IT'S A TRAP! Scandinavian Music Journal

The Silent Ballet reviews Musette

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 12:53:51 -0700

The Silent Ballet recommends the new Musette album "Drape me in velvet", out now via Häpna: http://thesilentballet.com/reviews/2012/04/musette-drape-me-in-velvet

2012 Manifest Award nominees

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 12:53:49 -0800

The nominees for the 2012 Manifest Awards, Sweden's alternative/indie Grammy, have been announced:

Folk/Ballad:
Marin/Marin – Småfolket (Dimma Sweden)
Merit Hemmingson – EQ (Amigo/Cosmos)
Navarra – Nya fönster (Kakafon Records)
Siri Karlsson – Gran Fuego (Flora & Fauna)

Dance:
Skudge – Samlad årsproduktion (Skudge Records)
Jonsson/Alter – Samlad årsproduktion (Kontra-Musik)
The Field – Looping State of mind (Kompakt)
Pallers – The Sea Of Memories (Labrador)

Punk:
Sju Svåra År – Storma varje hjärta (Not Enough)
Obnoxious Youth – The Eternal Void (Adult Crash)
Vånna Inget – Allvar (Heptown Records)
Black Feet – Black Feet (Dirty Faces)

Hip-Hop:
Mofeta & Jerre – Briljanter & Smaragder (Pumpa Records)
Ison & Fille – För evigt (Hemmalaget)
Mohammed Ali – Vi (Bad Taste Records)
Roffe Ruff – Barrabas (Olofsson Management/Swingkids)

Experimental:
Hans Appelqvist – Sjunga slutet nu (Häpna)
Hanna Hartman – H ^ 2 (Komplott)
Ophir – Opus Operatum (Komplott/Callithrix Records)
Midaircondo feat. Michala Østergaard-Nielsen – Reports on the Horizon (Twin Seed Recordings)

Hardrock:
In Solitude – The World. The Flesh. The Devil (Metal Blade)
Opeth – Heritage (Roadrunner)
Terra Tenebrosa – The Tunnels (Trust No One Recordings)
The Haunted – Unseen (Century Media Records)

Rhythm:
Syster Sol – Kichinga! (Swing kids)
Simone Moreno – Planetas (Soul Dog Records)
Kapten Röd – Fläcken Som Aldrig Går Bort (SwingKids)
OK Star Orchestra – The Beat and the Melody (Rootsy.nu)

Pop:
Azure Blue – Rule of thirds (Hybris)
Jonathan Johansson – Klagomuren (Hybris)
Korallreven – An album by Korallreven (Hybris)
Loney Dear – Hall Music (Dear John)

Rock:
Pascal/Mattias Alkberg – Allt det här (Novoton)
Kajsa Grytt – En kvinna under påverkan (Playground Music)
Bob Hund - Det överexponerade gömstället (bob hunds förlag)
Tramp – Indigo (Killer Cobra Records)

Synth:
Henric de la Cour – Henric de la Cour (Progress Productions)
Necro Facility – Wintermute (Progress Productions)
Mr Jones Machine – Monokrom (Progress Productions)
Covenant – Modern Ruin (Progress Productions)

Jazz:
Jonas Holgersson – Snick Snack (Moserobie)
Parti & Minut – Från klart till halvklart (El Dingo Records)
Priming Orchestra – Deep Blue (GAC)
The Splendor – Delphian Palace (HOOB Records)

Best Unsigned:
Death By Armborst
Storskogen
Schizo and the Personalities
Farsta

Singer/Songwriter/Country/Americana:
Brothers of End – Mount Inside (Konjaga)
Ane Brun – It All Start With One (Balloon Ranger Recordings)
Promise & the Monster – Red Tide (Imperial Recordings)
Lars Bygdén – Songs I Wrote (Massproduktion)

Best live act:
Kriget (Kriget)
This is Head (Adrian Recordings)
Graveyard (Nuclear Blast)
Mattias Alkberg (Teg Publishing)

Interesting to see Hybris and Progress Productions dominating their respective niches. Winners will be announced on February 3 at a ceremony at Nalen in Stockholm. Read more: http://manifestgalan.se/manifestgalan-2012/nominerade/

Hans Appelqvist presents "Sjunga slutet nu”

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 17:29:10 -0800

Häpna will be releasing the new Hans Appelqvist soundtrack album "Sjunga slutet nu" on November 23, but earlybirds can pick it up at the show with Tape this Thursday, November 10 at Rönnells Antikvariat in Stockholm. More info on the record here: http://www.hapna.com/H47.html

Häpna fall releases

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 19:11:31 -0700

Häpna has announced that they will be releasing new albums from Hans Appelqvist, Musette and Eric Malmberg this coming fall.

Ohaya debut coming via Häpna

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 16:22:38 -0700

Ohaya, the trio of Andreas Söderström (Ass), Johan Berthling (Tape), and Per Eklund -- three artists who came together as a live backing band for El Perro Del Mar, will be releasing their debut album "The state we are in" on May 10 via Häpna. Read more and download a sample tune: http://www.hapna.com/H45.html

New Tape album next week

Thu, 03 Mar 2011 17:14:25 -0800

The new Tape album "Revelationes" will be officially released on March 7 via Häpna with a vinyl edition co-released by US label Immune. And I'm glad to be reminded of it because I've had a promo on my desk for a few days now and shamefully had forgotten all about it until now. D'oh!

New Tape album next year

Wed, 17 Nov 2010 17:35:03 -0800

Häpna reports that the new Tape album "Revelationes" will be released in early 2011.

Anna Järvinen signs to Stranded

Tue, 09 Nov 2010 17:02:45 -0800

Anna Järvinen has been picked up by Stranded/Universal Music for her next album which should be out this coming spring. Her previous two solo releases both came out via Häpna.

Manifestgalen 2010 nominees are go

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 12:43:31 -0800

The nominees for the 2010 Manifest Awards, Sweden's alternative Grammy, have been announced:

Punk/Hardcore:
En Svensk Tiger - Versace style (Buzzbox records)
Troublemakers - Made in Sweden (Svindel)
Tysta Mari - Sveriges Casino (11743)
The Clichés - Monkey see, monkey do (Randale)

Dance:
Minilogue - Samlad årsproduktion
Samuel L Session - The man with the case (Be As One Imprint)
The Field - Yesterday and Today (Kompakt)
Tomas Andersson - Stiff Disco (Funk Noir)

Jazz:
Bengt Berger - Beches Brew (Country & Eastern)
Jonas Kullhammar Quartet - The Half Naked Truth 1998-2008 (Moserobie)
The Opposite - Intertwined (Kopasetic)
Plunge With Bobo Stenson - Origo (Kopasetic)

Rhythm:
Calle Real - Me Lo Gané (Timba Records)
Jaqee - Kokoo Girl (Rootdown Records)
Music is the weapon - Music is the weapon (Music is the weapon)
Syster Sol - Dömd att bli bedömd (Swing Kids)

Rock:
Florence Valentin - Spring Ricco (Startracks)
Makeouts - In A Strange Land (Bachelor Records)
Murder by guitar - Murder by guitar (Jeet Kune Records)
Skriet - Skriet (Novoton)

Pop:
Anna Järvinen - Man var bland molnen (Häpna)
El Perro Del Mar - Love Is Not Pop (Licking Fingers)
JJ - JJ n° 2 (Sincerely Yours)
Jonathan Johansson - En hand i himlen (Hybris)

Hårdrock/Metal:
Abandon - The Dead End (Black Star Foundation)
Candlemass - Death Magic Doom (Nuclear Blast)
Katatonia - Night Is The New Day (Peaceville)
Tribulation - The Horror (Pulverised)

Synth:
Arvid - Andetag (Wonderland Records)
Dupont - Entering The Ice Age (Progress Productions)
Emmon - Closet Wanderings (Wonderland Records)
Rupesh Cartel - Anchor Baby (Megahype)

Singer/songwriter:
Ane Brun - Live at Stockholm Concert Hall (Balloon Rangers Recordings)
David Åhlen - We Sprout In Thy Soil (Compunctio)
Jonna Lee - This Is Jonna Lee (Razzia)
Kristofer Åström And The Rainaways - Sinkadus (Startracks)

Folk/ballad:
Taken By Trees - East of Eden (Rough Trade)
Miriam Aida - Letras au Brasil (Ajabu)
Tore Berger - I huset långt på landet (Brus & Knaster)
Esbjörn Hazelius - Blunda och du ska få se (Amigo)

Hip-hop:
Mohammed Ali - Processen (Bad Taste Records)
Organismen - Om Gud vill och vädret tillåter (Organismen)
Promoe - Kråksången (Pope Records)
Stor - Nya skolans ledare (Redline Records)

Best live:
Frida Hyvönen (Licking Fingers)
Jenny Wilson (Gold Medal Recordings)
Fever Ray (Rabid Records)
Florence Valentin (Startracks)

Best unsigned:
Den Svenska Björnstammen
Extended Heads
Fulmakten
Nora

Go here for more: http://www.manifestgalan.se/122.aspx

Anna Järvinen Jag fick feeling Häpna

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0800

An ex-girlfriend got me hooked on the brilliance that is Granada a few years back, and I probably should have expected that Anna Järvinen could achieve an album of this caliber, but, to be honest, I was blindsided. Andres Lokko of SvD compared Järvinen's album to both Van Morrison's "Astral weeks" and Håkan Hellström's "Känn ingen sorg för mig Göteborg", and I'm not sure you can get much higher praise than that. "Jag fick feeling" is definitely one of the sparkling gems of a fantastic year for music. Every week my Top 10 list is changing. With the way things have been unfolding, most bands had better hope for a slow November and December if they are to retain a glorified position on my Best of 2007 list; Anna Järvinen can rest a little easier having created an album so effortlessly brilliant that it is almost infuriating. My marriage proposal is in the mail, Anna. Just think about it, okay?

Eric Malmberg Verklighet & beat Häpna

Fri, 09 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0800

Eric Malmberg creates extremely visual music, almost to the point where "Verklighet & beat" feels as though it would have been better suited as the soundtrack to a bizarre 60s film than a musical effort alone. Sadly, this may be the only true failing of this record, and it seems unfair to level it against an obviously talented composer and musician, especially on a record produced by Jari Haapalainen (The Bear Quartet) and featuring Swedish organ phenomenon Bo Hansson. "Verklighet & beat" would be a wonderful companion to a 60s novel, especially anything exploring the European segment of this decade or the stereotypical "consciousness expansion" facets of those lost years, and it has been a strange escort towards those shadowy hallways of sleep, but other than in these capacities, I'm not sure how versatile Malmberg's record really is. Obviously the work of a damned gifted artists, "Verklighet & beat" is comparable to a cinematic masterpiece - powerful works when one is in the right setting and mood, but how many times can you really watch a film like "Requiem for a dream"? And could you watch that film on a sunny, beautiful day lost in the Caribbean? Likewise, "Verklighet & beat" is dazzling, but limited.

Tape Rideau Häpna

Sun, 23 Oct 2005 00:00:00 -0700

Tape reminds me of the Montreal collective Set Fire to Flame (that include some GYBE members) and that, in itself, is a compliment. Combining some post-rock structures and patterns with sound-collage and ambient soundscapes, Tape manage to make cohesive music, despite its complexity. This album is very, very good.