This week's It's a trap! Last.fm/Audioscrobbler listening group top 10 artists of the week:
01. The Knife
02. Radiohead
03. Belle and Sebastian
04. The Radio Dept.
05. Anna Ternheim
06. The Decemberists
07. The Killers
08. Beck
09. Death Cab for Cutie
10. Kent
And the top 10 albums of the week:
01. The Arcade Fire – Funeral
02. The Knife – Silent Shout
03. The Knife – Deep Cuts
04. Thom Yorke – The Eraser
05. Cansei de Ser Sexy – Cansei de Ser Sexy
06. Band of Horses – Everything All the Time
07. The Shins – Chutes Too Narrow
08. The Radio Dept. – Pet Grief
09. Radiohead – OK Computer
10. Belle and Sebastian – If You're Feeling Sinister
Want to make your own playlist count? Join us! Go here to learn more: https://www.last.fm/help/
Serena Maneesh reports from the end of their most recent US tour and tries to summarize the experience: https://www.serena-maneesh.com/news.php
Hell On Wheels, Jens Lekman and El Perro Del Mar will be heading to Brazil together in December. Dates soon.
In my inbox this morning from Thomas Denver Jonsson:
How are you. I'm fine. In fact, I'm very touched after Saturday's show together with Dear Euphoria. We played at a charity show for cancer research in memory of this girl Helena's best friend. Helena organized this show and it was very touching. One of my strongest experiences on stage. You always puts on a new personality and a new attitude when being on stage, something that was impossible on this night. I sung on one of Elina's (Dear Euphoria) songs and she guested me on three of mine. It was just perfect.
Hey, I just uploaded two new demos on my website. Of course it's demos and a little lo-fi and trembling but someone might find it interesting, I don't know. It's one new and the one I uploaded on myspace some month ago:
"Like friends falling in love"
"Only for beginners"
It's reference tapes and it's meaning is to make me remember the song, not to make it public. But... I guess I just did.
Not only are The Tough Alliance playing Tack! Tack! Tack! tonight, but they've also got a new album out. It's called "Escaping your ambitions" and it's a new age record. I'm not kidding you at all either - it opens with the sound of lolling ocean waves and seagulls and features tons of synthtones with the attack set so soft, it feels like a feather against your eardrum. No heavy house beats, just a smattering of table. No vocals except for a few short samples. Nope, all you get is the soothing sounds of Swedish new age music. My wife the ex-massage therapist commented that she could imagine doing a session with this as the soundtrack. What's more: I actually really like it. I was surprised at how much I liked TTA's previous EP, but this is ridiculous. What's wrong with me? Am I getting soft?
The Tough Alliance - Leg 7
Besides my own "Reader's companion" CDs there really isn't a better soundtrack to this site than the new "Svensk indie" compilation just released from NONS. Compiled by journalist/promoter/indie guru Terry Ericsson with assistance from Per Helin and Emelie Bååth, this collection is a monstrous 42-tracks plus copious liner notes (på Svensk, naturally). If you don't already have a good majority of these songs in your collection, this is probably the easiest way to get yourself educated. My interview with Terry is still in the works, but I did catch up with both Emelie and Per to ask them about their favorite selections:
Emelie: My favourite song on the compilation is "Hey princess" by Popsicle. It's one of the songs in my life that always makes me glad and it's also a brilliant and perfect floor filler! I actually first heard it on a dance floor, I don't remember which pop club in Sthlm it was, but it could have been Flowered Up or Too Cool for School sometime around -98. I guess I was too young to discover the song when it first was released. To me, back then, Popsicle was all about "Not forever" and "American poet" but the song "Hey princess" simply had a great revival around that time, the dj:s were playing it on clubs and the younger crowd (with me included) discovered the song and I remember that I fell in love with the song at once.
Per: Suredo - "Average cell". That was one of the first Swedish indie tunes that really caught my attention. When I first heard it I remember thinking; what interesting new English band is this (this was at the time when British still was a positive thing musically wise).
But what about all the great songs that were left out? Their picks...
Emelie: I really tried to get Laakso and their song "Long Beach" on the compilation since Laakso is one of my favourite Swedish bands and "Long Beach" one of their greatest songs, but there simply was no room. Unfortunately.
Per: Wow, that¹s many... For me it would probably be any song by Komeda.
Since I figure that trying to decide upon the 'best' Komeda song would be next to impossible, I'm offering up Laakso's "Long Beach" as today's mp3. Why not? Also, if you're in Stockholm, don't forget to check out the release party at Debaser Medis tomorrow October 14. I have no idea who the secret band will be, but I'm sure it'll be good.
Laakso - Long Beach
The new Weeping Willows record is currently being mixed by Micke Herrström at Atlantis Studios in Stockholm. Expect a February 2007 release with touring to commence in April. Artwork will be handled by Sakari Paananen.
The Sounds have added a number of US headlining dates featuring support from friends Shiny Toy Guns:
11/22 - Boston
11/24 - NYC
11/25 - Philadephia
11/26 - Chicago
11/28 - Denver
11/29 - Salt Lake City
12/01 - Los Angeles
12/02 - San Diego
12/03 - San Francisco
Ny Våg reports that Knugen Faller's new album "Lugna favoriter" is done and set for a late November release. Also on the way is The Vicious' new album "Alienated" which should be out in mid-November. Further in the future look for new 7" releases from Randy sideproject Stefan and the Problematix (this was supposed to be out years ago) and The Most, a "super retro mod band from Umeå." Samples of the latter here: https://www.myspace.com/themostsweden
Swedish hard-rockers Mustasch have started work on their next album at Bohus Sound with Tobias Lindell at the helm. Expect a February 2007 release via Regain Records.
It's official: Laakso will support Peter Bjorn and John in the UK this December. Maybe they'll play Tack! Tack! Tack! as well! It could happen.
Updated dates for Swedish singer/songwriter Daniel Cirera's US tour:
10/25 - Joe's Pub, New York, NY
10/26 - The Middle East Upstairs, Cambridge, MA
10/28 - World Café Live, Philadelphia, PA
10/30 - Rockstar, Cleveland, OH
10/31 - Club Cafe, Pittsburgh, PA
11/01 - Hide Out, Chicago, IL
11/02 - Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, IN
11/03 - Gumbo's, Toledo, OH
11/08 - Studio 7, Seattle, WA
11/09 - Hotel Utah, San Francisco, CA
11/10 - Smart City Grinds, Azusa, CA
11/11 - Hotel Café, Los Angeles, CA
Just like pals JR Ewing, long-running Norwegian hardcore act Amulet has decided to throw in the towel. The band will release one last album, a restrospective 'best-of' disc entitled "Blessed and cursed" which will include at least one new track along with various other bonus material. Look for it in January via Bitzcore. Otherwise, look for details about final shows to be announced soon. The absolute final Amulet show will take place in Oslo in the summer of 2007 (until the inevitable reunion?). Read more: https://www.amulet.no/