Other notables/honorable mentions:

Cult of Luna - The Beyond & s/t reissue (Earache)
Crushing doom in the vein of Neurosis and Isis, but with a touch of something else that separates them from the rest of the imitators. Hopefully these guys will tour the US because I bet they kill live.

Shout Out Louds - Howl Howl Gaff Gaff (Bud Fox)
Broder Daniel - Cruel Town (Dolores)
These are two of the best Swedish indiepop records this year and I think I actually like the former a bit more than the latter. Broder Daniel has some better songs when taken on their own, but the Shout Out Louds made a better album. I was hoping the latest Bad Cash Quartet would rate too, but it was a huge disappointment.

Zyklon - Aeon (Candlelight)
Ex-Emperor guitarist Samoth proves he can move on and still make quality music. One of the few black-metal releases this year that really caught my interest. Either the scene is stagnant or I've lost interest, not sure.

Motorpsycho & Jaga Jazzist Horns - In the Fishtank (Konkurrent)
It's about time the rest of the world was exposed to these guys. I can do without that one awful funk track, but the rest of this is great stuff. Hopefully the increased international profile of this release will help them get their own music recognized and appreciated.

Randy - Welfare Problems (Burning Heart)
I don't listen to much punk-rock these days, but Randy always delivers. Looking forward to the US tour in February.

The Cardigans - Long Gone Before Daylight (Stockholm Records)
I was really put off by the mellow 70s vibe at first, but once I got over it I found out there were some pretty great songs here. Definitely not what I was expecting, but worth a second glance if you passed it over before.

Ricochets - Ghost of Our Love (White Jazz)
Tiger Lou - Trouble And Desire (Startracks)
Mustasch - Ratsafari (Majesty/Capitol)
Seven Feet Four - Departure/Arrival (Coalition)
Four solid releases from four very different acts. Nothing life changing here, but all still quite good and definitely worth investigating.

Jaga Jazzist - The Stix (Smalltown Supersound)
Supersilent - 6 (Rune Grammofon)
v/a - Money Will Ruin Everything 2xCD + Book (Rune Grammofon)
Norway is really a hotbed for experimental genre-expanding music right now and these three releases are a great place to start. You won't find that elusive "next big thing" here, just music that will make you think. Both Smalltown Supersound and Rune Grammofon are labels to keep an eye on.

Top ten: 2003

The new Shout Out Louds single will be for the song "Please Please Please" and will have a new unique version of "Shut Your Eyes" as the b-side.

Mustasch's recent album "Ratsafari" will be released in Holland on January 12. They will be touring over there in support soon, too.

This week's MTV Up North Nordic video chart:

01. Outlandish - Aicha
02. Lisa Miskovsky - Lady Stardust
03. Mew - 156
04. Lene Marlin - You Weren´t There
05. Broder Daniel - When We Were Winning
06. Beats & Styles - Dynamite
07. Redrama - Hang It Up
08. Lene - It´s Your Duty
09. Kamera - Fragile
10. The Rasmus - In My Life
11. Looptroop - Don´t Hate The Player
12. User - To Feel
13. Whyte Seeds - So Alone
14. Mustasch - Black City
15. Da D.o.n.s - She Don´t Know My Game
16. Paperboys - On The Low
17. Turbonegro - Sell Your Body (To The Night)
18. Bad Cash Quartet - Midnight Prayer
19. Safri Duo - Fallin´ High
20. Span - Papa

Challengers:
01. The Sonnets - Tale Told By The Cynical
02. Bo Kaspers Orkester - Långsamt
03. Nathalie Nordnes - Only Because
04. Equicez - Barnslig
05. Baby Woodrose - Pouring Water

Go to the MTVE.com site to watch and vote for your favorite.

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.

Here's the top 20 Swedish albums of the week, as reported by Aftonbladet:

01. v/a - Lilla Melodifestivalen 2003
02. Bo Kaspers orkester - Vilka tror vi att vi är
03. Per Gessle - Mazarin
04. Lasse Stefanz - Det här är bara början
05. User - User
06. Carola - Guld platina & passion - det bästa
07. Fred Åkerström - Freds bästa
08. Pauline - Candy rain
09. The Cardigans - Long gone before daylight
10. Ainbusk - En samling
11. E.S.T. - Seven days of falling
12. Bad Cash Quartet - Midnight prayer
13. Robyn - Don't stop the music
14. Anna-Lotta Larson - Tidlöst
15. Lisa Nilsson - Samlade sånger 1992-2003
16. Mustasch - Ratsafari
17. Pugh Rogefeldt - Pughs bästa
18. Lars Winnerbäck & Hovet - Söndermarken
19. Jill Johnson - Discography
20. Sten & Stanley - Samlade tv-hits

Darkane has postponed plans to begin recording their next record due to guitarist Klas Ideberg recent surgery for a slipped disc in his back and also because the band wants more time to finish building their own studio. They are still planning on a springtime release through Nuclear Blast.

This week's MTV Up North Nordic video chart:

01. Outlandish - Aicha
02. Lene Marlin - You Weren´t There
03. Mew - 156
04. The Rasmus - In My Life
05. Bad Cash Quartet - Midnight Prayer
06. Broder Daniel - When We Were Winning
07. Beats & Styles - Dynamite
08. Lene - It´s Your Duty
09. Kamera - Fragile
10. Junior Senior - Rythm Bandits
11. Looptroop - Don´t Hate The Player
12. Paperboys - On The Low
13. Mustasch - Black City
14. Killer - Naughty Boy
15. The Raveonettes - That Great Love Sound
16. Safri Duo - Fallin´ High
17. Da D.o.n.s - She Don´t Know My Game
18. Whyte Seeds - So Alone
19. Fattaru - Bättre
20. Span - Papa

Challengers:
01. Lisa Miskovsky - Lady Stardust
02. Redrama - Hang It Up
03. Turbonegro - Sell Your Body (To The Night)
04. Bosson - You Opened My Eyes
05. User - To Feel

Go to the MTVE.com site to watch and vote for your favorite.

Mustasch - "Ratsafari" (Majesty / EMI Music Sweden)
More awesome hard rock from these guys. If you liked the first album, you'll like this one too as it's pretty much just more of the same. I think they use a bit more drop-d Soundgarden style riffage on this one, but they still mix it up with elements of "Kill 'Em All"-era Metallica, Iron Maiden and a dose of Black Sabbath. There's some really great Sabbath-style bridge and solo parts like on the title track that are simply killer. And of course frontman Ralf Gyllenhammar's vocals are what seal the deal. He's got just the right combination of Dio and Bruce Dickenson's operatic flair with a touch of Danzig's bluesyness. Definitely recommended. The Hellacopters should bring these guys on tour to the US.

Here's the details about those dates that Mustasch is doing with Motörhead in Germany:

11/25 - Columbiahalle, Berlin
11/26 - Docks, Hamburg
11/28 - Thüringerhalle, Erfurt
11/29 - Kick, Herford
11/30 - Soundgarden, Dortmund
12/02 - Alter Schlachthof, Dresden
12/03 - Löwensaal, Nürnberg
12/05 - Stadthalle, Magdeburg
12/06 - E-Werk, Köln
12/07 - Messe Congresscentrum B, Stuttgart
12/09 - Stadthalle, Freiburg
12/10 - Zenith, München

Here's the top 20 Swedish albums of the week, as reported by Aftonbladet:

01. Bo Kaspers orkester - Vilka tror vi att vi är
02. Per Gessle - Mazarin
03. Lasse Stefanz - Det här är bara början
04. Carola - Guld platina & passion - det bästa
05. User - User
06. E.S.T. - Seven days of falling
07. Fred Åkerström - Freds bästa
08. Bubbles - Bless
09. Anna-Lotta Larson - Tidlöst
10. Pauline - Candy rain
11. The Cardigans - Long gone before daylight
12. Bad Cash Quartet - Midnight prayer
13. Robyn - Don't stop the music
14. Shout Out Louds - Howl Howl Gaff Gaff
15. Mustasch - Ratsafari
16. Ainbusk - En samling
17. Lisa Nilsson - Samlade sånger 1992-2003
18. Lars Winnerbäck & Hovet - Söndermarken
19. Kent - Vapen & ammunition
20. Eagle-Eye Cherry - Sub rosa

Pitchfork reviews "Everdom" from Anders Ilar: www.pitchforkmedia.com/record-reviews/i/ilar_anders/everdom.shtml

This week's MTV Up North Nordic video chart:

01. Outlandish - Aicha
02. Mew - 156
03. Lene Marlin - You Weren´t There
04. Lene - It´s Your Duty
05. The Rasmus - In My Life
06. Bad Cash Quartet - Midnight Prayer
07. Beats & Styles - Dynamite
08. Carpark North - Transparant And Glasslike
09. Junior Senior - Rythm Bandits
10. Safri Duo - Fallin´ High
11. Killer - Naughty Boy
12. José Gonzalez - Heartbeats
13. Eagle-Eye Cherry - Skull Tattoo
14. Looptroop - Don´t Hate The Player
15. Da D.o.n.s - She Don´t Know My Game
16. The Raveonettes - That Great Love Sound
17. Whyte Seeds - So Alone
18. Paragon - Lev Ditt Liv
19. Da Buzz - Tonight (Is The Night)
20. Fattaru - Bättre

Challengers:
01. Mustasch - Black City
02. Broder Daniel - When We Were Winning
03. Paperboys - On The Low
04. AYA - Other Side
05. Kamera - Fragile

Go to the MTVE.com site to watch and vote for your favorite.

Mustasch will supporting the legendary Motörhead on tour in Germany. I don't have the full schedule, but it kicks off with a show at Columbiahalle in Berlin on November 25.

Go here for a streaming preview of the new Mustasch album "Ratsafari".

Here's the top 20 Swedish albums of the week, as reported by Aftonbladet:

01. Bo Kaspers orkester - Vilka tror vi att vi är
02. Per Gessle - Mazarin
03. Lasse Stefanz - Det här är bara början
04. Carola - Guld platina & passion - det bästa
05. User - User
06. Pauline - Candy rain
07. Fred Åkerström - Freds bästa
08. E.S.T. - Seven days of falling
09. Mustasch - Ratsafari
10. Bad Cash Quartet - Midnight prayer
11. Anna-Lotta Larson - Tidlöst
12. Lars Winnerbäck & Hovet - Söndermarken
13. The Cardigans - Long gone before daylight
14. Bubbles - Bless
15. ABBA - ABBA Gold - greatest hits
16. Robyn - Don't stop the music
17. Pugh Rogefeldt - Pughs bästa
18. Eagle-Eye Cherry - Sub rosa
19. Lisa Nilsson - Samlade sånger 1992-2003
20. Kent - Vapen & ammunition

Parasol is now the official US outpost for all things Startracks. That means Tiger Lou (US tour in November/December), Kristofer Åström, Christian Kjellvander, Starmarket, Moneybrother, The Lost Patrol, Fireside and more we be readily available for purchasing domestically come mid-October. Jim, why don't you tell me these things before posting about them on the Parasol blog?

Hardrockers Mustasch are touring Sweden in support of their new album "Ratsafari". Dates:

10/15 - KB, Malmö
10/17 - Sticky Fingers, Göteborg
10/18 - Nalen, Stockholm
10/22 - Tavastiaa, Helsingfors
11/01 - Rookie, Hultsfred
11/05 - Arenan, Karlstad
11/07 - Nivå/Monster, Gävle
11/08 - Pipeline, Sundsvall
11/21 - Kulturhuset, Jönköping
11/22 - Björnes / Klubb Kaliber, Mariestad
12/13 - Hjo Park, Hjo
12/17 - Downtown, Örebro
12/18 - Decibel, Västerås
12/19 - Magasin 15, Trollhättan
12/20 - MF Adrian, Uddevalla