Flora & Fauna has announced that they will be releasing the debut EP "The Beauty of Nature" from Eric Beyond (aka 'the most sensitive guy in Stockholm') on April 13 in cooperation with Idiotwind. The disc features four songs and guest appearances from Nina Persson (The Cardigans) and Ludvig Rylander (The Chyrsler, Moder Jords Massiva). A record release show will be held at Kulturhuset in Stockholm.

It's been rumored for awhile, but it's now finally confirmed: Koch will be releasing the North American version of "Long Gone Before Daylight" from The Cardigans on May 25. The album will feature a bonus DVD with videos for the European singles "For What It's Worth" and "You're the Storm" as well as three live clips from last year's Roskilde Festival. There will also be a special previously unreleased bonus track on the CD from the band's recent recording sessions. Look for US tourdates to coincide with the release, too.

And speaking of The Cardigans, here's the video for "Live and Learn": http://www.stockholmrecords.se/repository/50/TheCardigans-LiveAndLearn-broadband.ram

The band has also updated their tour diary: http://cardigans.com/microsites/tourdiary/scandinavia_2003/

The winners of the Swedish Grammies for award categories I care about:

Best artist: Per Gessle - Mazarin
Best song: Per Gessle - Här kommer alla känslorna (på en och samma gång)
Best pop, female: Lisa Miskovsky - Fallingwater
Best pop, male: Per Gessle - Mazarin
Best popgroup: The Knife - Deep cuts
Best rock album, solo: Moneybrother - Blood panic
Best rock group: The Cardigans - Lone gone before daylight
Best composer: Per Gessle
Best lyrics: Timbuktu
Best producer: Joakim Berg and Simon Nordberg
Best newcomer: José González - Veneer
Best album: The Cardigans - Lone gone before daylight
Best folk music: Frifot - Sluring
Best hiphop/soul: Timbuktu - The botten is nådd!
Best hard-rock: The Haunted - One kill wonder
Best jazz: Esbjörn Svensson Trio - Seven days of falling
Best club/dance: Hundarna från Söder - Hundarna från Söder
Best open category: Pugh Rogefeldt - Pugh
MTV prize for best video: The Cardigans - You're the storm
Export prize: Esbjörn Svensson Trio

Read more: http://www.aftonbladet.se/vss/noje/story/0,2789,430898,00.html (in Swedish)
Who's got pics of The Knife accepting the award in gorilla masks?

Magnus Sveningsson of The Cardigans reports on the recording session for two new songs, due to be including on the US version of "Long Gone Before Daylight": http://cardigans.com/forum/threads.php?id=6739_0_2_0_C

Go here for pics and info about Nina from The Cardigans recent appearance at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah with Nathan Larson to help promote some soundtrack music they collaborated on.

Magnus from The Cardigans says that their most recent European tours have been big money losers so chances are they won't be coming back. They simply can't afford it. He still thinks there's possibility of a smaller-scale US tour, but nothing's been set up yet. It's really a shame how little promotion these guys get outside of Scandinavia. Remember, it took a second release of "Lovefool" before they ever broke in the US. That sort of opportunity rarely ever happens.

The Cardigans won the award for 'best dressed band' at the Swedish Elle awards yesterday.

Here are some of the nominees for the Swedish Grammies:

Best Pop Female:
Jill Johnson - Roots and Wings
Lisa Miskovsky - Fallingwater
Miss Universum - Selfelected
Pauline - Candy Rain
Elin Sigvardsson - Saturday Light Naive

Best Pop Male:
Magnus Carlson - Ett Kungarike För En Kram
Per Gessle - Mazarin
José González - Veneer
Peter LeMarc - Det Som Håller Oss Vid Liv
Mauro Scocco - Beat Hotel

Best Pop Group:
Alcazar - Alcazarized
Bo Kaspers Orkester - Vilka Tror Vi Att Vi Är
Da Buzz - More Than Alive
David & The Citizens - Until The Sadness Is Gone
The Knife - Deep Cuts

Best Rock Album (solo):
Eagle-Eye - Cherry Sub Rosa
Christian Kjellvander - Introducing The Past
Lars Winnerbäck och Hovet - Söndermarken
Moneybrother - Blood Panic
Thomas Rusiak - In The Sun

Best Rock Group:
Bad Cash Quartet - Midnight Prayer
Broder Daniel - Cruel Town
The Cardigans - Long Gone Before Daylight
Fireside - Get Shot
Randy - Welfare Problems

Best Songwriter:
Karin & Olof Dreijer
Per Gessle
Lisa Miskovsky & Joakim Berg
Peter Svensson
Moneybrother (Anders Wendin)

Best Lyrics:
Timbuktu (Jason Diakté)
Per Gessle
Peter LeMarc
Nina Persson
Lars Winnerbäck

Best Producer:
Joakim Berg/Simon Norberg
Karin & Olof Dreijer
Pelle Gunnerfeldt
Jari Haapalainen
C. Öfwerman, C. Lundquist & P. Gessle

Best Hip-hop/Soul:
Advance Patrol - Utskrivna
Kaah - Jideblasko
Ken Det - Bortglömda
The Latin Kings - Omerta
Timbuktu - The Botten Is Nådd!

Best Hard Rock:
Backyard Babies - Stockholm Syndrome
Evergrey - Recreation Day
The Haunted - One Kill Wonder
Mustasch - Ratsafari
Opeth - Damnation

Best Jazz:
E.S.T. - Seven Days Of Falling
Rigmor Gustavsson - with I Will Wait For You
Nils Landgren and The Fleshquartet
Jonas Kullhammar Quartet - Plays Loud For The People
Oddjob - Koyo
Bobo Stenson/Lennart Åberg

Best Club/Dance Song:
Hundarna Från Söder - Hundarna Från Söder BAM
Koop - Waltz For Koop - Alternative Takes
Physics - First Flight NSD
Plej - Electronic Music From The Westcoast
Sophie Rimheden - Hi-Fi Mitek

Best Pop/Dance Band:
Barbados - Hela Himlen
Fame - Give Me Your Love
Jan Johansen - X My Heart
Jill Johnson - Discography
Lasse Stefanz - Det Här Är Bara Början

Go here for the full list: http://www.ifpi.se/02.images/01.top/02.subnav_pdf/08.grammis/pdf/Grammisnomineringar_2003.pdf

Here's the top 20 Swedish albums of the week, as reported by Aftonbladet:

01. Carola - Guld platina & passion - det bästa
02. Sophie Zelmani - Love Affair
03. Per Gessle - Mazarin
04. Lisa Miskovsky - Fallingwater
05. The Cardigans - Long Gone Before Daylight
06. Georg Riedel orkester - Barn på nytt
07. Peter LeMarc - Det som håller oss vid liv
08. Jill Johnson - Roots and wings
09. José González - Veneer
10. Miio - På vårt sätt
11. Markoolio - I skuggan av mig själv
12. Helen Sjöholm / Anders Widmark - Genom varje andetag
13. Bergman Rock - Bergman Rock
14. Moneybrother - Bloodpanic
15. Bo Kaspers orkester - Vilka tror vi att vi är
16. Lars Winnerbäck och Hovet - Söndermarken
17. Backyard Babies - Stockholm Syndrome
18. Mauro Scocco - La Dolce Vita
19. Björn Rosenström - Var får jag allt ifrån?
20. Christer Sjögren - För kärlekens skull

Dolores Records will be reissuing the out-of-print "Instrumentalmusik" solo debut album from Björn Olsson. There's no release date confirmed yet, but it should come as good news for those of you in Sweden contemplating ordering from the US where we can still get it.

The end-of-the-year chart at MTV UpNorth:

01. The Rasmus - In The Shadows
02. Outlandish - Aicha
03. The Sounds - Rock n´ Roll
04. The Cardigans - You´re The Storm
05. Outlandish - Guantanamo
06. The Rasmus - In My Life
07. Killer - Naughty Boy
08. C21 - She Cries
09. A-Teens - Perfect Match
10. Mew - Comforting Sounds
11. Junior Senior - Rhythm Bandits
12. HIM - Funeral of hearts
13. Kashmir - Surfing The Warm Industry
14. The Cardigans - For What It´s Worth
15. Jon - Right Here Next To You
16. HIM - The Sacrament
17. Timbuktu - The Botten Is Nådd
18. Redrama - Hang It Up
19. Lisa Miskovsky - Lady Stardust
20. Winta - Emotions

Lake of Tears will enter the studio on February 13 to begin work on their new album, tentatively titled "Black Brick Road". An August release on Noise Records is expected.

German radio show "45 minutes", broadcast every second sunday at 7.30 pm on Radio Blau Leipzig, recently published their best-of-the-year lists and they contain a ton of Nordic acts. Here's some highlights:

Top 100 LPs 2003
01. The Bear Quartet "angry brigade" (A West Side Fabrication)
03. David & The Citizens "until the sadness is gone" (Adrian)
05. The Legends "up against the legends" (Labrador)
06. The Radio Dept. "lesser matters" (Labrador)
08. The Embassy "futile crimes" (Service)
10. Wan Light "let's wake up somewhere else" (Labrador)
12. Mew "frengers" (Sony)
13. Monastir "the modern sound for a loser generation" (A West Side Fabrication)
16. Peter Bjorn And John "s/t" (Beat That!)
17. The Crystal Committee "forever overhead" (Chalksound)
18. Dub Sweden "welcome to our world" (Silence)
21. Franke "optimismens hån" (Service)
22. Club 8 "strangely beautiful" (Labrador)
23. Komeda "kokomemedada" (Sonet)
32. The Concretes "s/t" (Licking Fingers)
42. Broder Daniel "cruel town" (Dolores)
50. The Cardigans "long gone before daylight" (Stockholm)
57. Laakso "miss you, i'm pregnant" (Adrian)
58. The Raveonettes "chain gang of love" (Dragnet)
73. Paola "stockcity girl" (Dolores)
83. Burek V "s/t" (A West Side Fabrication)
85. Carpet People "more bad weather coming out of the rain" (Chalksound)
88. Isolation Years "it's golden" (Stickman)
89. Douglas Heart "douglas heart" (Labrador)
93. Mando Diao "bring 'em in" (Majesty)
94. The Knife "deep cuts" (Rabid)
97. Ariel Kill Him "in the pyramid" (Kasual)
99. Edson "every day, ervery second" (Labrador)

For the rest of the list, as well as their singles chart, go here: http://www.pop-on-paper.de/

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

The Hives will premiere their brand new single at the P3 Gold Awards on January 23 at Storan in Göteborg. Other acts set to play include Nicolai Dunger, Lisa Miskovsky, Patrik Isaksson, Elin Sigvardsson, Timbuktu, Broder Daniel and Soundtrack Of Our Lives. As for the awards themselves, here's the nominees:

Guldmicken (best live act):
José González
Moneybrother
Randy
Robyn
Timbuktu

Best song:
The Cardigans - "For What It's Worth"
Per Gessle - "Här Kommer Alla Känslorna (På En Och Samma Gång)"
Lisa Miskovsky - "Lady Stardust"
Timbuktu - "The Botten Is Nådd"
Broder Daniel - "When We Were Winning"

Best group:
Alcazar - "Alcazarised"
Bad Cash Quartet - "Midnight Prayer"
Broder Daniel - "Cruel Town"
The Cardigans - "Long Gone Before Daylight"
The Knife - "Deep Cuts"

Best male artist:
Per Gessle - "Mazarin"
José González - "Veneer"
Moneybrother - "Blood Panic"
Timbuktu - "The Botten Is Nådd"
Lars Winnerbäck - "Söndermarken"

Best female artist:
Lisa Miskovsky - "Fallingwater"
Miss Universum - "Selfelected"
Pauline - "Candy Rain"
Sophie Rimheden - "Hi-Fi"
Elin Sigvardsson - "Saturday Light Naïve"

Best newcomer:
José González
Miss Universum
Moneybrother
Pauline
Radio Dept.

Best rock:
Arch Enemy - "Anthems of Rebellion"
Cult Of Luna - "The Beyond"
Mörk Gryning - "Pieces of Primal Expressionism"
Nasum - "Helvete"
Satirnine - "Void of Value"

Best dance:
Jesper Dahlbäck - total production 2003
Eric Prydz - total production 2003
Forss - "Soulhack"
Hundarna från Söder - "Hundarna Från Söder"
Plej - "Electronic Music From The Swedish Leftcoast"

Best pop:
Franke - "Optimismens Hån"
The Knife - "Deep Cuts"
Radio Dept. - "Lesser Matters"
Sophie Rimheden - "Hi-Fi"
Tape - "Milieu"

Best hip-hop/soul:
Advance Patrol - "Utskrivna"
Fattaru - "Jordnära"
Ken - "Det Bortglömda"
Latin Kings - "Omerta"
Timbuktu - "The Botten Is Nådd"

For more info, go to P3 Gold's website.

The write-ins have been tabulated and the nominees for the 25th annual Rockbjornen have been announced. Here's the categories I care about:

Best Swedish male:
Per Gessle
José González
Moneybrother
Timbuktu
Lars Winnerbäck

Best Swedish female:
Carola
Lisa Miskovsky
Pauline
Robyn
Elin Sigvardsson

Best Swedish group:
Alcazar
Backyard Babies
Broder Daniel
Kent
The Cardigans

Best Swedish song:
Per Gessle - Här Kommer Alla Känslorna
Lisa Miskovsky - Lady Stardust
Backyard Babies - Minus Celsius
Timbuktu - The Botten Is Nådd
Broder Daniel - When We Were Winning

Best Swedish album:
Moneybrother - Blood Panic
Broder Daniel - Cruel Town
The Cardigans - Long Gone Before Daylight
Per Gessle - Mazarin
Lars Winnerbäck - Söndermarken

Best Swedish newcomer:
José González
Jamie Meyer
Moneybrother
Pauline
Elin Sigvardsson

Finland's The Rasmus is also nominated in the best international song, group and album categories. Go here to vote: http://www.rockbjornen.se