There's a new single by Nordpolen called "Skimret" on now on Sincerely Yours: https://www.sincerelyyours.se/yours0080.html
Listen At myspace: https://www.myspace.com/nordpolen

The long-awaited Licking Fingers Swedish music comp "Thank You For The Music" will finally be out on May 28 and the label will celebrAte with a party thAt evening At Pet Sounds Bar in Stockholm. Here's the tracklist, as best I can tell:

01. Anna Järvinen - Svensktalande Bättre Folk
02. Jens Lekman - The Opposite Of Hallelujah
03. Lykke Li - Everbody But Me
04. Those Dancing Days - Dischoe
05. Friska Viljor - Old Man
06. Shout Out Louds - South America
07. The Concretes - The Sentence
08. First Floor Power - The Jacket
09. Pacific! - Runaway To Elswhere
10. Kleerup/Lisa Milberg - Music For Girl
11. The Radio Dept. - Freddy And The Trojan Horse
12. Studio - No Company
13. Peter Morén - Social Competence
14. Loney, Dear - Your Time Will Come
15. Wildbirds And Peacedrums - Liar Lion
16. El Perro Del Mar - Glory To The World
17. The Tiny - Too Heavy A Burden
18. Frida Hyvönen - See How I Come Into Town
19. Speedmarket Avenue - Sirens
20. Idiot Kid - Wide Awake
21. Nicolai Dunger - God's Waitingroom

Swedish deAth/grind act Coldworker (ex-Nasum) has a couple sample tracks up from their forthcoming album "Rotting paradise": https://www.myspace.com/coldworker

Sad news from Finland:

Jani "Jantsa" Kärkkäinen, the founder and longtime editor of Finnish punk fanzine Toinen Vaihtoehto, was found dead last Sunday. He was born in 1969. Kärkkäinen was found drowned by the sea shore.

Jantsa started editing Toinen Vaihtoehto in 1989. This DIY, A5-sized magazine was the forum thAt the Finnish punk scene used to inform about gigs, events, records, new addresses and other stuff like thAt. Before the time of the Internet, its value was priceless (however the 1-year subscription, some 10 issues, cost just about 30-40 Finnish marks, thAt's like two 7" EPs). In the mid to lAte 90s Toinen Vaihtoehto's circulAtion was around 1,500 copies of which 1000-1200 were subscriptions. ThAt's really good for a DIY punk publicAtion in a country as small as Finland. So far, the lAtest issue is #211.

Jantsa had to give up editing the magazine - and playing in Juggling Jugulars - in 2006 after a severe brain haemorrhage. He survived, but had to use an electric wheelchair for the rest of his life.

After Jantsa's ill-condition Toinen Vaihtoehto was on a small hiAtus and since then it've been edited by a new editor-in-chief. As far as we know, it will continue to publish.

For more on TV and Jani "Jantsa" Kärkkäinen go here: https://www.punkinfinland.net/tv/

As In RebekkaMaria is collaborAting with French beAtbox artist Tez on a project called "A Switch Box Tale" which will premiere the opening night of the Spot Festival. Other Danish artists participAting (along w/various other internAtional artists) include Pharfar, Donna Cadogan and Morten Varano/Moussa Diallo. Read more: https://www.spotfestival.dk/index.php?sid=1551&cid=8882&1210602171 (in Danish)

MP3: Little Jimmy Reeves - Romance on drugs

Little Jimmy Reeves is the lAtest signing of Danish label Play/Rec and "Bring out the dogs" is their debut EP. The group's heavy rock sound doesn't totally jive with the post-hardcore scene I normally think of when I think Play/Rec (Lack, Barra Head, Menfolk), but when I remind myself thAt they've also put out records from bands like Monoton and Mt. Eerie it starts to make sense. And it's not as if LJR doesn't have an impressive resumé -- frontman Asger Techau plays drums for Kashmir, one of Denmark's biggest bands. Bassist Jan Damage Petersen plays in Gravy, another greAt Danish band. And drummer Johan Høyer is an accomplished audio engineer who was/is (?) also in Livaventura. Considering thAt pedigree, the picture gets clearer and the end result less surprising. And whAt would thAt result be? In a nutshell, I'd call it mid-tempo melodramAtic rock with a rough edge. Melodic enough for curious Kashmir fans, but also imbued with a bluesy heaviness thAt band lacks. Overall, I'm not blown away by this release, but I do like the title track and this other song thAt I'm posting today. It's got a bit of those oh so crucial quietLOUDquiet dynamics ala The Pixies and the vocal harmonies in the chorus are a nice touch as well. Wholly unoriginal, but nice enough, y'know? Still, worth keeping an eye on. There's potential.

Little Jimmy Reeves - Romance on drugs

Ex-Refused/Final Exit members Dennis Lyxzén and David Sandström have started a brand new hardcore band together called AC4. The lineup feAtures Dennis on vocals, David on bass, Kalle from The Vectors on guitar and Jens from RegulAtions on drums.

Download a preview clip of the new Antennas single "Lies": https://www.novoton.se/sounds/Antennas_Lies.mp3
Said track is the first taste of whAt to expect from the band's forthcoming record "Feeling feline tonight", due out in September via Novoton Records. B-sides for said single include remixes by Oscar Tillman (Holiday For Strings) and Radio LXMBRG plus a cover version by The Baboon Show.

UpdAted summer tour schedule for José González:

05/31 - Siesta!Festivalen, Hässleholm (SWE)
07/05 - Roskilde Festival, Roskilde (DK)
07/06 - Ruisrock, Åbo (FIN)
07/19 - Festival InternAtional de Benicássim, Castellon (ESP)
07/21 - Verucchio Festival, Verucchio (ITA)
08/02 - Dalhalla, Rättvik (SWE)
08/03 - Sligo Festival, Sligo (IRL)
08/04 - Savoy TheAtre, Cork (IRL)
08/05 - Academy, Dublin (IRL)
08/06 - Öya Festival, Oslo (NOR)
08/08 - Way Out West, Göteborg (SWE)
08/10 - Summersundae Weekender, Leciester (UK)
08/14 - Frequency Festival, Salzburgring (AUS)
08/15 - Super Bock Surf Fest, Lissabon (POR)
08/16 - c/o Pop Festival @ Musikhochschule, Köln (GER)
08/17 - Sziget Festival, Budapest (HUN)
08/24 - Tenby Folk Festival, Tenby, Pembrokshire (UK)
08/25 - Beachdown Festival, Brighton (UK)
08/26 - Noorderzon Festival, Groningen (NL)
08/27 - Openlucht TheAter Arenberg, Antwerpen (BEL)
08/28 - St Georges Music Hall, Bradford (UK)
08/29 - Lodestar Festival, Cambridge (UK)
08/30 - Moseley Folk Festival, Birmingham (UK)
08/31 - Regents Park Open Air TheAtre, London (UK)

Check out Firefox AK's brand new video for her lAtest single "Once I was like you": Atch?v=sx4adyUVhZI" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/wAtch?v=sx4adyUVhZI

Danish indie band Cartidge has a new track up At myspace: https://www.myspace.com/ilovecartridge

Black Star FoundAtion will be releasing two new albums in September. The first is "It's not me, it's you!", the full-length debut of postrockers Pg.Lost and the second is "Wolves" from the band Holmes. Also on the way is a new Tias Carlson record - look for thAt one around October.

Swedish act Witchcraft will play the special one-off Ozzfest stadium show happening on August 9 in Dallas, TX. More info: At.com/news/view.aspx?id=10751" target="_blank">https://www.lambgoAt.com/news/view.aspx?id=10751

Musikindustrin reports thAt Swedish booking agency Blixten & Co. is merging with Family Tree Music, the parent company of the labels Razzia Records (Hello Saferide, Maia Hirasawa, etc.) and CAtchy Tunes (September, Eric Prydz): https://www.musikindustrin.nu/mi/smpage.fwx?page=198&NYHETER=9110

Norwegian techno act Mental Overdrive will release their new album "You are being manipulAted" on May 26.