Rigas den Andre will be releasing a new 12" split with Boys of Caligula on Finnish skweee label Harmönia this spring. He'll also be collaborating with Mark O'Sullivan (DK7, Mighty Quark) on a record due out in February and has another vinyl EP in the works for April. There will be a skweee comp coming out on Flora & Fauna in February that Rigas will appear on which I should hopefully be getting copies of for the mailorder department.

Here are the winners of the Manifest, Sweden's alternative to the Grammy:

Hip-hop/R'n'B/Soul: Jaqee
Electronic/Post-rock/Synth: Midaircondo
Pop/Rock: The Embassy
Jazz: Bobo Stenson Trio
Singer/songwriter: Lars Bygdén
Dance/House/Techno: DK7
Hard-rock/Punk: Grand Magus
Folk/Worldmusic: Sofia Karlsson
Best liveartist: Timbuktu
Newcomer: The Tough Alliance
Best unsigned act/Digfi prize: Intohimo

Nominees for this year's Manifest Awards, Sweden's alternative to the Grammy:

Hip-hop/r&b/soul:
Form One - Meet Johnny Rhino
Hearin´Aid - The Boom Lucy
Jaqee – Blaqalious
Looptroop - Fort Europa
Timbuktu – Alla vill till himlen men ingen vill dö

Electronica/post-rock/synth:
Folie – Eyepennies
Midaircondo – Shopping For Images
Ola Bergman – The satellite city
Tape – Rideau
Thermostatic – Joy-Toy

Pop/Rock:
Embassy – Tacking
Jenny Wilson – Love And Youth
Blood Music – Sing a Song Fighter
El Perro Del Mar - Look! It’s El Perro Del Mar!
Lucknow Pact – A Few Drinks- A Few Laughs

Jazz:
E.S.T. - Viaticum
Jeanette Lindström – In The Middle Of This Riddle
MUSICMUSICMUSIC – What´s a good boss anyway?
Bobo Stenson trio – Goodbye
Ulf Wakenius – Notes From The Heart

Singer/songwriter:
Lars Bygdén – Trading Happiness for Songs
Frida Hyvönen – Until Death comes
Hello Saferide – Introducing: Hello Saferide
Christian Kjellvander – Faya
Billie the vision and the Dancers – The world according to Pablo

Dance/techno:
Hundarna från Söder – Troika
DK7 – Disarmed
Skugge & Stavöstrand – Humla
John Dahlbäck – Man From the Fall
Dibaba – Songs For Good Lives

Hardrock/punk:
Randy – Randy the band
Disco Volante – Blood On The Walls
Witchcraft - Firewood
Regulations - s/t
Grand Magus - Wolf’s return

Folk/world-music:
Sofia Karlsson – Svarta Ballader
Harv – Polka Raggioso
Ellika och Solo – Abraka/Tack
Svenska Akademien – Resa sig opp
Simone Moreno – Samba Makossa

Best live act:
David Sandström Overdrive
Frida Hyvönen
Jenny Wilson
Robyn
Timbuktu

Best newcomer:
The Tough Alliance – New school
Timo Räisänen - Lovers are Lonely
Frida Hyvönen – Until Death Comes
Montt Mardié – Drama
Suburban Kids With Biblical Names – #3

Best unsinged act:
She
Insert Coin
Anagoes
Intohimo
Loney, Dear

Winners will be announced on February 9.

DK7
Disarmed
Output Recordings

One thing bothers me about this one - it's hard to admit, even to myself, to dig ANYTHING sounding like Depeche Mode. With that said, I was kinda skeptical about this one throughout the first listens. DK7 consists of maverick producers Mark O'Sullivan and Jesper Dahlbäck, and it seems like the golden hands of Dahlbäck have proven themselves yet again. This is the best electronic album from Sweden since... well, for quite some time anyway. So please, don't mind the similarity to the Kings Of Boredom, put on the should-be-hit-single "Where's the fun" and dance the night away. Oh, it's kinda cool that a couple of Swedes (well, Irish O'Sullivan counts as half a Swede) got signed by top top label Output.
- Johanna Smith