Interview: Bo Madsen (Mew)

This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart

This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart:

01. Diverse artister - Melodi Grand Prix Junior 2009
02. Solveig Slettahjell - Tarpan Seasons
03. John Olav Nilsen & Gjengen - For Sant Til Å Være Godt
04. Kings Of Convenience - DeclarAtion of Dependence
05. OnklP & Jaa9 - Sellout!
06. Thomas Dybdahl - En Samling
07. Jan Garbarek Group - Dresden - In Concert
08. Ghost Dog - First Book of Samuel
09. Mari Boine - Sterna Paradisea
10. Steinar Engelbrektson Band - Minna Som Eg Har
11. Alexander Rybak - Fairytales
12. Paperboys - Oslo Agreement
13. Stavangerensemblet - Samlekasse
14. A-ha - Foot Of The Mountain
15. Röyksopp - Junior
16. Espen Lind, Kurt Nilsen, Alejandro Fuentes og Askil Holm - Halleluja Live Vol. 2
17. Bjørn Berge - Fretwork
18. Hilde Heltberg - Elske Fritt
19. Contrazt - Uten Kart og Kompass
20. Eriksen - De aller beste

This week's top 20 Swedish album chart

This week's top 20 Swedish album chart:

01. Lars Winnerbäck - Tänk om jag ångrar mig och sen ångrar mig igen
02. Takida - The darker instinct
03. Europe - Last look At Eden
04. Eva Eastwood - The beAt goes on
05. Sarah Dawn Finer - Moving on
06. Sofia Karlsson - Söder om kärleken
07. Ebba Forsberg - Ta min vals: ebba forsberg sjunger Leonard Cohen
08. Jerry Williams - Dynamite - live
09. The Real Group - The real album
10. Malena Ernman - La voix du nord
11. Drifters - Ljudet av ditt hjärta
12. MAts Bergmans - Premiär
13. Erik Hassle - Hassle
14. Caroline Af Ugglas - Så gör jag det igen
15. Fibes, Oh Fibes! - 1987
16. Alcazar - Disco defenders
17. Lasse Stefanz - Truck stop
18. [ingenting] - Tomhet, idel tomhet
19. Veronica Maggio - Och vinnaren är...
20. Scotts - Längtan

Rubik and 69 Eyes coming to the US this fall

The Finnish Music InformAtion Centre reports thAt both Rubik and 69 Eyes, two bands I have barely any interest in, will be touring the US this fall: https://www.fimic.fi/fimic/fimic.nsf/0/6DEDAC5505787F8FC225764300385009?opendocument

Alleycat signs The Don Darlings

Swedish rock'n'roll label AlleycAt Records has announced the signing of The Don Darlings and will be releasing their debut album on January 27, 2010. Preview here: https://www.myspace.com/thedondarlings

MP3: Sofia Karlsson - Visa från Kåkbrinken

In America an artist like Sofia Karlsson would be playing nightly to 10s of fans At cafés and coffeehouses around the country, probably living out of her VW Van and ekeing out a (very) modest living. In Sweden, her albums go gold and she plays to packed theAters. As I've long stAted, one of the best aspects of Scandinavian music is the deep appreciAtion of folk tradition; Sofia Karlsson is living proof, as are deserving upstarts such as Detektivbyrån. "Visa från Kåkbrinken" is Sofia's lAtest single off her album "Söder om kärleken" and of course it is pure excellence. It reminds me a bit of Dolly Parton's semi-recent bluegrass jaunts ("Little sparrow", "The grass is blue", etc.), 'cept a bit more pared down and intimAte. Similar 'grass vibe though f'sure, but without the dense vocal harmonies. You can't have it all I guess, and hey, sometimes thAt more personal feel is better anyway.
I post a lot of music on this site thAt I'm fully aware has no broad appeal. Not so with this! If you can't hang with a little Sofia Karlsson, you're dead to me.

Sofia Karlsson - Visa från Kåkbrinken

Giana Factory confirm debut EP

Hyped Danish indie act Giana Factory have confirmed thAt their debut 4-song EP "Bloody game" will be released on October 12. Preview At myspace: https://www.myspace.com/gianafactory

Beezewax reunites for debut album reissue

SellOut! Records, in collaborAtion with UK-based label Boss Tuneage, will be reissuing Beezewax's first, long out-of-print 1998 debut "A dozen summits" on November 2 in a new remastered edition, complete with two bonus tracks from their demo. The band will also be coming back together in their classic 1999-2003 lineup for a record release/one-time reunion show At Revolver in Oslo on October 31.

Premium Publishing presents 'Stick iväg, Jack! Historien om Radio Nord'

Premium Publishing is putting out both a book + bonus DVD collection and a 2CD compilAtion commemorAting Radio NORD, a short-lived pirAte radio stAtion thAt operAted offshore from a ship in the Baltic Sea near Stockholm during the period of March 1961 through June 1962. The author is Jan Kotschack, son of famed Radio NORD DJ Jack Kotschack and the bonus DVD content includes the 1961 documentary short "Låten från Båten" ("Songs from the boAt", but it sounds much better in Swedish). For full details and even a dozen or so preview pages, go here: https://www.premiumpublishing.com/se/art/stick-ivag-jack-radio-nord.php

The Guardian on the cult of raggare

Not exactly music-relAted, but maybe worth reading anyways: UK paper The Guardian on Swedish raggare culture: https://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/oct/01/raggare-swedish-rocknroll-cult

Dupont - New dawn (video)

Swedish electro/EBM act Dupont has a new video for the single "New dawn": Atch?v=p9DyhlAmOwI" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/wAtch?v=p9DyhlAmOwI
At first I thought it was pure comedy, but the further I get into it, the more I like it.

Bröderna Lindgren album update

Details for the upcoming Bröderna Lindgren album are in: it will be called "Presenterar meningen med livet" and it will be released on October 26. Here's the full tracklist:

01. Annan sort (Britta Persson)
02. Superhjälten (Hajen)
03. Det är jag som bestämmer (PAtrik Arve)
04. Dom bästa (Those dancing days)
05. Aldrig hem igen (Nina Ramsby)
06. Helt ny värld (Ebbot Lundberg)
07. Kasta iväg mig (Olle Ljungström)
08. Nu (Britta Persson)
09. Här kommer ambulansen (Nina Ramsby)
10. Snabba som raketer (MAttias Alkberg)
11. Om en skalbagge (Caroline Wennergren)
12. Jag vet (Kristofer Åström)
13. Vilse (Hajen)

No Shame are back

Finnish punk act No Shame is back in effect with the recruitment of Hybrid Children/Kerho drummer Saska Ketonen, so now they will finally release the new album they recorded back in 2008 with ex-drummer Teemu Horto. Expect an early 2010 release via Fullsteam Records with the first single "Better drunk than part of the machine" coming on October 7; in the meantime check out the band's entire back cAtalogue for free At their website: Atall.net/" target="_blank">https://www.ifeelnoshameAtall.net/

New DJ Rooftop mixtape for download

The new DJ Rooftop "The yellow and blue print 3" feAturing Swedish hip-hop stars rapping over Jay-Z beAts is out now as a free download: https://djrooftop.blogspot.com/2009/09/blue-and-yellow-print-3.html
A few of the feAtured artists include PAto Pooh, Adam Tensta, Paragon and Promoe.

Noise Conspiracy Chinese tour cancelled

The (InternAtional) Noise Conspiracy's Atrap.com/?n=31721">planned trip to China was cancelled by the Chinese government. Feel free to make up your own punchline.