Festival report: By:Larm 2010 (day 2)
Country: Iceland
Seabear - I'll build you a fire (video)
Here's a new video from Icelandic artist Seabear for the new song "I'll build you a fire": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QB-BT_RugUU
Icelandic metal report
Music blog Halifax Collect rounds up some news on some of Iceland's best metal bands, including names such as Changer, Carpe Noctem, Gruesome Glory, Universal Tragedy and more: http://halifaxcollect.blogspot.com/2010/02/more-metal-please-can-we-have-little.html
The Silent Ballet reviews Valgeir Sigurðsson
The Silent Ballet praises Icelandic artist Valgeir Sigurðsson and his new album "Draumalandið": http://thesilentballet.com/dnn/Home/tabid/36/ctl/Details/mid/384/ItemID/3091/Default.aspx
Jónsi - Go do (video)
Here's the video for the new Jónsi track "Go do": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCE_aqeX9ek
PopMatters reviews FM Belfast
PopMatters reviews the American release of the FM Belfast album "How to make friends": http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/117902-fm-belfast-how-to-make-friends/
More, better Twitter integration
For the few of you out there who might be interested, I've added Twitter integration to label pages (see Adrian Recordings for example) and I've also updated it so I'm pulling profile pictures and am doing a better job at parsing links, including those @whoever tags and so on. Want more? Give me ideas, make requests. That goes for any/all site features -- I've got the content, now I'm looking for better ways to leverage it to suit your needs.
This week's Last.fm chart
Here is the It's a Trap! listening group top 10 artists of the week, unique to our group:
01. Shout Out Louds
02. First Aid Kit
03. Jonathan Johansson
04. Håkan Hellström
05. Kent
06. The Magnetic Fields
07. Oh No Ono
08. Beach House
09. Loney, Dear
10. The Radio Dept.
Do you listen to music on your computer or with an iPod? Please join us and make your playlist count! Go here to learn more: http://www.last.fm/help/
Jóhann Jóhannsson to release soundtrack album in April
Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson will release the new album "And in the endless pause there came the sound of bees" in April via . Said album with feature Jóhannsson's soundtrack for Marc Craste's film "Varmints" which was previously released as a limited tour-only edition last summer, but will now appear with two previously unreleased tracks. More info and international tourdates at Iceland Music Export: http://www.icelandmusic.is/News/1267/Johann-Johannsson--New-Album---Tour-News-/default.aspx
Jónsi to tour North America
Jónsi has announced North American tourdates starting in April:
04/06 - Vogue Theatre, Vancouver, BC
04/07 - Vogue Theatre, Vancouver, BC
04/09 - The Showbox Sodo, Seattle, WA
04/10 - The Showbox Sodo, Seattle, WA
04/13 - Roseland Theatre, Portland, OR
04/15 - Zellerbach Auditorium, Berkeley, CA
04/16 - Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco, CA
04/18 - Coachella, indio, CA
04/21 - Paramount Theatre, denver, CO
04/22 - Liberty Hall, Lawrence, KS
04/24 - Pantages Theatre, Minneapolis, MN
04/25 - Pantages Theatre, Minneapolis, MN
04/26 - The Pabst Theatre, Milwaukee, WI
04/27 - Vic Theatre, Chicago, IL
04/28 - Vic Theatre, Chicago, IL
04/30 - Sound Academy, Toronto, ON
05/01 - Sound Academy, Toronto, ON
05/02 - Metropolis, Montreal, QC
05/03 - Electric Factory, Philadelphia, PA
05/05 - House of Blues, Boston, MA
05/06 - House of Blues, Boston, MA
05/08 - Terminal 5, New York, NY
05/09 - Terminal 5, New York, NY
2010 watchlist
One of the main reasons I created the site's new custom filter feature is to create lists, both for my own good but also for you, the reader's benefit. Instead of keeping my own private list of my most anticipated releases of 2010, along with tracking all the excellent albums I've already heard and rank highly, I've created a custom filter to do it for me: http://www.itsatrap.com/filter/2010-watchlist
Keep track of my favorites and follow what I say about them; create your own list and do the same!
FM Belfast album to get US release
Icelandic artist FM Belfast will finally have their debut album "How to make friends" given a proper US release this spring via . Download the single "Par avion": http://www.pluseinn.com/mp3/howtomakefriends/Par_Avion_Master.mp3
Jónsi confirms album release, tour plans
Sigur Rós frontman Jónsi has confirmed that his new solo album "Go" will receive an international release on April 5. Look for international tourdates to be announced on February 1 with shows starting in North America in April.
The Silent Ballet reviews Daníel Bjarnason
The Silent Ballet gives high marks to Icelandic composer Daníel Bjarnason: http://thesilentballet.com/dnn/Home/tabid/36/ctl/Details/mid/384/ItemID/3065/Default.aspx