Look for Samuraj Cities to tour Germany in late January. Dates soon.

Absolut Noise has a new Samuraj Cities remix of the track "Thxa1000000": http://absolutnoise.blogspot.com/2007/11/merci-alain-delon.html

Profile: IKONS

Live report: Samuraj Cities + Club 8 @ IAT! Clubnight #2, Debaser, Malmö 10/13/07

MP3: Club 8 - Leave the north

It's Club 8 day here at IAT and not only do we have a review of their fantastic new album, we've also got an mp3 post for you. As with said review, I'll step aside and let contributor Nancy Baym tell you all about it:

This piano and violin based song from Club 8's new record "The boy who couldn't stop dreaming" (Labrador) epitomizes all that is best about them. The lyrics confront the emptiness of Northern Sweden ("we keep our eyes on the distance/cuz desolation greets us wherever we go") and the interpersonal distances that result ("we see trees/but never anyone who talks"). Yet, even as Karolina Komstedt is singing about cold isolation forcing her to leave home forever while the violins swell ominously, it sounds so warm and welcoming one wants to curl up in the song and stay forever. It's a perfect juxtaposition that makes for a perfect song.

For those of you in or around Malmö, don't forget that Club 8 is playing the It's a Trap! Clubnight this Saturday October 13 along with fellow IAT-faves Samuraj Cities. I'm sure it's gonna be an amazing show, the only pity is that I can't be there myself.

Club 8 - Leave the north

TOMORROW! If you happen to find yourself in or around Malmö, be sure to head down to Debaser to check out the very first It's a Trap! Clubnight featuring The End Will Be Kicks and AHRM! It's gonna be a killer, so don't miss out! Other shows booked this fall:

10/13 - Samuraj Cities and Club 8
11/15 - Death By Kite and Housewife Lovers
12/14 - Randy and Johndoe

How awesome is that? I may just have to fly out for December, if I can afford it.

The playlist for this week's all-GBG radio show:

01. Maia Hirasawa - Gothenburg
02. TALK 1
03. Hemstad - Sommar i Göteborg
04. Division of Laura Lee - We are numbers
05. Håkan Hellström - Kom igen Lena!
06. TALK 2
07. In Flames - Everything counts
08. Pistol Disco - Walking with Jesus
09. Viktor Sjöberg - W/nothing
10. TALK 3
11. Kristofer Åström - Just a little insane
12. The Knife - Listen now
13. Broder Daniel - Dark heart
14. TALK 4
15. Samuraj Cities - All along the shoreline
16. MPTP - Jim Morrison
17. At the Gates - Cold
18. TALK 5
19. The Book of Daniel - The camels parade
20. Silverbullit - Magnetic city
21. The Soundtrack of Our Lives - Nevermore
22. TALK 6
23. Nicolai Dunger - What tomorrow
24. The Kid - Portion control (Fatsuit haze/Zlatan wins the World Cup remix)
25. The Idealist - The knives are my eyes
26. C.Aarmé - Visions
27. TALK 7
28. Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words - I could have sworn I heard them SING
29. Junip - Official
30. Diabolique - Catholic
31. TALK 8
32. Convoj - My timekeeping heart
33. Tsukimono - Dear sister
34. Eric Beyond - Step off
35. TALK 9
36. Björn Kleinhenz - Out of style
37. Detektivbyrån - E18
38. TALK 10
39. Bad Cash Quartet - Too bored to die

We Are Soldiers We Have Guns will record their new full-length album at Studio Folkhemmet with Uffe from Samuraj Cities manning the board.

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

Check out the Pistol Disco remix of "Guns" by Swedish dark rock act Ikons: http://www.myspace.com/1kon5
Ikons features members from Samuraj Cities and Boat Club and, like all Pistol Disco-related sounds, this track is a total face-melter.

Samuraj Cities have posted a live version of the song "My modest ones" over at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/samurajcities

My special guest on my radio show this week was Ola Frick of the Moonbabies. Here's what we played:

01. Johndoe - Kjøtere
02. TALK 1
03. Mixtapes & Cellmates - The better half of cynical boys
04. The End Will Be Kicks - Ass of a friend
05. Breach - Lost crew
06. TALK 2
07. Silverbullit - Only gold
08. Lack - Primo Levi
09. Samuraj Cities - All along the shoreline
10. Rockettothesky - Barrie for Billy MacKenzie
11. TALK 3
12. Fireside - Let Rasputin do it
13. Heroes & Zeros - Into the light
14. Moonbabies - War on sound
15. TALK 4
16. Moonbabies - Cocobelle
17. TALK 5
18. Moonbabies - Take me to the ballroom (comp version)
19. Björn Kleinhenz - Pocket of gold
20. TALK 6
21. Loney, Dear - Saturday waits
22. Revolvo - Marmelade
23. TALK 7
24. Emerald Park - Open up
25. KVLR - Capitol city child
26. TALK 8
27. David & the Citizens - Are you in my blood?
28. TALK 9
29. David Åhlén - Wasted breaths
30. Maia Hirasawa - Still June
31. TALK 10
32. Moonbabies - Sun A.M. (outtake version)
33. TALK 11
34. Moonbabies - Don't ya know?

Not only did Ola reveal that he used to be a member of the Mercyful Fate fanclub, but it also looks like he'll be recording the next David & the Citizens record. Excellent!

Absolut Noise talks to Swedish goth/post-punk act Ikons, a band that features one of the guys from Samuraj Cities: http://absolutnoise.blogspot.com/2007/05/cracking-up.html

"Reader's companion" alumni MPTP will release their debut 7" on May 3 via the new label Spegel. The a-side is "Jim Morrison" and the b-side will include remixes by two excellent Swedish acts, Zeigeist and Samuraj Cities. Samples and more info: http://www.myspace.com/spegelspegel
Look for Zeigeist's debut 7" on the label as well.

Samuraj Cities
Live @ Inkonst, Malmö, 04/05/07

Samurai Cities delivers. And with a bang I might add. Uncompromising as a supporting act for indie-darlings Ladytron, these guys never made an effort to reach out and play the easy cards. It's dark, gloomy and right up my alley. The crowd however, consisting exclusively of Ladytron-fans waiting for the headliner to get up on stage, didn't really seem to appreciate these Göteborg-lads. But only for that reason, I assume. Nevertheless, with one record released, the band has already great qualities live and the danceable, electronic indierock that is "Cheap deluxe" is well adjusted onto the stage. Being more of a rawkdude I like the more distorted tunes where it sometimes sounds a bit like Dinosaur Jr. but hey, no one can really resist "My modest ones" with its similarities to The Knife and Bright Eyes (aiming at the "Digital ash in a digital urn"-record). Along with Mixtapes & Cellmates, this is by far one of the most interesting electronic acts Sweden has to offer at the moment.
- Jonas Appelqvist