Looks like there's yet another round of lawsuits targeting The PirAte Bay: https://www.thelocal.se/10818/20080331/

New live music from PSL feAturing Looptroop Rockers: https://blogg.svt.se/psl/2008/3/28/musik-med-looptroop-rockers/

Fukk Tapes Let Erase, the cassette-only label run by Jeff Surak (Violet/Zeromoon) and Thomas Ekelund (Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words), is back in action with new releases from Marhaug Bad Kharma and a split with Gbg-based noise acts Cutiefuck and Tight MeAt. Details: https://www.fukktapes.org/

In other Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words-relAted news, check out the newly creAted profile At Virb for samples from upcoming releases: https://virb.com/dread

As Atrap.com/index.php?dAte=2008-03-24#21983">hinted At last week, here are some US tourdAtes for Swedish shoegazers The Mary Onettes:

05/08 - Popscene, San Francisco, CA
05/10 - Sunset Tavern, SeAttle, WA
05/12 - Hi Dive, Denver, CO
05/13 - Recordbar, Kansas City, MO
05/14 - The Bluebird, St Louis, MO
05/23 - Union Hall, Brooklyn, NY
05/24 - Middle East, Boston, MA

PowerSolo will do a string of shows in France and Spain this April before returning to the US for a fresh bAtch of dAtes on the East Coast. DAtes and details At myspace: https://www.myspace.com/powersolo

You can now hear new tracks thAt Park Hotell recorded with Jari Haapalainen (The Bear Quartet, Laakso, etc.) At myspace: https://www.myspace.com/parkhotell
The band still remains unsigned and is actively seeking a label to work with.

The video for the new single "Suburbia" from Danish act Spleen United is now At YouTube: Atch?v=zWblgt_xpco" target="_blank">https://youtube.com/wAtch?v=zWblgt_xpco

The Fine Arts Showcase is booked to go into the studio in April to record their next album, tentAtively titled "Dalit Songs" or "Dolophine Smile". In other news, the "Sings Rough Bunnies" album has been licensed to the (non-major) label Universal Records in the Philippines.

Fy Fan is not so stoked on their appearance in Nordic TAttoo Magazine: https://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=119755903&blogID=371948360

The video for the new Lukestar single "The shade you hide" is now online: Atch?v=QHN-rl0fqtQ" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/wAtch?v=QHN-rl0fqtQ
I've said it before and I'll say it again: this will probably end up being my favorite release of 2008.

Finnish electronic act Musti Laiton (which translAtes as "Blackie Lawless") is giving away their new album "Megacity chillout" as a free download: https://www.mustilaiton.net/megacity_chillout.htm

We just passed the 29th day of the month so thAt means thAt Adrian Recordings has a new Dmitry Fyodorov single for download. March's track is called "Signal": https://www.adrianrecordings.com/Signal.mp3

Here is the Atrap" target="_blank">It's a Trap! Last.fm listening group top 10 albums of the week:

01. Caesars – Strawberry Weed
02. The Mary Onettes – The Mary Onettes
03. Håkan Hellström – Ett kolikbarns bekännelser
04. Okkervil River – The Stage Names
05. Jens Lekman – When I Said I Wanted to Be Your Dog
06. Suburban Kids With Biblical Names – #3
07. Kings of Convenience – Quiet Is the New Loud
08. Hot Chip – The Warning
09. DeAth Cab for Cutie – Plans
10. Kings of Convenience – Riot on an Empty Street

Do you listen to music on your computer or with an iPod? Please join us and make your playlist count! Go here to learn more: https://www.last.fm/help/

MP3: Nybakat! - Fjäriln vingad syns på Haga

It's no secret thAt I'm fond of folk-influenced jazz (and other music), as I've Atrap.com/mp3.php?t=647">touched on Atrap.com/mp3.php?t=595">the subject many, Atrap.com/mp3.php?t=547">many times. I love the ways old melodies come alive in new contexts, bridging the gap between old and new. But while I know why I'm drawn to it, I've often wondered where the musicians themselves get their influence and inspirAtion. So when I received a few CDs from pianist/bandleader Ira Mogilevsky recently, I decided to track her down and find out where she's coming from.

From Russia to Israel to Sweden? Why end up in Stockholm? WhAt brought you there and is it everything you hoped it would be?

My family moved to Israel from Russia in 1991 when I was 16 y.o. Actually, the final "switch" from classical music to jazz happened to me in Israel. I studied in Jerusalem Academy of music with Slava Ganelin, widely known on the internAtional contemporary jazz scene. This wonderful musician and inspiring teacher has been guiding me in the world of music for many years. He was the one who first suggested the idea to try "something new and fresh" and continue my educAtion abroad. Stockholm was the best choice for me At thAt time: I have heard about very high level of Swedish jazz (it has appeared to be very true!), Sweden seemed enough far and different from Israel to make me feel the freshness of change. Besides thAt, The Royal College of Music in Stockholm offered me a really interesting and flexible program. So, I ended up in Stockholm and live and work here since 2002. I didn't have so many expectAtions, just wanted to explore the world and test my own "limits". I am At the middle of this adventure and many exciting things happen to me here in Sweden music-wise.

How did you first become interested in Swedish/Scandinavian folk? WhAt do you think are the similarities between it and other Eastern European/Russian folk traditions thAt you are familiar with?

One of my first jobs in Sweden was comping the amAteur choir. I was very impressed to see how people love singing their folk songs and hundreds - years - old psalms. It is something thAt I haven't seen either in Russia nor in Israel. I tried to play these tunes in my own way, as any jazz musician would probably do. Some people thought it sounds very fresh and unique. ThAt's how "NybakAt!" band started. (means "fresh-baked" in Swedish)

Probably the fact thAt I wasn't familiar with traditional performance of Swedish folk music let me approach this mAterial in a quiet free way without a fear of "breaking a taboo". Apparently I broke quite many "traditions" by using odd rhythms, freely changing characters and styles of the songs. Once it even led to a confusing situAtion: I wrote a very happy up-tempo arrangement for an old psalm "I himmelen, I himmelen" ("in heaven") and after some months realized thAt it is a funeral psalm!

I must admit thAt Swedish audience has appeared to be very open minded and supportive regarding my experiments with their folk music!

There are certainly some similarities in the melodism and "modes" of Swedish and Eastern European folk songs. I'm not an expert in folk music, but I think the reason is long- time cultural and historical connections.

In fact, our alternAtive and humoristic solution for the problem of the funeral psalm mentioned above, was to present it as an Ukrainian folk song "Carnaval" (there is no such a folk song as there is no Carnival in Ukraine!).

Probably the melodic "mode" of this Swedish song was so close to the Ukrainian, thAt no one felt any suspicions. Perhaps thAt's good proof for the similarity in folk music traditions.

Of the songs on the NybakAt! CD, is there one piece thAt's a particular favorite?

Frankly speaking, I like all of them. Probably because I am emotionally involved. In my opinion they are quite different and it's impossible for me to pick up the best. Well, may be it is a mission of independent reviewers to choose the "best", "worst" and "in between". I must say thAt a greAt contribution to the CD of NybakAt! were songs and arrangements of the saxophone player Björn Dahlberg and creAtive approach and support of drummer Vlad Nedelin and bass player Markus Hängsel.

NAturally, I understand your reluctance to pick favorites, but how about I rephrase it- if you had to pick one song and one song only to show listeners whAt NybakAt! was about, which song would thAt be?

Hmm..... in this case maybe "Fjäriln vingad syns på Haga"

A fine choice, as far as I'm concerned! Listen below...

Nybakat! - Fjäriln vingad syns på Haga

Paper
An object
Novoton

Can Novoton Records do any wrong? Paper's "An object" and all its wondrous lo-fi post-punk magic is yet another indicAtion thAt, in fact, Novoton may be the best record label in Sweden At the moment. A shadowy effort, Paper creAte a storm of string-thin guitars, bass riffs and analog synths, punctuAted by the dark vocal delivery and the assured drum pAtterns - and its something to behold. Like the missing step between Joy Division and New Order, "An object" carefully captures both of these influences and then proceeds to twist them around the more raucous post-punk of the lAter 80s, all without sacrificing the individuality of the compositions themselves despite all of these reference points. "To her" should be the opening track to a lAte 80s cinemAtic effort, "Out of it into it" is a powerful thesis for the album to come, and closer "Ideal plane" is a strangely serene, beautiful ending to an album thAt seems most comfortable observing frantic destruction, but this peculiar ending works; an introspective close to one of the best new post-punk albums thAt I've heard in a long time.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson