This week's top 20 Swedish album chart:
01. Carola - I denna natt blir världen ny - Jul i Betlehem II
02. Jill Johnson - Music Row
03. Björn Skifs - I2I
04. Magnus Uggla - Pärlor åt svinen
05. Kent - Tillbaka till samtiden
06. Peter Lemarc - Kärlek i tystnadens tid
07. Amy Diamond - Music in motion
08. Lars Winnerbäck - Daugava
09. Martin Stenmarck - Det är det pojkar gör när kärleken dör
10. Thorleifs - Våra bästa år
11. Sven-Bertil Taube - Alderville Road - Ord och toner av Evert Taube
12. Mats Bergmans - Jubileum
14. The Refreshments - Christmas spirits
15. Christer Sjögren - Älskade andliga sånger
16. Eva Dahlgren - Petroleum och tång
17. Louise Hoffsten - Så speciell
18. Peter Jöback - Människor som du och jag
19. Mikael Wiehe & Ebba Forsberg - Dylan på Svenska
20. Sahara Hotnights - What if leaving is a loving thing
Thunder Express on tour in Spain:
02/23 - Alicante, Alicante
02/24 - Castellón, Castellón
02/27 - Madrid, Madrid
02/28 - Bilbao, Vizcaya
02/29 - Gijon, Asturias
José González, Jens Lekman and Loney, Dear are all nominated for NPR's All Songs Considered top albums of the year: https://www.questionpro.com/akira/TakeSurvey?id=833977
Loney, Dear is also brought up in this piece on new music trends spotlighting artists from Canada and Sweden.
"Los Suaves Negroes: A lounge & bossa tribute to Turbonegro", a novelty tribute to a novelty band. Oh joy. Not that it's much of a stretch to up Turbonegro's kitsch factor and transcribe their tunes to a different genre, it's just not that exciting. Once you get past the shock factor of hearing someone sweetly coo "I got erection", what else is there? Sure, it's funny, but does it hold up to repeat listens? Not so much.
Per och Helena - I got erection
It was difficult coming to any sort of consensus between my various contributors and myself, but I managed to create a list of our top eight favorite songs for 2007. Not only do I have 'em posted in a handly little chart, I'm also counting 'em down in today's new podcast! Check it out right here!
Be forewarned: our top album picks will be posted tomorrow.
7
I'm the kind of guy who appreciates strong structure and composition, so when faced with something like Øresund Space Collective's sprawling 70-minute epic improv session recording they call an album, I must admit that I was a bit daunted. It's hard enough to hold my attention for a 3-minute pop song, much less a 30-minute prog workout, yet somehow I've soldiered through this work numerous times now, emerging on the other side fully unscathed. It's a testament to how good they are at what they do, as it would only take a few small missteps to lose me along the way.
Really, all you need to know about these guys is right there in the name: they are from the Øresund region, they play space rock and they are a collective featuring a large, revolving cast of musicians. If you dig the interplay of talented artists playing off one another and getting lost in the atmosphere (or sent off into the stratosphere, for that matter), then ØSC are for you. If precision chops or tight, concise arrangements are more you thing, keep moving. And those of us, like myself, who dabble in a bit of post-rock and are open-minded enough to approach something a little outside their comfort zone, might find themselves pleasantly surprised.
- Avi Roig
Pitchfork reports on the various details concerning Robyn's forthcoming UK single release of "Be mine": https://www.pitchforkmedia.com/page/news/47274-robyn-invites-us-to-be-mine-on-latest-single-dates
Södra Promenaden is offering up the 1989 demo from pre-Refused/Final Exit/Noise Conspiracy act Garbage Pailkids: https://sirling.blogg.se/1197467618_the_shape_o.html
Norwegian newspaper Adressa's top albums of the year:
01. The Lionheart Brothers - Dizzy kiss
02. My Midnight Creeps - Histamin
03. Moving Oos - Peace & love
04. Susanne Sundfør - Susanne sundfør
05. Superfamily - Warszawa
06. Shining - Grindstone
07. John Heitman/Mark Gregory - Chronicles
08. Kim Hiorthøy - My last day
09. Trulz And The Trees - Ailanthus
10. Texum - Different strokes for different folks
11. The Grand - The grand
12. Erlend Ropstad - Bright late nights
13. Hellbillies - Spissrotgang
14. Samvirkelaget - Musikk
15. Heroes & Zeroes - Strange constellations
16. Draumir - The island
Read more: https://www.adressa.no/kultur/musikk/article993269.ece
Hybris reports back from a recent roundtable discussion in Stockholm on the future of music: https://hybrism.blogspot.com/2007/12/shout-to-top.html
Fibes Oh Fibes! has posted some new demo material on myspace: https://www.myspace.com/fibesohfibes
PopMatters reviews the US release of Magnet's most recent record "The simple life": https://www.popmatters.com/pm/music/reviews/51628/magnet-the-simple-life/
The new Carnal Forge video for "Numb (the dead)" is now on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81EOg82O8VE
Øresund Space Collective