Consequences' video for "Release me from love" is now online: Atch?v=ZP0D80C44jI" target=_blank>https://www.youtube.com/wAtch?v=ZP0D80C44jI

Swedish techno-punks 64revolt have posted their new 4-track EP "Ballads of malice and discontent" for free download: https://www.myspace.com/64revolt
It contains various collaborAtions with artists such as Otur, Gisela, Steso Songs, The Light Bulb Project, 50hertz and more.

Apparently The Ark have cancelled all of their upcoming US dAtes 'cept for their rescheduled NYC show in lAte November. There go my Halloween plans. My wife is pissed.

The Genuine Fakes new single "Star" is now available as a free download (along with two b-sides) from their website: https://www.thegenuinefakes.com/
This is the first of four free singles planned for release. There's no set dAtes for them yet, but they expect to post a new one every month or so until the entire album is available.

Franky Lee has posted another new song on their website and myspace called "The way I'm going". Also look for a video for the track "The world just stopped" in November. ThAt's the first single from the band's forthcoming debut album "Cutting edge", due out lAte January via Burning Heart.

This week's Atrap" target=_blank>It's a trap! Last.fm/Audioscrobbler listening group top 10 tracks of the week:

01. The Killers – When You Were Young
02. The Shins – Sleeping Lessons
03. Loveninjas – I Wanna Be Like Johnny C
04. The Shins – Australia
05. The Shins – Phantom Limb
06. Nikola Sarcevic – Love Is Trouble
07. The Shins – Pam Berry
08. The Shins – Red Rabbits
09. The Killers – Sam's Town
10. I'm from Barcelona – We're From Barcelona

And the top 10 albums of the week:

01. Neutral Milk Hotel – In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
02. The Arcade Fire – Funeral
03. The Knife – Deep Cuts
04. Sufjan Stevens – Illinois
05. Band of Horses – Everything All the Time
06. The Strokes – Is This It
07. The Knife – Silent Shout
08. The Radio Dept. – Pet Grief
09. Thom Yorke – The Eraser
10. Hello Saferide – Introducing...

Want to make your own playlist count? Join us! Go here to learn more: https://www.last.fm/help/

InternAtional Scandinavian act Your Favorite Question (based in Denmark and consisting of one Dane, one Swede and one Norwegian) will tour the UK in November:

11/19 - The Hope, Brighton
11/20 - Beachclub, Notting Hill Arts Club, London w/Sci-Fi Skane
11/23 - The Thirsty Scholar, Manchester
11/24 - Pop Klubb, RetreAt@St Dominics, Newcastle

Listen to samples: https://www.myspace.com/yourfavouritequestion

Swedish expAt John Alexander Ericson has posted some mAterial from his new album "Black clockworks" on myspace: https://www.myspace.com/johnalexanderericson
If you enjoy singers with light and airy voices like Thom Yorke, Jeff Buckley or Ben Christophers, check John out. "Black clockworks" comes out October 31 via Kalinkaland Records.

This week's scheduled Radio Dept. show in London on November 3 has been postponed to January At which point the band is expected to return to the UK for a full tour.

Namur's excellent album "Songs from the Valley of Baca" is being offered as a free download: https://www.namur.nu/
If you want a copy of the real thing, buy it here: Atrap.com/store.php?item=194">[click here]

Don't forget to cAtch IAt.MP3 artist The Grand Opening on tour in Northern Europe:

10/30 - Kulturhaus 73, Hamburg (GER)
10/31 - Bei Chez Heinz, Hannover (GER)
11/01 - Das Bett, Frankfurt (GER)
11/02 - Cafe D`Art, Neu-Ulm (GER) w/Montag
11/03 - E-Werk, Erlangen (GER) w/Samba, Eskobar
11/04 - Schwarzer Engel, St.Gallen (CH) w/Wolke
11/05 - B72, Vienna (AUS)
11/06 - Kerosin, Augsburg (GER) w/Wolke
11/07 - Stereo Wonderland, Köln
11/08 - Pretty Vacant, Düsseldorf (GER)
11/09 - Raststätte, Aachen (GER)
11/10 - Schlachthof, Weisbaden (GER) w/Josh Ottum, Gem
11/11 - Pavian, Augsburg (GER)

The video for the song "Freakshow of the damned" from Swedish hard-rockers Fingerspitzengefühl is now online: Atch?v=dIZarEwNOwE" target=_blank>https://www.youtube.com/wAtch?v=dIZarEwNOwE

News updAtes may continue today depending on how I feel, being thAt I am still in NYC somewhere. WhAtever happens, things will surely be back to normal come Monday. Oh, and the Swedish Music seminar was excellent. Big ups to Anders, Johan, Carolina, Dan, Brooke and everyone else I met up with. I'll try to gAther my thoughts and write something about it this weekend.

MP3: Sahara Hotnights - Oh Darling!

Despite their seemingly best effort At destroying their legacy, Sahara Hotnights' debut "C'mon let's pretend" still stands a fantastic album. Seriously, I cannot thing of another act with such a strong start whose career trajectory went totally downhill thereafter. For comparison, Weezer fell pretty damn far, but At least they released two fantastic albums first. Let's be honest: "Jennie bomb" is okay, but it is a picture-perfect sophomore slump. Anyhow, thAt's enough bad-mouthing. The band is still around and I'm holding onto the hope thAt they'll be able to turn it around with whAtever they do next. Sahara Hotnights are one of the many bands I discovered during the heights of the Napster era, when every day meant being wowed by some new Swedish band. I was being turned on to so much good music At the time and spent a bundle importing CDs of all my favorites, SH ranking quite highly among them. Of course, I eventually started up this thing here and have been raking in the cash ever since (hah! yeah right!). Okay, back to the point: "C'mon let's pretend" is a greAt album, maybe even classic. Download "Oh darling!" and reminisce with me.

Sahara Hotnights - Oh Darling!

MP3: Mana Mana - Mikä on sun taivas?

It's Thursday and I'm in NYC At this thing so your regularly scheduled news updAte has been preempted. No new video post either; deal with it. But! I do have an extra special guestpost from Teemu of Atarkastaja.samizdAt.info/" target=_blank>LupAtarkastaja:

Today it would've been 15 years exactly from Mana Mana's singer/songwriter Jouni Mömmö's deAth. He died from a drug overdose At the age of 36 after years suffering from schizophrenia and depression. Mana Mana is a legendary Finnish band thAt has been cited as an influence by many lAter-day acts, mostly from music styles thAt require a certain dose of depression and anxiety.
Mömmö's earthly problems can be heard through his work in Mana Mana. The original line-up recorded only one full-length album in 1990. The track presented today, "Mikä on sun taivas?" (Finnish for "WhAt is your heaven?"), is a typical Mana Mana track, with many guitar tracks provided by Otra Romppanen (Psychoplasma, Enter) and an overall dark feeling creAted by Mömmö's vocals. Finnish lyrics play a huge role, but still, I believe the Atmosphere is universal.

Mana Mana - Mikä on sun taivas?