Progress signs Henric de la Cour
has officially signed ex-Strip Music/Yvonne frontman Henric de la Cour and will be releasing his debut solo this coming September. Looking forward to it!
Panda Da Panda - Titta när han dansar (video)
Can't say that the song is much without the video, but if you wanna check out a bunch of greased-up naked people shaking what they've got, go right on ahead. Direct link: https://vimeo.com/23789676
Asta Kask tourblog
Swedish punkrockers Asta Kask will be keeping a tourblog when they come over for their first-ever US tour this week: https://astakask.com/blog/
Also, Arctic Flowers cancelled the show in Seattle on Friday and now my band Criminal Code will be opening so feel free to come early and check us out.
The Social Services = Tall Tales
The Social Services are now Tall Tales. And they're now also based in Glasgow which means I'm less likely to cover them, but that doesn't mean you should stop paying attention.
Hammock Sessions: Amber Oak, Robert Svensson, You Say France, more
Updates at Hammock Sessions are coming so frequently I haven't been able to keep up, so head on over to their site to check out new performance clips from the likes of Amber Oak, Robert Svensson, You Say France & I Whistle and more: https://www.hammocksessions.com/
Ghost Society - Silence
Ghost Society are streaming a new song from the new "Together we are not alone" Japan relief benefit comp: https://www.dpc-rec.dk/?p=1261
Oriel Jones preview Ghostly EP
Oriel Jones have posted a webjournal entry chronicling the process of writing and recording their upcoming EP "Ghostly", due out at the end of May: https://www.orieljoans.com/?p=335
Artymove - Love me
Swedish electronic pop act Artymove have a new 2-track single out now via and you can stream the whole thing at SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/artymove/sets/love-me/
I'm Kingfisher, Christian Kjellvander, Boy Omega, Tarantula Waltz tour update
The monsters of Swedish folk? I'm Kingfisher, Christian Kjellvander, Boy Omega and The Tarantula Waltz are touring together this month and here's the latest dates:
05/26 - What's Cookin', North Star, London (UK)
05/27 - The Walk, Nottingham (UK)
05/28 - Focus Wales 2011, Llangollen (UK)
05/30 - Forum Stadtpark, Graz (AUS)
05/31 - Szene, Wien (AUS)
06/01 - Posthof, Linz (AUS)
06/02 - Spielboden, Dornbirn (AUS)
06/03 - SC Teatar & TD, Zagreb (HUN)
06/04 - Bäckerei, Innsbruck (AUS)
MP3: Dikta - Thank you
The 4th volume of Iceland Music Export's "Made in Iceland" compilation series is out and, as always, it features a wide selection of artists including a few you may know (FM Belfast, Sin Fang, Ólöf Arnalds, Rökkurró, etc.) plus at least a couple you may not. All have released albums recently and are touring at home and abroad and, who knows? Maybe even a few will surprise you by not conforming to your usual expectations of Icelandic music -- I can tell you that this Dikta track certainly defies my prejudices. No ambient soundscapes, no other-worldly vocal swoops, no precious tweeness -- just straight-up solid, friendly pop/rock. Nothing wrong with that at all.
For more info, check out the comp's official microsite where they have the whole thing available for streaming: https://www.icelandmusic.is/Media/Made-in-Iceland-4/
Looptroop Rockers - Do! (video)
Gaffa has the premiere of the new Looptroop Rockers video "Do!": https://gaffa.se/tv/clip/749
Bedroom Eyes - Hand-in-hand grenade (video)
Bedroom Eyes' new video for "Hand-in-hand grenade". Direct link: https://youtu.be/ot7x8HdZqIU
Look for the band's album "The long wait champion" to be released in Norway on September 9 via .
Klubbland #34: Håkan Hellström
This week's episode of Klubbland features perennial favorite Håkan Hellström: https://klubbland.se/2011/05/13/34-hakan-hellstrom/
End Sounds seeking Swedish demos
American label is openly seeking demo submissions from Swedish acts, "especially indie, punk, and hardcore bands": https://www.endsounds.com/news/displaynews.asp?NewsID=187
For a reference point, I'm told that Tiger Lou is a longtime favorite.
Rising
Legacy of wolves 7"
Red Tape
Two tracks of burly metal delivered with hardcore-level intensity, buoyed even further by a clean and powerful recording. I know I should've covered this ages ago when it first came out, but I've been too busy spinning the mp3s on repeat while pumping iron at the gym. Seriously though, if you want modern heaviness that delivers on the false promises of bands like Mastodon and High on Fire (face it, neither of those bands are all that hot), then you need Rising. The band gets better with every release and the fact that they manage to sound so tough without resorting to any sort of lunkheaded machismo is commendable as well. Can't wait to hear what they do next.
- Avi Roig