The Animal Five report that they are done recording their new 6-song minialbum and will be premiering a track tonight on Kanal Lokal.
Aftonbladet reports that Swedish pop artist September (aka Petra Marklund) has signed a record deal in the US and UK: https://www.aftonbladet.se/nojesliv/musik/article1287689.ab (in Swedish)
Of course, if you are after her most recent album "Dancing shoes" you don't have to wait, I've got it for sale right here.
MP3: Kasper Bjørke - Back & spine
It wasn't too long ago that I would never ever consider listening to big-beat techno music, but like a lot of people I know in my age group that had the same sort of punk/hardcore upbringing, the times are a-changin'. It's still unlikely that you'll see me on the dancefloor at the club, but I wouldn't rule it out completely. As for the root cause of said change of heart, I can't say, though my gut feeling tells me that dance producers are getting better at crafting tunes that work just as well at home as in the club. They're definitely experiencing a lot more crossover success in areas they weren't appreciated before, something best exemplified by the so-called "blog house"/modern remix culture. I'm still fairly lukewarm on most of that stuff (adding beats to tepid indierock is still akin to polishing a turd), but I know what I like and what I like is Danish producer Kasper Bjørke and his new record "In gumbo". Not only is lead single "Back & spine" (posted today) incredibly infectious, the entire album is consistently good the whole way through. That's a rarity in this single-driven world. Now don't expect me to start posting this sort of thing on a regular basis (there's many, far better sites for that, I can't keep up), but don't be surprised if it happens more often. Good music is good music is good music, that's all there is to it.
Kasper Bjørke - Back & spine (Fidel Astro remix)
Pitchfork reviews the new Efterklang album "Parades": https://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/46761-parades
Various Artists
A Number Of Small Things - A collection of Morr Music singles from 2001-2007
Morr Music
This charming compilation collects all 17 releases of Morr Music's singles-only sublabel A Number of Small Things. Quite surprisingly, the 36 tracks preserve an almost album-like feel despite their seven-inch-ancestry: True to the label's namesake (a song off Múm's debut album) the generally excellent contributions oscillate between finely-crafted indie-pop, IDM, and electronica. Between other big names (like Markus Acher of The Notwist, Valerie Trebeljahr of Lali Puna or Simon Scott of Slowdive), Scandinavian highlights include Seabear covering The Undertones' "Teenage kicks" and, most of all, Benni Hemm Hemm's stripped-down collaboration with Jens Lekman on "Aldrei". All in all, this CD or any of the corresponding seven-inches could make for a great musical present this year - trust me, I've tried it before.
- Arnulf Köhncke
There's a ton of footage on YouTube from the Eric Prydz show in DC this past weekend: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQxQa_8vcA4
Swedish indie act Out of Clouds has parted ways with keyboardist Erik Birgersson. The band is currently working on their debut full-length, tentatively due out early next year.
Details are now posted for the new Christmas EP from The Sweptaways featuring special guests Marit Bergman, Magnus Carlson (Weeping Willows) and The Gray Brigade: https://sweptaways.blogspot.com/2007/11/snart-slpps-rets-jul-ep.html
Said EP features four tracks and will be officially released on Decemer 1 via Hybris.
Opeth's new live album "The Roadhouse tapes" is streaming in its entirety on myspace: https://www.myspace.com/opeth
Novoton has announced that Pascal's sophomore album "Galgberget" will be out on January 22 with the first pressing coming in a special sleeve. The first single "Längtar efter dig" will be out in December and will include various TBA b-side remixes.
Checkpoint Charlie Audio Productions (CCAP) is releasing the soundtrack for the musical "Det tusende hjertet" this week and you can hear samples here: https://www.myspace.com/dettusendehjertet
The work is written by Tore Renberg and features music by Janove Ottesen of Kaizers Orchestra. The stage show will premiere on November 23 at Stavanger Teater.
CCAP also reports that Helldorado is working on a new record along with Flying Shoes, their 70s country tribute sideproject. Look for a new EP from Modan Garu in early 2008 as well with their debut full-length to follow in spring.
This week's It's A Trap! Last.fm listening group top 10 artists of the week:
01. Radiohead
02. Sigur Rós
03. Jens Lekman
04. Kent
05. Belle and Sebastian
05. Bloc Party
07. Shout Out Louds
08. The Knife
09. The Shins
10. Sambassadeur
Do you listen to music on your computer or with an iPod? Join us! Go here to learn more: https://www.last.fm/help/
Kaizers Orchestra have posted an update from the studio where they are currently at work on their fourth album: https://www.kaizers.no/articles/19/20/document188.ehtml
Download the Morten Riis (Beta Satan) remix of "Let's leave the city" by I Am Bones: https://www.iambones.dk/mp3/LetsLeaveTheCityMortenRiisRemix.mp3