The latest video from Säkert!, available in both English and Swedish.

At long last, the video for "Can I", the debut single from Säkert!'s long-awaited "På engelska" album. Awesome. More on the "Can I" project here: http://cani.saekert.com/

01. Andreas Mattsson
02. Håkan Hellström
03. Kent
04. Syket
05. Säkert!
06. The Radio Dept.
07. The Bear Quartet
08. Bright Eyes
09. Veronica Maggio
10. Lykke Li

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01. Håkan Hellström
02. Familjen
03. Bright Eyes
04. Veronica Maggio
05. Those Dancing Days
06. The Radio Dept.
07. Cut Copy
08. Säkert!
09. James Blake
10. Broder Daniel

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01. Firefox AK
02. The Bear Quartet
03. Håkan Hellström
04. Kent
05. Veronica Maggio
06. Cut Copy
07. Lykke Li
08. Säkert!
09. The Radio Dept.
10. Britta Persson

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01. Jonathan Johansson
02. Håkan Hellström
03. Säkert!
04. The Radio Dept.
05. Palpitation
06. Lykke Li
07. Junip
08. The Soundtrack of Our Lives
09. Iron & Wine
10. The Concretes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Musical discovery often happens when you least expect it. I was at the P3 Guld afterparty making smalltalk with Säkert!'s violinist Frida Johansson and she mentioned that she mostly works in folk music. I have no idea what kind of reaction she expected from me, but of course I was very interested and happy to receive a copy of her other group Kraja's latest CD "Brusand Hav". Can't say that I know much about Scandinavian a cappella folk tradition outside of my limited experience with the excellent Trio Mediaeval, but I do know that I like Kraja a lot and was even more impressed to learn that almost every track on their new record is an original composition, quite an audacious tact! As for the wide-ranging lyrical sources they explore, I can't comment in detail because I am lacking proper liner notes, but if my Googling is correct, this particular tune is based on a poem by Verner von Heidenstam -- not that I follow the words too much, I'm far more enamored with their superb four-part harmonies. Definitely not the sort of new music I expected to stumble across on my most recent trip to Sweden, but definitely a discovery that is more than welcome. Tack Frida!

01. Säkert!
02. The Radio Dept.
03. Familjen
04. The Bear Quartet
05. Loney, dear
06. Håkan Hellström
07. Johnossi
08. Logh
09. The Concretes
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/

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

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Not everything in the picture above is officially a 2010 release, but they are all various things I picked up this past year and would recommend you do the same, should the opportunity present itself. Bonus points to anyone who can name every record pictured! Anyhow, as I was saying, there was quite a lot of really good music released in 2010, but at the same time, very few crossed the line into greatness. This year, only three albums made the cut.

Dear Euphoria - This night will flee (Given Productions/Herbivor Music)

A deep and richly satisfying listening experience that speaks of love and emptiness and the vast space between, with each repitition revealing new insight. Beautifully haunting.

Masshysteri - s/t (Ny Våg/Feral Ward)

The perfect pop-punk album. RIP.

Okkultokrati - No light for mass (Fysisk Format/Lilla Himmel/Odio Sonoro/Ormeyngel Records)

Apocalyptic visions set to a soundtrack of the rawest metal/punk sludge. A zeitgeist-defining album of unmatched ugliness.

Best Song:

Susanne Sundfør - The brothel
I still get goosebumps every time.

Best Demo:

Underachiever - This is where I lost the ability to love
Faster Katt - Demo 2010

The notion of a demo is almost completely lost in this digital age, but there are still those who carry the torch, preferring to test the waters with honest, rough-edged recordings before commiting to any sort of "official" release. In 2010 I listened to way more, way better demo/self-released material this year than any big-name releases, so this list could be a lot longer, but these two stuck with me the longest.

Other Records Worth Mentioning

Like I said at the top, there really were a lot of really good albums this year. Here's a few more that might not rate as high as the three above, but are all well worth your time:

The Bear Quartet - Monty Python (Adrian Recordings)
BQ's endless restlessness and constant desire to innovate remains one of their greatest assets, but it also means that they sometimes miss the mark. Still, the band remains one of Sweden's all-time greats, if not the greatest.

Darkthrone - Circle the wagons (Peaceville)
The opposite of BQ in that the band is continually regressing, but very similar in the approach that they continually churn an almost overwhelming amount of quality material.

Enforcer - Diamonds (Earache/Heavy Artillery)
Too goofy to be truly great, but guaranteed to stay in steady rotation for years to come.

Johan Helte - Sara, (Raffaella)
On the cusp of greatness. Ask me again about this record in six months.

Kimono - Easy music for difficult people (Kimi Records)
My sleeper pick of the year. It's hard to cite exactly what's so gripping about this record, I just know that I keep listening to it regularly.

Monzano - By this time last year everything will seem younger (Spoon Train Audio/How is Annie Records)
Another one on the cusp. Not sure anymore if I permanently burned myself out on these literary indie gents from Norway or if it's one that'll come back to me after some time apart.

Britta Persson - Current affair medium rare (Selective Notes)
More than a few exceptional moments (see "Toast to M" for example), but not enough cohesion.

Robyn - Body talk (Konichiwa Records)
There's a reason this is on everyone's list.

Säkert! - Facit (Razzia Records)
A good album that simply hasn't connected with me as much as I had hoped.

The Tallest Man on Earth - The wild hunt (Dead Oceans)
Another one that made a lot of year-end lists for good reason.

Tiger Tape - I woke up in Hökarängen (Cosy/Lo And Behold)
My favorite indiepop album of 2010.

Plus a few more names: Ikons, Haust, Slöa Knivar, Lapko, Fun, Meleeh, Moto Boy... and let us not forget all of the amazing reissues from The Crypt such as Pan-Thy-Monium, Crypt of Kerberus, Uncanny, Furbowl and so on. So yeah, lots of good music. No complaints!

01. Håkan Hellström - 2 steg från paradise
I like all of Hellström's albums but his previous one had about 3-4 songs that I loved, so I was a but surprised that "2 steg..." turned out to be his best album of his career.

02. Masshysteri - Masshysteri
Pure melodic punk perfection. A darn shame they've split up.

03. Robyn - Body talk
A bit disappointing that all the talk of 3 albums turned out to be 15 new songs in total, but thankfully some of the songs were killer ones!

04. Monty - 2010
A great album that I believe didn't get the attention it deserved. Montt Mardié in Swedish sounded excellent.

05. Johan Heltne - Sara,
This is what Kent would sound if they were still good (plus if they were a bit more into jazz).

06. CEO - White magic
With no new The Tough Alliance we had to do with CEO, which was just fine, just fine.

07. jj - jj n° 3
A lot of people weren't that keen on jj's second album but I really liked it. Shame they're so terrible live though.

08. The Radio Dept. - Clinging to a scheme
Another boring live band, although I don't care as long as they release albums as brilliant as this.

09. Ludwig Bell - Jag har försökt förklara
Some of it a bit too cheesy perhaps, but some of the songs on Bell's album are pure pop masterpieces.

10. Orup - Född i november
The big Swedish comeback of the year? Orup delivered a great personal album, oddly enough with lyrics not written by him.

Fantastic songs in no particular order

Supergruppen - Farsta centrum by night
Ludwig Bell - Silvertejp
Oskar Linnros - Ack, Sundbyberg
Masshysteri - Dom kan inte höra musiken
Robyn - Dancing on my own
Håkan Hellström - Man måste dö några gånger innan man kan leva
Museum of Bella Arts - Who do you love
Säkert! - Dansa, fastän

Best cover of the year:
jj - My life

Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson

Albums (in no particular order, except for "You're a wasteland...""):

"You're a wasteland, honey" Robert Svensson (my album of the year)

"Let this be the last night we care" Alcoholic Faith Mission (my only other 10/10)

"Trilogi" Fredrik

"This wilderlessness" Yamon Yamon

"In never out" Pg.lost

"Conscious castle" Another Nation's National Anthem

"s/t" EP, Night Minutes

"Dada bandits" Rubik

"White mountain" Kiki Pau

"Clinging to a scheme" The Radio Dept.

mp3:
"The sound and the sore" Cut City

Laura Studarus

Jónsi: Go -- Not just my top Scandinavian album, but my top album of the year. Period. There's so much emotion in this one that the first time I heard it (a lo-bit stream over crappy computer speakers) I cried. The fact I also happen to be a noted wimp should in no way stop you from checking this out.

Club 8: The people's record -- Yet another in a long string of reasons why Johan Angergård (Club 8/Legends/Pallers/Acid House Kings) should continue on his quest for world domination. (Or failing that, musical domination.) So many bands lose their way after so many albums -- their attempts to infuse their sound with new elements as convincing as a child's Halloween "scary" costume. And then there's Club 8 -- who has mixed afro/Cuban beats in with their sweet pop, and created a delicious hybrid beast...all without sacrificing an iota of their identity along the way.

Jens Lekman: Sure he didn't put an album out this year, but he played a one-off gig in Los Angeles that had everyone swooning. One of the best performers working today. Full stop.

Ólafur Arnalds: ...And they have escaped the weight of darkness -- Second in emotional resonance only to Go. It can be difficult to write about experimental instrumentals without sounding foolish -- so at the risk of sounding increasingly stupid, this album will recalibrate your perception of beauty.

The Radio Dept.: Clinging to a scheme -- It's about time! Back and better than ever. Welcome.

Casiokids: Topp stemning på lokal bar -- Are these "kids" playing near you? (Given their touring schedule it's a real possibility.) Go! Go! Go! Are you currently at a Casiokids concert? Dance! Dance! Dance!

Seabear: We built a fire -- Another gloriously dreamy album from the Icelandic collective. This is nostalgic chamber pop ready to soundtrack new memories.

Kaskas: In the meanwhile -- Finland's Yo La Tengo blending influences and styles with grace. A side-project that -- if the world is just and good -- will become a full-time gig.

Söder tea: If this were music, it would be a perfect ten. I'm starting to feel like a junkie asking my friends in Sweden to hook me up. No I can't quit any time I want, and of course, I don't have a problem.

Sambassadeur: European -- Classic pop with an orchestral flair. Why these guys haven't caught on stateside is one of life's great mysteries. (Then again, I'm from the country that just nominated Justin Bieber for a Grammy, so what do I know?)

01. Robyn - Body talk, part 2
02. Håkan Hellström - 2 steg från paradise
03. The Radio Dept. - Clinging to a scheme
04. Oskar Linnros - Vilja bli
05. The Bear Quartet - Monty Python
06. This is Head - 0001
07. Robyn - Body talk, part 1
08. Säkert! - Facit
09. Ludwig Bell - Jag har försökt förklara
10. Daniel Adams-Ray - Svart, vitt och allt däremellan
11. Britta Persson - Current affair medium rare
12. Moto Boy - Lost in the call
13. The Concretes - WYWH
14. Joel Alme - Waiting For the Bells
15. Tove Styrke - Tove Styrke
16. Andreas Söderlund - Daustralien
17. Orup - Född i November
18. Embee - The mellow turning moment
19. Various Artists - Sonja Åkesson tolkad av
20. Bandjo - Bandjo

Link: http://nojesguiden.se/artiklar/arets-svenska-skivor-2010

Best album:
Håkan Hellström - 2 Steg Från Paradise
Oskar Linnros - Vilja Bli
Robyn - Body Talk
Säkert! - Facit
The Radio Dept. - Clinging To a Scheme

Best artist:
Håkan Hellström
Johnossi
Oskar Linnros
Petter
Robyn

Best song:
Anna Bergendahl - This Is My Life
Daniel Adams-Ray - Gubben I Lådan
Eric Saade - Manboy
Erik Grönwall - Higher
Johnossi - What's The Point
Mohombi - Bumpy Ride
Oskar Linnros - Från Och Med Du
Robyn - Dancing On my Own
Salem Al Fakir - Keep On Walking
Swedish House Mafia – One

Best group:
Dungen - Skit I Allt
Hästpojken - Från Där Jag Ropar
Johnossi - Mavericks
Kent - En Plats I Solen
The Radio Dept. - Clinging To A Scheme

Best folk/visa:
Blandade Artister - Sonja Åkesson Tolkad Av
First Aid Kit - The Big Black & The Blue
Jonas Knutsson - Blåslåtar
Ola Magnell - Rolös
Toni Holgersson - Ibland Kallar Jag Det Kärlek

Best hardrock/metal:
Ghost - Opus Eponymous
Khoma - A Final Storm
Pascal - Orkanen Närmar Sig
Sabaton - Coat Of Arms
Watain - Lawless Darkness

Best jazz:
Dan Berglunds Tonbruket - Tonbruket
Goran Kajfes - X/Y
Magnus Carlson & The Moon Ray Quintet - Echoes
Oddjob - Clint
Peter Asplund Quartet - Asplund Meets Bernstein

Best songwriter:
Annika Norlin & Henrik Oja - Facit
Håkan Hellström - 2 Steg Från Paradise
Klas Åhlund & Robyn - Body Talk
Oskar Linnros - Vilja Bli
Pernilla Andersson - Ö

Best female artist:
Anna Von Hausswolff - Singing FromThe Grave
Britta Persson - Current Affair Medium Rare
Pernilla Andersson - Ö
Robyn - Body Talk
Säkert! - Facit

Best male artist:
Daniel Adams-Ray - Svart Vitt Och Allt Däremellan
Håkan Hellström - 2 Steg Från Paradise
Oskar Linnros - Vilja Bli
Salem Al Fakir - Ignore This
The Tallest Man On Earth - The Wild Hunt

Best newcomer:
Anna Von Hausswolff - Singing From The Grave
Ceo - White Magic
First Aid Kit - The Big Black & The Blue
Oskar Linnros - Vilja Bli
Swedish House Mafia - Until One

Best producer:
Adrian Lux
Joakim Åhlund & Håkan Hellström
Klas Åhlund
Max Martin
Red One

Best international success:
Dungen
Max Martin
Red One
Robyn
Swedish House Mafia

Best lyrics:
Annika Norlin - Facit
Håkan Hellström - 2 Steg Från Paradise
Ola Magnell - Rolös
Oskar Linnros - Vilja Bli
Plura Jonsson - Kärlekens Väg - En Mässa

Best urban/dance:
Boeoes Kaelstigen - Tanum Teleport
Familjen - Mänskligheten
Petter - En Räddare I Nöden
PH3 - PH3 Löser Ett Fall
Swedish House Mafia - Until One

Best Innovator:
Johnossi
Robyn
Nomy
Magnus Weideskog
Iamamiwhoami

Winners will be announced at a ceremony at Kungliga Operan in Stockholm on January 17.

Best newcomer:
First Aid Kit
Anna von Hausswolff
Jasmine Kara
Royal Republic
Tove Styrke

Best song:
Daniel Adams-Ray - Gubben i lådan
Salem Al Fakir - Keep On Walking
Johnossi - What's The Point
Oskar Linnros - Från och med du
Robyn - Dancing On My Own
Swedish House Mafia feat. Pharrell - One (Your Name)

Best group:
Hästpojken - Från där jag ropar
Johnossi - Mavericks
Kent - En plats i solen
The Radio Dept. - Clinging To A Scheme
Swedish House Mafia - Until One

Best artist:
Daniel Adams-Ray - Svart vitt och allt däremellan
Håkan Hellström - 2 steg från Paradise
Oskar Linnros - Vilja bli
Robyn - Body Talk Pt 1
Säkert! - Facit

Guldmicken (best live act):
Familjen
Håkan Hellström
Hoffmaestro
Melissa Horn
Robyn

More here: http://sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel.aspx?programid=3964&artikel=4220806

"Dansa, fastän" is the latest single from Säkert!'s record "Facit". Direct link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dprIJ2I4q_A

01. Håkan Hellström
02. The Bear Quartet
03. The Radio Dept.
04. The Concretes
05. Säkert!
06. Familjen
07. Britta Persson
08. Christian Kjellvander
09. Jens Lekman
10. Junip

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

01. Daniel Adams-Ray - Svart vitt och allt däremellan
02. Bo Kaspers Orkester - New Orleans
03. Håkan Hellström - 2 steg från paradise
04. Jill Johnson - The well-known and some other favourite stories
05. The Playtones - Rock'n'roll Christmas party
06. Sanna Shirley Sonja - Vår Jul
07. Amy Diamond - Greatest hits
08. Robyn - Body talk pt.2
09. Nanne - En rastlös själ
10. Oskar Linnros - Vilja bli
11. Eldkvarn - Kärlekens väg - en mässa
12. Robyn - Body talk pt.1
13. Magnus Carlson & The Moon Ray Quintet - Echoes
14. Kent - En plats i solen
15. Caroline af Ugglas - Vad var det jag sa
16. Swedish House Mafia - Until one
17. Fatboy - Overdrive
18. Pernilla Andersson - Ö
19. Ola - Ola
20. Säkert! - Facit

01. Håkan Hellström
03. The Bear Quartet
03. The Radio Dept.
04. Säkert!
03. Familjen
03. Kent
03. The Concretes
03. Lykke Li
03. The Soundtrack of Our Lives
03. Robyn

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

01. Bo Kaspers Orkester - New Orleans
02. Jill Johnson - The well-known and some other favourite stories
03. Håkan Hellström - 2 steg från paradise
04. Nanne - En rastlös själ
05. Eldkvarn - Kärlekens väg - en mässa
06. Robyn - Body talk pt.2
07. Caroline af Ugglas - Vad var det jag sa
08. Swedish House Mafia - Until one
09. Hoffmaestro - Skank-a-tronic punkadelica
10. Amy Diamond - Greatest hits
11. Georg Wadenius - Reconnection
12. Blackjack - Festival
13. Brolle - Best of Brolle
14. Robyn - Body talk pt.1
15. Pernilla Andersson - Ö
16. Fatboy - Overdrive
17. Oskar Linnros - Vilja bli
18. Magnus Carlsson - Pop galaxy
19. Kent - En plats i solen
20. Säkert! - Facit

01. Håkan Hellström - 2 steg från paradise
02. Bo Kaspers Orkester - New Orleans
03. Larz-Kristerz - Små ord av guld
04. Caroline af Ugglas - Vad var det jag sa
05. Nanne - En rastlös själ
06. Hoffmaestro - Skank-a-tronic punkadelica
07. Robyn - Body talk pt.2
08. Brolle - Best of Brolle
09. Pernilla Andersson - Ö
10. Blackjack - Festival
11. Oskar Linnros - Vilja bli
12. Robyn - Body talk pt.1
13. Säkert! - Facit
14. Fatboy - Overdrive
15. Anders Ekborg - Painted dreams
16. Kent - En plats i solen
17. Magnus Carlsson - Pop galaxy
18. Freda' - Äntligen här igen - Samlade hits sedan 1984
19. Anna Stadling - E4 mot norr
20. Melissa Horn - Säg ingenting till mig

01. Håkan Hellström
02. The Concretes
03. The Bear Quartet
04. Kent
05. Säkert!
06. Familjen
07. Junip
08. MF/MB/
09. Efterklang
10. Robyn

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

01. Håkan Hellström - 2 steg från paradise
02. Larz-Kristerz - Små ord av guld
03. Hoffmaestro - Skank-a-tronic punkadelica
04. Caroline af Ugglas - Vad var det jag sa
05. Robyn - Body talk pt.2
06. Nanne - En rastlös själ
07. Pernilla Andersson - Ö
08. Robyn - Body talk pt.1
09. Säkert! - Facit
10. Oskar Linnros - Vilja bli
11. Fatboy - Overdrive
12. Anders Ekborg - Painted dreams
13. Freda' - Äntligen här igen - Samlade hits sedan 1984
14. Kent - En plats i solen
15. Carl Johan Vallgren - Nattbok
16. Adolphson & Falk - 101010
17. Melissa Horn - Säg ingenting till mig
18. Jill Johnson - Music row II
19. Anne-Lie Rydé - Dans på rosor
20. Magnus Carlsson - Pop galaxy

01. Larz-Kristerz - Små ord av guld
02. Hoffmaestro - Skank-a-tronic punkadelica
03. Nanne - En rastlös själ
04. Caroline af Ugglas - Vad var det jag sa
05. Corroded - Exit to transfer
06. Pernilla Andersson - Ö
07. Robyn - Body talk pt.2
08. Fatboy - Overdrive
09. Robyn - Body talk pt.1
10. Säkert! - Facit
11. Anders Ekborg - Painted dreams
12. Oskar Linnros - Vilja bli
13. Magnus Carlsson - Pop galaxy
14. Kent - En plats i solen
15. Ola - Ola
16. Anne-Lie Rydé - Dans på rosor
17. Melissa Horn - Säg ingenting till mig
18. Freda' - Äntligen här igen - Samlade hits sedan 1984
19. Irya's Playground - Irya's Playground
20. Raubtier - Skriet från vildmarken

01. The Scrags - In the devil's hands
02. TALK 1
03. Boeoes Kaelstigen - Desolate view
04. Johnossi - Roscoe
05. Kimono - Tomorrow
06. TALK 2
07. Fun - Here comes the ugly man
08. Kite - Hexx
09. Mother of the Forest - Bränna broar
10. Mother of the Forest - Vid berget
11. TALK 3
12. Non Tiq - QUiet
13. Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words - I could have sworn I heard them SING
14. Enslaved - Raidho
15. TALK 4
16. Säkert! - Riot
17. Kristofer Åström - Devil
18. Sweatmaster - Calling Satan, let me in
19. Mercyful Fate - Black funeral
20. TALK 5
21. Lighthouse Project - Lust for lie

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

01. Larz-Kristerz - Små ord av guld
02. Robyn - Body talk pt.2
03. Caroline af Ugglas - Vad var det jag sa
04. Streaplers - Jubileums show - Live på Liseberg
05. Säkert! - Facit
06. Robyn - Body talk pt.1
07. Magnus Carlsson - Pop galaxy
08. Oskar Linnros - Vilja bli
09. Kent - En plats i solen
10. Kristian Anttila - Svenska tjejer
11. Pernilla Andersson - Ö
12. Melissa Horn - Säg ingenting till mig
13. Ola - Ola
14. Anne-Lie Rydé - Dans på rosor
15. Darin - Lovekiller
16. Drifters - Stanna hos mig
17. Carl Johan Vallgren - Nattbok
18. Takida - The darker instinct - Platinum edition
19. Lisa Nilsson - 20 - En jubileumssamling
20. Johnossi - Mavericks

01. Håkan Hellström
02. Junip
03. The Bear Quartet
04. Säkert!
05. Glasser
06. First Aid Kit
07. Familjen
08. Bob Hund
09. Jens Lekman
10. Robyn

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01. Robyn - Body talk pt.2
02. Säkert! - Facit
03. Ola - Ola
04. Robyn - Body talk pt.1
05. Caroline af Ugglas - Vad var det jag sa
06. Oskar Linnros - Vilja bli
07. Kent - En plats i solen
08. Anne-Lie Rydé - Dans på rosor
09. Raubtier - Skriet från vildmarken
10. Darin - Lovekiller
11. Melissa Horn - Säg ingenting till mig
12. Pernilla Andersson - Ö
13. Lisa Nilsson - 20 - En jubileumssamling
14. Drifters - Stanna hos mig
15. Salem al Fakir - Ignore this
16. Kent - Röd
17. Sabaton - The art of war (re-armed)
18. Lasse Stefanz - Texas
19. Amanda Jenssen - Happyland - international version
20. Sabaton - Primo victoria (re-armed)

01. The Bear Quartet
02. Säkert!
03. The Radio Dept.
04. Håkan Hellström
05. Junip
06. Robyn
07. Kent
08. Familjen
09. Blonde Redhead
10. The National

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01. Simian Ghost - Beat on the brat
02. TALK 1
03. End of All - Folkhemmet
04. In These Woods - Bear
05. The Bells - Outside
06. Britta Persson - Some girls some boys
07. TALK 2
08. Kråkesølv - Nordavind mot varme kinn
09. Tomas Halberstad - The pendulum swings again
10. WhoMadeWho - Left hand of the boxser
11. TALK 3
12. Säkert! - Köttet är svagt
13. Next Life - Battle tactics
14. Kaka - Candyman
15. The Fine Arts Showcase - Spanish kerosene
16. TALK 4
17. Kimono - Black
18. Axe - Up against common sense
19. NNDC - Mouthful of diamonds
20. Slöa Knivar - Anticimex
21. Enforcer - Take me to hell
22. TALK 5
23. Ikons - Imperiet

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

01. Säkert! - Facit
02. Ola - Ola
03. Robyn - Body talk pt.2
04. Robyn - Body talk pt.1
05. Oskar Linnros - Vilja bli
06. Kent - En plats i solen
07. Anne-Lie Rydé - Dans på rosor
08. Pernilla Andersson - Ö
09. Darin - Lovekiller
10. Mikael Wiehe - Ta det tillbaka!
11. Drifters - Stanna hos mig
12. Irya's Playground - Irya's Playground
13. Melissa Horn - Säg ingenting till mig
14. The Bear Quartet - Monty Python
15. Lisa Nilsson - 20 - En jubileumssamling
16. Stefan Sundström - 5 dagar i Augusti
17. Lasse Stefanz - Texas
18. Britta Persson - Current affair medium rare
19. Takida - The darker instinct
20. Eric Saade - Masquerade

01. Säkert!
02. The Bear Quartet
03. Håkan Hellström
04. Robyn
05. Junip
06. The Concretes
07. The Radio Dept.
08. Familjen
09. Jonathan Johansson
10. Britta Persson

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01. Night Minutes - Sweetheart of the funeral
02. TALK 1
03. Korova Station - Come on come on
04. Okkultokrati - Stench of life
05. Johan G Winther - Chasing kingdoms
06. Kimono - Vienna
07. TALK 2
08. SONMOI - The man with no flesh
09. Phonophani - Neverdal
10. Kausal - The conquistador
11. TALK 3
12. Vowels - oiaå
13. The Bear Quartet - We're not gonna make it
14. Säkert! - Rotary
15. Slöa Knivar - Stay dirty
16. TALK 4
17. Slöa Knivar - Hjärtat
18. Menfolk - Skeletons
19. Asha Ali - Hurricane
20. Tiger Tape - She is fiction
21. TALK 5

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

01. Familjen
02. Robyn
03. Säkert!
04. Håkan Hellström
05. Moneybrother
06. First Aid Kit
07. Kent
08. The Tough Alliance
09. Efterklang
10. Broder Daniel

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01. Bastard Priest - Power of death
02. TALK 1
03. Mindy Misty - Dead pan frenzy
04. Mother of the Forest - Kingdom
05. Säkert! - Fredrik
06. TALK 2
07. Pistol Disco - Pool
08. Obstacles - Rorschach
09. Radar - Paradigm shift
10. TALK 3
11. The Bear Quartet - Fist or hand
12. Niels Nielsen - Dpend
13. Adam Tensta - Young black boy
14. TALK 4
15. I'm Kingfisher - Willing night plants
16. Joel Alme - No class
17. Dear Euphoria - Coming down
18. The Genuine Fakes - When reality hits you
19. TALK 5
20. Brick - Call Batman

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

01. Säkert!
02. Jens Lekman
03. Robyn
04. Håkan Hellström
05. Shout Out Louds
06. Kent
07. The Concretes
08. Best Coast
09. Efterklang
10. The Radio Dept.

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

01. Säkert! - Fredrik
02. TALK 1
03. The Knife - Girls' night out
04. Optic Nest - Thirst
05. Dmitry Fyodorov - Thinking of space
06. TALK 2
07. Strip Music - Oh my god
08. The Kid - Transient dance
09. Universal Poplab - I could say I'm sorry (Zeigeist remix)
10. TALK 3
11. Pearl Fiction - The ruby fever
12. Adolf Filter - 1982
13. Agent Side Grinder - Life in advance
14. TALK 4
15. Adolphson & Falk - Blinker blå
16. Ståålfågel - Stålfågeln
17. Kite - Ways to dance
18. TALK 5

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

01. Kajsa Grytt - Gunga bergets topp (Babylon Blues)
02. Kjell Höglund - Men bara om min älskade väntar (Nationalteatern/Bob Dylan)
03. Annika Norlin (Hello Saferide/Säkert!) - Jag vill inte suddas ut (Sånger om kvinnor)
04. Johan Johansson - Vårdsjuk blågul fanblues (Smutsiga Hundarna)
05. Stefan Sundström & Fjodor - Tvivelaktig kurtis (Gunder Hägg)
06. Pernilla Andersson - Huvudet högt (Eldkvarn)
07. Plura - I hajars djupa vatten (Blå Tåget)
08. Sanna Carlstedt - Vem kan man lita på? (Hoola Bandola Band)
09. Jonas Kullhammar - Badidoom (Archimedes Badkar)
10. Asha Ali - Kärlek (Röda Bönor)
11. De Lyckliga Kompisarna - Törnrosa (Marie Selander)
12. Toni Holgersson - Kort vals till min älskade (Peter LeMarc)
13. Love Antell - Samma vindar samma dofter (Contact)

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

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

Look for the new Andreas Mattson-produced album "More modern short stories from..." to be released on September 24. Hot Stuff will be handling the vinyl this time, with a 7" version of "Anna" (+ an exclusive b-side) on the way as well.

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?

On to the shows. Having nagged about how much to do and how little time to do it in, I still managed to catch a whole bunch of bands. One of the downsides of having a fascination close to obsession for music, and thus going to nearly every concert and festival available for many years now, is that it's hard to fully enjoy an artist or a band when having already seen the act far too many times. Sure, The Hives, Håkan Hellström, Mustasch and Kristian Anttila are all good bands/artists, but none of their shows were anything out of the ordinary. The Hives were just as crazy and powerful as always (but honestly, what is there for Pelle Almqvist to say or do that Howlin' Pelle hasn't already said and done?), Håkan was emotional as always and the charismatic Ralf Gyllenhammar of Mustasch played his robust clown card (although you need to be a native to fully understand all of his blabbering) perfectly. The same goes for Ane Brun and Tingsek. I still enjoyed their concerts, but I didn't expect anything else and therefore, was hardly surprised. What did surprise me was the massive crowds that turned up to support both Timo Räisänen and the up-and-coming rockers in Takida. I knew Takida had a big following (you tend to have that when just about every song has a chorus fit for everyone to sing along to) but Timo seemed hardly taken by surprise - instead he put on a show worthy any successful indie/pop artist from Göteborg you can think of.

And then there was Annika Norlin. Why, why, why did Rockparty place Annika and her friends in Säkert! on the main stage in mid-daylight? Never mind the daylight come to think of it, but the stage was far too big and the crowd far too small for Säkert! to be able to really get in under your skin. 'Cuz she's got the songs, Annika Norlin is without doubt one of the best Swedish songwriters there is at the moment, but Annika Norlin is not a stage persona. It's a shame, with a more enthusiastic Annika, and a smaller and more intimate venue, Säkert! will surely blow your mind. Speaking of blowing your mind, you didn't miss Johnossi, did you? Because if you did, you missed one of the coolest and greatest live bands there is. Having their second record out, "All they ever wanted", John and Ossi is once again ready to explode from within as soon as they hit the stage. Having seen the lads a couple of times before, with the latest occasion just a month ago, they did alright. With alright I mean they rocked the arse of all other bands that night, you should see them when they really hit the spot - unbelievable.

I did get to see a couple of first timers as well. Crushing hardcore from Raised Fist, electrifying... whatever you call it from the Finnish Disco Ensemble and soothing singer/songwriter from the young sisters Söderberg in First Aid Kit. And Those Dancing Days of course, finally I got a chance to see for myself what the buzz was all about. Nothing, it turned out. Been a long time since I've been to a concert that dull, but they're still young, so hopefully they'll come around. They reminded me about the short performance I watched with Little Marbles when they played a short set backstage. Young skitty girls with horrendous clothing and skitty little melodies, I just don't get it. So, trying to summarize Hultsfred 2008 I must say that I'm satisfied, even though I missed a few acts that I really wanted to see (Lykke Li, A Beautiful Friend, Robyn and Firefox AK, to name a few) and that Petter Seander, bass player in the Kristian Anttila band, didn't keep his promise to take me to that Håkan Hellström barbecue party in the garden of the house rented by EMI (free beer you know...). He now owes me one.
- Christian Stenbacke

Even though I love Säkert! to pieces, there's a minuscule bit of it that I find hard to stomach, namely the jolly chirpiness that seeps through on some of the songs (it's even more evident on Annika Norlin's other band/alter ego Hello Saferide's material). Frequent Norlin collaborator Maia Hirasawa has taken this one step further, hence I'm not a big fan of her music - it's way too pop, polished and happy-go-lucky for me. Now comes Vincent Vicious from Sweden and take this much despised chirpiness to a new level (they almost reach Eurovision levels) and it makes me sick to the bones. It sounds a lot like Raymond & Maria, who after one song become totally unbearable. I tried hard to like it since they're from my hometown and I can't think of a single good band that have come out of my hometown ... ever (although when I was about 7 years old I did indeed like Roxette). At least Vincent Vicious have got a lot of energy and are probably a riot live if you're into the kind of songs they play (ie. super cheese), and who knows, they might start a amazing band who will sing in Swedish at some point in the future!

01. Hello Saferide - I was definitely made for these times
02. Adiam Dymott - Memory loss
03. Konie - My Life Is Shit But I Am Funky (remix)
04. I Are Droid - Blood & Ether
05. Firefox AK vs Laid - Once I was like you
06. Maia Hirasawa - Melody
07. Tripoli - Walk on
08. Säkert! - Det var tre månader sedan idag
09. They Live By Night - Meaningless repair
10. Timo Räisänen - Spill your beans
11. Svenska Kürkan - Besatt
12. The Plan - Stay Awhile
13. Jonna Lee - I wrote this song
14. Mange Schmidt feat. Thomas Rusiak & Eye N I - Håll käften del 2
15. Thunder Express - Switch
16. Tellevika feat. Firefox AK - Eric
17. Ebbot Lundberg & Mattias Bärjed - Coming down cold

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

01. Håkan Hellström - För sent för Edelweiss
02. Christer Sjögren - Jubileum 40 år med Christer Sjögren
03. Nordman - Djävul eller gud
04. Linda Bengtzing - Vild & galen
05. Amy Diamond - Music in motion
06. Sibel - The diving belle
07. Johnossi - All they ever wanted
08. Veronica Maggio - och vinnaren är...
09. Pugh Rogefeldt - vinn hjärta vinn
10. Ane Brun - Changing of the seasons
11. Maia Hirasawa - Though, I'm just me (new edition)
12. Monica Zetterlund - Sakta vi gå genom stan - Det bästa med Monica
14. Takida - Bury the lies
15. Säkert! - Säkert!
16. Lars Winnerbäck - Daugava
17. Frida - Hoppa upp!
18. Cornelis Vreeswijk - CV - Det bästa med Cornelis Vreeswijk
19. Caracola - This is Caracola
20. Benny Anderssons Orkester - Bao 3

04/16 - HMV Shibuya, Tokyo
04/17 - Unagidani Sunsui, Osaka
04/18 - Blue Blues, Okayama
04/19 - Cafe Teco, Fukuoka

01. Sofia Karlsson - Visor från vinden
02. Tomas Andersson Wij - En sommar på speed
03. Jill Johnson - Music Row
04. Carola - Främling 25 år
05. Neverstore - Heroes wanted
06. The Cardigans - Best of
07. Fernandoz - Anders & Git - En helt ny dag
08. Caesars - Strawberry weed
09. Kikki Danielsson - Kikkis bästa
10. Lykke Li - Youth novels
11. Takida - Bury the lies
12. Amy Diamond - Music in motion
14. Kent - Tillbaka till samtiden
15. Lars Winnerbäck - Daugava
16. Marie Picasso - The secret
17. Sahara Hotnights - What if leaving is a loving thing
18. Säkert! - Säkert!
19. Sara Isaksson & Anders Widmark - Pool of happiness
20. Björn Skifs - I2I

01. Neverstore - Heroes wanted
02. Tomas Andersson Wij - En sommar på speed
03. Fernandoz - Anders & Git - En helt ny dag
04. Carola - Främling 25 år
05. The Cardigans - Best of
06. Lykke Li - Youth novels
07. Takida - Bury the lies
08. Kent - Tillbaka till samtiden
09. Lars Winnerbäck - Daugava
10. Majornas 3dje Rote - Majornas 3dje Rote med Tomas von Brömssen
11. Within Y - The cult
12. Kikki Danielsson - Kikkis bästa
14. Jill Johnson - Music Row
15. Hellsongs - Hymns in the key of 666
16. Sahara Hotnights - What if leaving is a loving thing
17. El Perro Del Mar - From the valley to the stars
18. Pacific! - Reveries
19. Sara Isaksson & Anders Widmark - Pool of happiness
20. Säkert! - Säkert!

01. Carola - Främling 25 år
02. Fernandoz - Anders & Git - En helt ny dag
03. Jill Johnson - Music Row
04. Hellsongs - Hymns in the key of 666
05. The Cardigans - Best of
06. Lykke Li - Youth novels
07. Lars Winnerbäck - Daugava
08. Kent - Tillbaka till samtiden
09. Alf Robertson - Alf Robertsons bästa
10. Sahara Hotnights - What if leaving is a loving thing
11. Marie Picasso - The secret
12. Sara Isaksson & Anders Widmark - Pool of happiness
14. Takida - Bury the lies
15. Säkert! - Säkert!
16. Sofia Karlsson - Visor från vinden
17. Andra Generationen - Extra allt
18. Nanne - Jag måste kyssa dig
19. Louise Hoffsten - Så speciell
20. Hoffmaestro & Chraa - The storm

01. Fernandoz - Anders & Git - En helt ny dag
02. Lars Winnerbäck - Daugava
03. Lykke Li - Youth novels
04. The Cardigans - Best of
05. Kent - Tillbaka till samtiden
06. Jill Johnson - Music Row
07. Alf Robertson - Alf Robertsons bästa
08. Sara Isaksson & Anders Widmark - Pool of happiness
09. Sahara Hotnights - What if leaving is a loving thing
10. Marie Picasso - The secret
11. Sofia Karlsson - Visor från vinden
12. Säkert! - Säkert!
14. Peter Lemarc - Kärlek i tystnadens tid
15. Louise Hoffsten - Så speciell
16. Takida - Bury the lies
17. Magnus Uggla - Pärlor åt svinen
18. Lars Winnerbäck - Efter nattens bränder - 1996-2006
19. Nisse Hellberg - En tiger i tanken
20. Salem Al Fakir - This is who I am

How long have you lived in GBG?

I've basically been living here for a year now. The first 6-7 months I kept working in Skåne, the south of Sweden, where I'm from. That meant a lot of driving and more or less living in my car, traveling between 3 different cities all the time. But now I'm here and have been here full time since August 07.

Where did you move from and why?

I moved up here from Malmö for love. I met the greatest person and we decided to try and make it work out together. I was also losing my apartment in Malmö and I needed to get out of the situation I was stuck in at the time. Things have worked out for the better.

Favorite part about the city? Least favorite?

I really like Gbg in general, I like walking in the city even though I do it a lot less than I'd like. I live in Majorna and there is just a lot of nice things to look at and to take to heart.
Least favourite? The weather... for sure. Windy and rainy... but it's ok.

Do you think that there's a particular Gbg sound? If so, how would you describe it?

Nah, I think what's so good about the music from Gbg is that it's all really diverse. You can find anything here, and most of the time it's pretty damn good too. And with people like Christian Pallin/Koloni around who organizes shows and happenings all year-round, you get pretty spoiled with opportunities to see interesting and odd bands/artists from all over the world.

How would you say the city inspired you?

I've been getting more back into punk and hardcore/metal again... which is great! There's a good scene here.
Started a few new bands, played with great people, met wonderful people with a real desire to do good and who have their hearts 100% in what they do. It's pretty hard to not get inspired by stuff like that. I've also been getting better at saying no and to not go everywhere and not do everything. To have the ability to not do things is very liberating.

Is there a particular piece that you've done that you feel was directly influenced by and/or provides a good reflection of the city?

Well, there's also a compilation coming out entitled "Gothenburg 08", which will be released by Fang Bomb... it'll feature me, Viktor Sjöberg, Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words and many others... the track on there is about Gbg but since it's not released yet I'm not sure that's a good idea.
However, my new album coming out on Kalligrammofon, the "Heart attack money" cd, kinda touches on Gbg a lot too, so let's go for "Gloomy Sunday". It's being mastered this week Henrik Oja (The Spacious Mind, Säkert!) and Jonas Rosén (Female Anchor Of Sade, Asterisk*) so I'm super-psyched to hear the results soon.

Look for the album to receive a proper release soon, but in the meantime, here's the unmastered version of "Gloomy Sunday" to whet your thirst. Highly recommended!

01. Lars Winnerbäck - Daugava
02. The Cardigans - Best of
03. Lykke Li - Youth novels
04. Kent - Tillbaka till samtiden
05. Jill Johnson - Music Row
06. Alf Robertson - Alf Robertsons bästa
07. Sara Isaksson & Anders Widmark - Pool of happiness
08. Sahara Hotnights - What if leaving is a loving thing
09. Säkert! - Säkert!
10. Sofia Karlsson - Visor från vinden
11. Hästpojken - Caligula
12. Peter Lemarc - Kärlek i tystnadens tid
14. Salem Al Fakir - This is who I am
15. Magnus Uggla - Pärlor åt svinen
16. Björn Skifs - I2I
17. Mando Diao - Never seen the light of day
18. Lars Winnerbäck - Efter nattens bränder - 1996-2006
19. Marie Picasso - The secret
20. Takida - Bury the lies

Rhythm: Kapten Röd - Stjärnorna finns här (SwingKids/Border)
Pop/Electronica: The Honeydrips - Here Comes The Future (Sincerely Yours/Playground Music)
Rock/Rockabilly/Blues/Garage: High Hats - Too Much Is Never Enough (Alleycat/Sound Pollution)
Hardrock/Metal: Dark Tranquillity - Fiction (Century Media/EMI)
Hiphop/R&B/Soul: Timbuktu - Oberoendeframkallande (Juju Records/Playground Music)
Experimental: Rolf Enström - Quarks (Caprice Records/CDA)
Dance: The Field - From here we go sublime (Kompakt)
Folk/Ballad: Sofia Karlsson - Visor från vinden (Amigo/Bonnier Amigo)
Jazz: Ludvig Berghe Trio - An unplayed venue (Moserobie Music Production/Bonnier Amigo)
Synth: Terror Punk Syndicate - Extended Playtime (Progress Productions/Border Music)
Punk/Hardcore: Wolfbrigade - Prey to the world (Agipunk/Unrest/MCR/Sound Pollution)
Singer/Songwriter: Christian Kjellvander - I Saw Her From Here/I Saw Here From Her (Startracks/V2/Bonnier Amigo)
Best Live Artist: Säkert!
Digfi-prize (unsigned act): Emily McWilliam's Desert Soul (Stockholm)

01. Lykke Li - Youth novels
02. Lars Winnerbäck - Daugava
03. Kent - Tillbaka till samtiden
04. Sara Isaksson & Anders Widmark - Pool of happiness
05. Jill Johnson - Music Row
06. Alf Robertson - Alf Robertsons bästa
07. The Cardigans - Best of
08. Sahara Hotnights - What if leaving is a loving thing
09. Sofia Karlsson - Visor från vinden
10. Hästpojken - Caligula
11. Säkert! - Säkert!
12. Marie Picasso - The secret
14. Salem Al Fakir - This is who I am
15. Peter Lemarc - Kärlek i tystnadens tid
16. Björn Skifs - I2I
17. Lars Winnerbäck - Efter nattens bränder - 1996-2006
18. Magnus Uggla - Pärlor åt svinen
19. Peter Jöback - Människor som du och jag
20. Benny Anderssons Orkester - Bao 3

Even though Petter is very honest and open in his lyrics, he no longer has that drive that gave him such an appeal in the beginning of his career when he released tracks such as "Mikrofonkåt". The title track is ok, but the whole album is too much of a half-hearted effort, and sampling Säkert! on "Logiskt" feels shoddy and cheap.]]> Mon, 04 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0800 reviews http://www.itsatrap.com/n/21236 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/21236 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/21236#comments Here's the playlist for this week's radio show:

01. Annika Norlin/Säkert! - Generalens visa
02. TALK 1
03. Downstairs - Legs for arms
04. Dmitry Fyodorov - 1b-1
05. Northern Fields - Never take the beauty
06. TALK 2
07. Barra Head - Undermine
08. Fläskkvartetten - Som glas (ft. Nina Persson)
09. Benea Reach - New waters
10. TALK 3
11. Firefox AK - Winter rose (Tellevika remix)
12. Dansdepartementet - Svarta brev
13. Randy - Little toulouse
14. TALK 4
15. Britta Persson - At 7
16. M:40 - Brännmärkt
17. Mechanical Bird - Martha
18. TALK 5
19. Marvins Revolt - Multiple fractures
20. The Drawbacks - Straight lines & circles
21. Isolation Years - Say-nothing day
22. Christian Kjellvander - Poppies and peonies
23. TALK 6
24. Little Dragon - Recommendation
25. FAP - Sjömannen
26. Cortex - Animals (...looking at me)
27. TALK 7
28. Ulf Ljusberg - Whatever was
29. Mayhem - Deathcrush
30. Alog - St.Paul sessions II
31. TALK 8
32. Tigerbombs - 1000 sparks
33. Mainliners - Bourbon and ice
34. Mando Diao - San Francisco Bay
35. Madrugada - Look away Lucifer
36. TALK 9
37. Matts Katt - Refused was fucking murdered

01. Lars Winnerbäck - Daugava
02. Kent - Tillbaka till samtiden
03. Sahara Hotnights - What if leaving is a loving thing
04. Säkert! - Säkert!
05. Sara Isaksson & Anders Widmark - Pool of happiness
06. Alf Robertson - Alf Robertsons bästa
07. Sofia Karlsson - Visor från vinden
08. Salem Al Fakir - This is who I am
09. Marie Picasso - The secret
10. Peter Lemarc - Kärlek i tystnadens tid
11. Jill Johnson - Music Row
12. Anna Christoffersson - One
14. Daniel Lemma - Somebody on your side
15. Mando Diao - Never seen the light of day
16. Peter Jöback - Människor som du och jag
17. Nisse Hellberg - En tiger i tanken
18. Lars Winnerbäck - Efter nattens bränder - 1996-2006
19. Eva Dahlgren - Petroleum och tång
20. Magnus Uggla - Pärlor åt svinen

01. Sofia Karlsson - Visor från vinden
02. Lars Winnerbäck - Daugava
03. Alf Robertson - Alf Robertsons bästa
04. Kent - Tillbaka till samtiden
05. Salem Al Fakir - This is who I am
06. Sahara Hotnights - What if leaving is a loving thing
07. Jill Johnson - Music Row
08. Säkert! - Säkert!
09. Marie Picasso - The secret
10. Benny Anderssons Orkester - Bao 3
11. Lars Winnerbäck - Efter nattens bränder - 1996-2006
12. Magnus Uggla - Pärlor åt svinen
14. Peter Jöback - Människor som du och jag
15. Britta Persson - Kill Hollywood me
16. Peter Lemarc - Kärlek i tystnadens tid
17. Elin Ruth Sigvardsson - A fiction
18. Petter - God damn it
19. Nisse Hellberg - En tiger i tanken
20. Martin Stenmarck - Det är det pojkar gör när kärleken dör

Female artist: Säkert! - Säkert!
Newcomer: Maia Hirasawa
Male artist: Lars Winnerbäck - Daugava
Song: Oh Laura - Release me
Group: Kent - Tillbaka till samtiden
Hip-hop/soul: Petter - God damn it
Rock/metal: Arch Enemy - Rise of the tyrant
Dance: Minilogue - collected work
Pop: Jens Lekman - Night falls over Kortedala
Guldmicken (best live act): Timo Räisänen

01. Lars Winnerbäck - Daugava
02. Alf Robertson - Alf Robertsons bästa
03. Salem Al Fakir - This is who I am
04. Kent - Tillbaka till samtiden
05. Marie Picasso - The secret
06. Caj Karlsson - Rapport från dårhuset
07. Jill Johnson - Music Row
08. Sofia Karlsson - Visor från vinden
09. Sahara Hotnights - What if leaving is a loving thing
10. Lars Winnerbäck - Efter nattens bränder - 1996-2006
11. Säkert! - Säkert!
12. Benny Anderssons Orkester - Bao 3
14. Peter Lemarc - Kärlek i tystnadens tid
15. Magnus Uggla - Pärlor åt svinen
16. Elin Ruth Sigvardsson - A fiction
17. Martin Stenmarck - Det är det pojkar gör när kärleken dör
18. Björn Skifs - I2I
19. Mats Bergmans - Jubileum
20. Miss Li - Songs of a rag doll

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Best Live Artist:
Familjen
Säkert!
Maia Hirashawa
Laakso

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

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

Best Album: Kent – Tillbaka till samtiden
Best Dance/Hip-Hop/Soul: Adam Tensta – It's a Tensta thing
Best Folk/Visa: Sofia Karlsson – Visor från vinden
Best Group: Kent – Tillbaka till samtiden
Best Hard-rock: Mustasch – Latest version of the truth
Best Jazz: Rigmor Gustafsson – Alone with you
Best Songwriter: Salem Al Fakir – This is who I am
Best Female Artist: Säkert! – Säkert!
Best Male Artist: Salem Al Fakir – This is who I am
Best Live Act: The Hives
Best Song: Lars Winnerbäck w/Miss Li – Om du lämnade mig nu
Best Lyrics: Annika Norlin – Säkert!
Best Newcomer: Salem Al Fakir – This is who I am
Best Producer: Salem Al Fakir – This is who I am
MTV-Prize for Best Video: Johan Söderberg (Familjen – Det snurrar I min skalle)
Export Prize: Bloodshy & Avant

Read more: http://www.grammis.se/?page=105