A ton of news today! My goodness! Read on...
Björn Olsson will NOT be participating in the upcoming Union Carbide Productions reunion at Hultsfred. "Sure, it might be fun to play, but it's more fun not to play." says the man himself in this interview. (in Swedish) Of course, this may be subject to change. You never know. Also, the boxset is now expected around mid-May, but still no exact date has been set. And lastly, I just my hands on a copy of "UPA" and will try to put up a track a bit later today. Full review next week at the latest. Check back, y'hear?
In somewhat related news, TSOOL's latest album "Behind the Music" made GQ Magazine's top 10 of the year. What they said:
Cranking guitars and clean, poppish melodies make you think of 1960s British bands, but this time it's the Scandanavian Invasion. Will Norrkoping or Malmö be the next Manchester?
Check out the video for "By the Grace of God" from The Hellacopters, courtesy of NME.
The finalists for Rockbjörnen have been announced! Vote here! Here's the list of the nominees for the Swedish categories:
Best female artist:
Robyn
Marit Bergman
Paola
Carola
Awa Manneh
Best male artist:
Håkan Hellström
Ulf Lundell
Joakim Thåström
Brolle Jr
Markoolio
Best group:
Kent
The Ark
The Hellacopters
In Flames
The Sounds
Best song:
Dom andra (Kent)
Kom igen Lena (Håkan Hellström)
FF (Kent)
Kärleken Väntar (Kent)
Vinternoll2 (Kent)
Best album:
Vapen och Ammunition (Kent)
Det är så jag säger det (Håkan Hellström)
In lust we trust (The Ark)
Club Zebra (Ulf Lundell)
Reroute To Remain (In Flames)
Best newcomer:
The Sounds
Mando Diao
Brolle Jr
Melody Club
Awa Manneh
Randy is currently in the studio and have completed 17 songs for their next record. Not all of em will make the cut, but they have until the 22nd to keep cranking out more. Mixing will convene in January.
Bad Taste Records says they're gonna put the recently completed Bad Taste Festival up for online viewing! No exact details yet, but they say to check their website tomorrow for the scoop. Danko Jones, Langhorns, Logh and Last Days of April were the bands that played and you can read more about the event here.
Håkan Hellström's next single will be "Det är så jag säger det". Look for it in January.
Dolores Recordings is gonna release a compilation of the best pop/rock from today and from 1966-1971 in February. Here's the track listing:
CD1.
01. Caesars Palace - Subhuman Girl
02. Håkan Hellström - Fulaste Flickan I Världen
03. Dungen - Horizon
04. Alf - Mitt I Malmö City
05. Grammar School Boys - Baby Blue
06. Franke - Aldrig förstå
07. Jose Gonzales - Dead Waits On Velveteen
08. The Soundtrack Of Our Lives - Jehova Sunrise
09. Broder Daniel - You Bury Me
10. Silverbullit - I Had To Tell You
11. Hello Goodbye - Pussycat
12. Whyte Seeds - Lost My Love
13. Sagor & Swing - Flickan & Jätten
14. The (International) Noise Conspiracy - Up For Sale
15. Paola - Rainbow In The Dark
16. Nicolai Dunger - Hey Mama
CD2.
01. The Mascots - The Girl That You Are
02. The Shakers - Who Will Buy (These Wonderful Evils)
03. The Wizards - See You Tonight
04. The Jackpots - King Of The World
05. Tages - Fantasy Island
06. Annaabee-Nox - Always On My Mind
07. Outsiders - Iside Of Me
08. Fabulous Four - 438 South Michigan Avenue
09. T-Bones - I Want You
10. Charlie & Esdor - Dagen Är Över
11. Steampacket II - Fruitseller Oldman's Song
12. Pugh - Här Kommer Natten
13. Ola And The Janglers - I Can't Wait
14. Mecki Mark Men - Midnight Land
15. Hansson & Karlsson - Tax Free
16. Trolls - Alone
17. The Deejays - Striped Dreams Checked Fear
Lots of news from Ulver today:
The soundtrack to "Svidd Neger" is just about finished and will be released in conjunction with the film in March 2003.
The all-string remake of "Nattens Madrigal" is delayed yet again and the prospects of it ever getting done are looking dimmer and dimmer.
The upcoming remix album will be called "1st Decade in the Machines" and it should be out around February. Some of the contributing artists include Merzbow, Neotropic, Bogdan Raczynski, Third Eye Foundation, Kevin Drumm, Fennesz and Stars of the Lid.
The band recently recorded a cover of Lee Hazelwood's "The Night Before" and it may surface on a Jester Records cover album sometime in the future.
T-shirts are now available from Plastichead in the UK.
And finally, the band has yet another new release coming up. It will be an EP entitled "A Quick Fix of Melancholy" and it will be out sometime next year.
phew.
In other Ulver-related news, their self-run label Jester Records has a bunch of new stuff on the horizon.
Kåre Joaö will release the single "Sleepers" in February. The CD will also contain the video.
Lars Pedersen of When says a new album is in the works. March 2003? Here's an interview you can read where he discusses his plans, along with some other topics. (In English, too!)
Jester will also release a new album from Lord Bård (aka 1349 Rykkinn, founding member of Masters of Møh and Superskill) entitled "Brown Ring of Fury". The artist's own description of his work: "Brown Ring of Fury is the sound of growing up in the suburbs west of Norway’s capital. 1349 Rykkinn. The sound of glue and magic mushrooms. Ghettoblasters. Daddy drowning in his own vomit. Amphetamines. Fireworks. The sound of getting laid for first time. Of filming one’s first orgasm. My life. A tribute to blowing oneself up. For to repent till tears gush forth. Again and again. An anaesthetic circle."
Porcupine Tree mastermind Steven Wilson says the inspiration for his band's latest album came from the Swedish metal bands Meshuggah and Opeth. Of course, he did produce Opeth's last couple records, but anyhow - here's what he had to say on the subject:
For years I had dismissed metal as music for adolescents, which a lot of people do, because I was only exposed to the stuff that is in the mainstream. And then suddenly I tapped into this whole group of bands from the underground. Actually, it's because I read a book called 'Lords Of Chaos', because I was fascinated with this guy from Burzum, that led me into the whole world. So I started listening to bands like Morbid Angel, some of the doom bands and eventually found my way to Meshuggah and Opeth, which to me, were the holy grail of that whole scene. I suddenly realized where all the musicians that were making truly progressive music had gone. They weren't making old-style progressive music, they were making a completely contemporary form of progressive music by using metal as their kind of conduit, if you like. I mean, Mike from Opeth is completely into progressive rock. But he's not doing it in a nostalgic way, he's doing it in a completely cutting edge contemporary way, using metal as his vehicle. And he loves metal just as much as anything, and so do I. And that was kind of a real eye-opener for me, to find musicians who are obviously very much coming from the tradition of the way people made records in the '70s, but doing it in a completely new and contemporary way and with musicianship that I just didn't think existed anymore.
Amorphis has completed the recording of the instrumental parts for their new album. Frontman Pasi Koskinen will begin working on his parts under the tutelage of producer Hannu Leiden shortly.