Öye
Alice in Videoland

Vote here: http://www.zeromagazine.nu/sama2004.asp

Tue, 20 Jan 2004 00:00:00 -0800

Energy Rekords sublabel Beat That will release a new Slagsmålsklubben single soon for "Hit Me Hard".

Streaming playlist: Guest DJ: Orosco

Fri, 16 Jan 2004 00:00:00 -0800

DATE ADDED : 01.16.04
LAUNCH : [stream no longer available]

01. Action Biker - Farrah
02. Broder Daniel - Shoreline
03. De Stijl - Date times
04. Tuva Novotny - Newfound lover
05. Rocky Dennis (Jens Lekman) - Maple leaves
06. The Kid - Baton Rouge
07. Slagsmålsklubben - Övningsköra
08. Esther - Touchdown
09. Hell On Wheels - It's wrong being a boy
10. Kitty & the K - I am a MF
11. The Knife - You take my breath away
12. Magnus Carlson - Elin
13. Moneybrother - It's been hurting all the way with you Joanna
14. Niccokick - Turn 27
15. Radio Dept. - Why won't you talk about it
16. Shout Out Louds - 100 Degrees
17. The Concretes - You can't hurry love
18. Bom Bom - 123 bom bom
19. José González - Heartbeats

Fri, 09 Jan 2004 00:00:00 -0800

Here's the nominees for the Swedish Manifest awards:
Pop/Rock:
Hell on Wheels - Oh my God What have I done
Radio Dept. - Lesser matters
Concretes - Concretes
Franke - Optimismens hån
The Knife - Deep cuts
Hardrock/Punk:
Arch Enemy - Anthems of rebellion
Burst - Prey on life
Cult of Luna - The beyond
Katationa - Viva emptiness
Nasum - Helvete
Hip hop/R&B/Soul:
Chords - The garden around the mansion
Speech Defect - Freshcoast gettin' rowdy
Soul Supreme - The Saturday nite agenda
Advance Patrol - Utskrivna
Kaah - Jideblasko international
Postrock/electronica:
Namur - Conquer me
Sagor & Swing - Allt hänger samman
Sophie Rimheden - Hi-fi
Slagsmålsklubben - Den svenske disco
Tape - Milieu
Dance/house/techno:
Hundarna från Söder - Hundarna från Söder
Forss - Soulhack
Plej - Electronic music from the Swedish leftcoast
Stateless - Art of no state
Steve Angello - ...presents tracks
Folk/World music:
Lisa Rydberg - Östbjörka
Frifot - Sluring
Anders Nygårds & Magnus Stinnerbom - Dalahyl
Anders Norrudde, Leo Svensson and Göran Fredriksson - Med hull och hår
Cerro Esperanza Band - Nubes del alma
Singer/Songwriter:
Ane Brun - Spending time with Morgan
Ulf Stureson - Allt jag ville säga
Christian Kjellvander - Introducing the past
Johan Borgert - Johan Borgert
José Gonzàlez - Veneer
Best live artist:
Looptroop
Moneybrother
Randy
Timbuktu med Damn
Killers
Best newcomer:
Miss Universum
José Gonzàlez
Shout Out Louds
Radio Dept.
Paris

Winners are chosen by the SOM (Svenska Oberoende Musikproducenter) (Swedish Independent Musicproducers) and will be announced at an awards ceremony on January 29 at Debaser in Stockholm.

Tue, 11 Nov 2003 00:00:00 -0800

Slagsmålsklubben may not live close together anymore, but they are still working on a new album, tentatively titled "Arga Vargen Rider Igen". Look for it in 2004.

Tue, 14 Oct 2003 00:00:00 -0700

Bands announced for next year's 2004 Scandinavian Alternative Music Awards (SAMA) concert on April 2 at Trädgår’n in Göteborg: Alice In Videoland (SWE), And One (GER), Backlash (SWE), Panzerveps (NOR), Slagsmålsklubben (SWE) and Sophie Rimheden (SWE). Six more bands are still yet to be announced. Read more.

Wed, 27 Aug 2003 00:00:00 -0700

Bands confirmed for the Emmaboda afterfest on September 6: Slagsmålsklubben, Scraps Of Tape, Talking To Teapots, The Leeches, The Janitors and Compute.

Fri, 08 Aug 2003 00:00:00 -0700

Artists confirmed for the Skyltenfestivalen in Linkoping, Sweden on August 22-23: Le Je Ne Sais Quoi, Logh, Florence Valentin, Soviac, Slagsmålsklubben, Planet Superfly, Raison d'être, Roswell, IRM and many more. Details available here: www.skyltenfestivalen.tk

Fri, 01 Aug 2003 00:00:00 -0700

The lineup for the 'En Ljummen I Gräset - Igen' festival is now complete. The full list of bands scheduled to play the August 10 event: Dynamo Chapel, Niccokick, Hundarna Från Söder, Östermalm, Johan Borgert, The Crystal Committee, Slim Fit, Evolver, and Walter Sound System. More details: http://linux1.stickomdeintpassa.com/ljummen

Slagsmålsklubben has gotten themselves a nice, new website design.

Thu, 22 May 2003 00:00:00 -0700

Trapdoor Fucking Exit has put up the video for the song "Short Term Investment", recorded live at Umeå Punkfest in 2001. Check it out.
Amulet recently filmed a video for the single "Breaking News". They say it "involves a low key gig at an abandoned house and a deathdefying girl in a van who brings terror to the city of Oslo." I'll let you know if they post in online.
Turbonegro's complete festival schedule for the summer:
06/02 - Flippaut festival, Bologna, Italy
06/05 - Ruisrock, Turku, Finland
06/12 - Hultsfred Festival Hultsfred, Sweden
06/20 - Kick off Festival, Wiesen, Austria
06/21 - Southside Festival, Neuhausen, Germany
06/22 - Hurricane Festival, Schlessel, Germany
06/27 - Roskilde Festival, Denmark
06/28 - Open Air, St Gallen, Switzerland
07/05 - London, Meanfiddler (clubshow) UK
07/12 - T in the Park, Kinross, Scotland, UK
08/07 - Nordland Musikkfestukke, Bodö, Norway
08/08 - Öya festivalen, Oslo Norway
08/09 - Wrightegaarden, Langesund, Norway
08/23 - Reading Festival, Reading UK
08/24 - Leeds Festival, Leeds, UK
This week's MTV Up North Nordic video chart:
01. The Rasmus - In The Shadows
02. Outlandish - Guantanamo
03. A-Teens - Perfect Match
04. Her Majesty - F.U.N.E.R.A.L
05. Jennifer Brown - Weak
06. HIM - Funeral of hearts
07. The Sounds - Rock n´ Roll
08. The Cardigans - You´re The Storm
09. Melody Club - Cover Girl
10. Darude - Music
11. Mew - Comforting Sounds
12. Kwan - Shine
13. Equicez - Live From Pass It
14. Bertine Zetlitz - Girl Like You
15. Elin Sigvardsson - Where To Start
16. Timbuktu - Ett Brev
17. Paragon - Försök Förstå
18. Pauline - Runnin´ Out Of Gaz
19. Surferosa - Neon Commando
20. Homy - Bus Stop

Challengers:
01. Jon - This Side Up
02. Antique - Moro Mou
03. Fireside - All You Had
04. The Concretes - You Can´t Hurry Love
05. Kamera - At Work
06. C21 - She Cries
Go to the MTVE.com site to watch and vote for your favorite.
Labrador Records is now distributed by Mortes Nois in Estonia. For more info email mrnois@hot.ee.
Dolores Records has announced they will be releasing a limited edition CD single for the new supergroup Vanessa and the O's on June 10. The band features ex-members of Popsicle along with James Iha from Smashing Pumpkins and is described as electronic pop in French. Crazy, eh? More info soon.
Bad Taste Records is the label of the month over at the Danish radio program New Rocking Sounds which airs Tuesdays at 8pm on 93.7 in Århus. They'll be interviewing Last Days of April, Logh and various others from the roster along with playng tunes from said bands. Be sure to check it out or wait for the clips to hit the online archives.
Listen to "Mattias Alkbergs Begravning" from Planekonomi, another band featuring Mattias from Bear Quartet. More info here. Look for 2 EPs this fall and a full-length sometime next year.
One of my pals over at indieworkshop.com reviews the new Flaming Sideburns album today.
"No one has satisfactorily explained why a country of 4.5 million generates so much music: is it the dark winters? Subsidised music lessons? Rubbish TV?" - John Bungey, The Times (UK)
Norweigan music appears to be making quite a few headways beyond their borders as evidenced in this article from MIC Norway. Turbonegro and Jaga Jazzist might be the first names to come to mind for most folk, but now there's also Beady Belle, Tord Gustavsen, Per Arne Glorvigen, and St. Thomas to pay attention to.
Johnny Bråttom Records will be holding a record release show on May 30 at Kulturkammaren in Norrköping for their forthcoming "Svensk Populärmusik Volym Två" compilation. The bands scheduled to appear are Slagsmålsklubben, recent Dolores-signees Cdoass, Bremen Brotröster GmbH, Björn Kleinhenz, and The Flu. As for the tracklisting of said comp, it is as follows:
01. Cdoass - The Box
02. Niccokick - Run, Run, Run
03. Björn Kleinhenz - How Long Is The Night?
04. Slagsmålsklubben - Filter Fabric Facts (DJ Upperkurt Instrumental Remix)
05. Idiot Savants - Daily Routine
06. Music 77 - Kameror
07. Pete Thompson - Folk Song
08. Lola Barbershop - Ticket To Happiness
09. The Kid - Baton Rouge
10. Junip - Turn To The Assassin
11. The Topeka Twins - Hunting Song
12. Menteroja - Call Me
13. Bremen Brotröster GmbH - Greater/Better
14. The Flu - Golden Hair
15. Celestine - Sunflower
16. José González - Heartbeats
17. Café Polymorf - A Good Time
18. Quit Your Dayjob - Pissing On A Panda
19. Joni - Frank Xerox
20. Ane Brun - Are They Saying Goodbye?
21. Sandy Mouche - A Year
Aftonbladet reports that famed Swedish videomaker Jonas Åkerlund is working with Blondie on the single "Good Boys" in LA. The new album ""The Curse of Blondie" comes out around September or October. Åkerlund's previous credits include artists such as Satyricon, Madonna, Metallica and The Prodigy.
This new album will be 'harder' than the previous one and more guitars. To sum it up: a groovier album!
That's Peter Tägtgren of Pain describing work on the new album. He says he's already finished all of the backing music along with five of the thirteen vocal tracks and should be able to have it out sometime this fall on Stockholm Records.
Here's the top 20 Swedish albums of the week, as reported by Aftonbladet:
01. Robert Wells - Rhapsody in rock the complete collection
02. Alcazar - Alcazarized
03. Eddie Meduza - Live(s)!
04. v/a - Fame Factory volym 5
05. Moneybrother - Blood panic
06. The Cardigans - Long gone before daylight
07. Timbuktu - The botten is nådd!
08. Glenmark Eriksson Strömstedt - Den andra skivan
09. Lisa Nilsson - Samlade sånger 1992-2003
10. Jill Johnson - Discography
11. Lars Winnerbäck och Hovet - Söndermarken
12. Kent - Vapen & ammunition
13. Antique - Blue love
14. Cornelis Vreeswijk - Cornelis Vreeswijks bästa
15. Monia - Söderns hjärtas ros
16. Siw Malmkvist - Siws bästa
17. Elin Sigvardsson - Saturday light naive
18. Simson Dupont - Simson Dupont
19. Fame - Give me your love
20. The Sounds - Living in America

Tomas Ledin is going on tour in support of his new live album "I Sommarnattens Ljus" which comes out on June 2. The dates so far:
07/08 - Öja Slott, Öja
07/19 - Bergs Slussar, Linköping
08/03 - Stadsparken, Örebro
The lineup for Sommarrock, which takes place July 10-12 in Svedala, Sweden: Mikael Wiehe, Bubbles, Joddla w/Siv, Advance Patrol, The Ark, Danne Stråhed, Häjkån Bäjkån Band, The Mo and Di Leva.
This week's Swedish college radio chart (from Dagensskiva):
01. (01) Badly Drawn Boy "All Possibilities"
02. (NY) Grandaddy "Now It's On"
03. (NY) Timbuktu "The Bottom Is Nådd!"
04. (04) The Postal Service "Such Great Heights"
05. (NY) The Cardigans "You're the Storm"
06. (03) Dave Gahan "Dirty Sticky Floors"
07. (05) The White Stripes "7 Nation Army"
08. (NY) Placebo "This Picture"
09. (NY) Mando Diao "Sheepdog"
10. (02) Bad Cash Quartet "Dirty Days"
11. (17) The Donnas "Who Invited You"
12. (14) The Black Keys "Hard Row"
13. (09) The Raveonettes "Beat City"
14. (06) Christian Kjellvander "Homeward Rolling Soldier"
15. (15) Moloko "Forever More"
16. (NY) Tricky "Antimatter"
17. (NY) The Thrills "Big Sur"
18. (ÅT) Miss Universum "Fertilize"
19. (07) Dada Flair Ft. Christian Dohber "Freedom"
20. (08) Gusto "Guns in the Ghetto"
Leaving the chart:
(10) Randy "A Man in Uniform"
(11) Solomon Burke "Soul Searching"
(12) Fireside "All You Had"
(13) Magnus Carlson "Jag ber dig"
(16) Queens Of The Stone Age "Go With The Flow"
(18) The Go-Betweens "Caroline and I"
(19) David & The Citizens "New Direction"
(20) Hot Hot Heat "Bandages"
The full details for Finland's Koneisto Festival has been released. Some of the artists scheduled to appear include Björn Torske, Ralph Myerz & Jack Herren Band, Erlend Oye (acoustic set + "magnificent singing DJ set"), Datarock, Jori Hulkkonen, Rinneradio (feat. Dj Slow, Siiri Nordin and MC Paleface) among many others. The acclaimed electronic music festival was the first of its type for all of Scandinavia and the selection of performers "seeks to establish an interesting balance between commercial and experimental music" over the event's 9 stages. It all goes down in Helsinki from July 25-27 and more info can be found from the fest's official website.
Blabbermouth reports that HIM will be touring Europe in support of Ozzy Osbourne and Godsmack this September. I'll keep you posted.

Mon, 28 Apr 2003 00:00:00 -0700

In case you missed it, I had a guest review published on Dagensskiva on Saturday.
The Rasmus have now been confirmed for both the June Rock im Park and the June Rock am Ring fests in Germany on the 6th and 8th respectively.
Puffball has a new 7" coming out on Stereodrive! Records, the label of record store Green Hell Records in Münster. "Outlaw" is the a-side title track and "Hornet Rider" is the b-side along with a cover of Merle Haggard's "Momma Tried". And from Southspace webzine, here's a short interview with the band.
Via the band's webiste, here's a review of Logh from NME written by James Jam:
..."Every time..." is a record so fucking dull, so fucking uninspired, that nme finds itself looking for a chainsaw and pricing up cheap flights to Sweden. In the words of the high priest of rock'n'roll fun, Iggy Pop, seek out and destroy.
Logh's response? "James has been bought a planeticket to Sweden. we´re waiting anxiously." Brilliant. In other Logh news, the band reports they are finishing up work on the new video and should have it done next week.
The Norweigan paper VG recently published a long interview with Morten from A-ha. Here's a nice English synopsis plus a link to the article itself.
St. Thomas will be putting out a limited vinyl edition of "Hey Harmony" in mid-May. 300 copies, 180 gram vinyl. He'll have it for sale at the May 10 Rockefeller show in Oslo. He'll also be playing quite a few shows around Europe coming up soon, with more to be announced for June:
April 30 Ålesund - TBC
05/01 - TBA
05/02 - Trondheim Blæst
05/03 - TBA
05/07 - Molde, TBC
05/08 - Sogndal, Meieriet
05/09 - Hønefoss, Alfreds
05/10 - Oslo, Rockefeller
05/14 - Stavanger, Checkpoint Charlie
05/15 - Kristiansand, TBC
05/16 - TBA
05/17 - Skien, Brekkeparken
05/21-23 Sweden, TBA
05/24 - Hamburg, Echochamber im Phonodrom
05/25 - Berlin, Roter Salon
05/26 - Muchen, Club Zwei festival in Atomic
05/28 - TBA (Frankfurt or Koln)
05/29 - Roskilde Gimle Cafe
05/30 - Copenhagen, Loppen
05/31 - Århus, Spot festival
07/18 - Feierwerk Festival, Munich August 8 or 9 Øyafestivalen
Here's some pictures from Randy's show at Groez Rock in Belgium on April 26.
Johan Bergqvist along with Crying Bob Records is putting together a new festival tour called Bobbyfest. The established goal of the tour is to "give you the best independent music there is, for a good price." Sounds good to me. The line-up is Leftlane, The Virtues, Johan Bergqvist, Moody Alan, and Moll Flanders and so far there's just two dates set for May with more set to come in the fall. Details as of now:
05/03 - Mondo, Stockholm
05/17 - Diezel, Halmstad
A day in the life with The Ark: http://www.thearkworld.com/day.htm
It's about friggin' time. Startracks in association with Simba Records has put out a Kristofer Åström & Hidden Truck compilation in America called "Plastered Confessions". Five songs from the previous albums, plus a Steve Earle cover. Better than nothing, I guess. More info here or here.
Green Carnation's upcoming album will be called "A Blessing In Disguise" and it comes out June 16 in the UK, June 17 in the US from Seasons of Mist. In case you were wondering, Green Carnation features various members of In the Woods along with Tchort who did time in Emperor.
Burnitblue.com reviews Jaga Jazzist - "The Stix". It's been out for awhile in the band's home country of Norway, but comes out May 6 in the UK.
DigitalMetal.com reviews Opeth's new album "Damnation".
Sweden's Centinex has announced they will enlist the help of Per Gustafson from Cult of Luna to do the artwork on their new CD "Decadence - Prophecies Of Cosmic Chaos". Timo "The Eyeless" Ketola will handle the layout. Recording begins June 23 at Black Lounge Studios and they expect to have it sometime in October on Candlelight Records.
NRK has finally made Immortal's performance from the Inferno festival available for viewing: http://nrk.no/magasin/upunkt/musikk/inferno_2003/2713354.html
Sweden's buzz-band of the moment Radio Dept. release their debut 7" for "Liebling" b/w "We Would Fall Against The Tide" in the UK today on Rex Records. They'll also be playing their first shows over in London this weekend:
05/02 - The Spitz, 109 Commercial Street, Old Spitalfields Market, E1. w/Apples In Stereo and The Loves
05/03 - The Arts Cafe, 28 Commercial Street, E1., w/Kicker and Sportique
Norway's Sondre Lerche got himself a short feature interview on CNN: 'Sondre Lerche: Sunny sounds from Norway'
Mattias Alkberg of Bear Quartet is working on a solo project called "Begravning" and you can download a sample here.
Here's the winners of this year's Swedish Hip-Hop awards:
Best Album: Looptroop - The Struggle Contuines
Best Song: The Narcissists - Fanatik R.I.P.
Best MC: Timbuktu
Best Producer: Embee
Best Vinyl Release: Highwon - Beats, Rim & Gendish
Best DJ: Confuze
Best Download: Snook - Mognare Än Oss
Best Newcomer/Demo/Self-Released: Frotté - Den Stora Daldansen
Hip-Hop Culture Award: Aerosol/Graffiti: Unik
Hip-Hop Culture Award: B-boy: Hammer Hill B Boys
Crossfade Video Award: Ison and Fille - Fakka Ur
Lifetime Achievement Award: Ken
And speaking of Swedish hip-hop, the latest edition of Sounds Norway (SoNo) is a special on the subject: "everything you need to know about it; and meet a couple of old-timers who think hiphop is the perfect way to air all their grumbles." Check it out.
Some of the new bands confirmed for Avrika fest: Gåte, Kaizers Orchestra, Ralph Myerz & the Jack Herren Band, Shout Out Louds, Paris, JmyHaze Beatbox, Homy, Ricochets, Sparks of Seven, Peter Dolving Band, Thulsa Doom, JR Ewing, Alice in Videoland, Totalt Jävla Mörker and Slagsmålsklubben.
Sunride has confirmed their upcoming tourdates in support of their new album "Through the Red", out May 19 on People Like You Records:
05/01 - 45 Special, Oulu, Finland
05/03 - Pub Bastun, Mariehamn, Åland w/Endstand
05/08 - Klubi, Tampere, Finland w/Dozer
05/09 - Stella Star, Helsinki, Finland w/Dozer
05/10 - Lutakko, Jyväskylä, Finland w/Dozer
05/14 - Kino, Pori, Finland
05/16 - Bar 15, Seinäjoki, Finland
05/17 - Torvi, Lahti, Finland
05/24 - Mikrokosmos, Magdeburg, Germany
05/25 - Knaack, Berlin, Germany
05/26 - Rosenkeller, Jena, Germany
05/27 - Paradox, Ingolstadt, Germany
05/28 - 013, Tilburg, The Netherland
Cult of Luna reports that they have a new drummer - Thomas from The Perishers. I can't confirm it for sure, but my assumption is that Marco Hildén has accepted a permanent position with Logh and moved on. In case you didn't know, Marco has been filling in for them since their drummer Kristofer left recently mid-tour. As reported earlier, Cult of Luna just recently completed work on a new video and is now putting together plans for a full European tour this fall. Details when I get 'em.
It's not exactly new, but here's some pictures and captions from the Avanto '02 fest with Pan Sonic, Erkki Kurenniemi and more.
Burning Heart won't release the new Lost Patrol album until June 2, but you can download a preview mp3 now: Lost Patrol - "Going Going Gone"