On march 27 Swedish act Consequences will be releasing a limited edition 7" featuring the track "Parasite" via UK label Wi45. They will also tour in support:

03/27 - The Engine Room, Brighton
03/28 - The Fly, London
03/29 - monto Water Rats, London

The Express talks to Swedish singer/songwriter Tobias Fröberg: m/read_freeride/2007/03/the_sounds_of_simon_tobias_froberg.php" target=_blank>https://www.readexpress.com/read_freeride/2007/03/the_sounds_of_simon_tobias_froberg.php

MP3: Fun - Sportscoat

When it came time to select bands for my first m/label.php?show=iat002">"Reader's companion" compilation, Fun was one of the few at the top of my list. They sound like Rapeman, so it's quite fitting that they're currently in Chicago at this very moment recording a new album with Steve Albini. Some of you might also note the brief "Kerosene" quote on the song I've posted today. Listen, there's a lot of bands that try to play this pigfuck style, but Fun is one of best. See them on tour:

03/10 - Ronny's, Chicago, IL w/Quatre Tete, Unique Chique, Gloria Story
03/11 - Lemp Arts, St. Louis, mO w/muscle Brain, Dashchund
03/12 - Replay Lounge, Kansas City, mO w/This Is my Condition
03/13 - Sound Pony Lounge, Tulsa, OK
03/14 - 1919 Hemphill, Ft. Worth, TX w/The Cheat, Koji Kondo
03/15 - No Idea Records & Political Party presents SXSFest, Austin, TX
03/16 - 3299 Ivanhoe St., Baton Rouge, LA w/Brainworms
03/17 - Cave 9, Birmingham, AL w/Brainworms
03/18 - ISP (Stickfigure sunday matinee), Atlanta, GA w/Brickmason, Battlecat, Eether
03/19 - Lunchbox Records, Charlotte, NC
03/20 - Two Art Chicks, Greensboro, NC
03/21 - Solid Dudes House, Richmond, VA w/The Catalyst, mouthbreather
03/22 - tba
03/23 - Sin-é, NYC, NY w/marissa Nadler, Shy Child, Tim Fite, Pela
03/24 - Veggieplex Theatre, Philadelphia, PA
03/25 - tba
03/26 - tba
03/27 - Gooskis, Pittsburgh, PA
03/28 - Tower 2012, Cleveland, OH

Download more tracks here: m/?disco" target=_blank>https://www.noisecorewalze.com/?disco

Fun - Sportscoat

MP3: Nathalie Nordnes - Cars and boys

Time again for your weekly dose of Norwegian pop. Nathalie Nordnes is a young singer/songwriter out of Bergen and her second album "Join me in the park" was my first introduction to her. The music reminds me a lot of early Cardigans in that it's very light-hearted pop and almost loungey at times. The lyrics are banal, almost nauseatingly so, but the music so undemanding and easy to like, it still works if you're in the right mood. It's perfect summer music, it's not meant to be challenging or deep. It's also worth noting that, unlike the Cardigans, Nathalie surrounds herself with a crackerjack band of session musicians. Nothing indierock about it.

Nathalie Nordnes - Cars and boys

120 Days
Live @ The Astoria, London, 02/26/07

Being the second band on a weird, but wonderful bill (including Cajun Dance Party, The Hold Steady and Kings of Leon) didn't seem to bother 120 Days who played as if they were headlining the Glastonbury Festival. I'm not personally a big a fan of their dance/rock hybrid (think Primal Scream), but I can very much see the appeal. If they'll play any festivals that I'll be at this summer and I'm drunk and in the mood for some dancing (two things that usually go hand in hand), I might just go and see them again.
- Simon Tagestam

Anna Leong
After the forest fire
White Weekend

I always find it most interesting to hear the influences in some of the bands coming about these days, especially when they draw from surprising sources. Whilst one can see the obvious classic rock influences such as Neil Young and Big Star, there's also a very heavy influence of Cracker in Anna Leong. It could be the vocal delivery or the laid-back feel of the music, but it's there, and I commend them for taking on the best parts of the latter band. "After the forest fire" really is made for the fans of mid-90's American college rock. It's not a bad thing, it can just come off as a bit dated at points. However, the band excels in taking their sound to a higher level because the songwriting is very strong and they don't fall victim to needlessly dragging them out (even the almost ten-minute "Bothnian Rednecks" does not exceed its length in feel). Tracks such as "Jacket", "Fever" and the album closer "Sky is darkening" are solid pop songs, and I feel that if Anna Leong can remove the slightly dated feel of the music, they'll open up to a much wider audience.
- Matt Giordano

Asombria
Base II
Godagatt Records

Halfway through listening to this disc, I was ready to dismiss it as fairly innocuous synth-pop with serviceable female vocals. Fortunately the second half springs to life a bit, thanks to a couple stronger tunes like "Buy yourself" and "Runaway tram," which are more rhythmically solid and feature some nice loud bass. There's nothing wrong with making commercial-leaning dancepop, but there's just so much of the stuff around these days and Goldfrapp does this kinda thing much better.
- Kevin Renick

Tom Malmquist
Two in the morning
Bonnier Amigo

I love everything about Tom malmquist, from his photo drinking wine while soaking in a tub of dirty bath water and his myspace.com/tommalmquist" target=_blank>bizarre myspace bio, to his choice of instruments – guitar, banjo, washboard, saw against leather jacket... Then there's his music, of course. He sounds like a quirky young Tom Waits. Except happier. The four-song EP unfolds like a series of letters to lovers, building up to a somewhat darker duet, "Tyranny of heaviness". But even that sounds gorgeous and oddly upbeat. It's celebratory country, of the most comforting variety.
- Stacey Shackford

Björn Norestig
Hello inside
A West Side Fabrication

This album has struck me as being an interesting mix of styles, melding Neil Young with turn of the century Nicolai Dunger and 60s lounge - how does one even come up with the idea to do so? Of course, Björn's pop sensibilities are in all the right places, which is prevalent on the track "Come take a shine" and in the smooth lounge sound of "Hold on". The music is played quite well and the vocals are all in place, but it doesn't grab me and shake me up. Again, this album can come off as a bit 90s sounding and dated (see "Why oh why" amd "Character song") and I'm trying to figure out if it's a sign of what's to come in music, but I'm also confused as to why that style is coming back, as it was only a decade ago! Anyway, the song craft is definitely here, but this whole 90's vibe just seems a bit strange to me.
- Matt Giordano

No Rules
Where we belong
Record Heaven

Ugh. Prog rock has enough problems trying to prove it's worthy of respect without soggy little outings like this one reenforcing what many listeners automatically cringe at. From the painfully unimaginative name to Olof Gustavsson's utterly bland vocals to the Asia/marillion-lite arrangements, this Swedish trio prove they can rip through a bunch of chord changes they've studied in the Teach Yourself Prog! handbook (Tommy magnusson must shoulder the blame for most of these). But they don't accomplish much else. There's at least ONE rule you cannot break doing this so-called "symphonic rock": thou shalt not bore the listener. Now go break up with your girlfriends and try writing some angry punk songs or somethin'!
- Kevin Renick

Santa Maria
s/t
Slottet

I wanted this to be good, I wanted this to be great, so it's a shame that it's just ok. Santa maria is maria Eriksson from The Concretes and Heikki, which are two bands that I adore. This is a pleasant album, but too often the pleasantness drags on a bit too much and it all becomes a bit boring. The great melodies that make The Concretes and Heikki so fantastic are sadly missed. It feels like the album could have done with an energy injection at regular intervals. maybe next time... (it took The Concretes about 8 years to become the great band they now are)
- Simon Tagestam

Slowly, but surely I'm catching up on my review list: m/index.php?a=286">[click here]

New tourdates for Cult of Luna:

04/17 - KFZ, marburg (GER)
04/18 - Les Vents Du Sud, Toulouse (FRA)
04/19 - Kafe Antzokia, Bilbao (ESP)
04/20 - Louie Louie, Gijon (ESP)
04/21 - Theatre, Coimbra (POR)
04/22 - Corroios Theatre, Lisboa (POR)
04/23 - moby Dick, madrid (ESP)
04/24 - Be Cool, Barcelona (ESP)
04/26 - Siddharta Club, Prato (ITA)
04/27 - Spazio 211, Torino (ITA)
04/28 - Rockplanet Club, Pinarella Di Cervia (ITA)
04/29 - mochvara, Zagreb (CRO)
04/30 - Orto Bar, Ljubjana (SLO)
05/01 - Starclub, Dresden (GER)
05/02 - Smålands Nation, Lund (SWE)

The new Tsukimono album "Time canvas" has been confirmed for a march 15 release via Kning Disc. Artwork, tracklist and more details: m/02_releases_kd030.asp?id=335" target=_blank>https://www.kningdisk.com/02_releases_kd030.asp?id=335

Swedish singer/songwriter Thomas Denver Jonsson has posted a new acoustic demo video on youtube: m/watch?v=mXA6-Edhsh0" target=_blank>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXA6-Edhsh0