Top 10s for 2004: Seven Feet Four

Top 10s for 2004: Markus Persson (Monstera)

Not just one, but two new top 10 lists today! As always, be sure to check them out and keep on coming back for new ones.

New mp3 today from Brick, a band I really know nothing about except that they are awesome. This track comes from the band's 1996 debut album "Suomi" on Dolores Recordings and the sound is a perfect mix of huge discordant riffs and pounding rhythms. It captures everything I love about the mid-to-late 90s Swedish pop/hardcore crossover scene, epitomized by bands such as Him Kerosene, Starmarket and KVLR and carried on by more recent acts such as The End Will Be Kicks and Seven Feet Four. The melodies are strong, but there's still enough dissonance and heaviness to make it interesting. Who knows what these dudes are up to now? The world needs more bands like this.

And the Sound webzine interviews the excellent Swedish post-punk group Seven Feet Four: http://www.twee.nu/andthesound/intervjuer.php?id=66 (in Swedish)

Bands booked so far for the Volym 2004 Festival in Gotland, Sweden on July 24: José Gonzaléz, Granada, Svenska Akademien, The Tiny, Seven feet four, Satirnine and The Sound o e. More info: http://rockforvaltningen.com/volym2004/

New bands added to the Augustibuller lineup: the newly returned Satanic Surfers, Deportees, Skitsystem, Praetorian Platoon, Niccokick, The Change and Seven Feet Four.

Updated European tourdates for Seven Feet Four:

03/20 - Eldorado @ Alcazar, Stockholm (SWE) w/C.Aarmé
04/02 - Muddy Waters, Oslo (NOR) w/Captain Murphy
04/03 - Kafé Hvitfelt, Uddevalla (SWE)
04/04 - Astra Stube, Hamburg (GER)
04/05 - Blue Shell, Köln (GER)
04/06 - Clubkeller, Frankfurt (GER)
04/07 - Butterclub, Berlin (GER)
04/08 - Zentrum Altenberg, Oberhausen (GER)
04/09 - TBA, Kassel (GER)
04/10 - AZ Conni, Dresden (GER)
04/12 - Molodoi, Strasbourg (FRA)
04/13 - Immerhin, Würzburg (GER)
04/14 - MuK, Giessen (GER)
04/15 - Himmel, Schwyz (CH)
04/20 - La Nau, La Roca Del Valles (SPA)
04/21 - Arrebato, Zaragoza (SPA)
04/22 - La Scena, Lyon (FRA)
04/23 - Libre Court, Montceau Les Mines (FRA)
04/24 - L’Austrasique, Nancy (FRA)
04/25 - Stax-O-Soul, Lille (FRA)
04/27 - Ex-Haus, Trier (GER) w/JR Ewing
04/28 - Heartbreak Hotel, Bremen (GER)
04/29 - 1000 Fryd, Ålborg (DK)

Third time's a charm? Norwegian hardcore act JR Ewing is once again making an attempt to tour the UK after cancelling their last two scheduled appearances. Dates:

02/20 - Ferryboat, Norwich
02/21 - tba
02/22 - Nice N Sleazy, Glasgow, Scotland
02/23 - Social, Nottingham w/Seven Feet Four
02/24 - The Metro, London w/Seven Feet Four

Updated European tourdates for Seven Feet Four:

02/18 - Klubb Dodger @ Smalands, Lund (SWE)
02/19 - TBA, Hamburg (GER)
02/21 - Kulturfabrik Festival, Esch (LUX)
02/22 - TBA, Southampton (UK)
02/23 - The Social, Nottingham (UK)
02/24 - Metro, London (UK)
02/25 - Scruffy Murphy`s, Birmingham (UK)
02/26 - Yorkshire House, Lancester (UK)

Looks like Isak from Seven Feet Four has given up the mic and switched over to just guitar. Henrik G Grevesmühl has taken over frontman duties and they debuted the new lineup last Friday. The band was also just in studio recording some demos and a cover of "4 AM" by Gray Matter that will end up on the Millipede Records "Dischord Records Tribute Compilation" which comes out early next year.

Lots of news from Coalition Records today on their website. Seems that they'll be doing the debut full-length for The Je Ne Sais Quoi before sending em off on tour with Seven Feet Four in the summer.

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

I don't know what the hold-up was, but Seven Feet Four finally got themselves a new website. Upcoming shows for the band in Sweden:

10/16 - Shindig!, Effes, Visby
10/23 - Blå, Eskilstuna
11/11 - Smalls, Västerås w/Black Eyes (US, Dischord Records), Soviac
11/15 - tba, Västervik w/Black Eyes, Soviac

Added a new mp3 from the band Seven Feet Four today. They're another one of those new bands revisiting that mid-90s indie/hardcore style and making it sound vital again. I haven't heard any recent news about these guys in awhile, but their album "Departure/Arrival" is well worth tracking down if you're interested in this sort of stuff.