Here are the winners of the 2012 Manifest award, Sweden's indie/alternative Grammy:
Folk/Ballad: Siri Karlsson - Gran Fuego ()
Experimental: Hanna Hartman - H ^ 2 ()
Punk: Obnoxious Youth - The Eternal Void ()
Dance: Jonsson/Alter - Samlad årsproduktion ()
Hardrock: Opeth - Heritage ()
Rhythm: Simone Moreno - Planetas ()
Singer/Songwriter/Country/Americana: Ane Brun - It All Start With One ()
Rock: Pascal/Mattias Alkberg - Allt det här ()
Best Unsigned: Death By Armborst
Jazz: Jonas Holgersson - Snick Snack ()
Hip-Hop: Mofeta & Jerre - Briljanter & Smaragder ()
Synth: Necro Facility - Wintermute ()
Pop: Azure Blue - Rule of thirds ()
Best live act: This is Head ()
SKAP/Manifest Prize for best lyrics: Philip Ekström - Det Vackra Livet ()
SKAP/Manifest Prize for best composer: Maria Lindén - I Break Horses ()
Manifest Prize for best indie: Popkollo
The nominees for the 2012 Manifest Awards, Sweden's alternative/indie Grammy, have been announced:
Folk/Ballad: Marin/Marin – Småfolket () Merit Hemmingson – EQ () Navarra – Nya fönster () Siri Karlsson – Gran Fuego ()
Dance: Skudge – Samlad årsproduktion () Jonsson/Alter – Samlad årsproduktion () The Field – Looping State of mind () Pallers – The Sea Of Memories ()
Punk: Sju Svåra År – Storma varje hjärta () Obnoxious Youth – The Eternal Void () Vånna Inget – Allvar () Black Feet – Black Feet ()
Hip-Hop: Mofeta & Jerre – Briljanter & Smaragder () Ison & Fille – För evigt () Mohammed Ali – Vi () Roffe Ruff – Barrabas ()
Experimental: Hans Appelqvist – Sjunga slutet nu () Hanna Hartman – H ^ 2 () Ophir – Opus Operatum () Midaircondo feat. Michala Østergaard-Nielsen – Reports on the Horizon ()
Hardrock: In Solitude – The World. The Flesh. The Devil () Opeth – Heritage () Terra Tenebrosa – The Tunnels () The Haunted – Unseen ()
Rhythm: Syster Sol – Kichinga! () Simone Moreno – Planetas () Kapten Röd – Fläcken Som Aldrig Går Bort () OK Star Orchestra – The Beat and the Melody ()
Pop: Azure Blue – Rule of thirds () Jonathan Johansson – Klagomuren () Korallreven – An album by Korallreven () Loney Dear – Hall Music ()
Rock: Pascal/Mattias Alkberg – Allt det här () Kajsa Grytt – En kvinna under påverkan () Bob Hund - Det överexponerade gömstället () Tramp – Indigo ()
Synth: Henric de la Cour – Henric de la Cour () Necro Facility – Wintermute () Mr Jones Machine – Monokrom () Covenant – Modern Ruin ()
Jazz: Jonas Holgersson – Snick Snack () Parti & Minut – Från klart till halvklart () Priming Orchestra – Deep Blue () The Splendor – Delphian Palace ()
Best Unsigned: Death By Armborst Storskogen Schizo and the Personalities Farsta
Singer/Songwriter/Country/Americana: Brothers of End – Mount Inside () Ane Brun – It All Start With One () Promise & the Monster – Red Tide () Lars Bygdén – Songs I Wrote ()
Best live act: Kriget () This is Head () Graveyard () Mattias Alkberg ()
Swedish highlights from Gaffa SE's top 30 albums of 2011:
3. Mattias Alkberg - Anarkist (Teg Publishing/)
4. Anna Järvinen - Anna själv tredje (/)
5. Skriet - Det Beslutande Organet (/)
8. Invasionen - Saker som jag sagt till natten (/)
12. Graveyard - Hisingen Blues (/)
14. Deportees - Islands & Shores (/)
16. I Break Horses - Hearts (/)
18. The Field - Looping State of Mind (/)
20. Syket - With Love (/)
21. Jonathan Johansson - Klagomuren (/)
28. Movits! - Ut ur min skalle (/)
29. Det Vackra Livet - Det Vackra Livet (/)
30. Ison & Fille - För evigt (/)
Celebrating twenty years as a band is no small task, and Acid House Kings should be applauded for plodding their way through said time span, though with only five albums -- including this one -- their discography seems a bit thin when compared to other acts of a similar vintage. Their previous release, "Sing along with the Acid House Kings" found the band honing their precious twee-pop quite exquisitely -- the lyrics were not overly saccharine and the songs had a punching chorus, an atypical twee attribute. Six years on, we find them attempting to replicate the feel of the aforementioned album, but to rather dire results -- it is as meticulously crafted as any that Johan Angergård helms, however after such a long rest, one would expect to find the band challenging themselves to produce a refreshed, altered work. Instead, "Music sounds better with you" stabilizes itself as a reworking of its predecessor, only without the whimsical charms which made for repeated listens. Sadly, the Acid House Kings have delivered a record that feels nothing more than decent background music. - Matt Giordano
To be completely honest, The Radio Dept. have never previously overwhelmed me, not in the way many friends and critics have been. This isn't to say I think they've been hyped into popularity, but their albums have often engaged me for a few weeks and then been shelved, only pulled out occasionally to listen to the two or three songs that really sunk in. "Clinging to a scheme", however, is a different beast -- for me, it is the album their previous efforts more than betrayed they were capable of: an amalgamation of the lively and charming tone of "Lesser matters" and the ambience of "Pet grief", yet surpassing them both. While this newest work finds the band in more explorative territory, it is a focused effort that maintains The Radio Dept.'s signature atmospherics despite the more adventurous tone of the record: "Domestic scene" is a near-perfect introduction to the album with its layers of languid guitars and synthesizers overlying a constant, driving beat, a tact subtly reminiscent of Doves; despite the spoken word opening (an irksome quirk that is used again a few minutes into "Never follow suit"), "Heaven's on fire" is one of the album's highlights, a strange union of The Radio Dept.'s talents with "Writer's block"-era Peter Bjorn and John's pop sensibility; and "Never follow suit" takes a few pages from The Tough Alliance's playbook, translating those mischievous tendencies and working them seamlessly into the track. While The Radio Dept. may have branched out and sped things up a little on this newest album, there is nothing that compromises the band's unique take on pop music; if anything, "Clinging to a scheme" acts as a tableau of where The Radio Dept. has been, all while elevating the band to this new peak. "The video dept." is wonderfully nostalgic of the finest lo-fi moments of "Lesser matters" and the already praised "Domestic scene" could almost have been on "Pet grief", were it a more somber affair. One of the finest qualities of the album is the fact that it isn't as solemn as much of The Radio Dept.'s catalogue, and yet remains just as personal and poignant. Suffice it to say, "Clinging to a scheme" isn't getting shelved anytime soon. - Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
is offering a preview of a few new Sambassadeur songs off their forthcoming record "European": http://www.labrador.se/sambasingel/
One of these tracks will be selected as the next single.
It's been inspiring to watch [ingenting] develop from record to record as they peel off all those print-out faces from pop music's hall-of-fame piece by piece. These days, their influences stand behind, never in front of the music, as they move from making music inspired by others to finding their very own place among the many indiepop bands that sing på Svenska. The competition is pretty stiff it seems, but [ingenting] need not hide their creativity behind that of their countrymen and women. Their strength lies in their directness: their witty melocism is never overly playful, their trademark melancholy never overdone. When they become bombastic, like in the album's definite stand-out "Dina händer är fulla av blommor", it's to make a point. And when I, as a non-native speaker, make the effort to track their lyricism in my head, I'm struck by how equally direct it is. [ingenting] seem to have no need for cynicism to make their point, yet they manage to sidestep those kitsch-traps that overly direct lyrics often cannot avoid. Even if "Tomhet, idel tomhet" can't make true on all the promises that "Dina händer..." and powerful opener "Hallelujah" carry along, I still expect the album to make many year-end-lists. - Arnulf Köhncke
Waiting for the next album by The Radio Dept. has been a tedious affair. First it was announced for September, then they pulled back at the last minute without much explanation, only to now, somewhat surprisingly, release this new EP. Generally, I've always found The Radio Dept. to be better at EPs than albums -- compare the longing "This past week"-EP or the stellar "Pulling our weight" for example. Unfortunately, "David" comes nowhere close to these classics. In fact, only the title track manages to combine catchiness with innovation, longing, and a popful dose of kitsch (though opinions on that may vary). The other songs, however, just can't live up to that level. Most are plain uninteresting and have a B-sidish feel. The remix of "David" is really interesting though, but the dramaturgy of it seems counter-intuitive: It only takes off after more than half the track and then doesn't dare to take its clever repetitiveness to the much-needed extreme. All in all, this really seems more the single it's intended to be than like a full-fledged EP. And though I'm still eager to hear "Clinging to a scheme" when it finally comes out, I'm not exactly getting my hopes up for a new "Lesser matters". But then again, who in their right minds would hope for that? - Arnulf Köhncke
My roommate has held that The Mary Onettes are the best band hailing from Sweden for quite some time now, and with the release of "Dare" I can no longer deny the group their rightful placement among the mass of creative genius that emanates from Scandinavia. The title track, and first single from the upcoming album, has The Mary Onettes exploring new territory with a confidence and proficiency that is almost impossible for a band with only one album and a handful of EPs under their belt. Philip Ekström's vocal delivery on "Dare", especially in the final moments of the chorus where his words spiral upwards along a lavish, inspired string arrangement, is simply brilliant, as is the songwriting that provides the melodic tapestry through which Ekström explores the introspective, doubt-ridden material of which the entirety of the EP is comprised. "Kicks" and "God knows I had plans" finds elements of "Pet sounds"-era Beach Boys and the Spector-esque (and criminally underappreciated) The Brother Kite worming their way into The Mary Onettes' instrumentation - "Kicks" as a slower, piano-driven, magnificently layered exploration of lost friendships; "God knows I had plans" driving forwards on a vehicle of jangled guitar lines and soaring vocals, surveying the shadows existent between shafts of sunlight. It's been a long time since a band has inspired in me this level of excitement and passion for music, feelings I thought were relegated to those adolescent years when an album still had the power to change the course of your life. - Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
With his first three albums, The Legends' Johan Angergård slowly traveled through his enormous catalogue of musical references, from 60's rock to 80's wave and 90's pop. All the while, The Legends managed to show an originality in their genre-bending musicality that always made them more than a simple retro-act. Still, their musical development seems to leave The Legends with a dilemma for their new album: What should the next logical step be when reaching contemporaray influences in their musical journey. Fuzz R&B? Ringtone shoegaze? Maybe not so surprisingly, "Over and over" takes the opposite chronological direction. Only this time, with the first three albums up their sleeves, The Legends can move on from ordinary reference to actual self-reference. Accordingly, the new album contains bits and pieces from The Legends' previous periods -- fuzz-pop, synth-layers, and quite some Pet Shop Boys'isms -- amalgamated with influences from Johan Angergård's other projects Club 8 and Acid House Kings. Quite logically, "Over and over" therefore lacks the aesthetic uniformity and clear vision that made the first three albums stand out. This becomes most obvious when The Legends noisiest single ever, last fall's brilliant "Seconds away", only two songs later gives way to a clear-sounding, very 60's pop boy-girl duet. What the album lacks in coherence in its sound-design is, in part, made up by Johan Angergård's ever-impressive songwriting and fondness for melodies, especially during the record's strong first half. Still, considering their landmark earlier efforts, I'd expected a little more from The Legends than this motley crew of somewhat divergent reference-pop. But then again, maybe they're just surprising us by transforming from an album-band to a singles-band, just like in the old days. - Arnulf Köhncke
The sophomore effort from Sambassadeur finds them considerably more mature. They've gotten smoother, sexier, and learned how to work an electro beat like a sutra throughout their sound. The result is a polished and immanently likable record, with catchy dance numbers and languid love songs, all bright and shimmering. Those who appreciated their self-titled debut's rotating boy-girl lead vocals may be disappointed that there's only one song on here that Anna Persson doesn't sing (even if she sings them all so very well) and the insistent electronic pulse adds to the sense that there's a bit too much sameness here. But it's great when a band who had such a good first record puts out a second that's every bit as strong but takes them in a new direction. - Nancy Baym
A year after their first long-player "Apple Bay", Irene have delivered their second, disappointingly slower album "Long gone since last summer". Having enjoyed the songwriting and tempo of their first album, as well as this album's lead single "By your side", I was a bit shocked to see the tempo grind to a halt. Most of the songs are slower, and frankly, for their sound, I don't find it to be the most successful method of the band organizing their ideas. They tend to resemble Motown ballads as opposed to the swinging pop that brought "Apple Bay" to life. I think it's because "Long gone since last summer" has such an autumn feel too, but when compared to the bleak sounds of others, Irene just seems a tad overwrought. - Matt Giordano
It's usually the first record you hear by a band that remains your favorite, but Club 8 have reached new heights with their sixth outing. At it's worst, it's as good as anything they've done before. At it's best, it's more complex, personal, and compelling. The band have extraordinary credentials in a certain genre of laid back Swedish indie. Their singer Karolina Komstedt was in the band Poprace, as was their songwriter/instrumentalist Johan Angergård, who is also busy in his other bands The Legends, The Acid House Kings, and behind the scenes at Labrador Records. Club 8 is distinguished by the contrasts among Komstedt's ethereal voice, which is astoundingly pretty without ever being cloying or affected, their melancholy lyrics, and a sound that is simultaneously gentle, dark and uplifting. On this record they all shine. While the lyrics grapple with relationships that don't work, fear of mortality, questioning God, inappropriate drug use and rural desolation, the music is relaxed and airy. Her singing has never been better and the production has never made the instruments sound this good. The total effect is akin to aloe vera for the soul; it soaks in, soothes, and somehow sets things right. It's chill without the snores, twee without the cute, and sweet without the toothache. - Nancy Baym
Acid House Kings
The Radio Dept.![[ingenting] - Tomhet, idel tomhet](/reviews/ingenting-tomhet.jpg)
[ingenting]
The Radio Dept.
The Mary Onettes
The Legends
Sambassadeur
Irene
Club 8
