Hjertestop tour diary
Danish punks Hjertestop are keeping a tour diary on their latest US jaust, currently underway as we speak: https://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=70425655&blogId=540255953
Dragontears
Turn on tune in fuck off!!
Bad Afro
This record is the last outing in the trilogy from Dragontears. At first listen it sounds much more rocking and less acidic than the previous two -- but that's just a scam. It starts out with "Two tongue talk" which could have been a song from the Baby Woodrose catalogue with added psychedelic effects en mass and almost excessive use of theremin. Next track "No salvation" continues in the rocking way and may probably be the closest Dragontears will ever get to an actual radio friendly hit. The song is so darn funky and swinging, it could freak out a dance floor. Besides that, it also features some of the record's greatest acidic guitar work plus phenomenally cool female background vocals by Emma Acs. After this rocking start, it's time for the slow and semi acoustic ballad "Myfriend" -- a melancholic tale about friendship and... well, life in general?! And then... well, let the chemicals kick in. "Time of no time" is a musical trip of many dimensions. It's a matrix of swirling sounds and vocals and the slightly salted tears do penetrate your cortex. This song is, without doubt, one that shows off the blueprint of what the Dragontears collective is all about. After that, we have "William" which is the only really extended track on this record, complete with all the lysergic effects one could want -- and expect! The song has a nice slow groove and a steady almost tribal drum beat that gives it the perfect monotonic, hypnotic feel. The strong and well-written lyrics are in Danish and tells us a story about the haunted mind of painter William Skotte Olsen. Finally, last track "Mennesketvilling" is another dream-catching and surreal song that strongly underlines that this is Dragontears and not just another semi-psychedelic hipster band.
- Tom Gruschy Knudsen
What's in a name?
Amanda Bergman aka Idiot Wind nee Jaw Lesson/Hajen explains the multiple name changes to Devotion: https://www.devotionmagazine.se/?artikel=oss-emellan-amanda-bergman-forklarar-historien-bakom-hajsoppan (in Swedish)
The Malpractice - Boss stallion (video)
Here's the video for that new single from The Malpractice that I posted the other day. Direct link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbAObs-96ZE
MP3: The Robots - Night of the living dead
It's Halloween weekend and I've been listening to The Misfits all day long, so I figure I should probably share and share alike, especially seeing as how they are perfect band for the occasion. Problem is, the only cover tunes I have handy come from the dismal "Hell on Earth - Hail to Misfits" compilation which is 98% garbage. I suppose that Entombed's take on "Hollywood Babylon" is solid, but that's not exactly seasonably appropriate so we gotta go with the next best thing which is "Night of the living dead" as performed by The Robots. Competent, yet unexceptional, but that's all I got, so yeah -- happy holidays I guess. Deal with it.
Lindstrøm in the US
Lindstrøm is doing a few US dates in November:
11/12 - Mezzanine, San Francisco, CA
11/13 - LPR, New York, NY
11/14 - Empty Bottle, Chicago, IL
Sonja Åkesson, set to music
PSL reports that Swedish poet Sonja Åkesson has had her words put to music by an illustrious cast of female artists, including Kajsa Gritt, Britta Persson, Annika Norlin, Sofia Karlsson and Nina Ramsby, and will be released as an album on November 24. Full tracklist details: https://blogg.svt.se/psl/2010/10/28/frida-annika-och-anna-sjunger-sonja-akesson-antligen/
Klubbland #10: Håkan Hellström
This week's Klubbland episode features a classic performance from Håkan Hellström: https://klubbland.se/2010/10/29/10-hakan-hellstrom/
This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart
This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart:
01. Henning Kvitnes - For Sånne Som Oss
02. Odd Nordstoga - November
03. Ida Jenshus - No Guarantees
04. Kari Bremnes - Fantastisk Allerede
05. Dimmu Borgir - Abrahadabra
06. Christel Alsos - Tomorrow is
07. Diverse artister - Melodi Grand Prix Junior 2010
08. Inger Lise Rypdal - De beste jeg vet
09. Elin Gaustad - Whole New Beginning
10. Vamp - I Full Symfoni 2
11. Skambankt - Søvnløs
12. Various Artists - Hjertestups
13. Veronica Akselsen - Blod og Ild
14. Röyksopp - Senior
15. Filmmusikk: - Splitter pinne - Reinspikka hits fra knerten filmen
16. Publiners - Herlig
17. Diverse artister - Go'natt
18. Tommy Tokyo feat Starving for My Gravy - Go Time, Showtime & Absolute War
19. Sivert Høyem - Moon Landing
20. A-ha - 25
Mental Overdrive: will work for food
Norwegian techno artist Mental Overdrive has announced that he, beyond no longer releasing full-length albums, will now no longer perform live for money and will instead opt for a nice meal and a warm bed. And of course transportation, should the gig not be in Tromsø. And he also has a new single. Read more here: https://loveod.net/2010/10/29/mental-overdrive-announces-music-for-food-programme-plus-new-single/
This week's top 20 Swedish album chart
This week's top 20 Swedish album chart:
01. Håkan Hellström - 2 steg från paradise
02. Bo Kaspers Orkester - New Orleans
03. Larz-Kristerz - Små ord av guld
04. Caroline af Ugglas - Vad var det jag sa
05. Nanne - En rastlös själ
06. Hoffmaestro - Skank-a-tronic punkadelica
07. Robyn - Body talk pt.2
08. Brolle - Best of Brolle
09. Pernilla Andersson - Ö
10. Blackjack - Festival
11. Oskar Linnros - Vilja bli
12. Robyn - Body talk pt.1
13. Säkert! - Facit
14. Fatboy - Overdrive
15. Anders Ekborg - Painted dreams
16. Kent - En plats i solen
17. Magnus Carlsson - Pop galaxy
18. Freda' - Äntligen här igen - Samlade hits sedan 1984
19. Anna Stadling - E4 mot norr
20. Melissa Horn - Säg ingenting till mig
The Swede Beat #20
Issue #20 of The Swede Beat is now online: https://www.theswedebeat.com/magazine/20-swedish-melancholia
The theme is melancholy and the featured artists include video directors Conjunction as well as Moto Boy.
New music coming from Red Moon
It's been a looooong time since we've heard anything new from the excellent Red Moon, but now they say seven new songs will arrive in November: https://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=75713992&blogId=540236219
Moto Boy cancels the Svart Lilja tour
Moto Boy has been forced to cancel his upcoming Swedish theater tour due on his doctor's orders, citing sickness and an overworked voice. Look for new dates to be announced for 2011.
Johan G. Winther + Peter Broderick, live in Paris (video)
My dear friend Johan Gustavsson aka Johan G. Winther aka Tsukimono, performing live with Peter Broderick at Flèche d'Or in Paris, playing songs from their new split 7" on .