Anna von Hausswolff - Ceremony (pt. 1)
Part 1/5 of a new documentary on the recording of Anna von Hausswolff's new album "Ceremony".
Country: Sweden
Scraps of Tape - Live at Moriska Paviljongen, Malmö (video)
Watch Scraps of Tape perform live at Öresundsfestivalen this past weekend - I recommend it! Bonus points if you know who the first guest vocalist is.
New music from Kite
Swedish webzine Djurtube has posted live footage of brand new material from the excellent Swedish synthpop act Kite: http://www.djurtube.com/kite-ny-lat/
The visual quality is only so-so, but the sound is good.
Sylvester Schlegel going solo
Ex-The Ark drummer Sylvester Schlegel will step aside from his role as frontman for The Guild to record a solo album with producer Mattias Glavå (Broder Daniel, Håkan Hellström, etc). Of course he won't be totally alone, two fellow members of The Guild will contribute as well.
The Deer Tracks - Meant to be (video + tourdates)
New visuals from Gävle-based electronic/dreampop act The Deer Tracks; see them tour the US this June: http://thedeertracksmusic.com/#/events
Beläten presents "A Somatic Response"
Swedish apocalyptic/avantgarde art/music label is putting out a new cassette compilation curated by synth duo Soma Sema featuring 50 minutes of "cold synthetic pop, troubled industrial funk and dada rants" including new and exclusive tracks from artists such as Blitzkrieg Baby, Television Set, Nimam Spregleda, Makina Girgir, Kord, Lust for Youth and more. Look for a full-length preview this Friday with orders being taken Monday, June 4. And since I've already been privy to hearing the entire thing, I can say with authority that it's well worth checking out.
MP3: Vånna Inget - Jag ska fly tills jag hittar hem
Saw Vånnna Inget play a basement in Seattle on Saturday night and they absolutely killed, pretty much exactly as I expected. They played every song I was hoping to hear and then some, including an impromptu encore -- yeah, it was that kind of show and yes it was that good. Locals Big Eyes were pretty great too, shame that I slept on them for so long now. My only regret: failing to order the band's new 7" EP "Jag ska fly tills jag hittar hem" from Havoc with an order I put in a couple weeks back since I figured I could get one direct from the band. No dice! The Canadian pressing made it to Oakland a day late, so I got nothing. Good thing it's available on Spotify though!
Vånna Inget - Jag ska fly tills jag hittar hem
Lex Hives preview
The Hives' new album "Lex Hives" is currently streaming in full at Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hives/app_310953368986956
I can't imagine that it will convert any non-believers, but if you've ever liked the band before you'll find lots to enjoy here.
Loreen - Euphoria (Eurovision 2012)
Congrats to Loreen for leading Sweden to Eurovision victory this past weekend.
Follow Him to the End of the Desert - Time to die
Newly signed to with the album "The Dalecarlian Book of the Dead" on the way this fall, this is the official debut single from Swedish outsider hip-hop artist Follow Him to the End of the Desert.
Heathers/Hollows 2nd preview
A 2nd preview cut from the upcoming Heathers/Hollows cassette on , now expanded to a double release with over 100 minutes of music.
Red Doves MLP now streaming
Red Doves' new 12" "Off the grid", now streaming in full via Bandcamp. Recommended!
Imperial State Electric
Pop war
Psychout Records
Yep, I'm one of those closet nerds who owns pretty much every Hellacopters' output since "Payin' the dues" in '97. It always amazes me how one band I recently reviewed for IAT, borrowing the same 70's/80's references -- like the wailing Alice Cooper-Kiss riff thing -- can do it so wrong, while Nicke from The Hellacopters does it so right time and time again. Is it the vocals? I'm thinking that's part of it. Maybe even the guitar sound and makeup-less image. There's always some raw underbelly of punk behind it too, not to mention transcendent dueling guitar solos between a lefty and a righty and a highly educated sense of the blues. But you knew that already. Sure, Imperial State Electric sound like they're continuing on the more mature course of The Hellacopters' final releases, but after a decent debut in 2010, Nicke's once again enlisted his pals in Backyard Babies, The Datsuns and Captain Murphy to release yet another solid album. I wouldn't call it the best or most radical record we've seen this year and I have yet to find anything rivaling my favorite 'copters tunes, but it is hit-worthy and (more importantly?) party-friendly. And it's comforting to know that wise musicians are out there not deviating too drastically from what they do best. Huge respect to Nicke for continually slingin' out something new with something old.
- Ann Sung-an Lee
Kristofer Steen takes to the stage
Refused guitarist Kristofer Steen will be making his debut as a Stage Director next February when he stages his interpretation of Puccini's opera "La Bohème" at NorrlandsOperan in his old hometown of Umeå, Sweden. Read the full press release: http://www.norrlandsoperan.se/sve/press/pressmeddelanden/refused-gitarrist-operadebuterar (English + Swedish)
Rising: Icona Pop
Icona Pop gets a boost with an inclusion in Pitchfork's "Rising" column series: http://pitchfork.com/features/rising/8848-icona-pop/