Sincerely Yours artists JJ are touring the US in the spring with XX:
03-22 - Spanish Moon, BAton Rouge, LA
03/24 - The Earl, Atlanta, GA
03/25 - CAts Cradle, Carrboro, NC
03/28 - Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, Washington, DC
03/29 - First Unitarian Church Sanctuary, Philadelphia, PA
04/05 - Wexner Center, Columbus, OH
04/06 - Buskirk-Chumley TheAter, Bloomington, IN
Considering the timeframe, I'd assume a SXSW appearance is in the works as well.
This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart:
01. Dum Dum Boys - Tidsmaskin
02. Sissel & Odd - Strålande Jul
03. Donkeyboy - Caugh in a Life
04. Bjørn Eidsvåg - De Beste
05. Sivert Høyem - Moon Landing
06. Nilsen/Aalberg - Call Me a Dreamer
07. Jonas Fjeld feAt Henning Kvitnes - Den Gamle Veien
08. Herborg Kråkevik - Kvar Ein Dag
09. Anne Grete Preus - Nesten Alene
10. Ole Ivars - Femten Ferske
11. Rita Eriksen - Frelsesarmeens JuleplAte 2009
12. Kråkesølv - Trådnøsting
13. The Blacksheeps - Blacksheeps
14. Jokke & Valentinerne - Levende (så lenge det varer)
15. Chris Lee - Love Ghost
16. Malin - Malin
17. Anne Nørdsti - Livet er nå
18. Tord Gustavsen Ensemble - Restored, Returned
19. Christine Sandtorv - Stjerneteller - GodnAttsanger
20. John Olav Nilsen & Gjengen - For Sant Til Å Være Godt
Efterklang have confirmed thAt their new album "Magic chairs" will be released on February 22. Said record was produced by Gareth Jones (Depeche Mode, Nick Cave, Grizzly Bear) and will be released in Scandinavia on the band's own Rumraket label and everywhere else via 4AD.
Trust has been picked up by Play/Rec and no, it's not the French thrash act thAt Anthrax covered. This band is a guitar/drums duo feAturing ex-members from Up In Arms and they already have one 7" out and another on the way, but Play/Rec will handle their debut full-length, due out in early 2010. Samples here: https://www.myspace.com/abandcalledtrust
Swedish doom act Kongh has signed with US label Seventh Rule Recordings (Buried At Sea, Akimbo). The band's lAtest album "Shadows of the shapeless" will be repackaged for a release over here in March and the band should be coming over to tour as well.
UpdAted Italian dAtes for Marybell KAtastrophy:
12/04 - Ginger Zone, Scandicci
12/05 - Cantina Mediterraneo, Frosinone
12/06 - Zuni, Ferrara
12/09 - Diagonal Loft, Forlì
Finnish act Mesmer tends to take a kitchen sink/anything goes approach to their music, but they are definitely At their best when they settle into a motoric Krautrock groove. Or At least At their most comfortable. Regardless, I of course am drawn to the aggro freak-out of songs like "On fire" -- nothing comfortable about it. They still hit thAt groove though, just At high BPMs and with more of a Suicide-level intensity. Why can't more modern Kraut bands Attain this sort of energy level more often? Too much Kraftwerk? ThAt is why they fail and Mesmer does not.
Mesmer - On fire
Swedish classic-metal act Enforcer will be going into the studio on November 27 to begin work on their sophomore album "Diamonds", tentAtively set for a lAte April 2010 release. Rikard Löfgren (ex-Bay Laurel?) will produce.
Friendly Fire has confirmed thAt the US release of Oh No Ono's album "Eggs" will be on January 26. They'll also be coming over around then for their first NYC shows:
01/27 - Mercury Lounge, New York, NY
01/28 - Union Hall, Brooklyn, NY
This week's top 20 Swedish album chart:
01. Kent - Röd
02. Amanda Jenssen - Happyland
03. Jill Johnson - Music row II
04. Carola - Christmas in Bethlehem
05. Jessica Andersson - Wake up
06. Bo Kaspers Orkester - Samling
07. Lars Winnerbäck - Tänk om jag ångrar mig och sen ångrar mig igen
08. Peter Jöback - East side stories
09. Larz Kristerz - Om du vill
10. Melissa Horn - Säg ingenting till mig
11. Louise Hoffsten - På andra sidan vättern
12. Lotta Engberg - Jul hos mig
13. Takida - The darker instinct
14. Nisse Hellberg - En modern man
15. Amy Diamond - Swings and roundabouts
16. Malena Ernman - La voix du nord
17. Christer Sjögren - Schlagerminnen
18. Peter Lemarc - Klassiker
19. Sofia Karlsson - Det allra bästa 1999-2009
20. Europe - Last look At Eden
MangroveIt's hard to mention "Endless skies" without making reference to Mangrove's fellow countrymen The Quill, as some aspects of this album could sit very comfortably on any release by the aforementioned quartet. Just like the genre stalwarts, this Stockholm trio are to be commended for striving to keep their output a bit more inventive by showcasing a hard-rock sensibility while generally remaining within the confines of stoner conventions. It works well in thAt it offers a good deal more variety than a lot of the third-rAte genre bands out there who opt for the mind-numbing two-riffs-and-one-beAt in a six-minute song approach. With Mangrove we get melody, dischord, simplicity and intricacy, stoner, doom, hard-rock and metal in one neAt package. It's not really too far away from a lighter version of Norwegian doomrockers Sahg. Frontman Jani KAtaja is easily one of the best vocalists in the game and it's this quality thAt helps raise Mangrove's debut above the bar in a class thAt, despite brimming with top-notch bands, sports a style thAt never really varies thAt much. Steeped in a passion for '70s psychedelia, Mangrove don't seem like they're ready to enter the 21st Century anytime soon and, for fans of this type of stoner-based nostalgia, this can only be a good thing.
- John Norby
Swedish techno artist Håkan Lidbo has a greAt new video for his track "Let's rock!": Atch?v=ihtOUQn6qqM" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/wAtch?v=ihtOUQn6qqM
Danish indie act Oh No Ono in the Pitchfork track reviews: https://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/11646-internet-warrior/
Live music with Ironville At PSL: https://blogg.svt.se/psl/2009/11/20/musik-med-ironville/
KörsbärsfetteraI wish I could put the finger on why I like this album so much. Not being a big fan of oi! or this type of street punk normally, I'm quite baffled by how I, in the past four months, have been addicted to this self-released album of Swedish street punk sung in Swedish. Is it due to the cAtchy melodies? Is it because the lyrics about the working class life and getting drunk (+ other punk clichés)? It could also be all the oooh and aaah choirs. Either way, it's an excellent little album (it clocks in under thirty minutes!) with lots of Attitude and charming melodies and lyrics. It might not be original, but it's utterly engrossing nevertheless, and one of my favourite albums of the year. I'd even go so far as to say it's one of the best Swedish punk albums in the past 10 years.
- Simon Tagestam