Interview: Rasmus Kellerman

From eagle to white vinyl

Startracks pressed up a new run of Kristofer Åström's latest record "From eagle to sparrow" on white vinyl; get it here.

New Loosegoats album gets title, release date

The new Loosegoats album "Ideas for to travel down death's merry road" will be released on April 18 via Startracks. The lead single "Montananas" premiered on P3 yesterday and should be hitting digital platforms next week.

New Noise - Old Kids

Tour doc: José Saxlund (ex-Abhinanda, Out of Vogue) and Fredrik Holmgren (Startracks) travel from Stockholm to Umeå for Refused's secret reunion warmup gig. Many misspelled English subtitles are provided for the Swedish illiterate.

From eagle to sparrow teaser

A quick preview of the upcoming Kristofer Åström album "From eagle to sparrow", due out February 24 via Startracks.

Love Antell (Florence Valentin) going solo

Florence Valentin frontman/songwriter Love Antell is currently working on his debut solo album for release later this spring via Startracks.

New Kristofer Åström gets release date

Good news! Startracks has confirmed that the new Kristofer Åström album will be released on February 3, 2012.

Rasmus Kellerman
The 24th
Startracks

For fans of Tiger Lou, "The 24th" will feel a little like coming home after a long absence –– echoes of tracks like "Sam, as in Samantha" and "Like you said" quietly haunt the album's more melancholy works, and the overall feel of "Is my head still on?" is recognizable throughout Rasmus Kellerman's debut solo effort. The optimism of the self-titled opener, which finds Kellerman reflecting on his youth, fades into "The greatness & me", a track that starts with fond memories of childhood, images that are used as comparisons to a bleaker present and the unknown future, the theme of the following track, "Five years from now". These opening three compositions move wonderfully through past, present, and future, showcasing not only the musical and vocal talents of their creator, but Kellerman's vision and strength as a storyteller. Not all of "The 24th" is as obviously interconnected as these first three tracks, but numerous images and themes recur throughout the album –– laying in the shade of trees, houses by the ocean, the seeming incompatibility of one's past and present coloring their idea of the future, to name a few –– granting "The 24th" a powerful sense of coherence. While not all of the songs are of the caliber of "The greatness & me" or "Five years from now", the record never stumbles, and, as an album that can be played through in its entirety, has grown on me a little more with each listen.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson

Manifest 2010 winners

Here are the winners of the 2010 Manifest Awards, Sweden's alternative Grammy:

Punk/Hardcore: Troublemakers - Made in Sweden (Svindel)
Dance: Samuel L Session - The man with the case (Be As One Imprint)
Jazz: The Opposite - Intertwined (Kopasetic)
Dansband: Blender - Välkommen in (Blender Records)
Rhythm: Jaqee - Kokoo Girl (Rootdown Records)
Composer: Lisa Nordström and Lisen Rylander Löve (Midaircondo)
Lyrics: Ken Ring
Rock: Makeouts - In A Strange Land (Bachelor Records)
Pop: El Perro Del Mar - Love Is Not Pop (Licking Fingers)
Hårdrock/Metal: Abandon - The Dead End (Black Star Foundation)
Synth: Arvid - Andetag (Wonderland Records)
Singer/songwriter: Kristofer Åström And The Rainaways - Sinkadus (Startracks)
Folk/ballad: Tore Berger - I huset långt på landet (Brus & Knaster)
Hip-hop: Mohammed Ali - Processen (Bad Taste Records)
Best poplabel: Information
Best live: Fever Ray (Rabid Records)
Best unsigned: Fulmakten

Read more: http://www.manifestgalan.se/125.aspx

Manifestgalen 2010 nominees are go

The nominees for the 2010 Manifest Awards, Sweden's alternative Grammy, have been announced:

Punk/Hardcore:
En Svensk Tiger - Versace style (Buzzbox records)
Troublemakers - Made in Sweden (Svindel)
Tysta Mari - Sveriges Casino (11743)
The Clichés - Monkey see, monkey do (Randale)

Dance:
Minilogue - Samlad årsproduktion
Samuel L Session - The man with the case (Be As One Imprint)
The Field - Yesterday and Today (Kompakt)
Tomas Andersson - Stiff Disco (Funk Noir)

Jazz:
Bengt Berger - Beches Brew (Country & Eastern)
Jonas Kullhammar Quartet - The Half Naked Truth 1998-2008 (Moserobie)
The Opposite - Intertwined (Kopasetic)
Plunge With Bobo Stenson - Origo (Kopasetic)

Rhythm:
Calle Real - Me Lo Gané (Timba Records)
Jaqee - Kokoo Girl (Rootdown Records)
Music is the weapon - Music is the weapon (Music is the weapon)
Syster Sol - Dömd att bli bedömd (Swing Kids)

Rock:
Florence Valentin - Spring Ricco (Startracks)
Makeouts - In A Strange Land (Bachelor Records)
Murder by guitar - Murder by guitar (Jeet Kune Records)
Skriet - Skriet (Novoton)

Pop:
Anna Järvinen - Man var bland molnen (Häpna)
El Perro Del Mar - Love Is Not Pop (Licking Fingers)
JJ - JJ n° 2 (Sincerely Yours)
Jonathan Johansson - En hand i himlen (Hybris)

Hårdrock/Metal:
Abandon - The Dead End (Black Star Foundation)
Candlemass - Death Magic Doom (Nuclear Blast)
Katatonia - Night Is The New Day (Peaceville)
Tribulation - The Horror (Pulverised)

Synth:
Arvid - Andetag (Wonderland Records)
Dupont - Entering The Ice Age (Progress Productions)
Emmon - Closet Wanderings (Wonderland Records)
Rupesh Cartel - Anchor Baby (Megahype)

Singer/songwriter:
Ane Brun - Live at Stockholm Concert Hall (Balloon Rangers Recordings)
David Åhlen - We Sprout In Thy Soil (Compunctio)
Jonna Lee - This Is Jonna Lee (Razzia)
Kristofer Åström And The Rainaways - Sinkadus (Startracks)

Folk/ballad:
Taken By Trees - East of Eden (Rough Trade)
Miriam Aida - Letras au Brasil (Ajabu)
Tore Berger - I huset långt på landet (Brus & Knaster)
Esbjörn Hazelius - Blunda och du ska få se (Amigo)

Hip-hop:
Mohammed Ali - Processen (Bad Taste Records)
Organismen - Om Gud vill och vädret tillåter (Organismen)
Promoe - Kråksången (Pope Records)
Stor - Nya skolans ledare (Redline Records)

Best live:
Frida Hyvönen (Licking Fingers)
Jenny Wilson (Gold Medal Recordings)
Fever Ray (Rabid Records)
Florence Valentin (Startracks)

Best unsigned:
Den Svenska Björnstammen
Extended Heads
Fulmakten
Nora

Go here for more: http://www.manifestgalan.se/122.aspx

MP3: Nirvana 2002 - Slumber

The best new music is old, that's a fact. I may have an ever-increasing list of upcoming releases I'm excited about, but when I go to the record store I'm either thumbing through used bins or, more likely, checking out all of the excellent vinyl reissues that have been hitting the shelves. Another fact: wwo of 2009's best releases were from Death and Zero Boys, two mostly forgotten acts whose OG material smokes current up-and-comers. Similarly, the reissue of Nirvana 2002's discography by Relapse Records proves they don't make 'em like they used to when it comes to Swedish death metal. Yes, we are in a genre resurgence and there are plenty of fine acts out there keeping the flames burning, but I don't think any of them are this good. Nirvana 2002 was always a band I saw referenced in countless thank-you lists back in the day, but whose music I never heard, so I'm way stoked to finally get a chance to hear what I was missing and damn, I was missing a lot. Not all lost gems are worth recovering, but this one certainly qualifies.

"Slumber" first appeared on the "Disembodied spirits" EP back in 1990, released by Fredrik Holmgren's CBR Records, the precursor to Startracks (not that you'd know it style-wise). This particular version is newly remixed for the reissue and sounds much clearer and more brutal than the original, but even that take is included on the flip of the LP just in case you miss the tape hiss. In case it wasn't obvious, the sound is pure Sunlight Studios, the blueprint for the burgeoning genre to come. And of course, the song itself totally slays. It's a fact!

Nirvana 2002 - Slumber

Top 10s for 2009: It's a Trap!

Tiger Lou
A partial print
Startracks

I'm going to admit from the start that I had some difficulty with "A partial print" when I listened to it on Startracks' page a week or so before its release. I was overwhelmed and excited by the opening five compositions, and then this feeling slipped a little - the abandonment of Tiger Lou's typically quite structured, complete arrangements on tracks like "Trails of spit" seemed to dilute the weight of the songs' conclusions, and the closing, nine-minute long opus felt too ambling and unfocused to be a proper culmination of the album's energies. I admit these issues here only to demonstrate that "A partial print" is not an album that reveals its immediacy, its intentioned presence on a first or second listen - what you are presented with is a collage, a collection of images, all of them darkly beautiful extensions of the emotional landscape of "The loyal", but the connections between these impressions can take some time to present themselves, but they will, and then "A partial print" comes fully into being.

The tone of "A partial print" is a dark one, represented not only in the recurring theme of leaving a small fragment of yourself behind, but in the intricate abandon and melancholy of the instrumentation which, on a number of occasions, evolves into heavy, post-hardcore breakdowns akin to the efforts on Small Brown Bike's brilliant swansong "The river bed". The production on the album is fantastic, accentuating the full drum arrangements, the beautiful guitar and bass work, and, of course, Rasmus Kellerman's magnificent, haunting voice. "The less you have to carry", in my opinion the greatest song Tiger Lou have crafted, is the first to truly bear the burden of "A partial print", and is therefore the song that fashions the aesthetic tenets of the album. The line "A partial print is all that I'm leaving behind, a little something to remember me by" is repeated in the closing title track, giving the record an unsettling conclusion - that of an endless cycle of departure and loss, but, as Tiger Lou established themselves as the masters of harrowing grace with "The loyal", this journey doesn't feel haunted or disillusioned, not even as you retrace your footsteps. Nor is it all a cynical, disheartening experience - glimmers of hope shine through in "So demure" and the single "Crushed by a crowd".

"A partial print" is difficult, complicated, heartbreaking, and inspiring - everything we've come to expect from Tiger Lou.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson

Niccokick
The good times we shared, were they so bad?
Startracks

Niccokick don't seem to have changed much since I last saw them live with Snook four years ago (no, not in Uppsala). They still very much embody the typical sound of "Swedish" indie-rock with its anthemic melodies and carpets of distorted guitars. Singer Andreas Söderlund has been pretty active in the meantime (in sideproject Sounds like Violence and as producer of acts such as Hello Saferide and David and the Citizens) and it shows. Niccokick's sound is more diverse on their second LP than previously -- the additional synths and the odd cello have definitely helped. And while Andreas' voice comes across as desperate as ever, it's nice to hear him cover other emotions as well. The songwriting is similarly passionate and direct, yet never embarrassing, and generally very dancable and catchy. Actually, that's also the record's main problem: all that energy, passion, and directness can become a bit too much at times. It's still a very good indierock album though, great for the dancefloor and probably even better when performed live on stage.
- Arnulf Köhncke

Christian Kjellvander
I saw her from here/I saw here from her
Startracks/V2

Whereas "Faya" was more an extension of "Songs from a two-room chapel"; on his third solo album, Christian Kjellvander has not only been able to carry his lyrical ability through, but the arrangements on this album are such leaps forward. With the tempo brought up to Loosegoats levels on "Poppies and peonies", the single "Two souls" and "The road", the captivation is set for the true improvements: the soft numbers. Strings and distorted guitar solos flesh out "While the birches weep" over a very soft, yet pulsating beat; "Sons of the coast" is over held organ chords and ambiance. Kjellvander's trademark fingerpicking only really comes through on "Somewhere else" although a bit more sparse that usual, but fitting in context of the album. I have not seen much press on this album to date, but on "I saw her from here/I saw here from her", Christian Kjellvander has quietly delivered his best solo outing thus far.
- Matt Giordano