I'm willing to gamble that many readers of this site aren't merely interested in Scandinavian music and that their curiosity extends much further to other cultural exports, be it design, architecture, crime fiction or, as in this particular case, film. Daniel Ekeroth, besides being a prolific musician as well, is the author of the essential genre guidebook "Swedish Death Metal" and is back now with his second tome "Swedish Sensationsfilms" (Bazillion Points), an exploration of Sweden's sexy, deranged, exploitative, violent and sometimes just plain weird cinematic underbelly that existed and thrived from 1951 to 1993. Even if you have little to no interest in seeing many of the films covered, "Swedish Sensationsfilms" is a highly entertaining read not merely due to the lurid subject matter, but to Daniel's engrossingly casual and bluff writing style which manages to be both incredibly insightful and a whole lot of fun. I found myself devouring it quickly from cover to cover and, with my curiosity was greatly piqued, reached out to Daniel and had him answer a few questions via email.

My website is devoted to Scandinavian music and while I certainly have my own reasons, justify to my readers why they should care about "Swedish Sensationsfilms".

Well, first of all I think the book turned out funny as hell -- so you might just read it for some great laughs! Then, in its own twisted way the book can actually give you a pretty good insight of the development of Swedish society during the last 60 years. Also, if you are into Swedish music -- you should get to know a bit about Swedish films as well to enhance your experience! The tone is pretty similar to my book "Swedish Death Metal" I guess, so if you like that you might like this as well.

Even if your interest is strictly within the realm of music, there are some treats in the book as well...some films you really should know about. How about Easy Action being chased my a murderous family, or Åke Eriksson (Wasa Express, Attack) portraying a mentally deranged killer? What's not to like?

Seeing that a few of the movies you cover in the book have still managed to elude you, I can only imagine the extremes you went through to find copies of the movies you actually did manage to find. What's the furthest you went to procure a movie for the book? Were any of them particularly tricky to track down? Are there any "Holy Grails" still out there that you are looking for, in the book or otherwise?

Since I have been a film collector for a very long time, I kind of had all the connections to gather most of the films pretty easy when I started work on "Swedish Sensationsfilms". Back in my heydays as a collector, we did some crazy things to get hold of stuff though. My friends and I swept the world in search of cassettes though, going on trips to Greece, Holland, Italy, Hong Kong, Germany, Czech Republic, Finland and Denmark to try to convince the video stores to sell their stuff to us. And when I collected Italian films, I even moved to Italy to learn the language and search for films. Mad times!

A title like "Månguden" was super-hard to track down though, since it had only been shown on TV once back in the 80's...and nobody seemed to have made a copy. But out of nowhere there was suddenly a DVD release, so the time of miracles has not passed yet. And all the connections in the world couldn't get me lost films like "Frozen Star", "Silent Chase" or "Fränder". If anyone ever comes across a copy of these films, let me know!

A story that might show you the dedication of hard core film collectors is the one of how "Breaking Point" finally surfaced among the inner circle of film collectors. One guy managed to get a video-copy of the theatrical version from someone involved with the film, after some serious begging and nagging. Another guy used some obscure connections to get hold of the censor cuts from the National Board of Censors -- and later the sources were cut together to complete the film. This, my friends, is how hard people worked to see a film back in the days! It is actions like this that saves the greatest art from destruction and oblivion!

Of the many recurring actors that appear in the movies of "Swedish Sensationsfilms", Heinz Hopf sticks out as a particularly fine example, so much so that there's even a Swedish harsh noise duo named after him. What is it about the characters he plays that makes them so memorable? Is there any particular movie of his with a career-defining performance?

I think a lot has to do with his indifferent and grim, yet soulful and beautiful, face. There is just some kind of magic to him. Then, of course, he did play a row of disturbingly sick, twisted and violent characters in a string of classic films. His defining moment is of course his role as the pimp in "Thriller - A Cruel Picture", one of the creepiest characters of all time. He is also great in "Exponerad", a film very similar to "Thriller" but not at all as well known. All such creepy performances aside - Hopf was actually not at all a B-grade actor of low budget exploitation films, but rather a highly respected theatre actor and a favorite of Ingmar Bergman. I just love when the borders between high art and trash is blurred like that.

An interesting thing to note is that Heinz Hopf suddenly became very well known in Sweden after his participation in the very successful TV series "Varuhuset" ("The Mall") in the mid 80's. Worthy of note is that the character he played, the slippery and manipulative CEO Erik Eriksson, is actually pretty similar to the ones of his earlier sensationsfilms.

Another memorable character from the book is director Mats Helge Olsson, Sweden's so-called "only professional director", and an artist that you seem to have an intense love/hate relationship with. What is it about his work that is so simultaneously compelling and revolting? Do you think that any of his films might have been improved by a more skilled filmmaker or is their incompetence simply part of their charm?

His determination just urged him to make films, no matter what! And with shoestring budgets, he created those mad hopeless action films that are just to die for. These films are lacking in every department, but that's what makes them so special. It's like naïve art if you will, a completely unique field of filmmaking that has to be seen to be believed. There is just one Mats Helge, no other director could ever re-create what he did!

You cite "Let the right one in"/"Låt den rätte komma in" as a positive example of current Swedish cinema, but are there any other contemporary films (Swedish or otherwise) that continue the traditions inspired by Swedish Sensationsfilms? Is such a thing even possible in this modern era or were they purely a product of a very specific time and place now long gone?

Well, basically I would say no. Cinema changed a lot in the late 80's, not only in Sweden but all over the world. Suddenly low budget genre films just stopped being produced, and everything was watered down. The madness disappeared, and everything turned slick and boring. The low-budget films of the 1990's and 2000's are self-aware nonsense or total crap. Even directors like Mats Helge Olsson had a distinctive style amidst all his shortcomings.

When you try to make a big budget action film with minimal resources, you can create magic -- when you try to make a cool retro-film, you will create crap.

Lastly, what are you doing musically these days? What's up with the new Iron Lamb album? And what do you have planned next book-wise?

Quite a lot actually:

Iron Lamb – Everything regarding the album "The original sin" is finished now, so it should be out any day. Then we will do some gigs during the summer, and probably tour in the autumn as well as record some 7" singles. Chaos awaits I guess -- we tend to be too much punk for the punks, and to much metal for the metalheads!

Tyrant – After 1,5 years of silence this rusty old black metal band will actually play live on Saturday May 7, at the release party for the Morbid "Year of the Goat" album. We also have some plans to play on Iceland and in Italy, as well as record some new material.

Usurpress – My new death/crust band will soon release a split-album with the Spanish band Galerna. We also will play some festivals during the summer, and are working on new material.

About new books, I have been a bit lazy lately. I have some plans, but instead of working on them I have been putting my writing energy into doing stuff for Sweden Rock Magazine. I hope to start work on my next book in the autumn, and it will probably be about Swedish music again! But first I will go to NYC to promote "Swedish Sensationsfilms" a bit -- and drink a lot of beers while having a great time!

Pop:
Anna von Hausswolff - Singing from the grave (Kning Disk/Playground)
jj - jj No 3 (Sincerely Yours)
CEO - White Magic (Sincerely Yours)
Nicolas Makelberge - The Unforgettable Planet (Emotion)

Dance:
Cloud - Hökarängen Space Program (Hökarängen Space Program)
Dmitry Fyodorov - Shapeless (Adrian Recordings)
Jarl & Fotmeijer - Lifesigns (Innertrax)
Skudge - Samlad produktion (Skudge Records)

Synth:
Code 64 - Trialogue (Progress Productions)
Cryo - Hidden Aggression (Progress Productions)
Page - Nu (BAM / Cosmos Music Group)
Social Ambitions - Almost gone (Electric Fantastic Sound)

Hardrock/Metal:
Ghost - Opus Eponymous (Rise Above)
Watain - Lawless Darkness (Season of Mist)
Khoma - A final storm (Selective notes)
Dark Tranquility - We are the void (Century Media)

Rhythm:
Haci Tekbilek - Türlü (Country & Eastern)
Helt Off - Marknadens Soldat (Pope Records)
Million Stylez - Everyday (Adonai Music)
Serengeti - Standing Steady (Illegyal Records)

Jazz:
Elin Larsson Group - Live and Alive (Playing With Music)
Lekverk - Everyday (Parallell)
NEO (Nässjö Extreme Orchestra) - NEO (Johannes Nästejö - LIV Produktion)
The Country - The Country (Found You Recordings)

Punk/Hardcore
Antipati - Frågor som rör det allmänna (Kjell Hell Records)
Hårda Tider - Gatan Kallar (Hårda Skivor)
Old Fashioned Ideas - We're in this shit together (Old Fashioned Ideas)
The Baboon Show - Punk Rock harbour (National)

Hip-Hop:
Academics - Tare Lugnt 4 (Random Bastards)
Carlito - Guldburen (Redline Records)
PH3 - Löser ett fall (Pope Records)
Zacke - Visst är det vackert (BD Pop)

Rock:
Bad Hands - Take The Money And Run (NONS Records/3NO Music AB)
Dundertåget - Dom feta åren är förbi (Razzia)
Pascal - Orkanen närmar sig (Novoton/3NO Music AB)
The Bear Quartet - Monty Python (Adrian Recordings)

Folk/Visa:
Anders Svensson, Magnus Gustafsson, Susanne Gustafsson, Anders Löfberg, Jörgen Svensson - Bålgetingen, Låtar efter August Strömberg (Giga Folkmusik)
Mats Edén, Daniel Sandén-Warg, Leif Stinnerbom, Magnus Stinnerbom - Anno 2010 (Giga Folkmusik)
OK Star Orchestra - Sound Classique (Dreamboat Music)
Ola Magnell - Rolös (National)

Experimental:
Ombudsman - And His Father Was A Great Machine (Substream/Mareld)
Erik Enocksson - Man tänker sitt (Kning Disk)
Leif Jordansson - The Comet / The Doll Maker (Brus & Knaster)
New Tango Orquesta - Vesper (HOOB Records)

Singer/Songwriter:
I'm Kingfisher - Arctic (Playground)
Daniel Norgren - Horrifying Death Eating Blood Spider (Superpuma Records)
The Tarantula Waltz - Did Not Leave To Find But To Forget, To Leave Behind (Brus & Knaster)
The Tallest Man On Earth - Wild Hunt (Gravitation)

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/

When you could have this?

Y'know what I'm saying? For Desperat's lyrics and commentary, go here.

01. Eternal Puberty (feat. Ingrid Berge)
02. dWill to dPower / Tomorrow
03. Black Strobes (feat. Torgny Knutson Amdam)
04. Bimbo Rimjob
05. Porcelain Dolls in the Bath
06. The Goat (feat. Kristoffer Rygg)
07. Armies of General Nonsense
08. Smash, Politics, Gag
09. How We Ate The Flesh (feat. Ingrid Berge)
10. No Clue (feat. Czral)
11. Compulsar Massive (feat. Kim Sølve)

The official release date is set for November 1. More here: http://www.jester-records.com/

Unexpected discoveries are always the best, aren't they? Finding that diamond in the rough always results in an affinity with that diamond that lasts a lifetime. I had one such experience a couple of years ago, when, sailing from Stockholm to Helsinki and ecstatic at the prospect of seeing my all-time favourite guitarist (Meshuggah's Fredrik Thordendal) play material from his "Sol Niger within" album with Mats/Morgan Band, I caught a few wonderful shows by Swedish folk/indie wonder Cecilia Klingspor. With a debut album now doing the rounds and a plethora of other projects at various stages of completion, she takes a break from her ever-hectic schedule to talk to It's a Trap! about bands, being and bicycles.

What got you started in playing music?

I was inspired when I was a child by films like "Bugsy Malone" and "Sound of Music" where kids were performing. I have been going to music school since I was eleven and I've been working in small units with friends in music as a way to socialize with people, but in a more organized way where one gets result and a creating process together -- playing and creating music is a great platform to have fun and do good things with people. I played music with Sara (from the group Loulou) from the age of seventeen and we had that as a way to meet people. We played in the streets and it was an adventurous feeling as well communicating and creating through music.

It can be a comfort to make songs of things like unhappy love; perhaps lift what was beautiful in it -- a possibility to catch the essence in song lines that you can sing to yourself and others -- make art out of difficulties or conflicts and also to catch moments of happiness in a melody or a text. Taking photos of your life and the people and things we meet and making something out of it.

Who or what has influenced your work and inspired you over the years?

Benny Andersson, from ABBA said that melancholy and sadness was one of his companions in his musicmaking. That's one of my inspirations too -- I collect the moments of bittersweet taste and also the reminders of that we're mortal -- that inspires me to write and make melodies. I listen to music nonstop when I'm home. I'm a big fan of songwriters like Townes van Zandt, Joni Mitchell, John Lennon, Mark Olson and Gary Louris in The Jayhawks. I also love strong melodies and hit songs, so I have a wild mix in my playlists in my computers -- from Justin Timberlake to Emily Loizeau (French singer).

Is there a general theme running through the songs on "Ovanför molnen"?

Me and Emma wrote down words as inspiration for the album (also as a way to choose among the songs that fitted into the feeling or say no to songs that didn't fit in): springtime, Stockholm, lightness, acoustic, melancholy, musical box, times long past, bicycling. We started taking pictures for the album cover when I was bicycling in Stockholm in springtime. After we had recorded some of the songs, a more ghostlike feeling came into the record, perhaps with the song "Gammelfarmor" which means Greatgrandmother, so then we took some pictures when we were dressed in black and white as if we were ghosts from the past. Perhaps the theme of the album has been a mix of these two different energies -- ghosts and a more down-to-earth feeling and Stockholm.

Is there any particular song that you feel most proud of?

I like the details created together in the process of the recording, for example the instrumental and humming parts in the songs "Normal", "Ovanför molnen" and "Gammelfarmor". The song "Kärleksbarn" has a way to reach people, a song about the love for a child in a divorce. I'm also proud of the song "Ångermanland", a mix of lightness and sadness.

How did the deal with Vesper come about?

Oscar from Vesper liked the songs, I think that my music has aspects in common with Emma Nordenstam's music (also on Vesper) and also the quiet feeling of my album has things in common with Oscar's records. It's a bohemian record deal with not one written paper anywhere.

Why did you choose Johan T. Karlsson (Familjen) to produce?

Johan has been a great complement and all-in-one producer/technician in making the record. A minimalist that dares to let the production be 'naked' and not overloaded as well as sometimes let things bloom and just inventing in a playful way. He's also open and not afraid of darkness. Both Johan and Emma are also more strict and determined in what they like. It's been good for me to have them as a complement to myself. I'm open to a million impressions at the same time. It's been a luxury to have these two sensitive artists as a help in recording these songs as well as making the cover of the album (which Emma made).

You and Emma have a very solid musical relationship. How did this start and develop?

Emma has a sharp and original creativity and she can come out with ideas that I would not have thought of, like the idea to bicycle in the sky over Stockholm. I learn a lot from her sharp ears and eyes and it's also great to have someone to give you feedback and someone who contributes with ideas and complement my own personality. We met in Musikhögskolan in Stockholm and we have been up a week every summer for the last six years in a house up north of Sweden having a little course with us two and some other friends, writing, reflecting and composing. That's also the house where we recorded "Ovanför molnen" -- it was a good thing to be in the countryside. It was also recorded in a little wooden church at night time in Stockholm. We have been performing together, singing and playing on each other's songs. A minimalistic concept which is handy and down-to-earth. We also make songs for children, for Swedish radio, which have just been released in a book.

You're a very prolific musician, with various different projects on the go. How do you find time to fit everything in?

I like working hard, I'm a compulsive about saying yes to things -- not only in music -- and that creates a lot, but it also makes it difficult for me to focus on what is the most important thing. But I think it can be a fruitful combination to be both interested in entertaining as well as songwriting for different audiences. Using the soil in different ways.

What's going on with Hildegards and Loulou right now?

Loulou have been working on a record produced by Johnny Essing from the bands Bob Hund and Bergman Rock. We have also recorded our own translations of the French singer Olivia Ruiz and we have been playing in France and Italy. We do both events as well as concerts. Hildegards do concerts and partyshows in both medieval and Viking styles which can be great fun. It's an interactive concept with firespitting, folkmusic, improvisation and time-travel.

What effect do you feel that writing and singing in Swedish has on audiences outside of Scandinavia?

I don't know really. I haven't thought about it much. I do songs in English as well and that is because it's a way to communicate through words. But perhaps there are unknown and nice aspects when it's a foreign language.

What has been the high-point of your musical career so far?

It's been nice to complete the record and to get a response, play in radio programs and in festivals. I'm appreciative to get some grants from the Swedish state for my music, also collaborate with Emma and the radio producer Tove Jonstoij, to be asked to make songs about a certain subject and feel that it works to find inspiration and complete things with deadlines. I also appreciate to be part of this book / CD for children and a nice experience to see the songs illustrated in the book.

The future for Cecilia Klingspor?

We will have more concerts to promote the book. We are planning a CD for children, me, Emma and Tove. Loulou will hopefully soon have their CD ready and we have possible projects in Paris and in Italy. Loulou also have a club in Södra Teatern in Stockholm. I would like to make a new record. I have many songs -- in English or in Swedish, haven't decided, really. I will go to south of Spain in late December for a couple of weeks where the composers association have a flat and hopefully I can do some small recordings or plans there.

Interview by John Norby. Photo by Torbjörn Boström.

So with a rather large grain of salt, let me present to you It's a Trap's 2008 top albums of the year.
- Avi Roig

10. Siena Root - Far from the sun (Transubstans)
Graveyard and Witchcraft get all the acclaim, but Siena Root is the better band.

09. Nitad - Ibland kan man inte hindras sig själv (Kranium/Deranged)
Fucked Up, another band who put out one of 2008's best releases ("The chemistry of commmon life"), have moved far beyond the realms of hardcore. Nitad have stepped up to take their place.

08. Park Hotell - Free for friends (Ultra Radio Records/BD Pop)
I can't stand Morissey, yet somehow some Swedish acts are able to take his influence and turn it into something wonderful. If only more indiepop bands were as good as Park Hotell.

07. Katzenjammer - Le pop (Propeller Recordings)
I fully expected Detektivbyrån to be my favorite folk-crossover act, but these ladies from Norway snuck in ahead of them.

06. Hello Saferide - More modern short stories from Hello Saferide (Razzia)
Even better than I hoped. The perfect follow-up to the first album.

05. Johan Heltne - Vetenskapliga bevis för att Jesus lever (Raffaella)
A beautiful and beguiling album. So weird and mysterious, so absolutely entrancing.

04. Montys Loco - Farewell Mr Happy (NONS)
Of all the bands on my list, these ladies are the only ones to truly create something new and unique sounding. Sweden's most consistently underrated and underappreciated band.

03. Haust - Ride the relapse (Fysisk Format)
If there's a more pissed-off, evil sounding album in 2008, I haven't heard it.

02. Lukestar - Lake Toba (Phone Me Records)
A full year later and I still love this album just as much when it first came out.

01. The Goner - H-Trilogy: Hind hand, Hallartrallar, Haven (Svarta Markaden)
I realize it's pretty lame to put a series of limited cult releases at #1, yet no other artist this year has intrigued me as much as The Goner. "Hind hand" blew me away when I first heard it, the following two were even better.

Jonas Appelqvist

10. Wildbirds & Peacedrums - The Snake (Caprice Records)
This headstrong indie duo got me convinced at a festival gig this summer. And when I heard "The snake" for the first time I was hooked. It's that good.

09. Frida Hyvönen - Silence is wild (Licking Fingers)
Frida goes from strength to strength and with this album she has established her status as one of the finest songwriters in Sweden right now. Don't believe me? I dare you, listen to "Dirty dancing" and you'll know what I'm talking about.

08. Paper - An object (Novoton)
A homage to Suicide, Joy Division and monotonous kraut rock. The mix between The Bear Quartet and Audionom is a win-win. Literally.

07. Satyricon - The age of Nero (Roadrunner)
With massive walls of sound this Norwegian old school combo decided to continue to piss off black metal fans that claim they're not "true" anymore. Hell, when it sounds this good, I couldn't care less.

06. David Sandström Overdrive - Pigs lose (Razzia)
David Sandström and Oskar Sandlund went into the studio and came out with an astounding album only surpassed by early career move Refused.

05. Lack - Saturate every atom (Play/Rec)
2008 turned out to be the year of resignation for Lack. At least they got to resign at the peak of their career; "Saturate every atom" is proof of that.

04. Britta Persson - Kill Hollywood me (Amigo)
Britta released this album with a somewhat secluded approach and it was received with open arms by almost everyone. Sounds contradictory? It's not, just pure genius.

03. Cult of Luna - Eternal kingdom (Earache)
It just goes to show, these guys don't know how to fail. Top notch!

02. Division of Laura Lee - Violence is timeless (I Made This)
Göteborg's finest spent three years in the studio. The result, Fugazi-esque punk rock, shows that it was worth the wait.

01. Lukestar - Lake Toba (Phone Me Records)
Indie rock at its best - edgy, melodic and, at the same time, raw and hard hitting as hell! The number one spot was, even in January, Lukestar's spot all along.

Matt Giordano

06. Vapnet - Döda fallet (Hybris)
Their track record has been making consistently good albums, and this is not an exception.

05. Robert Svensson - Young punk are on the never-never (Nomethod)
A fantastic pop album that has me looking even more forward to the next Mixtapes and Cellmates record.

04. The Kid - Transient blood (Hybris)
On their second album, The Kid has transformed themselves into brooding pop masters.

03. Paavoharju - Laulu laakson kukista (Fonal)
A beautiful, cold, meandering album. Not only does this album sound natural, it sounds symbiotic with nature.

02. Markus Krunegård - Markusevangeliet (V2/Universal)
He's made classic albums with Laakso, and a great Hets album. Now Markus is a bonafide solo artist, and, with this maintains that he's one of the best songwriters around.

01. Juvelen - 1 (Hybris)
One of my most anticipated of the year. Ten songs, ten potential singles, yet one cohesive pop statement. Juvelen is here to stay.

Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson

10. Division of Laura Lee - Violence is timeless (I Made This)
This is a total gut decision. Part of me is not okay with this result, but enough of me is perfectly alright ousting at least five other contenders to make room for this dirty, energetic album in my top 10. Despite giving this album only an 8, it has survived in far better standing than a few 9s from this year. "LAX" has been on quite a few of the mixtapes I've made for friends over the past few months, and DoLL launched my brother and I across America this summer... I couldn't imagine 2008 without "Violence is timeless".

09. Robert Svensson - Young punks are on the never-never (Nomethod)
Mr. Svensson lost considerable ground on this list, especially compared to the first draft I worked up a few weeks ago. Still, even at number nine, "Young punks are on the never-never" made it. A wonderful debut solo album from Mixtapes & Cellmates' vocalist, marking the beginning of what is sure to be a fine career.

08. Park Hotell - Free for friends (Ultra Radio/BD Pop)
This top 10 list is populated with a lot of debut records. "Free for friends" is definitely one that I had been waiting for, and it didn't let me down. It's a perfect autumn record: tracts of introspection still fuelled by the reckless hope of summer days.

07. Kiki Pau - Let's rock (Pyramid/Johanna Kustannus)
While I was completely surprised by "Book of Norma", I at least knew who Norma were. Kiki Pau are my favorite surprise this year. Their style of indie rock is confident well beyond their years, harkening back to "Meat is murder"-era Smiths, contemporary NYC garage, The Clash ... and any album with a song titled "Bukowski" (with the lyric: "Steinbeck made me want to get drunk") gets my vote.

06. Convoj - Exceptionnel (Wonderland)
This latecomer also forced me to reconstruct my list. It was all about complete, too. Oh well. Convoj's "Exceptionnel" is a brilliant record, more than deserving of a top 10 spot.

05. Håkan Hellström - För sent för edelweiss (Dolores)
If it weren't for all the summer memories I attach to "Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust", Hellström's effort would be in fourth place. The fact that this album is in fifth place is a testament to the creative forces at work in Northern Europe. When I first heard this record, I was pretty sure it would be in my top three albums of the year. How wonderful it is to be so wrong. "För sent för edelweiss" has become my favorite Håkan Hellström album, just edging out "Känn ingen sorg för mig Göteborg".

04. Sigur Rós - Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust (XL Recordings/EMI)
The fact that Sigur Rós took risks on this album when they could have skirted by with "Takk pt. II" impresses me. It may not be their finest album, but it's fun, kinetic, and lush; everything we expect from the Icelanders, and yet something quite different, too.

03. Tiger Lou - A partial print (Startracks)
I struggled a little with "A partial print" at first, but it eventually won out. As I wrote in my review, the album is "a collage, a collection of images, all of them darkly beautiful extensions of the emotional landscape of "The loyal", but the connections between these impressions can take some time to present themselves, but they will, and then "A partial print" comes fully into being."

02. Markus Krunegård - Markusevangeliet (V2/Universal)
While I gave "A partial print" higher marks, "Markusevangeliet" has been a valued companion of mine since April -- and there's something to be said about resilience. I said back then that I thought Laakso frontman Markus Krunegård had possibly crafted the best record of the year... and, although I might have proven myself wrong, his accomplishment is by far one of the best solo records in recent memory.

01. Norma - Book of Norma (Novoton)
In a damned impressive year for Scandinavian music, my top prize goes to "Book of Norma". It's been a while since I have been as taken aback by a record as I was with Norma's latest effort, the first album I have ever given a 10 to here on It's A Trap! Just an absolutely brilliant album.

Arnulf Koehncke

10. Ane Brun - Changing of the seasons (DetErMine)
Someone wrote somewhere how well recorded this album is -- I can't help but agree. The songs are good too and it's actually the first Ane Brun record that I can really relate to.

09. Audrey - The fierce and the longing (Tenderversion)
Honestly, this record sounds a lot like their last one. That's a good thing in Audrey's case -- I think it's really rare that a band is this well defined regarding both songwriting and sound-aesthetics.

08. Fredrik - Na na ni (Jezebel)
It surprises me how much I still like this record. I didn't think it would be such a grower -- guess I was wrong.

07. Snöleoparden - Snöleoparden (Rump)
I just like the whole of-the-cuff playfulness and complexity that this record embodies. I dare anyone to listen to the daycare-singalong second track and not smile.

06. Hello Saferide - More modern short stories from Hello Saferide (Razzia)
If you'd asked me in the beginning of the year, I'd probably have predicted this album to top my year-end list. Well, it hasn't completely gotten me hooked yet, though I totally agree with all the praise for Annika's development. And "Lund" has already become a personal favorite of mine.

05. Bobby and Blumm - Everybody loves... (Morr Music)
This record is just so playful -- there's so much to discover in F.S. Blumm's guitar work and Ella's charming voice. It makes me wish I could see them live again.

04. V. Sjöberg New Jazz Ensemble - Do nothing 'til you hear from me (iDEAL)
Another great record, though it needs patience and concentration to really enjoy it as a whole. It's just great how it builds up all this tension with its drones and suspense curves only to then release the listener with a soothing return to tonality in the next to last track.

03. The Radio Dept. - Freddie and the Trojan Horse (Labrador)
Too bad their album was delayed until next year. This EP showed such potential with all its Prefab Sprout'ish moments and melodies. And it even delivered some nostalgia to me as a long-time fan when I listen to the hidden track's distortion and overdrive.

02. Vapnet - Döda fallet (Hybris)
It's amazing: This record is such an instant classic that I almost didn't think of it as a 2008-release. And doesn't that already say all there is to say?

01. Auton - Anywhere out of this world (Structures Sonores)
This record is just so good (which is why my review of it is just so overdue). Incredibly virtuosic yet never overbearing musicians that shift from straight-out jazz to drone to post-rock to Satie-like piano moments with such casualness and grace. My Scandinavian record of the year. Go to the label website now and order copies to give away as christmas presents ;-)

Nancy Baym

10. Don't I wish I could put something here. Like the Caesars. What a bummer that record was.

09. Mikko Singh - Uskotko että siellä on kukkia? (self-released)
An almost-entirely instrumental record that's somewhere between pop and new age, equally well suited to a massage or mellow downtime at home. Very pretty with some nice elements of fun.

08. Violent Years - s/t (Playground)
A fine contribution to the southern gothic alt country genre with many outstanding moments and at least one truly great song.

07. Kusowsky - Något speciellt (self-released)
Kusowsy are so unabashedly singalong guitar pop that I feel a little guilty enjoying them, but everytime a song from this EP showed up on shuffle this year I found myself stopping to smile.

06. The Social Services - It's nothing personal, it's national security (Stereo Test Kit)
Only 1/3 Scandinavian, but she's the singer so she gets extra credit. It's a smart, eclectic, cynical, funny, and loose indie pop album.

05. Tiger Lou - A partial print (Startracks)
I really wanted to love this record, but don't. As background music its dark, hypnotic and self-contradictory sound is stunningly close to perfect, but on close listening its repetitiveness becomes abrasive in ways I don't think were intended.

04. Markus Krunegård - Markusevangeliet (V2/Universal)
On his solo record, Krunegård avoids most of Laakso's glam excesses to deliver a powerful and rich electronically-driven yet organic and seductive sonic environment.

03. Vapnet - Döda fallet (Hybris)
They don't stray too far from the distinctive, poppy, and borderline corny sound of their previous recordings on this one, but that's a good thing because they are one of the most calming make-you-happy bands going today. I highly recommend this as a soundtrack for either hanging out on a warm beach or cleaning house, cooking, and other mundane chores of daily life.

01. Madrugada - s/t (Virgin/EMI)
Faced with the sudden death of their guitarist and an album 80% completed, Madrugada did the right thing by finishing it up. Even without the tragic back story, it's a powerful and mature rock album that I am still listening to regularly almost a year after its release.

01. Detektivbyrån - Wermland (Danarkia)
In a very disappointing musical year, this instrumental genre-collapsing folk album based on accordion and glockenspiel was the one extraordinary surprise. Everyone I've played it for ran out and got it immediately. You should too.

Simon Tagestam

10. Nordpolen - s/t (Sincerely Yours)

09. Joel Alme - A master of ceremonies (Sincerely Yours)

08. Envelopes - Here comes the wind (Brille)

07. Håkan Hellström - För sent för edelweiss (Dolores)

06. Markus Krunegård - Markusevangeliet (V2/Universal)

05. Love Is All - A hundred things keep me up at night (What's Your Rupture?)

04. Afasi & Filthy - Fläcken (P.O.P.E.)

03. Frida Hyvönen - Silence is wild (Licking Fingers)

02. Moto Boy - s/t (Songs I Wish I Had Written)

01. Vapnet - Döda fallet (Hybris)

Semi-related to this whole weekly Gbg nonsense: who's going to Way Out West? What bands are you looking forward to seeing?

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.

]]> Fri, 14 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0800 articles top10s http://www.itsatrap.com/n/20589 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/20589 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/20589#comments NONS has revealed that Doktor Kosmos will release their new album "En ny skiva med Doktor Kosmos" next April.]]> Wed, 12 Dec 2007 13:19:24 -0800 news general http://www.itsatrap.com/n/20476 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/20476 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/20476#comments The new Montys Loco album "Farewell Mr Happy" is confirmed for release on March 5 via NONS. If you haven't heard the new songs posted on myspace yet, do so now: http://www.myspace.com/montysloco
Definitely one of next year's most anticipated releases.]]> Tue, 04 Dec 2007 11:56:45 -0800 news general http://www.itsatrap.com/n/20006 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/20006 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/20006#comments NONS is launching a new child-oriented imprint called NONS Barn starting with the release of the record + book set Alvin Eldpojken, featuring music by Stina Engelbrecht (Sarek) and Emil Nilsson, words from Stina and illustrations by Epter Bergting. More info: http://www.alvineldpojken.se]]> Tue, 30 Oct 2007 14:09:11 -0700 news general http://www.itsatrap.com/n/373 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/373 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/373#comments The Je Ne Sais Quoi has posted the title track for their new album "Rhythm" on myspace: http://www.myspace.com/thejenesaisquoi
As mentioned before, it comes out September 19 via NONS.]]> Wed, 22 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/529 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/529 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/529#comments The new album "Rhythm" from Swedish dance/post-punks The Je Ne Sais Quoi will be out on September 19 via NONS.]]> Mon, 06 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/1176 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/1176 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/1176#comments Also on the way from NONS is the new Montys Loco album "Namibiaalster" in November plus new singles from The Lionheart Brothers ("To make you love me"), Isolation Years ("Albino child") and Asha Ali ("A promise broken") in the near future.]]> Tue, 05 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/1175 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/1175 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/1175#comments The name of the forthcoming Perishers record has been revealed as "Victorious". Once again, it comes out September 4 via NONS.]]> Tue, 05 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25695-listmania-2007-so-far http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25695-listmania-2007-so-far http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25695-listmania-2007-so-far#comments 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:

1. 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.
2. Säkert! - s/t (Razzia)
   Annika Norlin together with peeps from Isolation Years. Immediate success of course. And in dialect, which is a huge plus!
3. 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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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:

1. 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.
2. Vapnet - Något dåligt nytt har hänt (Hybris)
   This band just keeps delivering the goods, and it keeps getting better.
3. Montt Mardié - Clocks/Pretender (Hybris)
   David Pagmar's second album is his vision finally coming into fruition.

Hanzan:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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:

1. 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.
2. Those Dancing Days - demo
   The Swedish buzz band of the year so far. Definitely one to watch out for in 2008.
3. 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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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:

1. Aerial - The sentinel (Nomethod)
   #1 with a bullet. An album I loved wholeheartedly from the very first moment I heard it.
2. 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.
3. 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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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:

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

Christer Lundberg: We all hope that "Uprising" will be the record that puts Universal Poplab on the map far outside the borders of northern Europe.

It's a bit early to say if this will happen, but being interviewed by you is a good start.

The reviews have been excellent (except for one or two by writers who stated their hatred of electronica and clearly hadn't bothered to listen to the album). So we are very pleased! As we cannot hope for high domestic record sales in this golden age of downloading, we are hoping that our singles "I could say I'm sorry" and "Heart apart" will receive the same attention on American and Russian radio as they've had on the Scandinavian channels.

We are planning to do as many gigs as we possibly can in 2007 since it's when our music meets a live audience that our work comes fully to life. Performing in the USA would be a dream come true, so feel free to give us a call!

AR: What lessons did you learn from the last record? Did you try to do things differently this time around?

CL: When it comes to promotion and marketing, it's really hard to do anything very differently from the first album as we're still signed to a very small label. We don't have a wallet big enough to buy attention in the record store displays. Since the first album, Internet sites like myspace have sprung up. UP has its own myspace page (www.myspace.com/universalpoplab) that showcases our music and links to our own web site (www.universalpoplab.com). Hopefully, our music's popularity will continue to grow as more people discover it, or are introduced by the devoted UP fans we know are already out there.

In working on "Uprising", I really tried my best to make the lyrics worth listening to, and I know both Hans and Paul (Olsson and Lachenardiére, respectively) were very picky when it came to choosing sounds and arrangements. We wanted to make a top quality record, an album that we'd be proud to play to our future grandchildren. If our debut album represents a dancing teenager on E, "Uprising" is a 25-year-old seeing the world more clearly through the mists of a thousand hangovers.

AR: A lot of your lyrics are very direct and politically motivated - how does the Swedish press pick up on it? And what about your fan/audience response? Do you ever worry that you're only just preaching to the converted?

CL: My lyrics can basically be seen as a diary or notebook of my thoughts and feelings over the last couple of years. I don't really care if I'm just preaching to the converted.

This is what I've been going through. This is how I see the world. For the songs on "Uprising", I set out with my friend and lyric consultant Michael Nendick to achieve an authentic and documentary feel. I want people to find more than rhyming couplets if they take the step from the melodies to the booklet.

There are already enough bullshit lyrics out there. In the music I listen to, I always appreciate thoughtful and considered lyrics. In that spirit, I want to give whoever makes up our audience the best lyrics I can come up with.

Some journalists have made comments like, "Great lyrics on the new album" and others, "My god, this is really pretentious shit". But the audience response has been fantastic. There are clearly listeners who have been attracted by the message in at least some of our songs. "Vampire in you", for example, has given Universal Poplab a whole new fan base of animal rights activists and sympathisers.

AR: Do you make a conscious effort to balance the personal and political material or are you just working with whatever comes to you?

CL: At the moment I have no idea what the next Universal Poplab album will be like, or if there is even going to be a third album. I've just started working on some new songs, but it's too early to say what the lyrics will be like. I guess my answer must be that I work with "what ever comes to me," focusing on factual things or issues that are truly dear to me. Writing complicated lyrics isn't hard. The big challenge lies in trying to explain difficult themes or events in an understandable way.

AR: You mention that "Vampire in you" has garnered you more animal-rights fans - has the opposite ever happened? Has some Universal Poplab fan ever approached you and said something like, "I love you guys, but I love hamburgers more."

CL: I've never met a fan who has told us anything like that. If, by some chance, someone did say that, I'd have to shrug my shoulders and wish them well. Of course, being a vegan or vegetarian is not a requirement for listening to and enjoying our music! Many of our fans are surely meat eaters. (In fact, most of my friends, and even my girlfriend, are meat eaters).

While it's possible to write bland songs that offend almost nobody, I'm not interested in making music simply to be popular. I write songs that express how I feel and think. I believe that people respond to and appreciate sincere and thoughtful lyrics, even when they raise uncomfortable questions.

In essence, I write lyrics to please myself and I trust that they will connect with other people.

AR: Who do you see as your peers? Do you consider yourselves to be in the same scene as fellow Swedish electropop acts such as The Embassy/Tough Alliance/etc.? What do you think of those groups?

CL: I can't really think of any other band that I would call a peer to Universal Poplab. I really respect the work of Embassy, TTA and The Knife (who have each made a really great tune or two), but I can't see any obvious similarities, beyond being from the same town and using lots of computers.

I grew up listening a lot to Soft Cell and the solo work of Marc Almond, Paul has his jazz and techno influences and Hans works as a technician and producer on everything from guitar pop to extreme electro. I guess we take the best parts of each member's influences and meld and process them till it's impossible to call the result anything other than Universal Poplab music. We make the kind of music that we ourselves would be extremely happy to hear on the radio or at a party.

We are, of course, very pleased when others share our taste in music!

AR: You guys seem fairly open to embracing new technology in that you've done a few free downloadable websingles and so on. How integral is the internet in your success? Do you have any plans to take this further?

CL: I'm a bit embarrassed to admit that I'm a complete Neanderthal when it comes to technical stuff. I still don't have a computer at home and I write my songs on a nylon-stringed guitar. Thank god my fellow musicians Paul and Hans are a thousand times more up to date!

At first, I was a bit skeptical about using the Internet as an outlet for our music, but now I realise that the Universal Poplab site and our myspace page are both fantastic windows to the world. Thanks to them, our music has spread around the globe and we hope interest in us will continue to grow as our music reaches new people. The only way I can think of in which the democracy of the web has backfired on us is that a lot of people download our songs illegally through file sharing instead of buying our albums in the shops or as a download. But as long as they keep coming to our gigs I don't mind too much.

AR: Does the embrace of technology carry over to your music? Are you the kinds of people who always want the latest/greatest in everything or are you still happy using old synths and recording gear?

CL: Paul and Hans can spend hours on end discussing new soft synths, compressors, reverbs, microphones and computer programmes (which, to be honest, can be quite tiring for a technical ignoramus like me). But they also seem to really embrace the sounds of the old synthesisers. Hans' studio houses quite an impressive collection of analogue synths. I think the music of Universal Poplab is characterised, at least in part, by the merging of old and new technology, taking inspiration from whatever sounds good to us. For example, while mixing "Uprising" we ran all the computer-generated and recorded sounds through an analogue mixing desk to achieve a deeper, more vibrant, organic sound.

AR: Overall, do you think that Web exposure has helped you or hurt you? Has it affected the way the band operates?

CL: I'm sure that the Web exposure we've had has helped us in many ways. And I think that the explosion of music on the Web is a fantastic thing.

Now though, there is almost too much music out there. If you are looking for interesting new bands, new sounds and great songs you'll probably have to wade through a lot of shit before you find the good stuff. When we started Universal Poplab, I had absolutely no idea how much of the band's time would have to be spent taking care of Web stuff. In that respect, being in a band has become more like an office job than the clichéd picture of a rock'n'roll lifestyle.

AR: Do you try to stay up on current music? Any artists that I should be paying attention to, Swedish or otherwise?

CL: I have the advantage of keeping up-to-date on new music through my day job. (I host the daytime radio show 'Christer' on Swedish national radio P3).

Even though the radio channel's music has gone ever more mainstream, I still get to hear a lot of new and interesting stuff. From taking a look at your website, I'm pretty sure you already know everything you need to about Scandinavian music. Actually, I'm quite impressed as your site mentions a lot of bands I've not even heard of.

It's hard to pick artists to recommend to you, but the Irishman Patrick Wolf has made a strong impression on me. I love his first two albums.

AR: Are there any current pop culture phenomenons that you think are worth paying attention to?

CL: The pop culture phenomenon that excites me most right now must be the growing interest in live music. At least in Sweden, there seem to be more and more gigs, shows and festivals (and a lot of people willing to pay for them). I think most people long to experience unique things, personal encounters.

A need to see, touch, and smell. And since a CD or a downloaded file is so artificial, I think it's natural that live music is on the upswing.

AR: So, what's next for Universal Poplab? Any specific goals?

CL: Our plan right now is to do as many gigs as we possibly can. "Fire", the third single from the album, is due for release at the beginning of April. An animated video, done in a very nice old-school style, is right now in production. Creating an animated video with no budget is pretty tricky, but as with so many times before, we are being rescued by our fantastic friends.

Over the next few months, when I'm not performing live or radio broadcasting I'll be spending all my free time trying to write new songs. And for the end of this coming summer, we've decided to try a new way of recording. We're going to pack a minibus full of synthesizers and recording gear and drive out to a cabin in the countryside. There we'll lock ourselves up for a couple of weeks and let the creativity flow.

I think it'll do us a lot of good to get out of the city and be able to focus a hundred percent on the music with no distractions except birds and trees.

Hopefully, we'll come home with what will become our third album.

AR: Any last words?

CL: hm... I hope you'll like "Uprising" as much as we do!

Thanks a lot. Best wishes!

Buy "Uprising": [click here]

]]> Mon, 12 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0700 articles interviews http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25655-top-10s-for-2006-its-a-trap http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25655-top-10s-for-2006-its-a-trap http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25655-top-10s-for-2006-its-a-trap#comments 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)

]]> Fri, 15 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0800 articles top10s http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25654-top-10s-for-2006-staff-picks http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25654-top-10s-for-2006-staff-picks http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25654-top-10s-for-2006-staff-picks#comments 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


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

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.

]]> Thu, 14 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0800 articles top10s http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25651-top-10s-for-2006-viktor-sjoberg http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25651-top-10s-for-2006-viktor-sjoberg http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25651-top-10s-for-2006-viktor-sjoberg#comments Five musical moments, 2006

*Listening to the Mr. Suitcase remix of Nicholas Makelberge's "South America" with my friend Daniel in a Las Vegas hotel room. "Europeans are not dangerous" and "we need what's strange to us". It might all be nonsense, but that was a perfect experience.

*Listening to the opening track of Diplo's "Florida" album in cars. First in Toledo, Ohio and a few weeks later in La Jolla, California. It is from now on the sound that equals precious friendship.

*Playing with Alina at På Besök in Malmö, February. A few weeks later, listening to a recording of the show and enjoying the first 8 or 9 minutes tremendously.

*Last minute rehearsals with the V. Sjöberg New Jazz Quartet in a Danish artist studio. I played the boys the rough idea for a cover of R. Kelly's "Happy people" and that got them going. It was so fun and so beautiful that I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time.

*Hearing Tsukimono play "Speaking about punk rock" a few times during live shows throughout the year and shouting.

Five great releases:

Cuizinier – "Pour Les Filles Vol. 2"

J Dilla – "Donuts"

Jonas Lindgren – "You can come by anytime you want to, I'll be around"

Para One – "Epiphanie"

Tsukimono – "Née"


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

Viktor is so busy with so many different projects, it's hard to say exactly what he'll do next. Whatever it is, I'm sure it will be amazing.
www.structuressonores.com

]]> Tue, 12 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0800 articles top10s http://www.itsatrap.com/n/4032 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/4032 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/4032#comments Swedish singer/songwriter Asha Ali will release her new self-titled full-length on November 8 via NONS. Preview all the tracks at Klicktrack: http://www.klicktrack.com/shop/release.jsp?cp=9&r=15846]]> Wed, 18 Oct 2006 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/27892-mp3-laakso-long-beach http://www.itsatrap.com/n/27892-mp3-laakso-long-beach http://www.itsatrap.com/n/27892-mp3-laakso-long-beach#comments Besides my own "Reader's companion" CDs there really isn't a better soundtrack to this site than the new "Svensk indie" compilation just released from NONS. Compiled by journalist/promoter/indie guru Terry Ericsson with assistance from Per Helin and Emelie Bååth, this collection is a monstrous 42-tracks plus copious liner notes (på Svensk, naturally). If you don't already have a good majority of these songs in your collection, this is probably the easiest way to get yourself educated. My interview with Terry is still in the works, but I did catch up with both Emelie and Per to ask them about their favorite selections:

Emelie: My favourite song on the compilation is "Hey princess" by Popsicle. It's one of the songs in my life that always makes me glad and it's also a brilliant and perfect floor filler! I actually first heard it on a dance floor, I don't remember which pop club in Sthlm it was, but it could have been Flowered Up or Too Cool for School sometime around -98. I guess I was too young to discover the song when it first was released. To me, back then, Popsicle was all about "Not forever" and "American poet" but the song "Hey princess" simply had a great revival around that time, the dj:s were playing it on clubs and the younger crowd (with me included) discovered the song and I remember that I fell in love with the song at once.

Per: Suredo - "Average cell". That was one of the first Swedish indie tunes that really caught my attention. When I first heard it I remember thinking; what interesting new English band is this (this was at the time when British still was a positive thing musically wise).

But what about all the great songs that were left out? Their picks...

Emelie: I really tried to get Laakso and their song "Long Beach" on the compilation since Laakso is one of my favourite Swedish bands and "Long Beach" one of their greatest songs, but there simply was no room. Unfortunately.

Per: Wow, that¹s many... For me it would probably be any song by Komeda.

Since I figure that trying to decide upon the 'best' Komeda song would be next to impossible, I'm offering up Laakso's "Long Beach" as today's mp3. Why not? Also, if you're in Stockholm, don't forget to check out the release party at Debaser Medis tomorrow October 14. I have no idea who the secret band will be, but I'm sure it'll be good.]]> Fri, 13 Oct 2006 00:00:00 -0700 mp3s http://www.itsatrap.com/n/26142-tar-feathers-make-way-for-the-ocean-floor-to-fall-to-the-surface-release-the-bats http://www.itsatrap.com/n/26142-tar-feathers-make-way-for-the-ocean-floor-to-fall-to-the-surface-release-the-bats http://www.itsatrap.com/n/26142-tar-feathers-make-way-for-the-ocean-floor-to-fall-to-the-surface-release-the-bats#comments Tar... Feathers for doing virtually everything right to grab one's attention with this bizarrely titled CD "Make way for the ocean floor to fall to the surface." I hate trying to fit this into a genre, but "stylized art punk" is the general ballpark here, as this very accomplished outfit combines the fluid, disciplined guitar work and tension-laced vocals of multi-talented band leader Marcus Nyke with the utterly exemplary rhythm section of Morton Billeskalns (drums) and Pal Olovsson Rodenius (bass). Additional programming/drumming is also provided by Simon Stalhamre. The sleeve design itself is colorful and weird, and--bless my soul--a lyric sheet is provided. This is enormously helpful, because Nyke's voice here could be a dealbreaker for some. It's like he sings with clenched fists, in a manner that maxmizes both the tension in the lyrics and the dark emotions (often about social detachment or situational anger) powering many of the compositions. So you tend to feel tense yourself while listening, although the masterful playing acts as a reassuring buffer. "Breathing through a straw" exemplifies the potently effective interaction between the no-nonsense guitar and ace rhythm section; the band establishes a dynamic instrumental core that stays anchored for the entire recording. "Half a sentence" has a gritty energy that straddles the line between "arty" and "punk" with the former winning by a hair, and Nyke's occasional yelps or short shrieks act as a kind of weirdness beacon for the aural traveler. The moody "You are lucky to have nothing" has a captivating instrumental intro and gains from guest vocal harmonies by Anna Tomlin. It's great fun following the lyrics throughout, when they're encased in such willful nonconformity. Sample: "Someone seems to have it all/Someone else tries too hard/Why do some things float?/Why are bunnies hopping?" This may be uneasy listening, but it's truly distinctive. And since on that one and "Tada" Nyke is pretty much playing/programming everything himself, it's hard not to conclude that the guy is probably some sort of wacky genius. At any rate, for consistency of vision and overall sonic excellence, this is one of the best albums on the weirder side of Swedish rock since The State of Floral Beings' last CD. If you can get used to Nyke's edgy vocals, you'll find yourself enjoying one heck of a cool disc.]]> Wed, 11 Oct 2006 00:00:00 -0700 reviews http://www.itsatrap.com/n/4272 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/4272 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/4272#comments Check out the microsite for the new NONS compilation "Svensk indie 1988-2006 - en kärleks historia", a collection of Sweden's best indie rock from the past eight years: http://www.svenskindie.se/
It comes out October 11. I actually just received a copy in mail today and it looks amazing. Great song selection and tons of liner notes/interviews with the artists involved. Definitely recommended.]]> Wed, 27 Sep 2006 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/5509 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/5509 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/5509#comments More World Cup fever, courtesy of Uje Brandelius (aka Doktor Kosmos) and NONS: http://www.bollenbollenbollen.se/]]> Thu, 08 Jun 2006 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/5877 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/5877 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/5877#comments Oslo-based math-metal act Manhattan Skyline will tour the UK this fall:

09/28 - tba, Leeds (UK)
09/29 - tba, Nottingham (UK)
09/30 - Westport, Dundee (UK)
10/01 - Canons Gait, Edinburgh (UK)
10/02 - Bar Bloc Glasgow, Glasgow (UK)
10/03 - tba, Aberdeen (UK)
10/04 - tba, Oxford (UK)
10/05 - The Downtown Diner, Ashford (UK)
10/06 - The Lido, Margate (UK)
10/07 - tba, Chester (UK)
10/08 - tba, Coventry (UK)

The band will also be contributing to the forthcoming "Emo apocalypse" compilation on React With Protest featuring 30-second songs from a whole shitload of bands such as Funeral Diner, The Birds Are Spies They Report to the Trees, Suis La Lune, Catena Collapse and many, many more. Otherwise, the band is in the studio working on their full-lenth debut and hopes to have it done in time for the aforementioned tour.]]> Wed, 10 May 2006 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/6035 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/6035 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/6035#comments Datarock on tour across Europe:

04/27 - Paradiso (Small Stage), Amsterdam (NL)
04/28 - Karlstorbahnhof, Heidelberg (GER)
04/29 - Dampfzentrale, Bern (SWI)
04/30 - Tab Tap, Schaffhausen (SWI)
05/01 - Talacker, Zurich (SWI)
05/02 - Cairo, Wuerzburg (GER)
05/03 - Lovelite, Berlin (GER)
05/04 - Noveau Casino, Paris (FRA)
05/05 - secret show, Paris (FRA)
05/06 - tba
05/07 - Optimo, Glasgow (SCO)
05/08 - Little Civic, Wolverhampton (UK)
05/09 - Lennons, Southampton (UK)
05/10 - tba
05/11 - The Luminaire, London (UK)
06/17 - Hultsfred Festival, Hultsfred (SWE)
08/05 - Klubbfestuka, Bodø (NOR)
08/13 - Festival les Nuits Secretes, Aulnoye Aymeries (FRA)
08/18 - Festival Pantiero, Cannes (FRA)
08/19 - Steinkjerfestivalen , Steinkjer (NOR)

All dates through May are with fellow Norwegians Ungdomskulen.]]> Wed, 26 Apr 2006 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/6150 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/6150 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/6150#comments The relatively new, but very good music blog The Katapult has posted an excellent summation of the new Montys Loco album: http://thekatapult.blogspot.com/2006/04/montys-loco-man-overboard-nons-2006.html
David's statement "It's a record that at first comes off as nothing special, but just as a seed takes its time to blossom into a wild colourful lovely flower." is dead-on.]]> Mon, 17 Apr 2006 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/6394 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/6394 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/6394#comments New stock just arrived from NONS including the latest from Montys Loco, Asha Ali and Holy Madre! Go spend some money!]]> Wed, 29 Mar 2006 00:00:00 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/6841 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/6841 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/6841#comments Okay, I'm back after spending some 20+ hours in a car with my four dogs this past weekend. That's probably the last time I'll be doing that for a loooong time, god willing. New mp3 today from Montys Loco off their new album "Man overboard", out now on NONS. I posted the first single "Wasteland" awhile ago and was pretty darn stoked on it, but the full record is even better than I expected. I love the stripped-down arrangements and Björn Yttling's superb production. Take today's track "Give me more" for instance - the rhythm section is barely more than a floor tom, some percussion and a dirty fuzz bass. It shouldn't sound so complete, but it does. That's the just the tip of the iceberg, too: The whole record is full of unexpected moments of brilliance, one right after another. A definite gem of a disc - proof positive that less is often more.]]> Tue, 28 Feb 2006 00:00:00 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/28045-mp3-montys-loco-give-me-more http://www.itsatrap.com/n/28045-mp3-montys-loco-give-me-more http://www.itsatrap.com/n/28045-mp3-montys-loco-give-me-more#comments Okay, I'm back after spending some 20+ hours in a car with my four dogs this past weekend. That's probably the last time I'll be doing that for a loooong time, god willing. New mp3 today from Montys Loco off their new album "Man overboard", out now on NONS. I posted the first single "Wasteland" awhile ago and was pretty darn stoked on it, but the full record is even better than I expected. I love the stripped-down arrangements and Björn Yttling's superb production. Take today's track "Give me more" for instance - the rhythm section is barely more than a floor tom, some percussion and a dirty fuzz bass. It shouldn't sound so complete, but it does. That's the just the tip of the iceberg, too: The whole record is full of unexpected moments of brilliance, one right after another. A definite gem of a disc - proof positive that less is often more.]]> Tue, 28 Feb 2006 00:00:00 -0800 mp3s http://www.itsatrap.com/n/7162 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/7162 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/7162#comments The concept of the NONS "Jävla kritiker!" compilation is intriguing: gather up a number of renown critics and have them all write reviews for songs yet to be made. Then have the artists create the song to fit the review. Even though I knew the results would be mixed, I still was incredibly excited to hear it because the idea is just too good. The downside however, is that my Swedish language skills are just not good enough to understand all of the critical essays that are the foundation of the project. Oh well, at least I still have the music, right? Well, the results are uneven, just as I predicted. There are a few diamonds in the rough though - both Andreas Tilliander and Sophie Rimheden contribute nice dancey electronic numbers and Nicolai Dunger's instrumental track is quite good, as is Silverbullit's song. The highlight for me though, is Isolation Years. It's not all that surprising since they have long been one of my favorite bands, but what can I say? The truth is what it is. Read the review and go download the song.]]> Mon, 06 Feb 2006 00:00:00 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/28054-mp3-isolation-years-minstrel http://www.itsatrap.com/n/28054-mp3-isolation-years-minstrel http://www.itsatrap.com/n/28054-mp3-isolation-years-minstrel#comments The concept of the NONS "Jävla kritiker!" compilation is intriguing: gather up a number of renown critics and have them all write reviews for songs yet to be made. Then have the artists create the song to fit the review. Even though I knew the results would be mixed, I still was incredibly excited to hear it because the idea is just too good. The downside however, is that my Swedish language skills are just not good enough to understand all of the critical essays that are the foundation of the project. Oh well, at least I still have the music, right? Well, the results are uneven, just as I predicted. There are a few diamonds in the rough though - both Andreas Tilliander and Sophie Rimheden contribute nice dancey electronic numbers and Nicolai Dunger's instrumental track is quite good, as is Silverbullit's song. The highlight for me though, is Isolation Years. It's not all that surprising since they have long been one of my favorite bands, but what can I say? The truth is what it is. Read the review and go download the song.]]> Mon, 06 Feb 2006 00:00:00 -0800 mp3s http://www.itsatrap.com/n/7222 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/7222 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/7222#comments Mattias Hellberg (Hederos & Hellberg, etc.) and Mattias Areskog (Consequences) have collaborated on a new duo project which they're calling Mattias & Mattias. Check out two new songs at myspace, one of which includes guest vocals from NONS recording artist Asha Ali: http://www.myspace.com/mattiasmattias]]> Thu, 02 Feb 2006 00:00:00 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25551-interview-the-state-of-samuel http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25551-interview-the-state-of-samuel http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25551-interview-the-state-of-samuel#comments With frequent comparisons to both Apples in Stereo and Guided by Voices, The State of Samuel forged its own identity in the twee/indie genre with its quirky, confident mix of esoteric lyrics and a just-so lo fi sound. The band's Samuel Petersson and Peter Eriksson played me some of the material from the upcoming release -- oh, just you wait -- at their rehearsal space in Stockholm, as they reflected on tape recording, touring like crazy, and knowing a lot of obscure bands.
- Roni Brunn

RB: How has your move from your home town on the West Coast to Stockholm changed your perspective on music?

SP: Well, I went from a no scene to a scene, basically. [Laughs] I recorded some tapes, in Varberg where I'm from. I went downtown and sold them there, but it was just a fun thing to do. Here more people cared and asked me to play shows and stuff. Which was pretty much, nonexistent back there. I wasn't really looking for that back then, either.

RB: Why is Stockholm a better fit for you?

SP: Everyone is here, basically: all the bands and all the journalists that care about this kind of music live here. After living here for like two years, I started to know all these people. So they book me at shows and, now some of those people have moved on to having their own radio shows or write for magazines, so they've become pretty successful.

RB: How would you describe this type of music?

SP: Home recorded, bedroom music, [laughs] at least that's what it used to be. I don't know now. But I still do like to write songs on my four-track. Just not the final product. It's more, maybe computerized now. But we still record some on four-track...

PE: And then transfer it to a computer.

SP: We do like, overdubs.

RB: How do you decide which track to do where?

SP: It depends on the vibe you want on the track too

PE: It's kind of more lo-fi to do it on a four-track tape recorder then on a computer. Maybe I'm to blame a little bit. Because we were recording a lot on the computer, but I think Sam deserves to be...

SP: We need it to progress to the computer to get a bit more hi-fi.

PE: Get a radio hit [laughs].

RB: Describe your songwriting process.

SP: I sit at home with my headphones on with my electric guitar plugged directly into my four-track. And then I play guitar and sing. I have a chorus pedal that's really fuzzy lo-fi that I use. So I basically pad my vocals to get, to get the classic sound on my tape recordings.

RB: Once you've recorded a song, do you go back to change it, or you take it as it is, or throw it all out?

SP: Usually there are just nonsense lyrics. So I have to finish it on my acoustic guitar, maybe. I write the lyrics and maybe bring it down here, we'll play it together, and decide if it's gonna be an electric song or an acoustic song. And then these guys usually add something, like a break. Usually when I bring songs here, they have really simple structures. And Isak, he's a songwriter, too, but he writes more complex songs.

RB: How did you hook up?

SP: I got an email from Isak's brother, Matti. Somehow he heard that I was looking for people to play in my live band, 'cause I always switch people, I really didn't have any steady people to play with. So he wrote me and said like, "I think I should be in your band," And he brought these two guys along.

RB: Why the changing lineup?

SP: I just want to do this stuff live with everything, like the drums, bass. I usually record all that stuff myself. It was around 2001 when I released my first EP, and there was a bit of hype around it, so people were asking for gigs.

RB: How does the lineup change and evolve?

SP: In Glasgow, we played with a new guitarist named Andrev. He might join us for gigs, but I'm not sure if he's gonna be in the recordings.

PE: He's got a different style of playing guitar.

SP: It's basically me, Isak, and Peter. It's like the main core of the band.

PE: Maybe we'll end up a trio. It's enough.

SP: We'll bring someone out for live shows. But those guys, they have stuff to do, their own bands. So I don't know if they really want to be in another band. [Laughs] When you rehearse, it's good to not have so many people who want input. I still want simplicity, the classic structure, in my songs. And if you get too many producer-types involved, it can get a bit messy, 'cause they want to change the bass here, and we should have this cool thing happening here.

PE: There's Sam, and there's me. I'm the recorder, but I play in four bands, they record a lot of stuff. And Isak is also songwriter, so it's enough as it is. [Laughs]

SP: It's still my thing, I guess, and I like the other guys to have their main things. Peter has a lot of main things [laughs]. Isak has Speedmarket Avenue, and that's his big band. So there's no jealousy or anything like that. I hope.

PE: It's more like suggestions. It's never, "I want to play it like this, otherwise, I'm not playing it."

SP: I don't think people want to get too involved, either, because they have their own bands, too.

RB: Do you help out other bands?

SP: Yeah, I do vocals with Speedmarket Avenue, and I play if someone needs a guitarist for a show. Everyone here in Stockholm knows each other, like all those bands you probably dig, Acid House Kings, for example.

RB: What attracts you to simple, classic songwriting? And simple classic sounds?

SP: It's basically what I'm listening to: classic American power pop from the '70s and '80s.

RB: What do you listen to?

SP: Everything. [Laughs] Game Theory, Let's Active, Raspberries, Big Star, Badfinger, Rubinoos, Cheap Trick, The Shoes, 20/20, Fotomaker. And a whole lot more.

RB: And do you listen to current stuff?

SP: Yeah, I still listen to current power pop that has the classic vibe. But those bands are really obscure, usually. Chris Richards put out a great CD last year. And this year, a guy called Devin Davis put out a great CD, too. I listen to all that indiepop stuff too, and all the classic pop/rock. A lot of different things.

RB: How do you find out about all those people?

SP: Usually through, really nerdy mailing lists. [Laughs] Have you heard about Not Lame? It's a pretty geeky mail order website. They've been doing it like for 10, 20 years or something. It's just power pop, and they make recommendations.

RB: Which format do you prefer, the EP or a full-length album?

SP: I prefer the EP. But since no one really cares about EPs, I prefer the full-length [laughs].

RB: What do you like about EPs?

SP: You can put them out pretty fast, I guess. 'Cause they only need four songs. But what I don't like about making EPs, like if you put all your good songs on one, they might disappear, and people don't seem to take notice. This will sound pretty crazy, but if you produce a good album, it will go down in history. And if you produce a good EP, maybe people will write about it, but it won't be the same. I think people appreciate the record more. But I like EPs.

PE: Yeah, me too. But sometimes, you get the feeling that the bands are stressed out, because they want to release something almost every year or something. So you gotta do an EP. And then it kind of disappears. You know they could wait two years and release a full length album. I think it's terrible.

SP: Yeah, you want to save all the good songs for the full length, usually. And now you can put out an EP single, from a record, and add three other songs that are not maybe album material, on it. I think that's a better way.

PE: The classic way.

RB: How has your sound evolved?

SP: It's evolved from being really, really fuzzy, bad sounding lo-fi, to really good sounding, [laughs] tight lo-fi. When I started out, I really couldn't sing that well. I didn't have any power in my voice, more or less. It was more like I was singing in my bedroom, all these short songs about weird things. And I put out tapes.

RB: Has the songwriting evolved as well, you said you were singing about weird things?

SP: Mainly because of the other guys in the band. Isak usually puts an intro somewhere or a bridge. Or backing vocals. The ideas I write is still pretty basic. I bring it here, and we see what to do with it. Some stuff stays basic.

RB: What inspires you to create music?

SP: I don't know. It used to be the only thing I had to do when I felt lonely [laughs]. I really wasn't much of a party guy when I moved here. I went to shows, but on the weeknights, I sat at home and just recorded songs on my four track. About stuff I read in books and old films. I think more recently it's been more about, maybe my life. But it's still pretty abstract [laughs].

RB: Why is that?

SP: I guess I write lyrics down as the song progresses, until I finish a song. Then I'll play the song, and other words will come out of my mouth. I will be like, "oh, that word sounds so much cooler." [Laughs] So I put that word there instead. And the song will actually end up sounding cooler, but maybe with a bit weird content than it started out to be. A lot of the songs that we will release on a new record make sense, if you analyze them, but it's pretty hard to tell.

RB: So they don't reflect what you at first started out saying?

SP: Some of the songs reflect sadness and dark stuff. Then other songs are pretty happy, but still with pretty sad lyrics. But I think I'm happier as a person now than I was, say, last year or the year before that, when I wrote a lot of stuff for this album. I guess you have to progress and start writing about your personal life [laughs] eventually.

RB: Some of the new material sounds darker.

SP: Yeah, that's, if you read the lyrics, like, they might sound dark, but they still rhyme.

RB: Is it hard to play something that was much more meaningful to you a while ago?

SP: Not really. Even though I write them from my perspective, the lyrics are abstract. People really need to analyze them, so I don't feel weird playing them at all. It's not like I write, "I'm feeling sad and I want to die." They're not trying to describe depression, 'cause I didn't really have a depression. They're just trying to describe feeling lonely and to describe the dark side. In a positive way. But some of the songs can just be about a character in a movie. I still write those songs, so it'll be a jolly good mix, I guess.

RB: What sort of movies do you like?

SP: I used to buy a lot of bad, crappy American movies, like, B-movies. But I like all the classic stuff, "Planet of the Apes" and "Spartacus."

RB: What's in the future for The State of Samuel?

SP: The future is to put out a new record.

RB: Are you gonna tour it?

SP: Yeah. We're gonna tour like crazy [laughs]. Definitely gonna do a European and an American tour.

RB: How is it different playing in the U.S. versus at home?

SP: Well, here, Stockholm, is kind of special, I guess. 'Cause if we play, maybe, a city 10 miles away from Stockholm, people will be really appreciative, but here, people are...

PE: More like 100 miles...

SP: I mean, like, Norrköping.

RB: 10 Swedish miles?

SP: Yeah, 10 Swedish miles [laughs]. And here, people are your friends and they don't care too much.

PE: Depends on the venue. If it's a big venue, and you're an opening act for some other band or something, when we played, we were the opening act for Essex Green, you know, it's like different. Sometimes you end up playing for 10 of your friends and five people you don't know. It's mostly quite a good crowd in Stockholm.

SP: If you play a medium sized city, where they don't get a lot of shows, people would come more than here.

PE: Yeah, it's more fun to play out in the country.

SP: It's like New York or like any big city where people get so many shows, they can't go to all of them. Something like that.

SP: Is it similar in the States? Do you find that playing smaller cities is better?

PE: We didn't play in the smaller cities.

SP: I want to play the big cities in the States. I find that people are really more appreciative there. They're really into it -- they talk to you after the shows, and buy your record, usually. But I think next time we'll try to tour with a bigger band. If you're going there, you're still assured that people will come to the show. I have some contacts overseas so we'll see.

RB: How do you see your audience? Is it a different crowd in every city?

SP: Here it's mainly middle aged and thirties guys. [Laughs] But that's mostly Stockholm. Outside Stockholm, it's a lot of young people, like 16, 17 year olds.

PE: It's more fun to play an all ages show than a 21 and over place.

SP: I guess what you see happening in the States right now is that there's a lot of young people liking indie pop bands, and those people go to shows. They're usually more crazy and appreciative when you go there. So there's a lot of those fans. The last album came out two and a half years ago. When this comes out, we will support it, and, hopefully, get a newer teenage fan base. But I still find that people seem to find out about older records online and write me, so it's pretty cool.

RB: Where else do you think your music would fit?

SP: In Japan, they like Swedish music and really obscure music. After I released my first EP, I was contacted by this label that mostly releases like dance, techno or Japanese music, not really what I was doing. They contacted me in 2002, and they wanted to release a compilation of songs from my tapes and the seven inch. So I put that together, and they mastered it and put it out. I got Japanese fan mails, pretty exciting. Totally unexpected. So it was a really fun thing to happen. I want to go to Japan. People seem fun and crazy. If they like bands, they seem to really be into them and go to shows. So it'll be like just see the culture and see if I have any fans over there, who they are, where they are.

RB: Were you happy about the song structure? The track order?

SP: Yeah, it's a pretty good overview of what I've been doing since I started out, the best songs from the tapes and the seven inch. But now we sound a bit different. Before, I wrote the verse and chorus, and then I recorded in like one minute [laughs]. And now, we're doing the fourth and fifth recording on songs. It's pretty different.

PE: It's going to be quite different record from the last one.

SP: After that, I put out a record in 2003 on a Canadian label and on a Swedish label. I guess that progressed a little bit from the Japanese release.

.:About the author:

Designer/musician Roni Brunn dreams of Stockholm while residing in Los Angeles, where she runs a math club. Of course.

]]> Fri, 06 Jan 2006 00:00:00 -0800 articles interviews http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25535-top-10s-for-2005-magnus-Oberg-chalksounds-nomethod http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25535-top-10s-for-2005-magnus-Oberg-chalksounds-nomethod http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25535-top-10s-for-2005-magnus-Oberg-chalksounds-nomethod#comments No particular theme, just 10 good things:

01. The Bear Quartet - Saturday Night CD (no comparison, no competition)

02. Birth of Nomethod Records

03. American indie has a great year (Sonic Youth Live @ Accelerator, Deerhoof - Four runners CD, Crooked Fingers - Archers frontman writes songs again!, Greg Dulli - Keep doing his thing solo and with Twilight Singers, Maritime - We the vehicles is a great pop album, Sun Kil Moon - Mark Kozelek still going on, just to name a few.)

04. Swedish indie is blooming! (Convoj, TEWBK, Alarma Man, Ellis the Vacuumchild, QGMR, The Embassy, Seven feet four, Suburban Kids with Biblical Names, Asha Ali, The Je Ne Sais Quoi, Twinko) And a lot more bands are making GREAT music.

05. Klubb Modos / Umeå / Scharinska Villan (going better and better, highlight so far this year was the Modos goes Nons night with Isolation Years, Asha Ali and PUFFIN playing live!)

06. Going on my first vacation in January since I was maybe 10 years old, going to Sicily, taking a week off, need it so bad

07. Movies (I enjoyed Crash, Batman Forever, Final Star Wars movie, Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, Corpse Bride)

08. Magazines (SEX & Hjort fanzine rule)

09. Jan-Ove Waldner hasn't quit yet, I know he can win another big title

10. Norrland.


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

Magnus is the big cheese behind Chalksounds Records, a label who just put out their final release: the self-titled debut album from The End Will Be Kicks. Magnus also runs (It's the method of) Nomethod, a new label which will be putting out tons of great new stuff in 2006.
www.chalksounds.com
www.nomethod.se

]]> Wed, 21 Dec 2005 00:00:00 -0800 articles top10s http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25529-top-10s-for-2005-its-a-trap http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25529-top-10s-for-2005-its-a-trap http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25529-top-10s-for-2005-its-a-trap#comments Top ten albums for 2005 (in alphabetical order):

01. A-ha - Analogue (Universal)
I'm not usually one to fall for big pop albums like this, but A-ha has the class, maturity and songwriting skills to pull it off right.

02. Alog - Miniatures (Rune Grammofon)
This Norwegian duo combines electronic music, found-sound and analog instruments in astounding ways. The tools are anything but new, but the sounds they create are brilliant.

03. Bear Quartet - Saturday night (A West Side Fabrication)
Sweden's leading indierock act promised a difficult album and they delivered. Very few bands this far into their career would continue to innovate and evolve like The Bear Quartet.

04. Det Gamla Landet - s/t (Aa)
The soundtrack to a spaghetti western that has yet to be made. Beautiful and Evocative. [BUY]

05. Hyacinth House - s/t (True Music Production)
The dark horse of my list. It's very rare that some unknown, unproven band makes such an impact on me, but HH was such a band. On the surface there isn't really anything too special about these guys: country/twang with a healthy dose of classic rock. Been there, done that, right? Wrong.

06. Isolation Years - Cover the distance (NONS)
While not the best album of their career thus far ("It's golden" is my current #1), this is still 1000x more satisfying than so many other records I heard in 2005. I know I'll be able to put this on five years from now and will still enjoy it just the same.

07. Logh - A sunset panorama (Bad Taste/Hydrahead)
As with Isolation Years, this album is not Logh's best work, but it's still damn good. They took a brave, high-minded concept (recording live in the studio with almost zero overdubs) and pulled it off. [BUY]

08. Plain Fade - Lies, sanctions and cruise missles (Punos Sound)
I knew from the very first moment I heard Plain Fade that they were something special. After months of waiting for the debut CD to arrive, I was able to confirm it. [BUY]

09. The Psyke Project - Daikini (CPH-Sound)
As Aversionline said, "this is one of those rare instances where all of the typical "skull-crushing", "paint-peeling", "face-ripping", "ear-shredding" analogies do indeed apply." The finest heavy record I've heard in ages. [BUY]

10. Tiger Lou - The loyal (Startracks)
What don't I love about Tiger Lou? Every new release improves upon the last and of course the latest record is no exception. [BUY]

Honorable mentions:

Hello Saferide - Introducing... (Razzia)
I didn't really get behind this album at first because it's just so... nice. I usually tend towards edgier stuff, y'know? But my wife, bless her heart, kept playing it and it kept growing on me.

Moneybrother - To die alone (Burning Heart)
Even though it didn't make my final top 10 list, I know this is probably the #1 Swedish pop album for a lot of people. Of all the majorly hyped acts this year, Moneybrother truly deserved it.

Monkeystrikes - You hate my beautiful love (Dust Music)
Another album that I learned to love through repeated listenings by my wife. Seriously underappreciated.

David Sandström Overdrive - Go down (Mofab Teg)
Another strong contender for the top 10 that just didn't quite make it. Just like Isolation Years, this will still sound just as satisfying in years to come.

The End Will Be Kicks - s/t (Chalksounds)
Long awaited and much anticipated. Thank god it lives up to expectations. Nobodoy does noisy Norrland indierock like Niklas Quintana. [BUY]

Notable EPs:

Convoj - s/t (Chalksounds) [BUY]

Firefox AK - What's that sound (Razzia/Combat Disc) [BUY]

I'm From Barcelona - Sing!! (self-released)

Seven Feet Four - To kill is easy (Hysteri/Tenderversion) [BUY]

Torpedo - Declare despair (Strange Fruit)

]]> Thu, 15 Dec 2005 00:00:00 -0800 articles top10s http://www.itsatrap.com/n/8293 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/8293 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/8293#comments Pics from the NONS showcase/Puffin reunion in Umeå this past weekend: http://klubbmodos.blogspot.com/2005/11/modos-goes-nons-bilder.html]]> Mon, 14 Nov 2005 00:00:00 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25503-live-report-turbonegro-the-international-noise-conspiracy-house-of-blues-la-10-16-05 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25503-live-report-turbonegro-the-international-noise-conspiracy-house-of-blues-la-10-16-05 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25503-live-report-turbonegro-the-international-noise-conspiracy-house-of-blues-la-10-16-05#comments At first, I wasn't planning on seeing Turbonegro at this show... that was, until I saw that T(I)NC was one of the openers. Then I definitely had to go.

The sold-out crowd was in pretty good spirits for that drizzly Sunday evening. First up was Juliette and the Licks. Now, I really don't care much for Juliette Lewis' musical endeavors but I do have to admit, she has an interesting voice and her stage presence is really good. Some members of the crowd seemed to be into it, including this kinda old dude who was drunk and sang along to every one of her songs. There were also random shouts of "Take off your shirt" thrown at her, which she ignored quite well. The band played a 30-minute set and then left.

After waiting a bit more, T(I)NC finally came on. The set they played was similar to when I saw them at the Avalon a few days before this show with a few changes here and there. Same great energy. They opened with "Black mask" and then went into "Up for sale." A majority of their set was devoted to stuff off of their latest effort "Armed love". Dennis Lyxzén dances on the stage like a man possessed, doing things that would make a chiropractor worry. During breaks between songs, he spoke and commented on all things political. For forty minutes or so, they put on another high energy set and closed it out with "Armed love". If you haven't seen them live, you should try to catch them when they head across North America this winter.

Turbonegro also put on another great show. A great hour-and-a-half of glam-rock decadence with cannons that shot out dollars with the members on them during "Sell your body (to the night)" and confetti and balloons falling from the ceiling. Their set focused mainly on songs from their latest release "Party animals" but also compassed a good number from their previous releases ("Ass cobra", "Apocalypse dudes" and "Scandinavian leather"). Vocalist Hank von Helvete was typical, telling great jokes and egging the crowd on by pouring Heineken into their mouths and spitting it at them. He even showed some great dance steps. There was also a midget dressed in the same manner as Hank that came out at the beginning of the show and again during "Ride with us" carrying a sign which read, "When Everybody Hates You!!!" Guitarist Euroboy climbed the shoulders of one of the techs during "Prince of the rodeo." It was sad to know that it was all over by 11:45 p.m. because it seemed like the crowd wanted the show to go on for the rest of the night.
-Navy Keophan

]]> Sun, 30 Oct 2005 00:00:00 -0700 articles reviews http://www.itsatrap.com/n/8901 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/8901 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/8901#comments The new Bjorn Yttling-produced album from Montys Loco has been confirmed for a February/March 2006 release via NONS. The first single "Wasteland" (as posted here awhile ago) will be out in November.]]> Wed, 28 Sep 2005 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/9065 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/9065 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/9065#comments "Jävla kritiker!" (Fuckin' critics!) is the name of an interesting new comp from NONS, due out January 18 next year. The idea for the record is backwards - first the critic writes the review and then the musician creates the song. Artists set to appear include IAT favorites Isolation Years and Silverbullit along with many other fine artists such as Sophie Rimheden, Andreas Tilliander, Nicolai Dunger, Håkan Libdo and more. More details: http://www.nons.se/javlakritiker/]]> Wed, 14 Sep 2005 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/9114 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/9114 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/9114#comments Umeå's Klubb Modos is hosting their most amazing night ever on November 12 with an extra-special NONS-tribute night at Scharinska Villan. Not only will Isolation Years and The Perishers be performing live, but Puffin, the band of label founder Per Helin will reunite! And the NONS record crew will be on-hand to DJ as well. Should be an amazing time, I'm sure. For those that are unaware, NONS (North of No South) is one of Sweden's premiere indie labels, releasing records from bands like Komeda, Dr. Kosmos, Ray Wonder, Silverbullit, Komeda and more.]]> Mon, 12 Sep 2005 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25492-podcast-the-sound-of-umea-part-2 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25492-podcast-the-sound-of-umea-part-2 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25492-podcast-the-sound-of-umea-part-2#comments DATE ADDED : 08.26.05
LENGTH : 29:06 min
DOWNLOAD : itsatrap_podcast_08262005.mp3 (20.4mb)
RSS : [click here]

Tracklist:
01. Starmarket - Drive by
02. Cobolt - Luther
03. Regulations - Police siren
04. Komeda - Nonsense
05. Cult of Luna - Echoes
06. Final Exit - Punk enough

]]> Fri, 26 Aug 2005 00:00:00 -0700 articles podcast http://www.itsatrap.com/n/10750 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/10750 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/10750#comments The new Doktor Kosmos 2xCD album "Ett enkelt svar" has been confirmed for a May 18 release via NONS. Head to their website for more info: http://www.doktorkosmos.nu/]]> Fri, 29 Apr 2005 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/10774 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/10774 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/10774#comments Brand new exclusive track today from Montys Loco. It's a glorious pop nugget - less than two minutes, but still capable of packing quite a wallop. Epic melodies, but not epic length. Anyhow, the group is currently recording new material under the tutelage of producer Björn Yttling (Peter, Bjorn & John, Caesars), but is currently labeless. They put out records on NONS/MNW in the past, but seeing as how that relationship has been severed and NONS is indie again, I can only presume that budgets are much tighter and there's just not enough money to go around. Not to criticize the label's business tactics (I know budget constraints first-hand), but it's a real shame since this song is so good. Not only that, it shows great promise for more to come. Oh-well. Wait and see what happens.]]> Wed, 27 Apr 2005 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/26586-moneybrother-live-camden-barfly-london-03-24-05 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/26586-moneybrother-live-camden-barfly-london-03-24-05 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/26586-moneybrother-live-camden-barfly-london-03-24-05#comments Moneybrother's first performance on English soil. I first became aware of this band at the Hultsfred Festival in 2003 when I was informed by a friendly stranger that I had to make Moneybrother one of the absolute priority bands to see that weekend. Unfortunately, I never made said gig. However, I made sure that I tracked down the "Blood panic" CD when I returned to the UK. I was intrigued by the cover which I guessed was a pastiche of Michael Jackson, but was ultimately only drawn in by "Reconsider me" and "Don't call the police". Those two tracks showed great promise.
Fast forward two years and I found myself at the Camden Barfly, with the band's new record "To die alone" sitting pretty at the top of the Swedish album chart. Somewhat predictably, the shoebox sized venue was completely sold out. Demand was so high that the promoter had oversold the show, selling an additional 150 tickets to the 180 which should have been on sale. The upshot of this nonsense was that when buzz support act The Modern (who I predict will be a great band for Melody Club to play alongside) finished their set, the entire crowd was kicked out of the venue and forced to queue up again to see Moneybrother. Only the lucky 180 with green wrist bands were granted exclusive access. It would be interesting to note how many of these people who were let back in were non-Swedish or non-industry people. I reckon you could probably count the number on one hand.
When Moneybrother eventually came on I was surprised at how tight the group was. When I found out that they had recently played an industry gig in America, I really didn't give them much of a chance of succeeding Stateside. However, the way in which the band seemed happy to change the arrangements of the recorded versions and skit off of each other made me think that they really could make it as a "jam" band over there. As most of the set was made up of songs from the new record (which I am unfamiliar with) the main body of the set was new to me. However, these new tracks seemed to be more sincere and varied than "Blood panic". I enjoyed how each member of the band was attired in a ridiculous fashion. For example, take the trombonist who was dressed head to toe in tight white denim. It takes balls to carry that look off, believe me.
By the time Moneybrother came on for their encore, the entire crowd was moshing and one brave chap attempted to crowdsurf. The band ended on a chaotic drawn out version of "Reconsider me". Moneybrother do justice to the once derided music genre of white soul. However, although the gig was an undoubtedly enjoyable experience, I expect the band to achieve greater success in the US than the UK due to their sound being more palletable to the tastes of the former market.]]> Wed, 20 Apr 2005 00:00:00 -0700 reviews http://www.itsatrap.com/n/11199 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/11199 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/11199#comments NONS (North of No South) has a new website: http://www.nons.se/
As mentioned before, Per Helin took his label independent again after Push Music purchased MNW (Music Network Group, now Network Entertainment Group).]]> Tue, 22 Mar 2005 00:00:00 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/26607-per-lundin-members-of-me-self-released http://www.itsatrap.com/n/26607-per-lundin-members-of-me-self-released http://www.itsatrap.com/n/26607-per-lundin-members-of-me-self-released#comments Per Lundin is, but to justify the lack of quality on these three songs I hope he's not older than 15. I bet he got all the right intention and is influenced by some great music, but he nevertheless he sounds as a very feeble Damien Jurado. If these songs were crafted really early in Per Lundin's career, I'd say there's still hope, because it's not utter crap but to be frank, the songs are just too clichéd (to such an extent that it's almost laughable). "My life", with its 80s atmosphere, is almost excruciating to listen to. I think Mr. Lundin would have been better off singing in his native language (Swedish?) or just try and keep his music and lyrics really simple (like Broder Daniel), because his lyrics are so bad they really stick out which makes them rather hard to ignore (example: "My heart is mine, yours is yours / Leave the past. Close the door") and the music is often way too pretentious. On a positive note, I really like the first 30 seconds of "Path of life", it sounds like a great emo moment but then the song just turns into another myriad of derivative nonsense. Also, there's a lot of Bruce Springsteen-like gusto in Per's voice, which is always a good thing. But we're still left with something that has been done before, many times, much better.]]> Sat, 12 Mar 2005 00:00:00 -0800 reviews http://www.itsatrap.com/n/11927 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/11927 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/11927#comments Isolation Years has confirmed that "Micheal (If You Cannot Row)" will be the second single from their forthcoming full-length album "Cover the distance". The track should be hitting the airwaves shortly and the album hits stores in Sweden on February 23 via NONS and in Germany on March 29 via Stickman. Tracklist:

01. Dyslexic
02. Nurse Hands
03. Look What I've Done
04. I Want To Grow
05. Michael (If You Cannot Row)
06. Yellow Cross On Blue
07. Seasick
08. Leaning
09. You've Got Me Talking
10. Moses
11. Sightseeing Boat
12. Cover The Distance

Check the artwork here: http://www.isolationyears.com/discography2.asp?id=3&aid=10
European tourdates coming soon along with a new website.]]> Thu, 27 Jan 2005 00:00:00 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/12222 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/12222 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/12222#comments Per Helin has reportedly left NEG/Push Music Group, the company that swallowed up MNW. The bright side? He took NONS with him and will be running the company on his own as an independent.]]> Mon, 10 Jan 2005 00:00:00 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/12373 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/12373 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/12373#comments New mp3 today from Finland's Cleaning Women. I can't possibly begin to do this band justice, so let's have their bio do the talking:

Three guys in drag, clinking away like monkeys in heat at their home-made instruments made out of clotheshorses and pickle jars, hollering vaguely nonsensical slogans about the importance of cleaning.

Sounds like a gimmick, right? Well, if you're a cynic like me, then you're probably feeling quite skeptical right now. Hopefully, you're also still a bit curious though because if you pass on these guys, you're missing out. In some ways, Cleaning Women are like the Finnish version of Doo Rag: they get your attention through contrivance, but you stick around because the music really is quite good. "Ricewestern", the song posted today, is the first track from the band's 2001 debut album "Pulsator" and the sound is a bastard mix of funky metal percussion and distorted bass, glazed with a vocal melody that almost sounds lifted from the Finnish folk tradition. Intriguing, no? Investigate!]]> Wed, 22 Dec 2004 00:00:00 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/12792 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/12792 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/12792#comments I'm sad to do it, but a week has passed so it's time to bid farewell to the mp3 for the new Isolation Years single "Nurse hands". As mentioned before, the single will be officially released on November 24 via NONS/Network Entertainment Group and it should be getting regular airplay on Swedish radio any day now, if it isn't already. Thanks again to everyone behind the scenes for making this happen - I'm thrilled that I'm able to offer exclusive new music through this site, especially when it's from a band that I'm a huge fan of.]]> Thu, 18 Nov 2004 00:00:00 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/12886 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/12886 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/12886#comments Today it is my great honor and privilege to bring you and exclusive mp3 of the brand new Isolation Years single "Nurse hands". The single will be officially released on November 24 via NONS/Network Entertainment Group and will be accompanied by a video from director Andreas Nilsson of the band Silverbullit. Check out the artwork here. As mentioned before, the new full-length album is still being mixed and should be out in February. IY has long been one of my favorite bands, so I am obviously very excited to bring you this new song. Huge thanks to everyone behind-the-scenes who made this possible! Don't forget, IY is also touring Scandinavia later this month with the UK's Grand Drive:

11/24 - KB, Malmö
11/25 - Herrgår'n, Linköping
11/26 - Sticky Fingers, Göteborg
11/27 - Nalen, Stockholm
11/28 - Klubb Söndag @ Strömpis, Örebro]]> Wed, 10 Nov 2004 00:00:00 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/16845 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/16845 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/16845#comments Updated live dates for Surferosa:

01/22 - TV2-God morgen Norge, Oslo (NOR)
01/23 - Huset, Svalbard (NOR)
01/29 - Tv2-Senkveld, Oslo (NOR)
01/30 - Parkteateret - Wuha Benefit Gig, Oslo (NOR)
02/03 - Club Fandango @ Dublin Castle, London (UK)
02/04 - Lennons, Southampton (UK)
02/05 - Coliseum, Coventry (UK)
02/06 - Carling Islington Academy, London (UK) w/3 Colours Red
02/08 - Birmingham Academy, Birmingham (UK)
02/09 - Metro Club, London (UK)
02/10 - Liverpool Academy 3, Liverpool (UK)
02/11 - The Cluny, Newcastle (UK)
02/12 - Liars Club at The Social, Nottingham (UK)
02/13 - Cockpit, Leeds (UK)
02/14 - Club Motherfucker at Upstairs @ the Garage, London (UK)
02/14 - ICA Theater, London (UK) w/The Killers
02/16 - Notting Hill Arts Club, London (UK)]]> Wed, 21 Jan 2004 00:00:00 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/18285 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/18285 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/18285#comments Fredrik from Randy is selling his old drum set. Check it out.]]> Thu, 11 Sep 2003 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19171 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19171 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19171#comments A grand total of 100 (!!!) new bands were confirmed for Roskilde Fest today. Some of the acts mentioned include The Cardigans, Christian Kjellvander, Immortal, The Hellacopters, TSOOL, Satirnine, Gåte, Turbonegro, The Sounds, Cato Salsa Experience and The Raveonettes and a plethora of Scandinavian hip-hop artists: Advance Patrol (SWE), Denmarks Finest (DK), Equicez (NOR), Loose Cannons (SWE), Mad Con (NOR), Organism 12 (SWE), Son Of Light (NOR), Static & Nat Ill (DK) and Suspekt (DK). Read more.

Did you miss Hardcore Superstar last night at Chalmers in Göteborg? Well, you can watch a video of the song "Honey Tongue" from that performance.

Lullacry has postponed the release of their new single "Alright Tonight" to May. No reason was given for the delay.

Norway's Gluecifer has announced a couple dates for this summer:

05/31 - Jæren, NOR
06/06 - Working Class Hero Festival, Drammen NOR
08/16 - Raumarock festival Åndalsnes NOR

The band also reiterated their plans to come back to the US, hopefully this coming fall. Their exact words from the website: "For our very patient fans in the US... we are R E A L L Y looking forward to coming back & playin' for y'all!!!!!"

New Line Records has finally launced a website which of course has info and downloads for label darlings The Sounds.

Misconduct has been confirmed for the Kaktus Festival which will take place at an airfield in Arboga on July 18-19. Other artists playing include The Venue, Peter, Björn and John, The Virtues and Charta 77.

Stockholm Records artists Thee Ultra Bimboos are doing a few dates around Scandinavia in May:

05/02 - Västerås, Rockstad Västerås (Culturen)
05/03 - Malmö, KB
05/04 - Oslo, So What
05/05 - Göteborg, Pusterviksbaren
05/07 - Hultsfred, Metropol
05/08 - Stockholm, Nalen

Motorpsycho is planning a Japanese tour for December, but there's no details yet. Their side-project The International Tussler Society will also be doing some shows around Norway in August such as the Øya festival in Oslo on August 7-9. There may be some dates in Europe, too. Stay tuned.

Silence Records has put up a streaming sample of "Happy Endings" from First Floor Power.

In other Silence-related news, Träd, Gräs & Stenar are heading over to England to two dates in England and Brighton on May 21 and 22 respectively. The full list of their upcoming dates:

05/21 - London, 291 Gallery w/No-Neck Blues Band
05/22 - Brighton w/No-Neck Blues Band
05/28 - Västerås, Taj Mahal
05/29 - Oslo, So What
07/19 - Möja (Stockholm archipelago)

Watch the video for "New Direction" from David & the Citizens.

Turbonegro has announced the addition of a new gig at the Garage in London on May 12. Here's what their upcoming European tour itinerary now looks like:

04/30 - Göteborg, Lisebergshallen
05/01 - Stockholm, Munchen Bryggeriet
05/02 - Malmö, KB
05/03 - Hamburg, Grosse Freiheit, DE w/Division of Laura Lee
05/04 - Hamburg, Grosse Freiheit, DE w/DoLL
05/06 - Amsterdam, Melkweg, NL w/DoLL
05/07 - London, Garage, UK w/DoLL
05/08 - Glasgow, King Tuts Wah Wah Hut, UK w/DoLL
05/09 - Manchester, Hope & Grape, UK w/DoLL
05/10 - Birmingham, Acedemy 2, UK w/DoLL
05/11 - Dublin, Whealans, IRL w/DoLL
05/12 - London, Garage, UK w/DoLL
05/13 - Paris, La Tranbendo, F w/DoLL
05/15 - Bergara, Sala Jam, E w/DoLL
05/16 - Madrid, Aqualung, E w/DoLL
05/17 - Barcelona, Apolo, E w/DoLL
05/19 - Milano, Transilvania, IT w/DoLL
05/20 - Zurich, Rote Fabriek, CH w/DoLL
05/21 - Stuttgart, Longhorn, DE w/DoLL
05/22 - Munchen, Elserhalle, DE w/DoLL
05/23 - Köln, E-werk, DE w/DoLL
05/24 - Bielefeld, PC 69, DE w/DoLL
05/25 - Berlin, Columbia halle, DE w/DoLL
05/27 - Stavanger, Siddishallen
05/28 - Bergen, Haukelandshallen
05/29 - Trondheim, Trondheim Spektrum/Nidarøhallen
05/31 - Oslo, Oslo Spektrum

Due to an undisclosed family emergency, Millencolin has been forced to cancel the remaining dates on the second leg of their US tour to return back home to Sweden.

MTVE.com has the new video for "You're the Storm" from The Cardigans.

If you didn't already see it listed, Robyn is doing some touring this summer:

06/28 - Gamleby, Folkets Park
07/05 - Sundsvall, Sundsvalls Gatufest
07/23 - Tylösand, Hot Tylösand
07/24 - Hudiksvall, Stadsfesten
07/25 - Gävle, Rocknatta
07/26 - Piteå, Piteå Dansar och Ler
08/02 - Östersund, Storsjöyran
08/10 - Göteborg, Liseberg
08/15 - Stockholm, Gröna Lund

Here's a MIC Norway profile on Sondre Lerche with links to a number of interviews such as the CNN one linked here yesterday. Among other things, it says that Lerche is featured on the cover of this month's Index Magazine and he is also currently in Bergen, Norway working on his new album with producer Jørgen Træen (aka Sir Duperman). Look for him on tour in the US in May with Nada Surf and Ed Hartcourt.

Also by way of MIC Norway come this article on the Music Export Norway showcase as South by Southwest in Austin last March. Featured bands included the aforementioned Sondre Lerche, Madrugada, Ralph Myerz & the Jack Herren Band, Cadillac, Span and We.

This is pretty amazing: Junior Senior - "Move Your Feet". Definitely not the sort of thing I'm normally into, but that video is just too awesome.

Did you know the last Saturday in May is 'Swedish Music Day'? Me neither.

The following acts have been confirmed for the Siesta fest in Hässleholm on May 30-31: The Ark, Marit Bergman, Dynamo Chapel, David & The Citizens, Christian Kjellvander, $1000 Playboys, Her Majesty, Whyte Seeds, Last Days Of April, Lotta Wenglén Band, Joddla med Siv, Pete Thompson, Loserville plus a number of yet-to-be-named demo bands.

Lars Winnerbäck, Mikael Wiehe and Wilmer X have all been added to the bill of the Piteå Dansar Och Ler fest.

Entombed-side project Project Hate has set "Hate, Dominate, Congregate, Eliminate" as the name of their new album. Look for it later this year from Entombed's own Threeman Recordings label.

Dimmu Borgir has lined up a couple dates in the Netherlands for October:

10/02 – Amsterdam, NETH @ Paradiso
10/03 – Tilburg, NETH @ 013

In other news, the band has reportedly spent the last few weeks at Studio Fredman recording a new album. No word on when to expect it.]]> Tue, 29 Apr 2003 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19212 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19212 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19212#comments Picked up the guys from KVLR at the airport yesterday. They're a little jet-lagged, but otherwise very excited to head out on tour. Should be a lot of fun! The dates, yet again:

3/7 - Santa Cruz, CA - Drop-in Center w/Science of Yabra, The Yellow Press
3/8 - Redding, CA - Tag Teen Center w/Mercy Mile, The Yellow Press
3/9 - SF, CA - Club Galia w/Low Rise, Century Schoolbook, Fuck the Hope You Gave Me (ex-Fury 66, Audiocrush, Yaphet Kotto), Science of Yabra
3/10 - Huntington Beach, CA - Liquid Den w/, Taint
3/11 - Phoenix, AZ - Red Room
3/12 - Albuquerque, NM - Burt's Tiki Lounge
3/13 - Austin, TX - Momo's TFT/Better Looking Records Showcase w/Mark Gardner of Ride, Jealous Sound + more
3/14 - Flagstaff, AZ - Soul Kitchen
3/15 - Sacramento, CA - 1020 J w/Sputterdoll, No Avail

One of my favorite bands, Katatonia, is heading out across Europe with some help from Finntroll. The dates:

4/16 - Nachtleben/Batschkapp, Frankfurt, Germany
4/17 - Kiff, Aarau, Switzerland.
4/18 - Terminal Export, Nancy, France
4/19 - Dioxin, Schindellegi/Schwyz,Switzerland
4/20 - Midian Club, Vicenza, Italy
4/21 - Alpheus, Rome, Italy
4/22 - Transilvania Live, Milan, Italy
4/24 - Crockmore, Perpignan, France.
4/25 - K.G.B., Barcelona, Spain
4/26 - Caracol, Madrid, Spain
4/27 - SWR VI, Barroselas, Portugal
4/29 - Republicca II, Valencia, Spain
4/30 - West Rock, Cognac, France
5/01 - Rail Theatre, Lyon, France
5/02 - Splendid, Lille, France.

Some more dates have been announced for the upcoming In Flames/Mudvayne US tour. Here's the current itinerary:

3/08 - Pittsburgh, PA - Metropol
3/10 - Hartford, CT - Webster Theatre
3/11 - Clifton Park, NY - Northern Lights
3/12 - Pittston, PA - The Staircase
3/14 - Norfolk, VA - The NorVa
3/15 - Orlando/ Lake Buena Vista (FL) - House Of Blues
3/17 - Cincinnati, OH - Bogart's
3/18 - Milwaukee, WI - The Rave / Eagles Ballroom
3/19 - Cleveland, OH - Odeon Concert Club
3/21 - Grand Rapids, MI - Orbit Room
3/22 - Indianapolis, IN - Murat Egyptian Room
3/23 - Des Moines, IA - Val Air Ballroom
3/25 - Kansas City, MO - Beaumont Club
3/26 - Oklahoma City, OK - Coca Cola Bricktown Event Center
3/28 - Corpus Christi, TX - Concrete Street Amphitheatre
3/29 - San Antonio, TX - Sunset Station
3/30 - McAllen, TX - Villa Real Conv. Ctr.

Finland's The Rasmus are doing a short Swedish tour in support of their new album "Dead Letters" which comes out March 21. The dates:

4/9 - Stockholm, Klubben
4/10 - Göteborg, Valand
4/11 - Köpenhamn, Lilla Vega
4/12 - Helsingborg, The Tivoli

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

01. Emil Sigfridsson - Tillbaka till igår
02. Kent - Vapen & ammunition
03. Cornelis Vreeswijk - Cornelis Vreeswijks bästa
04. The Refreshments - On the rocks
05. The Sounds - Living in America
06. Barbados - Rewind
07. Robyn - Don´t stop the music
08. Kikki Bettan Lotta - Live från Rondo
09. v/a - Fame Factory volym 3 final 2002
10. The Knife - Deep Cuts
11. Melody Club - Music machine
12. Thomas Rusiak - In the sun
13. The Radio Dept. - Lesser matters
14. A Teens - New arrival
15. Magnus Uggla - Klassiska mästerverk
16. Christian Kjellvander - Songs from a two-room chapel
17. Slaptones - Simplify
18. Björn Skifs - Ingen annan
19. The Haunted - One kill wonder
20. Håkan Hellström - Det är så jag säger det

Listen to the new Isolation Years single "Open Your Eyes". Very different from their first record, but still quite good. Can't wait to hear the full album!

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

01. (01) The Donnas "Take It Off" 02. (03) Shout Out Louds "100 Degrees" 03. (02) Placebo "The Bitter End" 04. (04) Missy Elliott Ft. Ludacris "Gossip Folks" 05. (06) Isolation Years "Open Those Eyes" 06. (07) Liam Lynch "United States Of Whatever" 07. (NY) The Flaming Lips "Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots Pt.1" 08. (05) Satirnine "Hey No Hell" 09. (12) Whyte Seeds "Slow Motions" 10. (NY) Lil' Kim Ft. Mr Cheeks "The Jump Off"

11. (NY) Franke "Ställs Mot Dig" 12. (10) Christian Kjellvander "Broken Wheels" 13. (NY) David Lindh & Hail Marys "Glad I Found You" 14. (NY) USCB Allstars "Watch Me Roll" 15. (14) Kristofer Åström & Hidden Truck "One Good Moment" 16. (NY) Macy Gray "When I See You" 17. (09) Håkan Hellström "Den fulaste flickan i världen" 18. (NY) Timbuktu "Ett brev" 19. (08) Aimee Mann "Pavlov's Bell" 20. (NY) Brendan Benson "Metarie"

Leaving the chart:
(11) Coldplay "Clocks"
(13) Laakso "Long Beach"
(15) The Dysfunctionals "Payback Time"
(16) Pearl Jam "Love Boat Captain"
(17) Ed Harcourt "All Of Your Days Will Be Blessed"
(18) Caesars Palace "Candy Cane"
(19) Ben Harper "With My Own Two Hands"
(20) Erlend Öje "Sudden Rush"

It's been quite some time since I heard anything about them, but Bad Cash Quartet has now been confirmed for Popaganda fest at Universitetsområdet in Stockholm to take place May 29-31. Other bands confirmed for the fest include The Embassy, Florence Valentin, Crystal Committee, The Junior, The Concretes and Buck.

Melody Club is setting their sites on Germany. Their album will get a release there on May 5 to be followed by a tour:

5/14 - Hamburg (D) Molotow
5/15 - Düsseldorf (D) Unique
5/16 - Weinheim (D) Cafe Central
5/17 - Berlin (D) Bastard
5/18 - Kassel (D) K19
5/19 - Frankfurt (D) Cookys
5/20 - Dresden (D) Downtown
5/21 - München (D) Atomic Cafe]]> Thu, 06 Mar 2003 00:00:00 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19259 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19259 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19259#comments Read my reviews of the new albums from Ulver and Björn Olsson over at indieworkshop.com. Look for the links on the right, under 'Featured Reviews'.

TV4 Gothenburg has put up an acoustic set from The Soundtrack of Our Lives back on their website. Check it. (thanks to tsool.tk)

The movie Jungle Book 2 comes out in February featuring a track called "Jag vill va som du" from Dungen. A double A-side single with that song plus "Har du vart i Stockholm" comes out February 10.

Energy Rekords has signed EBM/Electro act 8kHz Mono. You can sample them on the "Virtual Energy vol.4" comp.

Even more award nominees! This time, the Manifest awards, Sweden's alternative to the (Swedish) Grammy:

Pop/Rock
The Bear Quartet - Ny våg (A West Side Fabrication/MNW)
David & The Citizens - For All Happy Endings (Adrian Recordings/Border)
Doktor Kosmos - Reportage! (NONS/MNW)
Marit Bergman - 3.00 A.M. Serenades (Sugartoy/Border)
Embassy - Futile Crimes (Service/Border)

Hardcore/Punk
In Flames - Reroute to remain (Nuclear Blast/MNW)
Thåström - Mannen som blev en gris (Mistlur/MNW)
Spiritual Beggars - On fire (Music For Nations/Zomba)
Totalt Jävla Mörker - Det ofrivilliga lidandets maskineri (Distortion/Border)
Vomitory - Blood rapture (Metal Blade/Border)

Hip Hop/R&B/Soul
Loop Troop - The Struggle Continues (David Vs Goliath/Burning Heart)
Timbuktu - Wåtts Dö Madderfakking Diil? (Juju/Playground)
Heli - Öronknark (Streetzone/Border)
Masayah - Masayah (Swing-A-Ling/MNW)
Ison & Fille - Vår sida av stan (Hemmalaget/V2)

Postrock/Electronica
Hans Appelqvist - Tonefilm (Komplott)
Mokira - Plee (Mille Plateaux/Border)
Nova Express - One (Rocket Number Nine)
Pallin - Far From Yokohama (URU)
Testbild! - The Double Life Of Testbild! (Radio Khartoum)

Dance
Adam Beyer - Ignition Key (Truesoul)
The Mighty Quark - Silverdale (Play)
Eerik & Arvid - Shimmer (Raw Fusion)
Koop - Waltz for Koop (Superstudio/Diesel/Sony)
Sunday Brunch - No resistance (SVEK/Goldhead/Next Stop)

Folk/Worldmusic
Ellika Frisell & Solo Cissokho - Tretakt Takissaba (Xource/MNW)
Golbang - Saali nó (Stran)
Harv - Töst (Drone/CDA)
Olle Lindvall (Drone/CDA)
Sumer - Iraq (Sw/Eden/Border)

Lyrics
Mattias Alkberg (Bear Quartet)
Timbuktu
Uje Brandelius (Doktor Kosmos)
Ison & Fille
Petter Herbertsson (Testbild!)

Live Artist
Doktor Kosmos
Jmyhaze Beatbox
Spotrunnaz
In Flames
Ellika Frisell and Solo Cissokho

Best Newcomer
Totalt Jävla Mörker
Hans Appelqvist
Marit Bergman
Sunday Brunch
Embassy

Winners will be announced at the ceremony on January 31 at the Kulturhuset in Stockholm. The Teenage Idols, Ison & Fille, Totalt Jävla Mörker, and Jmy Haze Beatbox will perform.

The good people over at Chalksounds have finally gotten their online store up and running. The featured album for sale is "On Planted Streets" from KVLR, one of my faves. Highly recommended. Besides their own label's goodies, you can also order records from bands such as Fireside and Isolation Years. Again, both highly recommended.

Grave will be playing this year's coming March Metal Meltdown V to take place in Irvington, New Jersey on March 7-8. The new album "Back From The Grave" comes out January 28th on Century Media.]]> Fri, 10 Jan 2003 00:00:00 -0800 news