I always make an effort to check out the various Manifest Awards nominees because, inevitably, there's always at least a few quality names that have previously escaped my attention. I don't worry so much about who actually won or who was unfairly passed over, I just want new music. As for the punk category: I'm already a fan of Vånna Inget and happily grabbed a copy of their excellent LP via 1-2-3-4 Go! Records; Obnoxious Youth's stiff thrashy hardcore is not my thing at all, but kudos to them for winning; and I must confess, I don't know Black Feet at all, but that will be remedied eventually. Which leaves Sju Svåra År, a band that I've been aware of for awhile, but never fully investigated until very recently. Shame on me, because they are ruling female-fronted melodic punk, not too dissimilar from the aforementioned Vånna Inget or other acts like Masshysteri and The Vicious. So yeah, right up my alley -- especially when they combine exquisite vocal harmonies with raw grit like on tracks such as "Pappa". I may have neglected to track down a copy of their LP before now, but that will soon be remedied.
"Strong & tall" is the first official single from the upcoming Kristofer Åström album "From eagle to sparrow", due out February 24. Sounds great, as expected!
Iceage/Sexdrome techno/noise crossover sideproject War now have a video for the song "Brodermordet" off their new 7" single "At war for youth", due out later this month via .
This dirty ol' bastard has been lying around for nearly 20 years and has only seen the light of day because the band members scoured today's underground for old cassette copies good enough for an official release. What we have, therefore, is a true retro album; a step back in time with a new 1993 album. A very definite progression can be heard between this and the previous Disgrace album of the time, debut "Grey misery", although elements from that can be heard as well. The foundation for "Vol. 2" lies in the realm of early Black Sabbath and Danzig, both of whom were firm favorites of Disgrace back in the early '90s. There's obviously a bit of a stoner vibe on this, then, making it sound something like Sabbath with heavier vocals -- a goal that the band had in mind when writing the album. The production could obviously be better, but given the source material they've done a damn fine job. Besides, the harsh nature of the recording adds a distinctive character to it; you almost feel like you're back in 1993. I hate the term, but this could well have been the first death 'n roll album out there. - John Norby
Division of Laura Lee will be releasing a new 7" in coordination with their upcoming hometown gig in GBG on February 25. The a-side will feature "Cabin jam" and the flip will have the exclusive b-side "Hoover".
Gunnhild Sundli, ex-vocalist for the excellent Norwegian folk/rock act Gåte, will soon be releasing her debut solo album and is currently giving away the first single "Gi mæ fred" as a free download: http://gunnhildsundli.no/
Disgrace - Vol. 2 
harold | Mon, Feb 6th, 2012 22:42:51