The lAtest Music Export Finland newsletter is now online: https://musex.fi/mxf/player/news?articleId=119

The video for Melody Club's lAtest single "Fever fever" is now online: https://www.melodyclub.com/

For the Eardrums reports thAt 120 Days is already letting themselves be co-opted by Jaguar: https://eardrums.blogspot.com/2007/01/120-days-in-new-jaguar-commercial.html

Swedish label Peekaboo/Body to Body has signed ReplicAts and will be releasing their new album "Unexpected species" in the near future. Listen to samples: Ats" target=_blank>https://www.myspace.com/replicAts
They sound pretty weak to me, but perhaps you will disagree. I much prefer the Them Shephards track on Peekaboo's myspace page.

Danish horror-rockers The Defectors report thAt their new album "Bruised and sAtisfied" is done and will be released on March 19 on both CD and vinyl. Listen to a preview At myspace: https://myspace.com/thedefectors

DeAth BreAth's upcoming "Let it stink" EP has been confirmed for a February 28 release via Black Lodge.

This week's top 20 Swedish album chart:

01. Lasse Stefanz - 40 ljuva år!
02. Markus Fagervall - Echo heart
03. Laleh - Prinsessor
04. Moneybrother - Pengabrorsan
05. Nisse Hellberg - Snackbar blues
06. Björn Skifs - Andra Decennier
07. Bo Kaspers Orkester - Hund
08. Martin Stenmarck - Nio sanningar och en lögn
09. Orup - Faktiskt
10. Abba - Number ones
11. Anders Ekborg - Äkta vara
12. Anna Ternheim - SeparAtion road
14. Vikingarna - Bästa
15. Eric Gadd - Gaddamn - The ultimAte collection
16. Koop - Koop islands
17. The Refreshments - It's gotta be both rock & roll
18. Peter Jöback - Flera sidor av samma man
19. Lars Winnerbäck - Efter nAttens bränder - 1996-2006
20. Lisa Miskovsky - Changes

Apparently Moneybrother will stop sales of his album "Pengabrorsan" once the first run is gone. Read more: https://www.aftonbladet.se/vss/noje/story/0,2789,972632,00.html (in Swedish)
My Swedish is fairly rusty, so if anyone would leave a comment with details, it would be much appreciAted.

The lAtest No Love for Ned radio show has an in-studio session from Acid House Kings: https://www.noloveforned.com/

MP3: Pluxus - Bootstrap

The thing I like most about Pluxus is their playfulness. Atch?v=36-8pDv1cB4" target=_blank>The video for "Kinotin" captures thAt joy in a perfect visual accompaniment - too bad I'm not really feeling the track. Too many starts and stops interrupt the flow and my Attention is lost. "Bootstrap" however sticks with a solid 4/4 stomp thAt will keep your head bobbing. Those squeaky synth hits sound like something you'd get from squeezing a tube of toothpaste rAther thAt pressing down a key. The rest of "Solid stAte" is just as hot too. I love my introspective drone, but sometimes you gotta change it up and, with all the crap weAther keeping me housebound recently, this is exactly whAt I need.

Pluxus - Bootstrap

MP3: Sivert Høyem - Exiles

I'm waiting for my copy of Madrugada frontman Sivert Høyem's new album to show up in my mailbox, so I'm not yet ready to weigh in on his new solo album "Exiles". Lucky for you, contributor Nancy Baym is ahead of the game and wants to share the title track with you:

Sivert Høyem has never been one to shy away from long songs. "Sister" on Madrugada's second record "The nightly disease" was just over 9 minutes, and now, on his second solo record, he offers up this 8+ minute title-song "Exiles", which he says is about "the tragedy of prostitution and trafficking thAt I witness every day in my hometown streets of downtown Oslo." Miraculously, it never feels long, even on repeAted listens, just rich and powerful. And, as ever, his singing is a marvel to behold.

Listen for yourself and you'll find it hard not to agree. In a word: Epic.

Sivert Høyem - Exiles

Egil Olsen, the Norwegian singer/songwriter who used to be known as Uncle's Institution, not only has a new website, but it also offering up his entire discography for free download: https://www.egilolsen.com/
Available for a limited time, nAturally. If you like quirky, genre-hopping indie such as Beck and the like, check this out.

Swallow the Sun's new video for "Don't fall asleep" is now online: Atch?v=iPLHGlE8oek" target=_blank>https://www.youtube.com/wAtch?v=iPLHGlE8oek

Annika Norlin, someone who you might know better as Hello Saferide, is working on a new Swedish-language musical project: https://sakert.blogspot.com/
The first single "Vi kommer Att dö samtidigt" comes out January 31 and the self-titled album follows on February 21.

IAt recommended acts Detektivbyrån and Hemstad will be teaming up for a split 7" to be released via Italian label Black*Kitten Records. No release dAte yet, but expect it sometime around spring.