The Soundtrack of Our Lives will be on the radio program World Cafe today at 2pm Eastern. Listen live here. I'll try to record it, too.

Washoe, the band featuring Uffe from Entombed along with Patrik Wirén, Patrik Thorngren and Olle from Misery Loves Company have officially changed their name to Alpha Safari. Their next show is March 23 at Skylten in Linköping.

Here's a list of the bonus tracks revealed so far for the upcoming Union Carbide Productions box-set:

Senile Man (rehearsal demo -86)
Duck Song (rehearsal demo -86-87)
3 or 4 tracks from CBGB's
Puppet On a String (-88)
Swedish Meatball Revival (alt. mix -89)
Here Comes Kjell (rehearsal demo -86)
So Long (instrumental -87)
Transaction
Hello
Planet Caravan (1990)
Let Me Come Down
SF Boogie (Instrumental)
Banana Split (ex. Get Riddley)
Doin' Time
Swing (demo version)
Chameleon ride (Demo version)
High Speed Energy (Unfinished "from influence" outtake)
Off The Wall
I'm Alive
Future Now (MC 5 cover 1992)
Anytime Of The Day (demo)
Turn Off The Blues (single version)

www.unioncarbideproductions.com also reports that the album "Swing" will be reissued like the vinyl version, with the band's preferred song sequence and new artwork that the label didn't approve of.

www.thearkworld.com has posted a bunch of pics plus some audio and video from The Ark's performance in Vaxjo last Friday.

Startracks has revealed they will be doing a label comp to come out on March 10. They are of the opinion that such comps "are the lowest and worst shit you can do," but "it was the cheapest way to get the word out there, it will be great, cheap and with at least one exclusive song so you end up buying it." More details when I get them.

I should've posted it a couple days ago, but Supersilent's new album "6" is one of the featured new releases on the Aquarius Records new release list. Read the review and listen to samples here. Mega indie-rock site Pitchfork Media also reviewed it today and gave it a 9.1 out of 10.

The Norweigan label Racing Junior will be holding a mini-festival at The Spitz in London on February 19-20. The groups confirmed to play are Hello Goodbye, Salvatore, Ai Phoenix, Tøyen, Portrait of David and The White Birch. Read more here.

69-Hard and Puffball kick some Danish ass at Stengade 30 in Copenhagen Denmark on Thursday, March 20. Tons of new material will be showcased!

That comes straight from Metz of 69-Hard. The new album "Blues from Hell" comes out March 28 on Idle Hands Records.

Sentenced has decided to take a much-needed break following the recent completion of their successful European tour with Lacuna Coil. Guitarist Sami Lopakka plans on spending time with his new child while singer Ville Laihiala and guitarist Miika Tenkula continue writing for the next record. However, they still plan to release a four-song EP with leftover tracks from "The Cold White Light" later on this year.

May be worth a look: The 2002 Village Voice Pazz & Jop Poll. Top ranked albums from Scandinavian acts include The Hives (21), The Soundtrack of Our Lives (38), Röyksopp (82), Sondre Lerche (94), Sahara Hotnights (154), Division of Laura Lee (158), and even Immortal (225). I probably missed a few, too. The included article 'Party in Hard Times' also makes mention of the recent success of Swedish rock in the US and might be of some interest.

The Soundtrack of Our Lives will be appearing on the Jay Leno Show on Wednesday, February 19.

Supersilent and Arve Henriksen are touring the UK in May. The dates:

5/22 - Exeter, UK
5/23 - Bath, UK
5/24 - Belfast, Ireland
5/25 - Salisbury, UK
5/26 - Birmingham, UK
5/27 - Liverpool, UK
5/28 - London UK

Hammerfall will be heading to Japan in March with Nocturnal Rites.

The next Melody Club single will be for the song "Covergirl". It comes out on March 24.

The recording of the new album has now taken its first steps towards the end. This time, to make it all even better, they have added new angles and approach to it all which will make the last album look pale compared to this one! DZO are creating a monster and they do not know if it will guide them or kill them. To be continued...

That's Dimension Zero describing the recording progress on the new album "This is Hell".

Turbonegro has finalized the track listing for their new album "Scandinavian Leather":

01. Intro: The Blizzard Of Flames
02. Wipe It Till It Bleeds
03. Gimme Some
04. Turbonegro Must Be Destroyed
05. Sell Your Body (To The Night)
06. Remain Untamed
07. Train Of Flesh
08. Fuck The World
09. Locked Down
10. I Want It All
11. D.I.B. (Drenched In Blood)
12. Le Saboteur
13. Ride With Us

Look for it on April 28 from Burning Heart Records.

There will be another five bands added to those Swedish showcase shows that I posted about yesterday. I'll let you know who they are as soon as I can.

Drummer Jensa Paulsson has left Grave, citing work and family issues. He will be replaced by Cristofer Barkensjö of Kassmos who the band says "is an excellent drummer and has been a friend of ours for a long time... we are very happy to welcome him in the band."

This week's MTV Up North Nordic video chart:

01. The Rasmus - In The Shadows
02. Acorn - One Day
03. Jon - Right Here Next To You
04. User - You Belong
05. The Spitts - That´s my girl
06. Last Days Of April - All Will Break
07. Christian - Min Fremtid
08. The Lungz - It´s Alright
09. Caesars Palace - Candy Kane

Challengers:
01. Trucker - I Feel So Sick
02. Paperboys - Find My Way
03. The Raveonettes - Attack Of The Ghostriders
04. The Cardigans - For What It´s Worth
05. Beats & Styles - Smilin´

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

Lots of new music today! I feel like I've been skimping on the metal, so I put up a live set from Mustasch recorded just the other day from Popstad on P3. They sound like a mix of "Kill 'Em All"-era Metallica and Soundgarden fronted by a guy who reminds of Dio and Ian Astbury of The Cult. And yes, those are all good things. I doubt they'll win, but the band is also up for a Swedish hard rock Grammy this year.

Next up is a track from the band KVLR. I'm going to be accompanying these guys on a short US tour next month, so you know I'm definitely into them. The track comes from the new retrospective collection "On Planted Streets" which combines all of their older releases on one CD. Those dates again:

3/7 - Santa Cruz, CA - Drop-In Center w/Science of Yabra, The Yellow Press
3/8 - Redding, CA - TBD w/The Yellow Press
3/9 - SF, CA - Club Galia w/Low Rise + more
3/10 - Huntington Beach, CA - Liquid Den w/The Yellow Press, Taint
3/11 - Phoenix, AZ - Red Room w/The Yellow Press
3/12 - Albuquerque, NM - Burt's Tiki Lounge w/The Jealous Sound
3/13 - Austin, TX - SXSW, TFT Records/Better Looking Records Showcase
3/14 - Flagstaff, AZ - Soul Kitchen
3/15 - TBD

Speaking of Popstad, Chili.se has a bunch of pictures and reviews of the show. (in Swedish)

Check out this deal on the new Crystal Committee album from Chalksounds. Available for Swedes only.

Export Music Sweden (ExMS) is doing another series of showcase concerts this year at CBGBs in NYC, SXSW, and LA. The performers include The Sounds, Prime Sth, Whyte Seeds, Marit Bergman and The $1000 Playboys. The NY shows are March 10-11, SXSW is March 14-15 and then Spaceland in LA on the 16th plus the 17th at the Troubadour. Last time around, this concert series was the event which introduced America to The Soundtrack of Our Lives and Sahara Hotnights. I suspect there will be at least one new hit act from this year's crowd, too.

Check out the video for 69-Hard's forthcoming single "Gone Gone Gone" right here. It comes out on February 28 with the b-sides "The Bullets" and "Fuck Authority". The new album "Blues From Hell" follows on March 28.

Check out some pictures from Madrugada's recent tour of Europe here.

The Cardigans finally got themselves a new website.

And whaddya know? Meshuggah has a new site, too. No definitive word yet, but there's a headlining US tour in the works for the future.

Sigh. It was only a matter of time, but Virgin Records Sweden has contacted me and kindly asked me to remove the mp3s from their artists (Nicolai Dunger, Melody Club, Caesars Palace and The Ark). And I do mean kindly - no threats or anything, just a polite request. Maybe we'll work something in the future for authorized downloads, but until then there will be no more Virgin artists represented on the playlist. Kind of a pity since they are some of my favorites, but that's the way it goes.

UPDATE: The nice people at Virgin are looking into working out an arrangement in the future. Nothing yet, but we'll see. As for now, get a preview of "Who Will Buy These Wonderful Evils?", the new 2xCD from Virgin/Dolores showcasing the label's past and present artists. It comes out February 24 and will be celebrated with a party at Club Debaser in Stockholm. Scheduled to appear and spin records are Ebbot from The Soundtrack of Our Lives, Jocke Åhlund from Caesars Palace, Reine Fiske from Dungen and more. Tickets go on sale on the 7th. Oh, and the tracklist for the album:

CD1.
01. Caesars Palace - Subhuman Girl
02. Håkan Hellström - Fulaste Flickan I Världen
03. Dungen - Horizon
04. Alf - Mitt I Malmö City
05. Grammar School Boys - Baby Blue
06. Franke - Aldrig förstå
07. Jose Gonzales - Dead Waits On Velveteen
08. The Soundtrack Of Our Lives - Jehova Sunrise
09. Broder Daniel - You Bury Me
10. Silverbullit - I Had To Tell You
11. Hello Goodbye - Pussycat
12. Whyte Seeds - Lost My Love
13. Sagor & Swing - Flickan & Jätten
14. The (International) Noise Conspiracy - Up For Sale
15. Paola - Rainbow In The Dark
16. Nicolai Dunger - Hey Mama

CD2.
01. The Mascots - The Girl That You Are
02. The Shakers - Who Will Buy (These Wonderful Evils)
03. The Wizards - See You Tonight
04. The Jackpots - King Of The World
05. Tages - Fantasy Island
06. Annaabee-Nox - Always On My Mind
07. Outsiders - Iside Of Me
08. Fabulous Four - 438 South Michigan Avenue
09. T-Bones - I Want You
10. Charlie & Esdor - Dagen Är Över
11. Steampacket II - Fruitseller Oldman's Song
12. Pugh - Här Kommer Natten
13. Ola And The Janglers - I Can't Wait
14. Mecki Mark Men - Midnight Land
15. Hansson & Karlsson - Tax Free
16. Trolls - Alone
17. The Deejays - Striped Dreams Checked Fear

And on a similar note, increased traffic levels mean I need to cut back on the amount of music I have for download anyways. If someone else is willing to externally host the stuff, by all means, let me know. Otherwise, five tracks at a time going forward plus the usual live sets.

Beyond Dawn reports that they've finally solidified a release for their new album "Frysh". Look for it in May from Peaceville.

In BD related news, side-project Wrongside has finished recording their debut MCD for a release in April on Duplicate Records. Described as "a strange mix of noisy rock, playful electronica and lo-fi melancholy among other things," they say "it should appeal to BD fans and probably a lot of other people as well." Preorder it now: duplicaterecords@hotmail.com.

Also from the BD camp, word is that Virus is nearly done with their debut album for Jester Records. Now tentively titled "Carheart" (as opposed to the original title "The Drama Hour") they describe it as "outlandishly cool and mindbogglingly mindboggling." To me that describes most everything from Jester, but hey, check it out and decide for yourself.

The new Katatonia album has been finalized. It's called "Viva Emptiness" and you can preview the cover here. It'll be out on March 24 from Peaceville. The tracklist:

01. Ghost of the Sun
02. Sleep
03. Criminals
04. A Premonition
05. Will I Arrive
06. Burn the Remembrance
07. Wealth
08. One Year from Now
09. Walking by a Wire
10. Complicity
11. Evidence
12. Omerta
13. Inside the City of Glass

The band promises preview mp3s shortly. I'll keep you posted.

Here's a message of interest from Burning Heart that may be worth investigating:

We have a very special treat for you. In cooperation with Burning Heart Records Turbojugend members will have the chance to listen to the new Turbonegro album "Scandinavian Leather" before everybody else!!! The official street date is the 28th of april. If your chapter is interested in setting up a pre-listening party, have your President get in touch a.s.a.p. with El Presidente (party@bitzcore.de) and Montse (montse@burningheart.com)

Doesn't appear to be much going on today, but I'm scraping together what I can. As always, click the contact link if you have anything to pass along. Anyway, check it out: new live mp3s from Logh on the right, one of my favorite bands. Sorry if either of the names for the last two tracks are wrong. I'm going on best guesses here.

Here's a new, updated list of dates from The Soundtrack of Our Lives:

3/15 - Orlando FL The Social
3/16 - Ft. Lauderdale FL Culture Room
3/18 - Atlanta GA Cotton Club
3/20 - New York NY Irving Plaza
3/21 - Washington DC 9:30 Club
3/22 - Philadelphia PA Theatre of Living Arts
3/23 - Boston MA Paradise
3/24 - Providence RI Met Cafe
3/26 - Ottawa Barrymore's Music Hall
3/27 - Montreal Cafe Campus
3/28 - Toronto Opera House
3/29 - Columbus OH Little Brother
3/31 - Detroit MI Magic Stick
4/1 - Chicago IL Cabaret Metro
4/2 - Minneapolis MN 400 Bar
4/5 - Denver CO Bluebird
4/6 - Salt Lake City UT Zephyr
4/8 - San Francisco CA Bimbo's 365 Club
4/10 - Seattle WA Graceland
4/11 - Vancouver Commodore Ballroom
4/26 - Indio CA TBD (Coachella Fest)
4/27 - Indio CA TBD (Coachella Fest)

Maybe more to come in April?

The Haunted are gearing up for a European tour in April. The dates so far:

4/02 - The Baroeg - Rotterdam, NETH
4/03 - Vera - Groningen, NETH
4/04 - Biebob - Vosselar, BEL
4/05 - Afterclub - Nancy/Amnev, FRA
4/06 - Koslow - Bordeaux, FRA
4/07 - Locomotive - Paris, FRA
4/08 - Azkena - Bilbao, ESP
4/09 - Hard club - Oporto, POR
4/10 - Paradise garage - Lisboa, POR
4/11 - Ritmo y Compass - Madrid, ESP
4/12 - KGB - Barcelona, ESP
4/13 - Le Confluent - Lyon, FRA
4/15 - TBA
4/16 - Vidia - Cesena, ITA
4/17 - Mecto - Vicenza, ITA
4/18 - Remise - Wil, SWI
4/19 - Case a chocs - Neunberg, SWI
4/20 - Arena - Vienna, AUT
4/21 - New Backstage - Munich, GER
4/22 - Underground - Köln, GER
4/23 - Zeche Carl - Essen, GER
4/24 - Forum Club - Bielefeld, GER
4/25 - Logo, - Hamburg, GER
4/26 - TBA
4/27 - Metropol - Hengelo, NETH
5/03 - Southern Discomfort Festival - Kristiansand, NOR

The band has also completed their first DVD. Entitled "Caught on Tape", it includes live footage from two shows on the "Made Me Do It World Tour" including Malmö and Tokyo. There's also a 25 minute documentary including scenes from the recording of the new album "One Kill Wonder" and two advance audio tracks.

Looks like The Soundtrack of Our Lives have been added to the bill of the next Coachella Fest on April 27 and 28. Check the TSOOL US site under 'schedule' for updates.

Peter, Björn and John have lined up the following shows:

1/31 Västerås, Culturen (+Venue & Virtues)
2/1 Stockholm, Debaser
3/28 Hässleholm

The band also says they are planning on doing a new single and video in March.

Download the new video for the song "Eagleheart" from Stratovarius here. Be forewarned, it's a 40+ meg .avi file.

Rumor has it that Motorpsycho will reissue their album "The Tussler" later this year with ten bonus tracks. Apparently it's a soundtrack to the Italian film of the same name and was originally released in 1994.

Some of the bands for the upcoming Emmaboda festival have been announced. The Swedish acts include Doktor Kosmos, Laakso, Whyte Seeds, Speedmarket Avenue, Teenage Idols, Mando Diao and Talking to Teapots. More info here.

Madrugada will doing a tour of Norway right before heading over to the US to play SXSW. The dates:

2/5 - Bredtveit Fengsel, Oslo
2/6 - Hydranten, Hamar
2/7 - Folken, Stavanger
2/8 - Hulen, Bergen
2/9 - Hulen, Bergen
2/13 - Uka 2003, Lillehammer
2/14 - Drammen teater og kulturhus, Drammen
2/15r - Studentenes Hus, Gjøvik
2/18 - Rust Club & Scene, Ørsta
2/19 - Strøget, Tromsø
2/20 - Sinus Bodø
2/21 - Studentersamfunnet, Ås
2/22 - Rockefeller, Oslo

MTVE.com put up the video for "Candy Kane" from Caesars Palace. It's pretty entertaining, so check it out. Nothing like doing donuts in a Volvo, eh?

Sophie Zelmani covers Bob Dylan's song "Most Of The Time" for the soundtrack of the upcoming movie "Masked and Anonymous". The film will star Dylan himself along with John Goodman, Penelope Cruz, Jessica Lange, Luke Wilson and Jeff Bridges. More info here.

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

01. Kent - Vapen & ammunition
02. The Sounds - Living in America
03. Melody Club - Music machine
04. Robyn - Don´t stop the music
05. Magnus Uggla - Klassiska mästerverk
06. Barbados - Rewind
07. Helen Sjöholm - Visor
08. v/a - Fame factory vol 2
09. The Knife - Deep Cuts
10. Thåström - På röda sten
11. Christian Kjellvander - Songs from a two-room chapel
12. Eric Gadd - Life support
13. The Hellacopters - By the grace of god
14. Johannes Kotschy - And that's why I love you
15. Mando Diao - Bring´em in
16. Håkan Hellström - Det är så jag säger det
17. Björn Skifs - Ingen annan
18. Kent - B-sidor 95-00
19. Hans Martin - Landet där solen ej går ner
20. Roxette - Ballad hits

This week's Swedish college radio chart (from Dagensskiva):

Leaving the chart:
(13) Mando Diao "The Band"
(15) The Coral "Dreaming of You"
(16) The Hellacopters "Carry Me Home"
(17) The Datsuns "Harmonic Generator"
(18) Echoboy "Automatic Eyes"
(19) The Music "Getaway"
(20) Audio Bullys "We Don't Care"

The Klerks will be appearing on the MTV Nordic program Morning Glory on February 8, 9 and 11. They will perform the single "She, She, She" and do an interview.

Here's the dates for Opeth's upcoming Australian tour:

4/10 - Brisbane, The Arena
4/11 - Melbourne, The Corner
4/12 - Adelaide, Uni Bar
4/13 - Sydney, The Metro

Seen the video for "By the Grace of God" from The Hellacopters yet? Click here.

The Soundtrack of Our Lives has announced the dates for their upcoming US tour:

3/15 - Orlando FL The Social
3/16 - Ft. Lauderdale FL Culture Room
3/18 - Atlanta GA Cotton Club
3/20 - New York NY Irving Plaza
3/21 - Washington DC 9:30 Club
3/22 - Philadelphia PA Theatre of Living Arts
3/23 - Boston MA Paradise
3/24 - Providence RI Met Cafe
3/26 - Ottawa Barrymore's Music Hall
3/27 - Montreal Cafe Campus
3/28 - Toronto Opera House
3/29 - Columbus OH Little Brother
3/31 - Detroit MI Magic Stick
4/2 - Minneapolis MN 400 Bar
4/5 - Denver CO Bluebird
4/8 - San Francisco CA Bimbo's 365 Club
4/10 - Seattle WA Graceland

In a sign of big things to come, The Sounds have two songs featured in the upcoming movie "Final Destination 2", "Dance With Me" and "Rock'n'Roll". As stated before, James Iha's Scratchie Records will be releasing the album in the states. The movie hits US theatres tomorrow.

The Wannadies's full version of the video for "Little by Little" gets its TV premiere on MTV2 at 6:20. They may not be one of my faves, but the video's greatness is undeniable.

Kristofer Åström reports that Fireside has finished up with nine of the songs for the upcoming album and comments "it's turning out really good. I'm satisfied with how it sounds." Eh, not the boldest statement I've heard, but I'm still quite excited for when it finally comes out. Don't forget to download the new track "Throw it Away" if you haven't already.

Bad Taste Records has kindly put up the video for "Playerin" from Last Days of April. Check it: High / Low (Real Media)
Also, if you haven't already done so, vote for the band's video for "All Will Break" on the MTV Up North Chart or check out that mp3 I put up on the right.

Logh will be on P3 Live tonight at 9pm (12 noon Pacific). I plan on recording it, but you can also listen online at the P3 site. (click the link 'Lyssna' in the upper-right)

Hot on the heels of news of their StarEP release, Moneybrother has revealed they are working on a full length for Burning Heart Records. Mainman Anders Wendin (ex-Monster) says that him and producer Jari Haapalainen (The Bear Quartet) have twelve tracks ready to go for a summer release. He's also got an all-star lineup for the backing band: Fredrik Sandsten (The Soundtrack of Our Lives), Magnus Öström (Esbjörn Svensson Trio, Nicolai Dunger's "Soul Rush"), Björn Yttling (Peter, Björn & John, live keyboards for Ceasars Palace), plus Monster's horn section (Viktor Brobacke, Gustav Bendt and Patrick Andersson). The music is decribed as a mix of soul, reggae, and punk - not far from the sound of his old band.

Soviac reports they are finished with the second part of their new recording. They are working at Pelle Gunnerfeldt's Gröndal Studio with Johan Gustavsson (Randy) and Kalle Ohlsson (The Bear Quartet).

The new album from Crystal Committee is now available from Chalksounds and you can download the preview mp3s for "So Sinister" and the title track "Forever Overhead". Described by the label as "A true indierock masterpiece in the vein of Ride, early Starmarket", the band consists of Fredrik from the aforementioned Starmarket with help from Mattias Norlamder (Blithe, Komeda), Kristoffer Larsson (Cobolt) and Pontus Levahn (also in Starmarket).

Also from Chalksounds comes this mp3 from Carpet People. The track is called "A Road Trip" and it comes from the forthcoming album "More Bad Weather Coming Out of the Rain".

LOK has a live album called "Blästrad Levande" coming out on February 24. The recording is from a show in Göteborg last August 14. Preview the cover art here.

The Soundtrack of Our Lives will be hosting MTV's 120 Minutes on January 26. The alt-music program airs from 1am til 3. In other news, the band's upcoming US tour in March is starting to be revealed. Searching the Clear Channel site (ugh, see this for more) shows two dates: 3/20 at Irving Plaza in NYC and 3/23 at Paradise Rock Club in Boston. Should be plenty more coming, so keep your eyes peeled.

The new Logh "Ghosts/White as Snow" 7" is out and the band reports that the recording of the new album is going well. They also have a plea on their site for a pair of Yamaha NS-10 studio monitors, so help 'em out if you can. And lastly, the English label Must Destroy Music will be releasing the "Every Time..." full length and the new 7" over in the UK soon. As I've said before, it's one of my favorites from last year, so check it out.

We are confident that Andy Sneap is the man to capture the whole vibe we've got going on right now...it’s fresh and insanely heavy - it feels so good being in this band right now!

That's guitarist Michael Amott of Arch Enemy talklng about preparations for the next album. Producer Andy Sneap will be arriving in Sweden on February 4 to begin pre-production at the band's rehearsal studio. Then on the 10th they all fly over to the UK to begin recording drums.

Heading to SXSW this year? As posted before, tons of great bands are coming from overseas to play and The Venue is one of em. They'll be playing at Friends in Austin on the 14th along with a short West Coast jaunt. More dates coming when I get them.

Finally got some new CDs in the mail yesterday. That means a new mp3 to your right. Huzzah!

I'm excited because I just got word that KVLR will be heading to the States in March for a West Coast tour. I'll post the dates when I get them.

Okay, I'm a moron. The new Randy album was produced by (the stellar) Pelle Gunnerfeldt (Fireside), except for one track which was produced by Jocke Åhlund of Caesars Palace. Sorry about my slip-up. Anyhow, I'm still very excited to hear it. It's getting mastered on Monday the 27th and the artwork by Henke Walse gets proofed today. Henke did the cover of the last record, too.

And speaking of Pelle Gunnerfeldt, Entombed are currently hard at work in the studio under his direction for a new album due in spring on their own Threeman Recordings. The basic tracks were done at a different studio, but Pelle is handling the vocals and the mix. As I've said before, I love his work, so I'm very interested to hear how this will come out.

The (Int'l) Noise Conspiracy frontman Dennis is starting work on the next Lost Patrol album. No info on the label or date yet. As for the rest of t(I)NC, they will all be in LA in February to rehearse the new album. Come March, it's back to Sweden for a regrouping and then into the studio around May or June.

Here's a stream of The Soundtrack of Our Lives playing on the David Letterman show. (Real Player)

Here's some new dates for Nicolai Dunger! Finally, I'll be able to see him play.

Europe
1/23 - Dieppe (F) Scéne nationale de Dieppe
1/24 - Colmar (F) Le Kraken
1/25 - Belfort (F) La Poudriére
1/26 - TBA
1/27 - Bern (CH) ISC
1/28 - Bruxelles (B) Le Botanique (w/Mary Timmony)
1/29 - Paris (F) Mains d'oeuvres
1/30 - Nantes (F) L'Olympic
1/31 - Evreux (F) MJC A I'Abordage
2/01 - Lilles (F) Le Grand Mix

Looptroop is heading out on a European tour with The Chords and Timbuktu as support. The dates:

1/22 - Jyväskyla (SF) Lutakko (no support)
1/23 - Tampere (SF) Klubi (no support)
1/24 - Helsinki (SF) Nosturi (no support)
1/29 - Luleå Fär1/(no support)
1/30 - Luleå Fär1/(no support) All Ages
1/31 - Umeå Corona (no support)
2/01 - Östersund Folkets Hus (no support)
2/07 - Växjö Popstad (no support)
2/12 - Stockholm Fasching
2/13 - Köpenhamn (DK) Vega
2/14 - Hamburg (D) Phonodrom
2/16 - Siegen (D) TBA
2/18 - Gent (B) De Centrale
2/21 - Lasarte (E) Zulo
2/22 - Madrid (E) Aqualung
2/23 - Barcelona (E) Apolo
2/25 - Milano (I) 111 Coctail Bar
2/26 - Lausanne (CH) Casino De Montbenon
2/27 - Basel (CH) Kaserne
2/28 - Wil (CH) Remise
3/01 - Biel (CH) La Coupole
3/02 - Linz (A) KAPU
3/03 - Wien (A) B72
3/04 - Bratislava (CS) Bajkal
3/05 - Prague (CS) Rock Café
3/06 - München (D) Backstage
3/08 - Bremen (D) Moments/ Ring The Alarm

Nine reports they are finished with their new album and expect it to be out in late April or early May. No titles or anything yet, but they say they finished 10 songs total and LG Petrov (Entombed) makes a guest appearance.

For those interested, Pitchforkmedia.com totally skewers "Behind the Music" from The Soundtrack of Our Lives in this review today.

Swedish composer Krister Hansén will be having a premiere of the piece "1" at Scandinavia House New York on February 2. The ensemble Acidophilus will be performing the music, which is to be accompanied by the video work "Shovel" by artist Pernilla Edholm.

Preview the cover for the new Lullacry album "Crucify My Heart". It will be out in Finland on February 17 from Spinefarm Records and the rest of Europe on March 17 from Century Media.

The upcoming album "Welfare Problems" from the band Randy got a set release date. Look for it April 21 on Burning Heart. Jocke Åhlund (Caesars Palace) produced. I'm excited - the last record was great and I think they just keep getting better and better.

The Virtues will having a big party on February 6 at Tantogarden in Stockholm to celebrate the release of their debut album "Ruminate". Look for it on Crying Bob in Sweden or from Zip Records in the US come April.

Falconer singer Mathias Blad has been replaced by Destiny frontman Kristoffer Göbel because of his unwillingness to tour. Blad will still stay involved with the band they say, as he will be tapped to help out with backing vocals on future recordings. And speaking of future recordings, the band is getting ready to enter Los Angered Studios to work on their next album, due late 2003 on Metal Blade. "It will be a concept album," the band says, "but fear not... it will not be one of those weird concept albums. The music is mostly as it has been but with one lyrical story throughout the whole album."

New live set today! This time we've got The Ark live from Hultsfred 2001, as broadcasted on P3. I edited out all the between song banter, but if you're also interested in the full version, just ask.

The Sounds got themselves a new, internationally flavored website. Well, it's actually not that different, but they do have quite a bit more info in English. Like I've said before, keep your eyes on this band - they have a lot of potential to be big.

Download the new Fireside track "Throw It Away" right here! Startracks is also encouraging people to post responses in their guestbook. My first impression is that it sounds like a mix of the newer "Elite"-style with a touch more of their hardcore roots. Anyhow, I'm still excited for when the new album comes out.

Värttinä celebrates their 20th anniversary this year and has a new album coming out called "Iki". It won't be in stores until March 11, but you will be able to mailorder it weeks ahead of time from NorthSide. The label also promises to provide advance mp3s from the band in the near future, along with previews of new releases from Mari Boine and Frifot.

Photos and video from The Soundtrack of Our Lives/Cato Salsa Experience show at the Graceland in Seattle on 11/23/2002 are available here.

Dimension Zero are set to enter the studio on February 10 with producer/In Flames frontman Anders Fridén to record their new album, to be titled "This IS Hell". Look for it around September/October on Regain Records.

The working-title of the album is "Satan Berzerker-Mongo", which is a quite suiting title. It's gonna be a berzerk album. Many different songs (slow moody ones, to fast insane ones), but still recognizable as Dødheimsgard. Don't know any song-titles yet, they are in still in inside the head of Aldrahn, who's spent the last few months in a phsychiatric hospital.

That's black metal drummer extraordinaire Carl Michael Eide (Cadaver Inc., Aura Noir, DHG, and more) describing the direction of the band's new album in an interview with Voices from the Darkside. Read the rest here.

Corporation 187 will support Arch Enemy on their upcoming Scandinavian tour. The dates:

1/26 - Stockholm, Debaser
1/28 - Oslo, John Dee
1/29 - Göteborg, Musikens Hus
1/30 - Halmstad, Diezel
1/31 - Helsingborg, Tivoli

Here's the dates for the upcoming Melody Club Scandinavian tour:

1/22 - Stockholm, Göta Källare
1/23 - Stockholm, Cafe 44
1/24 - Göteborg, Trädgårn
1/31 - Strömstad ,The Cod
2/01 - Älmhult, Balders Hage
2/06 - Linköping, Corallen
2/07 - Växjö, Folkets Park
2/13 - Uppsala, Harrys
2/15 - Karlskoga, Wictoria
2/18 - Täby, Musikhuset Runan
2/19 - Norrköping, Kulturkammaren
2/20 - Sälen, HC
2/22 - Nybro, Mejeriet
2/26 - Svedala, Gamla Brandstationen
2/27 - Göteborg, Trädgårn
2/28 - Karlskrona, Bio Bar & Matsal
3/06 - Oslo (NO), So What
3/07 - Bergen (NO), Kvarteret
3/08 - Halmstad, Diezel
3/12 - Lund, Mejeriet
3/14 - Malmö, KB
3/15 - Helsingborg, Tivoli
3/28 - Umeå, Umeå Open

Okay, I admit it - I've been a slacker. Two new tunes today on your right. First up is the wonderful Isolation Years. Their debut album "Inland Traveller" gets a US release later this year from Galaxy Gramophone/Parasol and the new one comes out in March. I might've put this track up before, but I can't remember. Anyhow, don't miss it this time. Secondly, we have another track from the great Caesars Palace (aka The Caesars or the Twelve Caesars, as they known in the US). Simply put, a great pop band. More soon, I swear!

Diamond Dogs will be putting out a new CD collection of old and new material called "That´s the Juice I´m On" on January 27. Fans of classic rock style bands like the Hellacopters should check 'em out. And hey, Randy Bachman of Bachman Tuner Overdrive even guests on a track.

The Soundtrack of Our Lives will be taking the place of Cooper Temple Clause at the NME awards show in London on February 6. Cooper's bassist had his appendix out right before the holidays and has yet to fully recover, so they had to bow out. However, they will do a makeup gig on April 29. Ticketholders can either ask for a refund, opt for the new headliner, or defer their purchase for the rescheduled performance. Otherwise, buy your tickets here.

Speaking of TSOOL, did anyone record that Letterman performance? Can it be found online somewhere yet? Let me know.

Stabb will be travelling to the UK for their first time next week. The show is the 23rd at the Borderline in London. Their debut single "This Joke's On Me" comes out in February with the album to follow in April.

Madder Mortem has been confirmed as the opening act for Opeth's upcoming European tour. Opeth singer/guitarist Mikael Åkerfeldt himself highly recommend the band's latest record "Deadlights", too. The dates:

02.09 - Paris, La Locomotive
02.11 - Vittoria, Sala Azkena
02.12 - Porto, Hard Club
02.13 - Lisbon, Paradise Garage
02.14 - Madrid, Sala Caracol
02.15 - Barcelona, Razzmatazz
02.16 - Lyon, Transbourdour
02.17 - Milan, Transilvania
02.18 - Treviso, New Age
02.20 - Zurich, Abart
02.22 - Graz, Orpheum
02.23 - Munich, New Backstage
02.24 - Frankfurt, Batschkapp
02.25 - Essen Zeche Carl
02.26 - Halle, Easy Schorre
02.27 - Berlin, Columbia Fritz
02.28 - Hamburg, Schlachthof
03.01 - Groningen, Oosterport
03.02 - Tilburg, 013
03.04 - Utrecht, Tivoli
03.05 - Vosselar, Biebob
03.06 - Lille, Le Spendid
03.07 - Poiters, Chatellerault-Gornie
03.08 - Rennes, L' Antipode
03.10 - Portsmouth, Wedgwood Rooms
03.11 - Manchester, Hop & Grape
03.12 - London, Mean Fiddler
03.13 - Exeter, University
03.14 - Glasgow, Garage
03.15 - Nottingham, Rock City
03.16 - Bradford, Rio
03.17 - Birmingham, Academy
03.19 - Dublin - Whelan's

Watch singer/songwriter Johan Bergqvist's show from his January 15 performance in Hultsfred right here: modem / broadband. (Windows Media)

Watch the "director's cut" of the Wannadies video for "Little by Little". I've never seen the original, but this version contains 50 seconds of extra footage and is quite hilarious. Recommended. (requires Quicktime)

The new album "Love Metal" from HIM has now been confirmed for release in Germany and Finland on April 14. Most likely, the rest of the Europe will get it on the same day, but they aren't saying for sure. Also, the band's official site says the track listing leaked by the UK press is incorrect and they will be posting the correct one shortly.

See you on tour and remember to play "Below the Lights" at extreme volume levels. For even better results, try altered states of conciousness (knock yourself over the head, do yoga-jumping or stay awake for two weeks without food before you check out the album). If it doesn't fuck you up, we'll give you (fake monopoly) money back.

That's Enslaved talking about their new album, due out now in April from Osmose Productions. The band also has a live DVD in the works from MetalMind Productions entitled "Live Retaliation".

The up and coming band Wendy just got signed to Monarch Music by A&R man Magnus Nygren, the guy responsible for finding Jakob Hellman, Lars Winnerbäck and Lambretta. Expect a single by springtime.

Get a preview of hyped band-of-the-moment The Klerks over here and click the "Album Preview" link. Fans of Swedish pop such as The Motorhomes or Kent may want to check them out.

From Blabbermouth, comes this letter from a number of Swedish hard rock musicians accusing England's Z Records of "unscrupulous business practices." Some of the bands signed on the letter include Southpaw, Talisman, Humanimal and more. Of course, it's not really news that labels often screw bands out of money, but if you're interested in these artists or the label in question, please take note.

Don't forget to watch The Soundtrack of Our Lives tonight on The Late Show with David Letterman.

69-Hard will be filming the video for "Gone Gone Gone" this weekend. The track is the first single for the upcoming album "Blues from Hell", to be released sometime in February. The album comes out late March on Idle Hands Records.

Moonfog labelmates Khold will joining Satyricon on their upcoming European tour. Dates are here.

The split 7" from The Hives and The Pricks will see a fourth and final pressing in February. Only 100 copies will be available for mailorder, so pre-order it now from Hard-on Records.

The New Mess is now a quartet as live guitarist Adam has decided to sign on fulltime. Look for them to be playing a lot more around Sweden very soon.

Opeth is doing very well with their current US tour. A number dates are already sold out, so if you plan on seeing them you should get your tickets ASAP.

Most anticpated releases of 2003? Read what MTVE.com has to say on the issue. Besides the new Cardigans album, the list of anticpated Nordic releases in on page two and three.

Christian Kjellvander will be doing a Scandinavian tour starting at the end of the month in support of his fantastic "Songs from a Two-Room Chapel". The dates so far:

1/29 - Hultsfred / Metropol
1/30 - Linköping / Herrgår´n
2/1 - Sandviken / Dinos
2/5 - Sandviken / Kungen
2/6 - Umeå / Humlan
2/7 - Skellefteå / Pinkerton
2/8 - Östersund / Gamla Teatern
2/22 - Lund / Stadshallen Feat. Ebreliuskvartetten
2/23 - Göteborg / TBA Feat. Ebreliuskvartetten
2/24 - Uppsala / Katalin Feat. Ebreliuskvartetten
2/25 - Stockholm / Södra Teatern Feat. Ebreliuskvartetten
2/26 - Malmö / KB Feat. Ebreliuskvartetten
3/5 - Oslo / So What
3/7 - Halmstad / Diezelfestival
3/8 - Nybro / Mejeriet
3/14 - Norrköping / Kulturkammaren
3/15 - Jönköping / Kulturhuset

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

01. Melody club - Music machine
02. Kent - Vapen & ammunition
03. The Sounds - Living in America
04. Robyn - Don´t stop the music
05. v/a - Fame factory vol 2
06. Håkan Hellström - Det är så jag säger det
07. Christian Kjellvander - Songs from a two-room chapel
08. Eric Gadd - Life support
09. The Hellacopters - By the grace of god
10. Björn Skifs - Ingen annan
11. Kent - B-sidor 95-00
12. Hans Martin - Landet där solen ej går ner
13. Mando Diao - Bring´em in
14. Roxette - Ballad hits
15. v/a - Fame Factory volym 1
16. Joybells Gospel Choir - Oh happy day - 14 gospel klassiker
17. v/a - Chess - på svenska
18. Fredrik Kempe - Songs for your broken heart
19. Anders Widmark ft. Sara Isaksson - Anders Widmark ft. Sara Isaksson
20. The Ark - In lust we trust

Håkan Hellström is going to be doing a Scandinavian tour, too. The dates:

2/19 - Lillehammer, Bingo'n
2/20 - Sogndal, Meieriet
2/21 - Oslo, Rockefeller
2/22 - Bodö, Samfundet
2/26 - Kristiansand, Vaskeriet
2/27 - Stavanger, Folken
2/28 - Bö, Kroa
3/1 - Ålesund, Högskolen
3/2 - Halden, Studenthuset

Read my reviews of the new albums from Ulver and Björn Olsson over at indieworkshop.com. Look for the links on the right, under 'Featured Reviews'.

TV4 Gothenburg has put up an acoustic set from The Soundtrack of Our Lives back on their website. Check it. (thanks to tsool.tk)

The movie Jungle Book 2 comes out in February featuring a track called "Jag vill va som du" from Dungen. A double A-side single with that song plus "Har du vart i Stockholm" comes out February 10.

Energy Rekords has signed EBM/Electro act 8kHz Mono. You can sample them on the "Virtual Energy vol.4" comp.

Even more award nominees! This time, the Manifest awards, Sweden's alternative to the (Swedish) Grammy:

Pop/Rock
The Bear Quartet - Ny våg (A West Side Fabrication/MNW)
David & The Citizens - For All Happy Endings (Adrian Recordings/Border)
Doktor Kosmos - Reportage! (NONS/MNW)
Marit Bergman - 3.00 A.M. Serenades (Sugartoy/Border)
Embassy - Futile Crimes (Service/Border)

Hardcore/Punk
In Flames - Reroute to remain (Nuclear Blast/MNW)
Thåström - Mannen som blev en gris (Mistlur/MNW)
Spiritual Beggars - On fire (Music For Nations/Zomba)
Totalt Jävla Mörker - Det ofrivilliga lidandets maskineri (Distortion/Border)
Vomitory - Blood rapture (Metal Blade/Border)

Hip Hop/R&B/Soul
Loop Troop - The Struggle Continues (David Vs Goliath/Burning Heart)
Timbuktu - Wåtts Dö Madderfakking Diil? (Juju/Playground)
Heli - Öronknark (Streetzone/Border)
Masayah - Masayah (Swing-A-Ling/MNW)
Ison & Fille - Vår sida av stan (Hemmalaget/V2)

Postrock/Electronica
Hans Appelqvist - Tonefilm (Komplott)
Mokira - Plee (Mille Plateaux/Border)
Nova Express - One (Rocket Number Nine)
Pallin - Far From Yokohama (URU)
Testbild! - The Double Life Of Testbild! (Radio Khartoum)

Dance
Adam Beyer - Ignition Key (Truesoul)
The Mighty Quark - Silverdale (Play)
Eerik & Arvid - Shimmer (Raw Fusion)
Koop - Waltz for Koop (Superstudio/Diesel/Sony)
Sunday Brunch - No resistance (SVEK/Goldhead/Next Stop)

Folk/Worldmusic
Ellika Frisell & Solo Cissokho - Tretakt Takissaba (Xource/MNW)
Golbang - Saali nó (Stran)
Harv - Töst (Drone/CDA)
Olle Lindvall (Drone/CDA)
Sumer - Iraq (Sw/Eden/Border)

Lyrics
Mattias Alkberg (Bear Quartet)
Timbuktu
Uje Brandelius (Doktor Kosmos)
Ison & Fille
Petter Herbertsson (Testbild!)

Live Artist
Doktor Kosmos
Jmyhaze Beatbox
Spotrunnaz
In Flames
Ellika Frisell and Solo Cissokho

Best Newcomer
Totalt Jävla Mörker
Hans Appelqvist
Marit Bergman
Sunday Brunch
Embassy

Winners will be announced at the ceremony on January 31 at the Kulturhuset in Stockholm. The Teenage Idols, Ison & Fille, Totalt Jävla Mörker, and Jmy Haze Beatbox will perform.

The good people over at Chalksounds have finally gotten their online store up and running. The featured album for sale is "On Planted Streets" from KVLR, one of my faves. Highly recommended. Besides their own label's goodies, you can also order records from bands such as Fireside and Isolation Years. Again, both highly recommended.

Grave will be playing this year's coming March Metal Meltdown V to take place in Irvington, New Jersey on March 7-8. The new album "Back From The Grave" comes out January 28th on Century Media.

Here's a short little article with some info concerning the next record from The Soundtrack of Our Lives. Drummer Fredrik makes comments. (in Swedish)

Beyond Dawn has had the new album "frysh" pushed back to March. In other news, a video is being made for the track "Among the Sedatives" by Vildensky featuring "clip-art animation of the band performing various heroic deeds."

I had no idea, but KEXP Seattle has a great archive of live-in-the-studio recordings of bands such as The Soundtrack of Our Lives, Sahara Hotnights, Kings of Convenience, Cato Salsa Experience and much much more. Check it.

Enter to win a $250 gift certificate for Ben Sherman from The Soundtrack of Our Lives and Filter mmm here.

Vote for your choices in the Swedish Alternative Music Awards (SAMA) right here. Vote for one of nominees or write in your own choice.

Joakim Thåström will be releasing a live EP on January 24. It's called "Thåström på Röda sten" and will feature six tracks from his Kalas tour performance in Göteborg last summer and the video for "Släpp aldrig in dom".

Here's the nominees for the P3 Guld awards:

Best female artist
Awa Manneh - "Sounds Like Me"
Frida Snell - "Black Trillium"
Marit Bergman - "3.00 A.M. Serenades"
Paola - "Stockcity Girl"
Robyn - "Don't Stop The Music"

Best male artist
Christian Kjellvander - "Songs from a Two Room Chapel"
Håkan Hellström - "Det är så jag säger det"
Stephen Simmonds - "For Father"
Thåström - "Mannen som blev en gris"
Timbuktu - "Wått´s Dö Madderfakking Diil"

Best group
Caesars Palace - "Love for the Streets"
The Hellacopters - "By the Grace of God"
Kent - "Vapen & ammunition"
Looptroop - "The Struggle Continues"
Mando Diao - "Bring ´Em In"

Best newcomer
The Sounds
Melody Club
Paola
Mando Diao
Marit Bergman

Best song
"Calleth You Cometh I" - The Ark
"Dom Andra" - Kent
"Keep This Fire Burning" - Robyn
"Kom igen, Lena!" - Håkan Hellström
"Someone New" - Eskobar feat Heather Nova

Best live artist
The Ark
Doktor Kosmos
The Hellacopters
Marit Bergman
Looptroop

More info and voting here.

The Hellacopters latest record "By the Grace of God" has gone gold in Sweden with sales of over 30k. It's their 2nd gold album, the first being "High Visibility".

Finland's Enternal Tears of Sorrow have broken up. The statement from the band:

With mixed feelings we have to announce that Eternal Tears of Sorrow have decided to split up. EToS have been on a break since March 2002. During the break, it has become obvious that it is time to quit.
This band started as a free-time activity about ten years ago. As we got more success, we also needed to give more and more of our time to the band. Day by day, we realised the band had become a full-time job for us. Now it's time to move on and do something different. This band achieved much more than we could imagine when we formed up this band.

However, we don't stop making and playing music. Check out the official EToS website regularly for information about the members and their other projects and bands. The site has been online for almost seven years now and will remain as it is. Only the address has changed: www.etos.tk.

We thank all our fans for support! A huge number of nice things happened to us between 1994 and today, thanks to you! On behalf of Eternal Tears of Sorrow in early January 2003, Jarmo Puolakanaho & Altti Veteläinen (the founding members)

Dave Lombardo (Slayer!) plays on four songs from the new upcoming Apocalyptica record "Reflections". If you didn't already know, Apocalyptica is the Finnish cello trio made famous for their covers of Metallica songs.