Here's a couple songtitles for the brand new songs that Starmarket has laid down for their new album: "Ship of Sorrow", "Antichrist" and "The Vanishing Gates". As mentioned before, guitarist Fredrik is filling for Pelle of Fireside on their upcoming BRMC support gigs, as he's busy in the studio with The Hives. Starmarket plans to finish recording when Fredrik returns and hopefully have it all wrapped up sometime before Christmas. Still no word yet on what label will release the finished product.

It has been confirmed that Fireside will be opening for BRMC around Europe. The dates:

11/17 - Rockefeller, Oslo (NOR)
11/18 - Cirkus, Stockholm (SWE)
11/19 - Vega, Copenhagen (DK)
11/20 - Paradiso, Amsterdam (NL)
11/22 - E-Werk, Cologne (GER)
11/23 - E.Montmarte, Paris (FRA)
11/25 - Grosse Freiheit, Hamburg (GER)
11/26 - Universal, Berlin (GER)
11/28 - Elserhalle, (D) Munich (GER)
11/29 - Abart, Zurich (CH)
11/30 - Alcatraz, Milan (ITA)

Guitarist Pelle Gunnerfeldt is currently too busy recording The Hives, so Starmarket's Fredrik Brändström will be filling in.

They have also posted the video for "Follow Follow", the third single from the group's most recent album "Get Shot". Check it.

Starmarket reports that they've gotten down to business and recorded seven songs for their next album and it's sounding "better than ever." As reported here back on 09/25, the band's label Background Beat (an offshoot of Startracks) closed up shop leaving the band without an outlet to relase the finished product, but they are confident that "somebody nice will take care of it in the end."

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?

Word has it that Startracks has shut down sub-label Background Beat, thus dropping Starmarket, Leiah, and Revolvo in the process.

Italy's Wain Records is releasing a new comp in late October called "Breathing the Static" that features quite a few Swedish bands. The tracklist:

01. Last Days of April - Angel youth
02. The Bigoz Quartet - Rita hayworth under a three
03. Face Tomorrow - Worth the wait
04. The Stereo - Tell your football dad no!
05. Seed'n'feed - Romeo & juliett
06. That Very Time I Saw - The wave not the stone
07. Leiah - Untitled
08. Hillside - Maladjusted and jaded
09. Hot Water Music - It's hard to know
10. On When Ready - Talk a lot
11. Amical - Procon
12. Lights at Amber - When it's gone
13. 7 Years - Every action, every word
14. Starmarket - Mexico summer
15. Estrich Boy - Saving the end of summer
16. Favez - Someday all this will be mine
17. The Miles Apart - Safer
18. Tiger Lou - When I was a kid
19. Buck - Tamara
20. Four Square - Mistreated
21. And the Winner Is - No horse, no gun, no wife... poor guy
22. Ariel Kill Him - Lepantra
23. Nitrojuice - 20 seconds alone
24. The Ordinary Me - Running in circles
25. Solea - Apotheke (live)

I posted the tracklist for the new Startracks comp way back on 06/24 but this message from label mainman Fredrik Holmgren is too good to pass up:

"Ok, I said for years it will never happen to me. Now I'm down at the level of Bad Taste and Burningheart...
I'm sorry, I am really!
The first label compilation ever is to hit the stores 24th of September. It had to be done and honestly I find it of healthy quality. It's priced as a single (even lower then Universal dared too go ! :) ). Here are the final set list, even a exlusive one with Mr. Åström. And yes it even by the bands on it looks like yet another Burningheart comp. Kids I found those artist, launched them some I even invented and then BHR cashed in. I'm for real kid!"

That tracklist again, to refresh your memory:

01. Fireside - Throw it away
02. Christian Kjellvander -Broken Wheels
03. Kristofer Åström & Hidden truck - One good moment
04. Tiger Lou - Nova Lee
05. Loosegoats - Days of black (nights are light)
06. Kristofer Åström - 8 long years (previously unreleased)
07. Songs of Soil - Page
08. The Lost Patrol - Stating the obvious
09. Revolvo - Moscow mule
10. Jaffa de Luxe - Don't forget about Raquel
11. Candysuck - Popcorn
12. Leiah - Cover Discover
13. Starmarket - Mexican summer
14. Moneybrother - Thunder in my heart
15. Buck - Rock dream
16. Monster - Don't answer the phone
17. Refused - Pump the brakes

Fireside's lastest album "Get Shot" is released in the US today. I wonder how it'll do? Look for more Scandinavian dates and possibly a full European tour later this fall.

In other Startracks-related news, Christian Kjellvander will doing a tour in October and November with his backing band Lazy Grace Frontier and Ebrelius Quartet plus support from Nicolai Dunger. Sounds like a good time to me! After that, he's gonna do some European dates in November before taking time off for recording in the US. Maybe some shows over in this part of the world too? Who knows?

Cobolt will be doing a 5-song EP for Startracks imprint StarEP that should be out sometime around September or October.

Leiah and Starmarket are both working on new records due out this spring.

The latest from Startracks Records:

Christian Kjellvander will be recording the new track "Portugal" next week for a video/single release sometime around October. He debuted the song live at Hultsfred fest and you can view footage of it here.

Fireside's latest album "Get Shot" finally gets a US/Canada release now on August 19 and the label says that tour plans are definitely in the works.

The label's latest signing Tiger Lou has set August 20 as the release date for their new EP. The tracklist:

01. Sam, as in Samantha
02. Nova Lee
03. When I was a kid
04. Trouble & Desire

You probably didn't notice as there hasn't been much publicity about it, but Simba Records recently released the Kristofer Åström "Plastered Confessions" EP in the US. Simba also put out a similar Marit Bergman EP over here that's worth checking out as well. And while we're on a tangent here, let me add that Simba is also working on a Joni Mitchell tribute CD that will feature contributions from Kristofer and Dennis Lyxzén (International Noise Conspiracy, Lost Patrol) among others. FYI, the label's website appears to still be a work-in-progress as I think it just came online.

And lastly, Startracks has finalized the tracklist for their first label-showcase compilation. It also comes out August 20 and will be dirt cheap:

01. Fireside - Throw it away
02. Christian Kjellvander -Broken Wheels
03. Kristofer Åström & Hidden truck - One good moment
04. Tiger Lou - Nova Lee
05. Loosegoats - Days of black (nights are light)
06. Kristofer Åström - 8 long years (previously unreleased)
07. Songs of Soil - Page
08. The Lost Patrol - Stating the obvious
09. Revolvo - Moscow mule
10. Jaffa de Luxe - Don't forget about Raquel
11. Candysuck - Popcorn
12. Leiah - Cover Discover
13. Starmarket - Mexican summer
14. Moneybrother - Thunder in my heart
15. Buck - Rock dream
16. Monster - Don't answer the phone
17. Refused - Pump the brakes

Jeez, what a slow news day. Ain't hardly nothing happening at all.

In an amazing feat of quick turnaround, I got two new mp3s ready from that P3 broadcast yesterday at the Umeå Open. Check it out on the right.

Gearhead will be putting out "Oslo City", the latest album from Norway's Mensen on April 8 in the US. Nicke Anderssen of The Hellacopters produced, so it definitely might be something worth checking out. Some mp3s can be found here.

Carola, Jennifer Brown, Robyn and Lisa Nilsson have all been added to the Piteå Dansar Och Ler (Piteå dances and smiles) fest.

Pitchfork reports the Jaga Jazzist will finally be getting a proper US release through the label Gold Standard Laboratories (GSL). As is the case with a lot of 'new' artists taking their first steps on US soil, the release will be a compilation of already-released material under the name "Animal Chin". Look for it in stores on April 7. It also seems that the labels Ninja Tune and Smalltown Supersound are working on reissuing their older works and a few of em may even already be available for mailorder. Not to mention, there's also talk of a US tour. Wait and see.

The Cardigans have confirmed even more festival appearances this summer:

6/6 - Rock Am Ring, Germany
6/7 - Rock In Park, Gemany
6/9 - Pink Pop Festival, Holland
6/29 - Werchter Festival, Belgium

Northside has three new records available for preorder: Mari Boine's new album "Eight Seasons", her remix album entitled, uh, "Remixed" (featuring mixes by Bill Laswell, Jah Wobble, Those Norwegians, more), and the new Wimme CD which is called "Bárru". So yeah, order 'em from their website or wait until April 22 when they hit the shelves.

Starmarket has put up an mp3 of a new demo track they did called "Remembrance". Download it now.

Courtesy of Nordic Sounds magazine, MIC can now present a unique perspective on Nordic musical life as we bring you an Irishman's encounter with Nordic culture. National but not nationalist. Nurturing. cooperative but slightly protectionist. No it isn't a country's foreign policy. It's the response of Irish Times' music critic Michael Dervan to the contemporary music scene he encountered on visits to all five Nordic countries.

Read more. (from MIC Norway)

Chaosbreedis the name of a new Finnish "death metal supergroup" featuring Nalle Österman on drums (ex-Gandalf), Oppu Laine on bass (ex-Amorphis, Mannhai) Marko Tarvonen on guitar (Moonsorrow), Esa Holopainen also on guitar (Amorphis), and Taneli Jarva on vocals (ex-Sentenced, The Black League). Apparently they are currently rehearsing material to be recorded this summer at the famed Sunlight Studios in Stockholm with producer Tomas Skogsberg. They plan to circulate a demo online sometime this spring and are looking to secure a record deal in the near future. Anyone interested in offering them a contract or maybe booking them can get a hold of em at chaosbreeders@hotmail.com.

Got a new mp3 today from yesterday's broadcast of the last Hederos & Hellberg show. I'll put the whole thing up eventually, but for now you can enjoy their Hellacopters cover done in their standard slowcore fashion. Of course, that also means the Kristofer Åstrõm mp3s will go away. Get 'em while you can, I guess.

Some words about Katatonia and their new album "Viva Emptiness":

Destructive, finite and somber, Viva Emptiness is, in fact, in a league of its own. - DigitalMetal.com

Katatonia are simply one of the finest European rock bands over the past decade, yet in Britain they remain virtually unknown - apart from readers of Terrorizer magazine. - DJ Martian

I, for one, am in total agreement. Definitely one of my most anticipated releases this year.

I'm happy to report the new Logh album is done! Read all about it.

Last Days of April will finally release their latest album "Ascend to the Stars" in the US on June 3 from Crank! Records.

Starmarket reports they have completed work on a seven-song demo in preparation for their next record to be recorded in June. Tentative titles so far include "Horse On the Run", "Biscuits for Everyone" and "Rendundance".

I missed it when it was first posted, but here's a short interview with Garm (or whatever you want to call him) from the always-interesting Ulver.

If you sign up for The Klerks mailing list, you get to listen to a preview of the new b-side "Moving Much Too Fast" from the single "Shame". Read more.

Check out the video for the new Millencolin single:

Battery Check: high / low
E20 Norr: high / low

For those that might be curious, here's a full report on The Sounds' recent trip to the US. (in Swedish)

The tracklisting for the upcoming Fireside album "Get Shot" (out April 7) has been announced:

01. All You Had
02. Follow Follow
03. The Betrayer
04. Backwards Over Germany
05. Throw It Away
06. I'm Coming Home
07. Problem (to You)
08. All Criminals Are Us
09. Swinging Sid's Chain Around
10. Player

View the cover art here. The next single will be "All You Had" and it'll be out either late March or April. A Swedish tour will follow, along with the following, already-confirmed shows:

5/02 - Hamburg, Molotow
5/03 - Köln, Underground
5/04 - Dresden, Star Club
5/05 - München, Orange House
5/07 - Bleu CH, Lézard
5/08 - Bern, CH, ISC
5/15 - Berlin, Magnet

Ulf Stureson will release his third solo album on April 11 on Silence Records and they swear it's his best to date. He's also playing at Nalen in Stockholm on April 10 with Florence Valentine, so get tickets here if you're interested.

The Swedish snowboarding movie 'Stomped' just came out on DVD over there and features music from Timbuktu, Fjärde Världen, Loop Troop and more.

Organism 12 is back in the studio working on his second album. Look for it this coming fall on JuJu Records. In other JuJu news, PSTQ is also starting to write for his next record. Again, look for it around fall.

Division of Laura Lee report that they are starting to plan for their next record (due out sometime in 2004) and a full US tour in the fall. For now, they just have a few more US dates lined up:

4/21 - Houston, Engine Room
4/22 - Austin, Emos
4/23 - Dallas, Gypsy Tea Room
4/25 - Phoenix, Mason Jar
4/26 - Coachella fest

This week's MTV Up North Nordic video chart:

01. Kashmir - Surfing The Warm Industry
02. The Rasmus - In The Shadows
03. Roxette - Opportunity Nox
04. Mew - Comforting Sounds
05. C21 - You Are The One
06. St. Thomas -Long, Long Time
07. Winta - Emotions
08. The Raveonettes - Attack Of The Ghostriders
09. The Cardigans - For What It´s Worth

Challengers:
01. Paris - Streetlights
02. Satirne - Hey No Hell
03. Kwan - Shine
04. Bertine Zetlitz - Girl Like You
05. Ladybird - Dangerous To Me

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

The Soundtrack Of Our Lives, The Ark and Mando Diao will be performing at Grönan Live this summer. If I remember right, something was said about this some time ago. Apparently this will also be TSOOL's only Swedish show this summer as they are expected to be working on a new album.

David & the Citizens have a new EP coming out April 7 called "New Direction". They've also got a couple gigs lined up with Laakso and Björns Vänner. Check it:

4/18 – Stockholm, Accelerator at Debaser
5/16 – Malmö, KB
5/23 – Göteborg, Pusterviksbaren

Aftonbladet is saying today that Lars Winnerbäck och Håkan Hellström are planning on doing the Kalas tour together. Read more. (in Swedish)

There's a new festival coming to Stockholm on May 31 called Stockholm Calling. Already confirmed for this year's event are The Cardigans, Thomas Rusiak and Christian Kjellvander, along with international acts Zwan and Placebo.

Randy is also planning to do some touring after their new album "Welfare Problems" comes out on April 14. The dates so far:

4/20 - Stockholm, Debaser
4/21 - Göteborg, Pusterviksbaren
4/22 - Oslo, So What
4/23 - Lund, Club Buster @ Mejeriet w/The Rogers Sisters

The band also promises to do a few more Scandinavian dates this summer, so don't despair. They also filmed a video for the track "A Man in Uniform" last weekend, so look for it soon.

Kajsa Grytt will hitting the road in support of her new album "Är Vi På Väg Hem?" starting in April. You can read more about her here (in Swedish). Otherwise, here's the dates:

4/13 - Örebro, Klubb Söndag
4/14 - Uppsala, Katalin
4/15 - Malmöm, KB
4/16 - Stockholm, Södra Teatern
4/17 - Göteborg, Nefertiti
5/17 - Jönköping, Kulturhuset

Looptroop and Fireside have been confirmed for this year's Popaganda Festival in Stockholm. Other bands already confirmed include Buck, Bad Cash Quartet, Shout Out Louds and Franke.

And speaking of the Shout Out Louds, they are the band of the week over at MTVE.com. Check it.