The Silent Ballet on Ljudbilden & Piloten: https://thesilentballet.com/dnn/Home/tabid/36/ctl/Details/mid/384/ItemID/1646/Default.aspx

Musique Machine on the Brighter Death Now reissue "Necrose evangelicum": https://www.musiquemachine.com/reviews/reviews_template.php?id=1908

PopMatters reviews The Bridal Shop album "From seas": https://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/61672/the-bridal-shop-from-seas

Shout Out Louds
Live @ Dingwalls, London 08/06/08

Has a stage invasion at a gig ever been an enjoyable experience? The ones I've witnessed have been nothing but annoying. Yesterday's sad affair was no exception. For some reason lots of kids decided that it was a great idea to get on stage during the first song of the encore ("Tonight I have to leave it"), and high-five each other (as well as trying to high-five the band members to various success) and taking photos with their phones. I can understand why a stage invasion at a big venue could be fun for the invaders, but Dingwalls is a small place that holds about 500 people - hence a stage invasion just looks silly. Shout Out Louds' singer Adam Olenius didn't seem too impressed either and it was all rather awkward after the song's finished when he had to repeatedly tell all the grinning fans that were shuffling about to "Get the fuck off the stage" so they could play their last song. Charming! I don't blame him though, it wasn't exactly as the band invited anyone and it really messed up the flow of the gig. Despite this little boring incident, Shout Out Louds played a blinding set. They played nine out of the twelve songs from their latest "Ill wills" and even though I'm not a massive fan of their new album, I thought the songs sounded fantastic live. The venue was packed, the sound was good and the band were great – what more can you ask for? (except no fans on stage, that is)
- Simon Tagestam

Dusted on the Fonal rerelease of Ville Leinonen's debut album "Suudelmitar": https://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/4414

PopMatters reviews the Elephant9 album "Dodovoodoo": https://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/61157/elephant9-dodovoodoo

The Higher Elevations
The Protestant work ethic
Time For Action

The Higher Elevations sound a bit like a gang of cowboys playing psychedelic pop rock. It's pleasant stuff, just like eating baked beans around a campfire can be, but not life changing (as long as the beans aren't poisoned, this applies to the metaphor too). At times I find them a bit annoying, as if the novelty takes over and it becomes hard not to giggle at how serious and clichéd the singer can sound at places. Certain songs on the album are also a bit repetitive and I got very tired of them quickly. The highlight of the album is the song "In place"; that one has a real killer chorus, and it also feels much "fresher" than the rest of the songs. The Higher Elevations have enough energy and quality songwriting skills for me to keep an eye on them in the future, since I wouldn't be surprised if they one day delivered a solid album, but at the moment their material just doesn't appeal to me much.
- Simon Tagestam

The Silent Ballet reviews the new Skyphone album "Avellaneda": https://thesilentballet.com/dnn/Home/tabid/36/ctl/Details/mid/384/ItemID/1648/Default.aspx

Dusted reviews the new ST Mikael album "Mind of fire": https://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/4463

Pitchfork reviews the new Lau Nau album "Nukuu": https://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/142597-lau-nau-nukkuu

Paavoharju
Laulu laakson kukista
Fonal Records

Listening to "Laulu laakson kukista", it's easy to hear where everyone gets the "freak" and "psych" to prefix Paavoharju's inscrutable blend of folk. It's hardly consistent—perhaps one of the reasons that they remain on the folk margins is their uneven, genre-hopping approach to LPs, where they give almost as much time to circus music larceny as they do to their fuzz-folk-meets-trip hop explorations.

The appearance of waltz time is perhaps the only thematic glue that binds the disparate ends on "Kukista". These waltzes work better when they rummage around in a fog of electronica, while darkly angelic female vocalists swarm as sirens around come-and-go drums. Attempts at a more straightforward approach like "Italialaisella laivalla" mostly fail to impress -- the melodies too woodsy, their signature ethereal errata too lacking.

It's beat-driven songs like "Uskallan" with its broad, almost proto-Slavic melody that get the job done when neither the siren's song or the sea of low-tech ambience can be found. These latter qualities, prominent in "Kevatrumpu", "Kirkonvaki", and "Tytto tanssii" are starkly beautiful highlights -- better than anything I've heard all year -- but Paavoharju has trouble finding enough "Uskallan" moments to lift the rest of the album out of the water.

I guess Paavoharju is just hard to understand. Maybe it's the fact that I don't know a word of Finnish, or maybe it's the fact that their self-proclaimed mystic Christian asceticism is supposed to inspire visions of 16th-century Byzantium that I just don't get. But all of this confusion never subtracts from the weird beauty of most of this album. It remains impressive and stunning, and its arcane nature rewards with repeat listens.
- Nathan Keegan

Devillac
s/t
self-released

These Finns sure know how to sabotage themselves. Between the misleading name, forgettable cover art and tepid instrumental opening number, it's a miracle I even bothered to check out the rest of the album. I'm glad I did though because these dudes actually have a decent heavy fuzzrock sound once they get going. They're not idiosyncratic enough to stand out from the mediocre multitudes, but I do dig the fact that they're going for a more modern, streamlined approach as opposed to doing the tired retro/stoner thing. I've heard enough wannabees in that vein to last me a lifetime. Anyhow, I'd say that Devillac is eminently listenable and far, far better than I expected, but still totally forgettable in the end.
- Avi Roig

PopMatters on the new Cult of Luna album "Eternal kingdom": https://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/61531/cult-of-luna-eternal-kingdom/

Musique Machine on the new Skull Defekts album "Drone drug": https://www.musiquemachine.com/reviews/reviews_template.php?id=1883

The Smell of Mutiny
What it means b/w Le mediocre 7"
Roadkill Records

The band's self-titled debut EP left little impression on me, though I do remember the b-movie sci-fi/horrorshow graphics. If only the music was as memorable! They do one-up themselves on this follow-up single though, running through an upbeat garage-pop stomp on the a-side and some quality French pop baladeering on the flip, complete with flute and harpsichord tones. Still, I gotta say, the artwork wins out yet again. Though the band's music has improved, the retro graphics (courtesy of Andreas Tylden) are far more compelling than their tired retro sound.
- Avi Roig