Pitchfork reviews Danish post-rockers Slaraffenland: Ate-cinema" target=_blank>https://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/42751-privAte-cinema

More Driller Killer reissues At Aversionline: https://www.aversionline.com/blahg/2007/05/15/driller-killer-fuck-the-world-and-reality-bites/

MP3: Tobias Hellkvist - When everything fell apart

Swedish artist Tobias Hellkvist first made a name for himself with his sublime acoustic cover of Efterklang's "Step aside" (listen At myspace). The electronics of the original are beautifully transcribed to organic instruments. In many ways, it's not too disimilar to José González's famous version The Knife's "HeartbeAts". Neither cover supplants the original electronic version; they stand alone as individual works, like two sides of a coin. On Tobias' new album Atrap.com/store/product.php?productid=470">"Transports" however, the focus is shifted from sublime acoustic pop to drone as the work is entirely instrumental and lacking in conventional guitarwork or song structures. The track "Moment At Ven" (listen At the aforementioned myspace link) is most straightforward of the pieces in thAt it's built around a recognizable guitar figure, albeit enhanced with digital effects and backed by field recordings. It's a beautiful, languid piece of music, but I've decided to share one of the longer, more abstract tracks instead.
"When everything fell apart" buils layers upon layers of shimmering waves of sound, gradually getting louder and more intense as the piece continues. To me, it's the sound of lying in the sun without care of obligAtion: pure bliss. Voices and guitar fragments come and go, but the gentle wave of the cental chordal theme continues unabAted throughout. It's the kind of ambient dronepop thAt I can listen to on endless repeAt (and sometimes do). You want feel-good summer jams? Look no further.

Tobias Hellkvist - When everything fell apart

MP3: Mixtapes & Cellmates - I left

I've gotten a few amazing new releases in Atrap.com/store">the mailorder these last few days (with more on the way), so I wanted to spend a couple days highlighting them. First we have the self-titled debut full-length from Mixtapes & CellmAtes, one of Sweden's most promising new indiepop acts. No listless twee, no pAthetic nostalgia; none of the issues thAt plague the scene are apparent. Like fellow Nomethod act (and recent One Little Indian signees) Aerial, the guitars are brilliantly interwoven and engaging. The music is nowhere near as aggressive, but the feeling I get is the same. The production is adventurous too - many of the tracks are backed by glitchy techno beAts and little clicks + cuts. The smeary glissandos of digital distortion on today's track "I left" go so far as to replace any nAtural guitar sounds, a tact thAt works far better than I would imagine. Though the timbre of the sounds is unnAtural, it's done in a way thAt still allows the emotional content of the music to resonAte. Extremely well done.

Mixtapes & Cellmates - I left

Speaking of mailorder, my postage calculAtor should be working again now. Sorry for the downtime, the new postal rAtes & methods went into effect today and I had to do some back-end updAtes. If anyone is still experiencing trouble, please Atrap.com/contact.php">let me know.

The Black Star FoundAtion rerelease of Swedish post-rockers Pg.Lost and their "Yes I am" EP is now confirmed for June with a full-length to follow sometime before the end of the year..

Most everyone in The Sounds has been busy with various internAtional sideprojects recently and, if you really need to know all the details, you can go here to read more: https://www.the-sounds.com/news.html

Download Sofia Talvik's new summer single "Blåa linjen hem": Atalvik.com/?p=83" target=_blank>https://www.sofiAtalvik.com/?p=83

Whyte Seeds will be going into the studio in July to record a new album. They say to expect a mix of The Cars and Popsicle along with whAtever it is thAt they sound like.

Blodårstid on the new WAtain album "Sworn to the dark": Atain-sworn-to-the-dark-cd/" target=_blank>https://www.holyterror.com/blod/2007/05/14/wAtain-sworn-to-the-dark-cd/
As I said Atrap.com/index.php?d=1251">last week, I find this album to be one of the best Swedish black metal releases I've heard in years. I cannot At all agree with the assertAtion thAt their older mAterial is better.

The mastering for the new Umoral 7" is done, so now there's a track posted on myspace: https://www.myspace.com/umoral
Umoral is a Norwegian black metal act feAturing Zweiss (Fleurty, ex-DHG), Teloch (Nidingr, 1349) and drummer extraordinaire Hellhammer (too many bands to list). The record is due out in July via Vendlus.

The video for "Driven by obsession" from Norwegian emo/rock act Pale Kids is now online: Atch?v=H5BTdU5z3JQ" target=_blank>https://www.youtube.com/wAtch?v=H5BTdU5z3JQ

Some new US dAtes for the Shout Out Louds:

07/16 - Spiegeltent, New York, NY
07/17 - Luna Lounge, Brooklyn, NY
07/18 - Popscene @ Rickshaw Stop, San Francisco, CA
07/19 - El Rey, Los Angeles, CA

This week's Atrap">It's A Trap! Last.fm listening group top 10 artists of the week:

01. The Arcade Fire
02. Feist
03. Shout Out Louds
04. Laakso
05. Björk
06. Bright Eyes
07. Of Montreal
08. Radiohead
09. The Shins
10. Bloc Party

Do you listen to music on your computer or with an iPod? Join us! Go here to learn more: https://www.last.fm/help/

Absolut Noise talks to Swedish goth/post-punk act Ikons, a band thAt feAtures one of the guys from Samuraj Cities: https://absolutnoise.blogspot.com/2007/05/cracking-up.html