The Silent Ballet on the new album "Black sheep" from prolific Swedish experimental/drone artist Jasper TX: https://thesilentballet.com/dnn/Home/tabid/36/ctl/Details/mid/384/ItemID/1765/Default.aspx

PopMatters reviews the new Emiliana Torrini album "Me and Armini": https://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/62284/emiliana-torrini-me-and-armini/

Dusted's latest "Still Single" column covers the new We Live In Trenches 7": https://www.dustedmagazine.com/features/763

Delusions of Adequacy praises The Tallest Man On Earth: https://www.adequacy.net/review.php?reviewID=8985

Afasi & Filthy
Fläcken
P.O.P.E.

Afasi - the rapper - and Filthy - the producer - have been slumming it on the Swedish hip-hop scene for a few good years, releasing mixtapes, remix CDs, albums etc. I've been aware of them, but they haven't properly caught my attention until now. I've gone back to their previous material to see if I missed something, but even though they've done some great stuff in the past (Filthy's produced some amazing stuff), nothing is as good as "Fläcken". It's hip-hop with Swedish lyrics, but it's got the very appealing mix of "serious" (or "conscious") lyrics together with banging beats (there are also a few slower songs on the album). I really, really love this record, it's one of the best albums of 2008 and maybe the best Swedish rap album ever. A few months ago I convinced an American friend, who speaks no Swedish, to buy the album and he loves it, so don't let the fact that you might not understand what they rap about scare you! I heard or read somewhere someone calling Afasi & Filthy Sweden's Lil' Wayne - it might not be the best description, but they definitely have something of the charm and flow that Weezy's got (although the song "Fläcken" reminds me a lot of Devin the Dude's six year old "Doobie ashtray").
- Simon Tagestam

The blog Free Jazz on the new Maria Kannegaard album "Maryland" (ft. Håkon Kornstad): https://freejazz-stef.blogspot.com/2008/09/maria-kannegaard-maryland-moserobie.html

Dusted reviews Icelandic artist Ólafur Arnalds : https://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/4522

All About Jazz on E.S.T.'s new (and final) album "Leucocyte": https://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=30406

Pitchfork reviews Theresa Andersson's new record "Hummingbird, go!": https://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/144891-theresa-andersson-hummingbird-go
Don't forget to check out my new interview with her as well, posted right here: [click here]

Oh, and also be aware that she'll be doing a few US dates together with Ane Brun and Tobias Fröberg this fall:

10/22 - Living Room (CMJ Showcase), New York, NY
10/23 - Tin Angel, Philadelphia, PA
10/24 - IOTA Club & Cafe, Arlington, VA
10/25 - Attucks Theatre, Norfolk, VA
10/28 - The Basement, Nashville, TN
10/29 - Canal Street Tavern (The Buddha Den Presents), Dayton, OH
10/30 - Rathskeller Restaurant, Indianapolis, IN
11/01 - Schubas, Chicago, IL
11/07 - El Mocambo, Toronto, ON
11/08 - Petit Campus, Montreal, QC
11/10 - Great Scott, Allston, MA

Division of Laura Lee
Violence is timeless
I Made This

After a short, eccentric choice for an opener ("Caress/Hotnights", a track that would not have been out of place on Nirvana's "Incesticide"), "Violence is timeless" continues to bristle alive with "LAX". Combining the youthful energy of garage and punk with the sensibility of indie rock, "LAX" is a dark track that effortlessly exudes a sense of 'cool' that has been lacking from much of the contemporary scene, most likely because it feels a little more aligned with the energetic efforts of Iggy Pop than more recent efforts to combine early punk with the trendy indie movement. From the opening two tracks, the album continues to show the development of Division of Laura Lee. The title track continues to expound the album's darker tendencies, driving onwards with the purpose of bands like Convoj and The End Will Be Kicks. The lyrics from which the album derives its title -- "It makes sense to die young, back where I come from violence is timeless" -- perfectly exemplify the strange balance between cynicism, melancholy and passion that the band successfully marries. Tracks like "Anytime" and especially "3 guitars", my favorite track on the record, show the influence that artists like Sonic Youth and Pavement continue to have on contemporary music. The ending track, "Do you love me", a fantastic homage to Fugazi's "Do you like me", ends the album on a strange note similarly to how it opened, and it shouldn't be any other way. "Violence is timeless" is an exceptional album, one that reminds us of the soundtracks that led us here, that continue to push us forward.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson

The Guardian reviews EST's swansong album "Leucocyte": https://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/aug/29/jazz2

Killerchaps
Lingua franca
Adore Music

"Lingua franca" kicks off like an early punk album, back when the fledgling movement still continued on the rock'n'roll influence and twang of their few predecessors. Killerchaps' ability to combine this sound with the tropes of the contemporary indie rock scene often yields fantastic results. The influence of bands like Franz Ferdinand, another act who cuts a wide swathe through genres, is easily heard on "Got to go" and the album's extraordinary closing track "What in the world have I done". This British influence is noticeable throughout the album -- "Damn this child" and "Knee high water", two of the album's other standout tracks, feel particularly much more British than Scandinavian in their combination of influences and sounds. Despite the slew of solid songs on "Lingua franca" though, about a third of the album feels very 'par for the course.' It's a shame, I would have loved to give Killerchaps an 8 out of 10. It'll happen one day, I'm quite sure of that.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson

New reviews at PopMatters of both Anna Järvinen and Lindstrøm.

Avantgarde-Metal reviews the new album "City of glass" from Norwegian act The Soundbyte, the band of ex-The Third and the Mortal guitarist Trond Engum: https://www.avantgarde-metal.com/content/beyond2.php?id=39

Paper Thin Walls on the new Emiliana Torrini track "Me and Armini": https://www.paperthinwalls.com/singlefile/item?id=1818