IT'S A TRAP! Scandinavian Music Journal

Efterklang - Piramida (trailer)

Tue, 26 Jun 2012 12:18:50 -0700

Check out this trailer for the upcoming Efterklang album "Piramida", due out this September via 4AD/Rumraket. The clip features footage of the band in the abandoned Russian island of Spitsbergen, an Arctic island near the north pole where the namesake ghost town of Pyramiden is located.

Ikons - Sister (video)

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 18:47:21 -0700

New stuff from Ikons off their forthcoming album "Life rhythm", due out in May via Service. Seems like they've officially abandoned their previously darker, more interesting and instrumental/Kraut-heavy sound for a lackluster baggy/Madchester sort of pop thing. Forgive me if I can't conceal my disappointment, but this isn't very good.

Abandon - The dead end (live video)

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 16:17:54 -0700

Doomsday has live video of Abandon's one-time performance of "The dead end" this past weekend: http://doomsdaymag.blogspot.com/2011/08/abandon-dead-end-live.html

Abandon to perform "The dead end"

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 18:06:52 -0700

Swedish doom act Abandon will reunite for one night only to perform their posthumously-released masterpiece "The dead end" in its 100+ minute entirety with friend Ufuk Demir (of the similarly-minded/also-awesome Walk Through Fire) filling in on lead vocals for passed away vocalist Johan Carlzon. It all goes down August 25 at Pustervik in Göteborg and will correspond with the long-awaited 3xLP release of said album from Black Star Foundation.

MP3: Walk Through Fire - Furthest from heaven

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 13:35:15 -0700

I was originally planning to discuss summer music this week, but it seems a bit inappropriate considering recent circumstances, not to mention the fact that, despite what the calendar says, it doesn't really even feel like summer here anyway. As the clouds build outside, it doesn't really look like it either. Instead, I bring you something new from Walk Through Fire, one the absolute most devastating doom acts I've heard since Abandon. Which makes perfect sense, since the two are related in some way. Anyhow, if you're looking to envelop yourself in the sounds of pure, soul-crushing darkness, look no further. Put this on, turn it up LOUD and be prepared to get fucking bummed.
Listen to the rest of the band's new record at Bandcamp: http://walkthroughfire.bandcamp.com/

Medeia album preview

Wed, 18 May 2011 17:41:25 -0700

Here's a streaming preview of the new Medeia album "Abandon all": http://kaaoszine.fi/exclusive-medeia-abandon/

Medeia - Abandon all (video)

Thu, 12 May 2011 12:47:45 -0700

I can't imagine that I'll ever actually like Medeia's slightly above-average metalcore, but they do consistently deliver great videos. Direct link: http://youtu.be/rTtSCh1AmQM

New website for Imperial State Electric

Mon, 09 May 2011 14:58:25 -0700

Imperial State Electric are the latest band to wisely abandon myspace for their own website: http://imperialstateelectric.se/

Medeia - We all fail (video)

Thu, 16 Dec 2010 15:09:30 -0800

New music from Finnish metalcore act Medeia off their forthcoming album "Abandon all", due out in April. Check out the straight-up WEAK crowd shots!

Presenting: Walk Through Fire

Tue, 07 Dec 2010 17:13:31 -0800

Ex-Abandon members continue where they left off, creating some of the most punishing doom Sweden has to offer: http://www.myspace.com/walkthroughfire420

MP3: Britta Persson - Toast to M

Wed, 06 Oct 2010 13:35:41 -0700

"Toast to M" is oddly cheery sounding for a song about suicide, but I suppose that's the point. It's about making peace, not wallowing in misery. It's also an obvious standout on Britta Persson's new record "Current affair medium rare", which is one of three great new Swedish albums out this season, all fairly obvious picks from established artists. As with the others, one of Britta's best qualities is her consistent progression -- she abandoned straightforward girl-with-a-guitar based songwriting with previous album "Kill Hollywood me" and has now gone further into rhythm-heavy composition, building songs around memorable beats. Naturally, having someone as gifted as Per Nordmark (Fireside, Bad Hands, etc... playing Friday at Debaser Malmö for IAT! Clubnights) as your sideman certainly helps, but let's not diminish Britta's wonderful phrasing, among other highpoints. There's lots to like, moreso on the record as a whole.
Also note that Britta Persson will be one of Club Killers' special "secret" guests at Strand on October 8 where she will be singing "Bleeding love" and "Kids in America" with the band. So there you go, two must-see shows on each side of Sweden. I won't be anywhere close, but I would if I could.

MP3: Nidingr - Hymiskvitha

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 14:20:51 -0700

I'm not the only one to lose interest in black metal -- genre pioneers Ulver abandoned the genre completely once completing their monumental 3-album trilogy. Which is not to say they abandoned the dark arts completely; in fact, I'd say that some of their post-BM work is ever more black and twisted than "Nattens madrigal". It goes to show that even if you stray, there will still be lines drawing you back, though the news that Ulver mainman Kristoffer "Garm" Rygg's label Jester Records was releasing a "pure" BM album by the band Nidingr still came to me as a surprise. Naturally, I was immensely curious -- though not all of Jester's releases appeal to me, they are always interesting and I knew I had to hear what was so exciting as to inspire such a return. Amazingly, for a label that prides itself on releasing left-field/avant music, Nidingr's "Wolf-Father" is straight-up orthodox: lots of blasting drums (courtesy of Hellhammer), tremolo picking and cold, dissonant riffs. There are a few standout points of interest though, and that's what makes it an exceptional release. First, the recording. On one hand, it's really flat and digital sounding and, to be frank, the drums are lame and unnatural/heavily triggered, but it's also all very in-your-face, especially the vocals. Also, the cleanliness augments the fact that it's a (mostly) unembellished recording, untainted by excessive and unnecessary overdubs. You can even hear the bass! Furthermore, so much BM is marred by ye standard issue reverb-drenched shrieking, but not here: Nidingr is all about raging screams placed front and center in the mix. Which brings me to my second standout point: the lyrics. Not that I could ever understand Enslaved's old Norse lyrics on their (superb) early albums, but I knew what they were about and I knew it was awesome; Nidingr mines those same Viking legends, but they disseminate it in English and they do it with unbridled fury. Taken as a whole, it's almost enough to get me excited about black metal again. Almost, I say, because I doubt anything else will match it anytime soon.

MP3: Withershin - Wherein I exalt

Wed, 02 Jun 2010 19:57:12 -0700

Black metal in 2010, part I. Did the genre desert me or did I simply lose interest? I've been listening to this new Withershin EP ("The hungering void") and pondering these questions because, while I can tell the music is good, I still can't force myself to care. Well-executed melodic Swedish black death ala Dissection...? There's certainly room for more besides Watain. And yet, I feel nothing. I don't mean that in an ironic kvlt way either -- I'm really surprised by my lack of enthusiasm. So where did things go wrong I wonder? The genre did go through a certain amount of growing pains around the turn of the century and now things seem pretty evenly split among two major strains. First, we have the upper-tier established acts who have been going at it for years, some more progressive than others (Enslaved, Mayhem), others more content to drift towards the mainstream (Satyricon, Dimmu Borgir and seriously, WTF is up with this nonsense?). Some just keep on keeping on (Dark Funeral, Marduk), a few decided to abandon the genre completely (Darkthrone sorta, yes Ulver). Then, on the other hand, we have the new BM underground which, from my point of view, seems all too willing to embrace and accept sketchy politics and increasingly shitty, poorly recorded music. A race to the bottom, as I've mentioned here before I believe. The fact that I hear the new Burzum is getting a third vinyl repress bums me out. That means that competent bands like Withershin don't have a place anymore and boring, jaded dudes like me will shrug it off. I think my major hangup must be the lack of mystery in today's BM -- 15 years ago these bands were legitimately terrifying and sounded barely human. They burned down churches and killed each other and lived way off in some distant land that seemed far beyond reach. I distinctly remember hearing Emperor for the first time and how it sounded like absolutely nothing I had ever experienced. Then, a few years later, I remember seeing Emperor's first video and how amazingly disappointed it made me. No longer the aural expression of pure evil, here were a bunch of average metal dudes making an average metal video and playing dress-up in the woods. To say nothing about how boring they were live when I eventually saw them on tour, but the magic was forever lost and bands like Withershin have no hope to reclaim that. I don't know what's to be done though. Has the grim masquerade run its course? Can we start smiling at each other and simply enjoy the music for what it is, not what it used to represent?

Fenriz' "Band of the Week" goes big

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 12:06:49 -0800

Many folks have abandoned myspace, but Fenriz of Darkthrone still uses it to highlight his favorite underground acts with his "Band of the Week" feature and now, after doing it continually for a long while, it's led to some bigger/better things besides just hipping many folks to lots of great music (myself included). First up, there will be a "Live Evil Fest" happening in Camden, UK in late October featuring a number of previous "Band of the Week" recipients including Obliteration and Sonic Ritual, two IAT favorites. Go here for more on that: http://www.myspace.com/liveevilfestival
Secondly, both Nocturno Culto and Fenriz will be co-editing the March issue of Terrorizer where they will be running features and interviews on many other bands they dig. Should be great for anyone into true underground metal + punk, so yeah, keep an eye out!

Abandon The dead end Black Star Foundation/Discouraged Records

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 11:29:33 -0800

Abandon have always had an air of grace about them that belies their sludgy roots and perhaps that's down to the integral part that Mehdi Vafaei's pump organ plays in laying the foundation on which the band's music is constructed. Whether it's pushed to the forefront of the music, as in "There is no escape" or "The dead en", or looming with menace behind guitar-driven tracks such as "Lost we are" or "It's all gone", it's difficult to imagine Abandon having an impact as sinister as they do without. That's not to say they would lack appeal without it. The Göteborg doom crew have always done a sterling job in constructing some of the most crushing and heavy gut-churners out there and they know their craft like seasoned professionals. On "The dead end" they once again prove that they can write songs capable of tearing the very souls from those who embark on a listening experience and they achieve that not only by utilizing the sheer power behind their collective instrumentation, but by knowing when to drop an all-out aural depth charge and when to recede back into the darkness to create an eerie, transcendental mood that's almost hypnotic. Vocalist Johan Carlzon sadly passed away before this album met its awaiting public, but some sort of comfort can be taken in knowing that this was, without doubt, the finest performance the man has given in a complete body of work that comprises nothing but exceptional output. The fact that he had, unlike many vocalists, the intelligence to use his talent sparingly, only when the music really required his presence, served to heighten the impact he had on Abandon's music and showcased not only a creative genius but also a certain modesty. A unique and essential memorial.

Manifest 2010 winners

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 17:11:30 -0800

Here are the winners of the 2010 Manifest Awards, Sweden's alternative Grammy:

Punk/Hardcore: Troublemakers - Made in Sweden (Svindel)
Dance: Samuel L Session - The man with the case (Be As One Imprint)
Jazz: The Opposite - Intertwined (Kopasetic)
Dansband: Blender - Välkommen in (Blender Records)
Rhythm: Jaqee - Kokoo Girl (Rootdown Records)
Composer: Lisa Nordström and Lisen Rylander Löve (Midaircondo)
Lyrics: Ken Ring
Rock: Makeouts - In A Strange Land (Bachelor Records)
Pop: El Perro Del Mar - Love Is Not Pop (Licking Fingers)
Hårdrock/Metal: Abandon - The Dead End (Black Star Foundation)
Synth: Arvid - Andetag (Wonderland Records)
Singer/songwriter: Kristofer Åström And The Rainaways - Sinkadus (Startracks)
Folk/ballad: Tore Berger - I huset långt på landet (Brus & Knaster)
Hip-hop: Mohammed Ali - Processen (Bad Taste Records)
Best poplabel: Information
Best live: Fever Ray (Rabid Records)
Best unsigned: Fulmakten

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

Sirius playlist week #43

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:37:22 -0700

Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU, a special pre-Halloween edition:

01. TALK 1
02. Switchblade - 1815
03. TALK 2
04. Abandon - In reality suffer
05. Raison d'Etre - Metamorphyses phase III
06. TALK 3
07. Notre Dame - Le theatre du vampire
08. Mercyful Fate - Desecration of souls
09. Cortex - Warrior night
10. TALK 4
11. Immortal - All shall fail

Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.

MP3: NEI - 40 rabbits

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:02:32 -0700

Flattery will get you everywhere: seeing my name (or even just It's a Trap!) in an album's thank-you list is a surefire way to put a smile on my face. So thank you to NEI for making my day a little brighter. However, it's not as if I'd be tempted otherwise; I've been looking forward to their album for a long, long time and can confidently say that they deliver as-expected. As said before, these guys make the sort of quality angular rock'n'roll that dudes like me in their 30s and above still recall with extreme fondness. Still, I have a friend complain that he thought NEI were a bit lazy sounding, especially when you consider that these dudes formerly played with monster acts such as Brick, Breach and Fireside. While I understand his point, let me counter with "40 rabbits": a rager of a track that recalls those bands' finer moments. Patrik Instedt's vocals are especially maniacal here as he recalls a story that's as confusing to his own (fictional) experience, as it is for the listening. Blood, rabbits, an empty room, the woods, an abandoned car...? It's a distressing portrait. I like it.

Sirius playlist week #39

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 11:22:39 -0700

Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU:

01. Joensuu 1685 - I'm on fire
02. TALK 1
03. Boy Omega - Dinosaur drugs
04. Katatonia - Forsaker
05. Moloken - Die fear will
06. TALK 2
07. Rising - Dead kings
08. The Cardigans - Erase/rewind
09. The Amazing - Dragon
10. TALK 3
11. The First Miles - Black heart
12. [ingenting] - Medan vi sov
13. Skriet - Kärlekens land
14. TALK 4
15. Abandon - It's all gone

Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.

MP3: Moloken - Die fear will

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 13:27:02 -0700

Along with The Amazing's self-titled debut (discussed briefly here), my pick for September's album(s) of the month would have to go to Moloken's "Our astral circle". Yes, [ingenting]'s new record is also brilliant and well-deserving of praise and Abandon's "The dead end" is likewise incredibly powerful, but I've listened to Moloken a heckuva lot more often that anything else. Now if you remember, I wasn't that impressed with the band's epic debut EP, but it did show promise and on this new effort they have delivered in full. Once again, the band sound is rooted in heavy, dark hardcore ala "Souls at zero"-era Neurosis, especially considering the prominent bass presence, but they're also not afraid to go full-on metal when necessary. They're also unafraid to show off their chops either, as you'll hear on the song I've posted today. Some of their flair is subtle, but any musician should recognize that this rhythm section is a monster and that those long instrumental passages kick serious ass. Kinda like Tool minus the pretentious restraint, I'd say. And with better songs too, though that's not saying much considering Tool has always been way more about craft and mood than catchy riffs. Anyhow, this is a great release with broad appeal to all fans of heavy music, whether it be crust, doom or whatever. I hope other metal fans take note.

MP3: Abandon - Pitch black hole

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:09:24 -0700

Regardless of whether or not you are aware of frontman Johan Carlzon personal life issues or the circumstances of his all-too-early death, I think that his contributions to Abandon's posthumous double-disc album "The dead end" speak for themselves. His performance, his lyrics and his paintings are a reflection of misery, an outpouring of extreme darkness and pain. His anguish is fully tangible, visceral. When so much music barely aspires beyond "let's not be bored," Abandon transcends into art through purity and force of expression. It is not easy listening by any means, but it is powerful and necessary. Johan will be missed, but not forgotten.

Black Star Foundation confirms two new releases

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 15:49:40 -0700

Black Star Foundation has confirmed a September 28 release date for Jesaiah's debut record "Et tu, hope" as well as Abandon's "The dead end". Both records will also be available in Europe on October 9 via Cargo distribution and in the UK on November 18 via Plastic Head.

Black Star Foundation now distributed by Sound Pollution

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:57:08 -0700

Malmö-based indie/hardcore label Black Star Foundation (Holmes, Pg.Lost) has signed on with Sound Pollution as their new distributor. Look for new albums from both Abandon ("The dead end" 2CD) and Jesaiah ("Et tu hope") soon.

Thu, 21 May 2009 17:50:10 -0700

It may not be the lost KBD bonzer you've been hoping for, but this reissue is still a solid example of mid-80s Swedish hardcore punk. Trojne keep it fast and furious for the three tracks on the A-side, keeping time with two-step beats and gruff shouts på Svenska. It's not quite the reckless abandon expressed by some of their beloved peers, but that's not necessarily a mark against them. I like it both ways. As for the flip, I detect a few metal crossover influences creeping in on both "Cell 37" and "Bakom galler", but the bulk of the material always remains raw and ripping even when they drift away from banging out pure power-chords. Hardly essential though that's hardly the point -- this is still a fun piece of history I'm glad to have in my collection and I'm sure everyone involved is just as stoked it's available again for new folks to discover.

RIP Johan Carlzon

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 15:40:08 -0800

RIP Johan Carlzon, vocalist for Abandon: http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=167218349&blogID=461900886

New music from Abandon

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 13:49:40 -0800

Swedish crusties Abandon have three new tracks streaming at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/inrealitywesuffer

Tiger Lou A partial print Startracks

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

I'm going to admit from the start that I had some difficulty with "A partial print" when I listened to it on Startracks' page a week or so before its release. I was overwhelmed and excited by the opening five compositions, and then this feeling slipped a little - the abandonment of Tiger Lou's typically quite structured, complete arrangements on tracks like "Trails of spit" seemed to dilute the weight of the songs' conclusions, and the closing, nine-minute long opus felt too ambling and unfocused to be a proper culmination of the album's energies. I admit these issues here only to demonstrate that "A partial print" is not an album that reveals its immediacy, its intentioned presence on a first or second listen - what you are presented with is a collage, a collection of images, all of them darkly beautiful extensions of the emotional landscape of "The loyal", but the connections between these impressions can take some time to present themselves, but they will, and then "A partial print" comes fully into being.

The tone of "A partial print" is a dark one, represented not only in the recurring theme of leaving a small fragment of yourself behind, but in the intricate abandon and melancholy of the instrumentation which, on a number of occasions, evolves into heavy, post-hardcore breakdowns akin to the efforts on Small Brown Bike's brilliant swansong "The river bed". The production on the album is fantastic, accentuating the full drum arrangements, the beautiful guitar and bass work, and, of course, Rasmus Kellerman's magnificent, haunting voice. "The less you have to carry", in my opinion the greatest song Tiger Lou have crafted, is the first to truly bear the burden of "A partial print", and is therefore the song that fashions the aesthetic tenets of the album. The line "A partial print is all that I'm leaving behind, a little something to remember me by" is repeated in the closing title track, giving the record an unsettling conclusion - that of an endless cycle of departure and loss, but, as Tiger Lou established themselves as the masters of harrowing grace with "The loyal", this journey doesn't feel haunted or disillusioned, not even as you retrace your footsteps. Nor is it all a cynical, disheartening experience - glimmers of hope shine through in "So demure" and the single "Crushed by a crowd".

"A partial print" is difficult, complicated, heartbreaking, and inspiring - everything we've come to expect from Tiger Lou.

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 12:42:35 -0700

Danish indie label Tigerspring (Choir of Young Believers, I Scream Ice Cream, Taxi Taxi) has signed Århus-based act Messy Shelters, the solo project of Mikkel Bolding. Look for the EP "Abandonship" in early November, but in the meantime you can listen at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/messyshelters

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 19:32:57 -0700

Swedish rockers Fingerspitzengefühl have abandoned their hard-to-pronounce German moniker and shall henceforth be known as Switch Opens. See their new myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/theswitchopens

MP3: Mimas - Mac, get your gear

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 11:29:53 -0700

Mimas traffics in postrock textures and timbres, but their music really draws more on post-Radiohead style melancholy alt-rock for inspiration. Which is postrock in a way, as they abandon all typical verse-chorus structures, but the music is still very, very rock. That's actually why I like them -- so many postrock bands tiptoe around actual heaviness or take so long to get there it barely matters, but Mimas actively embraces large outbursts of explosive distortion. They are also quite good at arranging vocals, another critical postrock shortcoming. If I have to endure another bout of soft whispered poetry, please kill me ok? I was sick of it by the time Indian Summer put out their 2nd 7". Anyhow, Mimas still have room to grow, but they show promise and, most importantly, are brimming with enthusiasm. I like that.

MP3: CMX - Nainen tanssii tangoa

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 11:36:37 -0700

More Finnish weirdness for you today courtesy of CMX, a long-running act that rose out of the mid-80s hardcore scene. But don't go into this expected the usual fast/harsh punk because they quickly abandoned that approach and started to incorporate more mainstream rock and progressive influences into their sound. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is pretty much all I know. According to Wikipedia the band is fairly renown at home, which makes sense considering how much they remind me of Kent at times. It's that big, melancholy rock sound, though in CMX's case, it's filtered through that odd Suomi sensibility that touches so much of their music. This particular song is a gem simply because it manages to match classic Finnish tango with pop, prog and hardrock. It's that kind of eclecticism that makes Scandinavian music so great! It's the old being made new again, the past and present coming together. And yet, still the past -- this came out in 1994, after all -- but it doesn't sound dated to me. Weird for weirdness sake almost never works; these guys make it sound natural.

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:16:50 -0700

Swedish doom act Abandon has completed work on their massive new album "The dead end" and have samples posted on myspace: http://www.myspace.com/inrealitywesuffer
There's no deal signed yet for a release, but if you're up for putting out a 106-minute 2CD/3LP album, get in touch.

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 17:11:08 -0700

Watch news footage from San Diego featuring an abandoned drug boat being washed ashore with commentary from Turbonegro bassist Happy Tom who just happened to be on the scene: http://www.kusi.com/home/17993667.html?video=YHI&t=a

Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words A line: align Mystery Sea

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Two steps forward, one step back? Fans of the elegant dronepop majesty of "Fall, fall falling" will see this CDR release as a disappointing regression, but those of us who are familiar and appreciative of earlier Dead Letters works will not be daunted. Consisting of three dark and dingy long-form pieces for a grand total of forty-nine minutes, "A line: align" is in fact a throwback to Thomas Ekelund's roots and it is not without its rewards as there are definitely moments of great beauty rising from within the filth. Opener "At Keiller's Park (Summer 2006)" is the weakest of the bunch in that takes far too long to get going, often abandoning themes just as soon as they begin to take hold. Patience is eventually rewarded, though not nearly as well as I'd like. The other two however, fare much better in comparison by adhering to a far more concise narrative arc, not to mention a vastly increased level of volume. As much as I appreciate the subtle crackle of processed field recordings, it's the dull, aching throb of pure noise that affects me most, both mentally and physically. When a melody emerges from the squall and I can feel it tingling all the way down to my toes, that's magic. Ultimately, "A line: align" doesn't compete with any of the "proper" Dead Letters full-lengths, but I don't think it intends to. As a way station to whatever comes next, it'll do just fine.

MP3: Benea Reach - New waters

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 11:23:53 -0800

Benea Reach are a frustrating band. One minute they'll neck-deep in metalcore cliché, but then all of a sudden they'll turn it around completely with a riff that'll blow your mind. You get both in the first 30 seconds of "New waters". It opens with a plodding stomp riff and then it opens up into pure epicness, replete with harsh screams and weirdo syncopation. It's those moments that redeem the band and elevate them above the rabble. Otherwise, it's nothing but tedium and generic e-chug Meshuggah riffs. They do the polyrhythmic thing well, but it's such a tired exercise at this point in time when you consider that "Destroy erase improve" came out over 10 years ago. There's so much uncharted melodic territory that's far more worthy of exploration. I hear it in bands like Mare (RIP) and Kayo Dot, but only in moments of Benea Reach. Perhaps it won't be until the next album when they completely abandon the mosh to embrace their progressive side. So much potential!

Wed, 02 Jan 2008 11:39:24 -0800

Swedish art-punks I Date A Wolf will release a new EP on March 1. They describe the material as "completely new and completely different from [previous album] Postmodern Decay," and that "this time around we abandoned the digital stuff to go just drums and guitar." Hear samples of older stuff here: http://www.myspace.com/idateawolf

Lukestar Lake Toba Phone Me Records

Wed, 02 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Saturated with towering vocals that often exceed the normal male range, hook after marvelous hook, and drumming so fluid, present, and masterful that it is as fascinating to listen to as the vocal and guitar work, Lukestar may have crafted the best Scandinavian rock/pop album since Last Days of April's "Ascend to the stars". Continuing in that vein of music that was so crudely labeled 'emo', a sound mostly abandoned a few years back, Lukestar effortlessly combine aspects of LDoA with the more dynamic fluency of Mew's debut album. "Lake Toba" is a reminder of why bands like Seven Feet Four have been able to maintain their presence and importance, and an indication of the future of this genre (and, more importantly, that this sound actually has a future). While the musicianship is damned proficient, it's the songwriting that brings you back over and over, keeping the album remarkable and engaging after repeated listens, and allowing for the album to be enjoyed as a whole without skipping around the tracklist. Anthemic and vulnerable, hopeful yet cautious, "Lake Toba" is everything that rock record with serious pop sensibility should be. And with that voice, those drums, and a level of musical craftsmanship and consistency that has been lacking on far too many similar records, Lukestar's newest effort is in good position to be one of the best album of 2008.

MP3: Susanne Sundfør - Walls

Thu, 27 Dec 2007 11:46:40 -0800

Susanne Sundfør is the most AOR artist on my year-end top 10 list, but that shouldn't preclude her from appealing to most everyone. Plainly put, she's a remarkable talent - not just a fine songwriter and pianist, but one of the best voices I've ever heard. She is capable of amazing pyrotechnics, reaching dizzying highs and wailing with abandon. Somehow, and this is one of her greatest assets, it never comes across as gratuitous. It just fits. "Walls" was her first single, first released back in late 2006 to considerable acclaim from the Norwegian media and I'm posting it today as a reminder to her considerable abilities. Maybe it's just me getting old, but I'm constantly awed by the fact that she's only 21 years old, which means that was probably 18 or 19 when she wrote this, perhaps even younger. That certainly bodes well for the future.

Mixtapes & Cellmates A retrospective Nomethod

Fri, 16 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0800

This compilation of sold-out EPs hit the shelves not too long after their debut full-length and offers the ears the band's early development. Personally, I find this material more enjoyable than the self-titled album, mainly due to the prevalent heavy shoegaze elements. Here the shoegaze fuzz accentuates the beauty and gives off an ethereal quality to songs such as "C: you D: the ride home" and "Something less than last time". Their future move of abandoning the pretty, melodic slight drone for great pop hooks is no surprise really, however what the listener gets here is a stellar example of where I consider the band to excel - in shoegaze buried pop.

Tue, 16 Oct 2007 12:02:45 -0700

Swedish act September Malevolence has started work on a new album. As for what to expect, here's what they say: "We are no longer an instrumental post-rock band, I guess we never really were instrumental but now we've abandoned that path totally. This album will reflect some of the darker sides of life."

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 15:24:46 -0700

New music from David Åhlén: http://www.myspace.com/thetorontoblessing
This appears to be the electronic shoegazer half that he dropped when he went "solo" under his own name after abandoning the Namur moniker. Still sounds great, of course.

Monomen s/t TrustMe

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0700

I want badly to give this record an 8 or a 9, though while "Drum of glass", "Neon", and "Lowlife" all convey that nervous energy perfect before a good night out, there is a complete lack of focus on Monomen's self-titled LP. The huge synth rock approach similar to that of fellow Scandinavians Strip Music and 80s champions New Order is bizarrely abandoned for a series of instrumental tracks in the latter half of the album. Why the band thought removing the vocalist's near perfect 80s goth delivery would in any way enhance the record is beyond me. These instrumental compositions are not bad, "Aurora" is even damned good, but the sudden shift in gears detrimentally affects the overall feel and solidity of the album. Luckily, Monomen close with "Lowlife", and much can be forgiven when lost in those final minutes of the record. The "Monomen LP" is a worthy collection of tracks, I just hope that the next records keep the instrumentals, interesting and competent as they are, as b-sides only.

MP3: David Åhlén - Wasted breaths

Thu, 24 May 2007 00:00:00 -0700

David Åhlén kicks off his US tour tonight in NYC so I've got the a-side from his new single "Wasted breaths" for you to hear. Big ups to his label Compunctio for being gracious enough to share.
When I heard that David was abandoning his Namur moniker and heading in a more acoustic direction, I was braced for disappointment. Would his music still succeed minus the lush shoegazer artifice? Thankfully, yes, it does. David is a strong, passionate vocalist and fittingly, he lets his voice carry the material. Two chords is all he needs. Go see him live, I'll be at the Seattle show for sure:

05/24 - Pianos, NYC
05/25 - Pianos, NYC
05/28 - The Starline, Fresno, CA
05/29 - The Independent, San Fransisco, CA w/Loney, Dear
05/30 - Dolores Park Church, San Fransisco, CA
05/31 - Barkin' Dog Grill

Tue, 20 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0800

Fluxblog has new tracks today from both Robyn and Santa Maria, the solo project of Concretes/Heikki vocalist Maria Eriksson: http://www.fluxblog.org/2007/02/things-i-abandon-only-abandon-me.html

MP3: The Rooph - Silver street

Tue, 06 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0800

The Rooph sound like the Norwegian equivalent of Placebo, minus the drugs and the danger. Not that Placebo sounds all that doped-up or dangerous anymore, but hey - neither does The Rooph. What remains: an androgynous vocalist fronting a melancholic rock band with a slight propensity towards noisy, distorted guitars. Once upon a time, Placebo could conjure up almost Big Black-levels of screaming guitar intensity and I think The Rooph aspires towards that, but falls short. It's a common complaint with Scandinavian music - there's nothing obviously wrong about The Rooph, they are simply a less-exciting copy of a more successful act. It's too clean, too perfect. They lack the willful abandon that so often is an integral part of quality rock'n'roll. Maybe they come across better in a live situation. On record they register a "meh". It's especially frustrating because I have a feeling that if they really were on drugs, they'd probably be awesome.

Live report: The Tough Alliance (+ The Fine Arts Showcase) @ Tack! Tack! Tack!, London UK 10/16/06

Tue, 17 Oct 2006 00:00:00 -0700

I remember seeing The Embassy at Tack! Tack! Tack! a few months back and thinking they were shit, but after this evening's "performance" by The Tough Alliance, I realized that I needed to invest a little time in my definition of "shit". At least the guy from The Embassy sang, albeit out of tune. The Tough Alliance did not play live music. It wasn't karaoke - the lone microphone on stage wasn't turned on, and the pitiful attempt by one of the two guys to mime singing was abandoned half way through the first song. It wasn't even a DJ set since the mixes and cross-fades were pre-recorded. Even The Embassy had a guy who pressed "play" and "stop" on the tape recorder.

So what did they do? They jumped around the stage like a couple of dorks who couldn't believe their luck, while some vaguely passable lo-fi electropop played over the PA. They dived around, knocking into each other, mouthing the words to the songs, and as I stood in the middle of the club I quickly realized that each song was three and half minutes of my life I would never get back. It's times like this that one considers the small mercies in life... Nick had kindly put me on the guest list, so it was just time and not money I was hemorrhaging at the expense of these charlatans.

Just before I turned to leave the club I was afforded a momentary peek behind the charade. As the two cretins on stage cavorted around, they caught each other's eyes just for a moment...imperceptible to all but the most seasoned concertgoer, and the silent exchange between them was framed in time for half a second: "these English wankers are actually buying this shit".

"Shit" however, is word that doesn't do justice to The Tough Alliance. It's too vague, it doesn't sum up the complex levels of shitdom that go into an enterprise founded on delusional perceptions of post-post-ironic hoodwinkmanship clothed loosely in some indiscernable lo-fi credibility bestowed upon them by people I neither know or would like to meet, because if I ever discovered who they were I would have to fight the overwhelming urge to behead them with a rusty farm implement.

The Tough Alliance are a shit sandwich. Without the bread.
- Luke (Popsicle)

Official statement from Tack! Tack! Tack!:

Caveat Emptor.

Notes to Editors:
The Tough Alliance performed between 1027 hours and 1103 hours on Monday October 16 at the Social Oxford Circus, London.
That is fact.

The Bear Quartet Eternity now A West Side Fabrication

Wed, 09 Aug 2006 00:00:00 -0700

I'm convinced that alien DNA has somehow gotten into a bunch of Swedish musicians recently, and they may not know it. The very odd sounds and arrangements being generated by bands like The State of Floral Beings, The Knife and The Bear Quartet just can't be explained merely by saying "they're hard-working musicians and they're looking for new sounds." I defy anyone who listens to "Eternity now", the brand-new Bear Quartet CD, not to tell me that something not quite of this realm is driving the band. Holy smoke, is this thing wild and uncategorizable. I chuckled at a description of these guys online as "Sweden's most legendary pop band." What you hear on this CD bears only a tangential relationship to traditional "pop." Let's start with the mindblowing 21-minute centerpiece "Bear Quartet International Airport". This is one crazily brilliant, jaw-dropping track that kept me up half the night in awe. It starts with a jagged, killer guitar riff that burrows into your brain, ferocious drumming and an overall sense of sonic abandon before zigging and zagging through uncharted musical terrain. There are tempo shifts, just a snatch of weird vocals and a beautiful section where all the music sounds bowed (even though it's probably done on a synth). Honestly, this piece sounds like it's attempting to reinvent prog rock for the new millennium, and I'm not gonna argue against that. Thrilling stuff. Elsewhere, the short "Broken heart" and ultra-strange "The repairing of the Red Sea" utilize innovative pitch-shifting on the vocals, a technique used by Ween and Iceland's Eberg, but still in its infancy as far as the creative possibilities. It's a delight to find Bear Quartet exploring this sort of terrain. "Sailors" has a fairly simple rhythm track and synth, but then proceeds to alienate the general listening public (although not ME) with a high, moaning vocal that is clearly NOT the work of a band with record sales as their top priority. And there are several percussion-heavy tracks like "Where I cried," as well as a spooky ambient instrumental called "Peders forlat," which goes even further in making this platter hard to summarize. You can almost hear them laughing at the listener's expectations. Bear Quartet have made a dozen CDs and umpteen EPs over the years; "Eternity now" is clearly one of their weirdest and most delerious. Yes, that's a thumbs up.

MP3: The Stores - The TV reminds me of what to be

Thu, 20 Jul 2006 00:00:00 -0700

Even though we haven't heard anything new from The Hives in awhile, it's not as if Scandinavian garage-rock suddenly went away. The scene has been going strong for a long time and was one of the first things I discovered once I started to venture beyond the realms of metal in the mid-90s (via The Hellacopters, of course). The Stores are a Danish threesome continuing the fine tradition. I love the mix of that cavernous surf-rock guitar tone over a driving rhythm section. The main hook riff is introduced and almost immediately abandoned while the bass and drums work hard to make sure to hold everything together. The band is so tight and on-fire, it gives the guitarist room to do pretty much whatever he wants. It doesn't matter if he's just wailing on chords or working out new ways to tear apart the main theme, it all sounds great. Funny to think that these guys are labelmates with Attrap, but it's true. As you should know, good music is good music, regardless of genre.

Karin Ström Sneda ögons EP Datadamen Records

Sun, 04 Jun 2006 00:00:00 -0700

Karin has abandoned the folky singer/songwriter thing and attempted to recreate herself as an electropop artist. She actually pulls it off surprisingly quite well. It's too easy for electronic artists to become overly preoccupied with the sounds and forget about the songs, but obviously that's not the case here considering Karin's background. The production could probably be a bit more powerful, but this is a strong debut for an artist trying to totally reinvent herself.

Wed, 29 Mar 2006 00:00:00 -0800

We continue our exploration of traditional Scandinavian folk this week with a track from the aptly-named Hurdy Gurdy. Artist monikers don't get much more self-explanatory than that! The concept is staightforward enough: two men (Stefan Brisland-Ferner of Garmarna and Hållbus Totte Mattson of Hedningarna) and their instruments. Except that it's not really that simple - the men don't just play their instruments - they also process and chop the recordings on their computers so that every single nuance of sound you hear on the album originated from a hurdy gurdy. The so-called "medieval synthesizer" is an unexplored landscape of noise, especially when it comes to modern recording technique. It's not at all like electric guitar where there's an established and accepted standard for mic placement, tone range and so forth. Most engineers, when faced with a contraption like a hurdy gurdy, would have absolutely no idea what to do. Stefan and Hållbus use that to their advantage and are free to play around and create something completely new from the old device. It's a fascinating instrument and I highly recommend that, if the opportunity presents itself, you see it performed live. I caught Garmarna on tour a few years back and Stefan stole the show. Never would I have imagined that a hurdy gurdy player could rock out with such reckless abandon.

MP3: Hurdy-Gurdy - Venjan

Wed, 29 Mar 2006 00:00:00 -0800

We continue our exploration of traditional Scandinavian folk this week with a track from the aptly-named Hurdy-Gurdy. Artist monikers don't get much more self-explanatory than that! The concept is straightforward enough: two men (Stefan Brisland-Ferner of Garmarna and Hållbus Totte Mattson of Hedningarna) and their instruments. Except that it's not really that simple - the men don't just play their instruments - they also process and chop the recordings on their computers so that every single nuance of sound you hear on the album originated from a hurdy gurdy. The so-called "medieval synthesizer" is an unexplored landscape of noise, especially when it comes to modern recording technique. It's not at all like electric guitar where there's an established and accepted standard for mic placement, tone range and so forth. Most engineers, when faced with a contraption like a hurdy gurdy, would have absolutely no idea what to do. Stefan and Hållbus use that to their advantage and are free to play around and create something completely new from the old device. It's a fascinating instrument and I highly recommend that, if the opportunity presents itself, you see it performed live. I caught Garmarna on tour a few years back and Stefan stole the show. Never would I have imagined that a hurdy gurdy player could rock out with such reckless abandon.

Glasson s/t self-released

Fri, 17 Feb 2006 00:00:00 -0800

Who's in the band Glasson? Where are they from? I have no idea, but I'm OK with that. In this era of everyone having a Myspace page for his or her 47 side projects, it's refreshing to be listening to a band about whom I know absolutely nothing. It adds some intrigue. Anyway, about half of this demo EP consists of mid-tempo rock which is mostly forgettable. The singer has a rather distinctive voice which sounds a bit awkward on the mid-tempo songs. The other half, happily, dips into Nuggets-style 60s garage with gleeful abandon. Take opener "Alpha male," for instance. Over a fast riff the singer exclaims, "I am the alpha male! Hip-hip-hip-hip-hooray!" while the other band members shout some falsetto "whoo hoos" and the drummer tries to keep up. Maybe Glasson will stick to the garage-rock angle and stay in the shadows. We need more Strangeloves and ? and the Mysterians these days.

MP3: Loney Dear - The city, the airport

Wed, 08 Feb 2006 00:00:00 -0800

I admire bands like Loney, Dear. They didn't mess around with labels or music business bureaucracy, they just kept doing what they were doing and released their music themselves on CDR until other folks started to catch on. That's the true spirit of DIY. Of course it only really works out in the end if you're both persistent and good. Luckily, Loney, Dear is both. The new album "Sologne" which comes out next week is the band's first "official" CD release. And I use the term band loosely too, as Loney, Dear is essentially the solo project of one Emil Svanängen. I chose to post "The city, the airport" today because I love the way the song builds into the call-and-response chorus. It's so triumphant. I can also relate the words of the first verse about abandoning the city for quieter locales. I made the move recently and don't regret it a bit. Preorder the disc and save a dollar.

Wed, 08 Feb 2006 00:00:00 -0800

I admire bands like Loney, Dear. They didn't mess around with labels or music business bureaucracy, they just kept doing what they were doing and released their music themselves on CDR until other folks started to catch on. That's the true spirit of DIY. Of course it only really works out in the end if you're both persistent and good. Luckily, Loney, Dear is both. The new album "Sologne" which comes out next week is the band's first "official" CD release. And I use the term band loosely too, as Loney, Dear is essentially the solo project of one Emil Svanängen. I chose to post "The city, the airport" today because I love the way the song builds into the call-and-response chorus. It's so triumphant. I can also relate the words of the first verse about abandoning the city for quiter locales. I made the move recently and don't regret it a bit. Preorder the disc and save a dollar.

Mon, 08 Aug 2005 00:00:00 -0700

The details for the new Bear Quartet album have been revealed! The new album will be called "Saturday night" and in usual BQ fashion, will be preceded by an EP for the song "I have an itch". The tracklist for both:

I Have An Itch EP
01. I Have An Itch
02. An Epidemic Touch
03. I Am The Driver

Saturday Night
01. I Know My Owner
02. Birds are Singing in the Greenery
03. Loneliness Abandons the Lonely
04. I Have An Itch
05. I Speak Much English
06. Little Ghost
07. Weakling Keep Blinking
08. The Supremes
09. Today I Will Dress Up
10. Your Name Here
11. Class Trip
12. Death To The Bear Quartet

As mentioned before, the music is said to be much more on the electronic side of things and "impossible to play live." They themselves list Suicide, Black Grape and Enya as influences. Should be interesting, to say the least.

Wed, 18 May 2005 00:00:00 -0700

New mp3 today from Denmark's Lack, one of the best modern hardcore bands I've heard recently. If you haven't already read my review of their latest record "Be there pulse", let me reiterate how great it is to hear a band like this with true passion and energy. I also appreciate the fact that they often let chords hang and breathe, leaving plenty of space for the vocals and rhythm section to do their thing. And they don't overdo the distorted guitar tone either, like so many other bands. I can't tell you how sick I am of that Mesa Dual Rectifier sound. Anyhow, a lot of people are probably bummed that the band abandoned the screamo style they mastered on the debut album "Blues Moderne: Danois Explosifs", but listen up: it's been four years since that record came out. Get over it. The new stuff rules, albeit in a totally different way. Check out the song and go see them when they tour Europe:

05/19 - 1000fryd, Aalborg (DK) w/The Unit
05/20 - May Conspiracy Fest, Nexus, Braunschweig (GER)
05/21 - Bla, Bonn (GER)
05/22 - Le café de la Plage, Paris (FRA)
05/23 - Free Butt, Brighton (UK)
05/24 - The Swan, London (UK)
05/25 - Jabez Glegg, Manchester (UK) w/Eden Maine
05/26 - Trillions, Newcastle (UK) w/Eden Maine
05/27 - Planet, Wolverhampton (UK) w/Eden Maine
05/28 - TJ's, Newport (UK) w/Eden Maine
05/29 - Phoenix, Plymouth (UK) w/Eden Maine
05/30 - Hobbits, Weston Supermare (UK) w/Eden Maine
05/31 - Le Vauban, Brest (FRA) w/Oxes
06/01 - Le Clos Fleuri, Lyon (FRA)
06/02 - La Malterei, Lille (FRA) w/Jairus
06/03 - Astra Stube, Hamborg (GER) w/The Unit
06/04 - Loppen, Copenhagen (DK)w/The Unit
06/10 - Spot-Festival, Aarhus (DK)
06/11 - MOTU-Festival (ICE)
06/25 - tba (GER)
06/26 - tba (GER)
06/28 - Roskilde Festival (DK)
07/17 - Fluff-Fest, Pilsen (CZE)
08/27 - Heartcore Tage, AJZ Bahndamm, Wermelskirchen (GER)

Thu, 17 Feb 2005 00:00:00 -0800

Norway's Catena Collapse will no longer be doing a split 7" with Angora Static now that the latter band has decided to break up. In happier news, the band will be touring the UK in March and here's the itinerary:

03/01 - tba, Newcastle (UK)
03/02 - tba, Birmingham (UK)
03/03 - The Marquee, Norwich (UK) w/La Quiete
03/04 - xhousex, Leeds (UK) w/La Quiete
03/05 - Subway, Edinburgh (UK) w/La Quiete
03/06 - The Old Angel, Nottingham (UK) w/La Quiete
03/07 - The Phoenix, Manchester (UK) w/La Quiete, Day For Airstrikes
03/08 - The Swan, London (UK) w/La Quiete, Hey Colossus, Abandon Ship
03/09 - Hobgoblin, Brighton (UK) w/La Quiete, Seven Arrows Through Your Bastard Heart
03/10 - tba, tbd (UK)
03/11 - tba, Glasgow (UK) w/Twenty Centuries of Sleep

Fri, 21 Jan 2005 00:00:00 -0800

Updated Starmarket tourdates:

02/03 - Atzavara Club, Sant Feliu de Guixols
02/04 - Centro Cívico Basozelai, Basauri
02/05 - Tunk!, Irún
02/06 - Centro Andaluz, Torrelavega
02/07 - Tba, Don Benito
02/08 - Aldana, Cáceres
02/09 - Moby Dick, Madrid
02/10 - Malevaje Club, Almeria
02/11 - Mogambo, Valencia
02/12 - Sidecar, Barcelona
02/22 - Astra Stube, Hamburg
02/23 - Aquarium, Dresden
02/24 - AJZ, Bielefeld
02/25 - Wild at Heart, Berlin
02/26 - Jugendhaus, Esslingen
02/27 - Arena, Wien
02/28 - Sunny Red, Munchen
03/01 - Kalkbreite, Zurich
03/02 - MuK, Giessen
03/03 - Ex-Haus, Trier
03/04 - AZ, Aachen
03/05 - Tower, Bremen

In other news, the band's latest album "Abandon Time" has been picked up for release in Japan on May 21 via Bad News Records.

Top 10s for 2004: IAT! writers

Wed, 29 Dec 2004 00:00:00 -0800

Simon Thibaudeau - Top 10 music moments of 2004:

01. Mogwai live (Kicked my ass pretty hard)
02. Haunted - rEVOLVEr (See my full review on the site, best thrash record in some time)
03. WE - Smugglers (ROOOOCCKKK!)
04. Tricky Woo live (If you don't know, you should)
05. The Dears - Protest EP and live (Best live "experience" of the year, EP ain't too bad either)
06. Shalabi Effect - Pink Abyss (How they can improv this record is beyond any comprehension)
07. Controller Controller - History (Still one of Canada's best kept secrets, indie-pop that makes your ass move without your knowledge)
08. In Slaughter Natives - Resurrection (Still the cream of the genre)
09. Lederhosen Lucil live (So much fun, I soiled myself)
10. Devendra Banhart - Nino Rojo (Simple, perfect)

Simon Tagestam - Top 10 Swedish records of 2004:

01. The Tough Alliance - Make it happen (EP)
02. Jens Lekman - Rocky Dennis in heaven (EP)
03. Jens Lekman - When I said I wanted to be your dog
04. Sounds Like Violence - The Pistol (EP)
05. Mattias Alkberg BD - Tunaskolan
06. David Sandström - The dominant need of the nedy soul is to be needed
07. Promoe - The long distance runner
08. Stina Nordenstam - The world is saved
09. Jens Lekman - You are the light (EP)
10. David Fridlund - Amaterasu
11. Chandra - Summer in the sun (EP)
12. The Honeydrips - Save me (7")
13. Alf - Augustibrev
14. The Tough Alliance - Holiday (EP)
15. Heikki - 2
16. Raymond & Maria - Vi ska bara leva klart
17. Marit Bergman - Baby dry your eye
18. Gustav Kjellvander - Proudly Presents the Fine Arts Showcase & the Electric Pavilion
19. Niccokick - Awake from the dead, my dear best friend
20. Starmarket - Abandon time

Matthew W. Smith - Top 11 Scandinavian music moments of 2004:

01. The Accelerator Big One in Stockholm--great bands, much better weather than last year.
02. Kings of Convenience - Riot On An Empty Street album. I'm really looking forward to seeing them for the first time in February.
03. The Hives and Sahara Hotnights on the same bill at the 9.30 Club in Washington, D.C.
04. Another successful shopping spree at Sound Pollution in Stockholm--lots of selections, right in the heart of Gamla Stan.
05. Two heavy metal guys screaming their way through a Madonna song at a karaoke bar in Helsinki--probably the funniest thing I saw all year.
06. An import of the "Bigtime" single by The Soundtrack of Our Lives showing up fairly cheaply at my local independent record store--a hint of good things to come.
07. The Flaming Sideburns stealing at least the first half of a very big show--the 40-band extravaganza that was Little Steven's Underground Garage Festival in New York City. What a travesty they got to play only two songs...
>08. Tiger Lou - Is My Head Still On? album. Good songs and a full sound. "Oh Horatio" is one of my favorites.
09. Nina Persson of The Cardigans singing "You're the Storm" while cradling a Swedish Chef doll given to her on the last night of the Chicks with Attitude tour. I guess you had to be there. It was great to see The Cardies back in North America for the first time in a great while...
10. The song "I Burn Myself On You" by the Lionheart Brothers, as featured on Avi's It's a Trap! compilation. Simply stunning...
11. Suburban Kids with Biblical Names - #1 EP. Loads of talent and potential there...

Nick Levine - Top 10 Scandinavian albums of 2004:

01. Radio Dept. - Lesser matters
The album that just won't die. An updated take on shoegazing that teachers the originators a new trick or two.
02. Concretes - s/t
Its beauty is in its subtlety and understated mystery. A real slow burner.
03. Annie - Anniemal
Perfect pop. Laden with songs Kylie would kill for, and production from both Richard X and Royksopp. I expect this to crossover to a massive mainstream audience next year.
04. Kings Of Convenience - Riot on an empty street
In 2004 Erlend and Eirik returned from the wilderness. On this longplayer the Kings broaden their musical palette to include bossa nova and (shock!) drums.
05. Jens Lekman - When I said I wanted to be your dog
A great up-and-coming singer songwriter. His lyrics are slightly indebted to the anti-folk movement. I'm slowly coming round to the Magnetic Fields comparison.
06. The Soundtrack Of Our Lives - Origin I
Did you think that TSOOL were going to let you down? Really?!
07. The Legends - Up against the Legends
Modern take on C86. Bundles of energy.
08. Tiger Lou - Is my head still on?
Woozy production with quality instrumental backing. A cult audience beckons.
09. Moneybrother - Blood panic
White soul that isn't embarrassing to listen to in public.
10. Suburban Kids With Biblical Names - #1 EP
Introductory EP from these Swedish newcomers. Quirky pop of the highest order.

Navy Keophan - Top ten albums (Scandinavian and non-Scandinavian) of 2004:

01. Henry Fiat's Open Sore - The parallel universe of... (Coldfront)
Hardcore punk fury with '60s-inspired catchiness.
02. Division of Laura Lee - Das not compute (Burning Heart/Epitaph)
DOLL never fails to impress and they did so with what I consider to be one of the "sleeper" hits of 2004.
03. Knugen Faller - Skellefte stadshotell EP (Cage Match Federation)
Catchy punk-pop from the north of Sweden.
04. The (International) Noise Conspiracy - Armed love (Burning Heart)
Producer Rick Rubin pushes them to their limit and they show that they can still rock.
05. The Hives - Tyrannosaurus Hives (Interscope)
I don't care what anyone else says about The Hives but I still think that this album was good. I think their label handled the promotion for it wrong but that's another story.
06. Euroboys - Soft focus (Virgin Norway)
With a dash of '70s-inspired California pop and the Beach Boys for good measure, it keeps that feeling of summer all year long around here (although in Southern California, it isn't that hard...)
07. Bruce Banner - I've Had It With Humanity (Busted Heads)
Hardcore punk in the last couple of years has its fair share of greatness and mediocrity. Bruce Banner is not the latter. Intense hardcore from the north of Sweden with vocals by Per and Bobo (ex-DS-13).

The non-Scandinavian part of the top ten:

08. The Chinese Stars - A rare sensation (Three.One.G.)
Disco beats, hypnotic, dissonant guitars, groovy bass lines and a singer who sounds like he never left puberty all add up for a fun time.
09. Some Girls - All My Friends Are Going Death (Deathwish)
I remember the first time hearing this and not being really impressed. Fast forward to six months later and this is some of the best stuff I've heard all year from the genre. The lyrics are thoughtful and the sound is like a kick in the chest.
10. Ludacris - Red light district (Def Jam)
HA! Bet you guys weren't expecting this album here. If there is one thing I like, it's intelligent hip-hop/rap that is done right and Ludacris is a genius. On his latest effort, Ludacris brings the catchiness and sensibility back again.

---------------------------

Top 10s for 2004: Fredrik Brändström (Starmarket/The Crystal Committee)

Tue, 28 Dec 2004 00:00:00 -0800

Top 10 best places in 2004:

01. Berlin. You never get tired of Böölin.

02. Midsommarkransen. My new hood.

03. Lofoten. Bird frenzy.

04. Sahara. I got there on my trip to Tunisia.

05. Autobahn. The only great thing Hitler did.

06. Luleå archipelago. Much better than the one in Stockholm.

07. Björkliden. Skiresort where I played with Randy. Great until I broke my hand while skiing.

08. Norr Mälarstrandskrogen. Pub/pizza joint next to our rehearsal space.

09. Catalonia, Spain. Shiny happy people.

10. East germany. It was more mysterious before the wall came down.

---------------------------

Fredrik sings and plays guitar for long-running Swedish indierockers Starmarket and also showcases his mellower side with The Crystal Committee. Starmarket recently released what I believe is their sixth album "Abandon Time" on Germany's Strange Fruit Records and will be touring Europe beginning in February.
www.starmarket.nu / www.thecrystalcommittee.com / www.strangefruit.de / www.chalksounds.com

Starmarket Abandon time Strange Fruit

Sun, 26 Dec 2004 00:00:00 -0800

Being a massive Starmarket fan, "Abandon Time" really took me by surprise. It appears that singer Fredrik Brändström has decided that his other band The Crystal Committee from now on will concentrate on the slower alt.country tinged songs, and Starmarket will do the shorter, faster, and poppier numbers. I wouldn't say that Starmarket has regressed per se, but it could be seen that way since we all know that bands usually go from playing fast rocky music to a slower more mature sound, and not the other way around. Not that I mind the least though, I think Starmarket are great, whether they play depressive emo, or catchy power pop. Also, this album really makes me want to witness them play live, and I hope they decide to play in London next year (and not just Spain and Germany).

Mon, 15 Nov 2004 00:00:00 -0800

Blackstarfoundation has licensed the new Abandon album "In reality we suffer" for release in the UK via Codebreaker (the new label from the Rage of Achilles people) and in the US via Earache. Hopefully that means it should be easy to find just about everywhere. In other BSF news, Tias Carlson filmed a video for the song "Butterfly" in Häckeberga this past weekend and should be available online shortly.

Wed, 20 Oct 2004 00:00:00 -0700

Starmarket will be playing a special record release show at Tantogården in Stockholm tomorrow for their brand new album "Abandon time". Full details at the band's website: http://www.starmarket.nu/

Fri, 15 Oct 2004 00:00:00 -0700

Updated tourdates for Crowpath and Abandon:

10/29 - Baracke, Münster (GER)
10/30 - Witte Theatre, Ijmuiden (NL)
10/31 - CS Turenne, Reims (FRA)
11/01 - Juz, Saarlouis (GER)
11/02 - Molodoi, Strasbourg (FRA)
11/03 - GG31, Winterhur (SWI)
11/04 - Ex Steffi, Karlsruhe (GER)
11/05 - Rote Zora, Altenburg (GER)
11/06 - tbc, Magdeburg (GER)

Tue, 12 Oct 2004 00:00:00 -0700

Download the brand new Starmarket track "Cologne": http://www.starmarket.nu/sounds/Starmarket%20Cologne.mp3
The song comes from the band's new album "Abandon Time" which comes out tomorrow. They'll be touring Europe in November, Sweden in December/January and to Spain and Portugal in February. Here's what's confirmed so far:

11/16 - Magnet, Berlin
11/17 - MuK, Giessen
11/18 - Ex-Haus, Trier
11/19 - Jugendhaus Komma, Esslingen
11/20 - Kalkbreite, Zürich
11/23 - Sonica, Rom
11/24 - Rebeldia, Pisa
11/26 - Zentrum Altenberg, Oberhausen
11/27 - Juz Aurich, Aurich
11/28 - Astra Stube, Hamburg

Fri, 08 Oct 2004 00:00:00 -0700

Swedish hardcore act Crowpath is touring Northern Europe with countrymen Abandon from Göteborg. Dates so far:

10/29 - Baracke, Münster (GER)
10/30 - tba
10/31 - tba
11/01 - Juz, Saarlouis (GER)
11/02 - Molodoi, Strasbourg (FRA)
11/03 - GG31, Winterhur (SWI)
11/04 - Ex Steffi, Karlsruhe (GER)
11/05 - Rote Zora, Altenburg (GER)
11/06 - tba

Wed, 11 Aug 2004 00:00:00 -0700

Starmarket has confirmed an October 15 release date for their new album "Abandon Time". A month previous to that, a new EP called "Cologne" will be released that will feature two additional songs not on the full-length. And lastly, a full European tour is in the works for November and dates should be coming along shortly.

Mon, 12 Jul 2004 00:00:00 -0700

Long-running Swedish indierockers Starmarket are back at last! They've finished the new album "Abandon Time" and sent it off to get pressed. Strange Fruit will release it in Germany while Fredrik at Startracks is helping distribute it in Sweden, though not directly through his own label. There's also going to be a three-song EP in September. Download the song "Antichrist" right here: http://www.starmarket.nu/sound/Starmarket_antichrist.mp3

Wed, 12 May 2004 00:00:00 -0700

Svenskunderjord reports that Göteborg-based record label Twice Records will be releasing a comp in two weeks featuring a selection of up-and-coming Swedish hip-hop artists entitled "Unsigned". Contributors will include Alibi, Rico Wondahman, Obnoxiuz, X.O, S.T, S.P, Nabila, WordSilah, Enhet V, Los Abandonados and more. Download a sampler mp3 here: http://www.sassi-records.com/promo/twice_records_unsigned.mp3

Thu, 22 Apr 2004 00:00:00 -0700

Blackstar Foundation reports that they've received the master for the new Abandon album and should be sending it off for pressing soon. "78 minutes of pure anxiety." Sounds good to me. They also report that the new Araki album will be pressed as a double LP and should be ready by the end of May. That's Tiger Lou's old band, for those that don't know.

Mon, 17 Nov 2003 00:00:00 -0800

Vocalist Peter Nagy aka Kimera has left black metal band Mörk Gryning. His statement:

"This decision doesn't have anything to do with any kind of personal conflicts or whatsoever between me and any other member of the band. I've been having these thoughts for a very long time, and now is a good time to abandon the ship. I just have total loss of creativity to provide Mörk Gryning for its development in the future, and there are other musical paths that I rather want to explore. And that's mainly with my other bands Eternal Oath and Amaranth. With four albums recorded, great response from fans and media throughout the years (as well as bad ones), some gigs and even a tour, Mörk Gryning leaves nothing but good memories behind. I want to thank all the fans, media, and all other people who have supported me throughout the years. And of course: Good luck to the rest of the band for the future, whatever happens. CHEERS!"

Mon, 21 Jul 2003 00:00:00 -0700

Legendary black-metallers Mayhem have abandoned their plans to record their new album at Puk Studios in Denmark and instead will be kickin' out the jams old-school style with a mobile studio in the mountains of Norway. Aww yeah, keeping it real dudes. Well, sorta. They plan to record the drums first in Oslo and then take the files with them to wherever they end up recording the rest. Engineer Børge Finstad will assist.

Thu, 22 May 2003 00:00:00 -0700

Trapdoor Fucking Exit has put up the video for the song "Short Term Investment", recorded live at Umeå Punkfest in 2001. Check it out.

Amulet recently filmed a video for the single "Breaking News". They say it "involves a low key gig at an abandoned house and a deathdefying girl in a van who brings terror to the city of Oslo." I'll let you know if they post in online.

Turbonegro's complete festival schedule for the summer:

06/02 - Flippaut festival, Bologna, Italy
06/05 - Ruisrock, Turku, Finland
06/12 - Hultsfred Festival Hultsfred, Sweden
06/20 - Kick off Festival, Wiesen, Austria
06/21 - Southside Festival, Neuhausen, Germany
06/22 - Hurricane Festival, Schlessel, Germany
06/27 - Roskilde Festival, Denmark
06/28 - Open Air, St Gallen, Switzerland
07/05 - London, Meanfiddler (clubshow) UK
07/12 - T in the Park, Kinross, Scotland, UK
08/07 - Nordland Musikkfestukke, Bodö, Norway
08/08 - Öya festivalen, Oslo Norway
08/09 - Wrightegaarden, Langesund, Norway
08/23 - Reading Festival, Reading UK
08/24 - Leeds Festival, Leeds, UK

This week's MTV Up North Nordic video chart:

01. The Rasmus - In The Shadows
02. Outlandish - Guantanamo
03. A-Teens - Perfect Match
04. Her Majesty - F.U.N.E.R.A.L
05. Jennifer Brown - Weak
06. HIM - Funeral of hearts
07. The Sounds - Rock n´ Roll
08. The Cardigans - You´re The Storm
09. Melody Club - Cover Girl
10. Darude - Music
11. Mew - Comforting Sounds
12. Kwan - Shine
13. Equicez - Live From Pass It
14. Bertine Zetlitz - Girl Like You
15. Elin Sigvardsson - Where To Start
16. Timbuktu - Ett Brev
17. Paragon - Försök Förstå
18. Pauline - Runnin´ Out Of Gaz
19. Surferosa - Neon Commando
20. Homy - Bus Stop

Challengers:
01. Jon - This Side Up
02. Antique - Moro Mou
03. Fireside - All You Had
04. The Concretes - You Can´t Hurry Love
05. Kamera - At Work
06. C21 - She Cries

Go to the MTVE.com site to watch and vote for your favorite.

Labrador Records is now distributed by Mortes Nois in Estonia. For more info email mrnois@hot.ee.

Dolores Records has announced they will be releasing a limited edition CD single for the new supergroup Vanessa and the O's on June 10. The band features ex-members of Popsicle along with James Iha from Smashing Pumpkins and is described as electronic pop in French. Crazy, eh? More info soon.

Bad Taste Records is the label of the month over at the Danish radio program New Rocking Sounds which airs Tuesdays at 8pm on 93.7 in Århus. They'll be interviewing Last Days of April, Logh and various others from the roster along with playng tunes from said bands. Be sure to check it out or wait for the clips to hit the online archives.

Listen to "Mattias Alkbergs Begravning" from Planekonomi, another band featuring Mattias from Bear Quartet. More info here. Look for 2 EPs this fall and a full-length sometime next year.

One of my pals over at indieworkshop.com reviews the new Flaming Sideburns album today.

"No one has satisfactorily explained why a country of 4.5 million generates so much music: is it the dark winters? Subsidised music lessons? Rubbish TV?" - John Bungey, The Times (UK)

Norweigan music appears to be making quite a few headways beyond their borders as evidenced in this article from MIC Norway. Turbonegro and Jaga Jazzist might be the first names to come to mind for most folk, but now there's also Beady Belle, Tord Gustavsen, Per Arne Glorvigen, and St. Thomas to pay attention to.

Johnny Bråttom Records will be holding a record release show on May 30 at Kulturkammaren in Norrköping for their forthcoming "Svensk Populärmusik Volym Två" compilation. The bands scheduled to appear are Slagsmålsklubben, recent Dolores-signees Cdoass, Bremen Brotröster GmbH, Björn Kleinhenz, and The Flu. As for the tracklisting of said comp, it is as follows:

01. Cdoass - The Box
02. Niccokick - Run, Run, Run
03. Björn Kleinhenz - How Long Is The Night?
04. Slagsmålsklubben - Filter Fabric Facts (DJ Upperkurt Instrumental Remix)
05. Idiot Savants - Daily Routine
06. Music 77 - Kameror
07. Pete Thompson - Folk Song
08. Lola Barbershop - Ticket To Happiness
09. The Kid - Baton Rouge
10. Junip - Turn To The Assassin
11. The Topeka Twins - Hunting Song
12. Menteroja - Call Me
13. Bremen Brotröster GmbH - Greater/Better
14. The Flu - Golden Hair
15. Celestine - Sunflower
16. José González - Heartbeats
17. Café Polymorf - A Good Time
18. Quit Your Dayjob - Pissing On A Panda
19. Joni - Frank Xerox
20. Ane Brun - Are They Saying Goodbye?
21. Sandy Mouche - A Year

Aftonbladet reports that famed Swedish videomaker Jonas Åkerlund is working with Blondie on the single "Good Boys" in LA. The new album ""The Curse of Blondie" comes out around September or October. Åkerlund's previous credits include artists such as Satyricon, Madonna, Metallica and The Prodigy.

This new album will be 'harder' than the previous one and more guitars. To sum it up: a groovier album!

That's Peter Tägtgren of Pain describing work on the new album. He says he's already finished all of the backing music along with five of the thirteen vocal tracks and should be able to have it out sometime this fall on Stockholm Records.

Here's the top 20 Swedish albums of the week, as reported by Aftonbladet:

01. Robert Wells - Rhapsody in rock the complete collection
02. Alcazar - Alcazarized
03. Eddie Meduza - Live(s)!
04. v/a - Fame Factory volym 5
05. Moneybrother - Blood panic
06. The Cardigans - Long gone before daylight
07. Timbuktu - The botten is nådd!
08. Glenmark Eriksson Strömstedt - Den andra skivan
09. Lisa Nilsson - Samlade sånger 1992-2003
10. Jill Johnson - Discography
11. Lars Winnerbäck och Hovet - Söndermarken
12. Kent - Vapen & ammunition
13. Antique - Blue love
14. Cornelis Vreeswijk - Cornelis Vreeswijks bästa
15. Monia - Söderns hjärtas ros
16. Siw Malmkvist - Siws bästa
17. Elin Sigvardsson - Saturday light naive
18. Simson Dupont - Simson Dupont
19. Fame - Give me your love
20. The Sounds - Living in America

Tomas Ledin is going on tour in support of his new live album "I Sommarnattens Ljus" which comes out on June 2. The dates so far:

07/08 - Öja Slott, Öja
07/19 - Bergs Slussar, Linköping
08/03 - Stadsparken, Örebro

The lineup for Sommarrock, which takes place July 10-12 in Svedala, Sweden: Mikael Wiehe, Bubbles, Joddla w/Siv, Advance Patrol, The Ark, Danne Stråhed, Häjkån Bäjkån Band, The Mo and Di Leva.

This week's Swedish college radio chart (from Dagensskiva):

01. (01) Badly Drawn Boy "All Possibilities"
02. (NY) Grandaddy "Now It's On"
03. (NY) Timbuktu "The Bottom Is Nådd!"
04. (04) The Postal Service "Such Great Heights"
05. (NY) The Cardigans "You're the Storm"
06. (03) Dave Gahan "Dirty Sticky Floors"
07. (05) The White Stripes "7 Nation Army"
08. (NY) Placebo "This Picture"
09. (NY) Mando Diao "Sheepdog"
10. (02) Bad Cash Quartet "Dirty Days"

11. (17) The Donnas "Who Invited You"
12. (14) The Black Keys "Hard Row"
13. (09) The Raveonettes "Beat City"
14. (06) Christian Kjellvander "Homeward Rolling Soldier"
15. (15) Moloko "Forever More"
16. (NY) Tricky "Antimatter"
17. (NY) The Thrills "Big Sur"
18. (ÅT) Miss Universum "Fertilize"
19. (07) Dada Flair Ft. Christian Dohber "Freedom"
20. (08) Gusto "Guns in the Ghetto"

Leaving the chart:
(10) Randy "A Man in Uniform"
(11) Solomon Burke "Soul Searching"
(12) Fireside "All You Had"
(13) Magnus Carlson "Jag ber dig"
(16) Queens Of The Stone Age "Go With The Flow"
(18) The Go-Betweens "Caroline and I"
(19) David & The Citizens "New Direction"
(20) Hot Hot Heat "Bandages"

The full details for Finland's Koneisto Festival has been released. Some of the artists scheduled to appear include Björn Torske, Ralph Myerz & Jack Herren Band, Erlend Oye (acoustic set + "magnificent singing DJ set"), Datarock, Jori Hulkkonen, Rinneradio (feat. Dj Slow, Siiri Nordin and MC Paleface) among many others. The acclaimed electronic music festival was the first of its type for all of Scandinavia and the selection of performers "seeks to establish an interesting balance between commercial and experimental music" over the event's 9 stages. It all goes down in Helsinki from July 25-27 and more info can be found from the fest's official website.

Blabbermouth reports that HIM will be touring Europe in support of Ozzy Osbourne and Godsmack this September. I'll keep you posted.