Top 10s for 2007: It's a Trap!

The boring, entirely predictable nominations for this year's Rockbjörnen:

Female artist:
Amy Diamond
Miss Li
Robyn
Sonja Aldén
Säkert!

Male artist:
Danny Saucedo
Lars Winnerbäck
Magnus Uggla
Måns Zelmerlöw
Ola Svensson

Group:
Kent
Mando Diao
Sahara Hotnights
The Ark
The Hives

Best newcomer:
Danny Saucedo
Miss Li
Måns Zelmerlöw
Oh Laura
Salem Al Fakir

Best song:
Kent: Ingenting
Lars Winnerbäck: Om du lämnade mig nu
Magnus Uggla: Pärlor åt svin
Måns Zelmerlöw: Cara Mia
Ola Svensson: Natalie

Best album:
Kent: Tillbaka till samtiden
Lars Winnerbäck: Daugava
Magnus Uggla: Pärlor åt svinen
Ola Svensson: Good Enough
The Ark: Prayer for the Weekend

Best live act:
Kent
Lars Winnerbäck
Mando Diao
The Ark
The Hives

Go here to vote: http://www.aftonbladet.se/nojesliv/musik/rockbjornen2007/article1324994.ab

This year's Swedish Grammi (Grammy) Award nominees have been announced:

Best album:
Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala
Kent - Tillbaka Till Samtiden
Lars Winnerbäck - Daugava
Moneybrother - Mount Pleasure
Sahara Hotnights - What If Leaving Is A Loving Thing
Salem Al Fakir - This Is Who I Am
Säkert! - Säkert!
The Ark - Prayer For The Weekend
The Hives - The Black And White Album
Timbuktu - Oberoendeframkallande

Best dance/hip-hop/soul:
Adam Tensta - It's A Tensta Thing
Dogge Doggelito - Superclasico
Familjen - Det Snurrar I Min Skalle
Fjärde Världen - Världens Ände
Ken - Äntligen Hemma
Mange Schmidt - Känslan Kommer Tillbaks
Million Stylez - From A Far
Petter - God Damn It
September - Dancing Shoes
Vincent - Lucky Thirteen

Best group:
Eldkvarn - Svart Blogg
Kent - Tillbaka Till Samtiden
Mando Diao - Never Seen The Light Of Day
Sahara Hotnights - What If Leaving Is A Loving Thing
Shout Out Louds - Our Ill Wills
The Ark - Prayer For The Weekend
The Hives - The Black And White Album
Oh Laura - A Song Inside My Head, A Demon In My Bed
Peter Bjorn And John - Writer's Block
Weeping Willows - Fear & Love

Best hard-rock/metal:
Arch Enemy - Rise Of The Tyrant
Candlemass - King Of The Grey Island
Clawfinger - Life Will Kill You
Crashdiet - The Unattractive Revolution
Dark Tranquillity - Fiction
Entombed - Serpent Saints
Hardcore Superstar - Dreamin' In A Casket
Lillasyster - Hjärndöd Musik För En Hjärndöd Generation
Mustasch - Latest Version Of The Truth
Takida - Bury The Lies

Best songwriter:
Anna Järvinen - Jag Fick Feeling
Annika Norlin - Säkert!
Benny Andersson - Bao 3
Christian Kjellvander - I Saw Her From Here/I Saw Here From Her
Joakim Berg & Martin Sköld - Tillbaka Till Samtiden
José González - In Our Nature
Moneybrother - Mount Pleasure
Ola Salo - Prayer For The Weekend
Peter Bjorn And John - Writer's Block
Salem Al Fakir - This Is Who I Am

Best female artist:
Anna Järvinen - Jag Fick Feeling
Eva Dahlgren - Petroleum Och Tång
Jaqee - Nouvelle D'amour
Laleh - Prinsessor
Louise Hoffsten - Så Speciell
Maia Hirasawa - Though, I'm Just Me
Miss Li - God Put A Rainbow In The Sky
Sonja Aldén - Till Dig
Sophie Zelmani - Memory Loves You
Säkert! - Säkert!

Best live act:
Benny Anderssons Orkester
Jens Lekman
Lars Winnerbäck
Lena Ph & Orup
Parksommar
Per Gessle
Peter Jöback
Takida
The Hives
Timbuktu

Best song:
Lars Winnerbäck - I Duett Med Miss Li Om Du Lämnade Mig Nu
Mange Schmidt Feat. Petter - Giftig
Markoolio - Ingen Sommar Utan Reggae
Martin Stenmarck - 100 År Från Nu (Blundar)
Måns Zelmerlöw - Cara Mia
Sahara Hotnights - Cheek To Cheek
Salem Al Fakir - Good Song
Sonja Aldén - För Att Du Finns
The Ark - The Worrying Kind
Ola - Natalie

Best male artist:
Christian Kjellvander - I Saw Her From Here / I Saw Here From Her
Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala
José González - In Our Nature
Lars Winnerbäck - Daugava
Moneybrother - Mount Pleasure
Måns Zelmerlöw - Stand By For...
Peter Lemarc - Kärlek I Tystnadens Tid
Salem Al Fakir - This Is Who I Am
Timbuktu - Oberoendeframkallande
Timo Räisänen - Love Will Turn You Around

Best newcomer:
Abalone Dots - From A Safe Distance
Adam Tensta - It's A Tensta Thing
Anna Järvinen - Jag Fick Feeling
Maia Hirasawa - Though, I'm Just Me
Måns Zelmerlöw - Stand By For...
Oh Laura - A Song Inside My Head, A Demon In My Bed
Salem Al Fakir - This Is Who I Am
Sonja Aldén - Till Dig
Säkert! - Säkert!
Vincent - Lucky Thirteen

Best producer:
Benny Andersson - Bao 3
Björn Olsson - Never Seen The Light Of Day
Björn Yttling - Writer's Block & What If Leaving Is A Loving Thing
Jari Haapalainen - Svart Blogg
Jon Joshua Schuman & Kent - Tillbaka Till Samtiden
José González - In Our Nature
Laleh - Prinsessor
Maia Hirasawa - Though, I'm Just Me
Salem Al Fakir - This Is Who I Am
Vincent Pontare - Lucky Thirteen

Best lyrics:
Anna Järvinen - Jag Fick Feeling
Annika Norlin - Säkert!
Eva Dahlgren - Petroleum Och Tång
Jason Diakité - Oberoendeframkallande
Joakim Berg - Tillbaka Till Samtiden
Lars Winnerbäck - Daugava
Ola Salo - Prayer For The Weekend
Peter Lemarc - Kärlek I Tystnadens Tid
Plura Jonsson - Svart Blogg
Salem Al Fakir - This Is Who I Am

Go here for the full list: http://www.musikindustrin.nu/mi/smpage.fwx?page=198&NYHETER=8646

Pitchfork reviews the new album from The Hives: http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/47067-the-black-and-white-album

This week's top 20 Swedish album chart:

01. Kent - Tillbaka till samtiden
02. Martin Stenmarck - Det är det pojkar gör när kärleken dör
03. Christian Kjellvander - I saw her from here/I saw here from her
04. Hardcore Superstar - dreamin' in a casket
05. Christer Sjögren - Älskade andliga sånger
06. Magnus Uggla - Pärlor åt svinen
07. Louise Hoffsten - Så speciell
08. Lars Winnerbäck - Daugava
09. Peter Lemarc - Kärlek i tystnadens tid
10. Petter - God damn it
11. Thorleifs - Våra bästa år
12. Nisse Hellberg - En tiger i tanken
14. Benny Anderssons Orkester - Bao 3
15. Peter Jöback - Människor som du och jag
16. Shirley Clamp - Tålamod
17. The Hives - The black and white album
18. E-Type - Eurotopia
19. Drifters - Ett liv med dig
20. Mando Diao - Never seen the light of day

Quit Your Dayjob will play support to The Hives for a batch of dates before setting off on a string of their own headlining shows:

11/19 - Docks, Hamburg (GER) w/The Hives
11/20 - Columbia halle, Berlin (GER) w/The Hives
11/22 - ABC, Glasgow (UK) w/The Hives
11/23 - Hammersmith, London (UK) w/The Hives
11/24 - Apolo, Mannchester (UK) w/The Hives
11/25 - Academy, Birmingham (UK) w/The Hives
11/27 - Le Bataclan, Paris (FRA) w/The Hives
11/28 - Palladium, Cologne (GER) w/The Hives
11/29 - Paradiso, Amsterdam (NL) w/The Hives
11/30 - Schlachthof, Wiesbaden (GER) w/The Hives
12/02 - AB, Brussels (BEL) w/The Hives
12/11 - Steinbruch, Duisburg (GER)
12/12 - Mains D'Oeuvres, Paris (FRA)
12/13 - Belle Vue Café, Brussels (BEL)
12/14 - State X Festival, The Hague (NL)
12/15 - Patronaat, Haarlem (NL)
12/22 - Henriksberg, Göteborg (SWE)
01/25 - Transformateur, Fribourg (CH)
01/26 - Sedel, Luzern (CH)

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

01. The Bombettes - Dating scene
02. TALK 1
03. Leütenhaven - Still life (trompe l'oeil)
04. Dieter Schöön - Warm hearts
05. Kasper Bjørke - Back & spine (Fidel Astro remix)
06. TALK 2
07. Come Sleep - Be the end
08. Promise and the Monster - Trials
09. Immanu El - Home
10. TALK 3
11. Lukestar - Lake Toba
12. Marit Bergman - No party
13. Mando Diao - Never seen the light of day
14. TALK 4
15. Jonas Game - ADHD
16. Kornstad - Turkey, Texas
17. Josse - You had a plan
18. The Hives - You dress up for Armageddon
19. TALK 5
20. Randy - Freedom song
21. Ted Gärdestad - Så mycket bättre
22. Motorhomes - Into the night
23. TALK 6
24. Laakso - Västerbron
25. The Bear Quartet - Hunchback
26. Susanne Sundfør - The dance
27. TALK 7
28. New Moscow - Turbonegro must be destroyed
29. The Bell - Target group
30. Vaiping - The great polar expedition
31. TALK 8
32. NEI - City of gold
33. Asha Ali - Fire, fire
34. My Enemy - My time coming (Johan Formeijer remix)
35. TALK 9
36. CS Nielsen - Black spots
37. David Sandström Overdrive - The Fatville Treaty
38. C.Aarmé - Golden retriever
39. TALK 10
40. Aerial - My god, it's full of stars!

This week's top 20 Swedish album chart:

01. Kent - Tillbaka till samtiden
02. Magnus Uggla - Pärlor åt svinen
03. Christer Sjögren - Älskade andliga sånger
04. Lars Winnerbäck - Daugava
05. Benny Anderssons Orkester - Bao 3
06. E-Type - Eurotopia
07. Petter - God damn it
08. Thorleifs - Våra bästa år
09. Nisse Hellberg - En tiger i tanken
10. Peter Lemarc - Kärlek i tystnadens tid
11. Peter Jöback - Människor som du och jag
12. Mando Diao - Never seen the light of day
14. Shirley Clamp - Tålamod
15. The Hives - The black and white album
16. Jaqee - Nouvelle d'amour
17. Sahara Hotnights - What if leaving is a loving thing
18. Sonja Aldén - Till dig
19. Hammerfall - Steel meets steel - Ten years of glory
20. Miss Li - Songs of a rag doll

This week's top 20 Swedish album chart:

01. Kent - Tillbaka till samtiden
02. Magnus Uggla - Pärlor åt svinen
03. Benny Anderssons Orkester - Bao 3
04. Christer Sjögren - Älskade andliga sånger
05. Lars Winnerbäck - Daugava
06. Thorleifs - Våra bästa år
07. Nisse Hellberg - En tiger i tanken
08. Mando Diao - Never seen the light of day
09. Peter Lemarc - Kärlek i tystnadens tid
10. The Hives - The black and white album
11. Petter - God damn it
12. Shirley Clamp - Tålamod
14. Peter Jöback - Människor som du och jag
15. Avatar - Schlacht
16. Ken - Äntligen hemma
17. Sonja Aldén - Till dig
18. José González - In our nature
19. Hammerfall - Steel meets steel - Ten years of glory
20. Tommy Körberg - Rakt upp och ner

The Hives
The black and white album
Interscope

There's been a lot of talk about which producers The Hives have worked with for "The Black and White Album", their fourth album in ten years. It's been Pharrell this, Modest Mouse producer that, and so on. All this talk and the fact that their last album was a bit "meh", really put me off the album, especially the thought of not-so-very-good-in-the-last-few-years Pharrell being involved just felt so like such a tired and uninspired way to achieve something new. I was pretty much set on not liking this offering from the Fagersta boys, and I didn't look forward to hearing it at all (the first single of the album – "Tick tick boom" did nothing for me either), so I was greatly pleased to discover that The Hives have actually made a quite decent record. They haven't started playing rap-metal, or changed their sound drastically, but they have certainly taken on board some new ideas, which I think most of the time work in their favour. The track that stands out from the rest is the Pharrell produced "T.H.E.H.I.V.E.S." which doesn't sound like The Hives at all, but more like Kraftwerk doing disco. A lot of people don't seem to like this particular song, but I really dig it! For the rest, it's the usual flavour of The Hives and there are some great tracks (eg. "You dress up for armageddon" – it sounds like Randy at their best) and some less so ("Puppet on a string" - very annoying), but at the same time it's much better and interesting than a lot of similar sounding bands and definitely a step forward. After being a fan for 10 years, it's nice to hear that The Hives are still able to come up with some smashing tunes and make me want to go and see them and maybe do a little jig, and have a beer or two.
- Simon Tagestam

This week's top 20 Swedish album chart:

01. Kent - Tillbaka till samtiden
02. Christer Sjögren - Älskade andliga sånger
03. The Hives - The black and white album
04. Lars Winnerbäck - Daugava
05. Peter Lemarc - Kärlek i tystnadens tid
06. Thorleifs - Våra bästa år
07. Peter Jöback - Människor som du och jag
08. Ola - Good enough
09. José González - In our nature
10. Hammerfall - Steel meets steel - Ten years of glory
11. Miss Li - Songs of a rag doll
12. Hans Martin & Tommys - Mina egna favoriter
14. Soilwork - Sworn to a great divide
15. Dia Psalma - Djupa skogen
16. Sahara Hotnights - What if leaving is a loving thing
17. Bo Sundström & Frida Öhrn - Den lyckliges väg
18. Sonja Aldén - Till dig
19. Jens Lekman - Night falls over Kortedala
20. Moneybrother - Mount pleasure

This week's It's A Trap! Last.fm listening group top 10 artists of the week:

01. Radiohead
02. Kent
03. Jens Lekman
04. The Knife
05. Beirut
06. Iron & Wine
07. Bob Dylan
08. The Hives
09. Feist
10. José González

Do you listen to music on your computer or with an iPod? Join us! Go here to learn more: http://www.last.fm/help/

Moll Flanders
Out of fashion
Crying Bob

Honestly, it took me a while to figure out how to review this record. There wasn't much information readily available besides a brief bio (maybe I didn't dig deep enough, just being honest). Moll Flanders are a rock band from Sweden, and you could put them right into a slot next to The Hives, Interpol, etc. The aspects that hold the most value are the musical diversity in the album, Dylan-esque balladry, even some 60's baroque aspect, especially on "Could it be me?" They practically channel "She's not there" by The Zombies. That's my personal favorite track and I doubt I'll let this one slip through the cracks. It's one of those albums that one tends to share with their friends.
- Paul Bredenberg

MP3: Knugen Faller - Lungen favoriter

This is kind of a catch-up post since I've been meaning to post about Knugen Faller for awhile, yet somehow manage to postpone it over and over. No more! Anyhow, Nancy's review sums it up pretty well, though I actually like it a lot more than she does. Truth: yes, this is a retro genre piece and as such, it steals shamelessly from acts of yore. However, I'm okay with that 'cuz they do it well. It's all about good songs played with copious energy, not originality and hey, they even get acclaimed jazz musician Jonas Kullhammar to lay down some sax so that's gotta mean something. If you like Randy, Regulations, or even The Hives, there's a damn good chance you'll like this too. 'Nuff said!

Buy it: [click here]

Knugen Faller - Lungen favoriter

The Hives will be releasing a new 6-track digital-only EP featuring tracks from the forthcoming "The black and white album" as well as the exclusive cut "Fall is just something grownups invented" which was recorded for the Cartoon Network.