New Mokira coming via Kontra-Musik

Mokira, one of Swedish electronic artist Andreas Tilliander's many aliases, will be releasing the new album "Time axis manipulation" on May 12 via Kontra-Musik.

MP3: Mokira - Lord, am I going down?

Mokira is one of Andreas Tilliander's many aliases and "Persona" is his most recent release as such, his second for the label Type. Billed as an exercise in pure analog electronics, I expected to be greeted by various pleasant bleeps and bloops, but what I got instead was dull as doornails minimalist ambiance. Drone doesn't have to be dull, nor should it be, yet this record goes nowhere. It's odd too because it's generally pleasant to listen to, just entirely non-compelling. Witness "Lord, am I going down?", one of the album's slightly more dramatic tracks. The listener is treated to gentle waves of sound, deep, chiming echoes and subtle textural shifts, but it eventually just collapses into an extended wash. There's hardly any negative space and the total dynamics are near-nil. At the end it simply drifts effortlessly into the next cut. My emotional resonance is zero. After many repeated listens, I can only say: I don't care.

Mokira - Lord, am I going down?

Dusted reviews 'Persona'

Dusted reviews the new Mokira record "Persona": http://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/4977

PopMatters reviews Mokira

PopMatters reviews Andreas Tilliander's new album "Persona", released under his ambient moniker Mokira: http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/72038-mokirapersona

Cokemachineglow reviews Mokira

Cokemachineglow reviews the new Andreas Tilliander ambient album "Persona" released under his Mokira moniker: http://www.cokemachineglow.com/record_review/4429/mokira-persona-2009

TSB reviews Mokira

The Silent Ballet reviews Andreas Tilliander's analog alias Mokira and his new record "Persona": http://thesilentballet.com/dnn/Home/tabid/36/ctl/Details/mid/384/ItemID/2236/Default.aspx

In case you were wondering, here's the tracklist for that free comp of Swedish music "Whispers from the forests, screams from the mountains" that comes with the latest issue of UK mag The Wire:

01. Hans Appelqvist - Jag en gök (Häpna, from the album "Sifantin och mörkret")
02. Eric Malmberg - Milda döden hämtar oss alla till slut (Häpna, from the album "Verklighet & beat")
03. Anders Dahl - Hundloka - percussion, guitar, bouzouki (excerpt) (Häpna, from the album "Milieu")
04. Tape - Augustan chateau (Häpna, from the album "Sifantin och mörkret")
05. Anna Järvinen - Helsinki (Häpna, from the album "Jag fick feeling")
06. A Taste Of Ra - Morning of my life (excerpt) (Häpna, from the album "Morning of my life")
07. Christine Ödlund - Lightning & voices (Ideal, from the upcoming album "Phenomena")
08. Nash Kontroll - All muzzles look the same (Ideal, from the "Must be destroyed" 7")
09. Mokira - Skaka hund skaka (Ideal, previously unreleased)
10. Sewer Election - White Golgotha (Ideal, previously unreleased)
11. Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words - Heaven is the notion that all this will end (Ideal, previously unreleased)
12. Skull Defekts, The - Finding your way through the forest by settng it on fire (Ideal, previously unreleased)
13. Erik Enocksson - The state the sea left me in (Kning Disk, from the album "Farväl Falkenberg")
14. Dan Fröberg - We'll never be the same again (song) (Kning Disk, previously unreleased)
15. Jerry Johansson - Next door conversation part II (excerpt) (Kning Disk, from the album "Next door conversation")
16. Folke Rabe - Swinee river (Kning Disk, previously unreleased)
17. Library Tapes - Fragment VIII (Kning Disk, from the "Fragment" EP)
18. Balroynigress - Shampo and champagne (Kning Disk, from the album "Shampo and champagne")

Ideal Recordings, Häpna and Kning Disk, three of the best current Swedish labels for exciting new music, are teaming up with UK mag The Wire for a special sampler entitled "Whispers from the forests, screams from the mountains" featuring 77 minutes of what they do best. I don't know the full tracklist, but Ideal reports that they are contributing exclusive works from Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words, Sewer Election, Christine Ödlund and Mokira plus a track from Nash Kontroll off their upcoming 7". In conjunction with said comp's release, the three labels will again team up for a live show at Konsthallen in Göteborg on December 8 featuring Balroynigress (Kning Disk), Hans Appelqvist (Häpna), DLSODW (Ideal) and a special performance by the ensemble of Jean-Louis Huhta (The Skull Defekts), Anders Dahl and Johan Berthling (Häpna/Tape).

Ideal Recordings presents "Hateless", the new album from Mokira aka acclaimed Swedish electronic artist Andreas Tilliander: http://www.idealrecordings.com/sound_038.php

Top 10s for 2006: David Åhlén (Father of Levi, Thehourislate)

Musique Machine reviews "FFT POP" from Swedish electronic artist Mokira aka Andreas Tilliander: http://www.musiquemachine.com/reviews/reviews_template.php?id=560

Read my reviews of the new albums from Ulver and Björn Olsson over at indieworkshop.com. Look for the links on the right, under 'Featured Reviews'.

TV4 Gothenburg has put up an acoustic set from The Soundtrack of Our Lives back on their website. Check it. (thanks to tsool.tk)

The movie Jungle Book 2 comes out in February featuring a track called "Jag vill va som du" from Dungen. A double A-side single with that song plus "Har du vart i Stockholm" comes out February 10.

Energy Rekords has signed EBM/Electro act 8kHz Mono. You can sample them on the "Virtual Energy vol.4" comp.

Even more award nominees! This time, the Manifest awards, Sweden's alternative to the (Swedish) Grammy:

Pop/Rock
The Bear Quartet - Ny våg (A West Side Fabrication/MNW)
David & The Citizens - For All Happy Endings (Adrian Recordings/Border)
Doktor Kosmos - Reportage! (NONS/MNW)
Marit Bergman - 3.00 A.M. Serenades (Sugartoy/Border)
Embassy - Futile Crimes (Service/Border)

Hardcore/Punk
In Flames - Reroute to remain (Nuclear Blast/MNW)
Thåström - Mannen som blev en gris (Mistlur/MNW)
Spiritual Beggars - On fire (Music For Nations/Zomba)
Totalt Jävla Mörker - Det ofrivilliga lidandets maskineri (Distortion/Border)
Vomitory - Blood rapture (Metal Blade/Border)

Hip Hop/R&B/Soul
Loop Troop - The Struggle Continues (David Vs Goliath/Burning Heart)
Timbuktu - Wåtts Dö Madderfakking Diil? (Juju/Playground)
Heli - Öronknark (Streetzone/Border)
Masayah - Masayah (Swing-A-Ling/MNW)
Ison & Fille - Vår sida av stan (Hemmalaget/V2)

Postrock/Electronica
Hans Appelqvist - Tonefilm (Komplott)
Mokira - Plee (Mille Plateaux/Border)
Nova Express - One (Rocket Number Nine)
Pallin - Far From Yokohama (URU)
Testbild! - The Double Life Of Testbild! (Radio Khartoum)

Dance
Adam Beyer - Ignition Key (Truesoul)
The Mighty Quark - Silverdale (Play)
Eerik & Arvid - Shimmer (Raw Fusion)
Koop - Waltz for Koop (Superstudio/Diesel/Sony)
Sunday Brunch - No resistance (SVEK/Goldhead/Next Stop)

Folk/Worldmusic
Ellika Frisell & Solo Cissokho - Tretakt Takissaba (Xource/MNW)
Golbang - Saali nó (Stran)
Harv - Töst (Drone/CDA)
Olle Lindvall (Drone/CDA)
Sumer - Iraq (Sw/Eden/Border)

Lyrics
Mattias Alkberg (Bear Quartet)
Timbuktu
Uje Brandelius (Doktor Kosmos)
Ison & Fille
Petter Herbertsson (Testbild!)

Live Artist
Doktor Kosmos
Jmyhaze Beatbox
Spotrunnaz
In Flames
Ellika Frisell and Solo Cissokho

Best Newcomer
Totalt Jävla Mörker
Hans Appelqvist
Marit Bergman
Sunday Brunch
Embassy

Winners will be announced at the ceremony on January 31 at the Kulturhuset in Stockholm. The Teenage Idols, Ison & Fille, Totalt Jävla Mörker, and Jmy Haze Beatbox will perform.

The good people over at Chalksounds have finally gotten their online store up and running. The featured album for sale is "On Planted Streets" from KVLR, one of my faves. Highly recommended. Besides their own label's goodies, you can also order records from bands such as Fireside and Isolation Years. Again, both highly recommended.

Grave will be playing this year's coming March Metal Meltdown V to take place in Irvington, New Jersey on March 7-8. The new album "Back From The Grave" comes out January 28th on Century Media.

Due to increased bandwidth concerns, I may have to limit the number of mp3 downloads on this site in the future. I'd rather not, but bandwidth is expensive and it's not as if I'm making any money here. Anyhow, I don't plan on taking them away completely so don't worry about that. If anyone is willing to remotely host files or has any other ideas, please let me know.

Nojesguiden has published their top 20 Swedish albums for 2002. The list:

1. Christian Kjellvander - Songs from a Two-Room Chapel
2. Håkan Hellström - Det är så jag säger det
3. Nicolai Dunger - Sweat Her Kiss
4. The Perishers - From Nothing to One
5. Koop - Waltz for Koop
6. Andreas Tilliander - Elit
7. Ison & Fille - Vår sida av stan
8. Mando Diao - Bring 'Em In
9. Sagor & Swing - Melodier och fåglar
10. Timbuktu - Watt¹s dö madderfakking dill?
11. Looptroop - The Struggle Continues
12. Stephen Simmonds - For Father
13. Masayah - s/t
14. Puss - We Are Puss
15. Johan Skugge - Objects and Buildings
16. The Embassy - Futile Crimes
17. Smyglyssna - We Can Fix It
18. Edson - Edson for Strength
19. Hans Appelqvist - Tonefilm
20. Mokira - Plee

Read more here at the bottom of the page. (In Swedish)

Remember those five songs Kristofer Åström recorded about a week ago? Well they are all gonna end up on that upcoming MCD after all. It's gonna be called "Dead End" and will be released in February (on Startracks, I assume). Here's what Kristofer had to say about it:

Personally, I think it's the best recording we've done so far. We recorded it live in studio and did some overdubs on a couple of songs. It's got an energy to it that I miss in the previous albums.

Hardcore Superstar is about to go back into the studio with producer Roberto Laghi to record the follow-up to "Thank You (For Letting Us Be Ourselves)". The planned release date is April 28.