Festival report: Roskilde

Festival report: Hultsfred 2007 - The year it all broke down (almost)

Pitchfork reviews the US release of Mando Diao's "Ode to ochrasy": http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/43107-ode-to-ochrasy
The band performs on Conan O'Brien tonight as well.

Also at PopMatters, a review of Mando Diao's latest: http://www.popmatters.com/pm/music/reviews/11003/mando-diao-ode-to-ochrasy/

Mando Diao reports on their SXSW experience: http://www.mando-diao.com/en/main.php?sida=artikel&id=267

Mando Diao has confirmed their upcoming US tourdates: http://mando-diao.com/
I'd copy & paste for you, but their piece-of-shit all-Flash website makes it impossible.

Aftonbladet is reporting that Mando Diao will be embarking on a US tour in the near future: http://www.aftonbladet.se/vss/noje/story/0,2789,1007660,00.html

MP3: Depressive Art - How to breathe

Depressive Art is a misleading band name. A few of the songs are imbued with your standard lovelorn melancholy, but depressive art? C'mon now - get a grip! This is rock'n'roll, not mopey goths dressed in black. The crooning vocals and abundance of organ immediately bring to mind The Doors (as do songtitles such as "Psychedelic ghostride"), but it's not all a flashback trip. In a lot of ways, Depressive Art remind me a lot of what I like about Mando Diao. They've got the same retro/garage vibe, but lack the squeaky vocals and overbearing attitude. "How to breathe", the song I've posted today, is by far the hottest track on the album "Bye bye dear everything". I love those silly falsetto backing vocals and the pounding beat. The extended pickslide into the chorus is pretty great too. Definitely not what you'd expect from a band with this name.

Depressive Art - How to breathe

The Knife have swept the Swedish Grammis, taking home six prizes! Here's the winners in all of the major categories:

Best artist: The Knife
Best song: Martin Stenmarck - "7milakliv" (Universal)
Best album: The Knife - "Silent shout" (Rabid)
Best pop group: The Knife - "Silent shout" (Rabid)
Best production: Karin Drejer Andersson/Olof Drejer - "Silent shout" (Rabid)
Best composition: Karin Drejer Andersson/Olof Drejer - "Silent shout" (Rabid)
Best music DVD: The Knife- "Silent shout - an audio visual experience" (Rabid)
Best rock group: Mando Diao - "Ode to ochrasy" (Majesty)
Best jazz: Esbjörn Svensson Trio - "Tuesday Wonderland" (ACT)
Best club/dance: Christian Falk - "People say" (Bonnier)
Best hard-rock/metal: In Flames - "Come clarity" (Nuclear Blast)
Best pop/rock female: Anna Ternheim - "Separation road" (Universal)
Best hip-hop/soul: Snook - "Är" (P.O.P.E)
Best newcomer: Veronica Maggio - "Vatten och bröd" (Stockholm Records)
Best pop/rock male: Håkan Hellström - "Nåt gammalt, nåt nytt, nåt lånat, nåt blått" (Dolores)
Export prize: José González
Best lyrics: Anna Ternheim - "Separation road" (Universal)
Open category: Evert Taube - "Samtliga grammofoninspelningar 1921-1970" (HMV)
Hederspris: Peps Persson
Telia's prize for the best ringtone: Basshunter - "Boten Anna"

Read more: http://www.grammis.se/

There's so many ways I could potentially make a joke at Mando Diao's expense with regards to the accident that happened in Umeå over the weekend, but I know it's in bad taste, so I'm biting my tongue. Read more: http://www.thelocal.se/6225/20070128/

The winners of this year's Swedish Radio P3 Gold Awards:

Best group: The Knife - "Silent Shout"
Best female artist: Anna Ternheim - "Separation Road"
Best male artist: Timo Räisänen - "I'm Indian"
Best newcomer: I'm From Barcelona
Best song: Mando Diao - "Long Before Rock'n'Roll"
Guldmicken (Best live act): Mando Diao
Best pop:: Studio - "West Coast"
Best hip-hop/soul: Max Peezay - "Discokommittén"
Best rock/metal: Cult of Luna - "Somewhere Along The Highway"
Best dance: The Knife - "Silent Shout"

New UK tourdates for Mando Diao:

03/05 - Audia, Brighton
03/06 - Kings College, London
03/07 - Zodiac, Oxford
03/08 - Cockpit, Leeds
03/09 - Cathouse, Glasgow
03/10 - Academy, Manchester
03/11 - Academy, Birmingham

Mute will be bringing over yet another Swedish act to US shores, this time it's Mando Diao. The band's latest, somewhat-mediocre-but-better-than-I-expected album "Ode to ochrasy" will be released in this part of the world on April 24. Look for a batch of US dates around SXSW to be confirmed shortly.

Swedish student radio's top 20 for the 2006 fall semester:

01. The Knife - Like a pen
02. David & The Citizens - A heart and a hand and the love for the band
03. Mando Diao - Tv & me
04. Deportees - Missing you, missing me
05. The Streets - Prangin' out
06. The Pipettes - Pull shapes
07. Johnossi - Glory days to come
08. The Magic Numbers - Take a chance
09. Melody Club - Destiny calling
10. Jet - Put your money where your mouth is
11. Peter Bjorn and John - Let's call it off
12. Gnarls Barkley - Smiley faces
13. Regina Spektor - Better
14. Salem Al Fakir - Good song
15. Timo Räisänen - Let's kill ourselves a son
16. The Roots - Don´t feel right
17. Marit Bergman - No party
18. Tingsek - World of it's own
19. The Lost Patrol Band - Automatic kids
20. Koop - Come to me

This week's top 20 Swedish student radio chart:

01. (02) Ison & Fille - Hela dan varje dag
02. (NY) Bloc Party - The prayer
03. (04) Laleh - November
04. (03) Albert Hammond Jr - 101
05. (05) Johnossi - Glory days to come
06. (08) Muse - Knights of Cydonia
07. (07) Babyshambles - The blinding
08. (11) Red Hot Chili Peppers - Snow (hey oh)
09. (NY) The Sounds - Painted by numbers
10. (01) Mando Diao - TV & me
11. (06) Regina Spektor - Better
12. (NY) John Legend - Heaven
13. (10) M Ward - Chinese translation
14. (13) 1990's - You're supposed to be my boyfriend
15. (14) Bodyrox med Luciana - Yeah yeah
16. (20) Emmon - Wake up time
17. (17) Herman Düne - I wish that I could see you soon
18. (15) Koop - Come to me
19. (18) Marit Bergman - Eyes were blue
20. (19) The Streets - Prangin' out

Leaving the chart:
Salem Al Fakir - Good song
Panic! At The Disco - But it's better if you do
Gnarls Barkley - Who cares?