IT'S A TRAP! Scandinavian Music Journal

Alpha Mound debut LP out now

Wed, 23 May 2012 13:08:12 -0700

Alpha Mound, a new project from Joakim Westlund of Daymare/Aerial/The Giant's Dream, has just released their debut LP "Burning words" and you can listen to the whole thing at Bandcamp or on Spotify, as well as most other digital retailers. For folks who prefer the real-deal physical object, ordering details for the vinyl can be found here.

Daymare - Friend fighter

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 17:07:44 -0700

Swedish blog 520 has the premiere of a new track from recent Nomethod signees/Aerial sideproject Daymare: http://femtjugo.se/specialinlagg/premiar-daymare-friend-fighter/

Alpha Mound - Termination of short-term (video)

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 15:57:52 -0800

Joakin Westlund of Aerial/the Giant's Dream has a new solo project called Alpha Mound and this right here is his debut. Look for the album "Burning words" to be released later this year.

Nomethod signs Daymare

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 17:52:48 -0700

Just signed to Nomethod: Daymare, a new band featuring members from Aerial. Look for their debut single "Ice famine" to be officially released on September 19.

Voice Of... - Live#001

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 12:21:40 -0700

Voice Of..., the solo project of Joakim Westlund (Aerial/The Giant's Dream), has a new EP posted for free listening/download: http://voiceof.bandcamp.com/album/live-001

Loud as Light - Dead end (video)

Wed, 25 May 2011 14:37:22 -0700

"Dead end" is the new single from Loud as Light, the band that formed from the remains of The Idle Hands. Look for their Dan Swanö-produced album "Aerial view" to be released this coming fall.

New website for The Giant's Dream

Mon, 06 Dec 2010 15:52:14 -0800

It's a Trap! Netlabel alumni/Aerial sideproject The Giant's Dream have a new website: http://www.thegiantsdream.com/

Presenting: Voice Of...

Thu, 11 Nov 2010 13:52:26 -0800

Check out Voice Of..., a new solo project from Joakim Westlund of Aerial/The Giant's Dream: http://www.voiceof.se/
RIYL Logh or any of Joakim's other bands.

Aerial: A tribute to Sonic Youth and David Lynch (video)

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 12:48:45 -0700

Aerial pay tribute to their heroes and influences in this mini-doc. Direct link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qO14cxEnbsY

Nomethod fall release schedule

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 15:21:56 -0700

Nomethod has announced their upcoming release schedule:

09/01 - Aerial – Black rain from the bombing [digital only + remastered + 1 bonus track]
09/13 - First Love, Last Rites – Slow wind [digital single + video]
09/13 - Simian Ghost – Sequenced dreams of independence [digital single]
10/06 - Robert Svensson – The madness [digital single + video]
10/26 - Robert Svensson – You're a wasteland honey [LP]
11/11 - Simian Ghost – Sequenced dreams of independence [LP]
tba - Love is a Burning Thing [LP]
tba - First Love, Last Rites [LP]

New Aerial single plus Nomethod sampler on the way

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 18:17:58 -0700

Aerial will be releasing "Vacant dreamers" as a new single on July 8, complete with video. Their label Nomethod has also announced that they'll be releasing a new sampler, their first ever, that same day: http://robertsvensson.com/nomethod/?p=39
Three previously unreleased tracks from the likes of Simian Ghost, Love Is a Burning Thing and The Giant's Dream plus a whole lotta great Swedish indierock.

Simian Ghost - Star receiver (live acoustic video)

Wed, 28 Apr 2010 11:32:21 -0700

Check out a video of Simian Ghost (aka Sebastian Arnström from Aerial) performing his new single "Star receiver" acoustically: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8US-qBh1Sw4

Aerial Put it this way in headlines Nomethod

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 12:13:17 -0700

There are few opening tracks that spark so perfectly to life, coloring not only the album to follow, but drawing the listener into this creative work, as the aptly titled "First of all...". While the following track does dampen the energy momentarily, from that point on "Put it this way in headlines" unravels as an impressive addition to Aerial's catalogue. The heavier, Mogwai/Mono-inspired post-rock of "The sentinel" has been replaced by a much cleaner, almost pop-like approach -- imagine a strange amalgamation of The End Will Be Kicks and Yamon Yamon. The only serious failing of "Headlines" is that the band, after embracing a change to their sound, sometimes takes too long to hit all the right notes, and then doesn't hit those notes quite hard enough. "Zebra" should have been anthemic, but only briefly reaches that point in the closing minute of the song; it's still a damn fine track, I am just not sure why the building energy suddenly stops. A few more songs like "Vacant dreamers", a track that blurs the line between post-rock and angular garage rock, might have helped as well, though said track suffers in a similar way to "Zebra": these songs seem to be building somewhere, but they never get there; this was never a problem on "The sentinel". That said, with "Guitar ode to a sunny afternoon" and all the other gorgeous moments on the album, there is more than enough to "Headlines" to make Aerial's present and future look quite bright.

Simian Ghost - Star receiver

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 13:13:05 -0700

Nomethod is giving away the new Simian Ghost (aka Sebastian Arnström of Aerial) single "Star receiver" as a free download: http://nomethodrecords.bandcamp.com/track/star-receiver

Nomethod signs two new bands, more

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 16:31:13 -0800

Nomethod has officially announced the signing of two new acts. First is Simian Ghost who I believe used to be called The Anti Fashion and are the alter-ego of Sebastian Arnström from Aerial. Look for their debut single "Star receiver" very soon. Next up is First Love, Last Rites, a new 3-piece from Umeå with a debut album and single on the way this fall. Recent signees Love is a Burning Thing are still working on their upcoming debut as well and the first single "Go back to your cave" in on track for April.

Aerial to tour Germany in February

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 13:13:35 -0800

Aerial is heading to Germany in February:

02/19 - Silber, Hamburg (GER)
02/20 - Hafen 2 Festival, Offenbach (GER)
02/21 - tba
02/23 - Rhiz, Vienna (AUS)
02/24 - AZ Conni, Dresden (GER)
02/25 - Nbi, Berlin (GER)
02/26 - Ut Connewitz, Leipzig (GER)
02/27 - AJZ, Ribnitz (GER)

The Silent Ballet reviews Aerial

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 11:21:08 -0800

The Silent Ballet reviews Aerial's latest record "Put it this way in headlines": http://thesilentballet.com/dnn/Home/tabid/36/ctl/Details/mid/384/ItemID/3012/Default.aspx

Aerial - Velvet light trap

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 09:53:14 -0800

Aerial have a new video for the song "Velvet light trap": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTcKBmwpBkM

Top 10s for 2009: Nomethod Records

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Nomethod Top 10 albums of 2009 (not including our own releases)

01. The Bear Quartet - 89

02. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

03. Polvo - In Prism

04. Sonic Youth - The Eternal

05. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest

06. Taken By Trees - East of Eden

07. Slayer - World painted blood

08. Loney Dear - Citadel band (reissue)

09. Camera Obscura - My maudlin career

10. And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead - The century of self

---------------------------
2009 releases for Nomethod include Aerial's "Put it this way in headlines" and the album "Rox" from Mixtapes & Cellmates.
http://www.nomethod.se/
http://www.myspace.com/nomethodrecords

Nomethod signs The Anti Fashion

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:23:37 -0800

Nomethod has signed The Anti Fashion, the solo act of Sebastian Arnström from Aerial. Look for their debut album in 2010.

Scraps of Tape Grand letdown A Tenderversion Recording

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:31:44 -0800

This band continues to evolve with every album and this, their third overall, finds them trying to incorporate more standard pop conventions into their particular brand of heavy postrock. There's still plenty of focus on long, interwoven guitar parts and complex arrangements, but there's also a lot more vocals than ever before and a renewed attempt at redefining and refining their sound. Bits of Fireside-esque post-hardcore gets intermingled with other, more contemporary post-indie/rock/whatever and the end result turns out to be a bit more schizophrenic and far less consistent than previous album "This is a copy is this a copy". However, at the same time, it's far more interesting to hear a band grow with each new release and that's certainly what SoT are doing and the tracks that do work well are easily their best material yet. For each misstep, such as two unnecessary and out of place cover tunes (A novelty slowcore version of Minor Threat's "Filler" plus "Eric" by the terminally underappreciated Carpet People), there is a stride forward. An inspired idea on paper, sure, and undoubtedly fun for the band to play, though not so hot in execution. I foresee "Grand letdown" as a transitional work, a bridge for things to come. It's worth noting too, that many of their peers are going through similar musical soul-searching (Aerial, Immanu El, etc.), all struggling to break free of expected genre trappings and all ending up in a slightly different place. So far, so good... let's see what happens next.

MP3: Aerial - I am TV

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:16:15 -0700

Aerial has evolved from one of Sweden's most interesting postrock acts to something that almost approximates verse/chorus/verse indierock, albeit filtered through their twisted sci-fi vision. Their new album "Put it this way in headlines" borrows the twin guitar stylings of Him Kerosene and drags it through the dirt, making the notes bend and scream. The structure of "I am TV" may be typical, but the music most certainly is not. Strings and noise, harmony and discordance: this is the sound of Swedish indie that I fell in love with. Welcome back!

"Put it this way in headlines" e-card

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:53:53 -0700

Check out an e-card for Aerial's excellent new album "Put it this way in headlines": http://www.nomethod.se/aerialpromo/

Nomethod moves up Aerial, more

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:49:42 -0700

Nomethod has moved up the release of the new Aerial album "Put it this way in headlines" to October 22. Expect preorders to be available soon. In related news, labelmates Mixtapes & Cellmates will release their new album "Rox" on October 28 and it will also be available on both 12" vinyl and cassette. The 2nd single "Soft eyes" will be released the same day and will be available as a limited 7" via Fasaden Records b/w the songs "A brighter place to go" and "On fire".

Aerial announce coming single

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 15:52:40 -0700

"Velvet light trap" will be the 2nd single from Aerial's forthcoming record "Put it this way in headlines". Expect a video... soonish. The album's first single "All refrain" is out now.

Sirius playlist week #36

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 13:29:44 -0700

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

01. NEI - City of gold
02. TALK 1
03. Brothers of End - Why
04. Johndoe - Kvikkleire
05. Viola - Sea curtain
06. TALK 2
07. Marit Bergman - Höstvisa
08. Bad Hands - Bad hands (feat. Nina Kinert)
09. Aerial - I am TV
10. Tape - Brakes
11. TALK 3
12. Tsukimono - Mimilalanono
13. Superfamily - The songs of the weak will die
14. Unter den Linden - Motstånd i läder
15. TALK 4
16. The Bear Quartet - Carry your weight
17. Björn Kleinhenz - Show me love
18. Pets - Don't say your heart is broken (we know it's not)
19. TALK 5

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.

Aerial - All refrain (video + mp3)

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 11:24:08 -0700

The first single "All refrain" from Aerial's excellent forthcoming album "Put it this way in headlines" is now available as a free download: http://www.nomethod.se/allrefrain_aerial.mp3
You can also watch the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAb-lWy3DGY&fmt=18

Nomethod autumn lineup

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 11:20:08 -0700

Nomethod fall release schedule:

09/07 - Aerial - All refrain mp3 single
09/18 - Mixtapes & Cellmates - Soon mp3 single
09/23 - Anoraak (FRA) - Nightdrive with you CDEP
10/07 - Aerial - Put it this way in headlines CD/DVD
10/28 - Mixtapes & Cellmates - Rox CD/LP/DVD/CS

Nomethod confirms new album, single from Mixtapes & Cellmates, Aerial

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:58:01 -0700

Nomethod reports that Mixtapes & Cellmates' new album will be called "Rox" and will be released in all formats: CD/LP/DVD/MP3. Expect a late September release with a single/video to precede it. In other news, the label has confirmed that "All refrain" will be the first single off Aerial's forthcoming album "Put it this way in headlines". Expect both the single and album in early September.

Sirius playlist week #25

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 11:25:09 -0700

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

01. Samuraj Cities - 2 close 2 yr hrt
02. TALK 1
03. Pirate Love - Laughing gas
04. Fare You Well - Overload
05. Kap Kap - Steel wheels
06. TALK 2
07. Elmo - Two becomes one
08. Johndoe - Hardt som faen
09. The Black - On the descent to hell
10. The Amazing - Dragon
11. TALK 3
12. The Bear Quartet - I was a weapon
13. Aerial - All refrain
14. Mögel - Håll mig hårt
15. TALK 4
16. Je Suis Animal - Painted in my face
17. Katatonia - Deadhouse
18. Pixie Carnation - Little sister
19. Björn Kleinhenz - Show me love
20. TALK 5
21. New Decade - I guess you ran from something

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.

Sirius playlist week #19

Mon, 11 May 2009 11:06:47 -0700

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

01. Penny Century - Just because (feat. Mattias Alkberg)
02. TALK 1
03. Piroth - Fog dancers
04. Shogun Kunitoki - Riddarholmen
05. Elenette - Start; alla program; spel
06. TALK 2
07. The End Will Be Kicks - Sweets and filth
08. Viola - Nobodylovers
09. Pan Sonic - Maa
10. Antifilm - Here comes the son
11. TALK 3
12. Ingenting - Slapp in solen
13. Pixie Carnation - Fresh poems
14. David Åhlén - Spirit fall
15. TALK 4
16. The Fine Arts Showcase - The teenage order
17. Pinto - We breathe too much
18. The Opium Cartel - Better days ahead
19. Dag för Dag - I am the assassin
20. TALK 5
21. Aerial - All refrain

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.

New Aerial tracklist revealed

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 18:00:36 -0700

Aerial has confirmed the tracklist for their forthcoming record "Put it this way in headlines": http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=46912171&blogId=486223293
As said before, the pre-mastered samples I've heard so far are sweet!

MP3: Convoj - Liberty City

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 12:13:09 -0700

Tomorrow at Debaser Malmö: It's a Trap! Clubnight featuring Convoj and Pretty Whores! I shouldn't have to remind you how great Convoj are since I've been talking them up from the very beginning, but I've got an mp3 below just in case you remain ignorant. Those guys are easily one of the best acts keeping the classic Swedish indie/noiserock/post-hardcore/post-punk sound alive. Few others compete; I can count them on one hand: NEI, The End Will Be Kicks, Giant Boar, Voices Break the Silence. Am I missing anyone? You might be able to lump Aerial in there once their new album comes out, but that's about it. Anyhow, point being: great band, not to be missed.
As for Pretty Whores, I haven't heard their new EP yet, but it seems to be getting good reviews and I most certainly approve of their shortened name (minus "Of Manhattan"). I think they'd be better off dropping it altogether and starting fresh, but whatever -- they're young dudes, they'll figure it out.

New Aerial has a title

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 11:42:56 -0700

Aerial's new album now has a title: "Put it this way in headlines". Read all about it right here: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=46912171&blogID=481675394
As I've said before, the few samples I've heard have been absolutely amazing -- really looking forward to hearing the full album!

Nomethod gets new distro, preps new Aerial

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 17:40:40 -0700

Nomethod has signed a new distribution deal with Border music so that means that their latest release, "Young punks are on the never-never" by Robert Svensson, will be getting a mid-priced rerelease with bonus tracks in the near future. The label also reports that Aerial's next album is mixed and ready to be mastered -- no release date on that one yet either, but I heard a rough cut and my mind was blown. Seriously, they aren't kidding when they say it sounds like Him Kerosene taken to the next level.

Sirius playlist week #13

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 17:01:01 -0700

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

01. The Late Call - Put your lights on
02. TALK 1
03. Fever Ray - When I grow up (Håkan Lidbo remix)
04. Maskinen - Alla som inte dansar
05. Isolation Years - Albino child
06. TALK 2
07. Pixie Carnation - When did the lights go out
08. Unleashed - Dead forever
09. Lack - Soot, smoke & ash
10. TALK 3
11. Small - Comic girl
12. Peter Bjorn and John - It don't move me
13. Masquer - I think I'll lose my mind
14. Ironville - Roses
15. TALK 4
16. Parasite - Nightwinds
17. Aerial - Kallisti
18. The Crystal Caravan - Tombstone eyes
19. TALK 5
20. Hello Saferide - Arjeplog

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.

Aerial signs to new Japanese label, preps 3rd album

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 11:37:00 -0800

Aerial has now signed with Flake Records for the Japanese release of their upcoming third album. No release date yet, but Swedish label Nomethod informs me that it's 95% mixed and on track for being mastered in mid-March.

Top 10s for 2008: Emil Johansson (The Giant's Dream)

Sun, 07 Dec 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Top 10 Releases of 2008
(In no particular order)

01. Aerial - The legion of dynamic dischord

02. Jacaszek - Treny

03. Grouper - I am dragging a dead deer up a hill

04. Balmorhea - Rivers arms

05. Off the Sky - Dwelling spells

06. The Giant's Dream - Canto I: For the Seven Lakes

07. Beach House - Devotion

08. Kira Kira - Our map to the monster olympics

09. Max Richter - 24 Postcards in full colour

10. Benoit Pioulard - Temper

---------------------------
The Giant's Dream new 3-song EP "Canto I: For the Seven Lakes" is out now and can be previewed at myspace.
www.thegiantsdream.com
www.myspace.com/thegiantsdream

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 13:54:07 -0800

Aerial are currently in the studio working on their much-anticipated third album. Expect a fall 2009 release via Nomethod.

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 12:18:28 -0800

IAT.MP3 artists and Aerial sideproject The Giant's Dream has a new CDR release called "Canto I: For the Seven Lakes", the first of a series of Canto/Chapter releases they are planning. Read more: http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=60038342&blogID=448404692

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 18:43:42 -0700

Aerial has cancelled their tour plans for November.

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 13:03:05 -0700

Aerial will be taking a timeout from the recording of their third album to do a short European jaunt in November:

11/01 - Glocksee, Hannover (GER)
11/02 - Jaz, Rostock (GER)
11/03 - Groovestation, Dresden (GER)
11/04 - Clubkeller, Frankfurt (GER)
11/06 - Cul de Sac, Tilburg (NL)
11/07 - Stereo Wonderland, Cologne (GER)
11/09 - tba, Paris (FRA)
11/10 - tba, Strassbourg (FRA)
11/12 - Magnet, Berlin (GER)
11/13 - Panam, Leipzig (GER)

Robert Svensson Young punks are on the never-never Nomethod

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

There is something endearingly vulnerable and honest about Robert Svensson's music, a quality that carries through in waves on even the thinnest guitar sound or simplest of keyboard arrangements. This sincerity attracted me to Svensson's other project Mixtapes & Cellmates and, while elements of that band bleed over into his solo project, "Young punks are on the never-never" is a far more personal collection of songs, thus amplifying the very attribute that attracted me in the first place. Pair that with a stellar lineup of musical guests -- Markus Krunegård of Laakso, Adam Olenius of Shout Out Louds, Jejo Perkovic of The Bear Quartet, and Japan's Cokiyu -- and you have one of the very best albums of the year. Robert Svensson crafts some of the most original music coming out of Sweden, positioning himself as an equal alongside most of the bands one could claim influence him -- a point strongly evidenced by those who appear alongside the young songsmith on his debut solo album. Whether he croons along with Markus Krunegård on "Young enough", a track that opens like a Tom Petty creation before being assaulted with rather Scandinavian assemblage of instrumentation; raises his fantastic voice over the dance floor-ready heights of the appropriately titled "1991"; or whirls about on the choppy, far too short "Young punks", it's as though Robert Svensson can do no wrong. Since I didn't give 10s to either Aerial or Shout Out Louds, the acts who produced my two favorite albums of 2007, I can't very well give Robert Svensson a 10 here... but I am damn tempted to.

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 17:10:45 -0700

Swedish postrockers Aerial will enter the studio on September 15 to begin recording their third full-length album.

September Malevolence After this darkness, there's a next A Tenderversion Recording

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Listening to "...accidents happen so fast", I can't help but wonder at how brilliant an Aerial and September Malevolence show would be. The two acts share a lot in common, but as both bands are within the post-rock genre, there's plenty of terrain to be explored without encroaching too terribly into another's territory. September Malevolence lean more towards an organic examination -- "A notion, I can't shake...", which sets the scene for "...accidents happen so fast", is almost entirely an acoustic number, lacking any of the post-rock beauty that explodes into being with "...accidents"; and "Brandskär" is a gorgeous piano interlude. The group also maintains a beautiful optimism throughout their work, much like Explosions in the Sky, not stumbling down darker, more melancholy avenues such as contemporaries Aerial and Mogwai. Even "I shut doors and windows", which feels like it might succumb to the shadows never quite allows itself to drown, teetering precariously on the edge at times, but never falling. "After this darkness, there's a next" is a gorgeous album, definitely already a contender for high placement in my Best of 2008 list.

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 19:47:15 -0700

Check out a brand new video from Aerial for the seasonably appropriate track "Echoes in June": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKAgd4rTkII

Mon, 12 May 2008 11:05:59 -0700

Here's the playlist for this past weekend's radio show:

01. Pluxus - Bootstrap
02. TALK 1
03. Marit Bergman - Straight into my lovers arms
04. Grande Roses - Dead town
05. Mikko Singh - Rauha
06. TALK 2
07. Namur - Draw us near
08. Lapko - Sawyer the brother
09. Paper - To her
10. TALK 3
11. Johnossi - Train song
12. Markus Krunegård - Rocken spelar ingen roll längre
13. Printer - You need to
14. TALK 4
15. Firefox AK - Once I was like you (Boeoes Kaelstigen remix)
16. Aerial - Time is on fire
17. Sahara Hotnights - Visit to Vienna
18. TALK 5
19. Siena Root - Time will tell
20. Kristofer Åström - I collect knives
21. Anna Ternheim - Better be
22. TALK 6
23. Anna Leong - Guollotine
24. Folie - Krogg
25. Hearts of Black Science - Empty city lights
26. TALK 7
27. Inuit - En förlorad generation
28. The Psyke Project - Dark halls red floors
29. Memento Mori - Epilog
30. TALK 8
31. The Bear Quartet - Lights out, sound off
32. Fun - I know Ted Kennedy
33. Johan Heltne - Hjärta. Instinkt. Principer.
34. TALK 9
35. Lama - Bussi
36. Niccokick - Love & neon lights
37. Little Jimmy Reeves - Drowsy dogs
38. C.Aarmé - Visions
39. TALK 10
40. No Privacy - Blood over Denmark

Reminder: my show on Sirius Blog Radio runs Saturdays at 12 noon and midnight ET on channel 26 (Left of Center).

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 18:07:39 -0700

The Silent Ballet reviews the new Aerial EP "The legion of dynamic dischord": http://thesilentballet.com/dnn/Home/tabid/36/ctl/Details/mid/384/ItemID/1237/Default.aspx

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 15:18:42 -0800

The video for the new Robert Svensson (Mixtapes & Cellmates) solo single "1987" (ft. guest vocals from Shout Out Louds frontman Adam Olenius) is now online: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v12g3qBTuTQ
The clip was directed by Victor Claesson of the band Aerial.

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 17:51:52 -0800

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

01. Niccokick - The poet
02. TALK 1
03. Montys Loco - Farewell Mr Happy
04. David Sandström - Apropå det här med att finnas till
05. Mew - Why are you looking grave?
06. TALK 2
07. C.Aarmé - Rhythm
08. Dieter Schöön - Lot's of free Shoes but nowhere to run
09. Meshuggah - Pravus
10. TALK 3
11. Elin Ruth Sigvardsson - Antidote
12. The Bear Quartet - Volksblues
13. Ljudbilden & Piloten - Wedding
14. Lack - Naked girls
15. TALK 4
16. Don't Be A Stranger - Lonely together
17. Namur - Marching
18. NEI - Trip to Luleå
19. TALK 5
20. Printer - All right
21. Moto Boy - Beat heart
22. Christel Alsos - Come back to me
23. TALK 6
24. Promoe - Headache
25. Mustasch - Dogwash
26. Montt Mardié - Too many songs unwritten
27. Pascal - Smärtstillande
28. TALK 7
29. Pan Sonic - Virta 1
30. Pekker - Ass electro
31. Regulations - Police siren
32. TALK 8
33. Deud - Lördag
34. Linus Larsson & John Roger Olsson - Beyond the south tunnel
35. Barra Head - Undermine
36. TALK 9
37. Aerial - Kallisti
38. Paris - Office killer
39. Lukestar - The shade you hide
40. TALK 10
41. Jazkamer - Metal music machine

Sun, 27 Jan 2008 12:20:55 -0800

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

01. Elias and the Wizzkids - Young and hairy
02. TALK 1
03. Barra Head - Common ground
04. Familjen - Kom säger dom
05. José González - Killing for love
06. TALK 2
07. Marybell Katastrophy - Red red lips
08. Trentemøller - Moan (Trentemøller remix ft. Ane Trolle)
09. Lykke Li - I'm good, I'm gone
10. TALK 3
11. Dreamboy - Stars
12. Laakso - Worst case scenario
13. Marit Bergman - This is the year
14. TALK 4
15. Abhinanda - Rumble
16. Docenterna - Bensin i blodet
17. The Bombhappies - And at Belle Bed Inn, I found you
18. TALK 5
19. Firefox AK - Winter rose (ft. Tiger Lou)
20. Peloton - Nozal
21. The Bell - Target group
22. TALK 6
23. Moto Boy - Young love
24. Aerial - Kallisti
25. Truckfighters - Atomic
26. TALK 7
27. I'm From Barcelona - Treehouse
28. Pascal - Smärtsillande
29. Hero Dishonest - Fist song
30. Vijaya - Your gun will never set you free
31. TALK 8
32. Matts Katt - About the French
33. C.Aarmé - Dustin
34. Leütenhaven - Abbatoir the ghost
35. TALK 9
36. Lukestar - Shade you hide
37. Christian Kjellvander - Two souls
38. Royal Downfall - A life of constant failure
39. TALK 10
40. Entombed - Lights out

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 18:16:26 -0800

Just posted online: a brand new Aerial video for the track "Kallisti": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2nG4enFiM4
Copies of the new EP "The legion of dynamic dischord" are on the way and will be here soon!

Mon, 07 Jan 2008 11:54:16 -0800

Aerial's brand new video for "You will all die, all things will" is now online: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gK01UjPbdQI
The track comes from "The sentinel", one of my favorite albums of 2007.

Top 10s for 2007: Niklas Åström (Ef, And the Sound)

Wed, 26 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0800

These albums have made the biggest impact on me during 2007.

Logh – North
After the disappointment that "A sunset panorama" left me with, I met this album with quite lot pessimism. Downloaded it during Music in Mind festival in Brugge, Belgium in February and it really blew me away, and saved me from dying of boredom during the long drives the rest of the ef tour.

Digitalism – Digitalism
2007 was the year I discovered how fun it was to dance the nights away with this kind of techno/electroklash/trash/whatever. "Pogo" might be the song of the summer 2007.

Radiohead – In rainbows
No need for comments.

Aerial – The sentinel
The best indie/post rock album of 2007, and it's Swedish! I love those lyrical parts.

Sdnmt – The goal is to make the animals happy
The second best indie/post rock albums of 2007, and it's German! And yeah, the lyrical parts are lovely here as well ;)

Polarkreis 18 – s/t
Mix Sigur Rós, Radiohead and Coldplay and you kind of get it. Great songwriting, nice ideas, well produced, superb sound. And it's German! Who could believe that?

Siva. - The story is complete, but I think we've lost the book
What the... another German indie band that gets on my list?! Great alternative indie rock, heavily influed by Radiohead, but is still able to make something of their own.

Staffraen Hákon – Gummi
I rediscovered this Icelandic artist. Last time I listened to him was in 2004, and was more minimalistic and ambient electronica. Now its pure Icelandic beauty in the veins of Sigur Rós, all topped with vocals signed Efterklang.

Amiina – Kurr
More Icelandic beauty! Strings, toy instruments and electronics topped with tender vocals. Lovely piece of music that makes me relax.

Olafur Arnalds - Eulogy for Evolution
And the 3^rd Icelandic artist! I never thought strings and piano would attract me so much it did during 2007. Together with the soundtrack of The Fountain (signed Clint Mansell), Johann Johansson and Max Ricther – Olafur Arnalds really get me nailed to modern alternative classical music.

---------------------------
Niklas Åström plays drums for the band Ef and also runs the label And the Sound. Ef's new album "I am responsible" will be released on January 19 via ATS.
www.andthesound.se
www.efmusic.nu
www.myspace.com/ef

Mon, 24 Dec 2007 14:28:05 -0800

Scandinavian artists on postrock webzine The Silent Ballet's top 50 albums of 2007 list include Aerial (#50), Hannu (#38), Tuna Laguna (#33), Scraps of Tape (#28), Efterklang (#22), Olafur Arnalds (#12) and Vladislav Delay (#4): http://www.thesilentballet.com/tsbt/2007/50_41.html

Sun, 23 Dec 2007 11:11:09 -0800

The playlist for my radio show this week featured all of my favorite songs from 2007:

01. Susanne Sundfør - I resign
02. TALK 1
03. Familjen - Det snurrar i min skalle
04. The Skull Defekts - The secret
05. Ted Gärdestad - Räcker jag till
06. TALK 2
07. CS Nielsen - Black spots
08. Kornstad - Turkey, Texas
09. Moonbabies - Take me to the ballroom
10. The Bombettes - I wanna
11. TALK 3
12. Promise and the Monster - Sheets
13. Repoman - Chemically obsessed
14. The Bell - I am history
15. Säkert! - Allt som är ditt
16. TALK 4
17. Mainliners - Olivia
18. Superfamily - The radio has expressed concerns about what you did last night
19. Karin Ström - Ordlös
20. TALK 5
21. Fun - I've got a truck
22. Tobias Hellkvist - Moment at ven
23. Juvelen - Hanna
24. TALK 6
25. Laakso - Worst case scenario
26. Closer - Sensing the wake
27. Asha Ali - A promise broken
28. TALK 7
29. Paper - My life is going under
30. Boeoes Kaelstigen - Flir
31. Lukestar - White shade
32. TALK 8
33. Maia Hirasawa - Gothenburg
34. Aerial - You will all die, all things will
35. Sambassadeur - Subtle changes
36. TALK 9

Next week (12/29) I'm doing another special theme show on Swedish postpunk.

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 16:25:07 -0800

The new Aerial EP "The legion of dynamic dischord" is now streaming at Nomethod's website: http://www.nomethod.se/

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 11:40:03 -0800

Keeping up with our daily top 10s? New lists from Aerial, Max J Hansson (Cut City) and Henric Claesson (Housewife Lovers) are up now and ready for your perusal.

Top 10s for 2007: Aerial

Sat, 15 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0800

Top ten Christian commandments for the holidays;

01. Thou shalt have no other gods before me

02. Thou shalt not make for thyself an idol

03. Thou shalt not make wrongful use of the name of thy God

04. Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy

05. Honor thy Father and Mother

06. Thou shalt not murder

07. Thou shalt not commit adultery

08. Thou shalt not steal

09. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor

10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house

---------------------------
Aerial's new EP The legion of dynamic dischord" will be out on January 31 via Nomethod.
www.aerial.se
www.myspace.com/aerialmusic

Top 10s for 2007: It's a Trap!

Fri, 14 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0800

Another year down, another batch of top 10 lists to add to the already overwhelming commotion. I probably listened to more music than ever in 2007, yet putting together this year's list was painless compared to year's past. The simple reason why: all the best releases were obvious. Yes, there were notable also-rans, but let's leave that to the comments section. For now, let's just stick to top tens.
-Avi Roig, Editor-in-Chief

10. Various Artists - Ny musik för landssorg (Container Recordings)
Exceptionally moving. A high-concept work of art.

09. Repoman - s/t (Monument)
Fierce, unrepentent hardcore. I can only imagine how good this must sound live.

08. Tobias Hellkvist - Transports (self-released)
Beautiful, blissed-out drone. Pure aural sunshine.

07. Familjen - Det snurrar i min skalle (Adrian Recordings/Hybris)
The perfect response for anyone put off by the coldness of The Knife. Familjen is destined for greatness.

06. Maia Hirasawa - Though, I'm just me (Razzia)
Cute without being too cloying, sweet without being too twee. The best indiepop album of the year.

05. Susanne Sundfør - s/t (MBN)
A tremendously talented young lady from Norway who's probably only just getting started.

04. Aerial - The sentinel (Nomethod/Tangled Up!)
I knew this was top 10 material the first time I heard it. Nobody does epic noiserock better.

03. Laakso - Mother, am I good looking? (V2)
The easy consensus pick. Uneven overall, but forgivable when you consider that this record contains more than a handful of the year's best songs.

02. Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words - Fall, fall, falling (Kalligrammofon)
The yin to Tobias Hellkvist's yang. Where Hellkvist's music makes me want to stand with arms outstretched, ready to embrace the world, Dead Letters makes me want to curl up in a fetal position in a dark corner. I never realized how profoundly moving drone could be until I heard this.

01. Kristofer Åström - RainawayTown (Startracks)
Far and away the album I listened to the most this year and the one I know I'll hold dear for years to come. From tender ballads ("Fallen") to raucous rock'n'roll ("A little out of tune"), this record covers the full spectrum of human experience and puts it into song.

Jonas Appelqvist

10. The Fine Arts Showcase - Sings Rough Bunnies (Adrian Recordings)
A cover album strictly consisting of songs from obscure indie duo Rough Bunnies is commercial suicide. But Gustaf Kjellvander's craftsmanship is so honest and true, it's impossible not to capitulate.

09. Knugen Faller – Lugna favoriter (Cage Match Federation/Ny Våg)
Fans of Buzzcocks, Gorilla Angreb and X should immediately go get a copy of this one!

08. The Lionheart Brothers – Dizzy kiss (Racing Junior/NONS)
Psychedelic rock in the vein of fellow countrymen Euroboys.

07. Moonbabies – At the ballroom (Startracks)
The duo of Ola Frick and Carina Johansson left their more experimental side at home, recorded and released a wonderful pop oriented full-length album and it is infectious.

06. Repoman – s/t (Monument)
The ferocity in Repoman's music is breathtaking. Hardcore resembling Converge is always welcome in my book.

05. My Midnight Creeps – Histamin (Dead Moose/EMI)
In the absence of new material from The Soundtrack of Our Lives, this is where to go. Primal rock at its best suffered a huge loss with the death of guitarist Robert Burås. He will be missed. RIP.

04. Aerial – The sentinel (Nomethod/Tangled Up!)
These guys go from strength to strength. "Black rain from the bombing" gave us a hint on what was coming. This is headstrong indierock that has no intention to rub the right way. Kudos to that!

03. MABD – Ditt hjärta är en stjärna (A West Side Fabrication)
I adored "Tunaskolan" when it came out. This is an even better record. Cynical lyrics, Springsteen-ish vibes and punk rock mixed with Matti Alkberg's unmistakable voice. Magic!

02. Laakso – Mother, am I good looking? (V2)
There's not a chance to defend you from the attack that is this record. And really, why should you? Surrender to Sweden's finest pop combo!

01. Logh – North (Bad Taste Records)
Having released several wonderful records, this is the culmination of their career thus far. Indierock has never sounded this beautiful.

Nancy Baym

10. Pelle Carlberg - In a nutshell (Labrador/Twentyseven Records)
I still feel like he's falling short of his potential, but even a so-so Pelle Carlberg record has enough outstanding moments to carry the day.

09. Vapnet - Något dålight nytt har hänt (Hybris)
Who was it that said they like this band more than ice-cream? Tasty bouncy sweets.

08. Thirdimension - Before the end begins (Hidden Agenda)
A quiet acoustic live performance lets the strength of the songs shine through.

07. Familjen - Det snurrar i min skalle (Adrian Recordings/Hybris)
I am no fan of electronica, but this record's got too much pop sensibility to ignore.

06. Les Issambres - Late fairytales (Fifth Week Records)
This surprise little record out of nowhere enchanted me with its sister/brother vocal arrangements, simple but compelling songs, and non-pretentious flute.

05. Isolation Years - Sign, sign (NONS)
Their most consistent record to date has some great songs, and no duds, but doesn't have the outstanding highlights of some of their previous efforts.

04. Sambassadeur - Migration (Labrador)
The word "lush" is getting tossed about a lot in reference to this record, and indeed, it shimmers and shines. Very nice second record sees them grow in new directions.

03. Club 8 - The boy who couldn't stop dreaming (Labrador)
Soft, seductive, and beautifully performed, the sixth record from Club 8 is easily their best, despite a couple of dull moments.

02. My Midnight Creeps - Histamin (Dead Moose/EMI)
Robert Burås' far-too-early death this year was a heartbreaking loss, but this last offering wonderfully showcases the magnitude of his epic guitar playing genius.

01. The Fine Arts Showcase - Sings Rough Bunnies (Adrian Recordings)
Gustaf Kjellvander transforms lofi seeds of great ideas into ultracatchy pop brilliance. Easily got more playtime out of me than anything else this year.

Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson

10. The Mary Onettes – s/t (Labrador)
80s throwback bands may have finally been forced to take a backseat this year, but The Mary Onettes celebrate that strange and influential era of music in a way that few bands could ever claim to.

09. Seabear – The ghost that carried us away (Morr Music)
Seabear exude a delightful warmth into their compositions: something lost, almost nostalgia inducing, foreign without being unfamiliar, and altogether wonderful.

08. Jens Lekman – Night falls over Kortedala (Service/Secretly Canadian)
Darling of every blogger and hype-generating music website the world over, Jens Lekman did indeed make his mark upon 2007.

07. CS Nielsen – Against the dying of the light (Songcrafter Music)
In September, I wrote that CS Nielsen had crafted one of the greatest albums of the year. I stand by that statement.

06. Anna Järvinen – Jag fick feeling (Häpna)
"Jag fick feeling" will, for the foreseeable future, be one of the first albums I run to as the leaves sicken, bleed out their autumn hues, and gracefully descend to the ground below.

05. Immanu El – They'll come, they come (And the Sound)
As I wrote in my review of this album, Immanu El's "They'll come, they come" is unquestionably a forceful and substantial album; an effort that probes sections of our musical consciousness that have fallen into shadow and been ignored too long.

04. The Chrysler – The Benelux years (Flora & Fauna)
Dropping one spot since the June round up, "The Benelux years" still surprises me with new layers every time I listen to it. The Chrysler are one of the most underrated bands of all time.

03. Kent – Tillbaka till samtiden (SME)
Kent have absolutely nothing to prove anymore - they are arguably one of the best Swedish bands of all time - and yet they continue to prove themselves, over and over and over again. It's frightening.

02. Shout Out Louds – Our ill wills (Bud Fox/Merge)
Another album whose position was solidified earlier in the year, "Our ill wills" is still one of the best sophomore albums I have ever heard.

01. Aerial – The sentinel (Nomethod/Tangled Up!)
I fell in love with this album in January, continued to proclaim its brilliance in June, and, a few hours from December, crown "The sentinel" the best album of 2007. Absolutely brilliant.

Matt Giordano

10. Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words - Fall, fall, falling (Kalligrammofon)
Beautifully subtle and understated noise.

09. The Chrysler - The Benelux years (Flora & Fauna)
The Chrysler upped the tempo on their third album, and it's easily their best.

08. Christian Kjellvander - I saw her from here/I saw here from her (Startracks)
On his third, and best album, the arrangements have finally acted on the ideas.

07. Boeoes Kaelstigen - Pan European (Adrian Recordings)
Brilliant electronica from this Swedish duo.

06. Montt Mardié - Clocks/Pretender (Hybris)
This second album sees big band and swing return to the musical landscape.

05. The Fine Arts Showcase - Sings Rough Bunnies (Adrian Recordings)
Gustaf reinterprets the Rough Bunnies to gorgeous results.

04. Juvelen - s/t (Hybris)
Hot and sweaty pop music has returned!

03. The Tough Alliance - A new chance (Sincerely Yours)
Göteborg's best have honed their sound into hedonistic pop bliss.

02. Laakso - Mother, am I good looking? (V2)
Sweden's best band delivered its third album in such a fashion only they could - with "Italy vs. Helsinki".

01. Familjen - Det snurrar i min skalle (Adrian Recordings/Hybris)
Familjen's debut album is the best pure pop full-length I have heard all year.

Nick Levine

10. Ninja – I don't play guitar (Popyhtiö)
Finland's answer to Robyn. At the forefront of Finnish pop music. This record has some serious crossover potential.

09. Billie the Vision & The Dancers – Where the ocean meets my hand (Love Will Pay the Bills)
Not a radical departure from previous releases. But hey, if it ain't broke don't fix it.

08. Familjen - Det snurrar i min skalle (Adrian/Hybris)
Zeitgeist-defining record. Sweden's answer to new rave?

07. Jens Lekman - Night falls over Kortedala (Service/Secretly Canadian)
More upbeat than Jen's previous efforts. Is this mellowing due to his recent engagement?

06. Boat Club – Caught the breeze (Luxury)
Atmospheric shoegaze and Balearic-lite prog pop.

05. Laakso – Mother, am I good looking? (V2)
The most commercially successful release from Laakso thus far.

04. Studio – West Coast (Information)
I'm counting this as it only got a UK release this year. Credit must also be given for some of Studio's superb remixes for the likes of Shout Out Louds and Rubies.

03. Those Dancing Days - s/t (V2)
Undoubtedly the biggest Swedish buzz band of the year. Helped in no small part by It's a Trap.

02. The Tough Alliance – A new chance (Sincerely Yours)
Stunning comeback record, after the experimentation of 2006's "Escaping your ambitions".

01. Shout Out Louds – Our ill wills (Bud Fox/Merge)
This records features the best use of cowbell in 2007.

Christian Stenbacke

10. Kent – Tillbaka till samtiden (SME)
The journey back into the dark electronical realms of the 80's might not have been the perfect career move, but on the other hand, since when has Kent ever cared about such a petty thing?

09. Sällskapet – s/t (Universal)
Cold and dark and damp - Pelle Ossler vs. Joakim Thåström - Life drained from the body, machines in control, the last thing leaving mankind is hope. Are you ready to enter room 212?

08. Kristofer Åström – RainawayTown (Startracks)
There is something special about Kristofer Åström. He has the ability to get to the things that really matter with small words and measures.

07. Bloodlights – s/t (Playground Music)
All things have to come to and end, Glucifer is no more, but the Captain lives on. Bloodlights is cock rock at its best.

06. The Mary Onettes – s/t (Labrador)
It's so obvious and it's so perfect. The Mary Onettes hardly try to hide their Anglophile influences and why should they?

05. Christian Kjellvander – I saw her from her/I saw here from her (Startracks)
Christian Kjellvander is a man of quality; every song sung from his lips is of highest standard.

04. José González – In our nature (Imperial/Mute)
The man is just marvelous; catching every single raw emotion there is with his incredible guitar work and simple, yet direct, voice.

03. The Raveonettes – Lust lust lust (Border Music/Vice)
Finally back to basics; the magic of Sune Wagner and Sharin Foo's voices bound together and the bleak Jesus & Mary Chain meets 50s surf music is a fascinating combination.

02. Logh – North (Bad Taste Records)
Instead of calling it quits, Logh decided to pull it together and release a new album, the best decision ever made.

01. Sound Like Violence – With blood on my hands (Burning Heart)
What is Niccokick compared to this? This is the best album this year by far; the impact of every song is overwhelming.

Simon Tagestam

10. The Hives – The black and white album (Interscope)
Not as good as I wanted it to be, but The Hives manage to deliver a bunch of great songs.

09. Shout Out Louds – Our ill wills (Bud Fox/Merge)
A strong and solid second album from Shout Out Louds.

08. Frida Hyvönen – Pudel (Licking Fingers)
A mini album that has given me very high hopes for Hyvönen's second proper full-length.

07. Anna Järvinen – Jag fick feeling (Häpna)
It took me some time to warm to this Järvinen's solo debut, but now I find it really cosy and pleasant, it's a great album for cold winter nights.

06. Jonas Game – ADHD (Sincerely Yours)
Bad Cash Quartet's drummer managed to make a very personal and intriguing album full of hits.

05. The Tough Alliance – A new chance (Sincerely Yours)
Nice to see TTA back on track after last year's weird ambient album.

04. The Lovekevins – Vs the snow (Songs I Wish I Had Written)
I knew that The LKs were good, but I didn't think they could be this good!

03. Alexis Weak – Välkommen till Gullmarsplan (La Vida Locash)
Ok, it's only a half an hour (free!) mixtape, but I got really addicted to Alexis Weak's personal rapping style in 2007.

02. Säkert! – s/t (Razzia)
It was nice to see the Swedish public embracing Annika Norlin's side project and making her the star she deserves to be.

01. Jens Lekman – Nights falls over Kortedala (Service/Secretly Canadian)
Ah, the King of Sweden! Or, at least he should be. Lekman is the greatest.

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 15:30:32 -0800

Nomethod has confirmed that Aerial's new EP "The legion of dynamic dischord" for release on January 31. Go here for cover art and tracklist: http://www.nomethod.se/

Nomethod also reports that Mixtapes & Cellmates frontman Robert Svensson will re-enter the studio on December 19 to record a duet with Adam Olenius (Shout Out Louds) for his upcoming solo album. Said track is called "1987" and it will be the first single. Also featured on the track is drummer Jejo Perkovic (Bear Quartet, Brick, Infinite Mass, etc.). No release date yet, but expect the single around February.

Top 10s for 2007: Magnus Öberg (Nomethod)

Sun, 09 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0800

Top 10 things for 2007, in no particular order.

Ossian was born
My first son was born on July 14. He is the coolest guy I have ever met.

Mixtapes & Cellmates trip to NYC & CMJ
Roaming the streets of NYC with Mixtapes was a lot of fun, met some really nice people and the Thurston Moore show at Soho's Apple Store was amazing. The Mixtapes show at CMJ was also really good.

Shape Up!
Our club (Nina's and mine) had a great year with guests like The Tough Alliance, Kocky, Matts Katt and many more. DJ:ing has never been so much fun.

Breach reunion
Enough said.

My Bloody Valentine reunion
Got tickets for the Glasgow show. Enough said.

Rediscovering Bob Mould and Hüsker Dü
Happens approximately every 3rd year.

New Order - Bizarre love triangle
Easily the song I listened to the most times this year

Thrash metal
Rediscovering great acts like Xentrix, Nuclear Assault and Death Angel

Chavez Reunion
Missed it but it is still extremely exciting to just watch YouTube liveclips

Jason Anderson - July 4th, 2004
Easily the song i listened to almost as much as "Bizarre love triangle" this year

---------------------------
Nomethod Records is home to Aerial, Mixtapes & Cellmates, Matts Katt and Robert Svensson. Look for new releases from most of them in 2008.
www.nomethod.se
www.myspace.com/nomethodrecords

Fri, 07 Dec 2007 13:14:36 -0800

PopMatters reviews the international release of Aerial's "The sentinel": http://www.popmatters.com/pm/music/reviews/51618/aerial-the-sentinel/
Also reviewed. The State of Samuel's "Here come the floods": http://www.popmatters.com/pm/music/reviews/51489/the-state-of-samuel-here-come-the-floods/

Sun, 11 Nov 2007 23:03:17 -0800

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

01. The Bombettes - Dating scene
02. TALK 1
03. Leütenhaven - Still life (trompe l'oeil)
04. Dieter Schöön - Warm hearts
05. Kasper Bjørke - Back & spine (Fidel Astro remix)
06. TALK 2
07. Come Sleep - Be the end
08. Promise and the Monster - Trials
09. Immanu El - Home
10. TALK 3
11. Lukestar - Lake Toba
12. Marit Bergman - No party
13. Mando Diao - Never seen the light of day
14. TALK 4
15. Jonas Game - ADHD
16. Kornstad - Turkey, Texas
17. Josse - You had a plan
18. The Hives - You dress up for Armageddon
19. TALK 5
20. Randy - Freedom song
21. Ted Gärdestad - Så mycket bättre
22. Motorhomes - Into the night
23. TALK 6
24. Laakso - Västerbron
25. The Bear Quartet - Hunchback
26. Susanne Sundfør - The dance
27. TALK 7
28. New Moscow - Turbonegro must be destroyed
29. The Bell - Target group
30. Vaiping - The great polar expedition
31. TALK 8
32. NEI - City of gold
33. Asha Ali - Fire, fire
34. My Enemy - My time coming (Johan Formeijer remix)
35. TALK 9
36. CS Nielsen - Black spots
37. David Sandström Overdrive - The Fatville Treaty
38. C.Aarmé - Golden retriever
39. TALK 10
40. Aerial - My god, it's full of stars!

Seabear The ghost that carried us away Morr Music

Wed, 07 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0800

I've begun to lose all faith in people who proclaim that there's nothing happening musically these days. So far this year, I've completely fallen in love with CS Nielsen, Aerial, Immanu El, the new Shout Out Louds, amongst numerous other releases - and this is limiting myself to Scandinavian bands. Seabear are now firmly in the running for the best effort of 2007 with their wonderful "The ghost that carried us away". Just as many were wondering if Sigur Rós would be the defining watermark of Icelandic music for the foreseeable future, especially given the lukewarm reception to Benni Hemm Hemm's most recent work, Seabear powerfully demonstrate that there is life outside of Sigur Rós and Björk, and that Icelanders have just as much control over warm, acoustic numbers just as powerfully as arctic, sweeping efforts. "I sing I swim" is by far the best number on the record, and amongst the best songs I've heard this year. "Lost watch" displays that Seabear's talents aren't merely limited to the warm and present, but also to detached and ambling explorations. Overall, "The ghost that carried us away" is more than ample evidence that the contemporary music scene is far from stagnant or inadequate, and that Icelanders don't need to play electric guitars with bows or have a voice as powerful as an avalanche to create exceptional pieces of music. It's an exceptional album, and worth parting yourself from a few dollars to own.

Immanu El They'll come, they come And the Sound

Fri, 02 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0700

Having dedicated a decent amount of the past five years of my life to the music scene (in various functions and positions, most ending in savage failure), I've developed a rather refined musical palate. I nod and smile and say things like, "Yeah, this band's not too bad" when a friend plays me a song or a group they've recently fallen in love with, but rarely do I find these sessions truly rewarding. My ears have been damaged too long and too often by music for me to continuously fall over myself for new bands like I used to (but I desperately search for that wide eyed, naïve boy in the landscapes painted in new records), not unless they're really bringing something to the table. And Immanu El's "They'll come, they come" is unquestionably a forceful and substantial album; an effort that probes sections of our musical consciousness that have fallen into shadow and been ignored too long.

Sweden has Aerial and Once We Were, both bands supporting a very high standard for the cinematic explorations of other Scandinavian groups, and Immanu El pass this rigorous assessment with flair and elegance. As is often the case with exceptional records, the closer is brilliant. "...in valleys" is a sweeping, graceful composition, and a fitting conclusion to an album that effortlessly traverses terrain we typically associate with bands like Explosions in the Sky, Mogwai, and Logh. It's difficult to truly do anything novel and unique in the genre of post-rock, but Immanu El come damned close, at the very least combining all the beauty that the aforementioned groups investigate in a subtle, distinctive manner. "Panda" demonstrates how essential Claes Nilsson Strängberg's voice is to the overall sound and achievement of Immanu El. Vocals are often absent from these types of explorations, and attempting to place a voice into the strata of other instrumentation is a complicated and precarious procedure. Immanu El excel in this respect, and in a myriad other respects throughout. Absolutely brilliant.

Sat, 06 Oct 2007 16:10:25 -0700

The playlist for my radio show this week:

01. Mattias Bärjed - 99 pounds
02. TALK 1
03. Piroth - Waltz for prima ballerina
04. Hyacinth House - Swedish signs on Monkey Island
05. Aerial - Secret goddess
06. Icos - Fly away
07. TALK 2
08. Robyn - Konichiwa bitches (Trentemøller remix)
09. Folke Rabe - Argh!
10. Him Kerosene - Ladybugs
11. TALK 3
12. Audionom - In the streets
13. The Alpine - Trigger
14. Immanu El - Astral days
15. TALK 4
16. Nina Ramsby & Martin Hederos - Jag har en vän
17. Logh - Thieves in the palace
18. Galento - Gunnar Hardings paraply
19. TALK 5
20. Promise and the Monster - Antarkis
21. The Je Ne Sais Quoi - Heroica
22. Anchor - In the throes of passion
23. TALK 6
24. Repoman - Valley of snakes
25. Ulver - Shadows of the sun
26. Bobby Baby - Do not twist
27. TALK 7
28. Superfamily - Warszawa
29. The Fine Arts Showcase - Modern love
30. Sinikka Langeland - Sus i myrull
31. TALK 8
32. Graveyard - Thin line
33. Mai - Snowing downtown
34. KVLR - Abomination
35. TALK 9
36. Säkert! - Sanningsdan

Norma 1 Novoton

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0700

"Love no other" is one of the finest opening tracks an album has ever used as an inception point. An effortless blend of electronic, shoegaze, and post-rock influences - like a bastard child of some unholy union between Aerial, the Radio Dept., Ulrich Schnauss, and My Bloody Valentine - Norma's debut EP is astounding, a heralding cry of a band with the future wide open ahead of them. My only true complaint with this collection of songs is that fact that the ending of "The dark", before it is appreciated for what it is (which doesn't take long), feels like its building to an even heavier, thunderously devastating finale, and the abrupt close is a little abrasive at first - the drums come in for just that final bar... and then fade. In all seriousness, this grievance is extremely minor, and slips from your consciousness with repeated listening. "1" is the first collected recordings of an amazingly talented group of musicians, laden with youthful energy and confidence beyond their years, and, especially for an EP, worth investing in.

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 18:01:52 -0700

Check out a video of Aerial messing around in the studio during the sessions for their new EP: "Legion of dynamic dischord": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ljRWqOGbDc
I'm not sure when said EP will be released, but they're done with tracking and only need to mix and master it.

Fri, 07 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0700

Did you catch the new Aerial interview posted yesterday? Check it out!

Thu, 06 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0700

Hey, look! A brand new interview IAT faves Aerial! Check it out!

Interview: Aerial

Thu, 06 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0700

Desolate, isolated, mechanical, impersonal, or just Stanley Kubrik. There are many ways to describe Aerial, Sweden's own Sonic Youth meets Mogwai postrock act, and their latest record "The sentinel". What is postrock to start with? And what does Enrique Iglesias have to do with it all? I met with the guys backstage on this year's Arvikafestivalen and, even though we had competition from both funky disco music and brutal death metal, we managed to talk quite a bit. Read and enjoy.
- Christian Stenbacke

Sebastian - Vocals / Guitar
Viktor - Guitar / Vocals
Joakim - Bass / Casio / Guitar
Niklas - Bass / Korg
Markus - Drums / Guitar / Juno

1 am, the first day, a tiny stage; what can we expect from Aerial?

S: I have no idea, anything can happen. It's a great time and a cosy venue.

What would you call the music of Aerial?

V: Some would say post rock, but I'm not sure I have the same opinion. Not when it comes to the new material at least. Although much of the material from "The sentinel", our latest record, might be considered post rock, we're going in a slightly different direction with the stuff we've written recently.

It's always interesting when it comes to the release of the second record; comparisons to the first one are inevitable. What are the reactions so far?

V: Well, I don't know really... We've got some reactions from people we didn't expect to hear from.

S: Lots of metal kids seem to enjoy this one, "The sentinel".

V: Yeah, it's always a different thing with a new record, at least for us. This one is different from the first, and the next one will be different from this one and the first one as well.

Is this something you can tell when you're playing live, that you appeal to different kinds of people? How does a typical Aerial visitor look like?

S: We're still such a small band... We haven't really been in contact with the people we've been playing to. I don't even know if we have an audience or followers, I hope so! We'll see tonight I guess.

Tell me a little bit more about your label, No Method.

V: Magnus from No Method is our distributor as well as the head of our label, or his label rather. We're actually not quite sure about what he's up to, but at least we're making some progress!

J: He just scored a deal with One Little Indian, a label in the UK and the States, and that's a good thing.

V: Yeah, we're releasing "The sentinel" in the UK in a couple of months.

S: Which we hope might lead to a gig or two I might add.

I can imagine that people come to see Aerial, not so much for the visual experience or show, but to actually feel the complexity and beauty of the music alone. How does a typical concert with Aerial look like?

S: We basically grab our instruments and start to play. We've never really given the visual part of the performance much thought, except for one time when had neon lights on stage. That was cool!

V: But that's perhaps something we should be thinking about, how we look and act when on stage.

S: I don't know, we have way too much self respect to start acting out on stage, if we don't want to...

V: My point is that perhaps we should start doing just that, not because we want to, which we don't, but because it's what we're supposed to be doing?

S: Holy fuck, just listen to us talking... It's crazy.

Did you guys watch Live Earth?

N: I saw Enrique Iglesias...

...why?

N: Because I was at home, lying in bed, sick! I laughed at him!

Yeah, of course.... I had a hard time to tell if some of the artists played because of the environmental issue, or just to promote themselves. Like Madonna with her upcoming single for instance. Would you ever consider doing something you don't like, just to earn more attention to yourselves? Say, wear pink shirts to be "hip"?

S: I don't ever think I'll wear a pink shirt, no matter the circumstance...

V: If you want to wear a pink shirt, then wear a pink shirt. Didn't your father give you one Niklas?

N: It's nothing wrong about pink shirts! Yeah, he gave me one, but I haven't used it yet. Poor dad.

S: The thing is, we don't have a plan or marketing strategy. We don't have an image, and we don't really strive to create one either.

V: Our image is that we don't have an image.

S: To steal the credo from Pavement. Image is such a hard term to come to understand. What is an image? I can't really tell what makes up someone's image.

No conformity alá The Hives then?

S: It's possible we might want to do something like that in the future, but not at this point, no.

V: If we could get hold of a couple of astronaut suites to wear on stage... That would be awesome.

S: We really dig Sci-Fi. It was a great inspiration when we recorded "The sentinel". We get inspiration from Philip K. Dick...

V: I think "The sentinel" has a Stanley Kubrick vibe to it. You know, slim, simple. Impersonal, is that the right term?

S: Yeah, one could say that. Cold, almost mechanical.

Now, with a new record out, do you have any thoughts about what might come next? You mentioned that some new material had been written already.

S: Most of the work with the songs for the next album has been competed. All we have to do is to record them. Well, perhaps we have a couple of small things to finish first, a couple of noise songs to start with...

V: I think we have quite a bit more to do before recording?

S: I'm not sure I agree, we have written the songs, haven't we?

V: Yeah, sure, but we can always write more songs! But ok, we have lots of things ready to go, yeah.

S: It was the same when we released "Black rain from the bombing". By then we had already done most of the things on "The sentinel".

V: We played a couple of "Black rain from the bombing" songs live before we recorded the album. After we released the album, we stopped playing those songs live, by then we were all into the songs from "The sentinel".

J: Tonight we're going to play three songs from "The sentinel", nothing more, nothing less.

Tue, 04 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0700

Nomethod has new mp3 singles from Mixtapes & Cellmates and Aerial posted for free download: http://www.nomethod.se/

Tue, 28 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0700

Aerial's brand new video for "My god, it's full of stars" is now online: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slXQP1XeqQI

Tue, 14 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0700

IAT faves Aerial will tour Europe in mid-October and should hopefully have dates 100% confirmed soon. Look them also to record a new EP before the end of the year.

Tue, 14 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0700

Speaking of Aerial, head to the Nomethod website for more updates on their forthcoming US/UK release via One Little Indian plus other news from labelmates Mixtapes & Cellmates, Robert Svensson and more: http://www.nomethod.se/

MP3: Mob - Wait for me

Thu, 12 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0700

Mob frontman Morten Haaber strikes me as the kind of person that could do nothing except music or some other artistic endeavor. I can hear it in the anguish of his voice and the intensity of his performance. I've known plenty of people like that and they don't function well in an office environment. The rest of the band steps up as well, matching Morten all the way with equal fury. In a live setting, I bet they obliterate the stage. It reminds me of seeing emo bands back in the early/mid-90s (before emo became such a bad word) get completely unhinged, falling over themselves and losing themselves in their art. It takes something special to pull it off without seeming contrived and I think Mob manages to capture some of that in their recording. Please note that I use 'emo' only as a point of reference for the power of their performance, not as a musical analogy. This is epic noiserock, far more in line with the likes of Aerial, Sonic Youth or maybe Mono. There are echoes of Portraits of Past or Heroin, but it's more in feeling than in sound.

Sat, 07 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0700

The playlist for my radio show this week:

01. Death By Kite - Scared of heights
02. TALK 1
03. Kompjotr Eplektrika - Crakkin zombees...
04. Monomen - Asian spacestation
05. José González - Hints
06. TALK 2
07. I Am Bones - Backpackers
08. Ellen Beach - The widespread acclaim
09. Moder Jords Massiva - Ingenting
10. TALK 3
11. Iisole - The words
12. Kornstad - Sweden
13. Cortex - Mind of darkness
14. TALK 4
15. Silverbullit - Run
16. [ingenting] - Hollywood dreams
17. In Flames - The jester race
18. TALK 5
19. Nicolai Dunger - Soul rush
20. Existensminimum - Changing lines
21. Echo Is Your Love - Peace song
22. TALK 6
23. Laakso - The death of us
24. Christian Kjellvander - Words in the wires
25. Mustasch - Double nature
26. TALK 7
27. Tellevika + Firefox AK - Eric
28. Tape - A spire
29. C.Aarmé - Golden retriever
30. TALK 8
31. The Bear Quartet - Put me back together
32. Susanne Sundfør - Walls
33. The Hellacopters - Like no other man
34. TALK 9
35. Aerial - You will all die, all things will

Wed, 04 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0700

Luger has added Peter Bjorn and John to the lineup of Way Out West. Now if only they'll get Kristofer Åström, Laakso and/or Aerial and they'll have pretty much every decent-sized Swedish act I want to see in one event.

Wed, 20 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0700

Fall tourdates for IAT faves Aerial:

10/16 - Astrastube, Hamburg (GER)
10/18 - Schokoladen, Berlin (GER)
10/19 - AZ Conni, Dresden (GER)
10/20 - Fluc, Wien (AUS)
10/23 - Cafe Glocksee, Hannover (GER)
10/25 - Club Keller, Frankfurt (GER)
10/27 - Jaz, Rostock (GER)

More to come soon.

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0700

Nomethod has confirmed release dates from One Little Indian/Tangled Up! for both Mixtapes & Cellmates and Aerial:

US:
08/15 - Mixtapes & Cellmates - s/t (Digital street date)
UK:
10/15 - Mixtapes & Cellmates - Quiet (download single)
10/22 - Mixtapes & Cellmates - s/t CD
10/08 - Aerial - My god it's full of stars (download single)
10/15 - Aerial - The sentinel CD

Look for Aerial to tour Europe in October as well.

Listmania! 2007 so far

Mon, 04 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0700

An ever-increasing glut of new releases and an always-shrinking attention span means that it's harder than ever to keep track of all the music that is able to withstand the test of time. We can help! Yes, it's time once again for the feature that everyone loves to hate - the top 10 list. Okay, top 3s. We're only halfway through 2007, after all. So what has the collective contributing force of It's A Trap! been listening to the most these past six months? Read on!
- Avi Roig, Editor-in-Chief

Jonas Appelqvist:

Logh – North (Bad Taste Records)
An album that crawls under your skin to move you in every way imaginable. Atmospheric, dark and gloomy, yet filled with hope and warmth. Pure magic.
Säkert! - s/t (Razzia)
Annika Norlin together with peeps from Isolation Years. Immediate success of course. And in dialect, which is a huge plus!
Laakso – Mother, am I good looking? (V2)
Needless to say, everything Markus Krunegård touches turns to gold (remember Hets from last year's top ten-list?). Indiepop at its best.

Nancy Baym:

Isolation Years - Sign sign (NONS)
Lacks the high points of their previous records, but it's their most consistent and it spent most of January on repeat.
The Fine Arts Showcase - Sing Rough Bunnies (Adrian Recordings)
Just released and maybe I'll tire of it, but not yet. 30 minutes of delicious pop ditties sung by a man who really knows how to sing. Very tasty, but leaves me hungry for more.
My Midnight Creeps - Histamin (MMC Records/EMI)
Big loud swamp rock with massive guitars. Excellent music for falling on your knees and pumping fists in the air and some walls of sound that epitomize all that rock and roll should be.

Jason Christie:

Familjen - Det snurrar i min skalle (Adrian Recordings/Hybris)
It is zeitgeist. Everything about this is fresh. Not-a-jot of cynicism. Sweden's best act now.
Sahara Hotnights - What if leaving is a loving thing (Stand By Your Band)
Thankfully carving out a breezier side on the new disc. This year's surprise.
Laakso - Mämmilä rock (PEC FI)
Laakso are HUGE. Apparently took 45 years to make using a process more secretive than Iran's muclear program and as mental as the 'Sinner or a winner' bloke on Piccadilly Circus.

Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson:

Aerial – The sentinel (Nomethod)
Released on the last day of the first month of 2007, and still, four months later, amongst my favorite records of the year. Aerial's dark symphony of guitars, the waves of sound breaking over the guiding hands of the drums and bass, both maintaining some form of structural integrity in the midst of the beautiful chaos, and yet still prone to their own skillful flourishes, finds me just as wonderfully lost in the dense layers of their compositions today as I was in the early days of this year.
Shout Out Louds – Our ill wills (Bud Fox/Merge)
Instead of building on the playful, sometimes brash narratives of "Howl howl gaff gaff", the newest effort from Shout Out Louds displays a far more complicated, mature, and powerful sound. It is rare that musicians evolve so noticeably in a record's time, and arguably even more surprising that a group's sophomore album so excels their debut, but "Our ill wills" proves that while it may be a rare accomplishment, it is one that can be achieved.
The Chrysler – The Benelux years (Flora & Fauna)
While not everyone's cup of tea, The Chrysler are, at least in my humble opinion, one the greatest indie bands around. "The Benelux years" outshines their previous efforts, which is no easy feat, and has already cemented itself as a record that will continue to grow on me as the months and years slip by.

Matt Giordano:

Laakso - Mother, am I good looking? (V2)
This should be Laakso's international breakthrough. We'll just see if someone is brave enough to work with it.
Vapnet - Något dåligt nytt har hänt (Hybris)
This band just keeps delivering the goods, and it keeps getting better.
Montt Mardié - Clocks/Pretender (Hybris)
David Pagmar's second album is his vision finally coming into fruition.

Hanzan:

Säkert! - s/t (Razzia)
I never got Hello Saferide. Sure, it was charming, but never blew me away. Säkert! however has made me laugh, cry, blush. It's made me angry, happy, nostalgic, sometimes all this during the same listen. Brilliant.
Eldkvarn - Svart blogg (EMI)
The alcohol-drenched romantism of "Fulla för kärlekens skull" alone could almost have earned Eldkvarn a place on this list. Thankfully the rest of "Svart blogg" is amazing too. Cathartically personal, "Svart blogg" is one album I didn't think I'd love. But clearly do.
Familjen - Det snurrar i min skalle (Adrian Recordings/Hybris)
Shamelessly playful electropop that should be the soundtrack to everyones summer (and autumn and winter). Familjen holds the Scanian flag high, presenting some of the best Swedish electronic pop in a long time.

Nick Levine:

Robyn/Kleerup - With every hearteat (Meatboys mix)
Massive track added onto the UK release of Robyn's album. However, the Meatboys mix is far superior to the original.
Those Dancing Days - demo
The Swedish buzz band of the year so far. Definitely one to watch out for in 2008.
Kalle J - Vingslag 7" (Unga Hjärtan)
I don't know much about Kalle J, but this song incorporates oodles of feel good vibes and is shaping up to be one of my anthems of the summer.

Kevin Renick:

Kate Havnevik - Melankton (Continentica)
One hell of a swirling, self-assured, orchestrally dramatic singer/songwriter debut, this outing by Norway's latest female wunderkind is a gem, and "New day" is among the best songs of the year.
Rumskib - s/t (Darla)
As a fan of ethereal shoegaze when it's got real heart and style, I was mesmerized by the work of this Danish duo. Dreamy, melodic and beautifully produced songs featuring the voice of Tine Louise Kortermand.
Dungen - Tio bitar (Subliminal Sounds/Kemado Records)
Another dose of immacutely rendered, fuzzed-out prog from the dazzling mind and chops of Sweden's Gustav Ejstes. Remarkably free of fat and not cowering in the shadow of its highly acclaimed predecessor.

Avi Roig:

Aerial - The sentinel (Nomethod)
#1 with a bullet. An album I loved wholeheartedly from the very first moment I heard it.
Kristofer Åström - RainawayTown (Startracks)
Older, wiser and with a new backing band to match. This is a record that will sound just as good 10 years from now.
Maia Hirasawa - Though, I'm just me (Razzia)
A toss-up between this and Säkert!. Behind the indiepop hits (Maia's "And I found this boy" vs Annika's "Vi kommer att dö samtidigt") hides two deeply touching records, Maia edges out slightly ahead due to my sadly lacking Swedish skills.

Christian Stenbacke:

Sounds Like Violence – With blood on my hands (Burning Heart/Deep Elm)
Andreas Söderlund is nothing more than pure genious. No matter if he plays with his collegues in Niccokick, produces Hello Safreride or goes back to the basics with neo-hardcore band Sounds Like Violence, everyting reeks with his presence. "With blood on my hands" is the most definite angst-ridden, panic-strucken, anxiety-filled record you'll come a cross this year.
Shout Out Louds – Our ill wills (Bud Fox/Merge)
Shout Out Louds may have gone The Cure, but I don't really care. Great music is always great music, no matter what, right? Beacuse "Our Ill Wills" is certrainly great music. I doubt that you'll ever hear a more well-crafted popsong than "Impossible" for a long time to come.
Isolation Years – Sign sign (NONS)
It was a very close call between Isolation Years and Kristofer Åström, both artists have put out two insanely good records this first half of 2007. The choice finally fell upon "Sign sign", a record filled with the sweet and emotional, almost charitable, popmusic that has become the distinguishing mark of the lads from Norrland, Sweden.

Simon Tagestam:

Säkert! - s/t (Razzia)
Ace melodies and lyrics make this the best album of 2007, yet.
The Tough Alliance - New chance (Sincerely Yours)
What a comeback!
Lovekevins - Vs the snow (Songs I Wish I Had Written)
Clever indie pop with a lot of warmth and humour. A personal favourite.

MP3: Closer - Sensing the wake

Mon, 04 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0700

We're six months into 2007 and our halftime reports are now posted. There's been a good number of strong releases so far this year, Säkert! being a collective favorite and others such as Laakso, Shout Out Louds, Isolation Years, Aerial and Familjen making multiple lists. Whittling our individual picks to three each can be difficult, but I think it forces us to be more decisive and discerning.
One act that didn't make by list, but surely deserves a place is Closer. Problem is, their new EP "The 39" isn't officially released yet and I didn't want to be all, "this is the year's best record and no, you can't hear it." Actually, I did play the track "Sensing the wake" on my radio show a couple times, but I really have no idea how many people heard it. Well, those problems are now a thing of the past as the kind dudes of Closer have decided to let me offer up "Sensing the wake" as a free download. Still no word on an official release, but it'll come - just wait.
For those that have missed my description of the band in the past, Closer plays what I can only describe as intelligent rock music. It's heavy and dark, but not exactl metal and it has the intensity of hardcore without being, y'know, hardcore. The musicianship is stellar as well, but never too showy. Fellow musicians will pick up on it, but there's no conspicuous solos or anything else to draw attention to it. Thematically, the EP is a concept piece along the same lines of "Tokpela", their debut. This time, it's based on a linear story centered around a single person and a series of events. Various similar motifs are repeated throughout the record, tying it together as a whole. Vocalist Joachim Dahlberg describes "Sensing the wake" as part one, "where the sensing part is actually just the saxophone intro, the calm before the storm." Beyond that, you're on your own. Closer loves to be mysterious and is happy to let you draw your own conclusions.

MP3: Mixtapes & Cellmates - I left

Mon, 14 May 2007 00:00:00 -0700

I've gotten a few amazing new releases in the mailorder these last few days (with more on the way), so I wanted to spend a couple days highlighting them. First we have the self-titled debut full-length from Mixtapes & Cellmates, one of Sweden's most promising new indiepop acts. No listless twee, no pathetic nostalgia; none of the issues that plague the scene are apparent. Like fellow Nomethod act (and recent One Little Indian signees) Aerial, the guitars are brilliantly interwoven and engaging. The music is nowhere near as aggressive, but the feeling I get is the same. The production is adventurous too - many of the tracks are backed by glitchy techno beats and little clicks + cuts. The smeary glissandos of digital distortion on today's track "I left" go so far as to replace any natural guitar sounds, a tact that works far better than I would imagine. Though the timbre of the sounds is unnatural, it's done in a way that still allows the emotional content of the music to resonate. Extremely well done.

Fri, 11 May 2007 00:00:00 -0700

Nomethod has confirmed that One Little Indian has officially signed both Mixtapes & Cellmates and Aerial for UK/international release. Look for more details, release dates, etc. soon.

Sat, 28 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0700

Last night's Sirius Blog Radio playlist:

01. Superfamily - The radio has expressed concerns about what you did last night
02. TALK 1
03. Asha Ali - These months
04. Boys of Scandinavia - Why do you love me? (radio edit)
05. Promoe - Headache
06. TALK 2
07. Closer - Sensing the wake
08. The Bear Quartet - Mom and dad
09. TALK 3
10. Kristofer Åström - Just a little insane
11. Familjen - Kom säger dom
12. Pavan - The bird
13. TALK 4
14. Kazakstan - Song to the past
15. Universal Poplab - Vampire in you
16. TALK 5
17. Scraps of Tape - Death as it should be
18. ARM - Drving by accident
19. The Idealist - The knives are my eyes
20. TALK 6
21. Tsukimono - Gathering heavy breathing
22. Pimentola - Wish upon a fallen star
23. Plain Fade - Uliaan leski
24. TALK 7
25. The Skull Defekts - Six six for eyes
26. Logh - Into the night
27. TALK 8
28. Aerial - You will all die, all things will
29. Tobias Hellkvist - Moment at ven
30. Audrey - Views
31. TALK 9
32. Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words - Ashen like the sky

Sat, 21 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0700

Last night's playlist for my show on Sirius Blog Radio:

01. Isolation Years - Yellow cross on blue
02. TALK 1
03. Johndoe - Nattskift
04. Montys Loco - Wasteland
05. Once We Were - Cut corners
06. TALK 2
07. [ingenting] - Mycket vasen for ingenting
08. Margaret Berger - Robot song
09. Namur - Marching
10. Lampshade - New legs
11. TALK 3
12. Maia Hirasawa - Gothenburg
13. Mixtapes & Cellmates - Quiet
14. Fattaru - 100:-
15. Juvelen - Hanna
16. TALK 4
17. Säkert! - Allt som är ditt
18. Sonores - 16th of June
19. Detektivbyrån - E18
20. TALK 5
21. At the Gates - The swarm
22. Barra Head - Kill the lights
23. TALK 6
24. The Tough Alliance - Leg 7
25. Torpedo - My evil twin
26. Alog - Catch that totem!
27. TALK 7
28. Valley Days - 10k angels
29. A-ha - Celice
30. Victims - Who the fuck are we?
31. TALK 8
32. The Vicious - Alienated
33. Viola - Unreal life
34. Zweizz - Nowadays the only boring everything is so frustrating
35. Viktor Sjöberg - Winter guitars
36. TALK 9
37. Closer - The talker
38. Aerial - My god, it's full of stars!
39. The Kissaway Trail - La la song
40. Laakso - Italy vs Helsinki
41. The Psyke Project - Panic
42. TALK 10
43. C.Aarmé - We are the world

Next week: expect lots more killer jams including totally a brand new track from Closer and maybe even a spotlight set on post-rock/ambient music. Good times!

Mon, 05 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0800

The Silent Ballet reviews Aerial's "The sentinel", one of my favorite albums of the year thus far: http://thesilentballet.com/dnn/Home/tabid/36/ctl/Details/mid/384/ItemID/350/Default.aspx

Thu, 01 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0800

Aversionline reviews Aerial's "The sentinel", one of my favorite albums so far in 2007: http://www.aversionline.com/blahg/2007/03/01/aerial-the-sentinel-cd/

Wed, 31 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0800

Lots of new releases are officially released today and now available in the store:

Achordian - A product of the 80s (mp3)
Aerial - The sentinel (CD + mp3)
Anna Leong - After the forest fire (CD)
Sofia Talvik - Street of dreams (mp3)

Go shopping! Also be aware that the price of the It's A Trap! Record Club will go up tomorrow, so you best get in now unless you want to pay more.

Wed, 31 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0800

Check out a review of Aerial's new album "The sentinel" posted at the newly-launched Automaton Industries website: http://atmtn.com/2007/01/30/aerial-the-sentinel/

MP3: Aerial - You will all die, all things will

Tue, 30 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0800

Aerial's new album "The sentinel" is so good, it makes me want to cry. If I was in an aspiring post-rock band and I heard this record, I would sell my instruments and quit music. If there's any album that deserves the adjective "face-melting", it's this one. Right out of the gate, it roars like some unholy hybrid of Mono and Emperor crossed with Him Kerosene. Epic barely begins to describe it. Soaring dual guitars, a vast, dramatic vision and a recording that blends them together perfectly. When I first heard this, my brain barely recognized it as a band - it sounds more like a single entity than four separate people. I imagine Aerial as some inhuman living/breathing thing from which this amazing music emanates. Eventually the parts become more distinct, but the magic never dissipates. I was shocked that Aerial could top last year's "Black rain from the bombing" so easily, I will be even more shocked if anyone else releases something this year even approximately this good. Right now Aerial is untouchable.
Buy the album here.

Thu, 18 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0800

HUGE mailorder update today! Just got two big packages from Nomethod and Carcrash Records including restocks of Convoj (at last!), Svenson and Dialog Cet as well as new stuff from C.Aarmé, Aerial, Mixtapes & Cellmates, The Bear Quartet and more! Get shopping!

MP3: The Sound O.E - New bankruptcy

Mon, 15 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0800

One of the big things that got me deeper into Swedish/Scandinavian rock way back when was explosive, guitar-heavy indierock. Fireside, Starmarket, Him Kerosene, KVLR - these are the bands that caught my interest and had me pouring through liner notes looking for more names to track down. Sadly, that scene is nowhere near as strong these days though there are a few who keep the fire burning: The End Will Be Kicks, Seven Feet Four, Aerial Convoj plus young upstarts like Traktor and today's post subjects The Sound O.E. The band has been lurking in the shadows for a couple years now, but it wasn't until very recently that they seemed to rise above and the new three-song EP "Me and Laureline" proves it. The screechy sprechstimme delivery of the verses might be a bit much for some, but remember that what they're doing is essentially sloganeering - the words are meant to be heard loud and clear. It's call & response; a call to action. When the harmonies of the chorus come in, the intentions are indisputable. The Sound O.E know exactly what they're doing. I think the arrangement could still be tightened up a bit, but I like what they're doing and definitely look forward to hearing more.

Top 10s for 2006: Magnus Öberg (Nomethod Records)

Mon, 25 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0800

01. Mixtapes & Cellmates debut album
They went out to David Sandström's house in the woods and came back with pure magic

02. MABD - Ditt hjärta är en stjärna CD
Mattias Alkberg's finest work to date (except for "Cosy den" by the mighty BQ)

03. J-O Waldner documentary
He is god.

04. Umeå club scene
Getting better & better. This fall has been intense.

05. Italy
Visiting Italy is always great. This year in Catania (Sicily) and Trento (northern Italy) was amazing.

06. Apple
Goodbye Microsoft, I won't return to you.

07. Sonic Youth - Rather Ripped CD
The comeback of the greatest band ever. Touching "Daydream nation" greatness.

08. Aerial - The Sentinel CD
Wow. Wow. Wow. they made THIS only 1 year efter "Black rain from the bombing". Can't wait for when they give an album at least 2 years time.

09. TV on the Radio - Return to cookie mountain CD
No comments needed.

10. The Je Ne Sais Quoi - Chameleon (Song)
I'm almost dancing (!!!)

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As mentioned above, look for new releases from Mixtapes & Cellmates and Aerial in 2007 from Nomethod.
www.nomethod.se
www.myspace.com/nomethodrecords

Top 10s for 2006: It's a trap!

Fri, 15 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0800

Official top 10 releases for 2006, in alphabetical order:

There was a glut of good music in 2006, but only a few truly great albums. I found myself enjoying a very high percentage of the music that came my way, but very little remained in regular rotation for any length of time. Too much of a good thing? Perhaps. Regardless, I had some trouble compiling my list since I wanted to ensure that my selections were fit for posterity. That means albums like The Knife's "Silent shout" and Motorpsycho's "Black hole/black canvas" were out, despite being admirable pieces of work. They deserve high praise, but I simply didn't listen to them that much. Similarly, I'm From Barcelona and Peter Bjorn and John were off the list because their 2006 releases pale in comparison to what came before (both the original "Sing!!" demo EP from IFB and PB&J's "Falling out" are 100% unfuckwithable). What's left? Well, lots actually. The difficulty is separating all the 8s from the 9s and 10s. Let's get going then:

01. Aerial - Black rain from the bombing (Nomethod)
It came out in January and stuck with me throughout the entire year. That alone says something. As for the music, it's an amazing display of epic bombast and twisting riffs. Why can't more post-rock be noisy like this?
MP3: Time is on fire

02. The Book of Daniel - Songs for the Locust King (Black Star Foundation)
A late in the year release so I was reluctant to list it, but there's no denying the quality. Full of wisdom and poetry.
MP3: The camels parade

03. C.Aarmé - Vita (Carcrash/Burning Heart)
The brightest stars always burn out the fastest. RIP.
MP3: We are the world

04. Closer - Tokpela EP (Closersounds)
One of those bands I fell in love with the moment I first heard it. Heavy rock doesn't get better than this.
MP3: Open casket

05. Johndoe - Dødvinkel (JHND)
This one snuck up on me and is probably the one record on this list I've listened to the most.
MP3: Kjøtere

06. Montys Loco - Man overboard (NONS)
God, I hate the genre label 'folktronic', but I really can't think of a better way to describe this. Quirky instrumentation and arrangements aside, the music is simply brilliant and would work in any context.
MP3: Wasteland

07. Namur - Songs from the Valley of Baca (Thehourislate)
It's probably for the best that David Åhlén retired this stage moniker because this will be hard to top. Nothing wrong with quitting while you're ahead.
MP3: Marching

08. Raison d'Être - Metamorphyses (Cold Meat Industry)
I honestly don't believe I've heard another dark-ambient album this good. Ever.
MP3: Metamorphyses phase I

09. Oskar Schönning - Happy jazz, please (Amigo)
Another one of those records that found its way into steady rotation without much thought. Echoes of that other famous bassist/bandleader Charles Mingus along with fellow Swede Jan Johansson, but with an ear to the future.
MP3: Happy jazz, please

10. Sonores - Elefanten (Structures Sonores)
These guys asked me if I wanted to co-release this with them and I said no because I thought I was too busy. I blew it.
MP3: Jonathan

Best two demos I heard all year: Circle Six and Iisole

Four favorite non-Scandinavian releases:
Converge - No heroes (Epitaph)
Kayo Dot - Dowsing anenome with copper tongue (Robotic Empire)
Jesu - Silver (Hydra Head)
Rome - Berlin (Cold Meat Industry)

Two old metal warhorses who prove that age doesn't mean a thing: Iron Maiden & Slayer

What to expect for 2007? Well, my predicted goth revival for 2006 didn't live up to expectations even though it seemed to spawn quite a few excellent releases (The Kid and 1999, for example). Regardless, I'm not going to let that stop me from making more asinine predictions. My pick for the new trend of 2007: industrial/EBM. I swear, it's gonna happen. It's time.

Honorable mentions:
Asha Ali - s/t (NONS)
Detektivbyrån - Hemvägen (Danarkia)
The Fine Arts Showcase - Radiola (Adrian Recordings)
Kazakstan - s/t (Katalyst)
Knife and Ape - Hex! (Deleted Art)
Lampshade - Let's away (Glitterhouse)
Lemonator - At the presence of great beauty (Odor)
Once We Were - Contra (Tenderversion)
Britta Persson - Top quality bones... (Amigo)
Plain Fade - Aure (Punos Sound)
Promoe - White man's burden (Burning Heart)
Tsukimono - Neé (Kalligrammofon)

Top 10s for 2006: Staff picks

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0800

Not everyone was able to get their lists in on time, but I think you'll find more than enough titles here well-worth investigating, whatever your tastes may be. Enjoy!

Jonas Appelqvist:

01. The Fine Arts Showcase – Radiola (Adrian Recordings)
When Christian released a kinda mediocre record, Gustav stepped up, delivered and restored the honour of the Kjellvander brothers.

02. C.Aarmé – Vita (Burning Heart)
Music for the gut, not the brain. Göteborg's finest punks just recently split up, it's a pity.

03. Hets – s/t (V2/Etikett: Hets)
I was a bit hesitative when I heard that members from Laakso, Fireside and Moneybrother formed a band. They proved me wrong.

04. Raised Fist – The sound of the republic (Burning Heart Records)
This long awaited full-length proved to be exactly what I hoped for. Uncompromising hardcore, this time with hooks!

05. Insurgent Kid – Paranoia (Wasted Sounds)
Just recently released and it went straight into this list. The punkrock on this disc is, in fact, all I ever need.

06. Khoma – The second wave (Roadrunner)
I always knew something good would come out of Plastic Pride.

07. Aerial – Black rain from the nombing (Nomethod)
Epic and almost instrumental post-rock from Sandviken that moved me big time.

08. Tar... Feathers – Make way for the ocean floor to fall to the surface (Release the Bats!)
Self-willed indiepop that sounds like Modest Mouse mixed with Xiu Xiu at times.

09. Darkthrone – The cult is alive (Peaceville)
Pioneers that released their most interesting record since "Total Death". Black-metal with one hell of a punkrockattitude!

10. Cult of Luna – Somewhere along the highway (Earache)
One of the records I've listened to the most in 2006 and it's still intriguing.

Top 3 non-scandinavian records of 2006:
Converge – No heroes (Epitaph)
Electric President – s/t (Morr Music)
Cursive – Happy hollow (Saddle Creek)

Nancy Baym:

01. Hell On Wheels - The odd church (Hybris/PlayRec)
It's catchy, it's quirky, it's consistently strong. And it's interesting too.

02. Skywriter - Where both worlds never meet (Iceberg Records)
The slow ones drag a bit, but the fast songs are a sublime mix of sexy, cool, driving and restrained.

03. Consequences - s/t (BOW/Groover Recordings)
Puts the "infection" in infectious pop. I can't stop listening to it and really don't want to either.

04. Peter Bjorn and John - Writer's block (V2/Wichita)
Not as good as last year's "Falling out", but an okay Peter Bjorn and John record is still better than most.

05. Pelle Carlberg - Everything. Now! (Labrador)
He's thoughtful, he's sensitive, he's twee, but most of all he's the perfect mix of soothing and beautiful. Frazzled nerves be gone!

06. The Phonies - Gran tourettes (Money Laundry Records)
Inconsistent record from Finland's Phonies, but it's best songs are exhuberant enough to carry the rest.

07. Billie the Vision & the Dancers - The world according to Pablo (self-released)
While I'm From Barcelona gets all the buzz, I prefer this. It's kind of mellow, a little dark, sort of conceptual if you bother to figure it out, but most of all, it just sounds good.

08. David & the Citizens - Stop the tape! Stop the tape! (Bad Taste)
David Fridlund's a melodic genius and the music may be better than ever, but Fridlund's angst runs too close to whining too much of the time.

09. Starflower - Moment in the sun (Music Is My Girlfriend)
Tranquil and poppy, youthful and tuneful, it's a gentle little debut from a band I hope will diversify its sound in releases to come.

10. The Charade - Real Life Drama (Skipping Stones)
Half of this is too sweet for me, but the rest is charming as all get out, and "September" easily wins the award for catchiest sugar pop song of the year.

Honorable Mentions:

Sivert Høyem and the Volunteers - Exiles (Hektor Grammofon)
It's not out yet and I've only heard 2 songs, but given his track record with Madrugada and his last solo record, it's guaranteed a spot in my top 10 when I do get to hear the rest.

Tiger Lou - The loyal (Startracks)
It came out in 2005 but now I've finally heard this record. It's got such a cool consistent vibe, such a unique sound, and I'm under it's spell completely.

Matt Giordano:

01. Peter Bjorn and John - Writers block (V2/Wichita)
After last years excellent "Falling out" I expected a great album, but this release just floored me.

02. Loney, Dear - Sologne (Dear John)
Yes, this is technically a re-release, and yes, it's that good.

03. The Fine Arts Showcase - Radiola (Adrian)
This is the new album I listened to most this year, and a it was quite a leap artistically for Mr. Kjellvander.

04. Hell On Wheels - The odd church (Hybris)
This one sat in my room for about a month until one day I brought it in the car with me, and to say the least, I was impressed.

05. Vapnet - Jag vet hur man väntar (Hybris)
"Thoméegränd" instantly hit me with pure pop genuis, and this album is so textured and deep, it has yet to be fully realised.

06. Firefox AK - Madame, madame! (Razzia)
It took me a while, but I have finally realised how genius this album is.

07. Nicolai Dunger - Sjunger Edith Södergran (EMI)
I believe this is Mr. Dunger's most cohesive album to date, and perhaps his most intimate.

08. Sibiria - Inom familjen (Hybris)
Martin A and Martin H put out two stellar albums in one year. Gorgeous.

09. The Knife - Silent shout (Rabid)
This album is both bleak and enchanting.

10. David & The Citizens - Stop the tape! Stop the tape! (Bad Taste)
This album is so solid, and it should silence all of the naysayers.

Other:

Best 2005 release of 2006:
El Perro Del Mar - El Perro Del Mar (Memphis Industries/The Control Group)
Gorgeous, that is the only way to describe the songwriting of Sarah Assbring, and it's good to see the rest of the world catching on.

Top three non-Scandinavian releases:

Tom Waits - Orphans (Anti)
This is absolutely essential.

Nobody & Mystic Chords Of Memory - Tree colored see (Mush)
Another post-Beachwood Sparks work of excellence, now I'm only wishing for Beachwood Sparks to reunite.

My Morning Jacket - Okonokos (RCA)
America's best current live band, and this is their document.

Top ten songs of 2006*
01. Montt Mardié - "My girlfriend is in the Grand Prix finals" from "Science" (Hybris)
02. Peter Bjorn and John - "Paris 2004" from "Writers block" (V2)
03. Kristofer Åström - "So much for staying alive" from "Black Valley" (Startracks)
04. Loney, Dear - "The city, the airport" from "Sologne" (Dear John)
05. Tom Waits - "Bottom of the world" from "Orphans" (Anti)
06. Vapnet - "Thoméegränd" from "Jag vet hur man väntar" (Hybris)
07. The Velvet Teen - "Gyzmkid" from "Cum laude" (Slowdance)
08. Nicolai Dunger - "Lyckokatt" from "Sjunger Edith Södergran" (Dolores)
09. Loose Fur - "The ruling class" from "Born again in the USA" (Drag City)
10. Islands - "Don't call me Whitney, Bobby" from "Return to the sea" (Equator)

*These songs, as well as 31 others appear on my "Best of 2006" mix, which I have made 20 copies of as a double-disc set to give away to the readers of It's A Trap! Here's the deal, the first twenty people to email me at matthew dot giordano at macys dot com with their name and postal address will receive a copy (as well as tracklisting) in the mail. Enjoy.

Kevin Renick, in alphabetical order:

01. Ampop - My delusions (Dennis Records)
Balancing the epic and the emotive is an increasingly dicey proposition as more and more groups on both sides of the Atlantic sacrifice one or the other in the process. Iceland's Ampop gets the blend just right with these 11 surgingly powerful, yet fragile tunes. .

02. El Perro Del Mar - s/t (Memphis Industries)
Possibly the most bubbly, infectious, melodically rich, beautifully sung sad album ever made.

03. Sofia Hardig - The need to destroy (Filthy Records)
An adventurous electronica foray in which Sofia makes an art out of distorted vocals that are nonetheless emotionally wrenching. Dark, machine-laden grooves that grip the soul.

04. The Knife - Silent shout (Brille Records)
By any standard, one of the year's boldest and most significant records, especially for a spooked, tech-savvy, mask-wearin', brother-sister dance-tronica act.

05. Lampshade - Let's away (Glitterhouse)
The sophomore release by this fabulous Swedish/Danish group is just as good as the debut; RebekkaMaria and company fuse primal rock and Scandi sensuality together in a thoroughly compelling manner.

06. Mew - And the glass-handed kites (Sony BMG Music)
A continuously flowing, continuously melodic and dazzling production that got many satisfying spins on my car stereo in 2006.

07. Monty's Loco - Man overboard (NONS)
Take a female vocalist who's like a tougher Emiliana Torrini, add equal parts acoustic/electronic instrumentation, throw in a few dollops of inspired weirdness and mix/produce well. Result: a grabber of an album that tickles the sonic taste buds..

08. Britta Persson - Top quality bones and a little terrorist (Amigo)
I like my Scandinavian music to be a little tart. Britta's debut CD is positively lemony from start to finish, a real standout in a year filled with great records by Scandi girls.

09. Patrik Skantze and the Free Souls Society - Fiction at first view (Mimo Sound)
A master class in inspired prog songcraft, superb guitar playing and the art of channeling diverse influences into your own lovingly prepared recipe.

10. Sonores - Elefanten (Structures Sonores)
As a long-time fan of both atmospheric ambient and mournful female vocals, this texturally absorbing disc had me at "eftermiddag".

Best EP: Detektivbyrån - Hemvägen (Danarkia)
Best CD to reevaluate your life to: Es - Sateenkkarisuudelma (K-RAA-K)
Best reasons to have faith that the spirit of weirdness lives on in Scandiland: The Bear Quartet, Sir Eric Beyond, and Tar...Feathers

Simon Tagestam:

01. Vapnet – Jag vet hur man väntar (album / Hybris)
Vapnet lived up to all my expectations and delivered a fantastic album

02. Moneybrother – De vet ingenting om oss (single / Hacka Skivindustri)
This song came totally unexpected and instantly floored me.

03. Lo-Fi-Fnk – Boylife (album / La Vida Loca)
Very exciting album from Sweden’s new dance kings, now TTA gone all new age.

04. Mattias Alkberg BD - Ditt hjärta är en stjärna (album / A West Side Fabrication)
Third and best album from this Bear Quartet member.

05. Taxi Taxi – Old big trees (song on myspace)
Killer song. Got high hopes for these young twins.

06. I'm From Barcelona - Let me introduce my friends (album / Dolores)
Hate them live, but still love their music.

07. Juni Järvi - Wherever thou art (album / Everlasting)
The surprise hit of the year, a collection of some magnificent songs.

08. [ingenting] - Mycket väsen för ingenting (album / Labrador)
An album that deserved much more attention and praise than it got.

09. Juvelen – Watch your step (song on myspace)
Sounds exactly like Prince when he was at his best. Pretty damn good that is!

10. Sir Eric Beyond and the Avant-Garde - s/t (album / Flora & Fauna)
Weirdest and most wonderful gig at Emmaboda this year where 'Sir Eric', even though he's Swedish, only talked in English in-between songs. He also released a fine record.

Three amazing songs from albums that I wasn't too keen on:
Fattaru – 100 spänn
Hello Saferide – The quiz
Peter Bjorn and John – Young folks

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Jonas Appelqvist is in the works of completing the first fullengthrecord with Blinders On, indierock based in Malmö. The band is, as I write this, finished with the mixing and the mastering of the album entitled "Obsolete music", so we should expect a release in January. The 17th, to be precise. More on that after New Year's Eve.

Nancy Baym can be found happily blogging away at Online Fandom and digging music at Last.fm.

Matt Giordano wishes everyone safe, yet wine-filled holidays and New Year's celebrations, and hopes those who'll be getting his "Best of 2006 mix" enjoy them. He also hopes Arsenal can pick up the pace in the premier league and that Scandinavian bands continue to release the world's best music. Here are the new releases he's looking forward to in 2007: two Laakso records, Kristofer Åström, Shout Out Louds, Via Audio, Christian Kjellvander, Spoon, Tiger Lou (I can hope), My Morning Jacket (I can hope), Nick Cave (I think it's about time for another), Moonbabies, Nicolai Dunger, and all Hyrbis releases.

Kevin Renick is exhausted from trying to pare down the list of favorites from a really great year in music.

Simon Tagestam is a regular contributor to IAT and he doesn't really have any plans for 2007, except some vague ideas concerning a Nintendo Wii, his mother's 60th birthday, more tattoos, and badminton.

Mon, 27 Nov 2006 00:00:00 -0800

Nomethod has posted a new Aerial song for download: http://www.nomethod.se/Aerial_My_god_its_full_of_stars.zip

Profile: Voices Break the Silence

Mon, 20 Nov 2006 00:00:00 -0800

Name: Voices Break the Silence

From: Västerås, Sweden

Sounds like: Sharp and biting indie/post-hardcore that still remembers the power of the guitar

Listen: The way

Discography:
2006 - Demo

Links:
www.vbts.se
www.myspace.com/voicesbreakthesilence

A short note from Ola of Seven Feet Four was all I needed. A recommendation and a link, the promise of something new and impressive. These are the best kinds of discoveries - when you can sense the excitement in the sender. The music is so good, it begs to be heard, to be exposed to the world. This is Voices Breaks the Silence.

Who are you and where are you from? How did everyone in the band meet?

We are Voices Break the Silence from Västerås, Sweden. Robin Martinsson plays the bass, Victor Johnsson hits the drums, Björn Camenius on guitar me (Nicklas Sandström) and Dick play guitar and sing some. To do a long history short, we met through school.

What's your impression of the current Swedish/Scandinavian indie scene? What do you think is good about it and what needs improvement?

At the moment I think there are some interesting acts, especially some of the new, young upcoming ones. I think it's what the scene needs because some of the older bands have been around way too long to be interesting.

Who are some of these promising younger acts? What band(s) should I be watching? Grizzly Twister, The Blinds, Aerial, Mixtapes and Cellmates to name a few. Great guys and girls, great music.

On the flipside of that, what band should give up and call it a day?

I don't want any band to quit, I want them to play good music as they once did! So many older bands start experimenting with their sounds and that often takes away the edge of their music.

You're on tour in the Alps and get stranded in a blizzard with no food and no hope for rescue. Who do you eat first and why?

To get some protein from Robin and Victor would be impossible so it's probably me or maybe Björn that will be eaten!

What's your favorite movie right now? Why is it so awesome?

We are really a film band. One of the few things we have in common is zombie/ horror movies. But at the moment I'm really into the "Pink Panther" films. It's hard to choose one because Peter Sellers is brilliant in all of them. I hope he will rise from the grave and curse everyone that's involveved in the new "Pink Panther" movie.

What's the future for VBTS?

We hope and know that someone will release our full-length record. When the record is released, I hope that we will play live a lot, do some tours and have a really good time until we record the next one. But we always take one day at the time.

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 00:00:00 -0800

Nomethod has the cover art and tracklist posted for the new Aerial album "The sentinel": http://www.nomethod.se/main.php
It comes out in Japan on December 13 via Thomason Sounds/Impartmaint Inc and one month later in Sweden/GAS via Nomethod/Hausmusik.