Stereo Test Kit, the UK-based label who released many fine Swedish acts such as The Social Services, We Are Soliders We Have Guns and Dear Euphoria, has called it quits. Read their full statement and score deals on remaining stock: https://www.stereotestkit.com/
Check out Finnish indie act Regina's new video for "Totuus minusta": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gh106QikoNs&fmt=18
Denmark's Beta Satan are releasing a 5-track digital EP on May 11 called "Girls mistreated and remixed" featuring remixes by various fellow Danes, including The Tremolo Beer Gut, Marybell Katastrophy, Supertroels, Druggy Viggo Sommer and Oliver North Boy Choir. Full details and sample links: https://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=49769601&blogId=487918230
Julian Brandt (ex-Bobby, The Paper Faces) will release the new single "Love can turn us blind" on June 10. Said track features guest vocals from Kitty Jutbring (Kitty & The K) and will include a remix by Dynamikk as well as the b-sides "Labyrinth of love" (co-written by Carl DeLorean from the band Kamera) and "FreeLove" (by Martin Gore of Depeche Mode). Listen at myspace: https://www.myspace.com/julianbrandt
I went out record shopping last weekend and scored myself a nice short stack of classic early/mid-80s metal, including a few Swedish titles. Not exactly the sort of thing I usually expect to stumble across, so I extra stoked, especially since the records were actually pretty darn good (thank goodness for listening stations). One such title: Mercy's 1984 self-titled debut on Fingerprint Records. They've got a definite NWOBHM thing going on, but it's also has a nice bluesy swagger which shows a strong Black Sabbath/Deep Purple influence. Another thing it's got going for it: a pre-Candlemass Eddy "Messiah" Marcolin, already displaying his vocal talents at a very young age. With a lead-off track like "Heavy metal warriors" (hilarious billed as "Heavy metal worriors" on the sleeve), you know they're not aiming for a cerebral audience, but I don't care. Back in 1984 it was perfectly acceptable to sing about how awesome metal is and how awesome you were at playing it without ironic detachment or any other negative connotations. Those days are gone, but the music (and somehow, Manowar's career) lives on and I'm happy to celebrate it.
Mercy - Heavy metal warriors
Malmö-based psych artist Ved will have his album "Taygetos" released this fall on LP, appropriately, via Psychic Malmö. There will also be a new release via Lugnet in the near future, but details are still tba. Hear a few samples at myspace: https://www.myspace.com/vedsound
RIYL The Goner.
This week's top 20 Swedish album chart:
01. Thorleifs - Sweet kissin' in the moonlight
02. Caroline Af Ugglas - Så gör jag det igen
03. Promoe - Kråksången
04. Larz Kristerz - Hem till dig
05. The Boppers - Vibrations
06. Veronica Maggio - Och vinnaren är...
07. E.M.D. - A state of mind - deluxe
08. Alcazar - Disco defenders
09. Måns Zelmerlöw - MZW
10. Thåström - Kärlek är för dom
11. Lisa Ekdahl - Give me that slow knowing smile
12. Innocent Rosie - Bad habit romance
13. Melody Club - Goodbye to romance
14. Moneybrother - Real control
15. Malmö Opera Kör & Orkester - Jesus Christ superstar
16. Sofia Karlsson - Söder om kärleken
17. BWO - Big science
18. Bob Hund - Folkmusik för folk som inte kan bete sig som folk
19. Susanne Alfvengren - Bbortom tid och rum - det bästa
20. Shirley Clamp - För den som älskar...en samling
Fever Ray will finally make it over to North America this fall:
09/28 - Webster Hall, New York, NY
09/29 - Webster Hall, New York, NY
10/01 - Metropolis, Montreal, Quebec
10/02 - Kool Haus, Toronto, Ontario
10/03 - Metro, Chicago, IL
10/05 - Grand Ballroom, San Francisco, CA
10/07 - Henry Fonda Theater, Los Angeles, CA
New music from The Embassy on May 13? See here: https://srvc.se/
Various ArtistsAt first I bemoaned the fact that this collection was only coming out as a 3-CD set and not on vinyl, but the truth of the matter is that three 60+ minute CDs would necessitate a massive LP boxset. As if the mountain of licensing paperwork I'm sure this collection entailed wasn't enough, I can only imagine the intimidating pricetag that would add to it. No, the format this collection really should have been released as is cassette tape -- that's how this music was first distributed, that's how it was listened to. Bands aspired to vinyl, but the era of the demo tape defined the early Swedish death metal scene and that's where a lot of this source material originated. The heavyweights are all here: Nihilist, Entombed, At the Gates, Unleashed, Dismember, Grave, etc.; even if Earache and Black Mark would not relinquish rights for landmarks such as Entombed's "Left hand path" or Bathory's "Under the sign of the black mark" without a hefty fee, at least we can still hear many of the demos. Many other less prominent, but by no means less worthy acts are represented as well: Merciless, Liers in Wait, Evocation, Nirvana 2002... all painstakingly collected by the corresponding book's author Daniel Ekeroth, who also provides liner notes for each track. As a single-session listening experience, it's near-overkill, but as a historical document and learning aid it is invaluable. Of course, the tracklist isn't perfect and Daniel's prejudice towards Gothenburg's melodic metal scene is evident, but I see no valid reason to complain. The entire project is a labor of love and we are lucky it exists at all. Daniel's respect and dedication for the genre trumps any benefit deeper pockets (or broader minds) could afford and for that he has my deepest admiration.
- Avi Roig
Nö Music have an interview with The Cumshots presented as a cartoon: https://www.nomusicmedia.com/2009/05/07/cumshots-toon/
It appears the band is setting their sights on the UK market.
The BBC has a bit more background info on that new Björn & Benny single: https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8038805.stm
Pretty Whores are no longer Pretty Whores of Manhattan, but their name still sucks. Ditch it please, I implore you. Your music is getting way better, but I will never, ever get over that dumb name. It will be an albatross in years to come. But getting back to the music, like I said, the group's new EP "Teens of USA" is a huge improvement over their demo. They're still kicking out chops-heavy punk-rock'n'roll, but with far greater consistency and control. They've also started to angle for more of a garage thing with the yelped vocals and good time vibe. Still maybe a bit more Mötley Crüe than Devil Dogs, but that's really not such a huge divide when you get down to it. They're young, they want to party, they've come to kick out the jams. Even though I might be a cynical crank, I can't say there's anything wrong with that.
Pretty Whores - When are you going to start to study?
De Lyckliga Kompisarna, best known for their novelty song "Ishockeyfrisyr", will have a new 5-song EP out this summer via Sound Pollution with an album to follow in the fall.
Download the new Deportees single "When they come": https://www.deportees.se/Myspace/WhenTheyCome.mp3
The band's new album "Under the pavement, the beach" is now on track for a May 27 release.