Swedish label has been reconfigured and passed into the hands of Norrbottens läns landsting (the county council of Norrbotten) as of March 1. The initial plan is for the municipality of Luleå to become part-owners later this spring with other Norrland municipalities to be offered partnerships in the future. Says the label: "Business will continue in a slightly altered direction. The new BD Pop is a production and resource centre with the mission to support artists and music productions based in Norrbotten and to contribute to such projects with contacts, knowledge, resources and arenas." More here: http://www.bdpop.se/about.php (in Swedish)
Swedish hip-hop act Movits! have confirmed that their new album "Ut ur min skalle" will be released on March 23 in Sweden via with a US release to follow on April 5. The first single "Sammy Davis Jr." is out now.
Synth: Code 64 - Trialogue () Cryo - Hidden Aggression () Page - Nu () Social Ambitions - Almost gone ()
Hardrock/Metal: Ghost - Opus Eponymous () Watain - Lawless Darkness () Khoma - A final storm () Dark Tranquility - We are the void ()
Rhythm: Haci Tekbilek - Türlü () Helt Off - Marknadens Soldat () Million Stylez - Everyday () Serengeti - Standing Steady ()
Jazz: Elin Larsson Group - Live and Alive () Lekverk - Everyday () NEO (Nässjö Extreme Orchestra) - NEO () The Country - The Country ()
Punk/Hardcore Antipati - Frågor som rör det allmänna () Hårda Tider - Gatan Kallar () Old Fashioned Ideas - We're in this shit together () The Baboon Show - Punk Rock harbour ()
Hip-Hop: Academics - Tare Lugnt 4 () Carlito - Guldburen () PH3 - Löser ett fall () Zacke - Visst är det vackert ()
Rock: Bad Hands - Take The Money And Run () Dundertåget - Dom feta åren är förbi () Pascal - Orkanen närmar sig () The Bear Quartet - Monty Python ()
Folk/Visa: Anders Svensson, Magnus Gustafsson, Susanne Gustafsson, Anders Löfberg, Jörgen Svensson - Bålgetingen, Låtar efter August Strömberg () Mats Edén, Daniel Sandén-Warg, Leif Stinnerbom, Magnus Stinnerbom - Anno 2010 () OK Star Orchestra - Sound Classique () Ola Magnell - Rolös ()
Experimental: Ombudsman - And His Father Was A Great Machine () Erik Enocksson - Man tänker sitt () Leif Jordansson - The Comet / The Doll Maker () New Tango Orquesta - Vesper ()
Singer/Songwriter: I'm Kingfisher - Arctic () Daniel Norgren - Horrifying Death Eating Blood Spider () The Tarantula Waltz - Did Not Leave To Find But To Forget, To Leave Behind () The Tallest Man On Earth - Wild Hunt ()
Best live act: Anna Von Hausswolff The Tallest Man On Earth Masshysteri Robyn
Best unsigned act (in collaboration w/P3 Lab): Alice B Katakomb Ascend Broken Boys
Winners will be announced at a ceremony on February 4 at Nalen in Stockholm. More info: http://www.manifestgalan.se/
BD Pop has released a new winter-themed compilation entitled simply "Snö". Artists featured on said comp include Mattias Alkberg, Olle Nyman, Cartwall and more... go here for full details: http://www.bdpop.se/albums.php?ALBUMID=82&IMAGEGALLERYID=408
Check out the video for "Holiday", the latest single from Swedish electropop duo Cartwall (feat. SR P3 host Matilda Kihlberg): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_uhhtqxkvc
The group's self-titled debut album is out now via BD Pop.
Swedish country/pop singer/songwriter Anton Björkenvall has a new video for the song "Love will always let us down": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=948G6Y0wwnw
His debut album "Travel" comes out October 21 via BD Pop.
Here are the winners of the 2009 Manifest Awards, Sweden's alternative Grammy:
Jazz:Bobo Stenson Trio - Cantando (ECM/Naxos) Punk/Hardcore:Disco Volante - We are forever (Not enough) Hårdrock/Metal:Grand Magus - Iron Will (Rise above/Border) Rhythm:Movits - Äppelknyckarjazz (BD Pop/Universal) Experimental:Anders Dahl - Doorbells (Bombaxbombax) Hip-hop/RnB/Soul:Chords - Things We Do For Things (Juju/Playground) Best Live:Robyn (Konichiwa Records) Folk/Visa:Gunnel Mauritzson Band - Det som sker...(Sandkvie Records/CDA) Synth:Elegant Machinery - A soft exchange (Out of Line/Sound Pollution) Singer/Songwriter:First Aid Kit - Drunken Trees (Rabid Records/Border) Pop:Frida Hyvönen - Silence Is Wild (Licking Fingers/Playground) Rock:Pascal - Galgberget (Novoton/Bonnier Amigo) Dance:Style of Eye - Duck cover and hold (Pieces of eight records) MySpace-prize for best unsigned act:Tim Schmidt Vice Label Award: Service
The nominees for the Manifest Awards, Sweden's alternative Grammy, have been announced:
Synth: Thermostatic - Humanizer (Wonderland Records) Zeigeist - The Jade Motel (Spegel/Imperial Recordings/Playground) Moonlight Cove - Orphans of the Storm (Kinetophone/Hot Stuff) Elegant Machinery - A soft exchange (Out of Line/Hot Stuff) Rhythm: Movits - Äppelknyckarjazz (BD Pop/Universal) Erici - Brasilicum (Erici Music/Dead Frog) Saft Stockholm - Ordet (Saft Productions/Stockholm Electronica) Kungers - Galaxen (Rätta Visan/Border) Experimental: Anders Dahl - Doorbells (Bombaxbombax) Nina de Heyney, Charlotte Hug & Christian Jormin - Acoustic Electronic (LJ Records) Pär Thörn - Schöneberg/Stammheim/Gärdet/Rågsved (Treffpunkt) Anders Hultqvist - Traces (Chamber Sound) Pop: Frida Hyvönen - Silence Is Wild (Licking Fingers/Playground) Hello Saferide - More modern short stories from... (Razzia/Bonnier Amigo) Joel Alme - A Master Of Ceremonies (Sincerely Yours/Border) Nordpolen - På Nordpolen (Sincerely Yours/Border) Rock: The Hellacopters - Head Off (Wild Kingdom/Sound Pollution) Pascal - Galgberget (Novoton/Bonnier Amigo) Fatboy - In My Bones (Fat State Production/Playground) Manikins - Crocodiles (P.Trash Records) Dance: Pär Grindvik - Samlad årsproduktion (Stockholm LTD) Anders Ilar - Sworn (Level Records 11) Style of Eye - Duck cover and hold (Pieces of eight records) Zoo Brazil - No Place Like Home (Gung Ho! Recordings) Jazz: Bobo Stenson Trio - Cantando (ECM/Naxos) Nina Ramsby & Ludwig Berghe Trio - Du har blivit stor nu [En kamp!] (Moserobie/Bonnier Amigo) e.s.t. - Leucocyte (ACT/Bonnier Amigo) The Splendor - Sound of Splendor (HOOB/Border) Punk/Hardcore: Disco Volante - "We are forever" (Not enough) Disfear - "Live the storm" (Relapse/Border) Nitad - "Ibland kan man inte hindra sig själv" (Kranium) Meanwhile - "Reality or nothing" (Feral Ward) Hårdrock/Metal: Burst - Lazarus Bird (Relapse/Border) Dismember - Dismember (Regain/Sound Pollution) Grand Magus - Iron Will (Rise above/Border) Opeth - Watershed (Roadrunner/Bonnier Amigo) Hip-hop/R'n'B/Soul: Chords - Things We Do For Things (Juju/Playground) Afasi & Filthy – Fläcken (P.o.p.e./Playground) Masse - Gott & Blandat Vol. 2 Allyawan - Blu Duk Mixtape Vol. 2 Folk/Ballad: Gunnel Mauritzson Band - Det som sker...(Sandkvie Records/CDA) Maria Hörnelius, Bernt Andersson & Kjell Jansson - En sång för Kent (Eld Records/Border) Jonas Knutsson & Johan Norberg - Skaren - Norrland III (Act/BAM) Bjernulf/Björklund/Lindh – Pål Olles väg (Courage) Singer/Songwriter: Melpo Mene - Bring the Lions Out (Imperial Recordings/Playground) Hyacinth House - Black Crows Country (True Music Production/Glitterhouse) First Aid Kit - Drunken Trees (Rabid Records/Border) Olle Nyman - Venture (A West Side Fabrication/Border) Live: Detektivbyrån (Danarkia) The Hellacopters (Psychout Records) Lykke Li (LL Recordings) Robyn (Konichiwa Records) Myspace prize for best unsigned act: Montauk Hero in action Miranda Gjerstad Sci-Fi Hands John F Karlsson Dyno Tim Schmidt Nottee The Bellevues Diskoteket
Fridays are typically reserved for old music, but I was handed a brand new mp3 from Park Hotell yesterday afternoon and it's too good not to share. The band has a new album on the way and "Dead ringers" is the first taste of what's to come and I have to say that it's got me excited. No more synths, no more shoegazer vibes, just organic indie rock'n'roll. I definitely get a Manchester/Britpop vibe on this too and while that's not something that normally appeals to me, I fully back Park Hotell's take on it because they make it their own. Maybe it's the influence of producer Jari Haapalainen, but I'd say this has more in common with Laakso than The Smiths, though the latter is certainly a good reference point. I also hear echoes of peak-era Swedish indie such as Eggstone or The Wannadies, the sort of stuff that defined the scene back in the 90s and is rarely emulated today.
"Dead ringers" features aforementioned producer extraordinaire Jari Haapalainen on drums and fellow Swedes/sister duo Taxi, Taxi! on backup vocals. Look for the new (as yet unnamed?) album to be released this fall via BD Pop/Ultra Radio Records.