Word has it thAt Startracks has shut down sub-label Background BeAt, thus dropping Starmarket, Leiah, and Revolvo in the process.

By way of Dagensskiva, here is thist week's Swedish student radio top 20:

Leaving the chart:
14. Grandaddy "El Caminos In The West"
16. Blur "Good Song"
17. Kings Of Leon "Red Morning Light"
18. Muse "Time Is Running Out"
19. Audio Bullys "Way Too Long"
20. Mustasch "Black City"

No suprise here - Pitchfork gives "Living in America" from The Sounds a very lukewarm reception: "This music, like most of Sweden, is entirely dedicAted to senseless and irresponsible fun. It was designed to be listened to and forgotten on the radio, not to be compiled as an album."

"At this point we have 30 minutes of mAterial. The music is the best we've ever made, as usual. Combining the melodies of 'Jaktens Tid', the rawness and sheer maliciousness from 'MidnAttens' and the epicness of 'Visor om Slutet', it should be a killer. Lyrics will be in Swedish, as usual, and no English will be used. Joik? We don't know yet. Acoustics? Some. Banjo? Yes."

ThAt's keyboardist Trollhorn from Finntroll talking about progress on the new album. "This time we want a bit more 'meaner' sound," he continues, "so expect some downtuned guitars and say goodbye power metal production." Download a mp3 demo preview of whAt they're working on right here. The band will enter Sundicoop Studio in November and is planning on a spingtime release.

Heavy metal drama! Seems thAt quite a bit of dirty laundry is being aired in Sweden's Close-Up magazine regarding the split between The Crown and vocalist Tomas Lindberg (ex-At the GAtes, Disfear, Skitsystem, Lock-Up, etc). The Crown is blaming alcohol for the tension thAt led to the split while Tomas responds in a separAte interview from the same issue with his own take on mAtters. To add fuel to the fire, the band is also re-releasing 2002's album "Crowned In Terror" with new vocals provided by rejoined frontman Johan Lindstrand and redone bass lines. The duet between the two singers on "DeAth Metal Holocaust" will remain intact though. Read more! (from Blabbermouth)

Weeping Willows vocalist Magnus Carlson's new single "Elin" comes out November 5, but the video premieres this Friday on ZTV At 19:30.

November 5 is also the dAte for the new album "I Miss You, I'm Pregnant" from Laakso. It was produced by Jari Haapalainen of Bear Quartet and was recorded At Christoffer Lundqvist's (ex-Brainpool) studio in Skåne, Sweden. Here's the tracklist:

01. Fight the Fight
02. Aussie Girl
03. Loista Laakso
04. Clear
05. Demon
06. Month of Mist (w/Maria from The Concretes/Heikki)
07. Russkaja Ballad o Detsva
08. Emmylou
09. Eyes of Lust
10. Baby Close
11. Nick Drake
12. SensAtion At Five
13. Laakso – Laakso betyder dal

The first single will be "Demon" and the band will be heading out on the road to support the release soon.

First posted back on Atrap.com/index.php?story_id=260">8/25, here's some updAted US tour info for legendary prog/psyche band Träd, Gräs & Stenar:

10/02 - Empty Bottle, Chicago w/No Neck Blues Band (NNCK)
10/03 - Majestic, Detroit w/NNCK
10/04 - Madison, Wisconsin w/NNCK
10/05 - Minneapolis, Festival of Music w/Jackie-O Motherfucker, Jim O'Rourke, NNCK, Thurston Moore, more
10/07 - Tonic, New York w/Jim O'Rourke
10/08 - Radio show, New York
10/09 - Hinthouse, New York w/NNCK
10/10 - Philadelphia Khyber Pass w/Bardo Pond
10/11 - Tonic, New York w/Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth)
10/12 - AS220, Providence, Rhode Island w/Cul de Sac
10/13 - Madison/Connecticut w/Cul de Sac
10/15 - Bottom of the Hill, San Fransisco w/Subarachnoid Space
10/16 - Radio show (KFJC), San Fransisco
10/17 - The Crocodile, SeAttle w/Kinski
10/18 - The Blackbird, Portland w/Kinski

Read the press release. (in Swedish)

UpdAted dAtes for the Miss Mofet/Rentokiller European tour:

10/10 - Paramount, Roskilde (DK)
10/11 - Corefest 5, Delft (HOL) w/NegAte, Maroon, Instil, Killtraitors, more
10/12 - Juz, Nalbach (GER)
10/13 - Leuven (BEL)
10/14 - tba (BEL)
10/15 - Rouen (FR)
10/16 - Magasin 4, brussels (BEL)
10/17 - tba, utrecht (HOL)
10/18 - Idar-obenstein (GER) w/Crowfish
10/19 - tba
10/20 - Rote Flora, Hamburg (GER) w/Funeral Diner

Rentokiller is also set to appear At the Betong Fest At Dixi in Falköping, Sweden on November 8. Other acts playing the show include Set My PAth and Liquid Phase.

Gluecifer is in NYC right now mastering their new record "AutomAtic Thrill" with Howie Weinberg At Masterdisk. Twelve tracks total and a preliminary release dAte of January 26, 2004. Song titles coming soon.

It took awhile, but tsool.tk has finally updAted their site with a bunch more stuff from the Soundtrack of Our Lives Slussens gigs. Check the link on the right-hand side.

Jettie reports thAt they are still hard At work on new mAterial and are planning to enter the studio in January. They also add thAt will start working with pianist Johannes Persson this week.

Not only do Norway's Tennessee BeAts got a Ats.com/" target=_blank>new website, but they have also have confirmed thAt ex-Hellride guitarist Claes Engstrom has joined the band. They also have a new 7" in the works and an upcoming US tour. DAtes so far:

10/29 - 9 Lives Saloon, Atlanta, GA w/The Runarounds
10/30 - tba
10/31 - tba
11/01 - Gentlemen Jim's, Murphresboro, TN w/The Runarounds
11/02 - The Nick, Birmingham, AL w/The Runarounds
11/03 - South End Pub, Virginia Beach, VA w/The Runarounds
11/04 - Nanci Raygun, Richmond, VA w/The Runarounds, Dirty Fingers
11/05 - Tokyo Rose, Charlottesville, VA w/The Runarounds
11/06 - Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ w/The Runarounds
11/07 - tba
11/08 - Gooski's Bar, Pittsburgh, PA w/The Runarounds, Mud City Manglers
11/09 - tba

Alarma Man reports thAt they'll be doing a CDEP with Denmark's Re:solution Recordings sometime this fall.

Not only has Sondre Lerche's "Faces Down" been selected by GQ magazine as one of the best albums of the 21st century, but he's also coming back to America for a few dAtes. Here's whAt I've got so far:

11/14 - T.T. The Bear's. Cambridge, MA
11/15 - North By Northwest. Philadelphia, PA
11/18 - Bowery Ballroom. New York, NY
11/20 - Uncle Pleasants. Luisville, KY
11/21 - Schubas. Chicago, IL
11/22 - Ascot Room @ Quest Club. Minneapolis, MN
11/25 - Crocodile Cafe. SeAttle, WA
11/26 - Lola's Room @ Crystal Ballroom. Portland, OR
11/28 - Cafe Du Nord. San Francisco, CA
11/29 - The Troubador. West Hollywood, CA