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 ()
Long-running Sundsvall, Sweden-based label is slowly working their way through their extensive vinyl back-catalogue with the intent to digitize, remaster and re-release it and will first be unearthing a discography collection from Motorjoke whose album "Barflugan" was the label's final LP back in 1991. The new collection, simply titled "1983-1993", will be available on 2CD on November 2 and will include full lyrics and liner notes. As for what they have planned next, I'll keep you posted.
Almost two years old at this point (it was recorded at 's 30th anniversary party in June '09), but only just now uploaded to YouTube. I just can't understand how vocalist Emma Härdelin manages to stand so still the whole time!
I like to think I'm one of the most open-minded listeners around, but dad gum it, this new record by Swedish folkie/country minstrel Lars Bygdén tested my patience. If it weren't for his name, you wouldn't have a friggin' CLUE that this thing came from within a thousand miles of the Arctic Circle. It sounds like safe, low-rent stuff from Nashville or somewhere else in the American south. I started scratching my brow on track two, "Thinking 'bout you," as our boy turns up the eloquence meter to, uh, ONE, with this verse: "I'm thinkin' 'bout chu (definitely pronounced as CHEW--c'mon, Lars, you're SWEDISH, not AMERICAN BACKWOODS)/With everything that I do/I'm movin' too fast/Won't give you no rest/I'm always thinkin' 'bout chu." I kept scratching through several bland, acoustic ballady numbers--only perking up my ears for the uptempo "Dream on," which you can actually tap your foot to, the sorta poignant "For the old folks" (a straight tribute to your ma and pa's generation; "I guess they need a thought or two," LB tells us), and "I couldn't help it," which, if you forget it's from Sweden, is one of the nicer and more wistfully sweet ballads here, Bygdén picking at the old six-string with some heart. But otherwise, this record is seriously lacking in some key musical ingredients: little things like originality, melody, emotional interest, etc. It's hard to imagine many folks making it to track 11 without yawning. Lars, m'boy, I'm sure you're a decent, sincere chap, and I promise I like Americana as much as you. But rough it up a bit or head for the edge, otherwise you're gonna start sounding like you belong in Branson. And that would be a terrible fate for a nice Swedish boy. - Kevin Renick
The Idle Hands. The Soft Eyes. I see a pattern here (that might have started with the The Talking Heads). Anyhow, The Soft Eyes are more my cup of tea than The Idle Hands, and they haven't got that much in common with The Idle Hands except their body parts band name. These fellows play alt-country that reminds me a bit of Elliott Smith. It also sounds like Kristofer Åström, although it never reaches the same levels as Mr. Fireside's songs do. Despite that, I like this, and I'm looking forward to listen to this album without having to think about it in 'reviewing terms'. Nevertheless, what a boring name! - Simon Tagestam
The title track is a catchy little rocker. The beat is driving and the vocals are just gruff on the chorus enough to give the tune a bit more extra power than you'd normally expect to hear from these guys. Nice stuff. The b-sides however, well... they're b-sides. There's a good reason they didn't make the final cut for the forthcoming album. - Avi Roig