(Norra Kust, Magnus Ekelund) has signed Maria Eriksson (The Concretes, Santa Maria, Heikki) and will be releasing her debut solo album på svenska "Stjäl det du behöver" early next year. Teg has also officially picked up Mattias Alkbergs Begravning, the new band from The Bear Quartet frontman, and will be releasing their new album next year as well.
PSL reports that Maria Eriksson of The Concretes/Santa Maria/Heikki is recording a new album in Swedish with Mattias Alkberg and Jakob Hellman's backing band Neverna: http://blogg.svt.se/psl/2012/03/05/det-handlar-om-vad-som-sker-nar-man-spelar-tillsammans-maria-eriksson-spelar-med-nerverna/
Swedish indie label mainstay is putting out a new comp at the end of the month (1/31) featuring a wide selection of tunes from their 25 years as a label plus four brand new ones written especially for this release. Full tracklist:
Oh My! - Fifteen minutes
Heikki - Former hero
Bedroom Eyes - Hand-in-hand grenade
The Drowners - Summer break my fall
Light Parade - Moonlight run
Little Red Snapper - Call me on Tuesday
Olle Nyman - Don't let those bastards reel you in
Oscar & Ronja - Bad manners
Amber Oak - Audrey (radio version)
Wade - Freak or a star
Music of Things - Self destructive
Holiday With Maggie - Make it, don't break it
Mufflon 5 - Waverer
The Concretes - Just locals
Tupelo Honeys - The return of the weeping man (autumn edit)
The Bear Quartet - It only takes a flashlight to create a monster
[ingenting] will release two new singles from their great new record "Tomhet, idel tomhet" on October 28, "Dina händer är fulla av blommor" and "Ge tillbaka det", both of which are duets. Sibille Attar is the guest vocalist on the first, while the latter is a cover tune of "Give it back to you" by Heikki and features Heikki vocalist Maria Eriksson. In addition to the now-typical digital release, there will also be a limited vinyl edition with each song taking up a side.
Santa Maria aka Maria Eriksson (also in The Concretes + Heikki) does the Listed thing for Dusted: http://www.dustedmagazine.com/features/643
I wanted this to be good, I wanted this to be great, so it's a shame that it's just ok. Santa Maria is Maria Eriksson from The Concretes and Heikki, which are two bands that I adore. This is a pleasant album, but too often the pleasantness drags on a bit too much and it all becomes a bit boring. The great melodies that make The Concretes and Heikki so fantastic are sadly missed. It feels like the album could have done with an energy injection at regular intervals. Maybe next time... (it took The Concretes about 8 years to become the great band they now are)
- Simon Tagestam
Fluxblog has new tracks today from both Robyn and Santa Maria, the solo project of Concretes/Heikki vocalist Maria Eriksson: http://www.fluxblog.org/2007/02/things-i-abandon-only-abandon-me.html
Early consensus on the new Concretes album "In colour" seems to be as follows: if you liked the first album, you probably won't like the new one as much, but if you didn't like it, you'll think the new one is better. I think both responses are for the same reason, too. The naive, childlike qualities that endeared fans of twee music to the debut are largely absent from the follow-up and for people like me who tend to associate those qualities with an inate inability to perform (or, in other words: sucking), the new record is a step in the right direction. "In colour" is much more confident, more produced. I'm still not close to falling in love with the band, but I see it as a huge improvement. More importantly, they let Maria Eriksson sing lead on a song instead of regular frontwoman Victoria Bergman. I'm sorry, but I simply cannot hang with Victoria's droll, nasal voice. Maria however, sings beautifully - something she proved long ago with her work in Heikki. Today's mp3 is the song she sings lead on: "Grey days". That's my pick for the album's highlight.
Early consensus on the new Concretes album "In colour" seems to be as follows: if you liked the first album, you probably won't like the new one as much, but if you didn't like it, you'll think the new one is better. I think both responses are for the same reason, too. The naive, childlike qualities that endeared fans of twee music to the debut are largely absent from the follow-up and for people like me who tend to associate those qualities with an inate inability to perform (or, in other words: sucking), the new record is a step in the right direction. "In colour" is much more confident, more produced. I'm still not close to falling in love with the band, but I see it as a huge improvement. More importantly, they let Maria Eriksson sing lead on a song instead of regular frontwoman Victoria Bergman. I'm sorry, but I simply cannot hang with Victoria's droll, nasal voice. Maria however, sings beautifully - something she proved long ago with her work in Heikki. Today's mp3 is the song she sings lead on: "Grey days". That's my pick for the album's highlight.
The Concretes - Grey days
What a great compilation this is! It's the first in the series from Stereo Test Kit Records, and it's a fantastic mix of the best Swedish indie music around. It starts of with two of my favourite songs this year: El Perro Del Mar's "Dog" and Heikki's "Former hero", then it continues with a few tracks by artists I've never heard but were surprised how good they were (e.g. Björn Kleinhenz) and some other tracks I've heard before that I really like (Sambassadeur's "Between the lines" being one of them). The compilation is pretty cheap as well, so if you've never heard of most of these bands I think you should try and get your curious fingers on it. Now I can't wait until Stereo Test Kit release the second volume; if the quality will be this high it can't be anything but a must-have.
- Simon Tagestam
The UK's Stereo Test Kit Records is starting a new compilation series called "Records Make Great Pets" in which each edition will highlight the scene from a particular country. The focus on volume one? Why, Sweden of course. The tracklist:
01. El Perro Del Mar - Dog
02. Heikki - Former hero
03. Audrey - Triumphal arch
04. Britta Persson - Defrag my heart
05. Laurel Music - The way love goes
06. Caroline Soul - People I know (don't want me)
07. Melpo Mene - Don't save me
08. Club 8 - Cold hearts
09. Sambassadeur - Between the lines
10. Chasing Dorotea - The anchor song
11. Björn Kleinhenz - Out of style
12. Speedmarket Avenue - He's a rebel
13. we are soldiers we have guns - Tourists in our hometown
14. Iamuse - Dullcity (just in time)
15. Music 77 - Juniper Leo
It comes out on July 4. More details here: http://www.stereotestkit.com/pets.htm
The Pop AlÞing nusic blog talks about Heikki: http://apopalthing.blogspot.com/2005/04/heikki_27.html
Splendid reviews Heikki: http://www.splendidmagazine.com/review.html?reviewid=1112354772195939
Magic Marker Records will be releasing Heikki's latest album "2" in the US on February 15 in a new special edition with two bonus cover tunes, one by the Triffids and one by This Perfect Day. To refresh your memory, Heikki is the sideproject of Concretes guitarist Maria Eriksson and esteemed producer/Bear Quartet guitarist Jari Haapalainen.