Teeth of the Divine on the new Bloodbath album "The fathomless mastery": https://teethofthedivine.com/site/reviews/bloodbath-the-fathomless-mastery/

Park Hotell
Free for friends
Ultra Radio Records/BD Pop

I've been waiting for Park Hotell's debut full length since the summer of 2007, the moment after the final track of their "The guest who stayed forever" EP came to a close. While fulfilling on its own, "The guest..." heralded a new Norrland talent, and six songs can only hold one over so long. "Free for friends" continues on in their C86-style -- the jangled guitar work struggling its way through the fantastically lower-fi production, the bass and superb drum work reinforcing the sound, with the vocals settled comfortably atop the swells of melody. Opener "Dead ringers", which It's a Trap! made available back in August, is easily one of the best songs of 2008, bringing to mind both The Bear Quartet and early New Order. With the standard set, "Free for friends" continues to deliver: "Black hole" with its wonderful, anthemic chorus of "Let some light in" perched perfectly upon surging instrumentation; the delightfully frantic guitar arrangements of "Happy love"; the chorus and ending of "Pandemonium ducks"; the grungy, angular attack of instrumental "Trouble kid"; and the powerful close provided by the title track and "Rubberneck". In the beginning, there were tracks I had to learn to appreciate through repeated listening, but I find this a compelling aspect of a record rather than a dissatisfying one. I like records that surprise me as they continue to reveal layers not visible on first glance. "Free for friends" is a perfect autumn record: tracts of introspection still fuelled by the reckless hope of summer days. Well worth the wait.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson

The Silent Ballet on Norwegians Xploding Plastix and their new record "Treated timber resists rot": https://thesilentballet.com/dnn/Home/tabid/36/ctl/Details/mid/384/ItemID/1901/Default.aspx

Free Jazz on Norwegian artists Trygve Seim (sax) and Frode Haltli (accordion) and their new collaboration album "Yeraz" on ECM: https://freejazz-stef.blogspot.com/2008/10/trygve-seim-frode-haltli-yeraz-ecm-2008.html

Delusions of Adequacy reviews Norwegian bassist Eivind Opsvik's new album "Overseas III": https://www.adequacy.net/review.php?reviewID=9095

Delusions of Adequacy on the new MoHa! album "One-way ticket to Candyland": https://www.adequacy.net/review.php?reviewID=9096

PopMatters on Scandinavian folk act Frigg and their new album "Economy class": https://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/63957/frigg-economy-class/

New reviews at Musique Machine of both Swedish drone artist Underjordiska and Danish electronic act Rumpistol.

Nö Music on the beguiling new Rockettothesky album "Medea": https://www.nomusicmedia.com/2008/10/22/i-like-this-record-do-i-understand-it-i-don%e2%80%99t-know-do-i-have-to-understand-it-i-don%e2%80%99t-know/

AllScandinavian on the new Underwater Sleeping Society album "The dead Vegas": https://allscandinavian.com/355/underwater-sleeping-society-the-dead-vegas/

The Silent Ballet on Kemialliset Ystavat's album "Harmaa Laguuni": https://thesilentballet.com/dnn/Home/tabid/36/ctl/Details/mid/384/ItemID/1890/Default.aspx

The Silent Ballet finally gets around to reviewing Tobias Hellkvist's debut album "Transports": Mhttps://thesilentballet.com/dnn/Home/tabid/36/ctl/Details/mid/384/ItemID/1882/Default.aspx

V. Sjöberg New Jazz Ensemble
Do nothing 'til you hear from me
iDEAL Recordings

Viktor Sjöberg says about himself that he prefers putting pop into experimental music much more than trying it the other way around. And it's easy to hear why in his New Jazz Ensemble project's most recent release "Do nothing 'til you hear from me". Everything moves extremely slowly here in the usual experimental drone-ambient-soundscapes that we have come to expect from him. Yet so much is happening beneath and above these surfaces: Motifs appear, fade, and reappear as tiny melodies loop their way in and out of tracks -- little moments of joyful pop that can't help but draw tiny smiles on listeners' faces. And it's not because you got some hidden insider joke or reference, but just because this record, with all its cleverly-constructed yet never cerebral dramaturgy, lets you witness one of its conclusive moments where you can almost hear the musical penny drop. Still, it never actually does just that, drop. I think this lack of complete resolution, of open popness if you will, is what makes this record so interesting, engaging and charming. And maybe, just maybe, it's also the reason for the "you never will"-chanting in the closing track -- that you never will actually hear that penny drop.
- Arnulf Köhncke

The Silent Ballet on the new Erik Enocksson album "With its dark tail curled 'round the garage": https://thesilentballet.com/dnn/Home/tabid/36/ctl/Details/mid/384/ItemID/1883/Default.aspx

The Silent Ballet reviews Johann Johannsson's "Fordlandia": https://thesilentballet.com/dnn/Home/tabid/36/ctl/Details/mid/384/ItemID/1875/Default.aspx