Swedish label has been reconfigured and passed into the hands of Norrbottens läns landsting (the county council of Norrbotten) as of March 1. The initial plan is for the municipality of Luleå to become part-owners later this spring with other Norrland municipalities to be offered partnerships in the future. Says the label: "Business will continue in a slightly altered direction. The new BD Pop is a production and resource centre with the mission to support artists and music productions based in Norrbotten and to contribute to such projects with contacts, knowledge, resources and arenas." More here: http://www.bdpop.se/about.php (in Swedish)
Swedish hip-hop act Movits! have confirmed that their new album "Ut ur min skalle" will be released on March 23 in Sweden via with a US release to follow on April 5. The first single "Sammy Davis Jr." is out now.
Synth: Code 64 - Trialogue () Cryo - Hidden Aggression () Page - Nu () Social Ambitions - Almost gone ()
Hardrock/Metal: Ghost - Opus Eponymous () Watain - Lawless Darkness () Khoma - A final storm () Dark Tranquility - We are the void ()
Rhythm: Haci Tekbilek - Türlü () Helt Off - Marknadens Soldat () Million Stylez - Everyday () Serengeti - Standing Steady ()
Jazz: Elin Larsson Group - Live and Alive () Lekverk - Everyday () NEO (Nässjö Extreme Orchestra) - NEO () The Country - The Country ()
Punk/Hardcore Antipati - Frågor som rör det allmänna () Hårda Tider - Gatan Kallar () Old Fashioned Ideas - We're in this shit together () The Baboon Show - Punk Rock harbour ()
Hip-Hop: Academics - Tare Lugnt 4 () Carlito - Guldburen () PH3 - Löser ett fall () Zacke - Visst är det vackert ()
Rock: Bad Hands - Take The Money And Run () Dundertåget - Dom feta åren är förbi () Pascal - Orkanen närmar sig () The Bear Quartet - Monty Python ()
Folk/Visa: Anders Svensson, Magnus Gustafsson, Susanne Gustafsson, Anders Löfberg, Jörgen Svensson - Bålgetingen, Låtar efter August Strömberg () Mats Edén, Daniel Sandén-Warg, Leif Stinnerbom, Magnus Stinnerbom - Anno 2010 () OK Star Orchestra - Sound Classique () Ola Magnell - Rolös ()
Experimental: Ombudsman - And His Father Was A Great Machine () Erik Enocksson - Man tänker sitt () Leif Jordansson - The Comet / The Doll Maker () New Tango Orquesta - Vesper ()
Singer/Songwriter: I'm Kingfisher - Arctic () Daniel Norgren - Horrifying Death Eating Blood Spider () The Tarantula Waltz - Did Not Leave To Find But To Forget, To Leave Behind () The Tallest Man On Earth - Wild Hunt ()
Best live act: Anna Von Hausswolff The Tallest Man On Earth Masshysteri Robyn
Best unsigned act (in collaboration w/P3 Lab): Alice B Katakomb Ascend Broken Boys
Winners will be announced at a ceremony on February 4 at Nalen in Stockholm. More info: http://www.manifestgalan.se/
I've been waiting for Park Hotell's debut full length since the summer of 2007, the moment after the final track of their "The guest who stayed forever" EP came to a close. While fulfilling on its own, "The guest..." heralded a new Norrland talent, and six songs can only hold one over so long. "Free for friends" continues on in their C86-style -- the jangled guitar work struggling its way through the fantastically lower-fi production, the bass and superb drum work reinforcing the sound, with the vocals settled comfortably atop the swells of melody. Opener "Dead ringers", which It's a Trap! made available back in August, is easily one of the best songs of 2008, bringing to mind both The Bear Quartet and early New Order. With the standard set, "Free for friends" continues to deliver: "Black hole" with its wonderful, anthemic chorus of "Let some light in" perched perfectly upon surging instrumentation; the delightfully frantic guitar arrangements of "Happy love"; the chorus and ending of "Pandemonium ducks"; the grungy, angular attack of instrumental "Trouble kid"; and the powerful close provided by the title track and "Rubberneck". In the beginning, there were tracks I had to learn to appreciate through repeated listening, but I find this a compelling aspect of a record rather than a dissatisfying one. I like records that surprise me as they continue to reveal layers not visible on first glance. "Free for friends" is a perfect autumn record: tracts of introspection still fuelled by the reckless hope of summer days. Well worth the wait. - Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
For a debut double-EP, "The guest who stayed forever" is a damned fine collection of songs. Echoing the sounds of New Order with a few subtle Smiths-esque touches, and yet still rather at home with their Norrland neighbors, Park Hotell have finally delivered on all the promise and hype that's built around the band. I'm often left wanting for more when presented with an EP, but they quality of the six songs here leaves nothing to be desired. With everyone and their sister starting up an 80s throwback band and the market quickly becoming over-saturated, Park Hotell approach this nostalgic genre with class, skill, and confidence that shines through even the less produced songs on the first disc. The two songs on the second record, "Low on resistance" and "Sentimental endings", seem to point in the direction the band will head when the time comes for a full-length and are a fine culmination of all that's built up throughout. That being said, there isn't a bad track anywhere on this EP; the future looks wide open for Park Hotell. - Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
Park Hotell
Park Hotell
