Here are the winners of the 2010 Manifest Awards, Sweden's alternative Grammy:
Punk/Hardcore: Troublemakers - Made in Sweden ()
Dance: Samuel L Session - The man with the case ()
Jazz: The Opposite - Intertwined ()
Dansband: Blender - Välkommen in ()
Rhythm: Jaqee - Kokoo Girl ()
Composer: Lisa Nordström and Lisen Rylander Löve (Midaircondo)
Lyrics: Ken Ring
Rock: Makeouts - In A Strange Land ()
Pop: El Perro Del Mar - Love Is Not Pop ()
Hårdrock/Metal: Abandon - The Dead End ()
Synth: Arvid - Andetag ()
Singer/songwriter: Kristofer Åström And The Rainaways - Sinkadus ()
Folk/ballad: Tore Berger - I huset långt på landet ()
Hip-hop: Mohammed Ali - Processen ()
Best poplabel:
Best live: Fever Ray ()
Best unsigned: Fulmakten
The nominees for the 2010 Manifest Awards, Sweden's alternative Grammy, have been announced:
Punk/Hardcore: En Svensk Tiger - Versace style () Troublemakers - Made in Sweden () Tysta Mari - Sveriges Casino () The Clichés - Monkey see, monkey do ()
Dance: Minilogue - Samlad årsproduktion Samuel L Session - The man with the case () The Field - Yesterday and Today () Tomas Andersson - Stiff Disco ()
Jazz: Bengt Berger - Beches Brew () Jonas Kullhammar Quartet - The Half Naked Truth 1998-2008 () The Opposite - Intertwined () Plunge With Bobo Stenson - Origo ()
Rhythm: Calle Real - Me Lo Gané () Jaqee - Kokoo Girl () Music is the weapon - Music is the weapon () Syster Sol - Dömd att bli bedömd ()
Rock: Florence Valentin - Spring Ricco () Makeouts - In A Strange Land () Murder by guitar - Murder by guitar () Skriet - Skriet ()
Pop: Anna Järvinen - Man var bland molnen () El Perro Del Mar - Love Is Not Pop () JJ - JJ n° 2 () Jonathan Johansson - En hand i himlen ()
Hårdrock/Metal: Abandon - The Dead End () Candlemass - Death Magic Doom () Katatonia - Night Is The New Day () Tribulation - The Horror ()
Singer/songwriter: Ane Brun - Live at Stockholm Concert Hall () David Åhlen - We Sprout In Thy Soil () Jonna Lee - This Is Jonna Lee () Kristofer Åström And The Rainaways - Sinkadus ()
Folk/ballad: Taken By Trees - East of Eden () Miriam Aida - Letras au Brasil () Tore Berger - I huset långt på landet () Esbjörn Hazelius - Blunda och du ska få se ()
Hip-hop: Mohammed Ali - Processen () Organismen - Om Gud vill och vädret tillåter () Promoe - Kråksången () Stor - Nya skolans ledare ()
Best live: Frida Hyvönen () Jenny Wilson () Fever Ray () Florence Valentin ()
Best unsigned: Den Svenska Björnstammen Extended Heads Fulmakten Nora
Swedish hardcore act Meleeh report that their new album "To live and die alone" is done and on track for a February release via and will be available on both CD and vinyl.
Pg.lost's newest recording, "It's not me, it's you!", is almost double the length of their previous effort "Yes I am". The opener alone is nearly the duration of the previous record's first two tracks, though this space is well used: a slow, almost discordant swell bursts into a mass of distortion, a wave which breaks and allows for the tinkling of soft piano notes in its recession. The last few moments of "The day shift" are amazing: a lush, thick mingling of instruments in the final throes of a beautifully composed song, finally breaking down to the near inharmonious strains from which it began. Darker than "Yes I am", "It's not me, it's you!" takes a few more steps away from the 'big names' (if there can be such a thing in such a niche movement) of the post-rock genre. "Jonathan", my personal favorite, revels in deconstructing the rock guitar riff and Bloc Party-esque drum line, washing over these elements with beautiful delay-heavy guitar. "Maquina" is gorgeous and schizophrenic -- suddenly, though not jarringly, shifting from a soft, Explosions in the Sky-like vein into a violent accumulation of heavy guitars and drums -- further establishing the originality of Sweden's Pg.lost. While "It's not me, it's you!" is a fantastic record, something doesn't work quite as powerfully as it did on "Yes I am". At times, it feels as though they are trying to attempt to do with thick brush strokes what they were doing with finer detail on their previous outing. However, espite its faults, it is more than deserving of a place in your record collection. - Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
I am surprised that the postrock genre continually finds new champions and has not yet stagnated around its established forerunners. Scandinavia has provided many of the groups that have proved themselves able to compete in this niche genre, pushing and expanding its limits and scope, and Sweden's Pg.lost are definitely amongst my favorite of this new wave of postrock acts. While comparable in many ways to Explosions in the Sky, specifically in their buoyant musical outlook and the sense of optimism and hope that pervades "Yes I am", Pg.lost don't flinch away from distorted onslaughts similar to that of Mogwai or Mono. While I personally loathe having to compare an upcoming band to their better known contemporaries since it seems to suggest a lack of originality or an inability for a band to find their own voice, this is far from the case. While the tone and style are akin to what other bands have done, Pg.lost have no difficulty filtering these influence through their own unique approach, creating some of the best music I've heard this year. "Yes I am" is stunningly forceful and compelling given its brevity. I'm confident future recordings will establish Pg.lost as amongst the best of their field, and can only hope it is not too long until I'm proven right. - Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
Building upon last year's free downloadable EP, The Book Of Daniel have created quite a solid full-length album as their debut. That being said, if one is familiar with the EP, then you may be a bit disappointed to learn that four of the albums' ten tracks are repeated. What is most amazing about this album is that it sounds like the band has honed its craft for years and the mature vocals just exemplify this even more. The hooks prevalent in "The camels parade" and "Deadringer deadringer" lure the listener to chime in and sing along, especially with the group vocals on the latter track. This whole album is formal, steadily beautiful and just so confident, it's somewhat alarming to review. "Songs for the Locust King" is just fantastic; one of the more fully-realised debut albums I have heard in a long time. - Matt Giordano
Pg.lost
The Book Of Daniel
