IT'S A TRAP! Scandinavian Music Journal

The Late Call - Pale morning light (preview video)

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 14:03:58 -0700

A quick preview of The Late Call's forthcoming album "Pale morning light", produced by John Roger Olsson (The Grand Opening, Hearts No Static, etc.) and also featuring Ylva Ceder and Patric Thorman (Tvärvägen). The video for the first single "Look At You Now" will be up soon with the actual album to follow on September 14 via Tapete Records.

Best of 2012 (so far)

Fri, 13 Jul 2012 15:06:58 -0700

Been meaning to get this written up for over a week now, but I haven't found the time and now that I'm about head out on vacation to Sweden for a couple weeks, I figure I need to get at least something up. So without further ado, here's my picks for the best releases of 2012 so far (in alphabetical order):

Agent Side Grinder - Hardware (Klangarkivet)
Beastmilk - Use your deluge (Svart Records)
Diskoteket - Det ska se ut som slutet (Irrlicht)
Magnus Ekelund & Stålet - Supernova EP (Teg Publishing)
Nitad - Rastlös & vild (Mourningwood Recordings)
Susanne Sundfør - The silicone veil (EMI Norway)
Tvärvägen - Staring directly into the sun (Hare Tracks)
Vånna Inget - Jag ska fly tills jag hittar hem (Erste Theke Tonträger)

On the cusp/too early to tell:
Anchorless - Every nook and cranny (Play/Rec)
Norra Kust - s/t (Teg Publishing)
Westkust - Junk EP (Luxury)

Reissues:
Missbrukarna - Zooma in en zombie (Skrammel Records)
Ratsia - Jäljet (Svart Records)

Listen to a selection of these records below via Spotify:

Tvärvägen - Dans för två (video)

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 12:56:08 -0800

"Dans för två" is the first single from Tvärvägen's new album "Staring directly into the sun", due out February 27 via Hare Tracks.

Yast sign with Hare Tracks/Double Sun

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 12:53:09 -0800

Hare Tracks (Ironville, Tvärvägen) and Double Sun, a new subsidiary of Adrian Recordings, are teaming up to release the debut 7" from Malmö-based indie act Yast. Not sure what the release date is, but the a-side tune is called "Believes" and can be previewed above.

Tvärvägen to Hare Tracks

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 11:39:19 -0800

Hare Tracks, the label run by the fine folks in Ironville, have signed Tvärvägen and will be releasing their new album "Staring directly into the sun" in early 2012 on both digital and vinyl.

Knoppar signs two new acts

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:43:49 -0800

Knoppar (Tvärvägen, A Perfect Friend) has announced the signing of two new acts: Euphoria and the Lazy Boy and The Eyeshades. Expect new EPs from both in early 2010.

Knoppar presents Tvärvägen alias Spunk for free download

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:14:21 -0700

The Knoppar label has a new release from Tvärvägen "sideproject" Spunk available for free download: http://knoppar.blogspot.com/2009/10/some-great-news-from-tvarvagen.html
In the same link at the very bottom, there's also another free download for a mix of new Knoppar stuff which I presume includes more Tvärvägen as well as A Perfect Friend and more.

Tvärvägen - Pingvinvärmen (video)

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 18:38:35 -0700

Swedish indie act Tvärvägen has a new video for the song "Pingvinvärmen": http://vimeo.com/album/130482

A Perfect Friend signs with Knoppar

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 11:58:03 -0700

A Perfect Friend (Thomas Denver Jonsson + Pacta/Ondo) has signed with Knoppar (Hajen, Tvärvägen) for the release of their sophomore album "Timber and modern ways". No date yet, but expect a release late this year.

Tvärvägen now available in the US via Branch Records

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 17:26:54 -0700

Environmentally-friendly US-based record label Branch Records has licensed Tvärvägen's album "Sånger från Tvärvägen" for release over in this part of the world: http://www.branchrecords.com/releases/sanger-fran-tvarvagen/

Dirtfarming and Logging '09 tour

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 13:23:37 -0700

Swedish solo artists Hajen, Euphoria and the Lazy Boy, Winter Took His Life and Tvärvägen are teaming up for the "Dirtfarming and Logging '09" tour in May in which they will all share the stage together as a single band performing eachother's songs. Dates:

05/05 - På Besök, Malmö (SWE)
05/06 - MS Stubniz, Rostock (GER)
05/07 - Kulturhaus 73, Hamburg (GER)
05/09 - Kulturpalast, Hannover (GER)
05/10 - Bahía de Cochinos, Castrop-Rauxel (GER)
05/11 - Malteserkeller, Aachen (GER)
05/12 - Exhaus, Trier (GER)
05/13 - D:qliq, Luxemburg (LUX)
05/14 - KIFF, Aarau (CH)
05/15 - Zimmertheater, Tübingen (GER)
05/16 - Pop Up Festival, Leipzig (GER)
05/17 - Kultiviert Anders!, Leipzig (GER)
05/20 - Z Live Music Club, Stuttgart (GER)
05/21 - Musigbistrot, Bern (CH)
05/23 - Kulturverein Provisorium, Nürtingen (GER)
05/24 - Dimensione, Winterthur (CH)
05/26 - Intersoap, Berlin (GER)
05/27 - Klex, Greifswald (GER)
05/28 - Hasenschaukel, Hamburg (GER)
05/30 - Fängelset, Göteborg (SWE)

Download a preview comp from the artists here: http://www.zshare.net/download/591209963fec62af/

MP3: Ironville - Roses

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 12:02:21 -0800

Ladies and gentlemen, I hereby decree that Ironville's forthcoming album "Welcome to Ironville" to be 2009's second exceptional release, the first being Livaventura's "...And they slept with their eyes open" (see here). Keep in mind that order here is unimportant as that Livaventura record won't be out until April and Ironville's debut has no official release date yet (spring?), but I've heard them both and am confident in my appraisal. Hopefully you already saw the video for "Roses" as created by band member Henrik Öhberg (aka Tvärvägen) -- if not, please remedy that straightaway. And download the song, of course! The lyrics are full of neediness, but the delivery keeps the desperation at bay by being quirky, not cloying. It's a discussion, not an ultimatum, at least not yet. And the string-heavy arrangement is a welcome respite from all the generic guitar-based crap I sift through on a daily basis. Actually, that's one of Ironville's finest qualities -- it's not just a matter of having an armada of instruments at your disposal (which they do), it's about using them judiciously. I can't say for sure that it's the band's own doing or the invisible hand of producer Markus Krunegård (Laakso), but I don't really care because the result sounds so fantastic. Keep an eye on these guys for sure.

Winter Took His Life, et al bigband tour in May

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 13:31:31 -0800

Winter Took His Life, Euphoria And The Lazy Boy, Hajen and Tvärvägen will all be touring Europe together in May playing as one big band. Some dates are booked, but not all so help out if you can: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=46503669&blogID=463137548

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 14:10:04 -0700

Tvärvägen's video for their new single "September" is now online: http://vimeo.com/1897577

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 19:43:09 -0700

Swedish artist Tvärvägen has a new single called "September" posted for free download today: http://www.myspace.com/tvarvagen
Tvärvägen is the band of Henrik Öhberg who also plays with both alt-country act Ironville and hip-hop duo Amok. Look for his album "Sånger från Tvärvägen" this fall via Knoppar.