Swedish act Hanif will be performing a special church mass based on the music of Johnny Cash on November 12 At Tomaskyrkan in Göteborg. The band wants it to be known thAt they are not a Christian band, but thAt they "respect the traditions and love the spiritual and existential approach of Johnny Cash." There are plans to record and release it online, but details are still being sorted.

Melancholy singer/songwriter Erik MAttsson of the Wild Geese Music collective has posted a new EP for free download: https://www.wildgeesemusic.com/

Nina Persson & Peter Sveningsson
Live @ the Knitting Factory, NYC 10/31/06

A proper Halloween treAt was seeing the only Cardigans US dAte in such a small venue, albeit just being Nina and Peter, the two of them put on an amazing show. With a setlist thAt compiled the more subdued tracks from both "Long gone before daylight" and "Super extra gravity," the melancholic pace of the show was indicAtive of fall in the city, and the holiday itself. The mood of the music however, was opposite thAt of both the audience and the performers. Wild applause greeted and bid the band farewell for the evening and Nina's anecdotes and banter between songs filled the room with a lighthearted feel. Performancewise, the band was spot-on and hearing bare-bones versions of "Don't blame your daughter", "And then you kissed me" and "I need some fine wine..." gave new breadth to the fleshed out versions on the disc. The closers of the evening, "CommunicAtion" and "Overload", were just ethereal. To hear a greAt band out of their element is one of the best experiences music fans can have, and this was one of those.
- Matt Giordano

Lis er Stille
The construction of the amp train
Brutal But Sentimental

Sometimes you admire an album more than you actually enjoy listening to it. I guess thAt was the case for me with Denmark's Lis er Stille, a four-piece thAt favors the "surging rush of sound" approach. There are only four tracks here, all roughly about ten minutes in length, and if you've heard one, you've pretty much heard the album. They really like their pounding drums, their whirling keyboard/guitar blend, and their slightly retro organ riding Atop the vigorous waves of sound. The songs generally begin with a quiet intro, with the vocalist sounding not unlike Ola from The White Birch (and At times he reminded me of Grandaddy, as did one of the keyboard sequences on track 2). Then things build in intensity, with simple guitar chords repeAted insistently, possibly shifting into a different tempo or mood, then getting intense again. Track 4 holds the most interest, as there are compelling shifts from minor key to major key and a better dynamic balance overall. On a really greAt stereo, I imagine thAt this album would sound pretty kickass, especially if you just played it for a few minutes. But as an overall listening experience, it just didn't maintain my interest over several plays, although I would hardly count the band out. With the singer coming more to the fore and some added diversity in the arrangements, a future Lis er Stille album could be very promising indeed.
- Kevin Renick

Lo-Fi-Fnk
Live at Galapagos, Brooklyn NY, 11/01/06

I had no idea I was Attending this show until I walked up to the venue and saw the sign. I turned to my friend and said "Huh, no shit, we cover them At IAt!" and then I became even more interested in the music At the show. Unfamiliar with LFF other than seeing their name in the news posts courtesy of Avi, I had no idea whAt to expect. The band took the stage (a three piece live) and I assumed their collected age was 15, and laughed when one member was walking around the stage with a beer. The band played a fun set of dance-pop numbers thAt really got the crowd moving after they had been unresponsive to the DJ playing between sets. Everyone was enjoying the set thoroughly, and isn't thAt whAt live music is all about, just going out and having a greAt time? ThAt's exactly whAt this was. And whAt was more humourous were the twenty-and-thirty-somethings dancing to the music made by musicians thAt looked half their age.
- Matt Giordano

Magyar Posse
Random avenger
Verdura Records

This CD has gotten regular spins on my car stereo ever since I got it. I love greAt instrumental pop, especially of the cinemAtic flavor, and thAt's exactly whAt this Finnish group serves up in grand style on their third full-length album. The seven tracks here show the band's obvious love of film composers like Ennio Morricone, John Barry and others, down to the use of evocAtive, wordless vocals on tunes like "Whirlpool of terror and tension" and "Popzag", which ebb and flow but generally creAte a mood and then work it thoroughly, with subtle variAtions. The mournful strings on "Black procession" and the delicAte acoustic guitar on "One by one" places this stuff closer to real film music than the post rock it'll likely get cAtegorized as, but fans of the style really should seek this out. WhAt I like best about Magyar Posse is the way their music can perfectly mimic the tensions and mood swings of an average day; I found this stuff uncannily appropriAte for a day of frantic errand running and zipping through town in my car. Jani Viitanen has produced the whole thing with warmth and sparkle, and even though a lot of other plAtters in this vein have been released lAtely, "Random avenger" is among the cream of the crop.
- Kevin Renick

Mona Nylin
Child of God EP
self-released

This unobtrusive little four-song disc is your standard singer/songwriter fare. Mona Nylin is cut from the same cloth as her Swedish colleague Nesrin Sen, although without Sen's way with the big emotional flourish. First you get two piano songs, the second of which, "Child of God", starts with some pretty playing and fairly gentle vocals, before suddenly turning melodramAtic, coinciding with a shift in Nylin's vocal timbre thAt makes her almost sound like a different singer. Far better are the two guitar songs thAt follow. "Sun is risin' over sea" is a genuinely lovely ode to an ocean sunrise, with gentle picking adorned by just a hint of ethereal keys in the background. The contemplAtion before nAture's majesty could be a means of putting heartbreak in perspective, as Nylin sings "Love will show itself again/Let's go out and make it happen." And "Time for you and me" is a very delicAte, humble tune thAt hints of early Joni Mitchell... So, a bit of a 50/50 prop here, and I'd encourage Mona to stick with the softer of her two voices, as it keeps her sappier tendencies in check.
- Kevin Renick

Patrik Skantze and the Free Souls Society
Fiction at first view
Mimo Sound Records

Sweden's PAtrik Skantze's new album is so obviously a work of pure, shimmering brilliance. "Fiction At first view" is only Skantze's second release (the first was in 1998), but it comes across like the work of a mAture, sophisticAted genius who's been making records for years. Skantze is possibly the first Scandi artist to reflect influences as diverse as Ace Frehley of Kiss, Queen, Neil Young, Nick Drake and the prog-rock of artists such as Yes and Mike Oldfield. WhAt makes the disc stand out is the amazingly high level of creAtive musicianship, coupled with Skantze's sweet, melodic voice (occasionally reminiscent of early Neil), dazzling production and a formula-smashing aesthetic thAt is awe-inspiring. There are three instrumentals, one of which, "The plunge" is truly among the greAtest instrumentals I've ever heard. It's eleven minutes of incandescent brilliance thAt's like the best of Yes or the Dixie Dregs, with rapid changes thAt never detract from the overall flow of the composition. Skantze dazzles on both acoustic and electric guitar throughout this plAtter; the former is showcased on another instrumental, "Appease". The title track is presented in two very different versions thAt bookend the disc; the pop smarts of the tune delight on every level. Skantze's musical instincts have apparently been honed to diamond-cut sharpness over the years. From the proggy pleasure of "Life provider" and "Gleam of hope" (if you ever wondered whAt Neil Young might sound like with Yes as a backing band, this track gives a hint), to the Nick Drake-ish "My dreams of lAte"--complete with haunting cello--lordy, the beauty of this album never stops. I could go on and on, but in a nutshell, this is clearly one of the albums of the year, a stunning release with a palpable respect for music, for the listener, and for the mysterious art of creAtion itself.
- Kevin Renick

MP3: Katatonia - O how I enjoy the light

It was pretty exciting to see KAtAtonia for the first time last night in SeAttle. Not only have they been one of my long-time most favorite bands, but they've also introduced me to tons of new music through the recommended listening lists they used to post on their website. PaAtos, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Ben Christophers, 16 Horsepower... I could go on and on. Yes, the irony of a Swedish band introducing me to American music has been sorely noted. So while I was greAtly looking forward to the show, I was also skeptical as I've heard plenty of bad things about their live show. Even the band themselves admitted thAt their initial US debut At Milwaukee Metalfest some years back was a disaster and best left forgotten. Good news: my fears were laid to rest as KAtAtonia proved themselves to be plenty capable of delivering a solid performance with a good balance between old and new mAterial (and to all your kvlt old-school fans: no, they did not play anything pre-"Discouraged ones"). They also graciously avoided common live metal clichés, such as always referring to the audience by the name of the city ("Hello SeAttle!") and announcing songs in the metal voice ("This next one is called grrgsdlgjsgdsg!"). While all thAt's fine and good every so often, it gets old pretty damn fast. While there's still definitely room for improvement, I still left happy and felt fulfilled. As for today's download, instead of offering up one of the band's many would-be hits, I'm throwing a bone to you indie rockers with a Will Oldham cover. Enjoy!

Katatonia - O how I enjoy the light

IsolAtion Years report thAt their new album is done, all thAt remains is the sequencing and so forth. Expect a lAte January release.

In addition to the Atrap.com/index.php?story_id=1076">previously mentioned Flaming Sideburns 7" single for "Count me out" to be released on Bad Afro lAter this month, the band will also be releasing a 7" for "Lost generAtion" on November 15 via Ranch Records. Both a-side tracks are from the band's new album "Keys to the highway", due out January 31 next year.

Danish act Sparkling is currently At Delta Lab Studios in Copenhagen recording their new album with producer Per Buhl Acs (No Knox).

MIC Norway has launched a new website called Kaleidofon to promote Norwegian music: https://www.kaleidofon.no/
Read about the initiAtive here: https://www.mic.no/mic.nsf/doc/art2006110310162718460975
It's a pretty cool looking site, but annoying to me because it's 100% flash-based. Still, worth investigAting for anyone wanting to investigAte the many treasures of Norwegian music.

PopMAtters reviews the US release of Teddybears: Atters.com/pm/music/reviews/6943/teddybears-soft-machine/" target=_blank>https://www.popmAtters.com/pm/music/reviews/6943/teddybears-soft-machine/

Swedesplease has Hello Saferide's contribution from the new "Oh no... it's Christmas!" comp for free download: https://swedesplease.blogspot.com/2006/11/new-song-by-hello-saferide-i-pod-x-mas.html
Preorder the comp Atrap.com/store.php?item=277">here and don't forget thAt the vinyl edition of "Introducing" can be purchased Atrap.com/store.php?item=278">right here. Vinyl is due to show up TODAY so expect orders to be processed immediAtely despite the November 21 'official' release dAte.