Along with the new Susanne Sundfør, here's another one for my best-of-2012 list. Agent Side Grinder's latest LP "Hardware" builds off everything they've done before and yet again further hones it towards perfection: stronger songs, wider dynamics, more diverse and interesting sounds. More moods too. For example, take "Sleeping fury": it has a swagger that's rare for industrial music, but there's no mistaking the simmering rage underneath. Lead single "Wolf hour" was a straight-up verse/chorus pop song; this is something different and far more sinister.
, once again delivering the best heavy stoner jams Scandinavia has to offer. Odyssey is their latest signing and this is the band's new single "Wicked witch", the first from their upcoming album "Abysmal despair", due to be released on May 16.
Here we have the best example of Scandinavian Americana since, well... since the last time CS Nielsen put out a record. No contest really; where so many others try and fail, Nielsen makes the endeavor sound so completely effortless, as if it's exactly what he was born to do. Frankly, I doubt most American artists can complete either as I can't remember the last time I heard a new country album this good that wasn't from a legacy artist. Not that I have time to keep up with such things, but I openly defy anyone to prove me wrong. Listen to the entire new album "Man of the fall"via Spotify and be prepared to chalk up the first solid entry on your best of 2012 list.
Burning Hearts' second full-length "Extinctions" is a treat. Delving into description disguised as heavy-handed metaphor would be a disservice to such a carefully crafted, thoughtful album, so I'll simple start with a hearty "wow." (It's worth noting the decision to forgo poetics was made after several spins marked by hand flailing and randomly squealed superlatives)
Yeah. It's good.
Other than injecting a note of mystery to their otherwise light-as-air pop confections -- perfected with the debut, "Aboa sleeping" -- very little has changed since the last time we met the Finnish quintet. Not that anything needed altering. The band has created another charming outing that leans just as much on French pop as Scandinavian melancholy, its nine tracks (including "The swallows" and "Into the wilderness" which first hit ears with last year's excellent "Into the wilderness" EP) splitting the difference between wistful refrains and modern synths. The album benefits heartily from vocalist Jessika Rapo's latter-day Nico delivery, but nowhere does it hit such heights as on "Love and dissonance", the soaring line, "Beautiful, beautiful sing me a song the way you used to do," rendered downright beatic in her melodic whisper. On "The best" her languid call hopscotches over the band's near near-folk instrumentation, complete with steel drum backing. But perhaps most surprising is "The swallows", where their formula of gentle instrumentation is turned on its head in favor of 1980s synths, with Rappo as a slow-motion dancing queen. Sure, their music is still sweet, but "Extinctions" -- in all its subtle variations -- only servers to demonstrate that Burning Hearts should be considered pop heavy weights. - Laura Studarus
best Album: Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes best Artist: Lykke Li best Electronic/Dance: Rebecca & Fiona - I Love You, Man best Hip-Hop/Soul: Timbuktu - Sagolandet best Hardrock/Metal: Graveyard - Hisingen Blues best Jazz: Tonbruket - Dig It To The End best Songwriter: Veronica Maggio/Christian Walz - Satan I Gatan best Song: Avicii - Levels best Music Video: Gustav Johansson - Karl X Johan "Flames (Uncompromised Cut)" best Newcomer: Aleks best Pop: Veronica Maggio - Satan I Gatan best Producer: Masse Salazar best Rock: Deportees - Islands & Shores best International Success: Swedish House Mafia best Lyrics: Veronica Maggio/Christian Walz - Satan I Gatan best Innovator: Avicii
Norrland indierockers Park Hotell have been picked up by NY-based label (Movits!) who will be compiling a best-of album called "Layers" for US release. They'll also be coming over in March for SXSW and will be doing some other shows, exact dates TBA.
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
DJ 99 of Listen to Norway's excellent "99 Minutes" podcast series has assembled a Spotify playlist of his favorite tracks from 2011: http://listento.no/mic.nsf/doc/art2012020212292683108262
Not everything is available to US listeners unfortunately, but it's still worth checking out.
Stig Vig aka Per Odeltorp, best known as the frontman/bassist for long-running Swedish "transkontinental rockreggae" act Dag Vag, has passed away at the age of 63.
Swedish punk/hardcore webmag Lukinzine put together a cassette comp of Swedish punk to send to the 64 Indonesian punks that were arrested for being themselves and are now streaming the whole damn thing via Bandcamp. Not officially sanctioned or anything, but if you want a quick sampling of many of the scene's best bands right now, you should check it out.
Burning Hearts