The latest Aquarius Records new release list features reviews and samples from Switchblade, Dungen, Mum, Thergothon the "Team Yamaha" comp (feat. Aavikko & Pluxus) and tons more: http://www.aquariusrecords.org/cat/newest.html

Rising from the ashes of Kinkaid, the new band Novak will release their debut single "It all works out in the end" on a white vinyl 7" on June 20 via Novoton Records. The recordings were engineered by Pierre Lindsjöö at his studio Konst&Ramar (Ceasars Palace, Dungen, Empire Dogs, Strip Music) and mixed by Linus Larsson (Ed Harcourt, Mercury Rev, Nicolai Dunger, Heikki). A full-length will follow in early September.

Dungen will be throwing a record release party for their new album "Ta det lugnt" at Klubb Spenat in Stockholm on June 16. Joining them on the bill will be folkpsyche band Lynx Lament and The Works. More info: http://www.subliminalsounds.se/

Dungen's newly revamped website is online and has full details and tracklist info for the new album "Ta det lungt": http://www.dungen.info/

Swedish psych-rockers Dungen will release their new album "Ta det lugnt" in June.

Dungen is apparently working on a new album due out around mid-May. Otherwise, Gustav Ejstes is working mostly as a solo artist and collaborating with people such as Reine Fiske and Fredrik Björling.

Swedish psyche-rockers Dungen have started work on a new album for release next year on Dolores (CD version) and Subliminal Sounds (vinyl).

The guys from Dungen have been keeping busy with various side projects: Gustav is working on Paoline's upcoming album and Fredrik Björling and Reine Fiske are playing in The Guild, along with Sylvester Schlegel from The Ark. No word on release dates for anything yet, but I'll keep you posted.

Check out this press release on the new album "Jordnära" from Swedish hip-hop artists Fattaru (in Swedish). This record marks the long-awaited follow-up to 2001's "Mina Hundar" and features guest appearances from Fjärde Världen, Masayah, psyche-rockers Dungen, and Robert Athel. Look for it on September 10 from Virgin Records. The first single will be for the track with the single "Bättre".

The latest Aquarius Records New Arrivals List has samples and reviews of Dungen, among many others.

Dagensskiva reports that Fattaru will be releasing a new album called "Jordnära" this coming fall on September 8. Masse, Salla, Chepe and Oskar Skarp lent their production skills to the record and Fjärde världen, Masayah and Dungen are said to be among the guests making appearances. Look for a single in August.

Sigh. It was only a matter of time, but Virgin Records Sweden has contacted me and kindly asked me to remove the mp3s from their artists (Nicolai Dunger, Melody Club, Caesars Palace and The Ark). And I do mean kindly - no threats or anything, just a polite request. Maybe we'll work something in the future for authorized downloads, but until then there will be no more Virgin artists represented on the playlist. Kind of a pity since they are some of my favorites, but that's the way it goes.

UPDATE: The nice people at Virgin are looking into working out an arrangement in the future. Nothing yet, but we'll see. As for now, get a preview of "Who Will Buy These Wonderful Evils?", the new 2xCD from Virgin/Dolores showcasing the label's past and present artists. It comes out February 24 and will be celebrated with a party at Club Debaser in Stockholm. Scheduled to appear and spin records are Ebbot from The Soundtrack of Our Lives, Jocke Åhlund from Caesars Palace, Reine Fiske from Dungen and more. Tickets go on sale on the 7th. Oh, and the tracklist for the album:

CD1.
01. Caesars Palace - Subhuman Girl
02. Håkan Hellström - Fulaste Flickan I Världen
03. Dungen - Horizon
04. Alf - Mitt I Malmö City
05. Grammar School Boys - Baby Blue
06. Franke - Aldrig förstå
07. Jose Gonzales - Dead Waits On Velveteen
08. The Soundtrack Of Our Lives - Jehova Sunrise
09. Broder Daniel - You Bury Me
10. Silverbullit - I Had To Tell You
11. Hello Goodbye - Pussycat
12. Whyte Seeds - Lost My Love
13. Sagor & Swing - Flickan & Jätten
14. The (International) Noise Conspiracy - Up For Sale
15. Paola - Rainbow In The Dark
16. Nicolai Dunger - Hey Mama

CD2.
01. The Mascots - The Girl That You Are
02. The Shakers - Who Will Buy (These Wonderful Evils)
03. The Wizards - See You Tonight
04. The Jackpots - King Of The World
05. Tages - Fantasy Island
06. Annaabee-Nox - Always On My Mind
07. Outsiders - Iside Of Me
08. Fabulous Four - 438 South Michigan Avenue
09. T-Bones - I Want You
10. Charlie & Esdor - Dagen Är Över
11. Steampacket II - Fruitseller Oldman's Song
12. Pugh - Här Kommer Natten
13. Ola And The Janglers - I Can't Wait
14. Mecki Mark Men - Midnight Land
15. Hansson & Karlsson - Tax Free
16. Trolls - Alone
17. The Deejays - Striped Dreams Checked Fear

And on a similar note, increased traffic levels mean I need to cut back on the amount of music I have for download anyways. If someone else is willing to externally host the stuff, by all means, let me know. Otherwise, five tracks at a time going forward plus the usual live sets.

Beyond Dawn reports that they've finally solidified a release for their new album "Frysh". Look for it in May from Peaceville.

In BD related news, side-project Wrongside has finished recording their debut MCD for a release in April on Duplicate Records. Described as "a strange mix of noisy rock, playful electronica and lo-fi melancholy among other things," they say "it should appeal to BD fans and probably a lot of other people as well." Preorder it now: duplicaterecords@hotmail.com.

Also from the BD camp, word is that Virus is nearly done with their debut album for Jester Records. Now tentively titled "Carheart" (as opposed to the original title "The Drama Hour") they describe it as "outlandishly cool and mindbogglingly mindboggling." To me that describes most everything from Jester, but hey, check it out and decide for yourself.

The new Katatonia album has been finalized. It's called "Viva Emptiness" and you can preview the cover here. It'll be out on March 24 from Peaceville. The tracklist:

01. Ghost of the Sun
02. Sleep
03. Criminals
04. A Premonition
05. Will I Arrive
06. Burn the Remembrance
07. Wealth
08. One Year from Now
09. Walking by a Wire
10. Complicity
11. Evidence
12. Omerta
13. Inside the City of Glass

The band promises preview mp3s shortly. I'll keep you posted.

Here's a message of interest from Burning Heart that may be worth investigating:

We have a very special treat for you. In cooperation with Burning Heart Records Turbojugend members will have the chance to listen to the new Turbonegro album "Scandinavian Leather" before everybody else!!! The official street date is the 28th of april. If your chapter is interested in setting up a pre-listening party, have your President get in touch a.s.a.p. with El Presidente (party@bitzcore.de) and Montse (montse@burningheart.com)

The archive is being updated. Done. I'm also still waiting for a mailorder shipment of new CDs before I update the playlist. Patience, my friends. I may however have some live mp3s from The Ark coming soon. We shall see...

A new Fireside mp3 for the track "Throw It Away" will be available next Monday from Startracks! The album isn't coming out till April.

Finland's HIM recently spent some time shooting the video for "Funeral of Hearts" with director Stefan Lindfors. Check out some pics from the shoot here.

Dungen will be on P3 Live January 20. You can listen online over at the P3 website.

Poet Bob Hansson has a spoken word album called "Kör Solen Kör" coming out January 27. Guests on the record include Ola Salo (The Ark) and Thåström. The first single will be "En Helt Vanlig Dag" featuring Ola.

Caesars Palace is finally gonna make it over to England, this time with Echoboy. If you remember, their December tour with (International) Noise Conspiracy was cancelled. Anyhow, The Caesars (as they're known outside Sweden) have an EP single for the song "Jerk It Out" coming out February 24, the follow-up to "(I´m Gonna) Kick You Out" which is already out. The album "Love For The Streets" comes out May 19 over there. As I've said before - watch out for this band. I expect big things. And I'm not the only one either - read this profile from Britain's Q Magazine. Here's the dates:

January 13 The Barfly, Camden
January 15 The Old Firestation, Bournemouth
January 18 The Junction, Cambridge
January 22 The Boston Arms, London
January 22 Arts Centre, Colchester
January 23 Casbah, Sheffield
January 24 Sumo, Leicester
January 26 The Barfly, Liverpool
January 27 King Tuts, Glasgow
January 28 The Cockpit, Leeds

Also on Q's 2003 bands to watch list is The Hellacopters. Read what they have to say here.

Eggstone will be the backing band and production talent on the new solo album from Weeping Willows frontman Magnus Carlsson. It will be his second attempt at going at it alone following his debut "Allt är Bara Du Du Du" from 2001.

Curious about Swedish jazz? Read this interesting article/interview concerning the recent activities of the Norrbotten Big Band.

The Cardigans will premiere a new song entitled "For What It's Worth" at the upcoming Rockbjörnen Awards on January 27. The show will be broadcasted on Swedish television and will also feature 'comeback' performances from Thomas Rusiak and Dilba along with contemporaries In Flames, Håkan Hellström, The Sounds, Mando Diao and Melody Club.

In Flames will be touring the US beginning in late March. Dates soon.

Be sure to check out 'Rock Over Sweden' today on Rocket 95.3 FM Stockholm. Listen here live or go here for more info. The program starts at 5pm local time. Or maybe not - the show is every other Monday, but it seems like today's scheduled broadcast ain't gonna happen. Next week?

Now scheduled to play the January 18 date of the Inferno Fest in Oslo is a one-off performace by a cover band made up of members from Dimmu Borgir, Red Harvest, The Kovenant, Blood Red Throne, Mayhem, and Susperia. They will reportedly run through various songs from much-respected metal artists such as Death, Black Sabbath, Slayer, and Anthrax and the whole thing is to be recorded for a possible future release on Edgerunner Records. Other bands scheduled to play the fest include Immortal, Children of Bodom and Taake.

Read my reviews of the new albums from Ulver and Björn Olsson over at indieworkshop.com. Look for the links on the right, under 'Featured Reviews'.

TV4 Gothenburg has put up an acoustic set from The Soundtrack of Our Lives back on their website. Check it. (thanks to tsool.tk)

The movie Jungle Book 2 comes out in February featuring a track called "Jag vill va som du" from Dungen. A double A-side single with that song plus "Har du vart i Stockholm" comes out February 10.

Energy Rekords has signed EBM/Electro act 8kHz Mono. You can sample them on the "Virtual Energy vol.4" comp.

Even more award nominees! This time, the Manifest awards, Sweden's alternative to the (Swedish) Grammy:

Pop/Rock
The Bear Quartet - Ny våg (A West Side Fabrication/MNW)
David & The Citizens - For All Happy Endings (Adrian Recordings/Border)
Doktor Kosmos - Reportage! (NONS/MNW)
Marit Bergman - 3.00 A.M. Serenades (Sugartoy/Border)
Embassy - Futile Crimes (Service/Border)

Hardcore/Punk
In Flames - Reroute to remain (Nuclear Blast/MNW)
Thåström - Mannen som blev en gris (Mistlur/MNW)
Spiritual Beggars - On fire (Music For Nations/Zomba)
Totalt Jävla Mörker - Det ofrivilliga lidandets maskineri (Distortion/Border)
Vomitory - Blood rapture (Metal Blade/Border)

Hip Hop/R&B/Soul
Loop Troop - The Struggle Continues (David Vs Goliath/Burning Heart)
Timbuktu - Wåtts Dö Madderfakking Diil? (Juju/Playground)
Heli - Öronknark (Streetzone/Border)
Masayah - Masayah (Swing-A-Ling/MNW)
Ison & Fille - Vår sida av stan (Hemmalaget/V2)

Postrock/Electronica
Hans Appelqvist - Tonefilm (Komplott)
Mokira - Plee (Mille Plateaux/Border)
Nova Express - One (Rocket Number Nine)
Pallin - Far From Yokohama (URU)
Testbild! - The Double Life Of Testbild! (Radio Khartoum)

Dance
Adam Beyer - Ignition Key (Truesoul)
The Mighty Quark - Silverdale (Play)
Eerik & Arvid - Shimmer (Raw Fusion)
Koop - Waltz for Koop (Superstudio/Diesel/Sony)
Sunday Brunch - No resistance (SVEK/Goldhead/Next Stop)

Folk/Worldmusic
Ellika Frisell & Solo Cissokho - Tretakt Takissaba (Xource/MNW)
Golbang - Saali nó (Stran)
Harv - Töst (Drone/CDA)
Olle Lindvall (Drone/CDA)
Sumer - Iraq (Sw/Eden/Border)

Lyrics
Mattias Alkberg (Bear Quartet)
Timbuktu
Uje Brandelius (Doktor Kosmos)
Ison & Fille
Petter Herbertsson (Testbild!)

Live Artist
Doktor Kosmos
Jmyhaze Beatbox
Spotrunnaz
In Flames
Ellika Frisell and Solo Cissokho

Best Newcomer
Totalt Jävla Mörker
Hans Appelqvist
Marit Bergman
Sunday Brunch
Embassy

Winners will be announced at the ceremony on January 31 at the Kulturhuset in Stockholm. The Teenage Idols, Ison & Fille, Totalt Jävla Mörker, and Jmy Haze Beatbox will perform.

The good people over at Chalksounds have finally gotten their online store up and running. The featured album for sale is "On Planted Streets" from KVLR, one of my faves. Highly recommended. Besides their own label's goodies, you can also order records from bands such as Fireside and Isolation Years. Again, both highly recommended.

Grave will be playing this year's coming March Metal Meltdown V to take place in Irvington, New Jersey on March 7-8. The new album "Back From The Grave" comes out January 28th on Century Media.

A ton of news today! My goodness! Read on...

Björn Olsson will NOT be participating in the upcoming Union Carbide Productions reunion at Hultsfred. "Sure, it might be fun to play, but it's more fun not to play." says the man himself in this interview. (in Swedish) Of course, this may be subject to change. You never know. Also, the boxset is now expected around mid-May, but still no exact date has been set. And lastly, I just my hands on a copy of "UPA" and will try to put up a track a bit later today. Full review next week at the latest. Check back, y'hear?

In somewhat related news, TSOOL's latest album "Behind the Music" made GQ Magazine's top 10 of the year. What they said:

Cranking guitars and clean, poppish melodies make you think of 1960s British bands, but this time it's the Scandanavian Invasion. Will Norrkoping or Malmö be the next Manchester?

Check out the video for "By the Grace of God" from The Hellacopters, courtesy of NME.

The finalists for Rockbjörnen have been announced! Vote here! Here's the list of the nominees for the Swedish categories:

Best female artist:
Robyn
Marit Bergman
Paola
Carola
Awa Manneh

Best male artist:
Håkan Hellström
Ulf Lundell
Joakim Thåström
Brolle Jr
Markoolio

Best group:
Kent
The Ark
The Hellacopters
In Flames
The Sounds

Best song:
Dom andra (Kent)
Kom igen Lena (Håkan Hellström)
FF (Kent)
Kärleken Väntar (Kent)
Vinternoll2 (Kent)

Best album:
Vapen och Ammunition (Kent)
Det är så jag säger det (Håkan Hellström)
In lust we trust (The Ark)
Club Zebra (Ulf Lundell)
Reroute To Remain (In Flames)

Best newcomer:
The Sounds
Mando Diao
Brolle Jr
Melody Club
Awa Manneh

Randy is currently in the studio and have completed 17 songs for their next record. Not all of em will make the cut, but they have until the 22nd to keep cranking out more. Mixing will convene in January.

Bad Taste Records says they're gonna put the recently completed Bad Taste Festival up for online viewing! No exact details yet, but they say to check their website tomorrow for the scoop. Danko Jones, Langhorns, Logh and Last Days of April were the bands that played and you can read more about the event here.

Håkan Hellström's next single will be "Det är så jag säger det". Look for it in January.

Dolores Recordings is gonna release a compilation of the best pop/rock from today and from 1966-1971 in February. Here's the track listing:

CD1.
01. Caesars Palace - Subhuman Girl
02. Håkan Hellström - Fulaste Flickan I Världen
03. Dungen - Horizon
04. Alf - Mitt I Malmö City
05. Grammar School Boys - Baby Blue
06. Franke - Aldrig förstå
07. Jose Gonzales - Dead Waits On Velveteen
08. The Soundtrack Of Our Lives - Jehova Sunrise
09. Broder Daniel - You Bury Me
10. Silverbullit - I Had To Tell You
11. Hello Goodbye - Pussycat
12. Whyte Seeds - Lost My Love
13. Sagor & Swing - Flickan & Jätten
14. The (International) Noise Conspiracy - Up For Sale
15. Paola - Rainbow In The Dark
16. Nicolai Dunger - Hey Mama

CD2.
01. The Mascots - The Girl That You Are
02. The Shakers - Who Will Buy (These Wonderful Evils)
03. The Wizards - See You Tonight
04. The Jackpots - King Of The World
05. Tages - Fantasy Island
06. Annaabee-Nox - Always On My Mind
07. Outsiders - Iside Of Me
08. Fabulous Four - 438 South Michigan Avenue
09. T-Bones - I Want You
10. Charlie & Esdor - Dagen Är Över
11. Steampacket II - Fruitseller Oldman's Song
12. Pugh - Här Kommer Natten
13. Ola And The Janglers - I Can't Wait
14. Mecki Mark Men - Midnight Land
15. Hansson & Karlsson - Tax Free
16. Trolls - Alone
17. The Deejays - Striped Dreams Checked Fear

Lots of news from Ulver today:

The soundtrack to "Svidd Neger" is just about finished and will be released in conjunction with the film in March 2003.
The all-string remake of "Nattens Madrigal" is delayed yet again and the prospects of it ever getting done are looking dimmer and dimmer.
The upcoming remix album will be called "1st Decade in the Machines" and it should be out around February. Some of the contributing artists include Merzbow, Neotropic, Bogdan Raczynski, Third Eye Foundation, Kevin Drumm, Fennesz and Stars of the Lid.
The band recently recorded a cover of Lee Hazelwood's "The Night Before" and it may surface on a Jester Records cover album sometime in the future.
T-shirts are now available from Plastichead in the UK.
And finally, the band has yet another new release coming up. It will be an EP entitled "A Quick Fix of Melancholy" and it will be out sometime next year.
phew.

In other Ulver-related news, their self-run label Jester Records has a bunch of new stuff on the horizon.

Kåre Joaö will release the single "Sleepers" in February. The CD will also contain the video.
Lars Pedersen of When says a new album is in the works. March 2003? Here's an interview you can read where he discusses his plans, along with some other topics. (In English, too!)
Jester will also release a new album from Lord Bård (aka 1349 Rykkinn, founding member of Masters of Møh and Superskill) entitled "Brown Ring of Fury". The artist's own description of his work: "Brown Ring of Fury is the sound of growing up in the suburbs west of Norway’s capital. 1349 Rykkinn. The sound of glue and magic mushrooms. Ghettoblasters. Daddy drowning in his own vomit. Amphetamines. Fireworks. The sound of getting laid for first time. Of filming one’s first orgasm. My life. A tribute to blowing oneself up. For to repent till tears gush forth. Again and again. An anaesthetic circle."

Porcupine Tree mastermind Steven Wilson says the inspiration for his band's latest album came from the Swedish metal bands Meshuggah and Opeth. Of course, he did produce Opeth's last couple records, but anyhow - here's what he had to say on the subject:

For years I had dismissed metal as music for adolescents, which a lot of people do, because I was only exposed to the stuff that is in the mainstream. And then suddenly I tapped into this whole group of bands from the underground. Actually, it's because I read a book called 'Lords Of Chaos', because I was fascinated with this guy from Burzum, that led me into the whole world. So I started listening to bands like Morbid Angel, some of the doom bands and eventually found my way to Meshuggah and Opeth, which to me, were the holy grail of that whole scene. I suddenly realized where all the musicians that were making truly progressive music had gone. They weren't making old-style progressive music, they were making a completely contemporary form of progressive music by using metal as their kind of conduit, if you like. I mean, Mike from Opeth is completely into progressive rock. But he's not doing it in a nostalgic way, he's doing it in a completely cutting edge contemporary way, using metal as his vehicle. And he loves metal just as much as anything, and so do I. And that was kind of a real eye-opener for me, to find musicians who are obviously very much coming from the tradition of the way people made records in the '70s, but doing it in a completely new and contemporary way and with musicianship that I just didn't think existed anymore.

Amorphis has completed the recording of the instrumental parts for their new album. Frontman Pasi Koskinen will begin working on his parts under the tutelage of producer Hannu Leiden shortly.