I can't remember exactly when I first heard of the band Silver, but I certainly never paid them much attention until their newest CD "World against world" showed up in my mailbox. I know a lot of people are probably interested in them now since Emil Nikolaisen of Serena Maneesh used to be in the band. His brother Ivar aka Blanco still fronts the band and Emil produced the new record, so it's not as if they had a falling out or anything. Emil just wanted to do his own thing and that seems to be paying off, so who can fault him? Anyhow, seeing as how Bad Afro is handling this new release, I knew it was time to take notice. I haven't been too stoked on the current lot of Scandinavian dirty rock'n'roll bands, but Bad Afro always delivers the goods and Silver is no exception. They're actually punkier than I thought they'd be - lots of downstoke-heavy Ramones-style riffage as opposed to the usual bluesy New York Dolls worship. Of course, there's still tons of blustery soloing in the Johnny Thunders tradition, not as if that's a bad thing. Dig it.
Silver - The personal decay
My mom's in town visiting today, so regular updates won't be happening and I doubt I'll get around to putting together this week's newsletter. At least not today like I usually do. However, I still want to leave you with something to listen to, so here's a track from Nihilist, the band that would later become Entombed.
Nihilist - When life has ceased
Oh, and just one thing: remember when I mentioned that I'm from Barcelona was coming to the UK in September? Well, it's still not quite 100% confirmed according to my sources, but chances are high that you'll see them at the End of the Road Festival.
This week's video mix is up: [click here]
Monkeystrikes appears to have broken up: https://www.monkeystrikes.com/
Anders has stepped down from being one of the frontmen for Totalt Jävla Mörker and been replaced by Sylen who some might now from New Noise Records. Look for a complete statement from Anders soon.
Tantrum of Seven, a Finnish pop-punk band featuring two of the dudes from Satura Lanx, have posted their entire four-song EP for download at myspace: https://www.myspace.com/tantrumofseven
Otur's new single "Enough" will be out September 8.
Strange Reaction posts a few tracks from the old Swedish punk-rock act Bandage: https://www.strangereaction.com/archives/2006/08/24/bandage/
This week's top 20 Swedish album chart:
01. Peter Jöback - Flera sidor av samma man
02. Daniel Lindström - Nån slags verklighet
03. Lars Winnerbäck - Efter nattens bränder - 1996-2006
04. Patrik Isaksson - Patrik Isaksson
05. Jonas Gardell - Nästan vackra
06. Tomas Ledin - Plektrum
07. Benny Anderssons Orkester - Bao på turné
08. David & the Citizens - Stop the tape! Stop the tape!
09. Amy Diamond - Still me still now
10. Sofia Karlsson - Svarta ballader (sjunger Dan Andersson)
11. The Poodles - Metal will stand tall
12. Eric Gadd - Eric Gadd
14. Carola - Från nu till evighet
15. Peps Persson Oh boy - Det bästa med Peps Persson
16. Björn Skifs - Decennier sånger från en annan tid
17. Marie Fredriksson - Min bäste vän
18. BWO - Halcyon days
19. Totta & Wiehe - Dylan
20. The Hellacopters - Air raid serenades
Norway's Ralph Myerz & The Jack Herren Band will have the new song "Deepest red" featured on the soundtrack to the new Playstation soccer game "FIFA-07". The song also appears on the band's new album "Sharp knives & loaded guns", due out in September.
The new Consequences single "Release me from love" is now online: https://www.myspace.com/bewareoftheconsequences
Guest post today from frequent IAT contributor Nancy Baym:
Swedish band The Lovekevins have what may be the least informative yet most rewarding website on the Internet. It says almost nothing, but it's got what matters most: downloads of six magnificent pop songs, each waiting to grow on you in its own way. An old news item on It's a trap! teased that a full length record should be out by summer. It's not, but in the meantime, here's a happy-Swedish-horn laden pop song. As seems to be required for Swedish indie pop credibility, the lyrics are far gloomier than the cheerful sounds ("happy happy I'm a toy/a boat without a sailor"), but like sweet and sour soup, the contrast only makes it better.
The Lovekevins - Happy happy