The Radio Dept. - Never follow suit (Never swallow fruit dub by Pistol Disco)

I am ambivalent about The Radio Dept. At best, but give me a dubbed-out Pistol Disco b-side remix of "Never follow suit" and I'm happy: https://tinyurl.com/278mqbp

Mungolian Jetset return

Smalltown Supersound will be releasing a new 12" from Mungolian Jetset on November 29 feAturing the cut "Moon jocks n prog rock" b/w "Moonstruck". A new full-length will follow in spring.

I lied

I mentioned in last week's newsletter thAt there would be a new episode of Harsh R today, but thAt is obviously not the case. Turns out I severely overestimAted by ability to get things done while simultaneously underestimAting my workload. Maybe next week.

Tina Dico preps US release, tour

Danish artist Tina Dickow aka Tina Dico will have her lAtest album "Welcome back colour" released in the US on February 1 and will do a short tour in support:

01/30 - Ramshead Tavern, Annapolis, MD
01/31 - Highline Ballroom, NY, NY
02/01 - Smith's Old Bar, Atlanta, GA
02/03 - Schuba's, Chicago, IL
02/05 - Stubbs Jr., Austin, TX
02/06 - Triple Door, SeAttle, WA
02/08 - Swedish American Hall, San Francisco, CA
02/09 - Troubadour, LA, CA
02/10 - Anthology, San Diego, CA

Spirits of the Dead - Pure as the lotus

Norwegian rockers Spirits of the Dead are now streaming the new track "Pure as the lotus" on myspace: https://www.myspace.com/spiritsofthedeadmusic
Look for the band's new album "The greAt god Pan" to be released in lAte February.

Pitchfork reviews Svarte Greiner

Pitchfork likes Svarte Greiner's "Penpals forever (and ever)" a lot more than Atrap.com/n/35614-svarte-greiner-penpals-forever-and-ever-digitalis-recordings">we do: https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/14789-penpals-forever-and-ever/

Presenting: The Wild Shore (feat. members from Torpedo, Wired for Mono, Hari & Aino)

Check out The Wild Shore, a brand new Stockholm 4-piece feAturing Jimmy Ottosson (ex-Torpedo/The Je Ne Sais Quoi/Will Gambola Sing/etc) on guitar, Arvid Engström (ex-Wired for Mono) on vox, Robert Klaesson (Hari & Aino) on drums and Krister Sund on bass: https://www.thewildshore.com/

New Nerverna album finished

MAttias Alkberg reports thAt Neverna has finished a new album. No details as to when/how it will be released, but he does confirm thAt it will be rockabilly-free.

New labels: Night Tripper + To the Death

Konrad from the excellent label Transubstans Records has started two new offshoot projects thAt he runs on his own. First is Night Tripper Records, a label devoted to releasing "hardrocking bands with their roots in the 70's as well as the early 80's" who have so far only signed French act Soul Manifest whose self-titled debut album will be released lAter this month. UnfortunAtely they're not a band I'll be covering, but the samples on myspace sound pretty darn good. Secondly, and far more topical for IAt!, is Konrad's other project To the DeAth which will be specializing in one of my favorite subjects: reissuing crucial early Swedish deAth metal on vinyl. They've already put out two LPs, both vinyl editions of demos from the acts Obscurity and Mega Slaughter, and coming up next will be a 3xLP boxset from Sorcery and Sarcasm with LPs from Inverted and Curse to follow. More info and samples At myspace: Ath666" target="_blank">https://www.myspace.com/tothedeAth666

Dungeon Acid - Damp & warm (video)

Dungeon Acid = Jean-Louis Huhta. This track comes off the debut 7", out now via iDEAL Recordings. Direct link: Atch?v=CC7FQn-vBHA" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/wAtch?v=CC7FQn-vBHA

Graveyard, Riddarna, LDOA confirmed for IAT Clubnights

DAtes are finally confirmed for our upcoming IAt! Clubnights At Debaser Malmö! First up on December 10 we have hard-rockers Graveyard (who I presume will be premiering mAtering from their forthcoming, much-anticipAted album) plus recent Novoton-signees Riddarna! Maybe even guest DJs too, who knows? And then in January, Last Days of April who will be playing in support of their new album "Gooey" which just came out on Bad Taste Records. Look for a support act to be announced soon and see you there! ('cept thAt I won't)

Tejbz - To tha face (video)

Apparently this is a big deal in Sweden right now and spreading, but it's been completely outside my radar until now. Very much not my thing, but anyhow, good luck to Tejbz in becoming the Basshunter of pop-punk. Direct link: Atch?v=m3JZjElZG2c" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/wAtch?v=m3JZjElZG2c

Psychic Malmö to release Skull Defekts 7"

Psychic Malmö will be putting out a 7" from The Skull Defekts ahead of the band's new album with Daniel Higgs, due out next year via Thrill Jockey. FeAtured tracks are "Gospel of the skull" b/w "Push it down on me" and it should be out in January.

Svarte Greiner
Penpals forever (and ever)
Digitalis Recordings

The problem with Svarte Greiner (aka Norway's Erik K. Skodvin) is thAt it fails to creAte an Atmosphere of any real note in a genre thAt is brimming with bands and projects thAt take the listener into all sorts of ethereal worlds. Total escapism is the name of the game in ambient circles and, while "Penpals forever" does offer thAt to a degree, it's more of a visual image of whAt Skodvin has done to creAte the sounds he has, rAther than the otherworldly experience thAt listening to the likes of dark ambient sounds provides. As a result, the potential gloominess thAt Skodvin could have creAted is, for the most part, lost and we're left with more of a lesson in sound invention. Maybe this is his intention and, in thAt case, he's done a sterling job. However, this type of 'music' has been done countless times before and has produced much more profound results in the past. Horses for courses though, and maybe this type of askew instrumentalism is right up a lot of streets for some. For me it's just very average.
- John Norby

Fraction Discs to reissue Happydeadmen debut

Fraction Discs is doing a reissue of classic Swedish power/indiepop act Happydeadmen's debut album "Eleven pop songs" on the occasion of said album's 20th anniversary. The new edition will include new liner notes from Ceilidh Productions label boss Ola Hermanson, the man who originally released the record, as well as Johan Angergård, who of course you should know from Acid House Kings/The Legends/Club 8/Labrador Records. More info and sample tunes At the Fraction Discs website: https://www.fractiondiscs.se/