Hästpojken, the new band of ex-Bad Cash Quartet frontman Martin Elisson and PopLars from Broder Daniel, now has an official website: http://www.hastpojken.com/

The playlist for this week's radio show:

01. Timo Räisänen - My valentine
02. TALK 1
03. Torpedo - From Russia with love
04. Desert Planet - Breakout button
05. Ebba Grön - Mamma pappa barn
06. TALK 2
07. The End Will Be Kicks - Don Johnson
08. Skywriter - Where both worlds never meet
09. Skull Defekts - The secret
10. TALK 3
11. Tsukimono - Tokyo OEast
12. Kristin Asbjørnsen - Trying to get home
13. Enemy Alliance - Government subsidized ghetto
14. TALK 4
15. The Indecision Alarm - Where every fucking dream is killed
16. Dismember - Soon to be dead
17. Mixtapes & Cellmates - Moments
18. TALK 5
19. Kristofer Åström - All in
20. Pan Sonic - Virta 1
21. Ulver - Of wolf and fear
22. TALK 6
23. Mainliners - Olivia
24. 120 Days - Let me come down
25. Universal Poplab - 60 is the new 40
26. TALK 7
27. Dag Vag - Popitop
28. The Bombettes - Lust is the new black
29. Breach - Big strong boss
30. TALK 8
31. CS Nielsen - Black spots
32. Tape - Sand dunes
33. The Psyke Project - For us to see for us to help
34. TALK 9
35. Cortex - Shark boys die hard
36. Viola - I don't know how to party
37. Don't Be A Stranger - Lonely together
38. TALK 10
39. Broder Daniel - What clowns are we

Anna Ternheim will make her US debut with an EP featuring her sublime cover of Broder Daniel's "Shoreline" as the main track. Otherwise, she plans to spend the rest of the year touring Europe in support of "Separation road".

Look for Sahara Hotnights to play NYC (CMJ?) and Japan in October along with various dates around Scandinavia. Support on Swedish dates will come from Hästpojken, the new band of ex-Bad Cash Quartet frontman Martin Elisson with Poplars from Broder Daniel. Listen to them at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/hastpojken (recommended!)

Listen to the new single "Besatt" from David Lindh's (ex-Yvonne/Broder Daniel) new band Svenska Kürkan: http://www.myspace.com/svenskakyrkan

MP3: Bad Cash Quartet - Too bored to die

Bad Cash Quartet - another obvious choice to represent GBG. Nobody does snotty indierock quite as well as them and the song that best personifies them is definitely "Too bored to die". "So come on come on, please shake me / something's got to make me move" the song beckons. Any impetus at all will do, anything to conquer the ennui. Like Broder Daniel, BCQ creates a perfect soundtrack for teen angst, though they are not nearly as consumed by a sense of defeat, nor are they nearly as dark. You still get that feeling of loneliness and isolation though - that's universal. And the waiting, that too is a common theme. It's such a helpless feeling when you're young and have no control over your own destiny.

Bad Cash Quartet - Too bored to die

The playlist for this week's all-GBG radio show:

01. Maia Hirasawa - Gothenburg
02. TALK 1
03. Hemstad - Sommar i Göteborg
04. Division of Laura Lee - We are numbers
05. Håkan Hellström - Kom igen Lena!
06. TALK 2
07. In Flames - Everything counts
08. Pistol Disco - Walking with Jesus
09. Viktor Sjöberg - W/nothing
10. TALK 3
11. Kristofer Åström - Just a little insane
12. The Knife - Listen now
13. Broder Daniel - Dark heart
14. TALK 4
15. Samuraj Cities - All along the shoreline
16. MPTP - Jim Morrison
17. At the Gates - Cold
18. TALK 5
19. The Book of Daniel - The camels parade
20. Silverbullit - Magnetic city
21. The Soundtrack of Our Lives - Nevermore
22. TALK 6
23. Nicolai Dunger - What tomorrow
24. The Kid - Portion control (Fatsuit haze/Zlatan wins the World Cup remix)
25. The Idealist - The knives are my eyes
26. C.Aarmé - Visions
27. TALK 7
28. Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words - I could have sworn I heard them SING
29. Junip - Official
30. Diabolique - Catholic
31. TALK 8
32. Convoj - My timekeeping heart
33. Tsukimono - Dear sister
34. Eric Beyond - Step off
35. TALK 9
36. Björn Kleinhenz - Out of style
37. Detektivbyrån - E18
38. TALK 10
39. Bad Cash Quartet - Too bored to die

MP3: Broder Daniel - Dark heart

The darker side of GBG is best represented by Broder Daniel, yet another classic act that captures the spirit of the city in an entirely different way. On the other hand, the thing that makes BD so fantastic is their ability to capture the anytime/anywhere feeling of overwhelming suburban teen angst so perfectly. Few tracks convey that as well as "Shoreline" (especially the Anna Ternheim version), but I've decided to dig a bit deeper with "Dark heart" from 1998's "Broder Daniel forever".

Waiting in line / On the underground
I want to be / A part of life
But the heart is too dark / It bears your mark
The heart is too dark / It bears your mark

I hear the call of that wind-tunnel guitar tone, those unmistakable leads and Henrik Berggren's unique voice and I'm transported back to high school. The feelings on unrequited love and social anxiety come back to me, but it's alright - because Broder Daniel makes you feel less alone and alienated. If I had actually heard them at such a young, formidable age, I bet that BD would have been my favorite band.

Broder Daniel - Dark heart

Musikbyrån provides an update on what all the guys from Bad Cash Quartet are up to: http://musikbyran.blogspot.com/2007/06/bad-cash-ynglar-av-sig.html
To summarize: Martin Elisson and Adam Bolméus are in the band Family Romance; drummer Jonas Lundqvist is working under the name Jonas Game and will have a single out on Sincerely Yours soon; vocalist Martin is also in the band Hästpojken with Pop Lars from Broder Daniel.

MP3: The Bear Quartet - Disappearing act

"Disappearing act" would have made a worthy, although unnecessary, addition to "Angry brigade". I guess it was a bit of an older track, so tacking it on as a b-side to the "All your life" EP makes sense from the band's perspective. I may not find it to be much of a stylistic departure, but it's not as if The Bear Quartet cares. They're gonna do what they're gonna do, regardless.
The subject? The older, wiser, tougher kid. The one who escapes. I assume this refers to breaking free of smalltown Luleå. Anywhere but here, right? A companion piece to "I don't wanna". The songs of Broder Daniel may perfectly capture the blunt trauma of teen angst, but BQ reaches an entirely different level of despair, something far more deep and poetic. While vague generalities stir up empathy, an isolated incident leaves a lump in my throat.

The Bear Quartet - Disappearing act

Friday's Sirius Blog Radio playlist:

01. The Alpine - Mondays look the same
02. TALK 1
03. Gravy - Back with the nerds
04. Giant Robot - Best match
05. Jomi Massage - A detail
06. TALK 2
07. Broder Daniel - Shoreline
08. The Grand Opening - Don't drop off
09. Moonbabies - Take me to the ballroom
10. Britta Persson - Oh how wrong
11. TALK 3
12. Lemonator - Would you die for me?
13. Trapdoor Fucking Exit - Short ends
14. Billie the Vision and the Dancers - Overdosing with you
15. TALK 4
16. Folie - Rocin
17. Robyn - Handle me
18. Laakso - Norrköping
19. TALK 5
20. Magnet - I walk the line
21. Isolation Years - Albino child
22. KVLR - Construction work
23. TALK 6
24. Anna Leong - 61
25. Tigerbombs - One giant leap
26. Motorpsycho - Hyena
27. TALK 7
28. Oskar Schönning - Other birds
29. Pan Sonic - Rähinä II / Mayhem II
30. Mercyful Fate - Evil
31. TALK 8
32. Ricochets - Come around over
33. Ghost Brigade - Based on you
34. Smalltown - The music
35. Popface - In the night
36. TALK 9
37. Circle Six - 1

MP3: Samuraj Cities - All along the shoreline

It's amazing how little has changed between the demo version of Samuraj Cities' "All along the shoreline" (posted here in September '05) and the newer album version (posted today). The guitars still sound just as cheap and brittle as they always did, only now they're able to pile even more of 'em on top of eachother. That harsh, direct-to-tape tone is an integral part of what makes Samuraj Cities who they are and they wouldn't be nearly as good without the lo-fi DIY aesthetic. It's hard not to listen to this and think of that other "Shoreline" song from Broder Daniel - both involve heavy themes of isolation and finding your way in the world, though BD is far more agonizing and pessimistic compared to SC's philosophical ruminations. Or to take it further: Samuraj Cities ponders the possibilities of sailing up the coast while Broder Daniel is landlocked and raging at the sea. Is that relevant? I dunno, I just like to picture BD frontman Henrik Berggren on the beach in his beret, shaking his fist in the air.

Samuraj Cities - All along the shoreline

Swedish indierockers Kusowsky just released their new EP "Mot centrum". They've got a great sound, reminds me a lot of classics such as Bad Cash Quartet, Broder Daniel and so forth. Listen at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/kusowskymusic

MP3: Bad Cash Quartet - Too bored to die

I go through varying cycles of frustration when it comes to maintaining this website. The hours are long and the pay sucks, so if I don't have music that I'm excited to talk about, I don't have anything. So when I'm feeling down, I often find it helps to go back and revisit a record I know I like, something to help pick me up. That's one of the reasons I started doing Friday posts dedicated to tracks at least 2-3 years old. When all new music is making me long for better days, the past beckons. It's not that I don't have a lot of great new stuff to talk about - I most certainly do. It's just that sometimes the only thing I want to hear is familiar and comforting.
Bad Cash Quartet came up in conversation earlier this week and it made me realize that it's been way too long since I've listened to their high-water mark album "Outcast". I don't think there's any other record that so perfectly captures the sound of turn-of-the-century-era Swedish indiepop. It's bratty and obnoxious like much of the Britpop it draws influence from, but also so incredibly melodic and huge sounding. Broder Daniel might be the superior band of this style, but BCQ wins out today by virtue of being more uplifting. I've got enough angst, thank you very much.

Bad Cash Quartet - Too bored to die

MP3: Samuraj Cities - Saturday night is never fair to everyone

I wasn't the only one impressed with the Samuraj Cities demo (see my original post here). Imperial Recordings (José González, Eskju Divine) wasted no time and quickly swept them up for their roster. The music is still quirky and lofi and imbued with that fantastic, dark sense of melody that made me appreciate the band in the first place. "Saturday night is never fair to everyone" doesn't quite reach the same level of despair as say, Broder Daniel, but it comes close. The vocals are more weary than anguished - just like as with yesterday's song from The Alpine, the song's protagonist is sick and tired of the same old shit. The approach is completely different, but the sentiment is the same.

Samuraj Cities - Saturday night is never fair to everyone