Now available in the webstore: various titles from Razzia including Niccokick, Timo Räisänen, They Live By Night and Hello Saferide as well as preorders for new albums from Firefox AK, Loney, Dear and the long-awaited US debut EP from David & the Citizens on NY-based label Friendly Fire! Please note that not only do you save $1 if you preorder now, but you will also recieve said CD on the day of release. Maybe even a day or two before if the postal service hauls ass. Check it out!

Hello Saferide has renovated her website again. Go there to see the new look and to check out some new tourdates around Scandinavia: http://www.hellosaferide.com/

Aftonbladet has the new In Flames video for streaming: http://www.aftonbladet.se/atv/player.html?catID=2672&clipID=5430
Check out the sidebar for a link to the new Hello Saferide video, too.

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.

Hello Saferide will have her song "Long lost penpal" featured in an episode of the new HBO series "Big love" starring Chloë Sevigny. Read more: http://www.mtve.com/article.php?ArticleId=6102

Happy holidays everyone. I'm going to take some time this week to take a second look at a couple of the honorable mentions from my top 10 list. First, let's revisit Hello Saferide. My first impression with this record was tainted by hype. It's not that I didn't enjoy "Introducing..." when I first heard it, I was just surprised that so many people were getting excited about a nice girl folksinger. Now that I've had more time to let Annika Norlin's copious charms sink in, I appreciate the album much, much more. It comes down to this: Annika has a lovely voice and is a good songwriter and that's enough. Even further, this is an album that will still sound just as good five or ten years down the road. It doesn't stray from convention because it doesn't need to. The classic formula still works fine.

MP3: Hello Saferide - Nothing like you

Happy holidays everyone. I'm going to take some time this week to take a second look at a couple of the honorable mentions from my top 10 list. First, let's revisit Hello Saferide. My first impression with this record was tainted by hype. It's not that I didn't enjoy "Introducing..." when I first heard it, I was just surprised that so many people were getting excited about a nice girl folksinger. Now that I've had more time to let Annika Norlin's copious charms sink in, I appreciate the album much, much more. It comes down to this: Annika has a lovely voice and is a good songwriter and that's enough. Even further, this is an album that will still sound just as good five or ten years down the road. It doesn't stray from convention because it doesn't need to. The classic formula still works fine.

Hello Saferide - Nothing like you

Top 10s for 2005: Micke Orgel

Top 10s for 2005: It's a trap!

Here's the Swedish nominees for this year's Rockbjörnen:

Female artist:
Amy Diamond
Anna Ternheim
Laleh
Lena Philipsson
Robyn

Male artist:
Darin
Håkan Hellström
Lars Winnerbäck
Moneybrother
Timbuktu

Group:
Bodies Without Organs
Cardigans
Kent
Millencolin
The Ark

Song:
Darin - Step Up
Laleh - Live Tomorrow
Robyn - Be Mine
Thåström - Fanfanfan
Timbuktu - Alla Vill Till Himmelen Men Ingen Vill Dö

Album:
Darin - Darin
Håkan Hellström - Ett Kolikbarns Bekännelser
Kent - Du Och Jag Döden
Laleh - Laleh
Robyn - Robyn

Newcomer:
Amy Diamond
Bodies Without Organs
Darin
Hello Saferide
Laleh

Vote here: http://www.aftonbladet.se/ettor/webb/2805_normal.html

Hello Saferide will make a guest appearance on Vapnet's upcoming record.

Nominees for the Swedish radio 2006 P3 Gold awards:

Best female artist:
Laleh
Jenny Wilson
Hello Saferide
Frida Hyvönen
Robyn

Best male artist:
Moneybrother
Håkan Hellström
Timbuktu
Alf
Darin

Best band:
Kent
Cardigans
The Ark
The Embassy
Bodies Without Organs

Best newcomer:
Laleh
Jenny Wilson
Darin
Le Sport
Frida Hyvönen

Best song:
Robyn - Be mine
Timbuktu - Alla vill till himmelen men ingen vill dö
Laleh - Live tomorrow
Moneybrother - They're building walls around us
September - Satellites

Guldmicken (best live):
Hellacopters
Laleh
Robyn
Timbuktu
Lars Winnerbäck

Best rock/metal:
Burst - Origo
Grand Magus - Wolf’s Return
Hellacopters - Rock & Roll Is Dead
Opeth - Ghost Reveries
Rentokiller - Cadaveri Eccelente

Best hip-hop/soul:
Hearin’ Aid - The Boom Lucy
Looptroop - Fort Europa
Peshi - The Work of Art The Art of Work
Stacs Of Stamina - Tivoli
Timbuktu - Alla vill till himmelen men ingen vill dö

Best pop:
The Embassy - Tacking
Frida Hyvönen - Until Death Comes
Paddington DC - The Sun is Down And The Sky is Grey
The Tough Alliance - The New School
Jenny Wilson - Love And Youth

Go here to vote for your favorites: http://www.sr.se/p3/p3guld/
Winners will be announced January 21.

Upcoming releases from Razzia scheduled for 2006:

01/25 - Hello Saferide - Long Last Penpal EP (feat. Firefox AK)
02/15 - Timo Räisänen - Fear no darkness, promised child CDS
03/01 - Firefox AK - tba CD
03/29 - Timo Räisänen - I'm indian CD

Not scheduled yet: The Club, David Lindh, Thunder Express and They Live By Night.

Chikan's debut album "Cops and Crooks In Your Head" will be out December 3 via Circle Around A Circle Records. The band is the solo project of Petter Söderberg from Amical and the recording was produced by David Lehnberg (Ariel Kill Him). Upcoming tourdates:

12/03 - Heffaklumpen, Gävle (SWE) w/Christan Kjellvander, Hello Saferide
12/03 - Kafé Spegeln, Gävle (SWE) w/Idiot Kid
12/08 - tba, Berlin (GER)
12/09 - JFZ, Haldensleben (GER) w/Björn Kleinhenz
12/10 - Strandperle, Limburg (GER)
12/11 - Caveau, Mainz (GER)
12/12 - tba
12/13 - tba
12/14 - Drifter's, Freiburg (GER)
12/15 - Das Rind, Rüsselsheim (GER)
12/16 - Cubanova, Münster (GER)
12/17 - tba

Head to their website to hear samples: http://www.chikan.se/

This week's top artists for the It's a trap! Last.fm/Audioscrobbler listening group:

01. Death Cab for Cutie
02. Kent
03. Hello Saferide
04. Suburban Kids With Biblical Names
05. The Cardigans
06. I'm from Barcelona
07. Franz Ferdinand
08. The Shins
09. The Arcade Fire
10. Coldplay
11. Jens Lekman
12. Iron & Wine
13. Laakso
14. The Decemberists
15. Bloc Party
16. Tiger Lou
17. Architecture in Helsinki
18. The Strokes
19. David Fridlund
20. Sigur Rós

Want to see your favorites listed here? Join us! Go here to learn more: http://www.last.fm/help/