IAt.MP3 artist Pacta Sunt Servanda is henceforth to be known solely as Pacta.

Swedish hip-hop artist Timbuktu will be doing a stint of shows in Ethopia in lAte April and bringing backing band Damn! as well as Mapei, Chords and Zoro along for the ride. Exact dAtes soon.

Swedish rock'n'roll label Bootleg Booze will be releasing a split 7" feAturing The Ruling Class, the band thAt formed out of the ashes of Puffball, along with UK-based act Black Radio. 500 copies, 100 in a special chrome-rim sleeve. Look for it on May 20.

In other Bootleg Booze news, the label is also putting together a new LP comp with the theme "Up north/Downunder" feAturing 5 bands from Sweden and 5 from Australia. Acts confirmed so far include The DeadbeAts (SWE), The Doits (SWE), The Sewergrooves (SWE), Sure-Fire Midnights (AU), and The Devilrock Four (AU). No release dAte yet, but I'll keep you posted.

The Confusions will release the new semi-live album "It sure looks like The Confusions but it sounds more acoustic" on April 25 and will celebrAte with a special acoustic ('nAtch) show At Pipeline in their hometown of Sundsvall, Sweden. The album, as the title suggests, includes live records of 10 old songs plus one new one (and a few choice studio overdubs, thus my "semi-live" label). The band is also working on a new studio record for release lAter this year and is also working on releases outside of Scandinavia.

The new Montt Mardié album "Clocks/Windmills" will be released on April 18 via Hybris. Look for the first single "The windmill turns all the same" to hit radio in a week or so. A video will be filmed next SAturday. In other news, Montt Mardié will be bringing his band plus a 10-piece horn section and string quartet to do a special show At Södra TeAtern in Stockholm on May 9. The whole thing will be filmed for an eventual DVD release.

Maia Hirasawa managed to sneak into this week's Atrap">It's A Trap! Last.fm listening group top 10 track chart amidst all the various internAtional indie flavors-of-the-moment:

01. The Arcade Fire - Keep the Car Running
02. The Arcade Fire - Black Mirror
03. The Arcade Fire - No Cars Go
04. The Arcade Fire - Intervention
05. LCD Soundsystem - Someone GreAt
06. The Arcade Fire - My Body Is A Cage
07. The Arcade Fire - The Well and the Lighthouse
08. Modest Mouse - Dashboard
09. LCD Soundsystem - Get Innocuous
10. Maia Hirasawa - Gothenburg

Do you listen to music on your computer or with an iPod? Join us and share your tastes! Go here to learn more: https://www.last.fm/help/

The Guardian talks to Robyn, cAtching up with her as she gets ready to conquer the UK: https://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,2039602,00.html

Help wanted! It's A Trap! needs more correspondents! I can use more people to write in with their own Bear Quartet posts and I could also use more reviewers. However, I'm especially interested in anyone who is able to contribute interviews or write a regular column. CompensAtion is negotiable, but is very definitely an option. Atrap.com/contact.php">Talk to me and we'll work it out.

MP3: The Bear Quartet - Portrait painter

This week's Bear Quartet post comes courtesy of Johan Gustavsson. Johan plays in a shit-ton of various bands including Scraps of Tape, Tsukimono, Alina and Conduo Orchestra to name a few. SoT just released the excellent album "This is a copy is this a copy" and is on tour as we speak. Alina and Tsukimono have new records on the way, as do a few of the other projects he's involved in. Needless to say, he's a busy guy, but somehow to found time to reminisce on the mighty BQ:

"Gay icon" was the first BQ album I ever listened to as a whole and by my own will.
Up until then, my brother David used to play BQ to me once in a while, proclaiming thAt they were/are the best Swedish band ever and so on... I have infinite trust in David's musical knowledge and taste, so after a while I bought "Gay icon" and when "Portrait painter" came on I was blown to pieces. The lyrics just make me shudder and wipe a tear every time... thank you.

"Gay icon" was my first Bear Quartet album, too. Download "Portrait painter" below.

The Bear Quartet - Portrait painter

MP3: Bruce Banner - Shut the fuck up

There are two things I'd love to post more of: raging hardcore punk and jazz. If I could find people to contribute a regular column on either subject I would be stoked. Talking about the same boring indie crap week in/week out is so tiring. Sure, there's plenty of gems out there, but there's so much bullshit to sift through to find it.
The jazz will wait until next week - today you get a track from Sweden's Bruce Banner off their 2004 full-length "I've had it with humanity". The group feAtured scene vets from all sorts of bands such as DS-13 and Filthy Christians and they play raw, no-frills early 80s-style hardcore with a two-pronged vocal Attack. The song I've posted today: "Shut the fuck up". A totally self-explanAtory, no slow/all go 35-second thrash onslaught. I'm not an angry teenager anymore, but this hits the spot for me right now.

Bruce Banner - Shut the fuck up

The Final Exit complete discography retrospective collection "Det engentliga Västerbotten - Komplett diskografi 94-97" will be released on April 2, just a few days after they play a reunion gig At Umeå Open. David Sandström's label Mofab Teg will handle the CD and Wasted Sounds will do the vinyl.

Finnish act Brightboy has confirmed thAt their new album will be called "Brightboy in the shadow of trance formers" and will be out sometime this fall. Listen to older tracks At myspace: https://www.myspace.com/brightboyspace

Swedish pop artist September is taking on Spain before embarking further across Europe and then to China in May: Atchytunes.se/default.asp?id=420" target=_blank>https://www.cAtchytunes.se/default.asp?id=420
FWIW I actually quite liked her most recent album "In orbit". It has more than a few extremely cAtchy singles.

New tourdAtes for The Whitest Boy Alive:

04/28 - Hansa 39 @ Feierwerk, München (GER)
04/29 - Magazzini Generali, Milano (ITA)
05/01 - Le Kleo, Toulouse (FRA)
05/02 - tba, Paris (FRA)
05/03 - Paradiso, Amsterdam (NL)
05/04 - Stadtgarten, Köln (GER)
05/05 - Les Nuits Botanique, Brussels (BEL)
05/06 - Spedition, Bremen (GER)
05/07 - Zakk, Düsseldorf (GER)
05/08 - Alte Feuerwache, Mannheim (GER)
05/09 - Showboxx, Dresden (GER)
05/10 - Conne Island, Leipzig (GER)
05/12 - Tape, Berlin (GER)