Summer has arrived with full force here in the Pacific Northwest. Yesterday the temperature topped out around 90°F (32°C) and today it's supposed to get even hotter. Mercy! I dunno about you, but my brain ceases to function at that heat level, so I'm taking it easy today by posting a track from the latest "Reader's companion" CD. Plain Fade's album "Lies, sanctions and cruise missiles" was such an impressive monster of a debut that I knew immediately that I wanted them on my next comp. There was never any question about it and in fact the whole project was slightly delayed as I was waiting for their contribution to come in. It was never an option to forge ahead without them. So here's their track for download today, recorded last summer during the band's so-called "summer cottage sessions" from last year. If this is a taste of what to expect from their next record, I can't wait to hear it. Magyar Posse, your position as Finland's leading post-rock act has been usurped!
Plain Fade - Itä-Aure
This week's profile piece is on Andreas Mattsson, a man who I'm sure a lot of you know from his work with legendary Swedish pop act Popsicle, but who is now reinventing himself as a solo artist. Check it: [click here]
You still have one more day to enter the Hell On Wheels CD giveaway. Click the banner on the right! The winner will be announced Wednesday.
The State of Samuel has unveiled the song titles set to appear on the new album: https://wordpress.thestateofsamuel.com/?p=17
Pelle Carlberg will be going to Indonesia in late July for a few shows. He will be billed as Edson, but will also be performing solo material. Look for German, Italian and US dates to be announced soon: https://www.pellecarlberg.se/live.htm
Check out the video for "Made in Spain" from Molotov Jive: https://www.molotovjive.se/video2.htm
Marybell Katastrophy (Tiger Tunes) has posted five new songs for download: https://www.marybell.dk/
Madrugada frontman Sivert Høyem has reportedly completed work on a new solo album, the follow-up to 2004's excellent "Ladies and gentlemen of the opposition". It was recorded at Svenska Grammofon in Göteborg, the studio owned by TSOOL and was produced by Head who Sivert also worked with on Madrugada's album "Grit". Sivert himself describes the music as 'bigger' than his previous effort and that one song ("Exile") tops nine minutes in runtime. Look for it to be released this fall or maybe around the holidays at the latest.
Speaking of Madrugada solo projects, guitarist Robert Burås and his band My Midnight Creeps have finished their second album and it should also be out this fall.
This week's It's a trap! Last.fm/Audioscrobbler listening group most-played artist chart:
01. Radiohead
02. Kent
03. Belle and Sebastian
04. Camera Obscura
05. Tiger Lou
06. Sufjan Stevens
07. Depeche Mode
08. Death Cab for Cutie
09. Johnny Cash
10. David & the Citizens
Top 10 tracks for the week:
01. Camera Obscura - Tears for Affairs
02. José González - Heartbeats
03. Band of Horses - The Funeral
04. Camera Obscura - Come Back Margaret
05. Belle and Sebastian - To Be Myself Completely
06. Camera Obscura - Lloyd, I'm Ready to be Heartbroken
07. Araki - Love To Run
08. Camera Obscura - Dory Previn
09. Belle and Sebastian - Another Sunny Day
10. Tiger Lou - Nixon
Want to make your own playlist count? Go here to learn more: https://www.last.fm/help/
New fall tourdates for The Horror The Horror:
09/22 - Kammgarn, Kaiserslautern (GER) w/Crash Tokyo
10/15 - Amadeus, Oldenburg (GER)
10/16 - Pretty Vacant, Düsseldorf (GER)
10/17 - Trauma im G-Werk, Marburg (GER)
10/18 - Maria, Berlin (GER)
10/19 - Gebäude 9, Köln (GER)
10/20 - D:qliq, Luxembourg
10/21 - Knust, Hamburg (GER)
11/24 - Flex, Wien (AUS)
11/27 - Schocken, Stuttgart (GER)
12/02 - Klimperkasten, Konstanz (GER)
Finnish act Hero Dishonest has a new website: https://www.ifsociety.com/herodishonest/
Lunapark6 interviews Ella Blixt of Bobby Baby: https://lunapark6.com/?p=1470
Check out the video for "Hon är fin" from Familjen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofAxuG0-FQQ