Deep Water Acres writer Mats Gustafsson interviews IAT favorite The Goner aka Daniel Westerlund: http://www.dwacres.com/node/2176

Here's the playlist for this week's radio show:

01. TALK 1
02. Anna Maria Espinosa - A little moonlight
03. Marit Bergman - 1985
04. The Goner - Haven
05. TALK 2
06. Park Hotell - Black hole
07. Fredrik - Holm
08. Emmanuel Tegel - Solaris (beat mix)
09. TALK 3
10. The Alien - Extract #3
11. Boeoes Kaelstigen - Radius (Boeoes Kaelstigen's yea/nay remix)
12. Montt Mardié - Modesty Blaise
13. TALK 4
14. David Sandström Overdrive - Songs that maybe won't be forgotten
15. They Live By Night - Endless summer
16. Katzenjammer - Tea with cinnamon
17. TALK 5
18. Nitad - Dag efter dag

Reminder: my show airs on Sirius Left of Center (channel 26) at 11pm ET with repeats on Monday at the same time.

Svarta Markaden, the Swedish DIY label responsible for The Goner (definitelt a top 10 of 2008 favorite), has a new limited release out from Swedish drone artist Attohwa. Go here for more info: http://svartamarknaden.wordpress.com/2008/10/25/attohwa-havet-cdr/

Here's the playlist for this week's radio show:

01. Firefox AK - Techno tears
02. TALK 1
03. Hello Saferide - Anna
04. Sods - Copenhagen
05. Jonathan Johansson - En hand i himlen
06. TALK 2
07. Miss Li - I'm sorry, he's mine
08. Parker Lewis - Heart rate hill
09. Tiger Lou - Crushed by a crowd
10. Juvelen - Don't mess
11. TALK 3
12. Katzenjammer - Le pop
13. Passiv Dödshjälp - Exorcism i beslagtagen kropp
14. The Goner - Haven
15. The Social Services - Seven dwarfs
16. TALK 4
17. The Skull Defekts - Waving
18. Moto Boy - Ride my wild heart
19. Oskar Schönning - Faustine
20. David Sandström Overdrive - Songs that maybe won't be forgotten
21. TALK 5
22. Darkthrone - Hiking metal punks

Reminder: my show airs on Sirius Left of Center (channel 26) at 11pm ET with repeats on Monday at the same time.

The mere 33 copies of The Goner's excellent "Haven" release sold out almost instantly (no surprise), so now there's a new "shadow edition" of the release available to latecomers: http://svartamarknaden.wordpress.com/2008/10/11/the-goner-releases-a-shadow-edition-of-haven/

MP3: The Goner - A song

With the release of "Haven", The Goner has completed his H-series triptych and secured himself a place in my year-end top 10 list. This final chapter might be the best of the bunch too, that is, if I was to consider them individually. It's got the gentle folksiness of "Halartraller" as evidenced by opening track "A song" (featured today), but it's also balanced by more raga instrumentals and extensive psychedelic vamping that defined "Hind Hand". Again, this is cult music; willfully obscure and intentionally obtuse. Music like this isn't created to gain popularity, make friends, to sell records; this is art. And as we pass through these Days of Awe I can think of no finer soundtrack.

May all loose threads be sewn / To guard from darksome night
May every grieving soul be thrown / Where God himself gives light

The Goner - A song

Here's the playlist for this week's radio show:

01. Mimas - Cats on fire
02. TALK 1
03. Martin Vogel - Pick A D
04. Jonna Lee - The light
05. Abalone Dots - Over Georgia
06. TALK 2
07. Tobias Hellkvist - Ships of the North Atlantic
08. Lapko - Killer whales
09. The Social Services - The Baltic Sea
10. TALK 3
11. Hello Saferide - I wonder who is like this one
12. Boeoes Kaelstigen - Cecta
13. C.Aarmé - Tu puta mi casa
14. TALK 4
15. Pay TV - Fashion report
16. The Goner - The last folk song
17. Tomas Halberstad - Travel as I wait
18. Darkthrone - Raised on rock
19. TALK 5
20. Commando M Pigg - Att kasta spjut

Reminder: My show on Sirius Left of Center (channel 26) airs Sundays at 11pm ET with repeats on Monday at the same time.

MP3: Mikko Singh - Iloitkaamme

Having met Mikko Singh briefly during my visit to Stockholm earlier this summer, I can confidently say that his new album "Uskotko että siellä on kukkia?" ("Do you believe there are flowers there?") is a direct reflection of the man behind the music. Besides representing his broad cultural background - Punjabi, Finnish, Swedish, maybe more - it also reflects his sunny disposition. At least that's the impression I got as Mikko was all smiles and this music is pure sunshine. As always, Mikko plays every instrument himself and he's got quite a collection. This particular track, "Iloitkaamme" ("Let us rejoice"), is actually one of the more straightforward, traditional-sounding pieces on the album as its mostly guitar based, but there's plenty of other pieces with sitar and other ethnic strings plus accordion, various percussion implements and probably a whole bunch of other stuff I can't pick out so easily. He's also cut way back on the vocals and only sings on the final track which at first was kinda disappointing, but the more I listen, the more I think I understand. This is music for tinting your life with color without overwhelming it. It's meditative and blissful and vocals would only serve as a distraction. As the first signs of autumn begin to creep into the air, it's also the perfect soundtrack for squeezing out every last bit of sunshine you can. Thanks Mikko, for helping me forget about the dark days around the corner.

As with The Goner, this is underground DIY music that demands a larger audience. Head to myspace for more: http://www.myspace.com/mikkosingh

Mikko Singh - Iloitkaamme

The third and final installment of The Goner's H-Trilogy is called "Haven" and is out now. Stream samples at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/gonergonergoner
Considering that the first two already rank as some of my favorite releases of the year, I'd say this one is probably just as crucial. Only 33 copies so act fast.

Here's the playlist for this week's radio show:

01. Theresa Andersson - Na na na (empty heart)
02. TALK 1
03. Soviac - Malorca
04. Agent Side Grinder - Ricocheting memories
05. Svenson - Howlong
06. TALK 2
07. Hello Kinski - Summer is a waste of time
08. Britta Persson - Kill Hollywood me
09. Tredje Mannen - Cul-de-sac
10. TALK 3
11. The Goner - Spirit roundup
12. Liket Lever - Levande begravd
13. TALK 4
14. Paper - Out of it into it
15. Hebosagil - Big sun
16. Murmansk - Vague language
17. Randy - Who's side are you on?
18. TALK 5
19. The Deer Tracks - Slow collision

Reminder: my show on Sirius Left of Center (channel 26) airs Sundays at 11pm ET with repeats on Monday.

MP3: The Goner - Spirit roundup

Here's another one that probably should've been included in last week's "best music of 2008 thus far" series of posts (here, here and here), but I ran out of days so what can ya do? As I stated before with regards to The Goner, the music he creates is willfully obscure psych/pop/drone par excellence and this particular track is the perfect culmination of everything he stands for. "Halartrallar", the first EP of his planned H-Trilogy, leaned more towards the pop side of things with a few tracks that approximated a standard verse/chorus/verse format, but "Hind Hand", the second installation of the series, is all dronedronedronedronedrone. And I'm not talking about ambient electronic noodling either, this is heavily influenced by Indian raga, so it's very rhythmic, not to mention incredibly melodic. As for esoteric? Hardly. There is no challenge to appreciating blissed-out jams like this. It also passes the toughest test of my household in that even my hard-to-please wife loves it. Undertand: that's high praise from a fickle source.

Only 33 copies were made, so you better grab one before they're gone: [click here]

The Goner - Spirit roundup

The Goner's new EP "Hind hand" is done and available for mailorder direct from his self-run label Svarta Marknaden: http://svartamarknaden.wordpress.com/2008/06/14/hind-hand-released/
As I mentioned before, I've heard some pre-mixes of the material and it's stunning. Definitely recommended.

MP3: The Goner - Kill them all save Simon Joyner

The Goner fits the definition of a cult artist to a T. What else can you say about a bedroom artist who puts out extremely limited hand-packaged CDRs of unique psych-pop? "Halartrallar" is the first EP of his planned H-Trilogy on his own Svarta Marknaden label. 33 copies in all, packaged in an oversized envelope. The music ranges from melancholy ballads to droning freak-folk to other songs such as today's pick "Kill them all save Simon Joyner"- a poppy, upbeat almost-country number with nonsensical lyrics, pop culture non-sequiturs, a driving bassline and metallic cling-clang percussion. I must admit that I'm not too terribly familiar with the subject of the song's namesake, but a cursory listen will prove he is undoubtedly an influence. This is lo-fi DIY and I like it a lot. Even better, check out some samples from the forthcoming "Hind hand" CDR at The Goner's myspace page and be blown away. This sort of artistry blossoms well under obscurity, but it doesn't have to be that way.

The Goner - Kill them all save Simon Joyner

Here's the playlist for this week's radio show:

01. Lögnhalsmottagningen - Bodybuilder
02. TALK 1
03. Svart - Carl du lever i en dröm
04. Majessic Dreams - Beautiful days
05. Antennas - Lies (Oscar Tillman remix)
06. TALK 2
07. The Sound O.E - Universal tourist
08. Kaipa - Nattdjurstid
09. Murmansk - Pale
10. TALK 3
11. On Volcano - Ride the wolf
12. Markus Krunegård - Samma nätter vänter alla
13. Ondo - Mahavishnu
14. TALK 4
15. Popsicle - Hey princess
16. CMX - Tulikiveä
17. Ström i P2/Håkan Lidbo - Strömavbrott (Boeoes Kaelstigen Etsi remix)
18. TALK 5
19. The Goner - Kill them all save Simon Joyner
20. Cult of Luna - Eternal kingdom
21. Montys Loco - Ages ago
22. TALK 6
23. Mattias Alkberg BD - Allting är drömt
24. Masshysteri - Monoton tid
25. Ljudbilden & Piloten - You know you're doing OK
26. Abduktio - Thermador
27. TALK 7
28. Hebosagil - Big sun
29. Anna Ternheim - To be gone
30. Kusowsky - Tjuvar
31. Fredrik - 1986
32. TALK 8
33. Johan Heltne - 16 Avenue de l'Opera
34. Cortex - Arkham
35. Kleerup - Until we bleed (ft. Lykke Li)
36. TALK 9
37. Coldworker - Citizens of the cyclopean maze

Heads-up: my show is moving to a new time next week! Starting on Sunday, June 8 my show will be on at 11pm Eastern / 8pm Pacific with a repeat on Monday at the exact same time. I'm also paring down to an hour of programming a week, so expect all-killer/no-filler from here on out! Also, seeing as how I'm leaving for Sweden on June 9, this week's coming show will be a Hultsfred Festival special so mark your calenders, update your alarm clocks or do whatever it is you need to do to remind yourself to listen in!

Here's this week's radio show playlist:

01. Siena Root - Waiting for the sun
02. TALK 1
03. Cult of Luna - Eternal kingdom
04. Svartbag - Black Capricorn
05. Kite - Ways to dance
06. TALK 2
07. Eero Johannes - Finnrexin
08. Looptroop Rockers - The building
09. Holiday for Strings - Touch the tiger
10. TALK 3
11. Silverbullit - Magnetic city
12. Thomas Denver Jonsson - My wardrobe
13. Samtidigt Som - Constant in motion
14. Wolfbrigade - Feelings you don't want to feel
15. TALK 4
16. Johndoe - Piggtråd og piss
17. Sol Andersson - All is full of love
18. King of All the Animals - The snowflake song (I Was A Teenage Satan Worshipper remix)
19. TALK 5
20. Last Days of April - You don't believe me (Monster & Maskiner remix)
21. Pacta Sunt Servanda - To claim your prize
22. The Goner - Spirit round-up
23. TALK 6
24. Tape - Altamira
25. Letum - Tallriksis
26. Zeigeist - Black milk
27. TALK 7
28. Knife and Ape - Semiotic dysfunction
29. Terveet Kädet - Message
30. Giant Boar - Chronic date
31. The Lionheart Brothers - Time river floaty
32. TALK 8
33. Echo Is Your Love - Lion tamer vs tigers
34. Agent Side Grinder - Lashes of flashes
35. Skitsystem - Solidaritetens sista utpost
36. TALK 9
37. Final Exit - Punk enough

Reminder: my show on Sirius Blog Radio runs Saturdays at 12 noon and midnight ET on channel 26 (Left of Center). My show is being preempted this coming weekend (05/24) for a special Memorial Day Block Party special, but I'll be back in full effect on June 7.