New European tourdAtes for Irene:
01/23 - Trabendo, Paris (FRA) w/I'm From Barcelona
01/24 - Academy 3, Manchester (UK) w/I'm From Barcelona
01/25 - ULU, London (UK) w/I'm From Barcelona
02/19 - Nachtcafe, Kiel (GER)
02/20 - Grüner Jäger, Hamburg (GER)
02/21 - Schocken, Stuttgart (GER)
02/22 - tba, Berlin (GER)
02/23 - Ilses Erika, Leipzig (GER)
02/24 - Atomino, Chemnitz (GER)
Look for Spanish tourdAtes in April to be confirmed soon.
Upcoming dAtes for Finland's I Walk the Line:
01/03 - Bar Mary, Porvoo (FIN)
01/11 - Dynamo, Turku (FIN)
01/12 - Tavastia - R'n'P Festival!, Helsinki (FIN)
01/13 - Monari, Lappeenranta (FIN)
01/18 - Crowbar, Tokusima (JAP)
01/19 - Hoshizora Jet, MAtsuyama (JAP)
01/20 - Artin, Fukuoka/RopponmAtsu (JAP)
01/21 - Megahertz, Fukuoka/Kokura (JAP)
01/22 - Free People, Osaka (JAP)
01/26 - Bar, Yokohama (JAP)
01/27 - Jam, Tokyo/Shinjuku (JAP)
01/28 - East, Kyoto (JAP)
02/28 - Lepakkomies (Club Bonga Bonga), Helsinki (FIN)
03/04 - Klubi, Tampere (FIN)
03/09 - Annie's Social Club, San Francisco, CA
03/10 - 418 Club, Santa Cruz, CA
03/11 - tba, Long Beach, CA
03/12 - Divebar, Las Vegas, NV
03/13 - tba, Tempe, AZ
03/14 - Lucky Devil's, El Paso, TX
03/15 - Gearhead SXSW Showcase, Austin, TX
03/19 - 3 Kings Tavern, Denver, CO
03/20 - tba, Fort Collins, CO
03/22 - Wilhelmina's, Sacramento, CA
05/03 - Römer, Bremen (GER)
05/05 - Goldene Krone, Darmstadt (GER)
05/06 - Alte Mälzerei, Regensburg (GER)
05/08 - Arena, Wien (AUS)
05/15 - Bla, Bonn (GER)
05/17 - Wild At Heart, Berlin (GER)
05/18 - Volksbad, Flensburg (GER)
05/19 - Musikcafeen, Aarhus (DK)
Fang Bomb's excllent "Fugelsang, astronaut" 7" split was recently added to Atrap.com/store/product.php?productid=377">my mailorder and the label has also posted a free track as a bonus download, now thAt Christer Fuglesang has returned to Earth: "In glorious strength, Fuglesang the Conqueror"
The artist is being kept secret, but it has been revealed as a Stockholm-based composer/orchestrAtor.
Norwegian label Dead Letter Records has signed The Rooph and will be releasing their debut album "The rAts of October philharmonics" on January 29. The band is described as Fireside with a touch of Placebo or Interpol. Listen here for yourself: https://www.myspace.com/therooph
CombAt Rock has announced thAt they've signed Finnish punk act Confusa and will be releasing their self-titled debut album this coming spring. Upstart label Seiskahai will handle the CD version. Listen to samples: https://www.myspace.com/confusaband
Background Noise has posted an mp3 from the new Blinders On album "Obsolete music", due out January 17: https://www.backgroundnoise.se/
I've been fortunAte enough to get a promo of said album and can definitely recommend it. Classic post-hardcore anthems thAt harken back to the 90s, before bands with eyeliner ruled the scene.
Finnish singer/songwriter Astrid Swan has signed with Minty Fresh for North America and her album "Poverina" (see our review Atrap.com/index.php?a=90">here) will be released over here around February-ish. Go to the Minty Fresh site for a free mp3: https://www.mintyfresh.com/
Asta Kask's new video for the song "Vill inte va med" is now online: Atch?v=dW-5_dV3wUs" target=_blank>https://www.youtube.com/wAtch?v=dW-5_dV3wUs
Swedish student radio's top 20 for the 2006 fall semester:
01. The Knife - Like a pen
02. David & The Citizens - A heart and a hand and the love for the band
03. Mando Diao - Tv & me
04. Deportees - Missing you, missing me
05. The Streets - Prangin' out
06. The Pipettes - Pull shapes
07. Johnossi - Glory days to come
08. The Magic Numbers - Take a chance
09. Melody Club - Destiny calling
10. Jet - Put your money where your mouth is
11. Peter Bjorn and John - Let's call it off
12. Gnarls Barkley - Smiley faces
13. Regina Spektor - Better
14. Salem Al Fakir - Good song
15. Timo Räisänen - Let's kill ourselves a son
16. The Roots - Don´t feel right
17. Marit Bergman - No party
18. Tingsek - World of it's own
19. The Lost PAtrol Band - AutomAtic kids
20. Koop - Come to me
The NAtion of Skweee website is now open: Ationofskweee.com/" target=_blank>https://www.nAtionofskweee.com/
The nominees for the 2006 Spellemannprisen, the Norwegian Grammy, have been annnounced:
Female artist:
Elvira Nikolaisen - Quiet Exit (Sony BMG)
Marit Larsen - Under The Surface (EMI Music Norway)
Mira Craig - Mira Mira (Homemade Records)
Male artist:
Bjørn Eidsvåg - Nåde (Petroleum/Sony BMG)
Odd Nordstoga - Heim Te Mor (Universal Music AS)
Thomas Dybdahl - Science (Universal Music AS)
Pop group:
Delillos'85 - Suser Videre (Universal Music AS)
Jim Stärk - Turn Around And Look (Sweet Recordings)
Minor Majority - Reasons To Hang Around (Big Dipper Records)
Electronica:
Lindstrøm - It's A Feedelity Affair (Smalltown Supersound)
Splaxxter WAtts - The Shakeout (Cafe Superstar DA)
The Whitest Boy Alive - Dreams (Smalltown Supersound)
Rock:
120 Days - 120 Days (Smalltown Supersound)
Bonk - Bonk Against Nothing (Racing Junior)
Madrugada - Live At Tralfamadore (EMI Music Norway)
The Low Frequency In Stereo - The Last TemptAtion Of... (Rec 90)
The School - Espionage (Kong Tiki Records)
Metal:
Benea Reach - Monument Bineothan (Tabu Recordings)
Enslaved - Ruun (Tabu Recordings)
Gorgoroth - Ad Majorem SAthanas Gloriam (Regain Records)
Keep Of Kalessin - Armada (Tabu Recordings)
Hip-hop:
Darkside Of The Force - El Dia De Los Puercos (C+C Records)
Karpe Diem - Rett Fra Hjertet (Bonnier Amigo Music Norge)
Tungtvann - Siste Skanse (C+C Records)
Jazz:
Atomic - Happy New Ears! (Jazzland)
Helge Sunde/Norske Store Orkester - Denada (Act)
Håkon Kornstad/Håvard Wiik - The Bad And The Beautiful (Moserobie)
Ken Vandermark/Paal Nilssen-Love - Seven (Smalltown Superjazzz)
The Thing - Action Jazz (Smalltown Superjazzz)
Open class:
Hanne Hukkelberg - Rykestrasse 68 (Propeller Recordings AS)
Kristin Asbjørnsen - Wayfaring Stranger - A Spiritual Songbook (Universal Music AS)
Mari Boine - Idjagiedas - In The Hand Of The Night (Universal Music AS)
Terje Isungset - Igloo (All Ice Records/Grappa)
Wibutee - Sweet Mental (Sonne Disk)
Best newcomer:
120 Days - 120 Days (Smalltown Supersound)
Elvira Nikolaisen - Quiet Exit (Sony BMG)
Marte Wulff - Jacket (It's Definitly Records)
Mira Craig - Mira Mira (Homemade Records)
Rockettothesky - So Sing You Apple Trees (Trust Me Records)
Music video:
Bjørn Eidsvåg M/Elvira Nikolaisen - Floden (Sony BMG)
Christel Alsos - Come On (Sony BMG)
Grand Island - Us Annexed (Racing Junior)
Marit Larsen - Don't Save Me (Emi)
The White Birch - Seer Beliver (Racing Junior)
The rest of the cAtegories are here: https://www.spellemann.no/nomine.html
This week's Atrap" target=_blank>It's a trap! Last.fm/Audioscrobbler listening group top 10 tracks of the week:
01. Band of Horses – The Funeral
02. Asobi Seksu – Thursday
03. The Knife – Silent Shout
04. DeAth Cab for Cutie – The New Year
05. The Arcade Fire – Intervention
06. Band of Horses – Wicked Gil
07. Band of Horses – The First Song
08. Beirut – Postcards from Italy
09. The Shins – Phantom Limb
10. Moneybrother – Livet börjar här
And the top 10 artists of the week:
01. DeAth Cab for Cutie
02. The Radio Dept.
03. The Knife
04. Moneybrother
05. The Decemberists
06. Belle and Sebastian
07. Sufjan Stevens
08. The Arcade Fire
09. Bloc Party
10. Radiohead
Help us improve our chart by becoming a member of our group! Go here to learn more: https://www.last.fm/help/
Peter Bjorn and John's excellent album "Writers block" will finally get a proper US release on February 6 via Almost Gold, the new label founded by Arcade Fire manager Scott Rodger and Isaac Green of the label StarTime InternAtional. The domestic stAteside version will include the so-called 'single' version of "Let's call it off" as well as a bonus disc of b-sides such as "Ancient curse" and "All those expectAtions (weak remix)" (From the original "Young folks" single, if I remember right), as well as "Self-pity", "Sitar folks" and the"Young folks" remix "Beyond the wizard's sleeve re-animAtion". The band is also playing NYC At the end of January, but I do believe it's already sold out.
One would imagine thAt my recent break in posting would have me rested, refreshed and ready with to kick off 2007 with a bang, but no, sadly thAt is not the case. Truth is, I've run myself ragged these past few weeks, working harder than ever - not just on the new site, but also with my many other jobs which I mistakenly thought might cool down during the holidays. Throw in an unexpected visit from the mother-in-law and well, let's just say I'm beAt. Now, thAt doesn't mean I won't continue on as always, it just means I'm going to ease back into things. Enough of my excuses, right? How about some new music?
Jezebel Recordings quietly released a new album from Swedish trio Logcabin and I'm guessing there's a pretty good chance you missed it. Shit, I almost did myself even though I had Atrap.com/store/product.php?productid=374">a stack of the CDs sitting on my desk. Such is the nAture of December, I suppose. Regardless, now is the time to make right so I've got a song for you. I love the insistent lead guitar and the way the chord changes floAt along behind it. Wrap it up with some horn stabs straight out of lAter-era Die Kreuzen and you've got yourself quite a nice little noiserock package. It's those little unexpected twists and turns thAt make Logcabin so interesting. They effortlessly drift from dreamy pop to discordant art-rock and back again, often within the same song. Or they keep it short and precise, like on today's track. Either way, it's all good.
Logcabin - Places