It's a Trap! isn't nominated for a Plug Award, but Blog Radio on Sirius Left of Center sure is. Vote here: http://www.plugawards.com/
Look under "Media Catergoies (Obessive) > Specialty Show Of The Year (Commercial Radio)". Otherwise, check out other Scandinavians nominated for various categories such as José González (Americana, male artist, video), Jens Lekman (male artist), Watain (metal), The Field (electronica/dance) and Prins Thomas (DJ album).

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

01. Lars Winnerbäck - Innan mörkret faller
02. TALK 1
03. TIAC - Boredom
04. Brainbombs - Who can you trust
05. Ted Gärdestad - Helena
06. TALK 2
07. Björn Kleinhenz - China Blue
08. Viktor Sjöberg - The sensation of your head on my chest
09. Marvins Revolt - Deliberate deeds
10. TALK 3
11. Abalone Dots - Under the rain
12. The Bear Quartet - The lost kid office
13. Lo-Fi-Fnk - Wake up
14. Watain - Underneath the cenotaph
15. TALK 4
16. The Tiny - Closer
17. Supersilent - 8.4
18. Anna Ternheim - Today is a good day
19. TALK 5
20. The Skull Defekts - The secret
21. Lukestar - White shade
22. Pay TV - Fashion report
23. Wolfpack - Enter the gates
24. TALK 6
25. Tigerbombs - Shaking the tree
26. Familjen - Ivanhoe & Rebecca
27. Giant Robot - Public = shopping
28. Eskju Divine - Hold on
29. TALK 7
30. The Bell - On and on
31. DHG - The snuff dreams are made of
32. Trio Mediaeval - Det lisle bånet
33. TALK 8
34. Peter Bjorn and John - It beats me every time
35. Margaret Berger - Seek I'll hide
36. Kaizers Orchestra - Kontroll på kontinentet
37. TALK 9
38. Darkthrone - F.O.A.D.

Swedish black-metal horde Watain will tour Europe in October as part of their ongoing 'Fuck the World Tour'. Dates and details: http://216.32.73.154/watain/ftw/fucktheworldtour.html

Global Domination talks to Erik Danielsson (aka E) of Watain: http://www.globaldomination.se/interviews/watain-erik-danielsson
Naturally, he is far too grim a black metal musician to take kindly to GD's juvenile brand of humor.

PopMatters likes the new Watain album "Sworn to the dark": http://www.popmatters.com/pm/music/reviews/42007/watain-sworn-to-the-dark/

Watain are finished with the American leg of their "Fuck the World" tour and have updated their website with links to all sorts of live video footage and more: http://www.templeofwatain.com/
All accounts I've read say that this was a killer tour and I'm sorry I couldn't see it myself.

The playlist for my radio show on Sirius this week:

01. Beyond Dawn - Far from showbiz
02. TALK 1
03. Superfamily - The radio has expressed concerns about what you did last night
04. The Fine Arts Showcase - Dance with your shadow
05. Pan Sonic - Hinaaja / Tugboat
06. TALK 2
07. Mixtapes & Cellmates - Hold
08. The Bear Quartet - I don't wanna
09. Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words - When she's GONE
10. TALK 3
11. Laakso - High drama
12. Park Hotell - The guest who stayed forever
13. Fun - Hold it close
14. TALK 4
15. The Book of Daniel - Rabbit boy
16. Watain - Storm of the Antichrist
17. Viktor Sjöberg - w/Nothing
18. Kristofer Åström - Fallen
19. TALK 5
20. Mainliners - Olivia
21. Oddjob - Kings are walking out
22. Lemonator - Heart burns
23. TALK 6
24. Tobias Hellkvist - Slowly but surely
25. Attrap - Just a word away
26. Sahara Hotnights - Visit to Vienna
27. TALK 7
28. The Leather Nun - No rule
29. Alog - Son of king
30. Thunder Express - Vegas
31. TALK 8
32. Closer - Sensing the wake

Blodårstid on the new Watain album "Sworn to the dark": http://www.holyterror.com/blod/2007/05/14/watain-sworn-to-the-dark-cd/
As I said last week, I find this album to be one of the best Swedish black metal releases I've heard in years. I cannot at all agree with the assertation that their older material is better.

This week's playlist for my show on Sirius:

01. Kristofer Åström - The dark
02. TALK 1
03. Amandine - Better soil
04. Christel Alsos - What you gotta do
05. Tarantula - Two arrows
06. TALK 2
07. Kristin Asbjørnsen - I'm on my way
08. Thomas Denver Jonsson - Dreams at the film club
09. Tenderloud - Texas down
10. TALK 3
11. Hyacinth House - Ghost town
12. Strayfolk - I'll be a-goin'
13. The First Miles - Bottle, don't let me down
14. TALK 4
15. Hello Saferide - I was definitely made for these times
16. Hederos & Hellberg - I can't hold myself in line
17. Two Times the Trauma - I fell in love with an ocean
18. David Sandström Overdrive - The Fatville Treaty
19. HGH - Stupid song
20. TALK 5
21. Gorgoroth - Procreating Satan
22. Enslaved - The voices
23. Invocator - Breed of sin
24. TALK 6
25. Seance - Post mortem
26. Watain - Underneath the cenotaph
27. Dark Tranquility - Icipher
28. TALK 7
29. Eucharist - The Eucharist
30. At the Gates - Slaughter of the soul
31. Wolfbrigade - EU (European Union)
32. TALK 8
33. Katatonia - Had to (leave)
34. Bloodbath - Soul evisceration
35. Cult of Luna - The revelation embodied
36. TALK 9
37. Finntroll - Slaget vid blodsälv

MP3: Watain - Storm of the Antichrist

Watain's new record "Sworn to the dark" sounds like the comeback that many people hoped Dissection would accomplish. Swedish black metal hasn't sounded this good in... forever. Not only is the music 100% killer, so is the recording. The drums could still be a bit more dynamic and natural, but you can actually hear the bass! As I kind of alluded to in my Dark Tranquility post last Friday, I don't keep up with metal nearly as much as I used to and recording quality factors highly in our falling out. BM doesn't need to sound like a swarm of bees wrapped in a blanket. Haven't we moved past the point of where being "grim" and "necro" is all-important? What came off as otherworldly and inhuman 15-20 years ago doesn't work anymore and really, verges on Manowar-levels of self-parody. As for Watain, they may put off a bit of that vibe, but at least they've got the music to back it up.

Watain - Storm of the Antichrist

Dark Dose on the new Watain album "Sworn to the dark": http://darkdose.com/?p=156