I have been following P3 Guld/P3 Gold, Sveriges Radio/Swedish Radio's annual awards ceremony, for a long time now, almost as long as the event has existed. Which also happens to be about as long as I've been seriously following Swedish/Scandinavian music and running this site. There's no doubt that SR has been a huge part of my Swedish musical education over these years, both due to their outstanding website and online streaming offerings, but also because of their devotion to quality programming and the promotion of domestic acts. Of course, Sweden's outstanding music scene makes the latter a no-brainer, but you know that if someone's gonna mess it up, it's gonna be a state-run institution. Anyhow, I usually try to listen in to the show's audio broadcast every year (Swedish Television/SVT's live stream is blocked for international users), but never in my life did I ever expect the opportunity to attend in-person. The idea never even occurred to me. So as soon as I received an email asking me if I wanted to go, I immediately jumped at it. Who wouldn't? Even with a scarce one-week notice, I would be a fool to pass up the offer.

So off I went, spirited halfway 'round the world in some sort of fever-dream, all for a gala previously thought unaccessible. But before we get into my personal experience of the event, let us first take a history lesson.

P3 Guld was started by Swedish Radio nine years ago, evolving out of and superceding the then-current Popstad (Pop City) live music event. "So we have Grammy awards in Sweden as well and this was a year that there was some controversy surrounding them," says SR's Pia Kalischer, the official "mother" of P3 Guld, "They said they would no longer have anything to do with quality, they would only be based on sales and we thought that was kind of dumb so I saw a gap in market and I figured, well we should do something that's an event that will have to do with new music and also live music, as we broadcast a lot of concerts [see P3 Live for example]. So I figured it would be fun if we could do something that was open to an audience with live music and let's throw in a few awards to have a reason to throw this thing."

"Today I'm the Commissioner of Music and Events at Sveriges Radio, before that I was Head of Music for P3 for ten years. I was also a program manager and before that I was a producer and I've always had my heart in the music and for as long as I was working as Head of Music, I was continuously working with the P3 brands musically so that it would be connected to new Swedish music. That was the whole idea that people would associate P3 with new Swedish music."

And so P3 Guld came to be. The first year was small and humble, taking place at a tiny theater in Växjö (home of The Ark, Melody Club and uh, Birdflesh) before relocating permanently to its current home in Göteborg, Sweden's second city. Pia explains: "The city of Gothenburg came to us and said, "Please, come over, we'll help you. We have a very strong music scene in this city and all kinds of genres as well." It's the home of Swedish heavy metal and also lots of indiepop and also hip-hop, it's got everything basically. And a good organization within the city that helped us to get connected with the venues, the arenas, the people... so we grew from a small theater to a little bit of a bigger theater which seated 900 people, to [another] which seated maybe 1000 and then suddenly our partners said "Let's do this big" so we went to Scandinavium which is a huge arena that usually has hockey games. So went from 900 to 3000 people in a couple years. And we did that for 2 years in Scandinavium and that was huge." This year, however, the event has been scaled back and moved to the slightly smaller Lisebergshallen at the Liseberg amusement park. Seating approximately 2,500 with the complex, multi-tiered stage setup to allow for quick set changes, this is the first time the event was slated to include a standing audience. As to whether it was a fully conscious choice or rather the result of Scandinavium being booked for the European handball championships, nobody seemed too daunted or disappointed by the switch. "I personally feel that it was wonderful and it was fun and it just suddenly exploded, but for me," says Pia, "I've always wanted the P3 Guld to be sort of intimate. I want it to have a club feel so that audience gets closer to the bands and the bands get close to the audience. When the bands and audience connect that's when you get that certain electrical feel that really makes for good radio and good television. When it's real. That sounds so trite, but I really mean it."

All the same by me, as a newcomer to the P3 Guld live experience. I'm more than happy to play the part of the humble guest, letting myself get shuffled here and there for whatever pre-arranged activities my hosts have in mind. Well, except for the P3 Live-sponsored pre-pre-party on Friday night -- I really don't need to see some (ex?) cokehead pop-music producer's feeble attempt at playing in a rock band, so I opted out for a quality evening with my local friends, exploring the exciting, burgeoning world of Swedish craft beer. So then on Saturday, after a slow day of recovery and light window-shopping around Haga, we're spirited away to the official pre-party at the Brew House, a swirling mess of tabloid photographers snapping shots of the various pop artists who decide to make an appearance, mixed in among far greater numbers of industry reps and hanger-ons. I say hellos to the few folks I recognize and am introduced to many more, including a project manager from Music Export Norway down from Oslo to check things out (Øyvind, I'm ready to come over anytime!). Then there's also Watain, lurking on the fringes, looking seriously bummed and out of place. And intimidating -- no way am I going to attempt to introduce myself though a picture with the band would've surely been awesome. My fellow guest DJ Grace and I do a short interview on the air for the pre-show (I manage to be coherent enough to give props to the year's current best single, "Coming from you" by Paper) and we're off again, following a trail of torch-wielding sentries on our way to the venue.

As for the show itself, the live broadcast (on both P3 and SVT) demands a strict schedule. Pia has prepared us: "Some other award shows like the Swedish Grammis they have 21 prizes to give out. So you have to sit there for what? 3 hours? And they can only fit in 4 or 5 musical acts. So we do it in 90 minutes, 9 prizes and I think we have 10 bands this year. So it's very fast-paced. And there are always some of the big acts [who] really like to debut new songs... we don't only do the big hits of last year, we want them to play new music." Once things start moving, they stay moving and there is no downtime whatsoever.

The actual array of categories at P3 Guld is an interesting sidenote. Unlike every other music award, there are very few niches. "P3 Guld is really just a segment of the Swedish music business because we felt that we wanted to do something that reflects the music format of P3," Pia tells me, "The Grammis also gives out awards for, y'know, new children's music, classical music, jazz, every genre... which I really personally think is great. I think they should concentrate on being a very grand prize. And we basically do a rock show. [laughs] So it's pop, rock, some soul and hip-hop, some heavier stuff, but it's one piece of the cake of the whole musical landscape. So there's no jazz award, there's no opera award." And more importantly, there's also no longer an award based on gender. "We used to have two prizes for the best female artist of the year and the best male and we changed that two years ago," Pia informs me, a decision that apparently did not come without unintended consequences. "Last year we got lots of criticism because [P3 Guld] didn't feature enough females. Now it's hard for us to change the recording business where men seem to have an easier time than women, but we really tried to think about that this year. We really worked very hard to change and we also decided to joke around a bit with it." As we would later discover. Furthermore: "Part of the reason I'm afraid that we didn't have enough women solo artists last year, because not a lot of women released records. Or rather there were so many men last year who released records that were really good, that it was hard. But this year there are more females that have had a stronger... that have put their foot down I suppose."

"Is that just on stage or behind the scenes as well?" I ask.

"Well the thing is with P3 Guld is that behind the scenes, it's 98% women. I think that's due to me actually. Without thinking about it I appointed a female producer, we have female bookers and one of the TV producers is a woman and so in the production team, as it comes to the people who make the decisions, 70% are women."

"So do you think that's reflected in other parts of Sweden or do you think that this is a special thing you've created?"

"I don't know, I just know that... of course I'm a feminist. Yes I am. But I'm maybe not the most conventional one, I don't always count heads. I think that there's different ways of gaining equality, but I do think it was a good thing we were criticized last year and I do think we've really shaped up. There's a big discussion and I think the discussion in itself makes for change. What's been interesting is that you've seen all these women who've gone solo, women in the indie bands like Jenny Wilson, Sophia Somayo. They've decided to do everything by themselves as a way of being empowered and I think that's interesting. So that's kind of specific to the Swedish scene -- lots of women working and doing everything every step of the way, writing the songs, into the production, and gaining full control of the final product. Which I think is amazing."

Not to mention artists such as Marit Bergman and Robyn, I might add. The intersection of gender and music is an ever-evolving, fascinating subject, so it's especially interesting to see a prominent event such as P3 Guld tackle the issue head-on.

Which doesn't mean I could necessarily follow the discussion every step of the way during the actual show. I could understand when Howlin' Pelle of The Hives awarded Robyn the Guldmicken for Sweden's "2nd best" live act, I could understand host Kitty Jutbring's recurring references to Ace of Base thanks to the musical cue, but as far as gender-relations go, I could only really pick up on Kitty's vagina dress and her coinciding use of the word "fitta", which apparently is totally acceptable for broadcast. Not that I wasn't fully entertained. Like I said above, the show was action-packed and unrelenting and my language barrier did little to interfere.

Local fave Håkan Hellström kicked things off in style with "River en vacker dröm".

Säkert! performed an exceptional take on the song "Influensa".

Those Dancing Days killed it with "Reaching forward", as previously mentioned.

Awards were given, speeches were made. There were also a few surprises, a rarity for such a highly-scripted, high profile event. The biggest and most obvious: This Is Head winning Best Pop over Robyn. Another: Skudge winning Best Dance over the far more popular Swedish House Mafia, though it must be reiterated, P3 Guld is not necessarily a popularity contest. While some categories are decided by audience votes, the specialist genres are done by jury. Once again, Pia gladly fills in the details: "We have one jury that takes out the nominees for the audience to vote for and those are made up of the music editors that work within P3 and a couple of people from outside; we have one person from SVT [Per Sinding Larsen], so he's with us to do the five open categories. And then when it comes to specialist juries, there's a head of jury who's always that person who has that type of specialist program [at P3] and the brief to them was to select people that are experts in their field. So it's either very senior music editors and music journalists or very genre-specific experts [so we] have quality before the quantity or sales, which is not a parameter in this at all. But of course sometimes those things sort of match." As is the case with Robyn, who has deservedly won almost every award she's been nominated for this year.

Another highlight: the unexpected collaborations. Hello Saferide and Detektivbyrån from 2009 is a definite standout in my memory, Pia cites Anna Ternheim's collaboration with Max Peezay as hers. She says, "I like all the stuff that really goes under your skin and becomes exclusive for this event, things that touch people." As for 2011's best song medley by Orup and Spiderdogs, well, it was certainly nothing I expected, though I'm not so sure it will go down in history. What was far better however, was Tove Styrke doing "Million pieces" together with Familjen:

See, now that's the kind of perfect collaboration I'm talking about.

As with all major events, P3 Guld comes in three stages. We had the pre-party, the party itself and then of course, what remains at last is the after-party. Once Robyn brought the house down with her 3-song medley/finale (thankfully, rumors of a surprise Roxette appearance did not come to pass), we gathered our coats and made our way back through the cold to the Hotel Elite where, as with most large gatherings in Sweden, I felt like a fish out of water and about a foot shorter than everyone else, a feeling most easily remedied by the consumption of alcohol. Which is exactly the point -- the post-show party is when everyone finally starts to relax and feel comfortable enough to simply hang out and enjoy themselves. Free from expectations, they were all smiles and I was excited to reacquaint myself with numerous people I have met on previous trips over the years, or merely communicated with via email. And rub elbows with bonafide Swedish popstars: somehow I ended up getting my picture taken with a member of Kent, no fooling. Not at all what I expected, but more than welcome. Beyond that, what goes on at the after-party is off the record as far as I'm concerned, though it's not as if anything scandalous went down in my presence (besides the telling of tales from previous years). Perhaps everyone was holding out for the after-after-party, but with me scheduled for an early flight home only hours away, that was not even a remote possibility. The bar shut down, I went to bed, I was happy. Even if I never get a chance for a repeat visit, I'm more than content with my experience.

01. Håkan Hellström
02. Säkert!
03. The Radio Dept.
04. Hello Saferide
05. Familjen
06. Jens Lekman
07. Robyn
08. Laakso
09. Kent
10. Masshysteri

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While the size of the venue -- really the backroom of French restaurant Taix -- made it a bid difficult to call her Saturday night performance a case of taking the city by storm, those present were treated to an all-too-brief intimate performance an incredibly skilled storyteller. (Heck, she didn't name her sophomore album, "More modern stories from Hello Saferide" for nothing.) Replacing the album's electric guitars for an acoustic axe and a kick drum, Norlin breathed new life into the material -- most notably during "Anna", and the onomonopia-dense "Arjeplog" where the stripped-down version elevated Norlin's art of the broken heart.

From apologizing to an über fan parked in the front row for playing the same set three days in a row (he didn't seem to mind), to telling the audience about her wacky Los Angeles pen pal ("She slept with all these hockey players and then wrote to me about it. I was thirteen!") Norlin came across as an every-woman worth knowing. Here's hopping Los Angeles was listening.
- Laura Studarus
Rating: 0

01. The Radio Dept.
02. The National
03. Håkan Hellström
04. Jonathan Johansson
05. jj
06. Hello Saferide
07. Shout Out Louds
08. Robyn
09. The Bear Quartet
10. The Mary Onettes

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01. The Mary Onettes
02. The Radio Dept.
03. Familjen
04. Håkan Hellström
05. Jens Lekman
06. Hello Saferide
07. Bob Hund
08. Jonathan Johansson
09. Kent
10. Jónsi

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01. The Bear Quartet
02. The Radio Dept.
03. Markus Krunegård
04. Shout Out Louds
05. Kent
06. Hello Saferide
07. Moto Boy
08. El Perro del Mar
09. The Soundtrack of Our Lives
10. Håkan Hellström

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01. TALK 1
02. Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words - Lost & losing
03. Raison d'Étre - Withstand the fire
04. The Bear Quartet - Carry your weight
05. TALK 2
06. Rasmus Kellerman - Five years from now
07. Jóhann Jóhannsson - Theme
08. Håkon Kornstad - Oslo
09. TALK 3
10. Patrik Andersson & Vegar Vårdal - Gråtaren
11. Folkvang - Myrmark
12. Hello Saferide - Arjeplog
13. David Åhlén - Great is thy faithfulness
14. TALK 4
15. Tsukimono - Gloomy Sunday
16. Hearts No Static - Happy holidays
17. Ted Gärdestad - Come give me love
18. TALK 5

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.

01. Champagne Riot - The champagne anthem
02. TALK 1
03. The Late Parade - We will walk straight through this wall
04. Bolywool - Save my soul
05. Darkthrone - Eyes burst at dawn
06. Boy Omega - Follow the herd
07. TALK 2
08. Isobel & November - She came down the mountain
09. Dream Evil - Kill, burn, be evil
10. TALK 3
11. Martin Senter - Ingenting förlorat
12. Pascal - Tyst här i mörkret
13. Hello Saferide - Anna
14. Brothers of End - Big bird
15. TALK 4
16. Voices Break the Silence - Lost

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.

01. Håkan Hellström
02. Markus Krunegård
03. Yeasayer
04. Girls
05. Kent
06. Frida Hyvönen
07. Shout Out Louds
08. Hello Saferide
09. The Mary Onettes
10. Sambassadeur

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01. Local Natives
02. Kent
03. Jens Lekman
04. Hello Saferide
05. Håkan Hellström
06. Shout Out Louds
07. Sambassadeur
08. Bob Hund
09. El Perro del Mar
10. The Soundtrack of Our Lives

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Second! There are still a few final sleeveless copies of Hello Saferide's "Introducing..." LP available. After that, they are gone forever. Buy now!

Third! Our ongoing CD clearance sale may be winding down and thinning out, but there are still plenty of deals to be had! Please, help me get rid of all these damn CDs!

Fourth, and finally, if you want any chance of your order making it to your house by Christmas, you absolutely have to get it in this week as I will be making my last pre-Xmas trip to the post office on Saturday, December 12. Wait too long and your package might not arrive until New Year's. And then in 2010 I'm shutting down for inventory and renovation, so if you've been considering a purchase, the clock is ticking..

01. Kent
02. Hello Saferide
03. Local Natives
04. Håkan Hellström
05. Jens Lekman
06. Port O'Brien
07. Taken By Trees
08. Efterklang
09. Laakso
10. Phoenix

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01. Kent
02. Jens Lekman
03. Håkan Hellström
04. Markus Krunegård
05. Hello Saferide
06. Loney, Dear
07. Kings of Convenience
08. Lake Heartbeat
09. The Bear Quartet
10. Bon Iver

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11/18 - Fotomatón Bar, Madrid
11/19 - Teatro Principal, Orense
11/21 - Auditorio Caixanova, Vigo

01. The Bear Quartet
02. Kings of Convenience
03. Håkan Hellström
04. Taken By Trees
05. JJ
06. Lake Heartbeat
07. Hello Saferide
08. Markus Krunegård
09. Kent
10. The Tough Alliance

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1. Tomorrow night It's a Trap! Clubnights at Debaser Malmö celebrates it's 2-year anniversary (!!!) with a show featuring the excellent acts Pixie Carnation and Rolf Fabian & the Industry of Cool. Download a sample from the former here. I'm sure it's going to be a great time, so head on down! DJs will be playing tunes and hanging out 'till 3.

2. The new CD from "Reader's companion" alums The First Miles is here and ready for purchase. I've also posted the opening number for download below to further entice you.

3. There's a bunch of new feature content worth reading -- new reviews (finally!) of Hello Saferide (live) and Golden Kanine plus an interview with Múm.

4. And don't forget to check out our new netrelease from Hearts No Static! Five tracks of quality ambient rock for free download!

See you next week!

01. Hello Saferide - I fold
02. Joel Alme - You remember the goodtimes but the goodtimes don't remember you
03. David Sandström Overdrive - Song is holy
04. Theodor Jensen - BAPADA
05. I Are Droid - With lowered arms
06. Konie - I'm just another boy
07. Dundertåget - Låt mej va
08. Jonna Lee - Violent Playground
09. They live by night - Ctr+Alt+Del My Heart (Fredrick Carlsson Remix)
10. Säkert! - Min hemstad (Wannadies cover)
11. Maia Hirasawa - Because of you

01. Kajsa Grytt - Gunga bergets topp (Babylon Blues)
02. Kjell Höglund - Men bara om min älskade väntar (Nationalteatern/Bob Dylan)
03. Annika Norlin (Hello Saferide/Säkert!) - Jag vill inte suddas ut (Sånger om kvinnor)
04. Johan Johansson - Vårdsjuk blågul fanblues (Smutsiga Hundarna)
05. Stefan Sundström & Fjodor - Tvivelaktig kurtis (Gunder Hägg)
06. Pernilla Andersson - Huvudet högt (Eldkvarn)
07. Plura - I hajars djupa vatten (Blå Tåget)
08. Sanna Carlstedt - Vem kan man lita på? (Hoola Bandola Band)
09. Jonas Kullhammar - Badidoom (Archimedes Badkar)
10. Asha Ali - Kärlek (Röda Bönor)
11. De Lyckliga Kompisarna - Törnrosa (Marie Selander)
12. Toni Holgersson - Kort vals till min älskade (Peter LeMarc)
13. Love Antell - Samma vindar samma dofter (Contact)

01. Håkan Hellström
02. Jens Lekman
03. Anna Ternheim
04. Fireside
05. The Big Pink
06. Loney, Dear
07. Mew
08. Hello Saferide
09. Bon Iver
10. The xx

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01. Mew
02. The Bear Quartet
03. Hello Saferide
04. Frida Hyvönen
05. Anna Ternheim
06. Håkan Hellström
07. Grizzly Bear
08. The Big Pink
09. Yo La Tengo
10. Taken By Trees

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01. The Bear Quartet
02. Frida Hyvönen
03. Detektivbyrån
04. Sally Shapiro
05. El Perro del Mar
06. Hello Saferide
07. Jenny Wilson
08. Fever Ray
09. The Big Pink
10. Timo Räisänen

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09/24 - Magnet, Berlin
09/25 - Atomic Cafe, München
09/26 - Reeperbahnfestival, Hamburg

01. Existensminimum - Mirrors
02. TALK 1
03. Solander - Prayer to God
04. Volcanic Places - Goo
05. Zacke - Spela mig på radion (feat. Movits!)
06. TALK 2
07. Hello Saferide - Arjeplog
08. Kristofer Åström - When her eyes turn blue
09. Superfamily - Let's go dancing
10. Barra Head - Undermine
11. TALK 3
12. Pixie Carnation - Little sister
13. The Bear Quartet - I was a weapon
14. Mangrove - Pieces of our yesterday
15. TALK 4
16. Emmon - Lips on fire
17. Eric Ramsey - Enlightened neurotics
18. Håkan Hellström - För en lång tid
19. TALK 5

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.

01. Bob Hund
02. Håkan Hellström
03. Mew
04. The Soundtrack of Our Lives
05. The Radio Dept.
06. Moneybrother
07. Deportees
08. Britta Persson
09. Broder Daniel
10. Hello Saferide

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01. Hello Saferide
02. Håkan Hellström
03. Tiger Lou
04. A Camp
05. The Legends
06. Jenny Wilson
07. Jens Lekman
08. Shout Out Louds
09. The Fine Arts Showcase
10. Fleet Foxes

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01. Loney, Dear
02. The Radio Dept.
03. The Bear Quartet
04. Kleerup
05. Camera Obscura
06. Fever Ray
07. Phoenix
08. Kristofer Åström
09. Hello Saferide
10. Jens Lekman

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01. Loney, Dear
02. The Fine Arts Showcase
03. Montt Mardié
04. Phoenix
05. The Bear Quartet
06. Frida Hyvönen
07. Detektivbyrån
08. Jens Lekman
09. Hello Saferide
10. Passion Pit

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01. El Perro del Mar
02. Håkan Hellström
03. Loney, Dear
04. Jenny Wilson
05. Detektivbyrån
06. Bob Hund
07. Sahara Hotnights
08. Kleerup
09. Camera Obscura
10. Hello Saferide

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01. Caroline Af Ugglas - Så gör jag det igen
02. Malmö Opera Kör & Orkester - Jesus Christ superstar
03. Larz Kristerz - Hem till dig
04. Alcazar - Disco defenders
05. E.M.D. - A state of mind - deluxe
06. Lisa Ekdahl - Give me that slow knowing smile
07. Thåström - Kärlek är för dom
08. H.E.A.T - Heat (bonus spår)
09. Agnes - Dance love pop - The love love love edition
10. BWO - Big science
11. Miss Li - Dancing the whole way home
12. Maia Hirasawa - GBGvsSTHLM
13. Måns Zelmerlöw - MZW
14. Veronica Maggio - Och vinnaren är...
15. Kevin Borg - The beginning
16. Hammerfall - No sacrifice, no victory
17. Sofia Karlsson - Söder om kärleken
18. Hello Saferide - More modern short stories from Hello Saferide
19. Sahara Hotnights - Sparks
20. Kent - Kent box 1991-2008

01. Bob Hund
02. Montt Mardié
03. The Fine Arts Showcase
04. Loney, Dear
05. Maia Hirasawa
06. Hello Saferide
07. Bat for Lashes
08. Anna Järvinen
09. Kristofer Åström
10. A Camp

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01. Bob Hund
02. Anna Järvinen
03. Loney, Dear
04. El Perro del Mar
05. Jenny Wilson
06. The Bear Quartet
07. Fever Ray
08. Hello Saferide
09. Frida Hyvönen
10. Florence Valentin

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01. The Late Call - Put your lights on
02. TALK 1
03. Fever Ray - When I grow up (Håkan Lidbo remix)
04. Maskinen - Alla som inte dansar
05. Isolation Years - Albino child
06. TALK 2
07. Pixie Carnation - When did the lights go out
08. Unleashed - Dead forever
09. Lack - Soot, smoke & ash
10. TALK 3
11. Small - Comic girl
12. Peter Bjorn and John - It don't move me
13. Masquer - I think I'll lose my mind
14. Ironville - Roses
15. TALK 4
16. Parasite - Nightwinds
17. Aerial - Kallisti
18. The Crystal Caravan - Tombstone eyes
19. TALK 5
20. Hello Saferide - Arjeplog

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.

01. Anna Järvinen
02. Bob Hund
03. Fever Ray
04. Loney, Dear
05. Hello Saferide
06. Florence Valentin
07. A Camp
08. Håkan Hellström
09. Jenny Wilson
10. Frida Hyvönen

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01. Hello Saferide
02. A Camp
03. Frida Hyvönen
04. Håkan Hellström
05. Sahara Hotnights
06. Montt Mardié
07. Tiger Lou
08. The Soundtrack of Our Lives
09. Loney, Dear
10. Isolation Years

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01. Frida Hyvönen
02. A Camp
03. Hello Saferide
04. Morrissey
05. Familjen
06. The Fine Arts Showcase
07. Jens Lekman
08. The Soundtrack of Our Lives
09. Montt Mardié
10. Jonathan Johansson

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01. A Camp
02. Hello Saferide
03. Frida Hyvönen
04. Håkan Hellström
05. Fever Ray
06. Morrissey
07. Anna Ternheim
08. Jens Lekman
09. Kleerup
10. The Fine Arts Showcase

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01. A Camp
02. Frida Hyvönen
03. Fever Ray
04. Håkan Hellström
05. Jens Lekman
06. Anna Ternheim
07. Hello Saferide
08. Loney, Dear
09. Kent
10. Gustaf Spetz

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01. The Scrags - Death of a rock'n'roll band
02. TALK 1
03. On Trial - Mountain
04. The Psyke Project - In the mist
05. Hello Saferide - X telling me about the loss of something dear, at age 16
06. TALK 2
07. Moto Boy - A room without you
08. If There Is Something - Hommage á Roy Orbison
09. Tiger Lou - So demure
10. TALK 3
11. Honey Is Cool - Nach heart
12. Heroes & Zeros - Oslo fadeout
13. Livaventura - Keep on driving
14. Masshysteri - Tvivel
15. TALK 4
16. Samtidigt Som - Vid min sida
17. Ståålfågel - Kung Misär
18. Fredrik - Black fur
19. Scraps of Tape - Grand letdown
20. TALK 5
21. Boeoes Kaelstigen - Radius

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.

01. Hello Saferide
02. A Camp
03. Frida Hyvönen
04. Fever Ray
05. Anna Ternheim
06. Fireside
07. The Soundtrack of Our Lives
08. Loney, Dear
09. Håkan Hellström
10. The Bear Quartet

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01. Fever Ray
02. Detektivbyrån
03. The Soundtrack of Our Lives
04. Suburban Kids with Biblical Names
05. Hello Saferide
06. Ane Brun
07. Marit Bergman
08. Anna Ternheim
09. Loney, Dear
10. A Camp

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01. Frida Hyvönen
02. Hello Saferide
03. The Soundtrack of Our Lives
04. The Sound of Arrows
05. Fever Ray
06. David Sandström Overdrive
07. Jens Lekman
08. Moto Boy
09. Håkan Hellström
10. Anna Ternheim

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Synth:
Thermostatic - Humanizer (Wonderland Records)
Zeigeist - The Jade Motel (Spegel/Imperial Recordings/Playground)
Moonlight Cove - Orphans of the Storm (Kinetophone/Hot Stuff)
Elegant Machinery - A soft exchange (Out of Line/Hot Stuff)
Rhythm:
Movits - Äppelknyckarjazz (BD Pop/Universal)
Erici - Brasilicum (Erici Music/Dead Frog)
Saft Stockholm - Ordet (Saft Productions/Stockholm Electronica)
Kungers - Galaxen (Rätta Visan/Border)
Experimental:
Anders Dahl - Doorbells (Bombaxbombax)
Nina de Heyney, Charlotte Hug & Christian Jormin - Acoustic Electronic (LJ Records)
Pär Thörn - Schöneberg/Stammheim/Gärdet/Rågsved (Treffpunkt)
Anders Hultqvist - Traces (Chamber Sound)
Pop:
Frida Hyvönen - Silence Is Wild (Licking Fingers/Playground)
Hello Saferide - More modern short stories from... (Razzia/Bonnier Amigo)
Joel Alme - A Master Of Ceremonies (Sincerely Yours/Border)
Nordpolen - På Nordpolen (Sincerely Yours/Border)
Rock:
The Hellacopters - Head Off (Wild Kingdom/Sound Pollution)
Pascal - Galgberget (Novoton/Bonnier Amigo)
Fatboy - In My Bones (Fat State Production/Playground)
Manikins - Crocodiles (P.Trash Records)
Dance:
Pär Grindvik - Samlad årsproduktion (Stockholm LTD)
Anders Ilar - Sworn (Level Records 11)
Style of Eye - Duck cover and hold (Pieces of eight records)
Zoo Brazil - No Place Like Home (Gung Ho! Recordings)
Jazz:
Bobo Stenson Trio - Cantando (ECM/Naxos)
Nina Ramsby & Ludwig Berghe Trio - Du har blivit stor nu [En kamp!] (Moserobie/Bonnier Amigo)
e.s.t. - Leucocyte (ACT/Bonnier Amigo)
The Splendor - Sound of Splendor (HOOB/Border)
Punk/Hardcore:
Disco Volante - "We are forever" (Not enough)
Disfear - "Live the storm" (Relapse/Border)
Nitad - "Ibland kan man inte hindra sig själv" (Kranium)
Meanwhile - "Reality or nothing" (Feral Ward)
Hårdrock/Metal:
Burst - Lazarus Bird (Relapse/Border)
Dismember - Dismember (Regain/Sound Pollution)
Grand Magus - Iron Will (Rise above/Border)
Opeth - Watershed (Roadrunner/Bonnier Amigo)
Hip-hop/R'n'B/Soul:
Chords - Things We Do For Things (Juju/Playground)
Afasi & Filthy – Fläcken (P.o.p.e./Playground)
Masse - Gott & Blandat Vol. 2
Allyawan - Blu Duk Mixtape Vol. 2
Folk/Ballad:
Gunnel Mauritzson Band - Det som sker...(Sandkvie Records/CDA)
Maria Hörnelius, Bernt Andersson & Kjell Jansson - En sång för Kent (Eld Records/Border)
Jonas Knutsson & Johan Norberg - Skaren - Norrland III (Act/BAM)
Bjernulf/Björklund/Lindh – Pål Olles väg (Courage)
Singer/Songwriter:
Melpo Mene - Bring the Lions Out (Imperial Recordings/Playground)
Hyacinth House - Black Crows Country (True Music Production/Glitterhouse)
First Aid Kit - Drunken Trees (Rabid Records/Border)
Olle Nyman - Venture (A West Side Fabrication/Border)
Live:
Detektivbyrån (Danarkia)
The Hellacopters (Psychout Records)
Lykke Li (LL Recordings)
Robyn (Konichiwa Records)
Myspace prize for best unsigned act:
Montauk
Hero in action
Miranda Gjerstad
Sci-Fi Hands
John F Karlsson
Dyno
Tim Schmidt
Nottee
The Bellevues
Diskoteket

Go here for more: http://www.manifestgalan.se/

01. The Bear Quartet
02. Håkan Hellström
03. Laakso
04. Marit Bergman
05. Anna Ternheim
06. Frida Hyvönen
07. Hello Saferide
08. Glasvegas
09. Markus Krunegård
10. Bon Iver

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Best album: Anna Ternheim - Leaving On A Mayday
Best dance/hip-hop/soul: Afasi & Filthy - Fläcken
Best folk/visa: Abalone Dots - Traveler
Best group: The Soundtrack Of Our Lives - Communion
Best hardrock: In Flames - A Sense Of Purpose
Best jazz: E.S.T. - Leucocyte
Best female artist: Anna Ternheim - Leaving On A Mayday
Best live act: Robyn
Best song: E.M.D. - Jennie, Let Me Love You
Best male artist: Håkan Hellström - För Sent För Edelweiss
Best newcomer: Kleerup - Kleerup
Best composer: Kleerup - Kleerup
Best producer: Kleerup - Kleerup
Best lyrics: Annika Norlin - More Modern Short Stories From Hello Saferide
MTV prize for best video: They Live By Night - Catching Up (Dir. Senay/ Kolacz)
Best electronic producer: Eric Prydz

01. Frida Hyvönen
02. Hello Saferide
03. Anna Ternheim
04. Håkan Hellström
05. Kristofer Åström
06. The Radio Dept.
07. Moto Boy
08. Montt Mardié
09. Isolation Years
10. Irene

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Tracklist: (select text to view or just listen to the narration)
08. Fredrik - 1986
07. Tiger Lou - The less you have to carry
06. Kite - Ways to dance
04. Frida Hyvönen – Dirty dancing (tie)
04. Sigur Rós - Inní mér syngur vitleysingur (tie)
03. The Fine Arts Showcase - Friday on my knees
02. Hello Saferide - Anna
01. Markus Krunegård - Jag är en vampyr

01. Hello Saferide
02. Frida Hyvönen
03. Jens Lekman
04. Anna Ternheim
05. Tiger Lou
06. Sally Shapiro
07. Håkan Hellström
08. Kristofer Åström
09. Parker Lewis
10. The Tough Alliance

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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)

01. Hello Saferide
02. Anna Ternheim
03. Kleerup
04. Moto Boy
05. El Perro del Mar
06. Loney, Dear
07. Club 8
08. Håkan Hellström
09. The Soundtrack of Our Lives
10. Glasvegas

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01. Tiger Lou
02. Anna Ternheim
03. Hello Saferide
04. The Soundtrack of Our Lives
05. Frida Hyvönen
06. Jens Lekman
07. The Bear Quartet
08. The Tough Alliance
09. Logh
10. The Fine Arts Showcase

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01. Hello Saferide - 2008
02. TALK 1
03. The Fine Arts Showcase - Friday on my knees
04. Juvelen - Hanna
05. Dmitry Fyodorov - MD5VSSHA1
06. TALK 2
07. Paper - Out of it into it
08. Katzenjammer - Tea with cinnamon
09. Kristofer Åström - Just a little insane
10. TALK 3
11. Mattias Hellberg & The White Moose - Why is it so?
12. Parken - Vad ska vi göra med Henry?
13. Johan Heltne - Hjärta. Instinkt. Principer.
14. TALK 4
15. Marybell Katastrophy - Hidden agenda
16. The Bear Quartet - What I hate
17. Brainbombs - Stalker
18. TALK 5

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

01. Tiger Lou
02. Frida Hyvönen
03. Anna Ternheim
04. Juvelen
05. Hello Saferide
06. The Radio Dept.
07. Kent
08. Jens Lekman
09. Britta Persson
10. The Legends

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01. Tomas Halberstad - Travel as I wait
02. TALK 1
03. Robert Svensson - 1991
04. Auton - El Dorado
05. Parken - Jag har varit vilsen, Lisa
06. TALK 2
07. Tiger Lou - Trust falls
08. Promise and the Monster - Night out
09. Park Hotell - Black hole
10. TALK 3
11. Sort Sol - Excalibur
12. Convoj - The shovel
13. Satyricon - Black crow on a tombstone
14. On Volcano - Out of sight
15. TALK 4
16. Hello Saferide - Anna
17. Him Kerosene - Ventilate
18. Tobias Hellkvist - Ships of the North Atlantic
19. TALK 5
20. Division of Laura Lee - LAX
21. Oskar Schönning - Nino casino
22. Haust - Success
23. TALK 6
24. Passiv Dödshjälp - Helvetet, tur och retur

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

01. Tiger Lou
02. Frida Hyvönen
03. Anna Ternheim
04. Juvelen
05. Hello Saferide
06. The Radio Dept.
07. Kent
08. Jens Lekman
09. Britta Persson
10. The Legends

Do you listen to music on your computer or with an iPod? Please join us and make your playlist count! Go here to learn more: http://www.last.fm/help/

01. Kent - Kent box 1991-2008
02. Bo Kaspers Orkester - 8
03. Jill Johnson - Baby blue paper
04. Timbuktu - En high 5 & 1 falafel
05. ABBA - The albums (9CD box set)
06. Hans Alfredsson/Tage Danielsson/Lasse O'Månsson - Lindemans låda - Fullare än någonsin
07. Christer Sjögren - Mitt sköna sextiotal
08. Agnetha Fältskog - My very best
09. Agnes - Dance love pop
10. Thorleifs - Förälskade
11. Sonja Aldén - Under mitt tak
12. Frida Hyvönen - Silence is wild
13. Markus Fagervall - Steal my melody
14. Takida - Bury the lies
15. Hanna Hedlund - Det är jag som är mamman
16. Hello Saferide - More modern short stories from Hello Saferide
17. Sophie Zelmani - The ocean and me
18. Veronica Maggio - Och vinnaren är...
19. Uno Svenningsson - Jag sjunger för dig
20. Andreas Johnson - Rediscovered

02/04 - Kulturens Hus, Luleå
02/05 - Pinkerton, Skellefteå
02/06 - Gamla Teatern, Östersund
02/07 - Oscar Matsal & Bar, Sundsvall
02/13 - Katalin, Uppsala
02/14 - Spegeln, Gävle
02/18 - tba, Norrköping
02/19 - Växjö Teater, Växjö
02/20 - Mejeriet, Lund
02/21 - The Tivoli, Helsingborg
02/27 - Jönköpings Konserthus, Jönköping
02/28 - Trädgårn, Göteborg
03/13 - Tyrol, Stockholm

01. Frida Hyvönen
02. Tiger Lou
03. Hello Saferide
04. The Bear Quartet
05. Glasvegas
06. Britta Persson
07. Anna Ternheim
08. Kent
09. Shout Out Louds
10. Loney, Dear

Do you listen to music on your computer or with an iPod? Please join us and make your playlist count! Go here to learn more: http://www.last.fm/help/

01. Kent - Kent box 1991-2008
02. ABBA - The albums (9CD box set)
03. Agnes - Dance love pop
04. Bo Kaspers Orkester - 8
05. Jill Johnson - Bbaby blue paper
06. Thorleifs - Förälskade
07. Frida Hyvönen - Silence is wild
08. Hans Alfredsson/Tage Danielsson/Lasse O'Månsson - Lindemans låda - Fullare än någonsin
09. Sonja Aldén - Under mitt tak
10. In Flames - A sense of purpose
11. Markus Fagervall - Steal my melody
12. Christer Sjögren - Mitt sköna sextiotal
13. Sophie Zelmani - The ocean and me
14. Tiger Lou - A partial print
15. Smurfarna - Smurfparty
16. Takida - Bury the lies
17. Hello Saferide - More modern short stories from Hello Saferide
18. Andreas Johnson - Rediscovered
19. Pain - Cynic paradise
20. Veronica Maggio - Och vinnaren är...

01. Frida Hyvönen
02. Tiger Lou
03. Hello Saferide
04. Håkan Hellström
05. Glasvegas
06. Jens Lekman
07. Detektivbyrån
08. The Tough Alliance
09. The Legends
10. Anna Ternheim

Do you listen to music on your computer or with an iPod? Please join us and make your playlist count! Go here to learn more: http://www.last.fm/help/

01. Bo Kaspers Orkester - 8
02. Jill Johnson - Bbaby blue paper
03. Thorleifs - Förälskade
04. Povel Ramel - Som om inget hade hänt: Povel-pop från förra årt..
05. Agnetha Fältskog - My very best
06. Christer Sjögren - Mitt sköna sextiotal
07. Sonja Aldén - Under mitt tak
08. ABBA - The albums (9CD box set)
09. Sophie Zelmani - The ocean and me
10. Markus Fagervall - Steal my melody
11. Takida - Bury the lies
12. Hello Saferide - More modern short stories from Hello Saferide
13. Smurfarna - Smurfparty
14. Uno Svenningsson - Jag sjunger för dig
15. Fatboy - In my bones
16. Mimikry - Alderland
17. Veronica Maggio - Och vinnaren är...
18. Steve Dobrogosz & Anna Christoffersson - Rivertime
19. E.S.T. - Leucocyte
20. Amanda Jenssen - Killing my darlings

01. Glasvegas – Glasvegas
02. Radiohead – In Rainbows
03. Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes
04. Hello Saferide – More Modern Short Stories From Hello Saferide
05. MGMT – Oracular Spectacular
06. Kings of Convenience – Riot on an Empty Street
07. Tiger Lou – A Partial Print
08. Markus Krunegård – Markusevangeliet
09. Cut Copy – In Ghost Colours
10. Of Montreal – Skeletal Lamping

Do you listen to music on your computer or with an iPod? Please join us and make your playlist count! Go here to learn more: http://www.last.fm/help/

01. Thorleifs - Förälskade
02. Bo Kaspers Orkester - 8
03. Agnetha Fältskog - My very best
04. Christer Sjögren - Mitt sköna sextiotal
05. Sonja Aldén - Under mitt tak
06. Sophie Zelmani - The ocean and me
07. Hello Saferide - More modern short stories from Hello Saferide
08. Takida - Bury the lies
09. Uno Svenningsson - Jag sjunger för dig
10. Steve Dobrogosz & Anna Christoffersson - Rivertime
11. Smurfarna - Smurfparty
12. ABBA - ABBA Gold - Greatest hits
13. Markus Fagervall - Steal my melody
14. E.S.T. - Leucocyte
15. Veronica Maggio - Och vinnaren är...
16. Sanna Nielsen - Stronger
17. Eva Eastwood - Well well well
18. Rebecka Törnqvist - The cherry blossom and the skyline rising from the street
19. Fatboy - In my bones
20. Nina Ramsby/Ludvig Berghe Trio - Du har blivit stor nu (en kamp!)

Speaking of HS in the US, anyone got any pics from either the House of Sweden show on Monday or last night's performance at Bowery Electric to share?

CMJ HAPPY HOUR SWEDISH MUSIC SHOWCASE
October 22 @ Bowery Electric, NYC (326 Bowery @ 2nd)
Firefox AK (6pm)
Juvelen (7pm)
Hello Saferide (8pm)
FREE entry, $4 drink specials

MP3: Hello Saferide - Anna
MP3: Juvelen - Don't mess
MP3: Firefox AK vs Laid - Once I was like you

01. Firefox AK - Techno tears
02. TALK 1
03. Hello Saferide - Anna
04. Sods - Copenhagen
05. Jonathan Johansson - En hand i himlen
06. TALK 2
07. Miss Li - I'm sorry, he's mine
08. Parker Lewis - Heart rate hill
09. Tiger Lou - Crushed by a crowd
10. Juvelen - Don't mess
11. TALK 3
12. Katzenjammer - Le pop
13. Passiv Dödshjälp - Exorcism i beslagtagen kropp
14. The Goner - Haven
15. The Social Services - Seven dwarfs
16. TALK 4
17. The Skull Defekts - Waving
18. Moto Boy - Ride my wild heart
19. Oskar Schönning - Faustine
20. David Sandström Overdrive - Songs that maybe won't be forgotten
21. TALK 5
22. Darkthrone - Hiking metal punks

Reminder: my show airs on Sirius Left of Center (channel 26) at 11pm ET with repeats on Monday at the same time.