If the idea of mixing shoegazey blues harmonica in with Suicide-style minimalism appeals to you, you will dig Straight from the Harp. "Dancing slow" is the 2nd video from the duo's upcoming album "I'm on fire just for you", due out May 29.

The Göteborg String Theory vs German electro-punk act Warren Suicide.

Suicide-style minimalism as performed by Stockholm-via-Gävle bedroom act Nervnest. Shame that the other tunes I checked out are nowhere near as good as this, but then again, most acts don't even get that far.

It's been almost three years since we've heard from Penny Century, the Östersund-by-way-of-Stockholm northern soul sextet that first caught our ears in 2004 with their self-produced demos. Finally emerging from hibernation, the band brings us "Friends and family", an 11-song, melodic-pop meditation on the nature of relationships.

Singer Julia Hanberg and instrumentalist Jimmy Halvarsson chatted with It's a Trap! about the state of the arts in Sweden, surprise late-night calls, and what it takes to make a record about relationships without driving a band off the rails.

It's been awhile since we've heard from Penny Century. How long has the new album been in the making?

Julia Hanberg: Awhile. Well, we didn't really decide when to release it. Once we finished recording it, everyone was just like "ahh..." and let go of it.

Jimmy Halvarsson: Yeah. Making the album was so intense for us on a personal level. A lot of tension in the group. So once the album was finished, and I guess once our last tour was finished—we were in England I think—after that tour we were kind of sick of each other. So we haven't really wanted to touch the album. But I guess we pulled ourselves together and started finding ways to get it out there.

Hanberg:Yeah. I think during that period as well, it was so tense, everything, both with the tension within the group, and as well, everyone just needed a break, just to be able to breathe again, just to see other people and think of other stuff.

Halvarsson: See other bands! Julia's been in The Bear Quartet.

Really?

Hanberg: Yeah, last summer. I played a couple of gigs with them, as an additional musician, additional vocalist. That was fun.

I know they've been quite an influence on you. That must been incredible.

Hanberg: Yeah, they're my favorite. Like my all-time favorite band. So that was kind of weird when they rang me up in the middle of the night, asking me if I wanted to tour with them.

Did you have that moment of being a bit star struck, or wondering if it was really happening?

Hanberg: At first, when they rang me. But once you meet people and get to know them, they're more human. So I can't attach the humans with the musicians that I've been listening to since I was like 15 or 16. It's really hard to see that it's actually them who wrote the songs.

Are you going to be playing more with them or recording with them in the future?

Hanberg: I don't know. You never know with that band. You never know what's going to happen. You never know when they're going to release something or if they're going to release something. They don't hang out, really, they don't live in the same city. I don't think they hang out during their free time either. So, I don't know. They might just ring me up in the middle of the night again. At this point it's unknown. Hopefully!

I think the middle of the night is a nice touch to the story. It sounds very mysterious.

Hanberg: Yeah. I thought they were joking when they rang me. I was like, "Whaaat?" I couldn't sleep after that!

Halvarsson: It's 3am and the phone rings...who's going to pick it up?!

With your new album, how would you compare this project to your last EP?

Hanberg: I think with the EP, we didn't put that much effort into it as we did with the album. With this record, we thought of it as an album as well, with the building up of it, and where to put the songs and how everything should be attached to each other, and how to have the same sound through it all. Not just put ten songs on a CD.

Did you find there were themes you kept coming back to?

Halvarsson: Definitely with this album. It wasn't intentional either. Once we decided on 11 songs, I started going through the lyrics to see if I could find a common theme. The whole album is about relationships: between friends and among family members. So that's where the album title comes from. It's really about broken relationships. Once song is about a conversation with an uncle who committed suicide way before I was born. Not so much romantic relationships, but more like friendships and family ties and the complexities of those kinds of relationships. So that was the common theme, although it wasn't really intentional, it just turned out that way.

The sound of the album, I would describe it as darker than the last one. Although I had an e-mail exchange with Avi [editor at It's a Trap!], and he said, "Well it sounds basically the same I guess, there's a few more keyboards on there!" (laughs) I was like, "What?"

Hanberg: No!

Halvarsson: It's dark!

Hanberg: Yeah, it was just like Erik said, we have to get new friends now, because we can't write any more songs about the ones we have.

You mentioned writing about your uncle. Do you specific pull a lot from your own life when you write?

Halvarsson: Well, I can only speak for myself because on this album there are 5 or 6 people that have contributed lyrics in total. But, yeah, definitely. Who wrote the most lyrics, was that Kim?

Hanberg: I don't know. I think, it was equal.

Halvarsson: I wrote three. I think. One with you, and then I wrote two myself. It's really a group effort. Both song writing and arranging. I guess Kim's the principal songwriter. But as far as arranging goes it's really all of us.

It's interesting it's a group effort, because it feels like such a cohesive point of view.

Halvarsson: I guess so. The process of making the album, what we did first—and I think it was kind of a mistake—we made 25 acoustic demos which we sent out to different people to get their opinions on it. A few people responded, and then we ended up ignoring their views and selected songs we wanted to work on.

Hanberg: Basically that was to give old songs a new chance. But I'm not sure if we did that.

Halvarsson: Two only songs are on the album, but the rest are new. In the end, you don't want people outside the band to influence your decisions too much.

Hanberg: No, and still it's six people's opinions within the band as well. Six very strong opinions.

Halvarsson: Yeah, we have enough opinions as it is. I don't know whose idea it was to send out those demos. But once we selected the songs we started arranging a smaller batch of those 25 songs. Like 20 or 18 I guess. We started making arrangement.

Hanberg: Full band demos.

Halvarsson: Yeah, with the entire band. From that point on everything went really really smoothly. Everything just fell into place and it was really very natural. Arranging the songs, and writing the lyrics, that came so naturally. It was over very quickly. The hard part started when we got into the studio. That took some time.

A lot of reviews I've read of your music calls it nostalgic. How do you feel about that label?

Halvarsson: I can relate to that. I'm a nostalgic person.

Hanberg: I think we all are.

Halvarsson: There's a lot of childhood memories in this. I don't know where that comes from.

Hanberg: I think it has to do with, most of us; we have a history of being friends for a very long time. We often talk about what's happened before, like when they were younger and when they were in secondary school, or in college or whatever. When we hang out together, we talk about that quite a lot.

Halvarsson: And we're all 24-year-olds.

Do you feel like still being in your early 20s and coming from a smaller town and having all come together, has influenced the way you think about music?

Hanberg: Yeah, I think so. We had our rehearsal room in a house in the area. We could rehearse 24/7 if we wanted to. I think it made things easier having that when moving to Stockholm, since you have to travel to get to your rehearsal room, and you have to plan a lot more. I think it was good for Penny Century when we started off to be able to hang out, and play, and rehearse with each other for as long as we wanted and not having any jobs or anything.

Once you got to Stockholm did you find that it's a city that's welcoming to younger bands or bands that are still trying to find their footing?

Hanberg: I think that band are still trying to find their footing in Sweden everywhere. We moved for the band, we do everything for Penny Century basically. I think with Stockholm, it takes awhile to get into the scene, if you can ever get into it. I don't know if it's welcoming. We got our rehearsal studio which is nice and all that, but it's very hard to get gigs there.

Halvarsson: It's not a very welcoming place. Sweden is pretty special that way, because it's all centered around Stockholm. It's not the same in Norway where you can basically live anywhere and do anything. I think this is a huge problem, that you basically have to live in Stockholm if you want to have a career. You need to be here at least to get your career started. But if you want to play music and hang out with creative people that support you, there are other cities that are a lot better. But it's really hard to start a career there.

Hanberg: I think if you ever get a breakthrough in Sweden you get really well treated. If you get gigs—lots of gigs—or if you go on a tour, you get proper money for it and everything sorted. But then you have to have a booking agency and stuff like that. But compared to other countries that might have more venues—it might be easier to play in Germany or the U.K. -- but you don't get treated as well. I'd like to have something combined. It's really easy, almost every pub has got a stage, there's a lot more venues, it's easier to get gigs. There's more live music there, I think.

It seems like Sweden does a lot to really encourage the arts. It's interesting that there wouldn't be more changes to play live as well.

Halvarsson: Pitchfork had an article on the Swedish arts council about a year ago. It's true; the government does throw a lot of money at the arts. But it's still kind of elitist. Yeah sure, The Knife gets a lot of money to have a string quartet play on their album, or whatever. We've applied for money from the arts council and we didn't get it. We had pretty good reasons to apply as well. So it's kind of hard. But yeah, the government does support the arts. Which is a good thing. But it's a little elitist.

So once your album is out, do you have any goals for touring?

Halvarsson: Well, no. (laughs) Sure we do! Like I said before, we've been sort of sick of each other. But we've started patching things up. The ambition was to try to put a tour together again. It's been hard, since Julia lives in London, and Erik [Persson] has moved back to Östersund, and so on. It's logistically hard right now. But yeah, we have ambitions to start rehearsing again sometime soon and try to get out any play sometime towards the end of the summer.

Interview by Laura Studarus

The first official video from We Live in Trenches' debut album "Modern hex", now available on CD via Suicide Records in addition to the original vinyl on P.Trash. Direct link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5HaDvqb18Q

I make no secret of my allegiance to the sound of modern old-man hardcore. Give me a band full of dudes who are old enough to know better playing angry mid-tempo rock and chances are high I'll be stoked. And seeing as how We Live In Trenches just had a CD version of their album "Modern hex" released by Suicide Records, I figure it's due time I posted another track from them. I've actually been listening to the record a lot too, as I only semi-recently tracked down an affordable domestic copy of the vinyl and received a digital promo for easy gym-listening. Shame that bassist/vocalist Anna Knutsson recently parted ways with the guys though, as she provided a nice counterbalance to the male-dominance as well as a little something extra to distinguish them from other like-minded acts, but whatever -- life goes on and people gotta do their thing. Us guys still gotta blow off some steam as we age and get balder/fatter/slower/angrier.

01. Ben Lauber - Sadludium
02. Warren Suicide - Fuck off, happy
03. Jmy Haze - Promise
04. Bow & Arrow - Higher
05. Silverbullit - Magnetic city
06. Pacific! feat. El Perro Del Mar - From lips divine
07. José González - Cycling trivialities
08. Wildbirds & Peacedrums - So soft so pink
09. Ebbot Lundberg - There's only one of us here
10. Jaqee - Kokoo girl
11. Fox Machine - Frank Lloyd was wright
12. Jaw Lesson - Rats and rifles
13. Midaircondo - Come with me
14. Studio - Out there
15. El Perro Del Mar - A better love

More info, including samples and preorder details are available here: http://www.kningdisk.com/index_tgst.htm

"Social Suicide have a great single out on our label. Their melodic hardcore is in the vein of Refused, Some Girls and JR Ewing. They did a shockingly great show, and are definitely growing in my book. But then again, I'm really biased! Check them out on myspace.

The best shows I caught at By:Larm included Kitschy Kitschy Ki-Me-O, a band consisting of members of three known bands to us Norwegians, of which Madrugada is the one you've maybe heard of. I don't know what sparked your mind when you heard the name, but if you thought Quentin Tarantino, you're getting close. It's basically what Black Rebel Motorcycle Club were trying to do with their latest albums, but never quite did. Catchy, riff-laden desert rock infused with gospel, Ennio Morricone background vocals (the soprano version of a theremin). Maybe my new favorite band, if they make records that can match up to that performance. They don't have a myspace I'm afraid, so you're going to have to take my word for it. Their website on the other hand is: www.kitchiekitchiekimeo.com

Another outstanding show was Susanne Sundfør. I've followed her ever since I heard her playing solo with her piano. Solo performances can be dull, but when you have a divine voice unlike any other, and songs in the vein of Radiohead and Björk, the aforementioned is no problem for you. When I heard rumours of her working with Jaga Jazzist's Lars Horntvedt I was pleased, and eagerly anticipating the new material. I was not disappointed, as they had not thought radio hits, they had not thought solely on minimalism, or maximalism for that matter; the concert was a beautiful mesh of electronic beats, string samples, her Rhodes piano, synthesizers, Lars' horns and steel guitars and luscious harmonies by the background vocalists. In the center, always, is Susanne's voice in all its glory. You'll know what I mean when you listen to the track "The brothel" on myspace [or here for our own coverage -Ed.]

My last tip has to be Leif & The Future, which I play the bass in. We released the track "Let you go", which now is on heavy rotation on the radio. It's 80's pop like old U2, Duran Duran, [and] Talk Talk in sweet harmony with Krautrock..."

Interview by Sophy Grimshaw

Andreas Tylden (from JR Ewing) and Sten Ove Toft (Utarm, Ryfylke, Roggbif, etc.) have formed what Andreas describes as "an avant garde metal, post metal band", whose influences include Phillip Glass and John Cage. "We're a brand new band, we've only done five shows," he explains. That might explain why the crowd for the show was small, but everyone present -- include NME reporter Matt Wilkinson, and Edgar Smith of leading British indie mag Loud and Quiet -- instantly became a loyal fan.

Sten tells IAT: "it would be too easy to do nothing but noise, nothing but metal... but at its best, black metal is one of the most carefully composed musical genres, with great melodies, it's just that there's lots of noise around them."

So far, so civilised. They are even sharing their Tuborg with everybody -- nice guys. So Altaar aren't into burning down churches, then? "There are other ways to break down Christianity," muses Andreas. "If we burned down a church the state would have to pay for it and it would cost the tax payer money, so that's why we wouldn't want to do that." Sten adds: "Burning down churches makes the Christians feel stronger and makes them unite. It's better to ignore them." There were certainly enough candles on stage to fill any Catholic crypt, and it took the band some time to personally blow them all out before they left the stage.

Also getting a warm reception in frosty Oslo were Iceland's Seabear, who are playing again tonight. Initially a solo project by Sindri Mar Sigfuson -- who was once described by Rolling Stone as "the Icelandic Beck", the group from Reykjavik now has seven permanent members.

Tonight will see a repeat performance from Bergen's Social Suicide, too, whose set yesterday was arguably the festival's most exciting so far. Any New Yorker who hung out upstairs at Max's Kansas City in 1970s would, I imagine, have felt quite home here last night. The bigger name bands to have played so far include Casiokids and Oh No Ono, but many of us were far more taken by a group of Gothenburg Krautrockers called Fontän. Member Johan Melin tells IAT "I hope people hear us, like us and like the fact that something is going on in the psychedelic scene. We have a disco thing going on in Scandinavia right now. We're influenced by bands like Can but it's nice to merge different genres. We're trying to do it. I'm into drum and bass and electronic music, and when I was 15 I listened to a lot of British hip-hop like Killer Instinct, but you wouldn't guess that to listen to us... We listen to everything."

I'm going back into the conference now, but if anyone has any tips for bands I should check out while here, please drop me or Avi a line [or post a comment here -ed]. Apologies for my poorly articulated reporting, but I am very hung over.

Over and out for now Scandi-philes.
- Sophy Grimshaw

01. TALK 1
02. Monument - Feel failure
03. Regulations - To be me
04. Du - Bring down a house
05. Tyrant - Go ahead raise the dead
06. TALK 2
07. Tobias Fröberg - When we go to war
08. Next Life - Anti matter
09. Lo-Fi-Fnk - Marchin' in
10. Boy Omega - Just a boy
11. TALK 3
12. The Bear Quartet - I was a weapon
13. I'm from Barcelona/David Ljung - Silence
14. Thee Gutted String - I've been to town
15. TALK 4
16. Paper - Before that day
17. The Goner - Bright and colossal (risen mind)
18. At the Gates - Suicide nation
19. TALK 5
20. Madrugada - Look away Lucifer

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

Here's 2009's healthy truism.

Debutante's Ball -- This is a tie between Florida's Cult Ritual and San Diego's Crocodiles. If we start with the latter; not since Pissed Jeans' debut album have I danced and pranced around with tears in my eyes. It's ugly and certainly very annoying when the first half of a 5-minute song consists of a "drum solo" (read: monotonous beat) and is then followed by the complete assault of dissonant wailing guitars. When I'm in love you best believe I'm in love – L.U.V.

Crocodiles on the other hand is somewhat on the other side of the spectrum. Or almost. Old hardcore veterans switch from screaming to dreaming; put Suicide, The Jesus and The Mary Chain and Phil Spector in the meatgrinder and out comes those pesky swamp creatures. Berated by some critics as merely rehashing bands that already rehashed the past but, hey, it's 2009: Nothing's new!

Sophomore Sensation -- When I heard Health for the first time I thought they were really good. Production was a bit off, but some of the best records I know have shitty production sound (The Phantom Pregnancies) so there's no correlation between good sound and good music (Coldplay). Well, on their second album, "Get color", they have addressed the issue of sound, but in no way does that stink up this recording. It's the perfect combination of noise and melodic ambiance.

Blast From The Past -- A couple of months I picked up this late eighties album by Richard Lloyd called "Real time". It's a live album recorded at CBGB's and every second of it oozes that sometimes foul production sound that everyone (then) constituted as "quality sound". Nevertheless, it holds some beautiful gems worth listening to. The one song that immediately grabbed my attention was the power-stomping "Lost child". As always, the guitar playing is phenomenal and there isn't a day I wish I could play the way he does.

Pointblank -- DOGS! They cost a lot of money, they're dirty, they're needy, they steal your time and they certainly don't help out with chores around the house. They stare at you while you're eating and sometimes they drool on the floor for no reason. They bark at the door when no one's there. They lick their genitals and then your face. When it rains outside they usually take half an hour until they pee. Sometimes they're retarded and run around in circles until you're able to catch them. So, what good are they? Very much so.

Attention-grabbers -- Now's the time to say "This year proved to be a great year for music/entertainment" but past years haven't been better nor worse. You just have to dig deeper to find true golden gems. Among many things this is the stuff I feel privileged to have had the chance to listen to/watch/read/visit the following stuff:

We Live In Trenches, Crystal Antlers, Animal Collective, Best Coast, Death, Black Dice, Children, White Shit, Growing, Zach Hill, Rangers, No Age, Filter Magasin (Sweden), Aquarium Drunkard, Mad Men, True Blood, District 9, Academy Records, Other Music.

2010 Prediction Game – As the world this year was polluted with big bowls of turd in the shape of Brokencyde, Attack Attack! and other teen/screamo/crabcore acts I'm sure that even if we think this really is the ultimate low, that we have hit rock bottom and started to dig, we will be witnessing new atrocities that will make these auto-tuned insults pale in comparison. I give you Twee-Death with a baroque "Who Let The Dogs Out"-jam. Add gutteral noise and Kanye West into the mix and we'll have something that will make half the world's population stop having kids and the other half commiting suicide.

---------------------------
Cut City's most recent release was the excellent "Narcissus can wait" EP, available via Deleted Art. As speculated above, look for Cut City to release their sophomore full-length in 2010 along with new music from Max's solo project Night Minutes.
http://www.myspace.com/cutcity

I know nothing about this band except that like-minded noiseniks Pistol Disco are listed in their top friends. Related? I wouldn't doubt it, but I choose to remain willfully ignorant.

Bastard Priest

Blood Mortized

Graveless

Vanhelgd

Zombiekrig

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)

02. Woven Hand - Ten stones
http://www.myspace.com/wovenhand
I've been a fan of Woven Hand since day one and I know that some older fans didn't like this album, but I love it. I like that there is a little more rawness and energy. It's a great album.

03. Norma - Book Of Norma
http://www.klicktrack.com/novoton/releases/norma/book-of-norma
Another one of my bands and what a debut album they made. They mix ambient, Kraut, noise, electronica, indie often with a strict, repetitive bass/drum pattern and a magnificent, wide and almost hypnotic sound. This is rich, panoramic music with a warmth that you don't hear often from other bands trying to do something in this genre. German Kraut is one obvious thing, but also the spacerock of Spiritualized and Spacemen3 comes to mind. Newer references may be Silverbullit, 120 Days, Serena Maneesh and The Lionheart Brothers. Check out the review here at It's a Trap! and you'll get how good it is.

04. Clinic - Do it
http://www.clinicvoot.org/
Britain's finest psych rock combo return with a great summer album which I listen to almost exclusively the whole summer, and still do. "Corpus Christi now you miss me."

05. Ultravox - Ultravox!, Ha! Ha! Ha!, Systems of romance
http://www.metamatic.com/

05. Gary Numan - Replicas
http://www.numan.co.uk/
Every year I seem to have a trip down the memory lane and this year it was both Ultravox three first albums with John Foxx (don't care much for the ones with Midge Ure though). Still fucking brilliant. Enough said. I also listened a lot to a almost perfect album by Gary Numan - Replicas. Check them all out, it's well worth it.

06. Montys Loco - Farewell Mr. Happy
http://www.klicktrack.com/klicktrack/releases/montys-loco/farewell-mr-happy-2
Montys Loco are back with their forth album recorded in Namibia and Sweden. It explores organic sounds and electronic atmospheres created by Marie Eklund, Monty's guitarist and producer. PJ Harvey meets Suicide and Neubauten!

07. Spiritualized - Songs in A&E
http://www.myspace.com/spiritualized
"Songs in A&E" is a return to fantastic form by Spirtualized. All of Jason Pierce's fascinations of the past years appear here in a beautiful way. I'm always pleased to see old favourites release great albums.

08. Holiday For Strings - Upcoming second album
http://www.myspace.com/holidayforstrings
So it's not out yet but I got a CD with some of the new tracks which I absolutely loved. It's going to be a great album. Head over to their MySpace page and listen to them.

09. Glasvegas - Glasvegas
http://www.glasvegas.net/
I haven't really had time to get into it properly because I am always a little sceptic to bands that are hyped this much. However good music is good music even if it is being hyped, sometime it's hyped because it's good. I am sure this will be listened to a lot the next couple of months.

10. Fatboy - In my bones
http://www.klicktrack.com/klicktrack/releases/fatboy/in-my-bones
And to end the list a little bit of Rockabilly from Sweden. Fatboy's second album is truly genuine. Something with a feel for history, but that is fashionably out of date. A combo that looks like it sounds, that isn't afraid to laugh in the face of expectation.

---------------------------
Daggan runs the label Novoton and is one of the founders of Klicktrack. Next year he is looking forward to release new albums by Antennas, Existensminimum and Pascal as well as a side project by Isak from Pascal.
www.novoton.se
www.klicktrack.com

So how long have you lived in Gbg?

I've had Gothenburg as my base since 1996, but lived in London for a while in 1998 and traveled a lot.

Where did you move from and why?

I had lived in Paris and Umeå in the north of Sweden. Paris was great and I still see it as home when I go there and Umeå was kind of a disaster, so after one year of studies up there I needed to go south again and somehow ended up here. I didn't intend to stay for long, but accidentaly got stuck. It's quite easy to fall in love with Gothenburg.

Do you think that there's a particular Gbg sound or feeling? How would you describe it?

Yeah sure. Gbg is friendly, rough sometimes and very democratic. It's a harbour town which and the second biggest in Sweden, similar in size to Oslo I guess.

What advantages does living in Gbg offer artists? Disadvantages?

The music scene has always been pretty good here, especially punk and rock, but also experimental stuff and dance. There's clubs to play, plenty of rehearsal space and we fool ourselves that we are close to Europe since we're only a few hours north from Copenhagen. Berlin is close too, you can drive there in ten hours if you're fast and sober. Disadvantages are that Gbg is small, not much new blood is coming in and the art scene sucks. We have very few good galleries here even though some known international visual artists live here. But then again, there's plenty of bars and illegal techno parties going down. Good ways to get loaded.

I know you work with a lot of scene veterans, but who do you think are the up-and-coming talents in Gbg right now?

Sure - there are a few of course. I like Pistol Disco - a duo doing Suicide-like dark electronic crack pop. The Extended Head seems to be doing some great stuff, his latest demo was a killer old skool dance punk thing. Other than that, some of my fav acts are from here. Like Studio, José González, Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words and Contemporary Punk Unit.

Lastly, how has the city inspired you? Are there are any particular pieces from The Skull Defekts/The Idealist/iDEAL that provide a good sonic reflection of the city?

I am finding inspiration in loads of places. I live here, but travel a lot so my inspiration is honestly coming more from other places. Home is where I rest and work. I rarely lift my head to actually enjoy the view if you know what I mean. Gbg is a good place to be left alone and I leave it alone too hahaha. The Skull Defekts are recording and rehearsing in a hidden part of the hospital here which is of course extremely inspirational. We're there at night time only and it's a rather weird atmosphere up there. It's hard to name something but if I would choose one GBG anthem on iDEAL I'd probably name Henrik Rylander's "Traditional arrangements of feedback" but maybe more that Henrik is very Gothenburg to me than an actual sound to the damn thing.

Unfortunately, you'll have to go elsewhere to hear that Rylander piece, as Joachim specifically requested that The Skull Defekts accompany this post. And really, who am I to argue? Especially when the selected track is so good.

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/19413 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19413 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/19413#comments The Open Up and Bleeds will release their new self-titled EP next week via Suicide Records and will be marking the occasion with a release party at Landet in Stockholm on September 26. Listen at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/openupandbleeds
Recommended!]]> Fri, 21 Sep 2007 13:34:02 -0700 news general multimedia http://www.itsatrap.com/n/729 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/729 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/729#comments The playlist for my radio show this week:

01. At the Gates - Suicide nation
02. TALK 1
03. Moving Oos - Stronger
04. Eskju Divine - Hold on
05. Mechanical Bird - Sunday
06. TALK 2
07. Mixtapes & Cellmates - Quiet
08. DS13 - Thrash lifestyle
09. Montt Mardié - Metropolis
10. Junior Senior - Can I get get get
11. TALK 3
12. Niccokick - Love & neon lights
13. Kristofer Åström - I collect knives
14. Death Breath - His protoplasmic worship
15. TALK 4
16. Mob - Ghost track
17. MZ412 - Unhealing wounds
18. Ugress - Manhattan sapphire
19. TALK 5
20. Shining - Låt oss ta allt från darandra
21. No Hope for the Kids - Rainy day
22. Moneybrother - Det blir ingen dans
23. Amandine - For all the marbles
24. TALK 6
25. Familjen - Det snurrar i min skalle
26. Last Days of April - Aspirins and alcohol
27. M:40 - När bomberna faller
28. TALK 7
29. Espen Jørgensen - The immaculate conception
30. Motorpsycho - For free
31. The Carny - Man under the sun
32. TALK 8
33. Karin Ström - Klaustrofobi
34. Badun - Pulsen
35. Meshuggah - Future breed machine
36. Värttinä - Mero
37. TALK 9
38. Randy - Better than art
39. Closer - Open casket
40. Alog - Buffalo demon
41. TALK 10
42. On Trial - Speaking of witch]]> Sat, 14 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/813 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/813 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/813#comments Aversionline on the new Shining album "V Halmstad": http://www.aversionline.com/blahg/2007/07/06/shining-v-halmstad-niklas-angaende-niklas-cd/
It's a good album, though I'm not nearly as excited about it as Andrew. I think was expecting something harsher and less-polished, something more befitting the "suicide metal" tag. I suppose that Germany's Bethlehem, the kings of that genre, remain pretty much unchallenged.]]> Fri, 06 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/27709-mp3-aktiv-dodshjalp-tysta-vittnen http://www.itsatrap.com/n/27709-mp3-aktiv-dodshjalp-tysta-vittnen http://www.itsatrap.com/n/27709-mp3-aktiv-dodshjalp-tysta-vittnen#comments Maybe it's because I've been on a bit of nostalgia trip, but Swedish crust act Aktiv Dödshjälp reminds me a lot of brutal mid-90s metalcore, stuff like Fall Silent, Gehenna (US) or maybe Morning Again. The kind of stuff that's definitely more metal than 'core and heavy on the breakdowns. On the other hand, Aktiv Dödshjälp is probably far more rooted in d-beat and death metal. Despite the verse-chorus-breakdown/no-bullshit arrangements, the record "4:48" is chock-full of dark, ominous leads and fierce tremelo picking, sometimes even breaking into melodeath harmony. Lyrically, I don't think I've heard a more pessimistic record in a long while (until I get the new Shining, I guess). Take the name Aktiv Dödshjälp - active euthanasia. And "4:48", the album's title? That's the time most people commit suicide. Today's song "Tysta vittnen" ("Silent witness")? Actually one of lighter tracks in that it only deals with repression and subordination, not a pointless life lived in pain. Heavy stuff all around.]]> Wed, 06 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0700 mp3s http://www.itsatrap.com/n/1579 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/1579 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/1579#comments Yellow Mica Recordings is doing a special first-wave punk & hardcore tribute for their 30th release. Tracklist:

01. Boyracer - So fucking Swedish (Originally recorded by Urban Släke, Sweden 1981)
02. The Lucksmiths - Dignified and old (Originally recorded by The Modern Lovers, USA 1976)
03. Hulaboy - Someday (Originally recorded by The Babylon Dance Band, USA 1981)
04. The Tall Boy - I don't mind (Originally recorded by The Buzzcocks, UK 1978)
05. Pants Yell! - Suburban home (Originally recorded by The Descendents, USA 1982)
06. The Manhattan Love Suicides - Orphans (Originally recorded by Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, USA 1979)
07. The Faintest Ideas - År 3000 (Originally recorded by Pizzoar, Sweden 1980)
08. Inspaceno! - Dean's dream (Originally recorded by The Dead Milkmen, USA 1984)
09. The Young Untold - Jackanory stories (Originally recorded by Television Personalities, UK 1981)
10. Emily Jane Powers - Sheena is a punk rocker (Originally recorded by The Ramones, USA 1977)
11. The Elks - Communist radio (Originally recorded by The Eat, USA 1979)
12. Jilted Jen - Jilted Jen (Originally recorded by Jilted John, UK 1978)
13. Brotherhood of broken hearts - I hate the rich (Originally recorded by The Dils, USA 1977)
14. Downdime - (I'm) Stranded (Originally recorded by The Saints, Australia 1977)
15. Kin - A question of degree (Originally recorded by Wire, UK 1979)
16. Bunnygrunt - Lights out (Originally recorded by Angry Samoans, USA 1982)
17. The Infestations - I kill hippies (Originally recorded by Jack Tragic and the Unfortunantes, USA 1983)
18. James Ausfahrt - I'm your man (Originally recorded by Richard Hell & the Voidoids, USA 1977)

Buy it here: http://www.yellowmicarecordings.com/shop.htm]]> Thu, 03 May 2007 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/2946 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/2946 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/2946#comments Swedish glam-rockers Crashdiet have unveiled their new vocalist, H. Olliver Twisted from Finnish act Reckless Love: http://www.crashdiet.org/
Former frontman Dave Lepard committed suicide in January, 2006.]]> Mon, 22 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/4009 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/4009 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/4009#comments Swedish glam-rockers Crashdiet are back and promise to persevere onward despite the suicide of frontman Dave Leppard: http://www.crashdiet.org/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1161087538]]> Thu, 19 Oct 2006 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/4743 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/4743 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/4743#comments DigitalMetal on the recent suicide of Dissection frontman Jon Nödtveidt: http://www.digitalmetal.com/news.asp?cid=7611]]> Mon, 21 Aug 2006 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/4764 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/4764 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/4764#comments Blabbermouth is reporting that Jon Nödtveidt of Dissection has committed suicide: http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=56681]]> Fri, 18 Aug 2006 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25598-video-mix-alarma-man-at-the-gates-the-bear-quartet-kings-of-convenience-montt-mardie-more http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25598-video-mix-alarma-man-at-the-gates-the-bear-quartet-kings-of-convenience-montt-mardie-more http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25598-video-mix-alarma-man-at-the-gates-the-bear-quartet-kings-of-convenience-montt-mardie-more#comments Entry #2 in our series highlighting some of Scandinavia's best video art. No theme, just good music with visuals to match.

Alarma Man - Bird
Great indierock from Göteborg! This song is from the "Duets" 12"-split with Knife and Ape. Influences from the TV-show "24" makes the video even more fun to watch! (JA)

Kristofer Åström - All lover's hell (live)
This song is what made me love his solo material, and seeing this stripped down performance is an example of how great this song is. (MG)

At the Gates - Blinded by fear
Not much of a video by one of Sweden's finest. Just the band playing in some sort of a warehouse with lights blinking off and on. But the sound and the aggression! This is music at its best! The girl with the welder is pretty cool in the video though, makes me think of the girl in the "will it float?"-segment on Letterman. (JA)

The Bear Quartet - Ask me don't axe me
A charming video starring drummer Jejo Perkovic (also known from bands such as Brick, Infinite Mass and Breach) in every role. In times like these when the European Championships in athletics are held here in Sweden, it's always nice to see that not all of us can be athletes. (JA)

The Cardigans - Lovefool
Nina never looked better than in this video. Why on earth did she decide to ditch her blonde barnet, and go brunette? Like The Cardigans' change in sound, such a move was commercial suicide. (NL)

Kings of Convenience - I'd rather dance with you
I saw this video on M2 a couple of summers ago, and then I was in the record store a week or so later with a friend from Moss, Norway and he was surprised I knew who they were. I bought the album and this band has never ceased to amaze on each listen. (MG)

Logh - The smoke will lead you home
A band that needs more appreciation I think! This, the new video, is directed by Johannes Winkler and was shot in Malmö a few blocks from where I'm sitting right now. You gotta love the atmospheric and epic sound of these fine guys! (JA)

Loveninjas - I'm really sorry (that I killed you)
This video is a piece of lo-fi film at it's finest, and the man in heart suit dancing is priceless. (MG)

Montt Mardié - High school drama
It looks like Moneybrother finally has some solid competition for the most souful Swede of the early twenty-first century, and his name is Montt Mardié. And what's better than a song involving drama, The Beatles and pregnancy? (MG)

Tiger Lou - The loyal
As always, when it comes to Rasmus Kellerman and his craftmanship, the videos are works of completion. Especially this one. A dark and weary one that brings out the gloomy feeling the song is about. And, as a fan of horror movies I really like the "The Evil Dead"/"Blair Witch Project"-references. It kinda creeps me out a bit. In a good way! (JA)

.:Who's who?

JA: Jonas Appelqvist
MG: Matt Giordano
NL: Nick Levine

]]> Thu, 10 Aug 2006 00:00:00 -0700 articles videos http://www.itsatrap.com/n/6820 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/6820 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/6820#comments East Coast tourdates for Danish punkrockers Gorilla Angreb:

04/04 - as220, Providence, RI w/Out Cold, Conversions, Snake Apartment
04/05 - Valentines (downstairs), Albany, NY w/To Hell and Back, Permanent Trip
04/06 - 99 Custer St., Buffalo, NY w/The Bayonettes
04/07 - tba, Pittsburgh, PA
04/08 - Firehouse Bikes, Philadelphia, PA w/Witch Hunt, The Bayonettes
04/09 - tba, Richmond, VA w/Direct control, Fucked Up, Career Suicide
04/10 - tba, DC
04/11 - 120 Hamilton St., New Brunswick, NJ w/Clockcleaner, Splitting Headache
04/12 - Ottobar, Baltimore, MD w/Subhumans, Caustic Christ, 1905
04/13 - First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia, PA w/Subhumans, Caustic Christ, Signal Lost
04/14 - Knitting Factory, NYC w/Subhumans, Caustic Christ, Mouth Sewn Shut
04/15 - Axis 13, Boston, MA w/Subhumans, Caustic Christ, Mouth Sewn Shut

If you're into classic 80s LA punk ala X, be sure to check these guys out. I'm not as fond of them as I am of the guitarist's other band No Hope for the Kids, but they're still definitely worth seeing.]]> Thu, 02 Mar 2006 00:00:00 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/7427 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/7427 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/7427#comments Dave Lepard, frontman of Swedish glam-rockers Crashdiet, was found dead this morning: http://www.crashdiet.org/
Speculation is that it was suicide, but I have no confirmation at this time.]]> Fri, 20 Jan 2006 00:00:00 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/9452 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/9452 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/9452#comments Stylus reviews the new album from VVV aka Mika Vainio and Ilpo Väisänen (Pan Sonic) together with Alan Vega (Suicide): http://www.stylusmagazine.com/review.php?ID=3286]]> Wed, 17 Aug 2005 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/9461 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/9461 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/9461#comments Uprise Zine is holding an entertaining contest to give away free copies of the new US edition of "Sweet sweet suicide" from Norwegian hardcore act Silence the Foe, out now on Lujo Records. Check it: http://www.uprisezine.com/contest.html]]> Tue, 16 Aug 2005 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/9586 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/9586 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/9586#comments The details for the new Bear Quartet album have been revealed! The new album will be called "Saturday night" and in usual BQ fashion, will be preceded by an EP for the song "I have an itch". The tracklist for both:

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

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

As mentioned before, the music is said to be much more on the electronic side of things and "impossible to play live." They themselves list Suicide, Black Grape and Enya as influences. Should be interesting, to say the least.]]> Mon, 08 Aug 2005 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/9653 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/9653 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/9653#comments US label Lujo Records will be releasing the "Sweet sweet suicide" EP from Norwegian hardcore act Silence the Foe in a special new version this coming September with two bonus tracks and two videos included on the disc. In other news, StF will be entering GrandSport Studio today with Christian Engfelt from Cato Salsa Experience to begin work on their debut full-length album.]]> Mon, 01 Aug 2005 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/10052 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/10052 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/10052#comments Finnish mp3 blog Lupatarkastaja posts some new tracks from Jyväskylä-based dark metal act Obscurant: http://lupatarkastaja.samizdat.info/2005/06/17/obscurant-first-degree-suicide-mp3/]]> Mon, 20 Jun 2005 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/10777 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/10777 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/10777#comments Finland's Rotten Sound is touring the US in May:

05/13 - Studio S, Hollywood, CA w/Phobia, Blown to Bits, Terrorism, Society's Decay, Take Hold
05/14 - Arcadia Skate Hotel, Oakland, CA w/Phobia, Annihilation Time, Voetsek, Population Reduction
05/15 - Sabala's Mt Tabor, Portland, OR w/Phobia, Fall of the Bastards, Lord Gore
05/16 - Elcorazon, Seattle, WA w/Phobia, Skarp
05/17 - tba, Eugene, OR w/Fall of the Bastards
05/18 - The Playground, Sacramento, CA w/Fall of the Bastards, Kuru, Rebel's Advocate
05/19 - tba, OR w/Fall of the Bastards
05/20 - tba, Long Beach w/Phobia
05/21 - Voodoo, Tijuana (MEX) w/Phobia, Noctuary
05/23 - Knitting Factory, NYC w/Misery Index, Magrudergrind, Hope and Suicide
05/24 - The Hall On Smith St., Providence, RI w/Misery Index, Magrudergrind, Bane of Existence
05/25 - Cherry Street Station, Wallingford, CT w/Misery Index, Magrudergrind, Guerra
05/26 - The Roboto Project, Pittsburgh, PA w/Misery Index, Magrudergrind, Bodies Lay Broken, Spoonful Of Vicodin
05/27 - Speakeasy, Philadelphia, PA w/Misery Index, Magrudergrind, Total Fucking Destruction, Rottenness, With Immortality
05/28-29 - Thunderdome, Baltimore, MD w/Maryland Death Fest III]]> Wed, 27 Apr 2005 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25465-live-report-exms-swedish-showcase-the-troubadour-la-03-16-2005 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25465-live-report-exms-swedish-showcase-the-troubadour-la-03-16-2005 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25465-live-report-exms-swedish-showcase-the-troubadour-la-03-16-2005#comments So the Swedish Showcase was the night before last. It was the greatest thing ever. Ever.

My story begins ten hours and four hundred miles before the show started in the city of Albany in front of Avi's house. Avi got into my car for the trip to LA and, same thing as last year, he was carrying a box full of music for the drive including all recordings of all three bands set to play at the show. He put in the first CD, The Deportees. This was the first and only thing that went wrong during the adventure. The Deportees suck.

It is this simple. Their music is not only embarrassingly bad, but boring as well. To be enraged at how much something can blow and at the same time be too bored to care is no small feat. It is also not much of an accomplishment. They sound like they are trying to be someone Lisa Bonet would want to date, but really really bad. Like really bad. Wannabe Soul that really is just a terrible Easy Listening disaster. We listened to the whole thing all the way through as a game and exercise in mind over matter. It became hilarious once they began singing about their landscapes (as in their soul? personal space?) and borderlines (guarding their souls? marking their souls?). We brainstormed aloud what our hopes and fears were in terms of how the band would actually look and what their set would be like. The rest of the drive was pure happiness with The Ark and Moneybrother coming through the speakers and bugs smashing into my windshield on the 5.

We got to the show and Avi sort of nervously looked around for the people he was supposed to interview, Anders of Moneybrother and Peter of Burning Heart Records. We sat in a corner with Anders and Avi turned into the interviewer, asking over and over about musicians Anders likes or dislikes, trying to get him to step into the political suicide of naming names. Anders had unrealistic dreams of who he would like to play with. Mostly he would have to travel backwards in time to play with his dream team, which is not only silly, but also not possible [ed: wait until I get my interview transcribed, you'll see]. I liked that about him. He also had a leather pouch on a leather string that he wore around his neck. He took it off and fiddled with it a lot during the interview. I liked that too. I wondered what was inside. Maybe picks? Something personal? A condom? (He is after all a pop star, but it was not the right shape for such a thing.)

I found out through some of my own questions the following information: 1.) There are high school reunions in Sweden. Anders did not go to his last year but was pleased to be invited. He occasionally gets emails from people from his schoolboy years but these people do not in general remind him of past embarrassments he committed. (I would if I was emailing a pop star whom I had gone to primary school with but that's just me.) 2.) Punk kids in Sweden do not really crack a lot of jokes about having sex with young teens or children. 3.) Jenna Jameson has made it in Sweden, as in she's a porn star there too, but Pamela Anderson is a bigger porn star. Apparently Sweden is more honest in their classification of America celebrities and call it like it is. I asked as a tool of clarification if she is considered such due to her trashy image or because of the Tommy Lee video. It is because of the Tommy Lee video. Anders said he only saw a snippet of the tape and it was not the part where Tommy honks the horn of his boat with his boner.

Then Avi interviewed Peter and then we ate snacks and then we went in and got free drinks and talked some shit about the industry people (mostly in my head though - I can't help it in LA, I turn even more shallow...)

Then the lights dimmed and the show began. First up: The Deportees. They were so bad! They sounded just as bad live, didn't have any sort of stage show to save it and seemed to have no fucking clue that they suck, which is indeed their worst offense. John Mayer came to my mind as in "Oh god....this is everything I hate about John Mayer but there is a whole band and they are supposed to be good and I drove so far..." Even busting out a banjo had no redemption and who doesn't love a banjo??? Avi encouraged me to just look at the drummer because he has been in other bands that were good but I tried and he too was doing the horrible head groove neck movement thing. I was happy when they were over.

And then Moneybrother came out to play. Holy Shit! He was great. The band was great. All was flawless. Anders came out wearing black pants, white short-sleeved shirt, sleeves rolled up, and a skinny black tie to boot. That outift is a classic and when done well cannot be beat. He did it well. The band was so tight and busted out these super fast and awesome breaks and improvs during the songs and I smiled big and they were smiling big and it was rad. Moneybrother is one of the few bands that is likable, fuck, lovable really, instantly. You can love it love it love it the first time you hear it and if you are lucky enough to see it - forget it. You'll have a new favorite band. The sax player was kinda rockabilly kinda Buddy Holly kinda perfect 1950s back-up singer ever. He had the look down pat even down to his posture and facial expression. How rad is he?

So I was excited and happy and the world was great and then I looked up to the rafters, toward the backstage area and saw curtains had gone up so the crowd could not see in. I knew this could only mean one thing.... The Ark was putting on costumes.

The lights dimmed and the band descended, matching flight shirts and tight white pants. Hot. They began playing and casting a shadow onto the wall was the outline of Ola, the singer, getting ready. All of a sudden he busted forth and The Ark was the best band I have ever seen. The best performance of any sort I have ever seen. I cannot believe something as amazing as The Ark live even exists. Ola was wearing a tight tight flight suit, accented with red boots and wide red belt slung low around his hips. He gyrated and jiggled and sexed it up and my god, everyone loved it. He was a ham. He was on fire. Fuck, he even flamed and nothing, seriously nothing, could have been better. He never was over the top, never was too much. He nailed the perfect performance. The perfect amount of package show-off in his tight suit, the perfect Molly Ringwald dancing, the perfect facial expressions, the perfect small smiles, the perfect seduction, the perfect vocals, the perfect perfect man to own a stage. And it was HIS stage. The Ark sounded as good as on any of their albums and there were times Ola let the crowd sing for him and it was as loud if not louder than when he sang it himself. The crowd was INTO IT. It was The Ark's first U.S. show and they rocked it so fucking hard. You could tell they were sort of surprised at how familiar the crowd was with them, singing along and shouting out requests for favorite songs. The band would glance at each other with looks of pure excitement. There was even a demand for an unplanned encore and The Ark gave it all they had.

On the drive down I had an epiphany: Ola on the first record is all Freddy Mercury-esque. Drama and theater and passion and epic vocals. Ola has progressed to pure Frankfurter, straight outta "Rocky Horror". Spoken vocal lines, pure sex appeal, and understated smugness, all in the ultimate sexual glory. How rad is Ola? I mean, seriously?? He is so so rad.

In conclusion: If The Ark does not get a U.S. contract a massive injustice to Amercian culture will have been committed. Seriously. And Moneybrother too. American pop NEEDS Moneybrother. Real soul, real talent, sorrow and rejection with an underlying contentment that comes through the music. Something about Moneybrother is happiness in spite of lyrical heartbreak.
- Kelly Hoover

.:About the author:

Not many people would be willing to drive six hours for a show featuring a bunch of bands they've never heard before, but Kelly is a good sport and provides excellent comic relief. This was her second year accompanying her long-time friend Avi down to LA for the ExMS showcase.

]]> Fri, 18 Mar 2005 00:00:00 -0800 articles reviews http://www.itsatrap.com/n/12014 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/12014 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/12014#comments More Pan Sonic dates:

02/15 - STUK Arts Centre, Louvain (BEL)
02/22 - Spazio Boario, Roma (ITA) w/Suicide
02/25 - tba, Pisa (ITA)
02/26 - tba, Ravenna (ITA)]]> Mon, 24 Jan 2005 00:00:00 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/12639 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/12639 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/12639#comments Also from FE comes word that Finnish noise artists Mika Vainio and Ipso Vaisanen aka Pan Sonic will be collaborating once again with Alan Vega of Suicide for a release on the Mego label. Look for it sometime around March.]]> Fri, 03 Dec 2004 00:00:00 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25421-streaming-playlist-in-rotation http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25421-streaming-playlist-in-rotation http://www.itsatrap.com/n/25421-streaming-playlist-in-rotation#comments DATE ADDED : 11.28.04
LAUNCH : Real / Windows

Tracklist:
01. Tigerbombs - 1000 sparks
02. The Solution - Would you change your mind?
03. Peter, Bjorn and John - Tailormade
04. Desert Planet - Shadow of the assassin
05. Henrik Levy - The teacher
06. The Tiny - Closer
07. Kashmir - The aftermath
08. The Lionheart Brothers - The sun in my eyes
09. Wild Evil Entertainment Dept. - Nosebleed
10. Gåte - Rike rodenigår
11. The Soundtrack of Our Lives - Transcendental suicide
12. Silverbullit - Only gold
13. C.Aarmé - You're a dead box
14. WE - Smugglers

]]> Sun, 28 Nov 2004 00:00:00 -0800 articles podcast http://www.itsatrap.com/n/13762 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/13762 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/13762#comments Check out the press release for the brand new Soundtrack of Our Lives album "Origin (I)": http://tsool.net/origin_release.doc
Tracklist:

01. Believe I've found
02. Transcendental suicide
03. Bigtime
04. Heading for a breakdown
05. Mother one track mind
06. Midnight children (Enfants de la Nuit)
07. Lone summer dream
08. Royal explosion II
09. Wheels of boredom
10. Borderline
11. Song for the others
12. The age of no reply]]> Tue, 07 Sep 2004 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/13883 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/13883 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/13883#comments Some news from The Ricochets:

We are now preparing for our European tour starting 29th of September.Next week we´re gonna work in the studio with some new songs that we will try out on you on the tour. Trond has been writing some new stories from his life. Where the first album "Slo-mo suicide" was about him moving to Oslo and the how life was treating (or threatening) him there, and the second album "The ghost of our love" was about one girl he couldn't have, and at last made him leave Oslo for good and move back to his mother in his hometown Fredrikstad, where he now works as a cook and where he found true love at last, the new material will be about .....well you have to wait and hear. You have all something to look forward to. I guess we will play between four to six new songs. The next record will be expected summer/autumn next year.]]> Fri, 27 Aug 2004 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/14594 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/14594 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/14594#comments Tracklist for the upcoming "Slaughterous Souls - A Tribute to At The Gates" compilation coming in September from Drowned Scream Records and Goi Music:

01. Taetre (SWE) - "At The Gates"
02. Godhate (SWE) - "Kingdom Gone"
03. Mörk Gryning (SWE) - "Neverwhere"
04. Moonskin (ISR) - "Raped By The Light Of Christ"
05. Darkness By Oath (BAS) - "The Swarm"
06. Soul Demise (GER) - "Forever Blind"
07. Eternal Oath (SWE) - "The Fevered Circle"
08. Eternal Gray (ISR) - "Blinded By Fear"
09. Illdisposed (DK) - "Slaughter Of The Soul"
10. Enter Chaos (POL) - "Cold"
11. Detonation (HOL) - "Under A Serpent Sun"
12. Misanthrope (FRA) - "Suicide Nation"
13. Paganizer (SWE) - "Nausea"
14. Vile (US) - "Cold" (Live)
15. In Aeternum (SWE) - "Blood Run From The Altar" (Grotesque cover bonus track)

The CD package will also contain a 20-page booklet including comments from At the Gates members, a map of the band history and more. The sentiment is cool, but I'm not terribly impressed with that lineup. Who knows though? Could still be great.]]> Mon, 28 Jun 2004 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/14771 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/14771 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/14771#comments The Ricochets are starting to put together a full European tour for September/October. Here's what they've got so far:

09/18 - In The City, Liverpool (UK)
10/01 - Flex, Vienna (AUS)
10/03 - Exil, Singen (GER)
10/04 - Nachtleben, Frankfurt Main (GER)
10/05 - Ziegel Rote Fabrik, Zürich (SWI)
10/06 - Fisherman's Cafè, Langenau (GER)
10/07 - ISC, Bern (SWI)
10/08 - Groovestation, Dresden (GER)
10/09 - Atomic Cafè, München (GER)
10/10 - Mudd Club, Berlin (GER)

As mentioned before, their albums "The Ghost of Our Love" and "Slo-mo Suicide" will be released across Europe in a special bundled edition on August 30 via Glitterhouse.]]> Wed, 09 Jun 2004 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/14950 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/14950 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/14950#comments Norway's The Ricochets have signed a new record deal with Germany's Glitterhouse for a special release of the excellent album "The Ghost Of Our Love" across Europe. The new edition will contain not only "The Ghost....", but also the debut record "Slo-mo Suicide" for the price of one album. Look for it on August 30.]]> Thu, 27 May 2004 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/16208 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/16208 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/16208#comments The Haunted have announced that "Subliminal Messages of Suicide Promotion" from fan Conner Tadena was the winning entry in their album title competition. They won't be using for the new record, but it may turn up at some point in the future.]]> Wed, 03 Mar 2004 00:00:00 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/16684 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/16684 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/16684#comments The punkrock supergroup Suicide Blitz featuring members from Defiance, Victims, DS-13, SHOS and Wolfbrigade has been added to the Umeå Punkfest lineup.]]> Mon, 02 Feb 2004 00:00:00 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/16920 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/16920 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/16920#comments Windir frontman Valfar (aka Terje Bakken) was found dead last Friday. The cause of death has not yet been released, but rumor speculation is saying that it was suicide. The Norwegian black-metal act recently signed with Tabu Recordings and was planning on recording in May/July, but has not yet decided whether they will carry on.]]> Mon, 19 Jan 2004 00:00:00 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/17223 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/17223 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/17223#comments Original Hanoi Rocks guitarist Nasty Suicide will be rejoining his old bandmates for a New Year's Eve show at Caribia/994-Hall in Turku, Finland. This will be the first time he's played with the guys since the band originally broke up in 1984.

And speaking of those guys, here's a review of their most recent album "Twelve Shots on the Rocks" from DigitalMetal.com in anticipation of its upcoming US release.]]> Mon, 22 Dec 2003 00:00:00 -0800 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/17940 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/17940 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/17940#comments Listenable Records will be putting out a five song EP of previously unreleased Soilwork material that was recorded during the "Steelbath Suicide" and "Chainheart Machine" sessions. I wonder how the band feels about this and if they approve, since this is totally the sort of thing that smells like a label trying to cash in. Anyhow, here's the tracklist:

01. Burn (Deep Purple cover)
02. Disentigrated Skies
03. Shadow Child (original version)
04. Egypt (Mercyful Fate cover)
05. The Aardvark Trail (live)]]> Thu, 09 Oct 2003 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/18221 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/18221 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/18221#comments Impious are currently busy preparing material for their fourth album and are just about ready to enter guitarist Valle Adzic's own Digizone Studio for pre-production. Around February/March next year the band will enter Studio Mega to record the real thing. No title yet, but some of the songs they are working on include "Suicide Park", "Beneath The Underworld", "Death_Wish_Scar" and "Bloodspill Revelation".]]> Wed, 17 Sep 2003 00:00:00 -0700 news http://www.itsatrap.com/n/18758 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/18758 http://www.itsatrap.com/n/18758#comments It seems that the Koch International release of Entombed's new album "Inferno" was premature. The label received it from Music for Nations with the understanding that it was good to go, but went ahead without letting the band know, and also without having a signed contract. Anyhow, it's been pulled and will see a 'proper' release on Threeman/Century Media sometime early next year. What a mess. In related news, Entombed's personal label Threeman will get the vinyl releases of the band's last three albums "Uprising", "Morning Star" and "Inferno" later this month. The labels other planned releases are as follows:

The Project Hate MCMXCIX - "Hate, Dominate, Congregate, Eliminate" out August 25
Alpha Saphari (formerly known as Washoe) - currently recording album , tentative title is "Commercial Suicide"

Danish dance sensation Junior Senior will be on Regis and Kelly on Monday. Check local listings for channel and airtime.]]> Fri, 01 Aug 2003 00:00:00 -0700 news