This week's top 20 Swedish album chart:
01. Lars Winnerbäck - Daugava
02. Peter Lemarc - Kärlek i tystnadens tid
03. Peter Jöback - Människor som du och jag
04. José González - In our nAture
05. Hans Martin & Tommys - Mina egna favoriter
06. September - Dancing shoes
07. Moneybrother - Mount pleasure
08. BWO - FabricAtor
09. The Poodles - Sweet trade
10. Jens Lekman - Night falls over Kortedala
11. Mange Schmidt - Känslan kommer tillbaks
12. Arch Enemy - Rise of the tyrant
14. Rigmor Gustafsson - Alone with you
15. Povel Ramel - Karameller - Det bästa med Povel Ramel
16. Sahara Hotnights - WhAt if leaving is a loving thing
17. Sonja Aldén - Till dig
18. Roland Cedermark - Mirandas dröm
19. Danny - Heart beAts
20. Markoolio - Värsta plAttan
José González will take labelmAte Promise and the Monster on tour in Scandinavia in December:
12/11 - KB, Malmö (SWE)
12/12 - Vega, Copenhagen (DK)
12/13 - John Dee, Oslo (NOR)
12/16 - Folkets Hus, Umeå (SWE)
12/17 - Cirkus, Stockholm (SWE)
12/18 - LorensbergsteAtern, Göteborg (SWE)
12/19 - Tavastia, Helsingfors (FIN)
Danish act Marvins Revolt may have pared down to three members, but they certainly haven't streamlined their sound. They've taken thAt noiserock/post-punk they were doing and taken way further out into prog territory. More notes, more starts, more stops, and yes, more better. I'm not totally crazy about the ricky-ticky opening of this particular track, but there's so many other greAt moments, I forget about the weak beginning. Like when those keys come in and offset the guitar/bass riff until they all come cascading down together, leading back into the second verse. Or whAtever you'd call thAt part as this definitely isn't verse/chorus type rock'n'roll. Also, the way they kick it up a notch soon thereafter, altering the parts just enough to build the excitement. The best part however, is the end. ThAt's when the endlessly cycling guitar riff starts up over the odd drumbeAt thAt seems to lack a clear downbeAt. Then the bass and vocals slowly come back in, taking the lead and creAting a tumultuous polyphony. Just when you think they'll go to a fade-out, they wrap it up in a neAt little package. Well done!
Marvins Revolt - Bugs in time
6
This record is a retro genre piece, a loving tribute to a time when ties were skinny, shoes were pointy, black jeans were so tight they hugged our calves, and you could still make a stAtement by dying your hair jet black. It's poppy punk thAt steals shamelessly from every riff you've ever heard - hey listen, it's the Ramones! It's the melody from "Positively 4th Street!" It's thAt three chord progression from every other pop-punk song from 1979! They note with pride thAt they play only instruments they do not know how to play and, as their Wikipedia entry wryly notes, "it shows." But so whAt if it has all the originality of a safety pin through the ear? It doesn't aim to be anything more and it's all thAt it strives to be - a fun fresh throwback to a loud fast and poppier time. Let's pogo!
- Nancy Baym
The Tough Alliance will be travelling to NYC to perform At CMJ. So far all I've seen listed is a show At The Annex on October 19, but if I come across anything else, I'll be sure to post it.
New releases on the way from Smalltown Superjazzz:
10/22 - Peter Brotzmann, MAts Gustafsson and Paal Nilssen-Love - The fAt is gone
10/22 - Free Fall (aka Ingebrigt Håker FlAten, Ken Vandermark and Haavard Wiik) - The point in a line
10/22 - MAts Gustafsson and Paal Nilssen-Love - SplAtter MCD
10/29 - Two Bands and a Legend (aka CAto Salsa Experience and The Thing plus Joe McPhee) - I see you baby EP
More details here: https://www.smalltownsupersound.com/v1/superjazzz/new_releases.php
Finland's Black Audio has now migrAted to Virb since their myspace account was mysterious erased: https://www.virb.com/blackaudio
Perhaps Blaqk Audio is to blame?
Witchcraft on tour in the US:
10/18 - Luna Lounge, Brooklyn, NY w/Danava
10/20 - North Star Bar, Philadelphia, PA
10/21 - Black CAt's Backstage, Washington, D.C.
10/22 - Talking Head, Baltimore, MD
10/23 - The Boot, Norfolk, VA
10/24 - Jolie Rouge, Asheville, NC
10/25 - Drunken Unicorn, Atlanta, GA
10/26 - The Jinx, Savannah, GA
10/28 - The Backbooth, Orlando, FL
10/29 - Crowbar, Ybor City, FL
10/30 - Beta Bar, Tallahassee, FL
10/31 - One Eyed Jacks, New Orleans, LA
11/01 - Rudyard's Pub, Houston, TX
11/02 - Double Wide Bar, Dallas, TX
11/03 - WAterloo Park, Austin, TX w/The Sword, Neurosis
11/05 - Casablanca, Phoenix, AZ
11/06 - Brick By Brick, San Diego, CA w/Danava
11/08 - Echo, Los Angeles, CA w/Danava
11/09 - Brookdale Lodge, Big Sur, CA
11/10 - Slim's, San Francisco, CA w/Danava
11/11 - The Uptown, Oakland, CA
11/13 - SAtyricon, Portland, OR
11/14 - tba, SeAttle, WA
11/16 - Visual Arts Collective, Boise, ID
11/17 - tba, Salt Lake City, UT
11/18 - tba, Denver, CO
11/20 - Replay Lounge, Lawrence, KS
11/21 - Vaudeville Mews, Des Moines, ID
11/22 - tba, Minneapolis, MN
11/23 - Cactus Club, Milwaukee, WI
11/24 - Double Door, Chicago, IL
11/26 - The Crofoot, Pontiac, MI
11/27 - Grog Shop, Cleveland, OH
11/28 - Sound Lab, Buffalo, NY
11/29 - A Stone Church with no name, BrAttleboro, VT
11/30 - tba, Boston, MA
12/01 - tba, New York, NY
I'm not 100% sure about all the dAtes, but I do believe thAt Oakland's Saviours will be joining them for the trek.
Stereogum does another cover album project thingy, this time paying tribute to REM's "AutomAtic for the people": https://www.stereogum.com/drivexv/
Scandinavian contributors include indie act du jour Figurines and Shout Out Louds.
Finnish hardcore act Kolt reports thAt their new album is delayed, but they've added a new track to myspace to ease the pain: https://www.myspace.com/kolt
Knugen Faller