I've also uploaded the first set of songs from a live Logh show. They're another one of my favorite bands who I strongly suggest checking out, especially for fans of dark, moody and evocative music. Enjoy!

Some of these have mentioned before, but here's the full list of new acts being booked by Luger: Logh, Sophie Rimheden, Heikki, Existensminimum, Peter, Bjorn and John, Stella Rocket and The Tough Alliance.

And some German dates for Logh:

05/22 - Molotow, Hamburg (GER)
05/23 - Ms Stubnitz, Rostock (GER)
05/25 - Magnet, Berlin (GER)
05/26 - Rosenkeller, Dena (GER)
05/27 - Atomino, Chemnitz (GER)
05/28 - Volkspark, Halle (GER)
05/29 - Glad House, Cottbus (GER)

And speaking of Startracks-related stuff, label head honcho Fredrik Holmgren says that Christian Kjellvander will be coming to the States sometime around July. He's yet to give up any details, but I'll see what I can pry out of him. He also reports that Kristofer Åström recorded a song written by Mattias Friberg of Logh. I think that's one of the tracks set for the new album with Hidden Truck, but I'm not sure. I figure we'll get more details on that as it gets closer to the release date.

Logh's new 7" with a slowed down version of "Bones of Generations" and a cover of Slayer's "War Ensemble" is now available for ordering online. In other news, Trust No One Recordings, the label run by the guys in Switchblade will be releasing the vinyl version of the full-length album "The Raging Sun". They'll also be doing the third 7" from that record which will include a remix of the title track as well as an as-yet-unknown b-side.

Last Days of April - If you lose it (Bad Taste)
For me, the best LDOA album is "Angel Youth" and I'm not sure if they'll ever top it. "If you lose it" is stronger than the last album "Ascend to the stars", but it still doesn't totally grab me. I'm thinking that the stripped down production courtesy of Mathias Oldén from Logh doesn't suit the band best. I absolutely love Logh, but I'm not loving this. Anyhow, I shouldn't be bitching - it's still a good record, even if it's not their best.

Last Days of April
If you lose it
Bad Taste Records

For me, the best LDOA album is "Angel youth" and I'm not sure if they'll ever top it. "If you lose it" is stronger than the last album "Ascend to the stars", but it still doesn't totally grab me. I'm thinking that the stripped down production courtesy of Mathias Oldén from Logh doesn't suit the band best. I absolutely love Logh, but I'm not loving this. Anyhow, I shouldn't be bitching - it's still a good record, even if it's not their best.
- Avi Roig

Some new livedates for Logh:

02/18 - Debaser, Stockholm (SWE) w/Death Cab for Cutie
02/19 - Garage, Oslo (NOR) w/Death Cab for Cutie
02/20 - Inkonst, Malmö (SWE) w/Death Cab for Cutie
02/24 - Kafé 44, Stockholm (SWE)
03/25 - Café Dwaze Zaken, Amsterdam (NL)
03/26 - Nighttown, Rotterdam (NL)
03/27 - Conspiracy Festival @ Hof Ter Lo, Antwerpen (BEL) w/Isis, Trans Am and White Crime Circle Club

They also report that the long awaited "The Bones of Generations (lvg version)/War Ensemble (Slayer!)" 7"s are on their way.

Logh, one of my favorite bands, has started booking tourdates for the spring and they say they'll be doing a few shows in Sweden, Norway and the UK, as well as a lot in Mainland Europe. No details yet, but I'm sure they'll be coming soon. They also report that they've started to rehearse material for the next album and even have a plan. If you remember, the original recordings for "The Raging Sun" were scrapped and they were forced to start over again from scratch. No fun. I doubt they want to repeat that.

Drum roll please! Here it is at last, the It's a trap! top 10 records of 2003...

10. Junior Senior - D-d-don't Stop the Beat (Crunchy Frog/Atlantic)
This record is 100% mindless entertainment and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, especially when it's done so well. For some reason, the geniuses behind the American version decided to tack on two bonus tracks and totally kill the way the album ends. I don't get it - it ruins the purpose of the fade out that runs back into the first song. Ridiculous.

09. Opeth - Damnation (Koch)
I've always been a big fan of Opeth's softer moments, so I eagerly anticipated the release of this record and was not let down at all. Besides being one of the better live shows I saw this year, this proves that the band can transcend the boundries of the metal genre into realms of prog and melodicism far beyond their peers. The fact that a number of my non-metal friends also consider this one of 2003's best proves it.

08. Kaizers Orchestra - Evig Pint (Broiler Farm)
Take the music of Tom Waits, add a dash of Sixteen Horsepower, throw in a heathy dose of Nordic/Eastern European folk, add some pump organ and metal percussion and you're just about there. The Kaizers manage to strike a great balance of huge pop hooks with a subtle dark and dangerous edge. Don't let the fact they sing in their native Norweigan tongue scare you off because you'd be missing out. I don't need to know what they're saying to know they're good.

07. The Knife - Deep Cuts (Rabid Records)
This is not your usual electropop. The brother/sister duo of Karin and Olof Dreijer use the same elements of others in the genre, but in the process they manage to craft something far more interesting and multifaceted. It may sound like simple dance music at first, but there is far, far more at work here. Karin's unique vocals may put you off at first, but trust me - they are just another part of what makes The Knife great. Give it time.

06. Isolation Years - It's Golden (MNW)
It took me all year to finally understand the qualities that make this record great. I decided to put this on during a drive through the pine forest while on vacation and suddenly it all made sense when combined with the scenery. Isolation Years is a great example of what I love about the Scandinavian scene, especially the bands from around Umeå. Their sound is so distinctive, yet I can't quite put my finger on it. I just know it when I hear it in their lyrics and melodies. So evocative.

05. José González - Veneer (Imperial Records)
This record was surrounded by so much hype I was ready to pan it just because of my contrary nature. But you know what? Sometimes there's tons of hype for a reason. Maybe not quite the second coming of Nick Drake like you may have been led to believe, but still damn good.

04. Moonbabies - The Orange Billboard (Chalksounds/Hidden Agenda)
I've said it before and I'll say it again - this is the pop record of the year. It's almost too flawless, it's so meticulously put together. If it doesn't grab you immediately, I'd check your pulse.

03. Beyond Dawn - Frysh (Peaceville)
Probably the only record this year from a band who followed up a previously great release (the amazingly titled "Electric Sulking Machine") with something even better, other than Logh (see #1). Beyond Dawn never ceases to amaze me as they grow and innovate. You can still hear traces of their doom metal past in their refined, modern sound, but they have moved into a realm beyond genres. Listen to their cover of Autopsy's "Severed Survival" and maybe you'll understand. It really is a crime how underappreciated this band is.

02. Carpet People - More Bad Weather Coming Out of the Rain (Chalksounds)
The perfect companion soundtrack for a long northern winter. The utterly fearless way they let the songs expose themselves by stripping down the instrumentation is stunning. So sparse, somber, striking and dark, but yet so starkly beautiful at the same time.

01. Logh - The Raging Sun (Bad Taste Records)
I can barely think of where to begin here, this album is just too good. Logh never ceases to amaze me with everything they do. Every release of theirs in another gem in their crown and I'm thoroughly convinced at this point that they can do no wrong. Another band who epitomizes what I love about Scandinavian music and whose sound conjures up images of cold Swedish landscapes.

Top ten: 2003

Both www.sonicplayground.gr and www.avopolis.gr have Logh-related contests going on in anticpation of the band's concert in Athens on 01/04. (in Greek)

Those of you waiting for the vinyl edition of Logh's latest album "The Raging Sun" are just gonna have to keep on waiting. Seems that Conspiracy Records, the label that was going to take care of it, had a number companies they work with go bankrupt leaving them with quite a bit less income then they'd planned on. As they say themselves, it's sad, but "money makes the world go around."

Logh will be entering the studio shortly to record a brand new version of the song "The Bones of Generations" for that upcoming 7" on Sound Fiction which will be paired with the already-recorded cover of Slayer's "War Ensemble". I guess that makes it version #3, eh? Can't wait to hear it.

New streaming radio mix on the right - check it out. Some of tracks include new stuff from Mustasch, Shout Out Louds, and Broder Daniel along with unreleased acoustic stuff from Logh and Kristofer Åström.