HighasaKite - Son of a bitch

Solid female-fronted indierock from Norway, swapping out synths for guitars. The trio's new album "All that floats will rain" is out February 3 via Riot Factory.

Most Valuable Players - A hint

"A hint" is the brand new single from Swedish indiepop act Most Valuable Players. Purchase a piece of the cover art painting at the band's website: http://mostvaluableplayers.se/

New stuff from First Love, Last Rites in March

Umeå indierockers First Love, Last Rites are currently mixing their new record and will be releasing the first single in March.

New Skansros gets title, release date

Swedish indierock act Skansros have confirmed that their new album "Rekviem till en dröm" will be released on March 21 via Luxury. The lead single "Felix" came out in December.

The Megaphonic Thrift on tour

Norwegian indierockers The Megaphonic Thrift will be spending a lot of time on the road over the next few months:

01/31 - Lexington, London (UK)
02/01 - Old Blue Last, London (UK)
02/03 - Logen, Bergen (NOR)
02/04 - Flytten, Haugesund (NOR)
02/09 - Trashpop, Kristiansand (NOR)
02/10 - Glassmagasinet, Horten (NOR)
02/11 - John Dee, Oslo (NOR)
02/18 - Klubben, Trondheim (NOR)
02/22 - Bingon, Lillehammer (NOR)
02/24 - Parkbiografen, Skien (NOR)
02/25 - Kroa (Viko), Bø (NOR)
03/06 - Gless 22, Munster (GER)
03/07 - Gebaude 9, Køln (GER)
03/08 - Botanique, Brussel (BEL)
03/09 - Prince Albert, Brighton (UK)
03/11 - Ruby Lounge, Manchester (UK)
03/12 - Brudenell Social Club, Leeds (UK)
03/13 - Rainbow, Birmingham (UK)
03/16 - Le Divan Du Monde, Paris, Frankrike 03/17 - Manufaktur, Schorndorf (GER)
03/20 - Atomic Cafe, Munchen (GER)
03/21 - B72, Wien (AUS)
03/22 - Eldorado, Zurich (CH)
03/24 - Mattatio Culture Club, Carpi (ITA)
03/26 - Beatpol, Dresden (GER)
03/27 - Privat Club, Berlin (GER)
03/28 - Molotow, Hamburg (GER)
03/29 - Loppen, København (DK)

Tennis Bafra - Halal haircut (video)

PSL has the premiere of the new video "Halal haircut" from authentic 90s Swedish indierock relics Tennis Bafra: http://blogg.svt.se/psl/2012/01/30/premiar-tennis-bafra-halal-haircut/

New stuff from Liechtenstein

Swedish indiepop act Liechtenstein have a brand new album called "Fast forward" out now via Fraction Discs and the label is giving away the tune "Ambitions" as enticement: http://www.fractiondiscs.se/

Oh My! - Fifteen minutes (video)

Here's a video for that new Oh My! song from that upcoming A West Side Fabrication comp.

Tennis Bafra - Halal haircut

A new track from Swedish indierockers Tennis Bafra, the 2nd single off their upcoming album "Abulia jubilee".

Gimme Indie turning 2

I don't talk up Gimme indie on a regular basis since our tastes don't intersect all that often, but kudos to them for getting a big writeup in Dagens Nyheter on the eve of their two year anniversary.

The Bombhappies announce new album

Swedish indierock act The Bombhappies have announced that their new album, tentatively titled "A good fire", is done and ready for release on March 9. They will be playing a release show that night in Stockholm at Kägelbanan/Södra Teatern, details here.

A West Side Fabrication Scandinavian Indie Vol 2 Now & Then

Swedish indie label mainstay A West Side Fabrication is putting out a new comp at the end of the month (1/31) featuring a wide selection of tunes from their 25 years as a label plus four brand new ones written especially for this release. Full tracklist:

Oh My! - Fifteen minutes
Heikki - Former hero
Bedroom Eyes - Hand-in-hand grenade
The Drowners - Summer break my fall
Light Parade - Moonlight run
Little Red Snapper - Call me on Tuesday
Olle Nyman - Don't let those bastards reel you in
Oscar & Ronja - Bad manners
Amber Oak - Audrey (radio version)
Wade - Freak or a star
Music of Things - Self destructive
Holiday With Maggie - Make it, don't break it
Mufflon 5 - Waverer
The Concretes - Just locals
Tupelo Honeys - The return of the weeping man (autumn edit)
The Bear Quartet - It only takes a flashlight to create a monster

Ring Them Bells - Technicolor

Ring Them Bells, a new Danish indie/noiserock act featuring ex-members of the bands Campsite and Lampshade, are giving away their debut single "Technicolor" as a free download: http://www.ringthembells.dk/
Look for the band's debut album to be released later this spring.

Loosegoats are back

Swedish indierockers Loosegoats are back in the studio again after 11 years of silence, working on a new album with producer Andreas Ejnarsson.

Let's Say We Did
s/t
Nesna Records

Here's a nostalgia trip that never tires -- Let's Say We Did happily reminds of all things flannel, Big Muffs and youngsters paying dues to the 'Youth. This 7-track album has some killer easy songs, and its straightforward songwriting style minus shoegazer ripping makes it an endearing choice of recent Nordic 90's revival bands. This sound definitely had its time in the American indie underground -- hoarse, mumbling vocals like Cap'n'Jazz or The Weakerthans, and heartfelt choruses (avoiding the evil "E" word) of early Jade Tree acts. I could probably list a million bands from this era off the top of my head -- there's definitely one for every American suburb -- regardless, what I am getting to is the golden Teenage Fanclub rule: a good melody, is just a good melody, no matter how many or how few chords you use. Standout tracks, "It's OK" opens with a somewhat familiar riff but sticks some teeth around the edges; "Straight back to you" opens with infectious guitar duelling that'd perfectly fit your favourite (fill in the blank) 90s TV series. "On the day" and "Blue skies" have a saintly sweetness long associated with maybe youthful romance or innocence. Not a poor pop-pleaser for those with a weakness for guitar-music, easier on the ear then overproduced frilly, mathcore hits dominating the charts, at least.
- Ann Sung-an Lee