madrugada/my midnight Creeps guitarist Robert Burås was laid to rest yesterday. Friend and fellow bandmember Sivert Høyem led a group of 40-50 people in singing "If I can dream" and his coffin left the church to the sounds of "many rivers to cross" by Jimmy Cliff. Robert will be cremated and his ashes taken back to Nord Norge. Press coverage: VG / ml" target=_blank>Dagbladet

It may be summer, but that doesn't mean we are resting on our laurels. Nosiree, plenty of new content to be had including m/index.php?a=312">coverage of this year's Arvika Festival as well as m/index.php?a=311">a nice new batch of reviews posted late yesterday.

Disfear is flying over to the US to record their new album with Kurt Ballou (Converge) at Godcity Studios and will play a few shows with Doomriders while they're at it:

08/09 - Trocadero Balcony, Philadelphia, PA
08/10 - Europa, Brooklyn, NY
08/11 - Trinity on main, New Britain, CT
08/12 - Great Scott, Allston, mA

mixtapes & Cellmates' self-titled album, my m/store/product.php?productid=383&cat=1">Record Club pick for July, is up for streaming on the One Little Indian website: m/new/artists/mixtapes_cellmates/" target=_blank>https://www.onelittleindian-us.com/new/artists/mixtapes_cellmates/
Very recommended of course.

Scandinavian artists reviewed at Stylus today include Swedish black-metallers magazine.com/reviews/bergraven/dodsvisioner.htm" target=_blank>Bergraven and Danish postrock act magazine.com/reviews/rumskib/rumskib.htm" target=_blank>Rumskib.

The new Kent album "Tillbaka till samtiden" will be released on October 17.

Danish act munich has posted the new track "The young ones" on their myspace page: myspace.com/munichdk" target=_blank>https://www.myspace.com/munichdk
RIYL Lampshade.

MP3: The Social Services - Up in arms

I imagine there's quite a few indie-music types out there that visit this site purely for the latest Swedish indiepop news and are often disappointed that I'm always on about some new drone/noise act that I'm excited about. Look, it's not as if I don't like the stuff, it's just that I find the majority of it to be dreadfully boring. Being said, The Social Services are decidedly not boring. The band is 2/3rds Scottish, but since they're based out of Stockholm, they qualify for coverage here. Like most of my favorite pop acts, there's a touch of melancholy to their music, though not necessarily in an overt "woe is me!" kind of way. "Up in arms", despite the taunting na-na-na vocals, is about war and military conscription - not the most indiepop of subjects, but one that is definitely worth singing about. Wrap it up in a catchy melody and there you go.
Apparently The Social Services are already in talks with Gramtone Records for the release of their debut album, but until the i's are dotted and t's are crossed, they remain well-qualified for this week's focus of unsigned/up-and-coming artists. Listen to more here: myspace.com/thesocialservices" target=_blank>https://www.myspace.com/thesocialservices

The Social Services - Up in arms

Festival report: Arvika

Draumir
The island
Universal

Opener "The white lady", even in the title of the track, reminded me of Nick Cave. This darkly melancholic, semi-theatrical (and sometimes kitschy) approach is reflected throughout "The island". Draumir's ability to build their songs from intensifying layers of instrumentation and along the tangents of the lyrical storytelling is compelling and fascinating, and is an effort that very few artists can pull off in such an accomplished fashion. The last album I remember enjoying the conceptual approach as much as the musical delivery was murder By Death's "Who will survive, and what will be left of them?", a wonderfully dark, gothic tale about the Devil, the old West, and zombies. While Draumir's record is not quite on the same level as murder By Death's, they do share a number of similarities musically, and "The island" is a fine collection that compels listeners with its multifaceted compositions from its inception until the wonderful ending provided by "Dead porn star". Don't be put off by the absolutely dreadful cover art, this really is a good record.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson

Elias & the Wizzkids
The dance
Hybris

Veering back a bit from the electronic-hinges of the past few months, Hybris has delved into that vault that is the Swedish music scene to focus on a band that has its heart set on the music of the 1950s mixed in with the indiepop/alt-country stylings of today. At only four songs, one a cover at that, it leaves the listener looking ahead to a proper album. Thr first three tracks: "The dance" (easily the best on this release), a good uptempo cover of every run-of-the-mill singer/songwriter staple "Wonderwall" and "Regret" all set a nice tempo before "Autumn leaves" mellows it all out. Perhaps switching tracks three and four would have prevented the EP from fading into silence; however, this is yet another promising band on a label that I know will put their passion behind it.
- Matt Giordano

Månegarm
Vargstenen
Black Lodge

månegarm is at their best, when they let the fiddle play beautiful epic folk-melodies over mid-tempo power riffs. When they try to speed up their folk influences, it becomes laughable humpa-humpa. Like a Finntroll minus hysterical trolls. And when they try to show their black-metal chops, it feels forced. Neither is as efficient as their epic viking metal. In fact, nothing here matches the best of their previous LP. And the acoustic songs are nice, but not on the same level as their accoustic EP. maybe the band got bogged down in the storyline, this being a concept album with a tale to tell? Whatever the reason, the songs don't soar like they should, thus losing the interplay between the fiddle, heathen-sounding vocalists and acoustic breaks that is their power. The melodies feel generic and nothing stays after a listen. Where their previous album "Vredens tid" flowed effortlessly, "Vargstenen" falters, flails and barely seems to know what it wants. Nothing the occasional good song or moment can save.
- Hanzan

Oh! Custer
States EP
Series Two Records

Offhand, Custer, Ohio, USA, springs to mind. This was likely unintentional and fortunately, very few expect a band to be defined by their name, at least not completely. "States" is an EP, and included on the disc is their previous EP release "Leaves". Two for one isn't a bad deal. Throughout the record, jangly guitar, reverb-laden vocals, and somber lyrics make for a sound not unlike the UK's Field mice. In fact, the title track could be straight off a Sarah Records disc. Unlike the Field mice however, who are known for dipping into a kind of beautiful comatose tempo, the disc keeps up a steady pace, with some clever hooks and a well-balanced indiepop mentality. Oh! Custer, with only two members, has conjured up a solid, energetic record. Fans of The Legends and Comet Gain should take notice and give this a spin.
- Paul Bredenberg

Pg.lost
Yes I am
Black Star Foundation

I am surprised that the postrock genre continually finds new champions and has not yet stagnated around its established forerunners. Scandinavia has provided many of the groups that have proved themselves able to compete in this niche genre, pushing and expanding its limits and scope, and Sweden's Pg.lost are definitely amongst my favorite of this new wave of postrock acts. While comparable in many ways to Explosions in the Sky, specifically in their buoyant musical outlook and the sense of optimism and hope that pervades "Yes I am", Pg.lost don't flinch away from distorted onslaughts similar to that of mogwai or mono. While I personally loathe having to compare an upcoming band to their better known contemporaries since it seems to suggest a lack of originality or an inability for a band to find their own voice, this is far from the case. While the tone and style are akin to what other bands have done, Pg.lost have no difficulty filtering these influence through their own unique approach, creating some of the best music I've heard this year. "Yes I am" is stunningly forceful and compelling given its brevity. I'm confident future recordings will establish Pg.lost as amongst the best of their field, and can only hope it is not too long until I'm proven right.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson

The Tough Alliance
Live @ Tack!Tack!Tack!, The Social, London, 07/02/07

maracas! Strobe lights! Glow sticks! Noisemakers! A bubble machine! A glowing orb fake microphone! And a dysfunctional smoke machine - these were to be the tools of The Tough Alliance for the night. After a great opening set by The Honeydrips, they took the stage like two madmen, dancing and singing/miming along to "Something special" from their new album "New chance". With all the toys for the group to play with, the objects, along with drinks from the crowd, were all being passed around the stage area while the ecstatic crowd encroaching closer as each moment passed by. When "First class riot" began, the crowd went absolutely nuts, singing as loud as they could and probably making the people at the bar upstairs wishing they were downstairs. The band's engergy far surpassed that exerted by the crowd, obviously driven by the packed venue. I honestly wasn't sure what to expect, but what I got in return was easily the best show I've been to all year and my brother, who was also in attendance, agreed with me. Other than the few confused audience members standing cross-armed and bewildered, the crowd was dancing and singing along and really having a damn good time. After all, we go to shows to be entertained, and with The Tough Alliance, that's just what you get.
- Matt Giordano