The Tofu Hut on the spectacle that is Hurra Torpedo: https://tofuhut.blogspot.com/2006/06/glisten-hurra-torpedo-hurra-torpedo.html
The tech rider link is definitely something to behold.
Stylus reviews the new album from Lo-Fi-Fnk: https://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/lo-fi-fnk/boylife.htm
I agree with Simon's review that the album is definitely a bit front-loaded, but it's still quite good and well worth listening to if you're into that electropop stuff.
Noisedfisk profiles and interviews the Icelandic act Trabant: https://noisedfisk.com/2006/06/22/trabant/
MIC Norway profiles their country's representatives at this year's Roskilde Festival: https://www.mic.no/mic.nsf/doc/art2006062314082421583886
Danish rockers The Royal Highness have posted yet another new demo track on myspace: https://www.myspace.com/theroyalhighness
Pitchfork interviews Danish act Figurines: https://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/feature/36960/Interview_Interview_Figurines
Read my own interview with frontman Christian Hjelm from a few months back: [click here]
MP3: Ebba Grön - We're only in it for the drugs No. 1
It's Midsummer weekend so that means half of Scandinavia is probably out in the country getting sloshed right now, if they aren't already. Not me - I'm stuck in front of the computer at work as usual. At least we're promised a weekend of scorching hot summer weather up here in the Pacific Northwest. I know I'll probably be sick of it by tomorrow afternoon, but what can ya do? Anyhow, I've got a guest post today from frequent contributor Simon Tagestam on Swedish punks Ebba Grön:
Believe it or not, but just like The Ramones were ripping up New York, and The Sex Pistols were spitting on their English fans, there was a thriving Swedish punk scene around the late 70s and late 80s (admittedly a bit after the Americans, but almost at the same time as the UK). Most of these bands reacted, just like their worldwide counter parts, against the hippie community and their naïve ideas of peace, love, and understanding. The most prominent of these bands were Ebba Grön, and even though their last album came out in 1982, they're still selling lots in Sweden (a box set came out in 1998, and another compilation was released as late as last year). This is not down to clever marketing, but three angry and frustrated teenagers meeting up at a house party in a suburb of Stockholm in 1977, who decided to form a band (initially calling themselves The Haters). Ebba Grön unfortunately only released three albums (all of them classics, in my opinion). "We're only in it for the drugs No. 1" is the first song from their first album ("We're only in it for the drugs", released in 1979). Don't let the title fool you though! Even if it's in English, Ebba Grön, just like all other Swedish punk bands from this era, sang almost solely in Swedish. The title of this track is deeply ironic and the lyrics are about how it's no wonder that teenagers start taking drugs and being up to no good when their government doesn't provide anything for them to do and that when the kids take matters into their own hands and start arranging gigs, etc., they're forcibly shut down. Ebba Grön's lyric are all very political and it's hard not to pay attention to lead singer Thåström's furious delivery. Thåström did go on to became very successful after Ebba Grön's demise, first as a member of Imperiet, then as a solo performer (his last album from last year was surprisingly good, and dealt lyrically a lot with his years in Ebba Grön), but nothing he's ever done can be compared to those three Ebba Grön albums.
Ebba Grön - We're only in it for the drugs No. 1
MP3: Funky Nashville - Gone away
Funky Nashville. Funky. Nashville. Two words that should never, ever go together, especially in the context of a Danish band name. There's something so intrinsically wrong about that, even moreso when said band performs some fucked-up, bastardized version of Young Country. It's bad enough when American performers embrace the style, but please don't let Europe try and sell it back to us! For those of you lucky enough to be sheltered from the sounds of the genre, let me explain it to you: it's simply top 40 pop wrapped up in the artifice of country music. That means having a singer with a pronounced Southern twang and a few 'traditional' instruments such as pedal steel and fiddle. It may look like country music at first glance, but as Waylon Jennings famously sang, "Are you sure Hank done it this way?". It the case of Funky Nashville, the music is plenty comptetant, but so astonishingly jaw-droppingly wrong that it's worth sharing with you. In fact, I'd say that it's so bad that it's good. Really! You can tell from their stern looks in the sepia-toned cover art that these dudes ain't messing around either. When they play "California mansion girl" and decide to throw in a little jaw-harp, it's from the heart man. They mean business! Listen to those "Ring of fire" horns on the song I've posted today and ask yourself why? It just ain't right, but they don't let anything stop them from pulling out all the stops. Fer crissakes, I swear it's only a small step removed from Gerardo ("Rico Suave"). I'd say download at your own risk, but fuck it - you need to hear this.
Funky Nashville - Gone away
Don't forget to enter to win a copy of "The odd church", the latest album from Stockholm's Hell on Wheels. Click the banner on the right!
Upcoming releases for Swedish experimental artist Viktor Sjöberg:
Viktor Sjöberg/Jonas Odhner split w/Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words (Kalligrammofon)
tba CD (Kning Disk)
V. Sjöberg New Jazz Ensemble CD (iDEAL)
The Hour is Late, the label of David Åhlén from Namur, has announced that their next release will be a digital EP from Isaac Since 1980 coming in September. Exact details tba.
Some new livedates for Bobby Baby, including a batch of shows in Germany:
06/30 - Alsters Herrgård, Karlstad w/Thomas Denver Jonsson
07/06 - Norrköping w/Marit Bergman
07/07 - Shemusic festival, Malmö
07/14 - Patsy Soundsystem, Stockholm
07/22 - Kaffe & Konst, Malmö
08/16 - Schokoladen, Berlin (GER)
08/17 - Grüner Jäger, Hamburg (GER)
08/18 - Das Bett, Frankfurt (GER)
08/19 - tbc, Berlin (GER)
08/20 - Salon Elitaer, Kassel (GER)
Swedish melancholy country act The Lancaster Orchestra has completed work on a new album, due out in September via Rootsy Records. One half of Logh makes up the backing band behind singer/songwriter Carl Mathson and Mark Olson of The Jayhawks was set to produce, but was held up at the last minute by a family emergency. Despite the setback, the band feels like it came out quite nice regardless.
This week's top 20 Swedish album chart:
01. Tomas Ledin - Plektrum
02. Marie Fredriksson - Min bäste vän
03. Peps Persson Oh boy - Det bästa med Peps Persson
04. Ola - Given to fly
05. West End Girls - Goes petshopping
06. Benny Anderssons Orkester - Bao på turné
07. Lars Winnerbäck - Efter nattens bränder - 1996-2006
08. Carola - Från nu till evighet
09. Amy Diamond - Still me still now
10. Shirley Clamp - Favoriter på Svenska
11. The Poodles - Metal will stand tall
12. Lill Lindfors - Här är den sköna sommaren
13. Lasse Stefanz - Pickup 56
14. Elias - Shine
15. BWO - Halcyon days
16. Eric Gadd - Eric Gadd
17. Totta & Wiehe - Dylan
18. Caracola - Caracola
19. Patrik Isaksson - Patrik Isaksson
20. Laleh - Laleh