Invisible Guy has posted a nice and long, extensive interview with artist/musician Thomas Ekelund about his new label enterprise (and more): http://invisibleguy.wordpress.com/2012/06/08/interview-with-thomas-from-belaten/
A Nighthawk, the husband/wife musical duo of Ted Malmros (Shout Out Louds) and Sarah Snavely (Dag för Dag), have announced that their long-awaited debut EP "Until I faltered I wasn't free" will be officially released on June 27 via Stockholm-based all-star label collective and will be available both as a digital download and on vinyl.
has announced the signing of Nexus Kenosis, a new project from Swedish industrial/noise master Henrik Nordvargr Björkk (Pouppée Fabrik, MZ.412, Nordvargr, etc.) which will also function as a multimedia collective of sorts. The debut album is finished and will be released in early fall.
"Roundkick" is the first single from The Embassy's long-awaited upcoming album. Buy the mp3 + a t-shirt here.
Swedish pop act Ljusår just released a new split single with an interesting concept: on the a-side they perform a faithful modern rendering of the early 80s tune "Kärlek och hat" by postpunk act Brända Barn and on the flip we get the original. Check it out via Spotify.
A new video from Revolvo? Yep, the band is back with a new, self-released album called "The end starts here" that came out in April. Who knew? Not I.
New jangly summertime pop sounds from Mr. Martin Senter, fresh from the studio.
Something new from Swedish indiepop act Adventure Of. The band's new EP "FUYMI" will be officially released on June 18 via with a SoundCloud preview going up beforehand on the 14th.
Long-running Swedish death-metallers Grave have confirmed that their 10th album "Endless procession of souls" will be released on August 27 via . Look for the band to tour the US this fall with Morbid Angel and Dark Funeral.
PSL has the premiere of the new Lorentz & Sakarias video for the single "Garbo, Astrid & Taube", as directed by Ted Malmros (Shout Out Louds): http://blogg.svt.se/psl/2012/06/07/premiar-lorentz-sakarias-garbo-astrid-taube/
At long last, enigmatic Swedish artist imamiwhoami has confirmed that her debut "audiovisual album" "Kin", a 45-minute album and film, will be released on September 3 via , June 11 via To whom it may concern.
Pitchfork thinks The Hives' new album "Lex Hives" is way too slick: http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/16703-lex-hives/
"Erica America" is the first sample tune from the upcoming Jens Lekman album "I know what love isn't", just confirmed for release on September 3 in Europe, September 4 in the US via /.
PopMatters is a bit disappointed by The Hives' new album "Lex Hives": http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/159409-the-hives-lex-hives/
ZoopartyZooparty formed in Linköping, Sweden back in '05 and "You must be joking", their third release, is a contemporary pop-punk album that most old-school punks would be crazy not to love on first listen. It has the power and grit of 1970s UK punk with the hooks and slickness of 90s era skate punk. Two icons of the genre, Glen Matlock (Sex Pistols) and Brian James (ex-Damned), contribute their guitar chops to the first two songs respectively, with James appearing again on the final song. Having said that, there is no drop off in quality from track to track and I can't help but think these guest appearances are nothing more than a token of their blessings meant to give the album some extra publicity. Besides, Erik Pettersson, the so-called "creative genius" of Zooparty, more than holds his own when compared to his legendary counterparts. His style reminds me of a young Steve Jones, consistently churning out explosive, catchy riffs that pack plenty of muscle. Petterssons' vocals are exhilarating as well and have an upbeat, tongue-in-cheek charm. The quirky lyrics don't make much sense, but that doesn't lessen the impact of the music. They sound very authentic for a latter-day punk band too, probably because they play each song with such fervent energy and really seem to be enjoying themselves. They don't force it and therein lies the beauty; isn't that what punk was about in the very beginning?
- Doug Ahlgren
