Ex-The Ark drummer Sylvester Schlegel will step aside from his role as frontman for The Guild to record a solo album with producer Mattias Glavå (Broder Daniel, Håkan Hellström, etc). Of course he won't be totally alone, two fellow members of The Guild will contribute as well.
Via #1 Hits from Another Planet comes word that revived ex-The Ark band Stereo Explosion has posted a trio of tracks to SoundCloud. Not sure what I think yet, but I am (very) cautiously optimistic.
Ex-The Ark members Martin Axén, Jepson, Leari Ljungberg and Jens Andersson have revived their long-dormant old band Stereo Explosion and have started working on new material together for the first time since 2000. Look for them to start playing live this summer.
The Ark are officially done as a band now, but they'll be putting out (at least) one final release: a live DVD filmed at last summer's Peace & Love Festival as part of their farewell tour. Official release date is February 15 and 10% of the proceeds will be donated towards the Swedish Childhood Cancer Foundation.
This week's episode of Klubbland features The Ark on their farewell tour: http://klubbland.se/2011/04/29/32-the-ark-2/
The ArkThe Ark has never been a band content to write songs. They write anthems, through and through. From their breakout top ten hit, "It takes a fool to remain sane", to newest single, "Breaking up with God", they've graced us with a string of the finest, most bombastic pop/rock of the new millennium. "Arkeology", spanning twenty tracks, spills over with hits. Stacked one after another, it's a staggering ride through 70's glam rock, emotional new-wave and heart-on-sleeves balladry -- always with a sing-along chorus at the forefront. While their albums were consistently top-notch, especially at the band's mid-decade peak, The Ark will always be remembered by their singles. And there are some giants here. The dizzying "Calleth you, cometh I"; the sneering "Father of a son"; the contemplative, rousing "One of us is gonna die young". If you're only familiar with the band from their glitzy 2007 Eurovision entry, "The worrying kind", you may be stunned by what else is on offer. This music will make you feel giddy. The Ark have a knack for taking simple pop ingredients and making them seem impossibly galvanizing. The band wisely curtail entries from their less-than-stellar 2010 album to a pair of singles towards the end of the compilation. Thankfully, "Stay with me" receives a remix, giving it a fuller sound more in keeping with the rest of the tracks. Two new recordings, "Breaking up with God" and "The apocalypse is over", bookend the collection. The former is a punchy pop confection proclaiming frontman Ola Salo's break with organized religion in his usual uplifting fashion. The latter manages to sum up The Ark's career in a triumphant, yet bittersweet swan song. It's a milestone when a band like this decides to call it quits, but I can't think of a better collection of songs -- er... anthems -- to leave as their legacy to the world.
- Nick James
Aftonbladet is offering a streaming preview of The Ark's mediocre new (final) single "Breaking up with god": http://www.aftonbladet.se/webbtv/noje/article8379665.ab
Pop music blog #1 Hits from Another Planet is taking this week to pay tribute to The Ark by revisiting each and every one of the band's albums, tracks and b-sides before they bid farewell: http://alienhits.blogspot.com/2011/01/arkeology-day-one.html
The Ark have announced that they will cease to be after releasing a final greatest hits collection and doing one last tour: http://thearkworld.com/2010/12/08/greatest-hits-album-och-avskedsturne/
As with all "greatest hits" anthologies, The Ark's "Arkeology", due out February 23, will of course contain a new single entitled "Breaking up with god" as well as another new one called "The apocalypse is over".
PopMatters reviews The Ark's "In full regalia" and come away disappointed: http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/131889-the-ark-in-full-regalia/
This week's top 20 Swedish album chart:
01. Kent - En plats i solen
02. Robyn - Body talk pt.1
03. Oskar Linnros - Vilja bli
04. Brolle - Best of
05. Lisa Nilsson - 20 - En jubileumssamling
06. Lasse Stefanz - Texas
07. Melissa Horn - Säg ingenting till mig
08. Lars Winnerbäck - Tänk om jag ångrar mig och sen ångrar mig igen
09. Salem al Fakir - Ignore this
10. The Playtones - Rock'n roll dance party
11. Håkan Hellström - Samlade singlar 2000-2010
12. Kalle Moraeus - Underbart
13. Eric Saade - Masquerade
14. Timoteij - Längtan
15. Eddie Meduza - Rockabilly rebel
16. Eric Gadd - Rise up!
17. Jannez - Se på oss nu
18. Amanda Jenssen - Happyland - International version
19. The Ark - In full regalia
20. Cookies n Beans - Beg, borrow and steal
This week's top 20 Swedish album chart:
01. Kent - En plats i solen
02. Robyn - Body talk pt.1
03. Brolle - Best of
04. Eric Gadd - Rise up!
05. Lasse Stefanz - Texas
06. Lisa Nilsson - 20 - En jubileumssamling
07. Eric Saade - Masquerade
08. Kalle Mmoraeus - Underbart
09. Ted Gärdestad - Helt nära dig - Samlade album
10. Melissa Horn - Säg ingenting till mig
11. Håkan Hellström - Samlade singlar 2000-2010
12. The Playtones - Rock'n roll dance party
13. Oskar Linnros - Vilja bli
14. Eddit Meduza - Rockabilly rebel
15. Lars Winnerbäck - Tänk om jag ångrar mig och sen ångrar mig igen
16. Jannez - Se på oss nu
17. The Ark - In full regalia
18. Kent - Kent box 1991-2008
19. Salem al Fakir - Ignore this
20. Timoteij - Längtan
This week's top 20 Swedish album chart:
01. Kent - En plats i solen
02. Robyn - Body talk pt.1
03. Lasse Stefanz - Texas
04. Håkan Hellström - Samlade singlar 2000-2010
05. Kent - Kent box 1991-2008
06. Lisa Nilsson - 20 - En jubileumssamling
07. Brolle - Best of
08. Kalle Mmoraeus - Underbart
09. Meduza Eddie - Rockabilly rebel
10. Oskar Linnros - Vilja bli
11. The Playtones - Rock'n roll dance party
12. The Ark - In full regalia
13. Eric Saade - Masquerade
14. Timoteij - Längtan
15. Melissa Horn - Säg ingenting till mig
16. Lars Winnerbäck - Tänk om jag ångrar mig och sen ångrar mig igen
17. Sabaton - Coat of arms
18. Salem al Fakir - Ignore this
19. Kent - Röd
20. Johnossi - Mavericks
