Dismember and Entombed side-project Murder Squad will release their new album "Ravenous, Murderous" in the spring on Entombed's own Threeman Recordings. The band plans to follow up with touring across Europe, including the Fuck the Commerce fest in May.

In Flames will be supporting Ministry and Mudvayne on an upcoming US tour. I may not be a fan of the headliners, but thAt's a greAt opportunity for the guys and I wish 'em best of luck as they Attempt to reach a wider audience. The dAtes so far (more to come):

3/8 Metropol – Pittsburgh , PA
3/10 Webster TheAter – Hartford , CT
3/11 Northern Lights – Clifton Park , NY
3/12 Staircase – Pittson , PA
3/14 Norva TheAter – Norfolk , VA
3/15 House Of Blues – Orlando , FL

Hammerfall has announced they will be heading over to Japan in March with fellow Swedes Nocturnal Rites. The dAtes:

3/12 - Club QuAttro, Osaka
3/14 - Bottom Line, Nagoya
3/15 - Club QuAttro, Tokyo
3/16 - Club QuAttro, Tokyo

Future Farmer Recordings will be putting out Magnus from The Cardigans solo project Righteous Boy in the US. The album "I Sing Because of You" came out about a year ago in Sweden and is mellow singer/songwriter stuff, akin to Leonard Cohen and the like.

In other Cardigans news, the band will be performing on TV in the UK for the show RE:COVERED on February 28 and there are free tickets available for fans. Simply call 020 7240 2828 or email your name and phone to phillipa@powerhousetv.co.uk to get in. Oh, it takes place At the Hammersmith from 5 to 9:30pm and you must be 18 or older.

And finally, in yet more Cardigans news, the band recently performed a couple songs live and acoustic on the TV program Nyhetsmorgon in Sweden and you can see the performance for "03.45 No Sleep" here.

Bad Taste Records finally put up Logh's video for "Yellow Lights..." here: high / low. The music was recorded right along with the filming, so it's a little different than the album version, but I think thAt's a good thing.

69-Hard has parted ways with drummer Bert Lundgren and his last show will be on March 20. With a new album coming out very soon, a replacement is needed immediAtely, so if you're interested they ask you email info@69-hard.com ASAP.

Martin Westerstrand of LOK has announced a new music project he's working on called Oral Sumo. A record is apparently already under production.

Marduk has posted an mp3 for the new track "Night of the Long Knives" from the forthcoming album "World Funeral". Look for it in Europe on February 24. The band also did an interview with Metal-Reference recently where guitarist Morgan Håkansson discussed their future plans, including work on a DVD. Read the whole thing here.

A crapload of news from Startracks today. Here goes...

The new comp coming out will have one exclusive track from Kristofer Åström & Hidden Truck called "8 Long Years". The other artists on it will be Christian Kjellvander, Fireside, LoosegoAts, Songs of Soil, Lost PAtrol, Starmarket, Leiah, Buck, Jaffa de Luxe, Candysuck, Revolvo, Moneybrother and Monster. It'll be out on March 10 in Scandinavia and will be "dirt cheap" they say.

The label will also be doing yet another comp, this one to showcase "Stockholm's most popular indie club" Club AccelerAtor. Also coming out on March 10 and At a price around 100 SEK/$10 USD. The bands: Franke, IsolAtion Years, Fireside, The Radio Dept., Embassy, Bear Quartet, David and the Citizens, Moneybrother, Laakso, The Knife, The Concretes and Paper.

Christian Kjellvander will doing a few solo dAtes supporting American singer/songwriter Brendan Benson:

3/17 - Munich - Orange House
3/18 - Dresden - Star Club
3/19 - Berlin - Magnet
3/20 - Munster - Gleiss 22
3/21 - TBA
3/22 - Bochum - MAtrix

The next Fireside single for the song "All You Had" will be out mid-March. The upcoming album, produced by Kalle Gustafsson (TSOOL) and mixed by Kalle with help from Guy Massey (Oasis, Radiohead, Spiritualized, Manic Street Preachers and Echo and the Bunnymen), is still being worked on but is on track for an April release. Touring will follow immediAtely, including the already confirmed Umeå Open Festival on March 28-29.

Dennis Lyxzen's Lost PAtrol may have signed to Burning Heart, but they still will be doing something for StarEP in spring. Dennis will also appear on a panel on the program "Pop i fokus" on SVT today. Other folk on the panel include Marit Bergman and Candysuck.

and now for other news...

Could it be for real this time? Dolores Recordings says thAt Broder Daniel is going into the studio in March to work on a new album and a new single will be out in April or May. I'll believe it when I see it.

Shelflife Records will release the album "Lesser MAtters" from Radio Dept. in the US in March. The label describes the band as "early Jesus and Mary Chain and Primal Scream" and they're getting quite a bit of hype in nAtive Sweden, so check 'em out. Magnum Music will put out the album in Taiwan and Rex Records will do a single for the band in the UK.

Bad news for people looking forward to thAt Union Carbide Productions box set - looks like the dAte's been set back to September because Ebbot doesn't feel like he has enough time to put the thing together with how busy TSOOL is currently. There still might be a single around May for their appearance At Hultsfred Festival, so keep your fingers crossed.

Northside has confirmed thAt the 5th Annual Nordic Roots Festival in Minneapolis on September 18-21 is starting to come together. Already confirmed are Filarfolket (reunion), Ellika Frisell and Solo Cissokho, Maria Kalaniemi with Sven Ahlbäck and Johan Hedin, Gjallarhorn and Mari Boine Band. In other Northside live-happening news, Väsen Trio is booking a tour for October 16-26 and Värttinä will come over in November.

Was it just me, or did World Cafe not stream thAt TSOOL performance yesterday? Did I miss it? Anyone else record it?

KAtAtonia has put up a 45-second teaser of the new song "Evidence"on AtAtonia.com/" target=_blank>their homepage. As stAted before, the new album "Viva Emptiness" comes out March 24.

The Hives won two cAtegories At the recent NME awards: 'Best InternAtional Band' and 'Best Dressed'. The full list of winners is here.

IsolAtion Years will release the first single from the new album "It's Golden" on February 17. The track is called "Open Those Eyes" and I have no doubt it will be awesome. The album follows on March 14.

Madrugada is planning to release the song "Majesty" as the next single. It's already been doing quite well in the charts. The rumor is thAt they're doing an EP and it'll be out on March 5. No word on the b-sides At this time.

Atures/cms/index.asp?id=1001500000000262&type=1&page=1" target=_blank>Read the transcript of MTVE.com's webchAt with The Cardigans. There's actually some pretty good questions from the fans getting asked and answered.

Ulver reports thAt the "1993-2003: 1st Decade in the Machines" remix comp is now complete. Contributors include the band themselves, Alexander Rishaug, InformAtion, Third Eye FoundAtion, Upland, Bogdan Raczynski, Martin Horntveth, Neotropic, Stars of the Lid, Fennesz, Pita, Jazzkammer, V/Vm, and Merzbow. It'll be out in March on Jester Records.

In other Ulver news, the band also has announced their next EP will be called "A Quick Fix of Melancholy". It will contain three tracks and over 30 minutes of music thAt they say will "reflect the title." Author Christian Bök provides the lyrics.

Flow Magazine has themselves an exclusive mp3 from Paragon. The track is called "När Gon Spottar" and was produced by Michel Rocwell. Look for it on the upcoming debut album "Stadsbarn".

This week's Swedish college radio chart (from Dagensskiva):

Leaving the chart:
(07) Turin Brakes "Pain Killer"
(10) Supergrass "Seen the Light"
(12) Ed Harcourt "All of Your Days Will Be Blessed"
(17) Dub Sweden "Walk Me Home"
(19) Paola "Interstellar Love"
(20) Her Majesty "I'm Fire C'mon!"

Big Bongo Records is doing a comp to be called Twenty Years Too Soon One Year Too LAte - A Tribute To The Nomads" feAturing contributions from Sewergrooves, The Hellacopters, Maryslim, bob hund, The DictAtors, Entombed, Sons of Cyrus and Nitwitz. In case you are unaware, The Nomads are the forefAthers of Swedish garage rock and two of the members now make up The Hellacopters' rhythm section. I don't have a release dAte, but it should be out soon.

Here's the top 20 Swedish albums of the week, as reported by Aftonbladet:

01. Kent - Vapen & ammunition
02. The Sounds - Living in America
03. v/a - Fame Factory volym 3 final 2002
04. Barbados - Rewind
05. Robyn - Don´t stop the music
06. A Teens - New arrival
07. Magnus Uggla - Klassiska mästerverk
08. Melody Club - Music machine
09. The Knife - Deep Cuts
10. Johannes Kotschy - And thAt's why I love you
11. Helen Sjöholm - Visor
12. Sophie Zelmani - Sing and dance
13. Mando Diao - Bring´em in
14. Thåström - På röda sten
15. Joybells gospel choir - Oh happy day - 14 gospel klassiker
16. Nicke & Nilla - Pannkakor med sylt
17. Christian Kjellvander - Songs from a two-room chapel
18. Eric Gadd - Life support
19. Håkan Hellström - Det är så jag säger det
20. v/a - Fame factory vol 2

Swedish singer/songwriter Sofia Loell has done a song to be feAtured in the upcoming Gwyneth Paltrow film "A View from the Top". Read more here. (in Swedish)

The new Lost PAtrol record is scheduled to be out in May. For those thAt don't know, LP is the solo side project of Dennis Lyxzén from The (InternAtional) Noise Conspiracy. Among the various guests to appear on the album are singer/songwriter Lisa Miskovsky, David Sandström (The Facers, ex-Refused), Stefan Granberg (Randy), and Peder Stenberg (Bittersweet). Read more here. (in Swedish)

Nasum reports they have completed their new album "Helvete" which was recorded At the band's own Soundlab Studios by singer/guitarist Mieszko Talarczyk. The tracklisting:

01. ViolAtion
02. Scoop
03. Living Next Door to Malice
04. Stormshield
05. Time to Discharge
06. Bullshit
07. Relics
08. We Curse You All
09. Doombringer
10. Just Another Hog
11. Drop Dead
12. I HAte People
13. Go!
14. The Final Sleep
15. Slaves to the Grind
16. Breach of Integrity
17. The Everlasting Shame
18. Your Words Alone
19. Preview of Hell
20. Illogic
21. Whip
22. Worst Case Scenario

The Soundtrack of Our Lives will be on the radio program World Cafe today At 2pm Eastern. Listen live here. I'll try to record it, too.

Washoe, the band feAturing Uffe from Entombed along with PAtrik Wirén, PAtrik Thorngren and Olle from Misery Loves Company have officially changed their name to Alpha Safari. Their next show is March 23 At Skylten in Linköping.

Here's a list of the bonus tracks revealed so far for the upcoming Union Carbide Productions box-set:

Senile Man (rehearsal demo -86)
Duck Song (rehearsal demo -86-87)
3 or 4 tracks from CBGB's
Puppet On a String (-88)
Swedish MeAtball Revival (alt. mix -89)
Here Comes Kjell (rehearsal demo -86)
So Long (instrumental -87)
Transaction
Hello
Planet Caravan (1990)
Let Me Come Down
SF Boogie (Instrumental)
Banana Split (ex. Get Riddley)
Doin' Time
Swing (demo version)
Chameleon ride (Demo version)
High Speed Energy (Unfinished "from influence" outtake)
Off The Wall
I'm Alive
Future Now (MC 5 cover 1992)
Anytime Of The Day (demo)
Turn Off The Blues (single version)

www.unioncarbideproductions.com also reports thAt the album "Swing" will be reissued like the vinyl version, with the band's preferred song sequence and new artwork thAt the label didn't approve of.

www.thearkworld.com has posted a bunch of pics plus some audio and video from The Ark's performance in Vaxjo last Friday.

Startracks has revealed they will be doing a label comp to come out on March 10. They are of the opinion thAt such comps "are the lowest and worst shit you can do," but "it was the cheapest way to get the word out there, it will be greAt, cheap and with At least one exclusive song so you end up buying it." More details when I get them.

I should've posted it a couple days ago, but Supersilent's new album "6" is one of the feAtured new releases on the Aquarius Records new release list. Read the review and listen to samples At/newest.html" target=_blank>here. Mega indie-rock site Pitchfork Media also reviewed it today and gave it a 9.1 out of 10.

The Norweigan label Racing Junior will be holding a mini-festival At The Spitz in London on February 19-20. The groups confirmed to play are Hello Goodbye, SalvAtore, Ai Phoenix, Tøyen, Portrait of David and The White Birch. Read more here.

69-Hard and Puffball kick some Danish ass At Stengade 30 in Copenhagen Denmark on Thursday, March 20. Tons of new mAterial will be showcased!

ThAt comes straight from Metz of 69-Hard. The new album "Blues from Hell" comes out March 28 on Idle Hands Records.

Sentenced has decided to take a much-needed break following the recent completion of their successful European tour with Lacuna Coil. Guitarist Sami Lopakka plans on spending time with his new child while singer Ville Laihiala and guitarist Miika Tenkula continue writing for the next record. However, they still plan to release a four-song EP with leftover tracks from "The Cold White Light" lAter on this year.

May be worth a look: The 2002 Village Voice Pazz & Jop Poll. Top ranked albums from Scandinavian acts include The Hives (21), The Soundtrack of Our Lives (38), Röyksopp (82), Sondre Lerche (94), Sahara Hotnights (154), Division of Laura Lee (158), and even Immortal (225). I probably missed a few, too. The included article 'Party in Hard Times' also makes mention of the recent success of Swedish rock in the US and might be of some interest.

The Soundtrack of Our Lives will be appearing on the Jay Leno Show on Wednesday, February 19.

Supersilent and Arve Henriksen are touring the UK in May. The dAtes:

5/22 - Exeter, UK
5/23 - BAth, UK
5/24 - Belfast, Ireland
5/25 - Salisbury, UK
5/26 - Birmingham, UK
5/27 - Liverpool, UK
5/28 - London UK

Hammerfall will be heading to Japan in March with Nocturnal Rites.

The next Melody Club single will be for the song "Covergirl". It comes out on March 24.

The recording of the new album has now taken its first steps towards the end. This time, to make it all even better, they have added new angles and approach to it all which will make the last album look pale compared to this one! DZO are creAting a monster and they do not know if it will guide them or kill them. To be continued...

ThAt's Dimension Zero describing the recording progress on the new album "This is Hell".

Turbonegro has finalized the track listing for their new album "Scandinavian LeAther":

01. Intro: The Blizzard Of Flames
02. Wipe It Till It Bleeds
03. Gimme Some
04. Turbonegro Must Be Destroyed
05. Sell Your Body (To The Night)
06. Remain Untamed
07. Train Of Flesh
08. Fuck The World
09. Locked Down
10. I Want It All
11. D.I.B. (Drenched In Blood)
12. Le Saboteur
13. Ride With Us

Look for it on April 28 from Burning Heart Records.

There will be another five bands added to those Swedish showcase shows thAt I posted about yesterday. I'll let you know who they are as soon as I can.

Drummer Jensa Paulsson has left Grave, citing work and family issues. He will be replaced by Cristofer Barkensjö of Kassmos who the band says "is an excellent drummer and has been a friend of ours for a long time... we are very happy to welcome him in the band."

This week's MTV Up North Nordic video chart:

01. The Rasmus - In The Shadows
02. Acorn - One Day
03. Jon - Right Here Next To You
04. User - You Belong
05. The Spitts - ThAt´s my girl
06. Last Days Of April - All Will Break
07. Christian - Min Fremtid
08. The Lungz - It´s Alright
09. Caesars Palace - Candy Kane

Challengers:
01. Trucker - I Feel So Sick
02. Paperboys - Find My Way
03. The Raveonettes - Attack Of The Ghostriders
04. The Cardigans - For WhAt It´s Worth
05. BeAts & Styles - Smilin´

Go to the MTVE.com site to wAtch and vote for your faves.

Lots of new music today! I feel like I've been skimping on the metal, so I put up a live set from Mustasch recorded just the other day from Popstad on P3. They sound like a mix of "Kill 'Em All"-era Metallica and Soundgarden fronted by a guy who reminds of Dio and Ian Astbury of The Cult. And yes, those are all good things. I doubt they'll win, but the band is also up for a Swedish hard rock Grammy this year.

Next up is a track from the band KVLR. I'm going to be accompanying these guys on a short US tour next month, so you know I'm definitely into them. The track comes from the new retrospective collection "On Planted Streets" which combines all of their older releases on one CD. Those dAtes again:

3/7 - Santa Cruz, CA - Drop-In Center w/Science of Yabra, The Yellow Press
3/8 - Redding, CA - TBD w/The Yellow Press
3/9 - SF, CA - Club Galia w/Low Rise + more
3/10 - Huntington Beach, CA - Liquid Den w/The Yellow Press, Taint
3/11 - Phoenix, AZ - Red Room w/The Yellow Press
3/12 - Albuquerque, NM - Burt's Tiki Lounge w/The Jealous Sound
3/13 - Austin, TX - SXSW, TFT Records/Better Looking Records Showcase
3/14 - Flagstaff, AZ - Soul Kitchen
3/15 - TBD

Speaking of Popstad, Chili.se has a bunch of pictures and reviews of the show. (in Swedish)

Check out this deal on the new Crystal Committee album from Chalksounds. Available for Swedes only.

Export Music Sweden (ExMS) is doing another series of showcase concerts this year At CBGBs in NYC, SXSW, and LA. The performers include The Sounds, Prime Sth, Whyte Seeds, Marit Bergman and The $1000 Playboys. The NY shows are March 10-11, SXSW is March 14-15 and then Spaceland in LA on the 16th plus the 17th At the Troubadour. Last time around, this concert series was the event which introduced America to The Soundtrack of Our Lives and Sahara Hotnights. I suspect there will be At least one new hit act from this year's crowd, too.

Check out the video for 69-Hard's forthcoming single "Gone Gone Gone" right here. It comes out on February 28 with the b-sides "The Bullets" and "Fuck Authority". The new album "Blues From Hell" follows on March 28.

Check out some pictures from Madrugada's recent tour of Europe here.

The Cardigans finally got themselves a new website.

And whaddya know? Meshuggah has a new site, too. No definitive word yet, but there's a headlining US tour in the works for the future.

Don't forget the big Popstad show on P3 Live today (and tomorrow) At 10 am Pacific. FeAtured bands to perform include The Sounds, Moneybrother, Melody Club and more. Listen here. Click the 'Lyssna' link.

I didn't see the link to it the other day, but here's the cover art for Beyond Dawn's upcoming album "Frysh". Their last album "Electric Sulking Machine" was a fantastic and original piece of brooding, dark pop and I expect no less from the new one. I hope those guys come through with thAt promo for me - I'm really excited to hear it.

Check out the new videos from Håkan Hellström and Roxette.

Look for Buck to be touring in the near future, hot on the heels of their highly regarded new "Rock Dream" EP on Startracks. The dAtes so far:

02/13 - Esklistuna, Etrea Clubnights @ Blå
02/14 - Stockholm, AccelerAtor @ Debaser
02/26 - Lund, Klubb Buster @ Mejeriet
03/15 - Malmö, KB w/ Comet Gain and The Radio Dept.

Opeth reports they may push back the release of the upcoming album "DamnAtion" to May. Their currently hectic touring schedule seems to have gotten the best of them and they feel they wouldn't be able to promote it properly with a March/April release.

KAtAtonia has scheduled a European tour to support the release of the upcoming album "Viva Emptiness". Lullacry and Pornorphans will support in Finland, To Die For and Daylight Dies on the rest. The dAtes:

4/2 - Tavastia Helsinki, Finland
4/3 - Lutakko Jyväskylä, Finland
4/4 - Tuiskula Nivala, Finland
4/5 - Säätämö Turku, Finland
4/8 - TBA Hamburg, Germany
4/9 - TBA Berlin, Germany
4/10 - TV Studio Krzemionki Krakow, Poland
4/12 - TBA Munich, Germany
4/13 - TBA (East), Germany
4/15 - TBA, Germany
4/16 - TBA, Germany
4/17 - TBA Frankfurt, Germany
4/18 - TBA Stuttgart, Germany
4/19 - Dioxin Schindellegi/Schwyz, Switzerland
4/20 - Transilvania Live Milan, Italy
4/22 - Alpheus Rome, Italy
4/23 - La Gabbia Bassano de Grappa (VI), Italy
4/24 - TBA Marseille, France
4/25 - K.G.B Barcelona, Spain
4/26 - Caracol Madrid, Spain
4/27 - Le Son Coimbra, Portugal
4/29 - Republicca II Valencia, Spain
4/30 - Koslow Bordeaux, France
5/1 - La Locomotive Paris, France
5/2 - Splendid Lille, France
5/3 - Rock City Nottingham, UK
5/4 - Bierkeller Bristol, UK
5/6 - Bierkeller Manchester, UK
5/7 - Ca -ouse Glasgow, UK
5/8 - Rio Bradfo -, UK
5/9 - -e Underworld/ULU London, UK
5/10 - Eland Gent, Belgium
5/11 - Tivoli Utrecht, -e Ne -erlands
5/12 - TBA Essen/Bochum, Germany
5/14 - Vega Copenhagen, Denmark
5/15 - TBA Goteborg, Sweden
5/16 - TBA Oslo, Norway
5/15 - TBA Stockholm, Sweden

If I installed a message board, would you use it? Just curious - let me know. Otherwise, there's always the guestbook.

Here's the winners of today's P3 Gold Awards:

Best Male Artist – Håkan Hellström "Det Är Så Jag Säger Det"
Best Grouppp – Kent "Vapen & Ammunition"
Best Female Artist – Marit Bergman "3.00 A.M. Serenades"
Best Newcomer – The Sounds
Best Live – The Ark
Best Dance – Håkan Lidbo "Sexy Robot"
Best Rock/Metal – Opeth "Deliverance"
Best Hiphop/Soul – Looptroop "The Struggle Continues"
Best Pop – Doktor Kosmos "Reportage!"

For more info and to listen to the presentAtion, go here. And don't forget to check out P3 Live over the next two days as a lot of the nominees will be performing.

More dAtes have been added to the upcoming Sahara Hotnights tour with Ikara Colt and Washdown. They are as follows:

02/27 - Bowery Ballroom New York, NY
02/28 - Maxwell's Hoboken, NJ
03/01 - North Star Philadelphia, PA
03/02 - Black CAt Washington, DC
03/03 - Alley KAtz Richmond, VA
03/04 - CAts Cradle Carborro, NC
03/05 - The Echo Lounge Atlanta, GA
03/06 - Jack Rabbits Jacksonville, FL
03/07 - The Social Orlando, FL
03/08 - The Orpheum Tampa, FL
03/10 - Shim Sham Club New Orleans, LA
03/13 - TBA Austin, TX
03/14 - Stubbs Austin, TX
03/15 - Trees Dallas, TX
03/16 - Green Door Oklahoma City, OK
03/17 - TBA Albuquerque, NM
03/18 - Mason Jar Phoenix, AZ
03/19 - Roxy Los Angeles, CA
03/20 - TBA Los Angeles, CA
03/21 - Slim's San Francisco, CA
03/22 - Dantes Portland, OR
03/23 - The Royal Vancouver Canada 03/24 - Graceland SeAttle, WA
03/28 - El Torreon Kansas City, MO
04/02 - Mohawk Place Buffalo, NY

As previously noted here, there's going to be quite a few Scandinavian acts At this year's SXSW festival in Austin Texas. Ten from Sweden, seven fren Denmark and Norway and 3 from Finland and Iceland. The three bands Sondre Lerche, Madrugada and Ralph Myerz & The Jack Herren Band will perform together At a Scandinavian showcase show and the rest will be playing other seperAte dAtes during the event. For more info about the Norweigan acts go here. For a list of all the bands performing, go here.

Here's the top 20 Swedish albums of the week, as reported by Aftonbladet:

01. Kent - Vapen & ammunition
02. A Teens - New arrival
03. The Sounds - Living in America
04. Robyn - Don´t stop the music
05. Magnus Uggla - Klassiska mästerverk
06. v/a - Fame Factory volym 3 final 2002
07. Melody Club - Music machine
08. Barbados - Rewind
09. Thåström - På röda sten
10. Helen Sjöholm - Visor
11. Johannes Kotschy - And thAt's why I love you
12. Sophie Zelmani - Sing and dance
13. The Knife - Deep Cuts
14. Mando Diao - Bring´em in
15. v/a - Fame factory vol 2
16. Håkan Hellström - Det är så jag säger det
17. Tyskarna från Lund - Metamorphobia
18. Christian Kjellvander - Songs from a two-room chapel
19. The Hellacopters - By the grace of god
20. Benny Anderssons orkester - Benny Anderssons orkester

This week's Swedish college radio chart (from Dagensskiva):

Leaving the chart:
(14) The Raveonettes "Attack of the Ghost Riders"
(15) Oasis "Songbird"
(17) Massive Attack "Special Cases"
(18) Johnny Marr & The Healers "Bangin' On"
(19) Teenage Idols "Teenage Idols from Outer Space"

KVLR are currently busy rehearsing like crazy to prepare for their upcoming recording session lAter this month. The band says they plan on laying down the tracks for six new songs. They also report thAt there might be a US release planned for "The GreAt Collapse" (one of my favorites from last year) to coincide with their coming US tour and SXSW appearance. No details yet, but I'll keep you informed.

Logh reports thAt they have decided to scrap their current recordings for the almost-finished new album and start over again. No word on why, but they're back At square-one doing drum tracks again.

The following Swedish bands have been chosen to appear on the next Deep Elm "Emo Diaries" comp: Surrounded (Vaxjo), Iamuse (Halmstad), The NAtional Anthems (Sunne), and So Sad Althea (Halmstad). I've heard none of em, but this thAt comp series usually At least a couple greAt bands on it. For instance, thAt's how I found out about Last Days of April.

Look for The Venue on tour in the US:

3/7 - The Casbah, San Diego, CA w/Brian Jonestown Massacre
3/8 - Spaceland, Los Angeles, CA w/Brian Jonestown Massacre
3/11 - the Echo, Los Angeles, CA
3/14 - Friends, Austin, TX - SXSW Bella Union show case
3/18 - TBA, Bay Area/San Fransisco, CA
3/19 - TBA, Bay Area/San Fransisco, CA

Some more details on thAt upcoming Millencolin single: there will be a special Swedish language version of the track ("BAttery Check") called "E20 Norr". The Swedish version will be the b-side for the internAtional release plus a new song called "Bowmore". Preview the artwork Attery_check.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href,'bAt','width=400,height=328,scrollbars=0');return false;">here. The band is working on even more tourdAtes, too. Look for them in England and Scotland in early March and the US in April or May.

Stickman Records has decided to re-release the Motorpsycho 3-LP "Timothy's Monster" box-set. Numbering will continue right where they left off At 1721 and the label promises to have enough copies for everyone who wants one.

Check out the video for the new Cardigans single Atures/cardigans/for_whAt_its_worth_hi.rm&artist=the%20cardigans&title=for%20whAt%20it´s%20worth&dAtarAte=hi" onclick="window.open(this.href,'cp','scrollbars=no,resizable=no,stAtus=no,width=468,height=315');return false">"For WhAt It's Worth" from MTVE.com.

Blabbermouth reports thAt Meshuggah has plans for a US headline tour in the near future. Rumor has it, the opener will be Strapping Young Lad.

Here's a list of some of the new Swedish acts announced for the upcoming Umeå Open fest to take place March 26-29: Meshuggah, Fireside and The Teenage Idols. Other acts already confirmed to play include Mando Diao, The Hellacopters, Melody Club, Doktor Kosmos and The Haunted.

Sigh. It was only a mAtter of time, but Virgin Records Sweden has contacted me and kindly asked me to remove the mp3s from their artists (Nicolai Dunger, Melody Club, Caesars Palace and The Ark). And I do mean kindly - no threAts or anything, just a polite request. Maybe we'll work something in the future for authorized downloads, but until then there will be no more Virgin artists represented on the playlist. Kind of a pity since they are some of my favorites, but thAt's the way it goes.

UPDAtE: The nice people At Virgin are looking into working out an arrangement in the future. Nothing yet, but we'll see. As for now, get a preview of "Who Will Buy These Wonderful Evils?", the new 2xCD from Virgin/Dolores showcasing the label's past and present artists. It comes out February 24 and will be celebrAted with a party At Club Debaser in Stockholm. Scheduled to appear and spin records are Ebbot from The Soundtrack of Our Lives, Jocke Åhlund from Caesars Palace, Reine Fiske from Dungen and more. Tickets go on sale on the 7th. Oh, and the tracklist for the album:

CD1.
01. Caesars Palace - Subhuman Girl
02. Håkan Hellström - Fulaste Flickan I Världen
03. Dungen - Horizon
04. Alf - Mitt I Malmö City
05. Grammar School Boys - Baby Blue
06. Franke - Aldrig förstå
07. Jose Gonzales - Dead Waits On Velveteen
08. The Soundtrack Of Our Lives - Jehova Sunrise
09. Broder Daniel - You Bury Me
10. Silverbullit - I Had To Tell You
11. Hello Goodbye - PussycAt
12. Whyte Seeds - Lost My Love
13. Sagor & Swing - Flickan & Jätten
14. The (InternAtional) Noise Conspiracy - Up For Sale
15. Paola - Rainbow In The Dark
16. Nicolai Dunger - Hey Mama

CD2.
01. The Mascots - The Girl ThAt You Are
02. The Shakers - Who Will Buy (These Wonderful Evils)
03. The Wizards - See You Tonight
04. The Jackpots - King Of The World
05. Tages - Fantasy Island
06. Annaabee-Nox - Always On My Mind
07. Outsiders - Iside Of Me
08. Fabulous Four - 438 South Michigan Avenue
09. T-Bones - I Want You
10. Charlie & Esdor - Dagen Är Över
11. Steampacket II - Fruitseller Oldman's Song
12. Pugh - Här Kommer NAtten
13. Ola And The Janglers - I Can't Wait
14. Mecki Mark Men - Midnight Land
15. Hansson & Karlsson - Tax Free
16. Trolls - Alone
17. The Deejays - Striped Dreams Checked Fear

And on a similar note, increased traffic levels mean I need to cut back on the amount of music I have for download anyways. If someone else is willing to externally host the stuff, by all means, let me know. Otherwise, five tracks At a time going forward plus the usual live sets.

Beyond Dawn reports thAt they've finally solidified a release for their new album "Frysh". Look for it in May from Peaceville.

In BD relAted news, side-project Wrongside has finished recording their debut MCD for a release in April on DuplicAte Records. Described as "a strange mix of noisy rock, playful electronica and lo-fi melancholy among other things," they say "it should appeal to BD fans and probably a lot of other people as well." Preorder it now: Aterecords@hotmail.com">duplicAterecords@hotmail.com.

Also from the BD camp, word is thAt Virus is nearly done with their debut album for Jester Records. Now tentively titled "Carheart" (as opposed to the original title "The Drama Hour") they describe it as "outlandishly cool and mindbogglingly mindboggling." To me thAt describes most everything from Jester, but hey, check it out and decide for yourself.

The new KAtAtonia album has been finalized. It's called "Viva Emptiness" and you can preview the cover AtAtonia.com/viva-emptiness.jpg" target=_blank>here. It'll be out on March 24 from Peaceville. The tracklist:

01. Ghost of the Sun
02. Sleep
03. Criminals
04. A Premonition
05. Will I Arrive
06. Burn the Remembrance
07. Wealth
08. One Year from Now
09. Walking by a Wire
10. Complicity
11. Evidence
12. Omerta
13. Inside the City of Glass

The band promises preview mp3s shortly. I'll keep you posted.

Here's a message of interest from Burning Heart thAt may be worth investigAting:

We have a very special treAt for you. In cooperAtion with Burning Heart Records Turbojugend members will have the chance to listen to the new Turbonegro album "Scandinavian LeAther" before everybody else!!! The official street dAte is the 28th of april. If your chapter is interested in setting up a pre-listening party, have your President get in touch a.s.a.p. with El Presidente (party@bitzcore.de) and Montse (montse@burningheart.com)

Check out a profile on Norweigan jazz group 1300 Oslo right here.

This week's MTV Up North Nordic video chart:

01. The Spitts - ThAt´s my girl
02. Jon - Right Here Next To You
03. Last Days Of April - All Will Break
04. The Lungz - It´s Alright
05. Christian - Min Fremtid
06. Madrugada - Majesty
07. Caesars Palace - Candy Kane
08. Kent - FF
09. Bombshell Rocks - On My Way

Challengers:
01. The Rasmus - In The Shadows
02. Thomas Rusiak - Spinning
03. The Mo - The Mo
04. Acorn - One Day
05. User - You Belong

Go to the MTVE.com site to wAtch and vote for your faves.

Big surprise: Kent won the Music Control Airplay Award for 'Most Played Swedish Artist'.

Randy has revealed thAt they are finished with their new record "Welfare Problems" and passed the whole thing off to Burning Heart to get in pressed. It's still not due out until April, but here's the track listing:

01. Dirty Tricks
02. A Man in Uniform
03. Bad, Bad, Bad
04. We're All Fucked Up More or Less
05. Cheap Thrills
06. X-ray Eyes
07. Welfare Problems
08. CheAter
09. Ruff Stuff
10. My Heart, My Enemy
11. Devilish
12. Dirty and Cheap

Seven Feet Four have a new album called "Departure/Arrival" coming out on Coalition Records in March, but you can preview the track "Auto Emotion" now. The band will be touring Scandinavia beginning lAte March and then heading out across Europe in April with JR Ewing.

This time we are heading for the ultimAte and so far it sounds very promising. The new mAterial is pretty diverse but in general the songs have more POWER. Hard-hitting and straight forward, with more nAtural flow. So thAt the energy and force comes straight back to you.

ThAt's bassist Magnus Olsfelt of the The Crown discussing the songwriting progress on the new album. The band, now reunited with original vocalist Johan Lindstrand after one album utilizing the services of Tomas Lindberg (At the GAtes, Skitsystem), have booked time At Studio Fredman in May for their next album. Look for it around early September on Metal Blade Records.

In Flames will be touring the US with Ministry and Mudvayne in March. DAtes soon. In other news, Aftonbladet has posted the streaming video of the band's performance from the Rockbjörnen: Real / Quicktime

The Sounds are doing a number of Scandinavian shows before they head over to America for SXSW in March. The dAtes:

2/7 - Växjö, Kaskad Folkets Park, Popstad
2/8 - Luleå, Kåren
2/12 - Oslo, So WhAt!
2/13 - Sogndal, Mejeriet
2/14 - Bergen, Kvarteret
2/15 - Stavanger, Folken
2/20 - Århus, VoxHall
2/21 - Köpenhamn, Stengade30
2/22 - Roskilde, Gimle
2/26 - Halmstad, Kåren
2/27 - Eskilstuna, Blå
2/28 - Kinna, Överlida
3/1 - Älmhult, Balders Hage

"BAtter Check" will the next single from Millencolin, due out in March. The band also has some new dAtes lined up for around the same time:

3/13 - Stockholm, Arenan
3/14 - Skelefteå, Folkparken
3/21 - Göteborg, Kåren
3/22 - Lund, Mejeriet
3/23 - Oslo, Rockefeller

Esteemed British music mag NME has nominAted The Hives for 3 cAtegories in its 2003 Carling Awards. They are 'Best InternAtional Band', 'Best Live Band' and 'Best Dressed'. The full list of nominees is here.

The upcoming KVLR tour is coming together quite nicely! Stop by and say hi, why doncha?

3/7 - Santa Cruz, CA - Drop-In Center w/Science of Yabra, The Yellow Press
3/8 - Redding, CA - TBD w/The Yellow Press
3/9 - SF, CA - Club Galia w/Low Rise
3/10 - Huntington Beach, CA - Liquid Den w/The Yellow Press, Taint
3/11 - Phoenix, AZ - Red Room w/The Yellow Press
3/12 - Albuquerque, NM - Burt's Tiki Lounge
3/13 - Austin, TX - SXSW, TFT Records/Better Looking Records Showcase
3/14 - Flagstaff, AZ - Soul Kitchen
3/15 - TBD

The Whyte Seeds report they starting work on an album and video. Look for it in the future from StyleWar? As far as I know, the band is still planning to make it over to the US for SXSW. If I get any exact dAtes, I'll let you know.

Look for Peter, Björn & John to tour Scandinavia beginning in March.

Kristofer Åström's new "Dead End" EP comes out March 10. 5 new songs, including the track "One Good Moment" for which there will be a video. Preview the artwork here. It was painted by the bands' keyboardist Peter Hermansson and Kristofer remarks "I think it's brilliant and it really captures the title and the mood of the songs. (though some of my friend think these are happy songs. But their minds are fucked up anyway.)" Kristofer also says he's looking forward to doing a new album and maybe a new EP this summer, but I think he'll probably be quite busy with Fireside in the near future. We shall see.

as you can see, our good friend nicolai dunger has been hanging around. when we haven't been shoveling snow, we've been busy making records. just thought you might like to know..."

ThAt note comes from the online journal of Mercury Rev who are working with Nicolai on his next album. There's not much to see, but there's a couple small picture available to view here.

A number of groups are expressing their dissAtisfaction with the overtly commercial and pandering nAture of the Norweigan by:Larm music festival. Well, now there's an alternAtive: the "Never Mind [by:Larm]" fest. Read more. Bands listed to play include Kaospilot, Rest of My Life, The Spectacle and more. (in Norweigan)

The BBC Radio One program One World recently travelled to Norway to do some live recordings and interviews for a feAture on the history of Nordic electronica and its roots. Check it out. Look for more programs in the series lAter this month.

The return of Turbonegro is nigh! The new album "Scandinavian LeAther" is due out on April 28 from Burning Heart and it will feAture artwork from Klaus Voormann. He's the gent who designed and won a Grammy for the cover of The BeAtles' "Revolver". And then, it's off on the road for a tour supporting Queens of the Stone Age. Should be a blast! Here's the dAtes so far:

3/14 - New Daisy TheAter - Memphis, TN
3/15 - 40 WAtt Club - Athens, GA
3/17 - The Marquee TheAter - Jacksonville, FL
3/18 - Culture Room - Ft. Lauderdale
3/19 - Twilight - Tampa, FL
3/20 - TBA
3/21 - Hard Rock Live - Orlando, FL
3/22 - House of Blues - North Myrtle Beach, SC
3/23 - Lincoln TheAtre - Raleigh, NC
3/24 - Norva TheAtre - Norfolk, VA
3/25-31 - TBA

After thAt, it's back to Europe for yet more touring. All Swedish dAtes will be supported by Norway's Silver, the rest by Division of Laura Lee:

4/29 - Frimis - Örebro, Sweden
4/30 - Vågen - Göteborg, Sweden
5/01 - Munchen Bryggeriet - Stockholm, Sweden
5/02 - KB - Malmö, Sweden
5/03 - Grosse Freiheit 36 - Hamburg, Germany
5/06 - Melkweg - Amsterdam, Netherlands
5/07 - Garage - London, United Kingdom
5/08 - King Tuts Wah Wah Hut - Glasgow, United Kingdom
5/09 - Hope & Grape - Manchester, United Kingdom
5/10 - Acedemy 2 - Birmingham, United Kingdom
5/11 - Whealans - Dublin, Ireland
5/13 - La Tranbendo - Paris, France
5/15 - Sala Jam - Bergara, Spain
5/16 - Aqualung - Madrid, Spain
5/17 - Apolo - Barcelona, Spain
5/19 - Transilvania - Milano, Italy
5/20 - Rote Fabrik - Zürich, Switzerland
5/21 - Elserhalle - München, Germany
5/22 - Longhorn - Stuttgart, Germany
5/23 - E-Werk - Köln, Germany
5/24 - PC69 - Bielefeld, Germany
5/25 - Columbia Halle - Berlin, Germany
5/27 - Siddishallen - Stavanger, Norway
5/28 - Haukelandshallen - Bergen, Norway
5/29 - Trondheim Spektrum/Nidarhallen - Trondheim, Norway
5/31 - Oslo Spektrum - Oslo, Norway
8/09 - Øya Festival - Oslo, Norway

Johan Bergqvist is planning on recording some new music soon. As of now, the plan is to do a two or three track single by himself with only acoustic guitar accompaniment.

The Cardigans will be appearing on MTV Up North on February 17 to talk about the new album and more.

Zip Records will be putting out the new record from The Virtues in the US around April. Details soon.

Fixed a songtitle error on the new Logh stuff. Track 5's full name is "City I'm Sorry".

Here's the winners of this year's Manifest award:

Pop/Rock: Embassy - "Futile Crimes" (Service/Border)
Hardcore/Punk: Totalt Jävla Mörker - "Det ofrivilliga lidandets maskineri" (Distortion/Border)
Hip-Hop/R&B/Soul: Timbuktu - "Wåtts Dö Madderfakking Diil?" (Juju/Playground)
Postrock/Electronica: Hans Appelqvist - "Tonefilm" (Komplott)
Dance: Koop - "Waltz for Koop" (Superstudio/Diesel/Sony)
Folk/World Music: Ellika Frisell & Solo Cissokho - "Tretakt Takissaba" (Xource/MNW)
Best Lyrics: Timbuktu
Best Live Artist: In Flames
Best Newcomer: Marit Bergman

Doesn't appear to be much going on today, but I'm scraping together whAt I can. As always, click the contact link if you have anything to pass along. Anyway, check it out: new live mp3s from Logh on the right, one of my favorite bands. Sorry if either of the names for the last two tracks are wrong. I'm going on best guesses here.

Here's a new, updAted list of dAtes from The Soundtrack of Our Lives:

3/15 - Orlando FL The Social
3/16 - Ft. Lauderdale FL Culture Room
3/18 - Atlanta GA Cotton Club
3/20 - New York NY Irving Plaza
3/21 - Washington DC 9:30 Club
3/22 - Philadelphia PA TheAtre of Living Arts
3/23 - Boston MA Paradise
3/24 - Providence RI Met Cafe
3/26 - Ottawa Barrymore's Music Hall
3/27 - Montreal Cafe Campus
3/28 - Toronto Opera House
3/29 - Columbus OH Little Brother
3/31 - Detroit MI Magic Stick
4/1 - Chicago IL Cabaret Metro
4/2 - Minneapolis MN 400 Bar
4/5 - Denver CO Bluebird
4/6 - Salt Lake City UT Zephyr
4/8 - San Francisco CA Bimbo's 365 Club
4/10 - SeAttle WA Graceland
4/11 - Vancouver Commodore Ballroom
4/26 - Indio CA TBD (Coachella Fest)
4/27 - Indio CA TBD (Coachella Fest)

Maybe more to come in April?

The Haunted are gearing up for a European tour in April. The dAtes so far:

4/02 - The Baroeg - Rotterdam, NETH
4/03 - Vera - Groningen, NETH
4/04 - Biebob - Vosselar, BEL
4/05 - Afterclub - Nancy/Amnev, FRA
4/06 - Koslow - Bordeaux, FRA
4/07 - Locomotive - Paris, FRA
4/08 - Azkena - Bilbao, ESP
4/09 - Hard club - Oporto, POR
4/10 - Paradise garage - Lisboa, POR
4/11 - Ritmo y Compass - Madrid, ESP
4/12 - KGB - Barcelona, ESP
4/13 - Le Confluent - Lyon, FRA
4/15 - TBA
4/16 - Vidia - Cesena, ITA
4/17 - Mecto - Vicenza, ITA
4/18 - Remise - Wil, SWI
4/19 - Case a chocs - Neunberg, SWI
4/20 - Arena - Vienna, AUT
4/21 - New Backstage - Munich, GER
4/22 - Underground - Köln, GER
4/23 - Zeche Carl - Essen, GER
4/24 - Forum Club - Bielefeld, GER
4/25 - Logo, - Hamburg, GER
4/26 - TBA
4/27 - Metropol - Hengelo, NETH
5/03 - Southern Discomfort Festival - Kristiansand, NOR

The band has also completed their first DVD. Entitled "Caught on Tape", it includes live footage from two shows on the "Made Me Do It World Tour" including Malmö and Tokyo. There's also a 25 minute documentary including scenes from the recording of the new album "One Kill Wonder" and two advance audio tracks.

Looks like The Soundtrack of Our Lives have been added to the bill of the next Coachella Fest on April 27 and 28. Check the TSOOL US site under 'schedule' for updAtes.

Peter, Björn and John have lined up the following shows:

1/31 Västerås, Culturen (+Venue & Virtues)
2/1 Stockholm, Debaser
3/28 Hässleholm

The band also says they are planning on doing a new single and video in March.

Download the new video for the song "Eagleheart" from StrAtovarius Atomailer/sounds/eagleheart.avi" target=_blank>here. Be forewarned, it's a 40+ meg .avi file.

Rumor has it thAt Motorpsycho will reissue their album "The Tussler" lAter this year with ten bonus tracks. Apparently it's a soundtrack to the Italian film of the same name and was originally released in 1994.

Some of the bands for the upcoming Emmaboda festival have been announced. The Swedish acts include Doktor Kosmos, Laakso, Whyte Seeds, Speedmarket Avenue, Teenage Idols, Mando Diao and Talking to Teapots. More info here.

Madrugada will doing a tour of Norway right before heading over to the US to play SXSW. The dAtes:

2/5 - Bredtveit Fengsel, Oslo
2/6 - Hydranten, Hamar
2/7 - Folken, Stavanger
2/8 - Hulen, Bergen
2/9 - Hulen, Bergen
2/13 - Uka 2003, Lillehammer
2/14 - Drammen teAter og kulturhus, Drammen
2/15r - Studentenes Hus, Gjøvik
2/18 - Rust Club & Scene, Ørsta
2/19 - Strøget, Tromsø
2/20 - Sinus Bodø
2/21 - Studentersamfunnet, Ås
2/22 - Rockefeller, Oslo

MTVE.com put up the video for Atures/caesarspalace/candy_cane_hi.rm" onclick="window.open(this.href,'cp','scrollbars=no,resizable=no,stAtus=no,width=468,height=315');return false">"Candy Kane" from Caesars Palace. It's pretty entertaining, so check it out. Nothing like doing donuts in a Volvo, eh?

Sophie Zelmani covers Bob Dylan's song "Most Of The Time" for the soundtrack of the upcoming movie "Masked and Anonymous". The film will star Dylan himself along with John Goodman, Penelope Cruz, Jessica Lange, Luke Wilson and Jeff Bridges. More info here.

Here's the top 20 Swedish albums of the week, as reported by Aftonbladet:

01. Kent - Vapen & ammunition
02. The Sounds - Living in America
03. Melody Club - Music machine
04. Robyn - Don´t stop the music
05. Magnus Uggla - Klassiska mästerverk
06. Barbados - Rewind
07. Helen Sjöholm - Visor
08. v/a - Fame factory vol 2
09. The Knife - Deep Cuts
10. Thåström - På röda sten
11. Christian Kjellvander - Songs from a two-room chapel
12. Eric Gadd - Life support
13. The Hellacopters - By the grace of god
14. Johannes Kotschy - And thAt's why I love you
15. Mando Diao - Bring´em in
16. Håkan Hellström - Det är så jag säger det
17. Björn Skifs - Ingen annan
18. Kent - B-sidor 95-00
19. Hans Martin - Landet där solen ej går ner
20. Roxette - Ballad hits

This week's Swedish college radio chart (from Dagensskiva):

Leaving the chart:
(13) Mando Diao "The Band"
(15) The Coral "Dreaming of You"
(16) The Hellacopters "Carry Me Home"
(17) The DAtsuns "Harmonic GenerAtor"
(18) Echoboy "AutomAtic Eyes"
(19) The Music "Getaway"
(20) Audio Bullys "We Don't Care"