Mailorder news: re-stocks of Hello Saferide, Firefox AK and Maia Hirasawa should be arriving today along with new records from Thunder Express and They Live By Night. Check back soon! New CDs from Kristofer Åström and Laakso are ordered and supposedly on the way along with all the latest from Hybris - Montt Mardié, Vapnet, etc.

Last night's playlist for my show on Sirius Blog Radio:

01. Isolation Years - Yellow cross on blue
02. TALK 1
03. Johndoe - Nattskift
04. Montys Loco - Wasteland
05. Once We Were - Cut corners
06. TALK 2
07. [ingenting] - Mycket vasen for ingenting
08. Margaret Berger - Robot song
09. Namur - Marching
10. Lampshade - New legs
11. TALK 3
12. Maia Hirasawa - Gothenburg
13. Mixtapes & Cellmates - Quiet
14. Fattaru - 100:-
15. Juvelen - Hanna
16. TALK 4
17. Säkert! - Allt som är ditt
18. Sonores - 16th of June
19. Detektivbyrån - E18
20. TALK 5
21. At the Gates - The swarm
22. Barra Head - Kill the lights
23. TALK 6
24. The Tough Alliance - Leg 7
25. Torpedo - My evil twin
26. Alog - Catch that totem!
27. TALK 7
28. Valley Days - 10k angels
29. A-ha - Celice
30. Victims - Who the fuck are we?
31. TALK 8
32. The Vicious - Alienated
33. Viola - Unreal life
34. Zweizz - Nowadays the only boring everything is so frustrating
35. Viktor Sjöberg - Winter guitars
36. TALK 9
37. Closer - The talker
38. Aerial - My god, it's full of stars!
39. The Kissaway Trail - La la song
40. Laakso - Italy vs Helsinki
41. The Psyke Project - Panic
42. TALK 10
43. C.Aarmé - We are the world

Next week: expect lots more killer jams including totally a brand new track from Closer and maybe even a spotlight set on post-rock/ambient music. Good times!

May's extra-special Tack! Tack! Tack! showcase has been confirmed! Shout Out Louds, Loney, Dear and Maia Hirasawa at the ICA in London on May 24! Tickets aren't on sale quite yet, but when they are, clicking the banner on the right will take you to the right place! Special thanks to the Swedish Institute for making this possible.
Also note that Logh leaves next week to embark on their European tour and I've updated the sidebar with a bunch of new dates.

This week's top 20 Swedish album chart:

01. The Ark - Prayer for the weekend
02. Sofia Karlsson - Visor från vinden
03. Slagsmålsklubben - Boss for leader
04. Eldkvarn - Svart blogg
05. Jerry Williams - I can jive - Det bästa med Jerry Williams
06. Markoolio - Värsta Plattan
07. Nanne - Jag måste kyssa dig
08. Marie Lindberg - Trying to recall
09. Salem Al Fakir - This is who I am
10. Timbuktu - Oberoendeframkallande
11. Andreas Johnson - The collector
12. Sällskapet - Sällskapet
14. Sophie Zelmani - Memory loves you
15. Svante Thuresson - Svante Thuresson & vänner
16. Mauro Scocco - Ljudet av tiden som går
17. Maia Hirasawa - Though, I'm just me
18. Ingmar Nordströms - Ingmar Nordströms Saxpartyfavoriter
19. Lena Philipsson - Lena 20 år
20. Björn Rosenström - Ett Jubileum som är sådär....10 1/2 år

Two Swedish songs managed to slip into this week's It's A Trap! Last.fm listening group top 10 track chart amongst all the indie favorites:

01. The National – Fake Empire
02. The Arcade Fire – Keep the Car Running
03. Blonde Redhead – 23
04. The Arcade Fire – Black Mirror
05. The Arcade Fire – Ocean of Noise
06. Säkert! – Vi kommer att dö samtidigt
07. Bright Eyes – Four Winds
08. Modest Mouse – Dashboard
09. The Arcade Fire – Intervention
10. Maia Hirasawa – And I found this boy

There's quite a few other Swedes further down the chart too, believe it or not. Do you listen to music on your computer or with an iPod? Join us! Go here to learn more: http://www.last.fm/help/

This week's top 20 Swedish student radio chart:

01. (03) The Shins - Australia
02. (01) Shout Out Louds - Tonight I have to leave
03. (NY) The Jai-Alai Savant - White on white crime
04. (NY) Timbuktu - Lika barna avvika bäst del 2
05. (02) Arctic Monkeys - Brianstorm
06. (05) Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Yankee go home
07. (06) Oi Va Voi - Yuri
08. (NY) Amp Fiddler feat. Corinne Bailey Rae - If I don’t
09. (07) Camille Jones - The Creeps (Fedde Le Grand Remix)
10. (08) Salem al Fakir - This is who I am
11. (04) Maxïmo Park - Our velocity
12. (11) Bonde Do Role - Solta o frango
13. (NY) Jack Peñate - Second, minute or hour
14. (10) Bloc Party - I still remember
15. (NY) Infinite Mass - Sometimes
16. (NY) Moby feat. Mylene Farmer - Slipping Away (Crier La Vie)
17. (14) Lovekevins - Tamagotchi freestyle
18. (20) Yelle - Je Veux Te Voir
19. (15) Manic Street Preachers - Your love alone is not enough
20. (16) CK - En på miljonen

Leaving the chart:
The Moonbabies - War on sound
Fountains of Wayne - Someone to love
Jamie T - Calm down dearest
The Honeydrips - (Lack of) Love will tear us apart
Maia Hirasawa - And I found this boy
The Kooks - Ooh la

This week's top 20 Swedish album chart:

01. Eldkvarn - Svart blogg
02. Markoolio - Värsta Plattan
03. Andreas Johnson - The collector
04. Jerry Williams - I can jive - Det bästa med Jerry Williams
05. Marie Lindberg - Trying to recall
06. Sällskapet - Sällskapet
07. Salem Al Fakir - This is who I am
08. Mauro Scocco - Ljudet av tiden som går
09. Maia Hirasawa - Though, I'm just me
10. Timbuktu - Oberoendeframkallande
11. Ingmar Nordströms - Ingmar Nordströms Saxpartyfavoriter
12. Svante Thuresson - Svante Thuresson & vänner
14. Lars Winnerbäck - Efter nattens bränder - 1996-2006
15. Sophie Zelmani - Memory loves you
16. Sebastian - The vintage virgin
17. Nanne - Jag måste kyssa dig
18. Tomas Andersson Wij - En introduktion till Tomas Andersson Wij
19. The Concretes - Hey trouble
20. Caroline Af Ugglas - Joplin på Svenska

Maia Hirasawa
Though, I'm just me
Razzia Records

And I found this girl. She took the stage alone, armed only with a great big acoustic guitar that seemed to dwarf her tiny frame. Then she opened her mouth and whispered out her first song, and the entire crowd went silent in awe. Her name was Maia Hirasawa, and until then she had been known to most as 'that other girl in Hello Saferide'. No longer. That November night in Glasgow she truly stepped out from the shadows and demanded attention. Hopefully this album will do the same to a much larger audience. Like her live performance, she eases us in slowly, with a breathy ballad that showcases her angelic voice superbly. She doesn't need a backing band or fancy production to massage her music – the girl sighs and boys swoon. It all seems so unbelievably effortless. And simple. Yet listen closely, and you'll hear the same type of smart, snappy lyrics that make her friend Annika Norlin so likeable. There are a lot of love songs on this album, but they're not old and schmaltzy. On the contrary, they're modern and moving, even featuring Myspace in the stellar "Mattis and Maia". Critics are already falling over themselves with praise for feel-good single "And I found this boy", and with good reason. Maia is possibly THE find of the year. Have a listen and you may soon find yourself rushing to join her swelling army of fans.
- Stacey Shackford

This week's top 20 Swedish student radio chart:

01. (02) Shout Out Louds - Tonight I have to leave
02. (01) Arctic Monkeys - Brianstorm
03. (Ny) The Shins - Australia
04. (03) Maxïmo Park - Our velocity
05. (16) Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Yankee go home
06. (04) Oi Va Voi - Yuri
07. (Ny) Camille Jones - The Creeps (Fedde Le Grand Remix)
08. (Ny) Salem al Fakir - This is who I am
09. (09) The Moonbabies - War on sound
10. (07) Bloc Party - I still remember
11. (12) Bonde Do Role - Solta o frango
12. (Ny) Fountains of Wayne - Someone to love
13. (Ny) Jamie T - Calm down dearest
14. (Ny) Lovekevins - Tamagotchi freestyle
15. (Ny) Manic Street Preachers - Your love alone is not enough
16. (Ny) CK - En på miljonen
17. (06) The Honeydrips - (Lack of) Love will tear us apart
18. (14) Maia Hirasawa - And I found this boy
19. (17) The Kooks - Ooh la
20. (20) Yelle - Je Veux Te Voir

Leaving the chart:
Lily Allen - Littlest things
The Pigeon Detectives - Romantic Type
Tingsek - Proud to be part of these days
Familjen - Kom sager dom
Vapnet med Jens Lekman - Håll ihop
The Ripps - Loco
Kings of Leon - On Call
Common & Will.I.Am - A dream

Speaking of Maia Hirasawa, did you notice that her debut album "Though, I'm just me" is April's Record Club selection? Yes indeed! You can still purchase the disc ala carte, but why not spend a dollar more and get a little bit more? Or subscribe for a longer time and make your money go further. Take your time, think it over.

MP3: Lasse Lindh - Varje lite steg

Still in California, stealing wireless Internet from one of my mom's hapless neighbors, so with Passover tonight and all my other family obligations, I'm letting contributor Jason Christie handle today's mp3 post:

Lindh's self ironic biography is as catchy as this song. As bouncy as Maia Hirasawa's "And I found this boy" and all very Swedish, not least for the native lyrics/obligatory piano trumpet moments. The Håkan Hellström method of plagiarism on "Kom igen Lena" might be at work here as there's a huge plagiarism of Tears for Fears' "Everybody wants to rule the world" during the last bridge.
This cut comes from "Ditt hjärta måste gå sönder" (Lindh's sixth album). If you have not heard of him, or his music "Varje lite steg" has been the perfect in road for me and will be this years' perfect music for Easter egg painting/rolling.Lindh plays a double release party at String and Pet Sounds in Stocklholm on April 4. The album is out April 4.

Lasse Lindh - Varje lite steg

Restocks of Britta Persson most excellent "Top quality bones and a little terrorist" just arrived this afternoon: [click here]
Maia Hirasawa's new album "Though, I'm just me" just came in as well and I'll start taking preorders shortly (It comes out next week).

Maia Hirasawa managed to sneak into this week's It's A Trap! Last.fm listening group top 10 track chart amidst all the various international indie flavors-of-the-moment:

01. The Arcade Fire - Keep the Car Running
02. The Arcade Fire - Black Mirror
03. The Arcade Fire - No Cars Go
04. The Arcade Fire - Intervention
05. LCD Soundsystem - Someone Great
06. The Arcade Fire - My Body Is A Cage
07. The Arcade Fire - The Well and the Lighthouse
08. Modest Mouse - Dashboard
09. LCD Soundsystem - Get Innocuous
10. Maia Hirasawa - Gothenburg

Do you listen to music on your computer or with an iPod? Join us and share your tastes! Go here to learn more: http://www.last.fm/help/

This week's Swedish student radio top 20:

01. (01) Arctic Monkeys - Brianstorm
02. (NY) Shout Out Louds - Tonight I have to leave
03. (08) Maxïmo Park - Our velocity
04. (19) The Honeydrips - (Lack of) Love will tear us apart
05. (05) Vapnet med Jens Lekman - Håll ihop
06. (NY) Bloc Party - I still remember
07. (03) Kings of Leon - On call
08. (06) The Moonbabies - War on sound
09. (04) The Kooks - Ooh la
10. (13) Pelle Carlberg - I love you, you imbecile
11. (11) Lily Allen - Littlest things
12. (NY) The Ripps - Loco
13. (02) Asha Ali - Coward heart
14. (NY) Bonde Do Role - Solta o frango
15. (NY) Familjen - Kom sager dom
16. (07) Maia Hirasawa - And I found this boy
17. (NY) Oi Va Voi - Yuri
18. (18) Tingsek - Proud to be part of these days
19. (NY) Common & Will.I.Am - A dream
20. (15) Jamie T - If you got the money

Leaving the chart:
Badly Drawn Boy - A journey from A to B
The Ark - Absolutely no decorum
Korn med Amy Lee - Freak on a leash
The Long Blondes - Giddy Stratospheres
Sahara Hotnights - Cheek to cheek
Tokyo Police Club - Nature of the experiment
Joss Stone - Tell me about it

New Japan tourdates for Hello Saferide and Maia Hirasawa:

04/14 - Village Vanguard Shimokitazawa, Tokyo w/Clay Allison
04/15 - JZ Brat, Tokyo w/Cloudberry Jam, Clay Allison
04/18 - Shinsaibashi Club, Quattro w/Cloudberry Jam, Clay Allison
04/19 - Star Pine's Café, Tokyo