New bands added to the Umeå Open lineup: Jens Lekman, Laakso, Shout Out Louds, Sophie Rimheden and Miss Universum. The kickoff show for the fest will take place February 28 at Fritz's Corner with Bring Me The Fucking Riot...Man and The Janitors.

By way of Dagensskiva, here is the Swedish student radio top 20 for the week:

01. (02) Broder Daniel "Shoreline"
02. (01) Belle & Sebastian "I'm A Cuckoo"
03. (03) Shout Out Louds "Please Please Please"
04. (04) Tiger Lou "Oh Horatio"
05. (06) The Latin Kings "T.L.K."
06. (05) David & The Citizens "Graycoated Morning"
07. (08) Franz Ferdinand "Take Me Out"
08. (NY) The Von Bondies "C'mon C'mon"
09. (NY) Organism 12 "Sångfågel"
10. (NY) Nicolai Dunger "Here's My Song You Can Have It (Album Sampler)"
11. (10) The Thrills "Don't Steal Our Sun"
12. (15) Her Majesty! "You And Me Against The World"
13. (06) Bergman Rock "Help The Band"
14. (NY) Edson "I Believe In A Thing Called Love"
15. (11) Timbaland & Magoo "Indian Flute"
16. (12) Kamera "Suburban Boy"
17. (NY) Beezewax "Big Bad Car"
18. (NY) Obie Trice Ft. (Nate Dogg "The Set Up"
19. (NY) Jens Lekman "Rocky Dennis In Heaven EP"
20. (14) Disco Volante "Distort The South"

Leaving the chart:
09. Weeping Willows "Stairs"
13. Courtney Love "Mono"
16. Mazarine Street "Bourgeois Blood"
17. The Strokes "Reptilia"
18. Dizzee Rascal "Jus'a Rascal"
19. Backyard Babies "A Song For The Outkast"
20. Muse "Hysteria"

Some of the acts confirmed for the upcoming City Sound Festival in Göteborg on April 1-3: José Gonzàlez, Jens Lekman, The Mo, Mattias Hellberg, C.Aarmé and The Legends. The event is modelled after SXSW and will feature seminars and discussions as well as live music.

Pitchforkmedia.com reports on the Secretly Canadian signing of Jens Lekman aka Rocky Dennis: http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/news/04-01/09.shtml#story4
Astute readers will note that I first mentioned this back in October.

That new Jens Lekman EP "Rocky Dennis in Heaven" will be coming out on January 21, not the 14th as originally reported.

Singer/songwriter Jens Lekman is retiring his alias Rocky Dennis with a special limited edition EP entitled "Rocky Dennis in Heaven". Here's the tracklist:

01. Rocky Dennis' Farewell Song
02. Rocky Dennis in Heaven
03. Jens Lekman's Farewell Song to Rocky Dennis

Look for it the first week of January from Service. File under Lekman.

Aftonbladet gets Kent's reaction to some of the year's top picked CDs: http://www.aftonbladet.se/vss/noje/story/0,2789,409597,00.html (in Swedish)

The Soundtrack of Our Lives and Jens Lekman (aka Rocky Dennis) are among the first acts confirmed for next year's Avrika festival in July. More info: http://www.galaxen.se/

Imperial Recordings, the label of the much-hyped José González and Bobby, has singed Melpo Mene. Look for their debut EP in February.

Also coming soon from Imperial are the following José González releases:

IMP007LP: The album on vinyl
IMP008T: Jori Hulkkonen remix 12"
IMP009CDS: Remain EP (2 new tracks)
IMP010S: Remain 7"
IMP011S/SERV012: José González/Jens Lekman split 7"

Rocky Dennis aka Jens Lekman is heading out on the road in support of his new "Maple Leaves" EP, out now on Service Records:

10/02 - Kramp (Bonden), Stockholm (SWE)
10/03 - Kalmar Nation, Uppsala (SWE)
10/04 - Fritz's Corner (Debaser), Stockholm (SWE)
10/10 - Young Alive in Love (Café UFO), Malmö (SWE)
10/31 - Blå, Eskilstuna (SWE)
11/07 - Tivoli, Helsingborg (SWE) w/José González
11/08 - Perrong 23, Hässleholm (SWE) w/José González
11/14 - Klubb Desired, Borlänge (SWE)
11/20 - Strange Fruit Festival, London (UK)
12/10 - Inkonst, Malmö (SWE) w/Holly Golightly
12/11 - Gump (Jazzhuset), Göteborg (SWE)

He also has revealed that he will be doing a record for US-based label Secretly Canadian, due out sometime early next year. There's also plans for another EP on Friendly Noise in November as well as limited edition release for his friend Jens Lundström's label Thievery and maybe even a Christmas single or EP.