Hanne Hukkelberg new album will be called "Rykestrasse 68" and is still on track for a September 4 release. It will include nine songs plus a cover of "Break my body" by The Pixies of which Pixies manager Ken Goes says "Of the dozens and dozens of Pixies covers over the years, Hanne's is my favorite."
Dusted reviews the new album from Susanna and the Magical Orchestra : https://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/3072
This week's It's a trap! Last.fm/Audioscrobbler listening group top 10 artists of the week:
01. The Knife
02. Radiohead
03. Death Cab for Cutie
04. Tiger Lou
05. Camera Obscura
06. The Beatles
07. Johnny Cash
08. Sufjan Stevens
09. Belle and Sebastian
10. Peter Bjorn and John
Top 10 tracks for the week:
01. Marit Bergman – No Party
02. Kazakstan – Julien
03. Tiger Lou – Until I'm There
04. Camera Obscura – Lloyd, I'm Ready to be Heartbroken
05. I'm From Barcelona – Collection of Stamps
06. I'm From Barcelona – Treehouse
07. I'm From Barcelona – We're From Barcelona
08. The Knife – The captain
09. The Postal Service – Such Great Heights
10. The Knife – Silent shout
Want to make your own playlist count? Join us! Go here to learn more: https://www.last.fm/help/
DigitalMetal on the recent suicide of Dissection frontman Jon Nödtveidt: https://www.digitalmetal.com/news.asp?cid=7611
Download a live recording of Mew performing four songs acoustic for AOL: https://aolradio.podcast.aol.com/aolmusic/The_Interface_Mew.mp3
Check out the video for "Norman Blake" from power-pop act Swedish Polarbears: https://www.swedishpolarbears.com/normanblake.php
Christoffer from Ellen Beach and Andreas from Celestial have started a new label together called Lavender. Check out their newly opened website: https://www.lavender.se/
Hybris, the Swedish label home of artists such as Vapnet and El Perro Del Mar, has started a blog: https://hybrism.blogspot.com/
Norwegian avant-black-metal act Zweizz has posted some new music on myspace: https://www.myspace.com/zweizzmusick
Zeizz is the one-man-band of Svein Egil Hatlevik, ex-member of DHG/Dødheimsgard and Fleurety. His new album "The yawn of the new age" will be released in January via Vendlus Records.
Swedish singer/songwriter Jonna Lee has posted another brand new track on myspace: https://www.myspace.com/jonnaleemusic
Finnish indierockers Turku Romantic Movement will do a few shows in Eastern Europe this month:
08/25 - TRNFEST, Ljubljana (SLO) w/Neil Leyton
08/27 - GimNET klub, Varazdin (CRO)
08/29 - Plocnik Caffe, Ljubljana (SLO) w/Neil Leyton
The band's debut EP "Rock, rhythm & revolution" will be released November 15 via Fading Ways Finland. Listen to samples: https://www.myspace.com/turkuromanticmovement
Marit Bergman's new website is up and you can now preview clips from every song on her new album: https://www.maritbergman.net/
Don't forget to check out the interview I did with her last week and also note that her new single "No party" is still available for download on the right.
MP3: Johndoe - Kjøtere
Want more exclusive content? Of course you do. Not only do I have a great interview posted today with Jonas Skybakmoen, the frontman of Norway's Johndoe, I've also got an mp3 of their brand new single "Kjøtere". The track comes from the band's forthcoming third full-length album "Dødvinkel", to be released this fall on the band's own JHND label imprint. As you can see, this is a Norwegian band that sings in their native tongue, but don't let that scare you off. One would hope that you're reading this site because you are openminded about such things. Good upbeat pop music like this has universal appeal, despite the language barrier. Highly recommended, especially if you're at all into bands like Randy, the Buzzcocks or Håkan Hellström. Think punk energy with tons of hooks. I'm really proud of the way our talk turned out, so download the song and get to reading!
MP3: Isolation Years - Frosted minds
I didn't care much for Isolation Years' second album "It's golden" when it first came out. The lead single "Open those eyes" was a huge departure from the mid-tempo folk/rock sound of "Inland traveller", the debut. Not to mention the increased promenince of religious imagery in the lyrics. Needless to say, I just wasn't having it. Still, I never quite gave up on it. Good thing too, since it's now one of my most favorite albums. I believe I have mentioned the story before a long time ago, but I was on vacation doing a long drive through the woods of Northern California listening to "It's golden" and all of a sudden, it clicked. The scenery, my laid-back frame of mind - whatever it was, it made me reevaluate my entire outlook. Yes, it's still quite different from the debut, but you know what? That's not a bad thing at all. They're both great albums in their own separate ways and I really think that just goes to show how good of a band Isolation Years is. I know it's common for folks to shy away from bands that flirt with notions of 'Christian rock', but listen: you're missing out. And besides, the Bible has been providing fodder for quality songwriting for ages. It's not going to change anytime soon, so stop being so damn afraid of it. I'm no Christian myself, but I know that passionate people make passionate music. I won't lie - a lot, nay the overwhelming majority, of Christian rock sucks. It's watered-down garbage. But most pop music sucks too, come to think of it. Now, I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea and start thinking that Isolation Years are purely a Christian rock act. That's wholly unfair and would be totally selling them short. They're about much more than that. It's just that I recently finished reading "Body piercing saved my life" by Andrew Beaujon, an excellent look into the world of modern Christian music and have been thinking a lot about it. It's such a strange segregated society, coexisting almost in parallel to the secular world. What's interesting is when the two meet. But enough of that tangent, listen to this Isolation Years song and enjoy one of my favorite bands and read that book to learn more about the weirdness of Christian underground society.
Isolation Years - Frosted minds