Here's this week's top 20 Swedish albums from Aftonbladet:

01. Weeping Willows - Presence
02. Sara Löfgren - Starkare
03. Per Gessle - Mazarin
04. Sophie Zelmani - Love Affair
05. Lisa Miskovsky - Fallingwater
06. Mikael Wiehe - Kärlek & politik
07. Stefan Andersson - Strangers house
08. Peter LeMarc - Det som håller oss vid liv
09. Carola - Guld platina & passion
10. Jill Johnson - Roots and wings
11. Patrik Isaksson - Vi som aldrig landat
12. Backyard Babies - Stockholm Syndrome
13. J's Plain Band - Boulder Dash
14. The Hellacopters - Cream of the Crap II
15. José González - Veneer
16. Moneybrother - Blood panic
17. September - September
18. Alice Babs - Alice babs bästa
19. Broder Daniel - Cruel Town
20. Arns rike - Arn the gothia

Some new Swedish bands confirmed for Hultsfred: Weeping Willows, Sophie Zelmani, José González, Promoe and Tiger Lou.

Not only do I have an mp3 of the new Tiger Lou single "Oh Horatio", but I also have big news about him. It looks like I can now reveal the official news that Tiger will be opening for the Weeping Willows on their upcoming Scandinavian tour. The dates:

03/23 - Katalin, Uppsala
04/24 - S2, Borlänge
04/25 - Pipeline, Sundsvall
04/26 - Pinkerton, Skellefteå
04/27 - Umeå Open, Umeå
04/31 - Kino, Karlskrona
04/01 - Mejeriet, Lund
04/02 - O´learys, Gävle
04/03 - John Dee, Oslo
04/05 - Cirkus, Stockholm
04/07 - Club Swepop @ Sombrero, Örebro
04/08 - Nöjesfabriken, Karlstad
04/09 - Kaliber, Mariestad
04/10 - Medborgarhus, Säffle
04/11 - Lilla Vega, Copenhagen
04/12 - Voxhall, Århus
04/14 - Diezel, Halmstad
04/15 - KB, Malmö
04/16 - The Tivoli, Helsingborg
04/17 - Trägårn, Göteborg
04/21 - Tavastia, Helsinki
04/22 - Säätärnö, Turku
04/23 - Klubi, Tampere

Should be a great show! And, as predicted, the new WW record "Presence" finally clicked with me and I love it. Too bad I can't go myself.

Check out video footage of the Weeping Willows record release show over at their website: http://www.weepingwillows.nu/

Weeping Willows - Presence (Virgin/EMI)
Just like people, bands change. It took me a long time to accept the new Weeping Willows sound debuted on their last album "Into the light". Once I got over the shock of change, I discovered a great pop album. Being said, this new albums continues very much in the same almost 80s-pop/rock style, but I think I still need to let it grow on me. There's three or four songs (including the single "Stairs") that are immediately appealing, but I'm undecided on the rest. Good, not great.

Weeping Willows
Presence
Virgin/EMI

Just like people, bands change. It took me a long time to accept the new Weeping Willows sound debuted on their last album "Into the light". Once I got over the shock of change, I discovered a great pop album. Being said, this new albums continues very much in the same almost 80s-pop/rock style, but I think I still need to let it grow on me. There's three or four songs (including the single "Stairs") that are immediately appealing, but I'm undecided on the rest. Good, not great.
- Avi Roig

In anticipation of their new album "Presence", the Weeping Willows have a new website design as well as an e-card to preview the record: http://www.virgin.se/artists/weeping_willows/juke/virgin_ecard.asp
They've also lined up a couple in-stores for the near-future:

02/25 - Åhléns, Stockholm, 17:00
02/26 - Skivhugget, Göteborg, 17:00
02/27 - Folk & Rock, Malmö, 16:00 + Lund 18:00
02/28 - Najz Prajz, Örebro, 16:00

The Weeping Willows are hitting the road in Scandinavia:

03/23 - Katalin, Uppsala
03/24 - S2, Borlänge
03/25 - Pipeline, Sundsvall
03/26 - Pinkerton, Skellefteå
03/27 - Umeå Open, Umeå
03/31 - Kino, Karlskrona
04/01 - Mejeriet, Lund
04/02 - O’Learys, Gävle
04/03 - John Dee, Oslo
04/05 - Cirkus, Stockholm
04/07 - Down Town, Örebro
04/08 - Nöjesfabriken, Karlstad
04/09 - Kaliber, Mariestad
04/10 - Medborgarhus, Säffle
04/11 - Lilla Vega, Köpenhamn
04/12 - Voxhall, Århus
04/14 - Diezel, Halmstad
04/15 - KB, Malmö
04/16 - The Tivoli, Helsingborg
04/17 - Trägår’n, Göteborg
04/21 - Tavastia, Helsingfors
04/22 - Säätärnö, Åbo
04/23 - Klubi, Tammerfors

The new album "Presence" comes out February 25.

By way of Dagensskiva, here is the Swedish student radio top 20 for the week:

01. (02) Broder Daniel "Shoreline"
02. (01) Belle & Sebastian "I'm A Cuckoo"
03. (03) Shout Out Louds "Please Please Please"
04. (04) Tiger Lou "Oh Horatio"
05. (06) The Latin Kings "T.L.K."
06. (05) David & The Citizens "Graycoated Morning"
07. (08) Franz Ferdinand "Take Me Out"
08. (NY) The Von Bondies "C'mon C'mon"
09. (NY) Organism 12 "Sångfågel"
10. (NY) Nicolai Dunger "Here's My Song You Can Have It (Album Sampler)"
11. (10) The Thrills "Don't Steal Our Sun"
12. (15) Her Majesty! "You And Me Against The World"
13. (06) Bergman Rock "Help The Band"
14. (NY) Edson "I Believe In A Thing Called Love"
15. (11) Timbaland & Magoo "Indian Flute"
16. (12) Kamera "Suburban Boy"
17. (NY) Beezewax "Big Bad Car"
18. (NY) Obie Trice Ft. (Nate Dogg "The Set Up"
19. (NY) Jens Lekman "Rocky Dennis In Heaven EP"
20. (14) Disco Volante "Distort The South"

Leaving the chart:
09. Weeping Willows "Stairs"
13. Courtney Love "Mono"
16. Mazarine Street "Bourgeois Blood"
17. The Strokes "Reptilia"
18. Dizzee Rascal "Jus'a Rascal"
19. Backyard Babies "A Song For The Outkast"
20. Muse "Hysteria"

By way of Dagensskiva, here is the first Swedish student radio top 20 for the year:

01. Belle & Sebastian "I'm A Cuckoo"
02. Broder Daniel "Shoreline"
03. Shout Out Louds "Please Please Please"
04. Tiger Lou "Oh Horatio"
05. David & The Citizens "Graycoated Morning"
06. Bergman Rock "Help The Band"
07. The Latin Kings "T.L.K."
08. Franz Ferdinand "Take Me Out"
09. Weeping Willows "Stairs"
10. The Thrills "Don't Steal Our Sun"
11. Timbaland & Magoo "Indian Flute"
12. Kamera "Suburban Boy"
13. Courtney Love "Mono"
14. Disco Volante "Distort The South"
15. Her Majesty "You And Me Against The World"
16. Mazarine Street "Bourgeois Blood"
17. The Strokes "Reptilia"
18. Dizzee Rascal "Jus'a Rascal"
19. Backyard Babies "A Song For The Outkast"
20. Muse "Hysteria"

Even though they never got the song working on the website yet as far as I know, you can listen to the new Weeping Willows single "Stairs" from right here, courtesy of Aftonbladet.

Head over to the Weeping Willows website to get a chance to hear a preview of the new single "Stairs": http://weepingwillows.nu/
It doesn't appear to be working quite yet, but I assume they'll have it fixed soon.

Next year:
So far, I'm looking forward to new releases from Kristofer Åström, Cobolt, C.Armeé, Sahara Hotnights, Soundtrack of Our Lives, Tiger Lou, Weeping Willows and of course, KVLR to name a few. There's also an album in the pipeline from The Hives that's sure to be hyped beyond belief. And then there's the international promotion of José González and The Concretes to look out for, as well as who knows what other flavor-of-the-month they might try to sell you. As always, you know where to come if you want to hear about it first.

Top ten: 2003

Rocket.fm is reporting that the new Soundtrack of Our Lives single will be called "Karmageddon" and the new Weeping Willows single will be called "Stairs".