FInnIsh label Verdura wIll be puttIng out new albums from noIserockers Candy Cane, Mother Goose (wIth a newly revamped lIneup) and Hetero Skeleton In the near future. No dates yet on any of them, but I'll keep you posted.

MP3: Kiki Pau - Pit bull

Pop musIc wIth a touch of swIng? I can get behInd that. We don't need another full-on scene revIval, but sure, I'll support a band that wants to jazz It up a bIt. FInland's KIkI Pau does a decent job at It, though I get the sense they're holdIng themselves back. Shouldn't a song called <I>"PIt bull"I> be a bIt more... InvIgoratIng? Angry, even? Or would that just be reInforcIng negatIve stereotypes? Not all bullIes are that way, I know. Anyhow, the people doIng those backIng vocals sound lIke they'd rather be anywhere else and the solo sectIon never really takes off quIte lIke I hoped. StIll, It's good to hear a band doIng somethIng a lIttle dIfferent beyond the usual IndIepop templates. I'm good wIth that.

Kiki Pau - Pit bull

AversIonlIne on NorwegIan "beatdown" hardcore act Last to RemaIn: IonlIne.com/blahg/2008/09/24/last-to-remaIn-operatIon-beatdown-cd/" target="_blank">https://www.aversIonlIne.com/blahg/2008/09/24/last-to-remaIn-operatIon-beatdown-cd/

SwedIsh artIst Tvärvägen has a new sIngle called <I>"September"I> posted for free download today: https://www.myspace.com/tvarvagen
Tvärvägen Is the band of HenrIk Öhberg who also plays wIth both alt-country act IronvIlle and hIp-hop duo Amok. Look for hIs album <I>"Sånger från Tvärvägen"I> thIs fall vIa Knoppar.

VIola pays trIbute to departed frIend and sound engIneer Henry "Henkka" Waldén, a man who worked wIth many promInent FInnIsh punk/IndIe acts: IfsocIety.com/vIola/news.php?newsId=54" target="_blank">https://www.IfsocIety.com/vIola/news.php?newsId=54

The new album <I>"Fantom zone"I> from FInnIsh act Jolly Jumpers Is now streamIng In Its entIrety at myspace: https://www.myspace.com/jollyjumpers

HybrIs has announced the sIgnIng of Jonathan Johansson and wIll be releasIng hIs debut sIngle <I>"En hand I hImlen"I> on October 28 wIth an album to follow In February. Samples at myspace: https://www.myspace.com/jonathanojohansson

MarIt Bergman wIll do a one-off gIg In NYC at the LIvIngroom on October 14.

Tobias Hellkvist
Sides
self-released

TobIas HellkvIst Is a year younger than me, and he's been makIng musIc consIstently sInce hIs teens. One of those strange anomalIes that occur along the varIed tImelInes of musIcal progressIon, HellkvIst pIcks up on a few well-establIshed Ideas -- those of folk guItar landscapes and postrock archItecture -- and transforms both accepted forms Into somethIng greater than the paIr combIned, an almost 2 + 2 = 5. There Is not quIte the technIcal profIcIency of Espen Jørgensen, but that Is not HellkvIst's aIm. <I>"SIdes"I> Is an album of layerIng, of IntroductIon and reIntroductIon, of somethIng beIng shaped and remodeled and augmented. One of the best examples of thIs, and one of my favorIte tracks on <I>"SIdes"I>, Is the fluent and gorgeous <I>"VIntervarm"I>. HellkvIst has quIte a nIce voIce too, as evIdenced on <I>"Summer away"I>. All In all, <I>"SIdes"I> Is one of those albums that's as hard to pIn down as It Is easy to fall for. I have no doubt that It wIll be a strong contender when It comes to choosIng The Best of 2008.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson

MP3: Thomas Denver Jonsson - The light of love

It's Wednesday so that means It's tIme agaIn for more Björn KleInhenz cover tunes as we count down to the release of hIs new album <I>"QuIetly happy and deep InsIde"I>. SeeIng as how one of thIs week's featured artIsts Is Thomas Denver Jonsson, an artIst I'm frequently In contact wIth, I fIgured I'd track hIm down for a short Q&A sessIon:

How dId you get Involved wIth the cover project? Have you known Björn for awhIle or what?

Me and Björn must've known each other sInce 2001 when we started to appear on the same compIlatIons and was revIewed In the same magazInes. We also had a band, The Topeka TwIns and we released a record 2003 <I>[how soon I forget! -ed.]I>. We quItted the duo though sInce we looked too much lIke a SwedIsh versIon of SImon & Garfunkel. The sItuatIon was unbearable. Both wanted to be Art.

DId you get to pIck the song or was It assIgned to you? How dId you approach doIng your own versIon?

Björn handpIcked <I>"The lIght of love"I> for me, he saId 'cause It was a country song. I wanted to take away the country pop element and do somethIng more IntrospectIve wIth It. I was very cautIous to not lIsten to the orIgInal versIon whIle startIng to work wIth the song and recordIng It.

So how do you thInk It turned out? Were successful In what you set out to accomplIsh?

Yeah, I'm quIte happy about It and It was fun dubbIng the vocals. I had a nIce evenIng doIng It.

Have you heard any of the other contrIbutIons to the project? Any favorItes?

I've only heard what has been revealed and I thInk all have been fantastIc thIs far. Love Susanna's <I>[Susanna BrandIn aka WInter Took HIs LIfe -ed.]I> choIr arrangement of <I>"At nIght we dIe"I>. It's a great trIbute to one of Sweden's best pop artIsts.

Download more Björn KleInhenz covers here: Ings.se/thelIght" target="_blank">https://www.tomtrecordIngs.se/thelIght

Also, be sure to check out Thomas whIle he's on tour - dates at myspace: https://www.myspace.com/thomasdenverjonsson

As for me, I'm headIng to SF for the next few days so expect updates to be slow. Mom, If you're readIng thIs, I'll call you when I fIgure out my schedule - don't worry!

Thomas Denver Jonsson - The light of love

Check out the new We Are SoldIers We Have Guns vIdeo for <I>"The great depressIon"I>: Imeo.com/1771874" target="_blank">https://vImeo.com/1771874

Stockholm Beat ConnectIon has posted the wInners of the Looptroop Rockers remIx competItIon: Ion.blogspot.com/2008/09/remIx-contest-wInners.html" target="_blank">https://stockholmbeatconnectIon.blogspot.com/2008/09/remIx-contest-wInners.html

FInnIsh gIrlpunks PIntandwefall have a great new track up at myspace called <I>"JaIl"I>: https://www.myspace.com/pawf

Out now on Southern Lord: <I>"DømkIrke"I>, the lIve collaboratIon of Sunn0))) wIth Lasse Marhaug and AttIla CsIhar from Mayhem recorded lIve at Bergen Cathedral In Norway. Go here for more: Index2.php" target="_blank">https://www.southernlord.com/Index2.php

I ♥ IcelandIc MusIc on the new <I>"Made In Iceland"I> CD from Iceland MusIc Export made to coIncIde wIth the 10th annIversary of Iceland AIrwaves FestIval In mId-October: IcelandIcmusIc.blogspot.com/2008/09/check-out-IcelandIc-musIc.html" target="_blank">https://IcelandIcmusIc.blogspot.com/2008/09/check-out-IcelandIc-musIc.html