Storm Corrosion, the official collaboration project between Opeth's Mikael Åkerfeldt and his producer/friend Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree), have Signed with and will release their self-titled debut on April 23.
Here are the winners of the 2012 Manifest award, Sweden's indie/alternative Grammy:
Folk/Ballad: Siri Karlsson - Gran Fuego ()
Experimental: Hanna Hartman - H ^ 2 ()
Punk: Obnoxious Youth - The Eternal Void ()
Dance: Jonsson/Alter - Samlad årsproduktion ()
Hardrock: Opeth - Heritage ()
Rhythm: Simone Moreno - Planetas ()
Singer/Songwriter/Country/Americana: Ane Brun - It All Start With One ()
Rock: Pascal/Mattias Alkberg - Allt det här ()
Best UnSigned: Death By Armborst
Jazz: Jonas Holgersson - Snick Snack ()
Hip-Hop: Mofeta & Jerre - Briljanter & Smaragder ()
Synth: Necro Facility - Wintermute ()
Pop: Azure Blue - Rule of thirds ()
Best live act: This is Head ()
SKAP/Manifest Prize for best lyrics: Philip Ekström - Det Vackra Livet ()
SKAP/Manifest Prize for best composer: Maria Lindén - I Break Horses ()
Manifest Prize for best indie: Popkollo
"Awry aesthetics" is the opening track of the upcoming Anchorless ablum "Every nook and cranny" and once again, it sounds a lot more like REM than their debut EP did.
has added Swedish crustpunks Martyrdöd to their roster and will be releasing their upcoming Studio Fredman-recorded album "Paranoia" this coming spring/summer.
has Signed Swedish psych/rock trio Dean Allen Foyd and will be releasing their debut album in March. More details/samples to come.
PSL has the premiere of the new single "About to tell" from recent Signee Noonie Bao: http://blogg.svt.se/psl/2012/01/27/premiar-noonie-bao-about-to-tell/
has Signed Swedish rockabilly trio The Troubled Three and will be releasing the band's new album "Moving on" on February 17. Samples and tourdates at the band's website: http://www.thetroubledthree.com/
"Let us stay young" is the debut single from recent Signing Lucas Nord, featuring guest vocals from Rasmus Flyckt and Emil Gustafsson of Urban Cone.
Lambgoat reports that classic Swedish goregrind/death metal act General Surgery has reSigned with : http://lambgoat.com/news/17602/Relapse-Records-re-Signs-General-Surgery
Look for the compilation "A collection of depravation" to be released on March 27 with a new 7" EP and album to follow later this year.
Swedish retro hardrockers The Graviators have Signed with and will be releasing a new album this coming fall.
This is the winner of this year's NRK Urørt contest for best unSigned act in Norway.
Yet another new Signing to , here's Noonie Bao. Look for her album "About to tell" to be released on January 27.
"Settle with the Signs" is the lead single from Anchorless' upcoming full-length debut "Every nook and cranny", due out February 6 via . Sounds like old REM to me which is not at all what I expected.
Presenting Fanny, a new Signing to the label . Look for the debut single to be released on February 29.
Various ArtistsFifth signature compilation from the very cool Oslo-based label , celebrating their five years of existence and a variety and diversity of styles. The label's ability to act as an umbrella collective works when the sum of so many contrasting creative devices, at times, outweigh some particulars -- but in the spirit of camaraderie, we're not here to pick those out. Experimental yet smart, the label is a solid example of successful DIY'ing in today's world. The comp could probably roughly grouped into categories: quirky-electronic-based tracks (Hans Ice - "Phone home" / satanicpronocultshop - "Tennnojizoo (remix by Kesalan Patharan)", Toshybot - "Super Nintendo Chalmers"); 80s synth-pop tunes in the vibe of Bill Murray on a karaoke dance-floor (Cyranoarmageddon - "50 cent" / Pilemil - "Back to 1010"); nods to Can (Radio 9 - "Damo Suzuki is staying at my house"); literary freak folk star Magnus Moriarty with, "Distant athletic parts of you" and other serious folk-ies (Yoreyolk - "Eggs" / Feather and Folly - "Emma's island"). My two favourite tracks however, are Hanny - "Can't", female fronted rapping/vocals producing some catchy beats. Then Easy & Center of the Universe - "Bosphorus (Coco high energy rewerk)", mixing the "irresistibly funky sound of Skweee with rich Eastern melodies that one would usually hear in styles like Turkish Anatolian pop, Egyptian our music or dance latest dance sound pounding from a Persian bazaar." If that ain't descript enough for you, let's just say it sounds like the parents have finally reigned home and inundated the kids with who's boss. A comp highly recommended for anyone wanting an appealing taster through Oslo's underground.
- Ann Sung-an Lee
