Swedish singer/songwriter Jennie Abrahamson has posted a new version of an old song on her myspace page: https://www.myspace.com/jennieabrahamson
Recommended! She's got a little Dolly Parton in her voice, but the music is more akin to Kate Bush or David Sylvain.
Aversionline on Gbg-based emocore act When We Fall: https://www.aversionline.com/blahg/2007/01/15/capital-and-when-we-fall/
MP3: The Sound O.E - New bankruptcy
One of the big things that got me deeper into Swedish/Scandinavian rock way back when was explosive, guitar-heavy indierock. Fireside, Starmarket, Him Kerosene, KVLR - these are the bands that caught my interest and had me pouring through liner notes looking for more names to track down. Sadly, that scene is nowhere near as strong these days though there are a few who keep the fire burning: The End Will Be Kicks, Seven Feet Four, Aerial Convoj plus young upstarts like Traktor and today's post subjects The Sound O.E. The band has been lurking in the shadows for a couple years now, but it wasn't until very recently that they seemed to rise above and the new three-song EP "Me and Laureline" proves it. The screechy sprechstimme delivery of the verses might be a bit much for some, but remember that what they're doing is essentially sloganeering - the words are meant to be heard loud and clear. It's call & response; a call to action. When the harmonies of the chorus come in, the intentions are indisputable. The Sound O.E know exactly what they're doing. I think the arrangement could still be tightened up a bit, but I like what they're doing and definitely look forward to hearing more.
The Sound O.E - New bankruptcy
MP3: The Bear Quartet - World War III
Week #2 and we're going strong! Our latest Bear Quartet tribute post comes from Parasol's Jim Kelly, probably one of the biggest BQ fans I know. His pick? Well, read for yourself:
"World War III" is taken from the "Load it" EP, recorded in 2000 and released in very early 2001, one of The Bear Quartet's truly wondrous b-sides. A sweet, sad little song of truly epic proportions, with lyrics detailing a helicopter rescue and a childhood game of hide-n-seek gone wrong. It touches on fatalism and fealty (or a lack thereof) and finding yourself all sorts of lost for all sorts of reasons. And when it couldn't get any more melancholy, when the girl with the head-injury is happy to be in a helicopter, when the kid with the great hiding place realizes the game ended a long time ago and he's alone, what do they throw in instead of a guitar solo? That's right. Bagpipes. Or something suitably bagpipe-like, a mournful and keening wail, but it's probably just my favorite guitarist on the planet, Jari Haapalainen, playing mandolin through his Fender Twin, or something. So here I am with a lump in my throat and the solemn promise of further heartache (because you know it's not over)... Like when frontman Mattias Alkberg sings bassist Peter Nuottaniemi's wrenching lyrics in the closing stanza: "I was hiding from you who had gone home without telling me, and I swear that sometimes it's like I'm still out there." Hand me a hanky. "World War III" is Scandinavian Melancholy as a musical sub-genre, as a guilty pleasure, as an itch you enjoy scratching, as an incurable affliction, encapsulated in 4 minutes and 4 seconds.
The Bear Quartet - World War III
Again, if anyone is interested in contributing their own thoughts about a particular Bear Quartet song, please get in touch! We've got 50 more songs to go before the year is done!
Labrador has started to take orders on their 10-year anniversary 4CD box set "Labrador 100, a complete history of popular music": https://www.labrador.se/LABRADOR100/
Swedish hip-hop artist Timbuktu will be performing live at the legendary Apollo theatre in NYC on January 16. I do believe that Swedish Radio P3 will record and broadcast the show.
Listen to the first single "It's mine" from Home Groan's new album "All the men in dresses": https://www.homegroan.net/music/hgh_itsmine.mp3
Swedish singer/songwriter Tomas Andersson Wij will release his new greatest hits collection "En introduktion till Tomas Andersson Wij" on February 28. It includes songs from all his albums plus three brand new tracks. The first single will be for "Hälsingland".
Blood Tsunami, the new all-star Norwegian band featuring Stu Manx (Gluecifer) and Bård G. Eithun (Emperor, Scum), has confirmed that their debut album "Thrash metal" will be released on March 19.
The winners of this year's Rockbjörnen in the various Swedish categories:
Newcomer: Sebastian Karlsson
Male artist: Lars Winnerbäck
Female artist: Lisa Miskovsky
Group: BWO
Song: 7milakliv - Martin Stenmarck
Paper Thin Walls reviews a new Cut City track: https://www.paperthinwalls.com/singlefile/item?id=403
Musique Machine reviews Finnish act Kuusumun Profeetta: https://www.musiquemachine.com/reviews/reviews_template.php?id=1050
Also there today is a review of Geir Jensse (Biosphere): https://www.musiquemachine.com/reviews/reviews_template.php?id=1049