New Thåström album has title, release date

The new Thåström album "Kärlek är för dom" is confirmed for release on March 13. The first single for the title track features guest vocals from Anna Ternheim and will be out in mid-February.

New Thåström album next March

Thåström (Ebba Grön, Imperiet, Peace, Love & Pitbulls, etc.) will be releasing a new solo album on March 4, the 21st album of his 30+ year career. A Swedish tour will follow in mid-March: https://www.thastrom.se/nyheter.html

Top 10s for 2008: Thomas Halberstad

Thåström says the "new" Imperiet live DVD is not authorized and should not be purchased: https://www.thastrom.se/

MP3 blog Metal Bastard on the old Thåström industrial sideproject Peace Love and Pitbulls: https://metalbastard.blogspot.com/2008/01/peace-love-and-pitbulls-red-sonic.html

Blue for Two, the duo of Fredrik Wadling (Cortex) and Henryk Lipp (known for his production work with Thåström, Millencolin, Håkan Hellström, among others), have a new website: https://www.bluefortwo.com/
Check the music section for a sample from their forthcoming album.

The venue Mejeriet in Lund, Sweden will celebrate their 20th anniversary with a special concert series featuring acts such as Lars Winnerbäck, Nina Persson, Timbuktu, Thåström, Ebbot Lundberg, The Creeps, Eggstone, Christian Kjellvander, Irya Gmeyner and more. Details: https://www.kulturmejeriet.se/

Sällskapet
s/t
Dust Music/Universal

Before every gig on Thåström's latest tour, he and his band listened to Italian dark-wave legends Kirilian Camera to get into the right claustrophobic, dark mindset. With that in mind, it's no surprise that his new band Sällskapet (with Pelle Ossler's amazing guitarwork and old PLP-cohort Niklas Hellberg) conjures dark atmospheres, pulsing hypnotic beats and images of worn-down streets in concrete jungles. While it's easy to draw comparisons to both Kirilian Camera and later-day Einstürzende Neubauten, Sällskapet mostly resembles the third album of Thåström's 90s industrial outfit Peace Love and Pitbulls; only slowed down, stripped of metal-riffs and explosions, and turned into infernal electro-blues. The worn down approach makes the songs stronger, setting atmosphere in the front room with half the album being an instrumental soundtrack to feverish city-nightmares. But the best songs are the ones where Thåström (or in one instance, Nina Ramsby) sings, cutting right to the bone of the listener. When the accompanying DVD sets their songs to images of worn down subway trains, cranes in harbours, dark tunnels and rainfilled streets, it almost makes Sällskapet border on parody. But the rusted beauty of the music makes sure they land on the right side of greatness, both on disc and video.
- Hanzan

MP3: Sällskapet - Järnstaden

Two days of retail pandering is enough - it's time to change it up. Here's a guestpost from new contributor Hanzan:

A metronome, an echoing lonely piano and over that, Nina Ramsby's voice. It's strange that the best song on the Sällskapet album doesn't even feature Thåström's unique voice. But Nina brings out an utter desolation, capturing a cramp that turns everything to ice. On the album, "Järnstaden" is the song that doesn't hide itself in noises, indirectly giving it the feel of being the centerpiece. The anchor. On its own, it's just achingly beautiful loneliness.

Sällskapet - Järnstaden

The debut single "Nordlicht" from Thåström's new band Sällskapet will be released on February 20. More details: https://www.thastrom.se/nyheter.html

This week's top 20 Swedish album chart:

01. Peter Jöback - Flera sidor av samma man
02. Lars Winnerbäck - Efter nattens bränder - 1996-2006
03. Patrik Isaksson - Patrik Isaksson
04. Tomas Ledin - Plektrum
05. Jonas Gardell - Nästan vackra
06. Sofia Karlsson - Svarta ballader (sjunger Dan Andersson)
07. Amy Diamond - Still me still now
08. Benny Anderssons Orkester - Bao på turné
09. Peps Persson Oh boy - Det bästa med Peps Persson
10. Carola - Från nu till evighet
11. The Poodles - Metal will stand tall
12. Ola - Given to fly
14. Björn Skifs - Decennier sånger från en annan tid
15. Eric Gadd - Eric Gadd
16. Marie Fredriksson - Min bäste vän
17. Thåström - Skebokvarnsv 209
18. Sabaton - Attero dominatus
19. Totta & Wiehe - Dylan
20. Robert Wells and His Rhapsody Lounge Orchestra - Full house boogie

This week's top 20 Swedish album chart:

01. Peter Jöback - Flera sidor av samma man
02. Lars Winnerbäck - Efter nattens bränder - 1996-2006
03. Patrik Isaksson - Patrik Isaksson
04. Tomas Ledin - Plektrum
05. Backyard Babies - People like people like people like us
06. Sofia Karlsson - Svarta ballader (sjunger Dan Andersson)
07. Eric Gadd - Eric Gadd
08. Benny Anderssons Orkester - Bao på turné
09. Peps Persson Oh boy - Det bästa med Peps Persson
10. Björn Skifs - Decennier sånger från en annan tid
11. Carola - Från nu till evighet
12. Amy Diamond - Still me still now
14. Thåström - Skebokvarnsv 209
15. Robert Wells and His Rhapsody Lounge Orchestra - Full house boogie
16. The Poodles - Metal will stand tall
17. Marie Fredriksson - Min bäste vän
18. Totta & Wiehe - Dylan
19. Sabaton - Attero dominatus
20. Laleh - Laleh

MP3: Ebba Grön - We're only in it for the drugs No. 1

It's Midsummer weekend so that means half of Scandinavia is probably out in the country getting sloshed right now, if they aren't already. Not me - I'm stuck in front of the computer at work as usual. At least we're promised a weekend of scorching hot summer weather up here in the Pacific Northwest. I know I'll probably be sick of it by tomorrow afternoon, but what can ya do? Anyhow, I've got a guest post today from frequent contributor Simon Tagestam on Swedish punks Ebba Grön:

Believe it or not, but just like The Ramones were ripping up New York, and The Sex Pistols were spitting on their English fans, there was a thriving Swedish punk scene around the late 70s and late 80s (admittedly a bit after the Americans, but almost at the same time as the UK). Most of these bands reacted, just like their worldwide counter parts, against the hippie community and their naïve ideas of peace, love, and understanding. The most prominent of these bands were Ebba Grön, and even though their last album came out in 1982, they're still selling lots in Sweden (a box set came out in 1998, and another compilation was released as late as last year). This is not down to clever marketing, but three angry and frustrated teenagers meeting up at a house party in a suburb of Stockholm in 1977, who decided to form a band (initially calling themselves The Haters). Ebba Grön unfortunately only released three albums (all of them classics, in my opinion). "We're only in it for the drugs No. 1" is the first song from their first album ("We're only in it for the drugs", released in 1979). Don't let the title fool you though! Even if it's in English, Ebba Grön, just like all other Swedish punk bands from this era, sang almost solely in Swedish. The title of this track is deeply ironic and the lyrics are about how it's no wonder that teenagers start taking drugs and being up to no good when their government doesn't provide anything for them to do and that when the kids take matters into their own hands and start arranging gigs, etc., they're forcibly shut down. Ebba Grön's lyric are all very political and it's hard not to pay attention to lead singer Thåström's furious delivery. Thåström did go on to became very successful after Ebba Grön's demise, first as a member of Imperiet, then as a solo performer (his last album from last year was surprisingly good, and dealt lyrically a lot with his years in Ebba Grön), but nothing he's ever done can be compared to those three Ebba Grön albums.

Ebba Grön - We're only in it for the drugs No. 1

Check out the video for "Om Black Jim" from Thåström: https://www.thastrom.se/ljudvideo/BLACK%20JIM%20.mp4

This week's top 20 Swedish album chart:

01. Sebastian - Sebastian
02. Linda Bengtzing - Ingenting att förlora
03. Petter - P
04. Christer Sjögren - King creole
05. The Sounds - Dying to say this to you
06. Björn Skifs - Decennier sånger från en annan tid
07. Rigmore Gustafsson - On my way to you
08. The Knife - Silent shout
09. Ulf Lundell - När jag kysser havet - det bästa 75-84
10. Laleh - Laleh
11. Da Buzz - Last goodbye
12. In Flames - Come clarity
13. Ulf Lundell - Venus & jupiter - det bästa 94-05
14. Magnus Uggla - Ett bedårande barn av sin tid
15. Ulf Lundell - Danielas hus - det bästa 84-93
16. Son of a Plumber - Son of a Plumber
17. Thåström - Skebokvarnsv 209
18. Bodies Without Organs - Prototype
19. The Concretes - In colour
20. Andreas Mattsson - The lawlessnes of the ruling classes

PopMatters gives high praise to the Envelopes: https://www.popmatters.com/pm/music/reviews/envelopes_demon/