MP3: My God Damn Territory - Used to be

I look at the ever-increasing piles of mediocre CDs crowding my desk and I can't help but feel defeated. There's a few gems in there to be sure, but I'm fully daunted. To say nothing of all the downloads in my incoming directory -- more often than not, I'd much rather listen to all the old-school death metal I've been gathering than some uninspiring no-name wannabees. Like I said though, it's not all bad. Only a few are truly awful, the overwhelming majority are merely forgettable. What's it take to stick? Name recognition helps. My God Damn Territory's bio mentions ex-ex-members from Blithe, Randy and Refused as well as Celestine and, even though I recognize none of the actual personnel names, I figure that at least earns them a cursory listen. Of course I wouldn't be telling you about them if they weren't good, so let me spell it out: My God Damn Territory are a solid band. They've got a ridiculously long roster of musicians who appear on their new self-released album "Between art and failure" and the record's widely varied sound reflects that, though the songwriting remains consistent. They cover a lot of ground from noisy 90s-style indie to postrock and beyond, but you can always tell it's the product of the same mind(s). "Used to be" stands out to me as one of the more driving numbers and the repetitive, overlapping vocal melody is hard to forget, especially with those bendy guitar notes that bookend it. Best of all, it just sounds so different from anything else I've heard as of late. And the whole album is available as a free download. Good enough!

My God Damn Territory - Used to be

Aversionline on Icelandic act Celestine: http://www.aversionline.com/blahg/2008/03/21/celestine-at-the-borders-of-arcadia-cd/

Celestine
Between bedtime and sunrise
Exergy Music

Celestine produce a sound that I'd kinda call "joyous melancholy," if that isn't too contradictory. The music is strong and life-affirming, played with energy, but the dark undercurrent is quite palpable. This band hovers between epic balladry, moody slowcore and something a bit more eccentric, as on the texturally interesting "Masterpiece" and the ear-baiting title cut, on which vocalist Mattias Erikssen sings "Let me sleep through the night/Free from ghosts and creeps" softly, before the band kicks up quite a ruckus, enough to scare said creeps away. "Sunflower" would be a hit single if I ruled the world: it's a great chiming, rhythmic tune with breezy acoustic guitars, a harmonium (I think) and an affecting vocal. The vocals take a little getting used to (they're low and rather dour), but Mattias Olsson produced this disc with warmth and clarity, and the sound is consistent. No something you'd probably wanna hear daily, but God love bands like this for doing textural melancholy just right, for when you need it.
- Kevin Renick

The "Independent Sweden" compilation from US/Spanish label Fork Series is finally done, almost a year after it was first announced. Here's the tracklist:

01. David & The Citizens - "New Direction"
02. Niccokick - "Wasted Love"
03. Björn Kleinhenz - "Let's Try"
04. Thomas Denver Jonsson & The September Sunrise - "24 Seven"
05. Ane Brun - "Humming One Of Your Songs"
06. Adria - "Your Shift" *
07. Studio - "Down By The River"
08. Now - "Chin Up" *
09. Kid Commando - "Urban Bushman"
10. CDOASS - "Autovision"
11. Menteroja - "Ho Chi Minh Style"
12. Dr Higgins - "Jag Dansade Ett Liv" *
13. Laakso - "Fight The Fight
14. Celestine - "Beneath Your Sight…" *
15. Sandy Mouche - "Carkeys" *
16. Homeland - "Flood" *
17. Boy Omega - "I Might Not Be Real" *
18. Lemko Hall - "Those Are The Sundogs"
19. The Flu - "Little Friend" *
20. Det Gamla Landet - "Tolv Under" *

* Previously unreleased

The upcoming "Independent Sweden" compilation from Spain's Fork Series is nearing completion and the final tracklist should be available soon. Bands confirmed so far include Adria, Ane Brun, Celestine, David & the Citizens, Laakso, Det Gamla Landet, José González, Lemko Hall, Niccokick, Menteroja and Dr. Higgins.

Tract Records will be putting out a Will Oldham tribute compilation on March 30 featuring the contributions from four Swedish bands: Racingpaperplanes, Boy Omega, Celestine and Patrik Torsson alongside other respected bands such as Iron & Wine, Calexico, Scout Niblet and Pinetop Seven. More details and samples: http://www.tractrecords.com/oldhamtribute.htm

Trapdoor Fucking Exit has put up the video for the song "Short Term Investment", recorded live at Umeå Punkfest in 2001. Check it out.

Amulet recently filmed a video for the single "Breaking News". They say it "involves a low key gig at an abandoned house and a deathdefying girl in a van who brings terror to the city of Oslo." I'll let you know if they post in online.

Turbonegro's complete festival schedule for the summer:

06/02 - Flippaut festival, Bologna, Italy
06/05 - Ruisrock, Turku, Finland
06/12 - Hultsfred Festival Hultsfred, Sweden
06/20 - Kick off Festival, Wiesen, Austria
06/21 - Southside Festival, Neuhausen, Germany
06/22 - Hurricane Festival, Schlessel, Germany
06/27 - Roskilde Festival, Denmark
06/28 - Open Air, St Gallen, Switzerland
07/05 - London, Meanfiddler (clubshow) UK
07/12 - T in the Park, Kinross, Scotland, UK
08/07 - Nordland Musikkfestukke, Bodö, Norway
08/08 - Öya festivalen, Oslo Norway
08/09 - Wrightegaarden, Langesund, Norway
08/23 - Reading Festival, Reading UK
08/24 - Leeds Festival, Leeds, UK

This week's MTV Up North Nordic video chart:

01. The Rasmus - In The Shadows
02. Outlandish - Guantanamo
03. A-Teens - Perfect Match
04. Her Majesty - F.U.N.E.R.A.L
05. Jennifer Brown - Weak
06. HIM - Funeral of hearts
07. The Sounds - Rock n´ Roll
08. The Cardigans - You´re The Storm
09. Melody Club - Cover Girl
10. Darude - Music
11. Mew - Comforting Sounds
12. Kwan - Shine
13. Equicez - Live From Pass It
14. Bertine Zetlitz - Girl Like You
15. Elin Sigvardsson - Where To Start
16. Timbuktu - Ett Brev
17. Paragon - Försök Förstå
18. Pauline - Runnin´ Out Of Gaz
19. Surferosa - Neon Commando
20. Homy - Bus Stop

Challengers:
01. Jon - This Side Up
02. Antique - Moro Mou
03. Fireside - All You Had
04. The Concretes - You Can´t Hurry Love
05. Kamera - At Work
06. C21 - She Cries

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

Labrador Records is now distributed by Mortes Nois in Estonia. For more info email mrnois@hot.ee.

Dolores Records has announced they will be releasing a limited edition CD single for the new supergroup Vanessa and the O's on June 10. The band features ex-members of Popsicle along with James Iha from Smashing Pumpkins and is described as electronic pop in French. Crazy, eh? More info soon.

Bad Taste Records is the label of the month over at the Danish radio program New Rocking Sounds which airs Tuesdays at 8pm on 93.7 in Århus. They'll be interviewing Last Days of April, Logh and various others from the roster along with playng tunes from said bands. Be sure to check it out or wait for the clips to hit the online archives.

Listen to "Mattias Alkbergs Begravning" from Planekonomi, another band featuring Mattias from Bear Quartet. More info here. Look for 2 EPs this fall and a full-length sometime next year.

One of my pals over at indieworkshop.com reviews the new Flaming Sideburns album today.

"No one has satisfactorily explained why a country of 4.5 million generates so much music: is it the dark winters? Subsidised music lessons? Rubbish TV?" - John Bungey, The Times (UK)

Norweigan music appears to be making quite a few headways beyond their borders as evidenced in this article from MIC Norway. Turbonegro and Jaga Jazzist might be the first names to come to mind for most folk, but now there's also Beady Belle, Tord Gustavsen, Per Arne Glorvigen, and St. Thomas to pay attention to.

Johnny Bråttom Records will be holding a record release show on May 30 at Kulturkammaren in Norrköping for their forthcoming "Svensk Populärmusik Volym Två" compilation. The bands scheduled to appear are Slagsmålsklubben, recent Dolores-signees Cdoass, Bremen Brotröster GmbH, Björn Kleinhenz, and The Flu. As for the tracklisting of said comp, it is as follows:

01. Cdoass - The Box
02. Niccokick - Run, Run, Run
03. Björn Kleinhenz - How Long Is The Night?
04. Slagsmålsklubben - Filter Fabric Facts (DJ Upperkurt Instrumental Remix)
05. Idiot Savants - Daily Routine
06. Music 77 - Kameror
07. Pete Thompson - Folk Song
08. Lola Barbershop - Ticket To Happiness
09. The Kid - Baton Rouge
10. Junip - Turn To The Assassin
11. The Topeka Twins - Hunting Song
12. Menteroja - Call Me
13. Bremen Brotröster GmbH - Greater/Better
14. The Flu - Golden Hair
15. Celestine - Sunflower
16. José González - Heartbeats
17. Café Polymorf - A Good Time
18. Quit Your Dayjob - Pissing On A Panda
19. Joni - Frank Xerox
20. Ane Brun - Are They Saying Goodbye?
21. Sandy Mouche - A Year

Aftonbladet reports that famed Swedish videomaker Jonas Åkerlund is working with Blondie on the single "Good Boys" in LA. The new album ""The Curse of Blondie" comes out around September or October. Åkerlund's previous credits include artists such as Satyricon, Madonna, Metallica and The Prodigy.

This new album will be 'harder' than the previous one and more guitars. To sum it up: a groovier album!

That's Peter Tägtgren of Pain describing work on the new album. He says he's already finished all of the backing music along with five of the thirteen vocal tracks and should be able to have it out sometime this fall on Stockholm Records.

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

01. Robert Wells - Rhapsody in rock the complete collection
02. Alcazar - Alcazarized
03. Eddie Meduza - Live(s)!
04. v/a - Fame Factory volym 5
05. Moneybrother - Blood panic
06. The Cardigans - Long gone before daylight
07. Timbuktu - The botten is nådd!
08. Glenmark Eriksson Strömstedt - Den andra skivan
09. Lisa Nilsson - Samlade sånger 1992-2003
10. Jill Johnson - Discography
11. Lars Winnerbäck och Hovet - Söndermarken
12. Kent - Vapen & ammunition
13. Antique - Blue love
14. Cornelis Vreeswijk - Cornelis Vreeswijks bästa
15. Monia - Söderns hjärtas ros
16. Siw Malmkvist - Siws bästa
17. Elin Sigvardsson - Saturday light naive
18. Simson Dupont - Simson Dupont
19. Fame - Give me your love
20. The Sounds - Living in America

Tomas Ledin is going on tour in support of his new live album "I Sommarnattens Ljus" which comes out on June 2. The dates so far:

07/08 - Öja Slott, Öja
07/19 - Bergs Slussar, Linköping
08/03 - Stadsparken, Örebro

The lineup for Sommarrock, which takes place July 10-12 in Svedala, Sweden: Mikael Wiehe, Bubbles, Joddla w/Siv, Advance Patrol, The Ark, Danne Stråhed, Häjkån Bäjkån Band, The Mo and Di Leva.

This week's Swedish college radio chart (from Dagensskiva):

Leaving the chart:
(10) Randy "A Man in Uniform"
(11) Solomon Burke "Soul Searching"
(12) Fireside "All You Had"
(13) Magnus Carlson "Jag ber dig"
(16) Queens Of The Stone Age "Go With The Flow"
(18) The Go-Betweens "Caroline and I"
(19) David & The Citizens "New Direction"
(20) Hot Hot Heat "Bandages"

The full details for Finland's Koneisto Festival has been released. Some of the artists scheduled to appear include Björn Torske, Ralph Myerz & Jack Herren Band, Erlend Oye (acoustic set + "magnificent singing DJ set"), Datarock, Jori Hulkkonen, Rinneradio (feat. Dj Slow, Siiri Nordin and MC Paleface) among many others. The acclaimed electronic music festival was the first of its type for all of Scandinavia and the selection of performers "seeks to establish an interesting balance between commercial and experimental music" over the event's 9 stages. It all goes down in Helsinki from July 25-27 and more info can be found from the fest's official website.

Blabbermouth reports that HIM will be touring Europe in support of Ozzy Osbourne and Godsmack this September. I'll keep you posted.