And speaking of Broder Daniel, they just announced some new tourdates with The Kid:

02/12 - Mejeriet, Lund
02/13 - Popstad, Folkets Park, Huskvarna
02/14 - Folkets Park, Avesta
02/26 - Platens Bar, Linköping
02/27 - Arena, Karlstad
02/28 - Balders Hage, Älmhult
03/04 - The Tivoli, Helsingborg
03/05 - Palace, Kalmar
03/06 - 035-Festivalen, Diezel, Halmstad
03/12 - tba, Karlskrona
03/13 - Downtown, Örebro

No word on who might be playing bass yet.

The new Broder Daniel single for the song "Shoreline" comes out January 21 on Dolores Recordings. View the cover art here. The b-side will be an acoustic version of the song "Dump For Broken Dreams".

Excerpts from Aftonbladet's top records of the year list:

02. Moneybrother - Blood panic
04. Broder Daniel - Cruel town
05. The Bear Quartet -Angry brigade
09. The Knife - Deep cuts
10. José González - Veneer

Read more. (in Swedish)

Lake of Tears will enter the studio on February 13 to begin work on their new album, tentatively titled "Black Brick Road". An August release on Noise Records is expected.

German radio show "45 minutes", broadcast every second sunday at 7.30 pm on Radio Blau Leipzig, recently published their best-of-the-year lists and they contain a ton of Nordic acts. Here's some highlights:

Top 100 LPs 2003
01. The Bear Quartet "angry brigade" (A West Side Fabrication)
03. David & The Citizens "until the sadness is gone" (Adrian)
05. The Legends "up against the legends" (Labrador)
06. The Radio Dept. "lesser matters" (Labrador)
08. The Embassy "futile crimes" (Service)
10. Wan Light "let's wake up somewhere else" (Labrador)
12. Mew "frengers" (Sony)
13. Monastir "the modern sound for a loser generation" (A West Side Fabrication)
16. Peter Bjorn And John "s/t" (Beat That!)
17. The Crystal Committee "forever overhead" (Chalksound)
18. Dub Sweden "welcome to our world" (Silence)
21. Franke "optimismens hån" (Service)
22. Club 8 "strangely beautiful" (Labrador)
23. Komeda "kokomemedada" (Sonet)
32. The Concretes "s/t" (Licking Fingers)
42. Broder Daniel "cruel town" (Dolores)
50. The Cardigans "long gone before daylight" (Stockholm)
57. Laakso "miss you, i'm pregnant" (Adrian)
58. The Raveonettes "chain gang of love" (Dragnet)
73. Paola "stockcity girl" (Dolores)
83. Burek V "s/t" (A West Side Fabrication)
85. Carpet People "more bad weather coming out of the rain" (Chalksound)
88. Isolation Years "it's golden" (Stickman)
89. Douglas Heart "douglas heart" (Labrador)
93. Mando Diao "bring 'em in" (Majesty)
94. The Knife "deep cuts" (Rabid)
97. Ariel Kill Him "in the pyramid" (Kasual)
99. Edson "every day, ervery second" (Labrador)

For the rest of the list, as well as their singles chart, go here: http://www.pop-on-paper.de/

Other notables/honorable mentions:

Cult of Luna - The Beyond & s/t reissue (Earache)
Crushing doom in the vein of Neurosis and Isis, but with a touch of something else that separates them from the rest of the imitators. Hopefully these guys will tour the US because I bet they kill live.

Shout Out Louds - Howl Howl Gaff Gaff (Bud Fox)
Broder Daniel - Cruel Town (Dolores)
These are two of the best Swedish indiepop records this year and I think I actually like the former a bit more than the latter. Broder Daniel has some better songs when taken on their own, but the Shout Out Louds made a better album. I was hoping the latest Bad Cash Quartet would rate too, but it was a huge disappointment.

Zyklon - Aeon (Candlelight)
Ex-Emperor guitarist Samoth proves he can move on and still make quality music. One of the few black-metal releases this year that really caught my interest. Either the scene is stagnant or I've lost interest, not sure.

Motorpsycho & Jaga Jazzist Horns - In the Fishtank (Konkurrent)
It's about time the rest of the world was exposed to these guys. I can do without that one awful funk track, but the rest of this is great stuff. Hopefully the increased international profile of this release will help them get their own music recognized and appreciated.

Randy - Welfare Problems (Burning Heart)
I don't listen to much punk-rock these days, but Randy always delivers. Looking forward to the US tour in February.

The Cardigans - Long Gone Before Daylight (Stockholm Records)
I was really put off by the mellow 70s vibe at first, but once I got over it I found out there were some pretty great songs here. Definitely not what I was expecting, but worth a second glance if you passed it over before.

Ricochets - Ghost of Our Love (White Jazz)
Tiger Lou - Trouble And Desire (Startracks)
Mustasch - Ratsafari (Majesty/Capitol)
Seven Feet Four - Departure/Arrival (Coalition)
Four solid releases from four very different acts. Nothing life changing here, but all still quite good and definitely worth investigating.

Jaga Jazzist - The Stix (Smalltown Supersound)
Supersilent - 6 (Rune Grammofon)
v/a - Money Will Ruin Everything 2xCD + Book (Rune Grammofon)
Norway is really a hotbed for experimental genre-expanding music right now and these three releases are a great place to start. You won't find that elusive "next big thing" here, just music that will make you think. Both Smalltown Supersound and Rune Grammofon are labels to keep an eye on.

There's some new pics of Broder Daniel up at Rockfoto.nu.

Nicolaidunger.tk, Nicolai Dunger's official fansite, is now collecting questions for a Q&A session to be published online in the near future. If you have any questions to ask him, head on over. Nicolai will also be DJing with Grasshopper from Mercury Rev at Debaser in Stockholm and Cafe Mono in Oslo on January 7 and 8 respectively. In case you didn't already know, Nicolai's forthcoming album (and recent single "Hunger") was produced by Mercury Rev and will be out next month.

Top ten: 2003

The Hives will premiere their brand new single at the P3 Gold Awards on January 23 at Storan in Göteborg. Other acts set to play include Nicolai Dunger, Lisa Miskovsky, Patrik Isaksson, Elin Sigvardsson, Timbuktu, Broder Daniel and Soundtrack Of Our Lives. As for the awards themselves, here's the nominees:

Guldmicken (best live act):
José González
Moneybrother
Randy
Robyn
Timbuktu

Best song:
The Cardigans - "For What It's Worth"
Per Gessle - "Här Kommer Alla Känslorna (På En Och Samma Gång)"
Lisa Miskovsky - "Lady Stardust"
Timbuktu - "The Botten Is Nådd"
Broder Daniel - "When We Were Winning"

Best group:
Alcazar - "Alcazarised"
Bad Cash Quartet - "Midnight Prayer"
Broder Daniel - "Cruel Town"
The Cardigans - "Long Gone Before Daylight"
The Knife - "Deep Cuts"

Best male artist:
Per Gessle - "Mazarin"
José González - "Veneer"
Moneybrother - "Blood Panic"
Timbuktu - "The Botten Is Nådd"
Lars Winnerbäck - "Söndermarken"

Best female artist:
Lisa Miskovsky - "Fallingwater"
Miss Universum - "Selfelected"
Pauline - "Candy Rain"
Sophie Rimheden - "Hi-Fi"
Elin Sigvardsson - "Saturday Light Naïve"

Best newcomer:
José González
Miss Universum
Moneybrother
Pauline
Radio Dept.

Best rock:
Arch Enemy - "Anthems of Rebellion"
Cult Of Luna - "The Beyond"
Mörk Gryning - "Pieces of Primal Expressionism"
Nasum - "Helvete"
Satirnine - "Void of Value"

Best dance:
Jesper Dahlbäck - total production 2003
Eric Prydz - total production 2003
Forss - "Soulhack"
Hundarna från Söder - "Hundarna Från Söder"
Plej - "Electronic Music From The Swedish Leftcoast"

Best pop:
Franke - "Optimismens Hån"
The Knife - "Deep Cuts"
Radio Dept. - "Lesser Matters"
Sophie Rimheden - "Hi-Fi"
Tape - "Milieu"

Best hip-hop/soul:
Advance Patrol - "Utskrivna"
Fattaru - "Jordnära"
Ken - "Det Bortglömda"
Latin Kings - "Omerta"
Timbuktu - "The Botten Is Nådd"

For more info, go to P3 Gold's website.

The write-ins have been tabulated and the nominees for the 25th annual Rockbjornen have been announced. Here's the categories I care about:

Best Swedish male:
Per Gessle
José González
Moneybrother
Timbuktu
Lars Winnerbäck

Best Swedish female:
Carola
Lisa Miskovsky
Pauline
Robyn
Elin Sigvardsson

Best Swedish group:
Alcazar
Backyard Babies
Broder Daniel
Kent
The Cardigans

Best Swedish song:
Per Gessle - Här Kommer Alla Känslorna
Lisa Miskovsky - Lady Stardust
Backyard Babies - Minus Celsius
Timbuktu - The Botten Is Nådd
Broder Daniel - When We Were Winning

Best Swedish album:
Moneybrother - Blood Panic
Broder Daniel - Cruel Town
The Cardigans - Long Gone Before Daylight
Per Gessle - Mazarin
Lars Winnerbäck - Söndermarken

Best Swedish newcomer:
José González
Jamie Meyer
Moneybrother
Pauline
Elin Sigvardsson

Finland's The Rasmus is also nominated in the best international song, group and album categories. Go here to vote: http://www.rockbjornen.se

Go here to vote for your choice of the "world's best song." No, you don't get to write-in your pick, but rather you are forced to choose between various hits from a diverse Swede-heavy roster of artists such as The Rolling Stones, The Cure, Kent, Broder Daniel, Queen, Europe and even The Ark.

Here's this week's top 10 Nordic video chart from YLE/Morjen:

01. Glitz - Away from you (FIN)
02. Technicolour - Fireflies (FIN)
03. Nina Rochelle - Taxi 43 (SWE)
04. The Rasmus - The first day of my life (FIN)
05. Garbo - Won't be in your way (DK)
06. Xantom - Miss you (DK)
07. Johnny Deluxe - Elskovspony (DK)
08. Zen Café - Piha ilman sadettajaa (FIN)
09. User - To feel (SWE)
10. Jonna - Kaikki talossa (FIN)

Challengers:
01. The Latin Kings - Cashen dom tas (SWE)
02. Klovner i kamp - Konger i kamp (NOR)
03. Fintelligens - Vaan sil on väliä (FIN)

Here's the top 20 Swedish albums of the week, as reported by Aftonbladet:

01. Peter LeMarc - Det som håller oss vid liv
02. The Refreshments - Rock 'n' Roll X-mas
03. Markoolio - I skuggan av mig själv
04. Peter Jöback - Jag kommer hem igen till jul
05. Lisa Miskovsky - Fallingwater
06. Carola - Guld platina & passion - det bästa
07. Per Gessle - Mazarin
08. Backyard Babies - Stockholm Syndrome
09. Lasse Stefanz - Det här är bara början
10. Lars Roos - För de som älskar
11. José González - Veneer
12. Bo Kaspers orkester - Vilka tror vi att vi är
13. Mauro Scocco - La Dolce Vita
14. Carola - Jul i Betlehem
15. Christer Sjögren - För kärlekens skull 14 visklassiker
16. Helen Sjöholm / Anders Widmark - Genom varje andetag
17. Mats Ronander - Bästa
18. Bamse - Bamses dunder-hits
19. Broder Daniel - Cruel town
20. Lisa Ekdahl - En samling sånger

By way of Dagensskiva, here is thist week's Swedish student radio top 20:

Leaving the chart:
06. Paris "Rainy Day In London"
13. Bring Me The Fucking Riot...Man "Lolita Riotta"
14. The Legends "There And Back Again"
16. Guided By Voices "The Best Of Jill Hives"
17. Slow Train Soul "In The Black Of Night"
19. Primal Scream Ft. (Kate Moss "Some Velvet Morning"
20. The Bear Quartet "Ask Me, Don't Axe Me"

As you've probably already heard, the first couple bands for next year's Hultsfred fest have been confirmed: Broder Daniel, C.Aarmé, Rocky Dennis, The Legends, Snook and The Kid. The show isn't until next July, but tickets go on sale at the end of December. Details: www.rockparty.se

Here's the top 20 Swedish albums of the week, as reported by Aftonbladet:

01. Peter LeMarc - Det som håller oss vid liv
02. Lisa Miskovsky - Fallingwater
03. Backyard Babies - Stockholm Syndrome
04. José González - Veneer
05. Lasse Stefanz - Det här är bara början
06. Per Gessle - Mazarin
07. Bo Kaspers orkester - Vilka tror vi att vi är
08. Mauro Scocco - La Dolce Vita
09. Carola - Guld platina & passion - det bästa
10. Christer Sjögren - För kärlekens skull 14 visklassiker
11. Mats Ronander - Bästa
12. Peter Jöback - Jag kommer hem igen till jul
13. Bamse - Bamses dunder-hits
14. Broder Daniel - Cruel town
15. Helen Sjöholm / Anders Widmark - Genom varje andetag
16. Lars Roos - För de som älskar
17. The Latin Kings - Omertá
18. Lisa Ekdahl - En samling sånger
19. Christian Kjellvander - Introducing the past
20. Anna-Lotta Larson - Tidlöst

It's that time of year again - the time when they start handing out those year-end accolades and up first is the 25th annual Aftonbladet Rockbjörnen. Write in your suggestions for nominees here: http://www.aftonbladet.se/rockbjornen. And if you're feeling uninspired, maybe this will give you some good ideas on who to suggest. (in Swedish)

This week's MTV Up North Nordic video chart:

01. The Rasmus - First Day Of My Life
02. Redrama - Hang It Up
03. Lisa Miskovsky - Lady Stardust
04. Outlandish - Aicha
05. Beats & Styles - Dynamite
06. Backyard Babies - Minus Celsius
07. C21 - One Night In Bangkok
08. Da D.o.n.s - She Don´t Know My Game
09. Turbonegro - Sell Your Body (To The Night)
10. Mew - 156
11. Lene Marlin - You Weren´t There
12. Paperboys - On The Low
13. Negative - The Moment Of Our Love
14. Equicez - Barnslig
15. Erik Faber - Century
16. Fu:el - Next Summer
17. Broder Daniel - When We Were Winning
18. Blackstrap - In Colored Ways
19. The Latin Kings - Cashen Dom Tas
20. The Fashion - Let´s Go Dancing

Challengers:
01. The Knife - Pass This On
02. I´Dees - Brave And Optimistic Girl
03. Christian Kjellvander - Portugal
04. Paperboys - Hey Man
05. Funkstar De Luxe - Saturday

Go to the MTVE.com site to watch and vote for your favorite.

Broder Daniel - "Cruel Town" (Dolores Recordings)
This record has probably already been talked to death by the Swedish press, so I'll keep this short. BD deliver a solid record of what I consider to be classic Swedish indiepop. Huge melodies, lots of easy singalong parts and Henrik's unmistakable voice. I was quite skeptical that they'd be able to have a successful comeback, but the first single "When We Were Winning" erased all doubts and totally kicked my ass the first time I heard it. On repeated listens, the album does start to wear out its welcome a bit towards the end with the repetitious lyrical themes and riffs, but it's all over right before the issue starts to get on my nerves.

01. Backyard Babies - Stockholm Syndrome
02. Lisa Miskovsky - Fallingwater
03. Lasse Stefanz - Det här är bara början
04. José González - Veneer
05. Bo Kaspers orkester - Vilka tror vi att vi är
06. Christer Sjögren - För kärlekens skull 14 visklassiker
07. Per Gessle - Mazarin
08. Lisa Ekdahl - En samling sånger
09. Helen Sjöholm / Anders Widmark - Genom varje andetag
10. Bamse - Bamses dunder-hits
11. Broder Daniel - Cruel town
12. The Latin Kings - Omertá
13. Hammerfall - One Crimson Night
14. Carola - Guld platina & passion - det bästa
15. Anna-Lotta Larson - Tidlöst
16. Fred Åkerström - Freds bästa
17. Christian Kjellvander - Introducing the past
18. Bosson - Rockstar
19. User - User
20. Pauline - Candy rain