Swedish label Sudd is offering up a free downloadable comp of Scandinavian music entitled "Nordic combination". Artists featured include Sophie Rimheden, Fujasaki, Thomas Danger, Ponas and more. Check it: http://sudd.org/

For the Eardrums rounds up a few Christmas downloads from various Swedish acts such as South Ambulance and Sophie Rimheden: http://eardrums.blogspot.com/2005/12/christmas-gift-from-south-ambulance.html

This week's top 20 Swedish student radio chart:

01. (02) Arctic Monkeys - "I Bet U Look Good on the Dancefloor"
02. (03) Tiger Lou - "The Loyal"
03. (NY) Franz Ferdinand - "Walk Away"
04. (04) Christian Kjellvander - "Drunken Hands"
05. (01) Test Icicles - "Circle Square Triangle"
06. (07) Saïan Supa Crew - "La Patte"
07. (09) David Sandström Overdrive - "The Crotch of a Saturday"
08. (10) The Pipettes - "Dirty Mind"
09. (15) Kristian Antilla - "Paul Weller"
10. (16) The Sunshine - "Simon Le Bon"
11. (06) The Embassy - "It Pays to Belong"
12. (13) Röyksopp - "What Else is There?"
13. (14) Pharell - "Angel"
14. (20) Loveninjas - "Keep Your Love"
15. (NY) Le Sport - "Business Girls"
16. (NY) Karl Larsson - "Devil Strings"
17. (NY) Sophie Zelmani - "I Can't Change"
18. (18) Clap Your Hands Say Yeah "Is This Love?"
19. (ÅT) Bloc Party - "Two More Years"
20. (ÅT) Architecture in Helsinki - "Do the Whirlwind"

Leaving the chart: Katie Goes to Tokyo, Queens of the Stone Age, Randy, Sophie Rimheden, The Strokes and Willowtree.

Photo: Henrik has updated with new live pics from Asta Kask, CDOASS, Paris and Sophie Rimheden: http://www.photohenrik.com/

This week's top 20 Swedish student radio chart:

01. (03) Test Icicles - "Circle Square Triangle"
02. (08) Arctic Monkeys - "I Bet U Look Good on the Dancefloor"
03. (04) Tiger Lou - "The Loyal"
04. (05) Christian Kjellvander - "Drunken Hands"
05. (17) The Strokes - "Juicebox"
06. (NY) The Embassy - "It Pays to Belong"
07. (06) Saïan Supa Crew - "La Patte"
08. (04) Queens of the Stone Age - "Burn the Witch"
09. (07) David Sandström Overdrive - "The Crotch of a Saturday"
10. (NY) The Pipettes - "Dirty Mind"
11. (11) Katie Goes to Tokyo - "Moving From This Town"
12. (09) Willowtree - "Attention Ms"
13. (15) Röyksopp - "What Else is There?"
14. (NY) Pharrell - "Angel"
15. (01) Kristian Anttila - "Paul Weller"
16. (NY) The Sunshine - "Simon Le Bon"
17. (12) Sophie Rimheden - "Can You Save Me?"
18. (NY) Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah - "Is This Love?"
19. (18) Randy - "Razorblade"
20. (20) Loveninjas - "Keep Your Love"

Leaving the chart: Architecture in Helsinki, Bloc Party, Princess Superstar, Thåström and Tiga.

This week's top 20 Swedish student radio chart:

01. (01) Kristian Anttila - "Paul Weller"
02. (05) Tiger Lou - "The Loyal"
03. (NY) Test Icicles - "Circle Square Triangle"
04. (NY) Queens of the Stone Age - " Burn the Witch"
05. (07) Christian Kjellvander - "Drunken Hands"
06. (14) Saian Supa Crew - "La Patte"
07. (04) David Sandström Overdrive - "The Crotch of a Saturday"
08. (NY) Arctic Monkeys - "I Bet U Look Good on the Dancefloor"
09. (03) Willowtree - "Attention Ms"
10. (05) Tiga - "You Gonna Want Me"
11. (06) Katie Goes to Tokyo - "Moving From This Town"
12. (19) Sophie Rimheden - "Can You Save Me"
13. (09) Bloc Party - "Two More Years"
14. (NY) Architecture in Helsinki - "Do the Whirlwind"
15. (12) Röyksopp - "What Else is There?"
16. (NY) Thåström - "Fanfanfan"
17. (NY) The Strokes - "Juicebox"
18. (ÅT) Randy - "Razorblade"
19. (15) Princess Superstar - "My Machine"
20. (11) Loveninjas - "Keep Your Love"

Leaving the chart: Acid House Kings, Brakes, CDOASS, Paris, Pharell, Pete Philly & Perquisite and The Rakes

Sophie Rimheden's new self-titled album will be out on November 9 via her own Sophie Rimheden Productions. Various guests are slated to appear on the disc such as Kajsa Grytt, Marit Bergman, Johan Sigerud and Annika Holmberg who you can hear on the first single "Can you save me": http://www.rimhedenmedia.com/%7Esophie/rimheden_holmberg_can_you_save_me.mp3

"Jävla kritiker!" (Fuckin' critics!) is the name of an interesting new comp from NONS, due out January 18 next year. The idea for the record is backwards - first the critic writes the review and then the musician creates the song. Artists set to appear include IAT favorites Isolation Years and Silverbullit along with many other fine artists such as Sophie Rimheden, Andreas Tilliander, Nicolai Dunger, Håkan Libdo and more. More details: http://www.nons.se/javlakritiker/

This week's YLE X3M video chart:

01. Smak - Vesi tulvii sisään (FIN)
02. Poets of the Fall - Lift (FIN)
03. Children of Bodom - In your face (FIN)
04. Crashdiet - Riot in everyone (SWE)
05. Varano feat. Chords - Leaving my trouble behind (DK)
06. Spiha - Planet horse (FIN)
07. Korpiklaani - Kädet siipinä (FIN)
08. User - Miss Wanted (SWE)
09. Röyksopp - Only this moment (NOR)
10. Sophie Rimheden - Red line (SWE)

Challengers:
11. HIM - Wings of a butterfly (FIN)
12. September - Satellites (SWE)
13. Angu - Red lights (DK)

The YLE X3M video chart is back from summer hibernation:

01. Korpiklaani - Kädet siipinä (FIN)
02. Röyksopp - Only this moment (NOR)
03. Crashdiet - Riot in everyone (SWE)
04. Sophie Rimheden - Red line (SWE)
05. Varano feat. Chords - Leaving my trouble behind (DK)
06. Poets of the Fall - Lift (FIN)
07. Leaves - Good enough (ICE)
08. Spiha - Planet horse (FIN)
09. Kaizers orchestra - Maestro (NOR)
10. User - Miss Wanted (SWE)

Challengers:
11. Children of Bodom - In your face (FIN)
12. Lutrica McNeal - What about it (SWE)
13. Smak - Vesi tulvii sisään (FIN)

Stop the presses! Uncritical updates twice in one week, today with a Kin Lijdverblijf remix of the Sophie Rimheden and Håkan Libdo cover of Carola's 1983 dance hit "Främling": http://extr.aneo.us/uncritical/2005/06/unfinished-thoughts.html

Sophie Rimheden's "Red Line" EP has been delayed. New release date tba soon.

Swedish electronic artist Sophie Rimheden will be releasing a new single entitled "Red line" later this month. The disc will include three versions of the track, a radio version, a club mix and a experimental version, along with a video by Harvest Light.

Check out the video for "Främling" from Sophie Rimheden and Håkan Lidbo: http://home.duplo.org/~shaw/media/framling.wmv
If anyone can figure out the riddle with the secret URL at the end, let me know.

I guess that Swedish electro stars Sophie Rimheden and Håkan Lidbo will team up once again for a cover tune, this time for the Carola track "Främling" which they will perform as part of Melodifestival on April 8. It's also gonna be released as an official three days later. I like both Sophie and Håkan's music, but isn't it sad that they're doing already proven hits to bolster their reputation? It's not secret that it's a formula that works (just ask KLF), but it always strikes me as somewhat pathetic when artists rely on it.