Swedish classic rockers Mainliners have been picked up by upstart label (yes, related to the boardgame) and will be releasing their new album "Our sacred syndicate" later this month. Check the video for the tune "Greetings to whatever" at YouTube: http://youtu.be/QVBlVwS5nFM
Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU:
01. TALK 1
02. Elias and the Wizzkids - Mr. Right Guy
03. Marit Bergman - Thoughts grow darker in the night
04. Jomi Massage - I see those who died
05. The End Will Be Kicks - Luleå Los Angeles La Paz
06. TALK 1
07. Viola - Shimmery summary (sha-la-la-love)
08. The Bear Quartet - Sailors
09. [ingenting] - Halleluja!
10. TALK 2
11. Erik de Vahl - Got it all
12. The Scrags - Twist at the graveyard
13. Trapdoor Fucking Exit - DOA
14. Iisole - The words
15. TALK 4
16. Death By Kite - Scared of heights
17. Sonic Ritual - Take the edge off
18. Mainliners - Olivia
19. Ted Gärdestad - Räcker jag till
20. TALK 5
21. Darkthrone - Hiking metal punks
Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.
Crusher Records (Mainliners) will be releasing the new album "Två sidor av Horisonten" from Swedish 70s-style hard-rockers Horisont on September 25 on both vinyl and CD (and digital, 'natch). Hear a preview cut at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/crusherrecords
The playlist for my radio show this week featured all of my favorite songs from 2007:
01. Susanne Sundfør - I resign
02. TALK 1
03. Familjen - Det snurrar i min skalle
04. The Skull Defekts - The secret
05. Ted Gärdestad - Räcker jag till
06. TALK 2
07. CS Nielsen - Black spots
08. Kornstad - Turkey, Texas
09. Moonbabies - Take me to the ballroom
10. The Bombettes - I wanna
11. TALK 3
12. Promise and the Monster - Sheets
13. Repoman - Chemically obsessed
14. The Bell - I am history
15. Säkert! - Allt som är ditt
16. TALK 4
17. Mainliners - Olivia
18. Superfamily - The radio has expressed concerns about what you did last night
19. Karin Ström - Ordlös
20. TALK 5
21. Fun - I've got a truck
22. Tobias Hellkvist - Moment at ven
23. Juvelen - Hanna
24. TALK 6
25. Laakso - Worst case scenario
26. Closer - Sensing the wake
27. Asha Ali - A promise broken
28. TALK 7
29. Paper - My life is going under
30. Boeoes Kaelstigen - Flir
31. Lukestar - White shade
32. TALK 8
33. Maia Hirasawa - Gothenburg
34. Aerial - You will all die, all things will
35. Sambassadeur - Subtle changes
36. TALK 9
Next week (12/29) I'm doing another special theme show on Swedish postpunk.
01. Timo Räisänen - My valentine 02. TALK 1 03. Torpedo - From Russia with love 04. Desert Planet - Breakout button 05. Ebba Grön - Mamma pappa barn 06. TALK 2 07. The End Will Be Kicks - Don Johnson 08. Skywriter - Where both worlds never meet 09. Skull Defekts - The secret 10. TALK 3 11. Tsukimono - Tokyo OEast 12. Kristin Asbjørnsen - Trying to get home 13. Enemy Alliance - Government subsidized ghetto 14. TALK 4 15. The Indecision Alarm - Where every fucking dream is killed 16. Dismember - Soon to be dead 17. Mixtapes & Cellmates - Moments 18. TALK 5 19. Kristofer Åström - All in 20. Pan Sonic - Virta 1 21. Ulver - Of wolf and fear 22. TALK 6 23. Mainliners - Olivia 24. 120 Days - Let me come down 25. Universal Poplab - 60 is the new 40 26. TALK 7 27. Dag Vag - Popitop 28. The Bombettes - Lust is the new black 29. Breach - Big strong boss 30. TALK 8 31. CS Nielsen - Black spots 32. Tape - Sand dunes 33. The Psyke Project - For us to see for us to help 34. TALK 9 35. Cortex - Shark boys die hard 36. Viola - I don't know how to party 37. Don't Be A Stranger - Lonely together 38. TALK 10 39. Broder Daniel - What clowns are we
Mainliners have received a lot of buzz recently for their r&b/mod/garage sound. However, it's worth noting how much more is inside this latest self-titled release by the Swedish five-piece. It's easy to peg an artist into that bracket, it's common to see those influences used to the fullest, and executed perfectly, a style that I admit to being a disturbingly obsessive fan of. On this record, I'm drawn into something much more original. All the right elements are there for a 60's pop record, but the songs are perfectly suited for a spot on today's shelves. "Northen soul", this writer's personal favorite, is an exhibit of solid songwriting; fast, catchy, and full of energy. This is not a collection to be passed up. - Paul Bredenberg
The playlist for this week's radio show on Sirius:
01. TALK 1 02. Fattaru - Stila upp din skit 03. Samuraj Cities - Thxa1000000 04. The Fine Arts Showcase - I don't worry 05. TALK 2 06. Imagine I Had Hands - Captive 07. Scraps of Tape - Pickpockets vow 08. FAP - Jag drar till sjöss en sväng jag 09. TALK 3 10. Hello Saferide - I was definitely made for these times 11. Mainliners - Good storm 12. Breach - Gheeá 13. TALK 4 14. Him Kerosene - Neutrino 15. Familjen - Nu händer det igen 16. Sista Sekunden - D.I.We 17. Nine - Time has come 18. TALK 5 19. Emperor - Towards the pantheon 20. September - Can't get over (Long disco mix) 21. Kornstad - Turkey, Texas 22. TALK 6 23. Camouflage - Syster sol 24. Lolita Pop - Salta diamanter 25. Leather Nun - Gimme gimme gimme 26. TALK 7 27. Superfamily - I could be a real winner 28. Juvelen - Hanna 29. The Book of Daniel - Death caps and moonshine 30. Monkeystrikes - Serial faller in lover 31. TALK 8 32. Torpedo - Hang me high 33. Erik Enocksson - The lingering procession 34. Hederos & Hellberg - No fun 35. TALK 9 36. Death By Kite - Himmelfahrtskommando 37. The Tough Alliance - Something special 38. Seance - Controlled bleeding 39. TALK 10 40. Shout Out Louds - Hard rain
The playlist for my radio show on Sirius this week:
01. Beyond Dawn - Far from showbiz 02. TALK 1 03. Superfamily - The radio has expressed concerns about what you did last night 04. The Fine Arts Showcase - Dance with your shadow 05. Pan Sonic - Hinaaja / Tugboat 06. TALK 2 07. Mixtapes & Cellmates - Hold 08. The Bear Quartet - I don't wanna 09. Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words - When she's GONE 10. TALK 3 11. Laakso - High drama 12. Park Hotell - The guest who stayed forever 13. Fun - Hold it close 14. TALK 4 15. The Book of Daniel - Rabbit boy 16. Watain - Storm of the Antichrist 17. Viktor Sjöberg - w/Nothing 18. Kristofer Åström - Fallen 19. TALK 5 20. Mainliners - Olivia 21. Oddjob - Kings are walking out 22. Lemonator - Heart burns 23. TALK 6 24. Tobias Hellkvist - Slowly but surely 25. Attrap - Just a word away 26. Sahara Hotnights - Visit to Vienna 27. TALK 7 28. The Leather Nun - No rule 29. Alog - Son of king 30. Thunder Express - Vegas 31. TALK 8 32. Closer - Sensing the wake
Mainliners are not a new band, but their new self-titled album is the first I've ever heard of them. They're one of those rare bands who I immediately liked from just hearing a few seconds of a track on myspace. Thankfully, the rest of the record doesn't disappoint either - this is easily some of the best Swedish rock'n'roll I've heard in ages. There's a touch of 80s LA hair-metal (think Faster Pussycat), but it's tempered with a rougher, more bluesy vibe. Think more along the lines of early Aerosmith. This particular track I've posted is one of the slower numbers. I guess you could call it a power-ballad. It certainly does have a powerful chorus, as do most of the band's songs. It's nice to hear a band with an organ player who knows how to stick to the background, too. He plays a more prominent role on other tracks, but it's not needed here, so he lays back. That's class. Excuse the hyperbole, but I won't be surprised if this ends up being one of my favorite records this year. It's not groundbreaking, but it sure sounds fresh to these tired ears.
Swedish pop/rock act Mainliners will release their new self-titled album on April 25 via Crusher Records. Listen to samples: http://www.myspace.com/mainlinerssweden Recommended! I've never heard these guys until today, but the tracks they have up sound great.