Here is the It's a Trap! listening group top 10 artists of the week, unique to our group:
01. Håkan Hellström
02. Jens Lekman
03. Shout Out Louds
04. The Bear Quartet
05. El Perro del Mar
06. The Tough Alliance
07. Girls
08. Anna Ternheim
09. Sambassadeur
10. Kings of Convenience
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/
Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU, special year-end top 10 edition:
01. TALK 1
02. Tyrant - The rebirth (reclaim the flame)
03. C.Aarmé - Dustin
04. Pintandwefall - Bird of the birds
05. Ironville - Sweet perfume
06. Dear Euphoria - Tell me
07. TALK 2
08. [ingenting] - Halleluja!
09. Agent Side Grinder - Die to live
10. Pistol Disco - Beat of the tune
11. TALK 3
12. The Bear Quartet - Carry your weight (Strange Maps remix)
13. The Fine Arts Showcase - Looking for your love
14. Wardruna - Dagr
15. TALK 4
16. Björn Kleinhenz - Fårö
17. Samuraj Cities - Spoonful of talk
18. David Åhlén - Stir our hearts
19. TALK 5
20. Elmo - Darkness falls
Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.
The Göteborg Post follows up on The Bear Quartet's refusal of their Swedish Grammis nomination: http://www.gp.se/kulturnoje/1.266444-bear-quartet-vagrar-grammis (in Swedish)
Note that the band has indeed been removed from the voting roster: http://vote.grammis.se/kategorier/arets-rock.aspx
Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU:
01. Interlace - Nemesis
02. TALK 1
03. Kråkesølv - Skredder
04. Mata de Leon - He's alright
05. Agent Side Grinder - 210-392
06. TALK 2
07. Lapko - I shot the sheriff
08. Obliteration - Exterminate
09. Frivolvol - Blades of steel
10. Adam McCormack - Dead sailor
11. TALK 3
12. Marvins Revolt - Organize your arms
13. The Bear Quartet - Least loved (of the unloved)
14. Håkan Lidbo - Let's rock
15. TALK 4
16. Eskatol - Hevn
17. Elias & the Wizzkids - Oh these nights
18. Grande Roses - Factory
19. C.Aarmé - Assuan
20. TALK 5
21. Le Sport - Love in stereo
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.
Till grammisjuryn 2009:
Tack men nej tack, vi avsäger oss nomineringen, vi vill inte ha med Er att göra. Hoppas Ni respekterar detta. Vi tycker att en ursäkt vore på sin plats. Säg förlåt.
Vänligen,
The Bear Quartet
In case you missed it, The Bear Quartet were nominated for a Swedish Grammy and they have refused the "honor", issuing the statement above (translation here). It's not like it's the first time, so yeah, I'm not surprised. Still Sweden's best indie act and also the most contrary. Anyhow, it's not as if the prospect of BQ going up against the likes of Takida and Europe isn't ridiculous enough by itself, it hardly matters because you know that fucking Kent will win everything, whether you think they deserve it or not (I still haven't heard "Röd"; I'm sure it's fine, but I just don't care). So they are stepping aside and good for them. The Bear Quartet continues to do as they see fit.
On a similar token, the band has another new EP on the way to accompany the album "89" and of course it bares their willfully difficult streak. The song is "Carry your weight" and the EP comes with 3 b-side versions: a killer Spaghetti Western remix from Strange Maps aka Petter Granberg of Park Hotell, a psyched-out take by Malmö-based experimental artist VED and most importantly, the version I give to you today as performed by Finnish cult artist M.A. Numminen (performed together with longtime collaborator Pedro Hietanen on accordion). I can't remember where exactly I first heard of Numminen, but his intentionally annoying weirdness is a perfect match for BQ and yet another example of the band doing their best to aggravate their fans. Personally, I think it's hilarious, even if it's pure novelty. But most importantly, it makes perfect sense. The "Carry your weight" EP comes out December 11, the same day as The Bear Quartet's final concert of the year in their hometown Luleå where they will perform songs from "89" for the very last time.
M.A. Numminen - Carry your weight (The Bear Quartet cover)
Here you go, the (almost) full list of nominees for the 2010 Swedish Grammis:
Album:
A Camp - Colonia
Agnes - Dace love pop - The love love love edition
Amanda Jenssen - Happyland
Caroline af Ugglas - Så gör jag det igen
Erik Hassle - Hassle
Kent - Röd
Lars Winnerbäck - Tänk om jag ångrar mig och sen ångrar mig igen
Mando Diao - Give me fire!
Takida - The darker instinct
Thåström - Kärlek är för dom
Folk music/ballad:
Cajsastina Åkerström - Sånger om dej och mej
Esbjörn Hazelius - Blunda och du ska få se
Miriam Aida - Letras ao Brasil
Olle Adolphson - Tystnaden smyger som en katt... 1956-2004
Sofia Jannok - Åssogáttis - By the embers
Sofia Karlsson - Den allra båsta (1999-2009)
Sofia Karlsson - Söder om kärleken
Stefan Sundström - Ingenting har hänt
Taken By Trees - East of Eden
Väsen - Väsen Street
Hard rock:
Candlemass - Death magic doom
Crucified Barbara - 'Til death do us party
Dead By April - Dead By April
Hammerfall - No sacrifice, no victory
Hardcore Superstar - Beg for it
Lillasyster - Det här är inte musik, det här är kärlek
Mustasch - Mustasch
Raised Fist - Veil of ignorance
Renegade Five - Undergrounded universe
Wolf - Ravenous
Jazz:
Alice Babs - As time goes by
Bengt Berger - Beches brew
Georg Wadenius/Arild Jensen - Jul på Svenska
Jan Lundgren Trio - European standards
Jeanette Lindström - Attitude and orbit control
Jonas Kullhammar Quartet - The half naked truth
Lina Nyberg - The snow
Lisa Ekdahl - Give me that slow knowing smile
Magnus Lindgren - Batucada jazz
Trummor & Orgel - Visions
Club/Hip-hop:
Andreas Tilliander - Show
J-Son - Never half stepping
Ken Ring - Hip hop
Lorentz & M Sakarias - Vi mot världen
Mange Schmidt - Odenplan Stockholm 1988
Maskinen - Boys II men
Mohammed Ali - Processen
Näääk - Näääk vem?
Promoe - Kråksången
Swingfly - God bless the IRS
Composer:
Amanda Jenssen & Pär Wiksten - Happyland
Anna Järvinen - Man var bland molnen
Christian Walz - The corner
Deportees - Under the pavement - the beach
El Perro Del Mar - Love is not pop
Joakim Berg & Martin Sköld (Kent) - Röd
Lars Winnerbäck - Tänk om jag ångrar mig och sen ångrar mig igen
Nina Persson, Niclas Frisk, Nathan Larsson (A Camp) - Colonia
Salem Al Fakir - Astronaut
Thåström - Kärlek är för dom
Female artist:
Agnes - Dace love pop - The love love love edition
Amanda Jenssen - Happyland
Anna Järvinen - Man var bland molnen
Caroline af Ugglas - Så gör jag det igen
Jenny Wilson - Hardships!
Laleh - Me and Simon
Melissa Horn - Säg ingenting till mig
Miss Li - Dancing the whole way home
Pernilla Andersson - Ashbury apples
Sarah Dawn Finer - Moving on
Male artist:
Christian Walz - The corner
Erik Hassle - Hassle
Freddie Wadling - The dark flower (Den mörka blomman)
John Me - I am John
Lars Winnerbäck - Tänk om jag ångrar mig och sen ångrar mig igen
Markus Krunegård - Lev som en gris dö som en hund
Olle Ljungström - Sju
Salem Al Fakir - Astronaut
Thåström - Kärlek är för dom
Tingsek - Restless soul
Newcomer:
Adiam Dymott - Adiam Dymott
Dead By April - Dead By April
Erik Hassle - Hassle
John Me - I am John
Jonathan Johansson - En hand i himlen
Larz Kristerz - Hem till dig
Lorentz & M.Sakarias - Vi mot världen
Maskinen - Boys II men
Miike Snow - Miike Snow
Name The Pet - Name the Pet
Pop:
A Camp - Colonia
Asha Ali - Hurricane
BWO - Big science
Calaisa - Grafton Street
El Perro Del Mar - Love is not pop
Fibes, Oh Fibes! - 1987
Jill Johnson - Music row II
Melody Club - Goodbye to romance
Miike Snow - Miike Snow
Peter Bjorn And John - Living thing
Producer:
A Camp - Colonia
Amanda Jenssen & Pär Wiksten - Happyland
Bloodshy & Avant (Miike Snow) - Miike Snow
El Perro Del Mar & Rasmus Hägg - Love is not pop
Goran Kajfes (Magnus Carlson & The Moon Ray Quintet) - Magnus Carlson & The Moon Ray Quintet
Jenny Wilson - Hardships!
Kent & Joshua - Röd
Laleh - Me and Simon
Salem Al Fakir - Astronaut
Thomas Rusiak (Adiam Dymott) - Adiam Dymott
Rock:
[Ingenting] - Tomhet, idel tomhet
Bob Hund - Folkmusik för folk som inte kan bete sig som folk
Deportees - Under the pavement - the beach
Dundertåget - Skaffa ny frisyr
Europe - Last look at Eden
Florence Valentin - Spring Ricco
Kent - Röd
Mando Diao - Give me fire!
Takida - The darker instinct
The Bear Quartet - 89
Lyrics:
Amanda Jenssen - Happyland
Anna Järvinen - Man var bland molnen
Caroline af Ugglas - Så gör jag det igen
El Perro Del Mar - Love is not pop
Joakim Berg (Kent) - Röd
Laleh - Me and Simon
Lars Winnerbäck - Tänk om jag ångrar mig och sen ångrar mig igen
Louise Hoffsten/Peter Lemarc - På andra siden vättern
Melissa Horn - Säg ingenting till mig
Thåström - Kärlek är för dom
For the full list in a hard-to-read format, go here: http://www.grammis.se/
Swedish label Diskret Förlag is releasing The Bear Quartet's latest album "89" on vinyl, 100 on transparent red, 400 on black. Go here to order: http://www.diskretforlag.com/thebearquartet-eng.html
Mattias Alkberg pitched his new album "Nerverna" to me as "selling ice to the Eskimos," saying that he would love to play this kind of rockabilly/roots rock'n'roll here in America. Not that I'd know, most of the old-time rock I hear tends to be shitty cover bands or other unbearable, "-billy" suffixed genre crap listened to by greasers and their China-doll girlfriends. Does "real" true-blue American rock'n'roll still exist? I can think of a few names I guess, but I'd never doubt that we'd be overtaken by foreign talent, much in the same way that modern jazz is dominated by Europe. Similarly, that's where you gotta go if you want to see where these styles are appreciated. Of course, Mattias is never one to play it straight, so while it might appear all hunky-dory on the surface, he's always throwing a wrench into the works. That is his way, it is a distinct part of his appeal whether solo or with his other band The Bear Quartet. Witness: "Visst vet du att jag skiter i allt" ("Surely, you know that I don't care at all"), a remake of Weezer's "Buddy Holly" in 3/4 time with new lyrics på Svenska. An extremely bold move, but Mattias pulls it off, shame that it took me many, many listens to figure out where I knew the melody from.
Mattias Alkberg - Visst vet du att jag skiter i allt