Swedish indiepop act A Smile and a Ribbon are coming to the US in May:
05/23 - Littlefield, NYC, NY (NYC Popfest w/The Embassy, etc.)
05/25 - Lizard Lounge, Boston, MA
05/29 - The Monkey House, Winooski/Burlington, VT
05/30 - Le Divan Orange, Quebec
Swedish indie/punk/funk act The Je Sais Quoi will release their new album "Transparent for you all" on April 5 via the band's own label and will only be available either as a digital download or vinyl. This will be the band's first recordings with new drummer Pontus Levahn (Tiger Lou, Torpedo, etc.) and you can hear a few sample tunes (and read more about it) at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/thejenesaisquoi
This is the sort of release that feels tailor-made for me: obscure Swedish postpunk act records a single demo that gets lost to the ages, only to be resurrected a dozen or so years later by a likewise obscure label for a limited vinyl release. I had never heard of the band Monument before unearthed their lone 4-song EP, but why would I? They didn't do much except make great music in the wrong place at the wrong time, a fatal and inescapable error only apparent in retrospect. It's a shame too, because I think they'd fit quite nicely alongside the current pseudo-goth/synth revival (Zola Jesus, Cold Cave, etc.), though their sound is a bit more streamlined/less overtly indie. So yeah, if you dig on classic dark rock ala Cure or Depeche Mode or are one of those few people like myself who count themselves as fans of Bay Laurel (some strong similarities there in terms of pacing and vocal timbre, though Monument lacks their heaviness), then you'll be way into this. Or if you're like me and you love digging up unknown Swedish postpunk gems, you need this too.
MP3: Monument - Monday
Swedish indie/pop act The Sweet Serenades have a video for their new single "Die young" (feat. guest vocals from Karolina Komstedt of Club 8): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ-jzDsl_ic
Göteborg indie act Youngfuck has a new video for the song "204,7": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11NKFHuoSts
If you're into other GBG electro/Balearic/shoegaze, you'll probably like this too.
has signed Monostrip, the indie/electro act with 5 members from I'm From Barcelona. Look for their debut single "Like a drug" to be released on March 4. In the meantime, preview here: http://www.wonderlandrecords.com/monopress/
Finnish DIY/indie label has a new website: http://kalmava.com/rabbitilsnrecords/
Swedish indiepop act Celestial has posted an old, previously unreleased track on myspace: http://www.myspace.com/ourcelestialmusic
I'm not gonna lie to you, I haven't magically become a fan of Oh No Ono overnight. Their style of indierock is still way too, I dunno... stereotypically indie for me. Heavy on quirks, light on hooks. But that's just me and I understand my opinion is not the be all end all even though I think it should be. Anyhow, what I am a fan of is , vinyl and free stuff, so I'm more than happy to team up with the label to give away an autographed copy of Oh No Ono's new 2LP "Eggs" which will officially be released on March 9. The stats, should you be curious: gatefold packaging, extra loud 45RPM DMM cut with high quality 24-bit masters. So yeah, basically everything that you could want from a vinyl release with no shortcuts. You want it? All you gotta do is send me a private message to enter and I'll pick someone's name out of a hat at the end of the day, maybe even yours. Not a registered user yet? Well, now's the perfect time to remedy that. Good luck!
UPDATE: A winner has been selected. Thanks to everyone who entered! Better luck next time.
MP3: Oh No Ono - Helplessly young
j.appelqvist | Fri, Mar 12th, 2010 12:51:00