Top 10s for 2006: Thomas Ekelund (Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words)

Top 10s for 2006: It's a trap!

Top 10s for 2006: Viktor Sjöberg

Tsukimono has a new 6-song EP coming out on the Glitchpunkyouth netlabel: http://yourson-shine.blogspot.com/2006/11/imagine-composer.html

MP3: Plain Fade - Siikamo/Pikkusiikamo

It's new release day here at It's a trap! I quietly added Tsukimono's excellent debut album "Née" to the webstore last week and today am happy to offer up new releases from Consequences, Once We Were and Plain Fade. The first two are preorder only right now (but in-stock, so all purchases will arrive on or before the actual day of release) and I'll be talking more about them later, so let's concentrate on the latter. Plain Fade has been one of my favorite Finnish acts ever since I first heard a demo track a few years ago. Their debut album "Lies, sanctions and cruise missiles" upped the ante even further, cementing them in my mind as one of best, most inventive post-rock acts of our time. Getting a track from them for "Reader's companion volume two" was a no-brainer. It simply had to be done. However, if you heard their contribution "Itä-Aure" you'd already know that the band has moved way far beyond what they were doing before. The band's new album "Aure" is largely improvisational and sounds totally unlike anything/anyone else. From slow-burning atmospheric pieces to loud outbursts of noise and even operatic singing, "Aure" runs through an impressive amount of sonic territory in its 40-minute runtime. One of 2006's best releases? Do you have to ask?

Plain Fade - Siikamo/Pikkusiikamo

Komplott has a new EP from Swedish experimental artist Tsukimono for free download: http://www.komplott.com/catalogue/tsukimono_-_etudes.php
The work is entitled "Études" and consists of "five short selections cut out from longer recordings made in Malmö during the summer of '06."

MP3: Tsukimono - Gathering heavy breathing

Tsukimono's new album "Née" is the perfect release for Kalligrammofon to follow up Viktor Sjöberg's "On a winter's day". Both artists utilize guitars and found-sound as the main source for their art, but what they do with it is totally different. Viktor tends towards the quiet and complative and yes, even romantic (as Kevin points out in his review) while Tsukimono (aka Johan Gustavsson) is often far more frenetic and noisy. This particular piece that I've posted today reminds me a bit of Alog with its steady melodic rhythm. Processed guitar tones chime, twist and turn until the rains come in and their true nature is revealed. It's a beautiful transition that perfect captures the summer day that inspired it.

Tsukimono - Gathering heavy breathing

Tsukimono will soon have a release on the 3" CDR label Müssiggänger. It will be called "Études" and has been described to me as "invisible music" featuring "highpitched ghosts and sounddust." Also on the way from Tsukimono is an album entitled "Née" to be released soon on Kalligrammofon and another full-length entitled "Time canvas" to be released via Swedish avant label Kning Disc in the fall. Listen to a sample of the former here: http://www.myspace.com/tsukimonoswe
Lastly, Tsukimono will also be doing a prepared guitar-duet record with Mattias Nihlén from Testbild!. I'm not sure when/where that one will be released, but I'll keep you posted.

Tsukimono, the solo project of Johan Gustavsson from Scraps of Tape, will have his "What note, who's note" EP reissed on Ukraine label Arterija as part of their colour series. The disc was originally released as a limited CDR on HEYYOUFUCKINGMAN! and this new version of the disc will feature all new artwork and an additional bonus track called "Svartare av kärlek". In other news, Johan's other project Conduo Orchestra (feat. Kristofer from Ljudbilden & Piloten) will contribute the track "Cicada" to a book/compilation entitled "Hockey rawk" being curated by Swedish artists Peter Larsson and Lars Nilsson. Other artists on the comp will include Testbild!, Vldgmn, Bare Knees, Nim, Cake On Cake and more.

The latest edition of Famous for 15mb is now online: http://www.famousfor15mb.com/
Scandinavian artists featured this month include Det Svenska Folket (NOR), Tsukimono (SWE), Martin Skauen (NOR) and Viktor Sjöberg (SWE).

Download a new one-track EP from It DOES Matter, a new drone-pop collaboration between Johan Gustavsson (Tsukimono, Scraps of Tape) and Jonas Lindgren (Dead+Hurt): http://www.archive.org/audio/audio-details-db.php?collection=opensource_audio&collectionid=it_does_matter-i_used_to_hear_you_laugh_through_this_wall

Various Artists
Rojo.Tachan.Nosordo
AA/Nosordo

A collaboration with Spanish magazine Rojo and Swedish label Nosordo, this compilation goes through some compelling sounds and songs from different genres (pop, folk, electro, noise etc) but each a foot solidly planted in experimentation. Swedes Conduo Orchestra, Tsukimono, Henrik Rylander, The Idealist and possibly more each give fitting and diverse performances. Definitely an interesting listen.
- Simon Thibaudeau

Lady Godiva Operations will release the new "Gotta sing, gotta dance" EP from electronic artist Tsukimono sometime this summer. After that, look for new albums from Dialog Cet and Viktor Sjöberg in early fall.

Lady Godiva Operations will release a new EP from Tsukimono called "Kill Your Television" this coming January. Tsukimono is the solo alias of Swedish artist Johan Gustavsson, also in Scraps of Tape and Broken Concrete. The disc will contain five tracks "ranging from guitar improvisition to neoclassical composing and glitchmetal" and a full-length is already in the works for later in the year.