AllAboutJazz reviews Kornstad's excellent album "Single engine": https://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=27121

Pitchfork reviews Kemialliset Ystävät's self-titled album: https://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/45897-kemialliset-ystvt

Sista Sekunden
Skyll inte på oss
Cage Match Federation/Instigate

The cover of "I am not a punk", translated into Swedish ("Jag är inte punk"), by Descendents sums it up pretty damn good. Besides the obvious; the fact that this four piece punk-rock combo from Malmö, Sweden has developed a complete and utter infatuation for American hardcore, it's clear that we're dealing with high quality punk-rock that stands out. And in times like these, the eccentric take of singing in Swedish is also a thing I applaud. 'Cause to be honest; you can easily sort out the quality from the quantity when it comes to punk sung in this native language nowadays. There's not on an ounce of originality to Sista Sekunden's music, I know, but they have the honorable courage to think outside the box sometimes. Furious hardcore in the vein of Adolescents is mixed with melodic punk rock in "Bombplan" reminiscent to early Bad Religion somewhere around "How could hell be any worse?" and that's a typical characteristic of the band and this album. "Skyll inte på oss" ("Don't blame us") is a reckless and rash album similar to a rollercoaster. In a good way, that is. If you're only going to buy one punk album this year, buy this one. Or maybe "Paranoia" by Insurgent Kid, that's how good this one is.
- Jonas Appelqvist

The Silent Ballet reviews Swedish experimental artist Porn Sword Tobacco: https://thesilentballet.com/dnn/Home/tabid/36/ctl/Details/mid/384/ItemID/889/Default.aspx

Stylus is not quite as enthusiastic as most when it comes to "Night falls over Kortedala": https://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/jens-lekman/night-falls-over-kortedala.htm

PopMatters on the new Jens Lekman album, now out in the US: https://www.popmatters.com/pm/music/reviews/49515/jens-lekman-night-falls-over-kortedala/

Dusted reviews the new Bjørn Torske record "Feil knapp": https://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/3876

All About Jazz reviews the solo debut "Sonata mix dwarf cosmos" from Susanna of Susanna and the Magical Orchestra: https://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=27140

Tobias Lilja
Time is on my side
n5MD

When an artist composes something which he files under "emotional experimentation," this could be perceived as an immediate eyebrow-raiser. Fortunately, music is just as much about exploration as it is about entertainment and "Time is on my side" is a successful experiment. However, I'm not sure what the resulting journal article would look like, or what it would say. To me, the initial listen spoke to me in a very dark, eccentric, depression-inducing soliloquy that rubbed the fur of my proverbial neck the wrong way. I think this is a sign that the brooding, self-deprecating, and droning (key word here) collection of songs herein are not meant for me. These belong on a compilation of songs alongside bands such as The Dead Science. If you are a fan of the drone genre, and are looking for a journey into the human mind, I strongly recommend that you listen to this, and decide for yourself if there is something worthy of praise.
- Paul Bredenberg

The Je Ne Sais Quoi
Rhythm
La Firme/NONS

Finally, a dance-punk band that is doing it all right and will keep you moving all night. The second full-length from The Je Ne Sais Quoi is quite a stunner, and a much-welcomed improvement upon their first album and EP. The band has (for the most part) traded in their previous to the lo-fi production, hestitant drumming and angular guitars for lush orchestrations, vocoders, gorgeous melodies and rock-solid beats - and the results are truly amazing. Having released "Chameleon" as a single what seems over a year ago, the band has used that as a rough blueprint when it came to solidifying what makes "Rhythm" so captivating. Songs such as "Heroica" and "I see it faint tonight" are of the mellow kind, but still are quite danceable, as mellow is a term used loosely to desribe them. "DWTTATF" melds a Parliament-esque synth bassline with incredible hooks, and the following track "Skeletal shakes" harkens on a slight angular guitar riff, but then the chorus hits an almost hip-hop style beat and achieves greatness. To be honest, I really wasn't expecting this album to be as good as it is and, for their own sake, The Je Ne Sais Quoi have created one of the best Scandinavian releases of the year.
- Matt Giordano

Quit Your Dayjob
Tools for fools
Bad Taste Records

Riding a huge wave of success and acknowledgement, the freaks are out and back again. This, the follow up to 2005's "Sweden we got a problem", is, despite its simplicity, a more complex record. The hardcore fans, however should not be alarmed by this, the trademark madness QYD do so well is intact throughout all 13 tracks. The impression I get when listening to "Tools for fools" is that the songwriting has improved. For better and worse, I must add. The head-on, full-frontal punkrock with surf vibes, the all-or-nothing feeling is lost on this album at times. And to be really honest, this is one band that is more suited for just releasing EPs. When the band sounds like a date between Dead Kennedys and The Cramps on speed in "Danger! Fire kills children", it's like coming home again. Robert Johnson & the Punchdrunks would be proud of a song like "Medieval monsters in the modern man" and "Bodypoppers" is a smart move as the first single, being co-written with The Sounds. To sum it up, these maniacs are enjoying recognition from all sorts of characters including Blag Dahlia from The Dwarves, Ok Go, The Hives and, more surprising, R.A. The Rugged Man who is also featured on the opening track "Warmachine". I salute them as well! If they had just weeded out some of the weaker material, the grade would've been higher, for sure.
- Jonas Appelqvist

The Setting Son
s/t
Bad Afro

Fully embracing the dark side of 1960s psychedelic rock, The Setting Son's self-titled debut album is a strange trip, but one worth embarking on. Combining the sounds of early Rolling Stones with the very distinctive Scandinavian take on garage rock, this record doesn't take breaks and doesn't need breathers. With a Phil Spector-like approach to the layering of their music, The Setting Son build their songs from jangled, thin guitar lines, warm keys, thick organs, the deep, percussive elements of the bass and drums, and Sebastian T.W. Kristiansen's strained, fitting vocal delivery. The Black Lips sound like they have studied the approach of 60s rock bands and carefully reconstructed the delivery; The Setting Son craft their music with such youthful, raw energy that the songs feel more like lost cousins of that iconic era instead of a talented resurrection of melodies lost in time's cruel passage.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson

PopMatters reviews the new Nightwish record, their first without vocalist Tarja Turunen: https://www.popmatters.com/pm/music/reviews/49140/nightwish-dark-passion-play/

Knugen Faller
Lugna favoriter
Cage Match Federation/Ny Våg

This record is a retro genre piece, a loving tribute to a time when ties were skinny, shoes were pointy, black jeans were so tight they hugged our calves, and you could still make a statement by dying your hair jet black. It's poppy punk that steals shamelessly from every riff you've ever heard - hey listen, it's the Ramones! It's the melody from "Positively 4th Street!" It's that three chord progression from every other pop-punk song from 1979! They note with pride that they play only instruments they do not know how to play and, as their Wikipedia entry wryly notes, "it shows." But so what if it has all the originality of a safety pin through the ear? It doesn't aim to be anything more and it's all that it strives to be - a fun fresh throwback to a loud fast and poppier time. Let's pogo!
- Nancy Baym

Paper Thin Walls with a track review for Luomo/Vladislav Delay alias Uusitalo: https://www.paperthinwalls.com/singlefile/item?id=1114