Top 10s for 2005: Oskar Ekman (Luger)

Swedish showcase nights in Paris:

12/06 - La flêche d'or w/Kristofer Åström, Laakso, Sahara Hotnights
12/07 - Centre Culturel Suedois (11 Rue Payenne 75003 Paris) w/Kristofer Åström, Laakso

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/

Peep the video for the new Laakso single "In my blood": http://exodus.interoutemediaservices.com/?id=e78c006a-1699-4369-98c3-1bfb0301fe49&delivery=stream

Laakso
My gods
V2

Even though Laakso's band biography involves several break ups and reunions, it's basically a nice story of Swedish music business success. Their newest album "My gods", a decent interplay of twelve churned up songs, proves this very well: Released by the big label V2, produced by a certain Jari Haapalainen (Yes, right, that's the same guy who has worked with Ed Harcourt, Moneybrother, Kristofer Åström and The Concretes) and including some backing vocals by a very certain Nicolai Dunger. Well, of course a record isn't just about some famous names written on the booklet's last page. But even just focusing the music, "My gods" turns out to be a pleasant piece of melodic art. OK, it's probably not the catchiest album that has been released in Sweden during the last months, but still it has everything a good pop CD needs to have: Emotional tunes, guts to try out something new and a stick-out hit song ("High drama"). Markus Krunegård's characteristic voice underlines brilliantly the intimate lyrics which are thematically ranging from self-pity drowned in fuel to an ironic view on the junk of the hearts. Summing it up, Laakso has created an interesting and good-sounding audio portrait of the variety of emotions circulating around the all-time number-one-topic also known as "love".
- Janis Meissner

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

01. Death Cab for Cutie
02. The Decemberists
03. The Strokes
04. Hello Saferide
05. The Arcade Fire
06. Mew
07. The Libertines
08. Broken Social Scene
09. Sufjan Stevens

Top songs:

01. Laakso - In my blood
02. Mew - Special
03. The Strokes - You Only Live Once
04. The Decemberists - We Both Go Down Together
05. I'm from Barcelona - The Painter
06. Broken Social Scene - Stars and Sons
07. Hello Saferide - If I Don't Write This Song, Someone I Love Will Die
08. Hello Saferide - Get Sick Soon
09. Death Cab for Cutie - Lightness

Again, I'd like to encourage all regular readers to join up so we can get a better idea of what we're all listening to. It's fun! Go here: http://www.last.fm/group/itsatrap/

The best thing about the new Laakso single? Obviously it's the high-pitched over-the-top backing vocals. Despite vocalist Markus Krunegård's best efforts to caterwaul through the entire album, this is the song that sticks out the most. And don't forget the "solo" - or whatever you want to call it. It sounds more like they're dismantling their guitars. Oh, and when the Jerry Lee Lewis rock'n'roll piano kicks in! Golden! It's a mess, but it's beautiful.

MP3: Laakso - In my blood

The best thing about the new Laakso single? Obviously it's the high-pitched over-the-top backing vocals. Despite vocalist Markus Krunegård's best efforts to caterwaul through the entire album, this is the song that sticks out the most. And don't forget the "solo" - or whatever you want to call it. It sounds more like they're dismantling their guitars. Oh, and when the Jerry Lee Lewis rock'n'roll piano kicks in! Golden! It's a mess, but it's beautiful.

Laakso - In my blood

The details and artwork for the new Laakso single "In my blood" has been posted: http://se.v2music.com/site/product.asp?ID=1502

You can now stream the new Laakso album "My gods" over at the V2 site: http://se.v2music.com/site/product.asp?ID=1200
The record comes out September 21.

Laakso
High drama
V2

This is Laakso's first release on a major label, and they sound just like when they were on Adrian Recordings, only better. It's as if they've all of a sudden had some sort of epiphany and realized what all their shortcomings were and instantly scrapped them while totally utilizing all the stuff that makes them such a great band. All the four songs here are catchy, melodic, and great – it's quirky indie rock to its fullest (even better than The Shout Out Louds). Hopefully their major label deal will make Laakso as gigantic as their music.
- Simon Tagestam

Not that I'm 100% original, but the new Laakso site looks kinda familiar: http://www.laakso.nu/

Check out the video for "High drama", the new single from Laakso: http://exodus.interoutemediaservices.com/deliverMedia.asp?id=d9d59bb0-4084-4f41-9418-cfb7cd302a4b&delivery=stream

Laakso has posted four tracks from the upcoming "High drama" EP for streaming: http://www.laakso.nu/

Laakso's upcoming "High drama" EP has been confirmed for release on June 8 via V2.