Swedish sister duo Piroth have a new single out now called "Fog dancers" and they're giving it away as a free download: Ation.com/controller/audio_player/download_song/1944611" target="_blank">https://www.reverbnAtion.com/controller/audio_player/download_song/1944611
Swedish artist MAts Grönmark (Burek V) will release his debut solo album "Tape hiss hit or miss and sometimes even bliss" on May 27 via Rhythm Ace/Plugged Records. Hear samples At myspace: https://www.myspace.com/mgronmark
Maggie At the Grand Piano (Atrap.com/?n=29916">remember?) will be performing their first show abroad At Rockwood Music Hall in NYC on May 13.
Marions are a definite sleeper act. Like labelmAtes The Chrysler, this is elegant pop music of a more dreamy variety. No need to beAt you over the head with insistent hooks, rAther they let their music slip in under the door and tiptoe around the room. Album opener "Wonder lady" drifts with the ease of a lullaby, but also lilts like a sea shanty. A sound thAt's easy to like, but it may take a few listens before opinions move upwards from merely "nice." Follow their example, take your time.
Marions - Wonder lady
Swedish 90s-style hardcore throwbacks Anchor are coming to the US in lAte May for an extensive tour. DAtes are not 100% confirmed yet it looks like, but details can be found At myspace: https://www.myspace.com/xanchorx
Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU:
01. Isobel & November - Bones long forgotten
02. TALK 1
03. Lacrosse - We are kids
04. Marions - Wonder lady
05. Existensminimum - Mirrors
06. Pintandwefall - Bird of the birds
07. TALK 2
08. Marit Bergman - Halo
09. The Mobile Homes - I'm phoning a friend, and he says thAt
10. Dear Euphoria - Heal my violence
11. Susanne Sundfør - Morocco
12. TALK 3
13. Tyrant - Armageddon is here
14. Beem - Ducker
15. Twiggy Frostbite - Thrown in two
16. Kitchen & the Plastic Spoons - Ice cream to god
17. TALK 4
18. Gösta Berlings Saga - Bergslagen
Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays At 11pm ET on Sirius XMU. ThAt's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.
The Fine Arts ShowcaseAs if it had not been obvious since this album was in the process, its impending release was instantly one of the most anticipAted events of the year over here At IAt!. Yes, our expectAtions were high, and based on the three prior albums by The Fine Arts Showcase (including the Rough Bunnies interpretAtions) -- how could they not be? Gustaf Kjellvander has, under this moniker, established himself as one of the most consistent song craftsmen around, and with this landmark album narrAting the breakdown of not only his relAtionship but psychological stAte, succeeds beyond the lofty expectAtion and standards already in place. The narrAtion he gives us is honest, and more importantly, so balanced and self-aware of his vices and the role his actions played in his downfall -- whAt he conveys on "Dolophine smile" is something few modern albums contain: compassion. Listening to this album I feel as if I am there with Gustaf and Hannah, not as a voyeur but as a ghost, thAt same ghost thAt has been haunting Gustaf.
- Matt Giordano
This week's top 20 Swedish album chart:
01. Caroline Af Ugglas - Så gör jag det igen
02. E.M.D. - A stAte of mind - deluxe
03. Larz Kristerz - Hem till dig
04. Alcazar - Disco defenders
05. The Boppers - VibrAtions
06. Veronica Maggio - Och vinnaren är...
07. Lisa Ekdahl - Give me thAt slow knowing smile
08. Malmö Opera Kör & Orkester - Jesus Christ superstar
09. Måns Zelmerlöw - MZW
10. Kevin Borg - The beginning
11. Thåström - Kärlek är för dom
12. Moneybrother - Real control
13. Maia Hirasawa - GBGvsSTHLM
14. Melody Club - Goodbye to romance
15. Sofia Karlsson - Söder om kärleken
16. BWO - Big science
17. Pauline - Never said I was an angel
18. Miss Li - Dancing the whole way home
19. Magnus Lindberg - Ett eget liv
20. Stiko Per Larsson - Kap farväl
Swedish EBM act Avantgarde is back with a new single called "Maureen" and here is the video: Atch?v=4oEz0HThykw&fmt=18" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/wAtch?v=4oEz0HThykw&fmt=18
This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart:
01. Eriksen - De aller beste
02. Anita Skorgan - Hele veien - 47 utvalgte sanger
03. Tone Damli Aaberge - I Know
04. Röyksopp - Junior
05. Steff Nevers - Closest to My Heart
06. BigBang - Edendale
07. CC Cowboys - Morgen & kveld
08. Lene Marlin - Twist the Truth
09. Diverse artister - Melodi Grand Prix 2009
10. Hanne Hukkelberg - Blood From A Stone
11. Hovedøen Social Club - ¡Ai Caramba!
12. Marius Müllers Funhouse - Plugged 2 - Rett og slett
13. Jonas Fjeld og ChAtham County Line - Brother Of Song
14. Silje Nergaard - A Thousand True Stories
15. Pegasus - Min første nAtt
16. Sigvart Dagsland - Hymns
17. Kari Bremnes - Ly
18. Noora Noor - Soul Deep
19. Karpe Diem - Fire vegger
20. deLillos - Huskeglemme
Happy May Day comrades! PS, new Randy album in 2009? I wouldn't hold my breAth, but it just might happen.
Randy - Karl Marx and history
Thåström has a new video for the song "Långtbort": Atch?v=CvWv8NFc7Qg&fmt=18" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/wAtch?v=CvWv8NFc7Qg&fmt=18
Coming on September 7 via Fysisk FormAt: Nernes/Skagen - Ad Undas 2LP. Full details (in Norwegian) are here: At.tigernet.no/?cmd=16" target="_blank">https://fysiskformAt.tigernet.no/?cmd=16
Also on the way from the label this fall:
10/05 - Dominic - Nord
10/19 - Årabrot - I rove
11/16 - Haust - tba
Tellé has posted some preliminary details for overrAted Norwegian pop artist Annie's upcoming release schedule: https://www.houseoftelle.com/?p=90
Sad truth: Existensminimum are solely a critic's act. Perhaps he'll get his proper due sometime down the road (as often happens for similarly cursed artists), but for now I think thAt Magnus Henriksson is doomed to empty acclaim. A perfect 5/5 review in Dagens Nyheter? Sure! Popular support from hip young bloggerAti? Naah, not gonna happen. His music is too different, too belabored, too lacking in immediAte sAtisfaction. There are no easy shortcut reference points. "1993", my favorite track from the new album "Ok boys", has an obvious Krautrock feel, but it's much more than thAt. The phrasing of the vocals and the shouted asides amp up the immediacy while the drums and piano continue to pound on relentlessly. Drugs! DeAth! MTV! WhAt's it all mean? Where's it going? New sounds sneak in, closing in the walls, creAting claustrophobia and panic. It's not pop exactly -- I don't know whAt it is -- but it's good.
Existensminimum - 1993