A nice big batch of reviews has been posted today: m/index.php?a=281">[click here]
Simon Tagestam leads with some I'm From Barcelona backlash, matt Giordano reports on having seen Peter Bjorn and John in NYC and more.

If you're anywhere near Berlin, don't forget this Friday's myspace.com/swedenswedenberlin">Sweden, Sweden show at Club magnet with Torpedo, Streetwaves and The Light Bulb Project plus DJs Tiger Lou, Firefox AK and more! That much talent in one room means it's gonna be an amazing show, so you'd better be there.

Danish duo munck//Johnson on tour in Germany:

03/15 - Stereowonderland, Köln
03/16 - Sparte 4, Saarbrücken
03/17 - Falkendom, Bielefeld
03/19 - Noch Besser Leben, Leipzig
03/20 - Art, Riesa
03/21 - Schokoladen, Berlin
03/22 - Feinkost Lampe, Hannover
03/23 - Künstlerhaus 73, Hamburg

Updated I'm From Barcelona tourdates:

02/22 - John Dee, Oslo (NOR)
02/23 - Blæst, Trondheim (NOR)
03/02 - Village, Dublin (IRL)
03/03 - Roisin Dubh, Galway (IRL)
03/24 - Botanique, Bruxells (BEL)
03/25 - melkweg max, Amsterdam (NL)
03/26 - La Cigale, Paris (FRA)
03/27 - Koko, London (UK)
04/28 - Bergenfest, Bergen (NOR)

Nun music, the label founded by the dudes in WE, and German label Rodeostar Records have joined forces and their first collaborative effort will be copromoting Norwegian hardrockers Jaqueline across Europe. The single "medicine man" will be released in April to coincide with a tour and the full album "Reaping machines" will follow sometime around August. Read more: music.com/" target=_blank>https://www.nunmusic.com/

Hanne Hukkelberg's album "Rykestrasse 68" has been licensed by Nettwork for release in GAS on march 2, the rest of Europe one month later. The album recently won the 'Open class' category of the Spellemannsprisen, the Norwegian equivilent to the Grammy.

Damn Seagulls' video for their new single "Human torch" is now available online: mnseagulls.com/damnseagulls.php?showmore=media" target=_blank>https://www.damnseagulls.com/damnseagulls.php?showmore=media

Are David & the Citizens becoming a rock'n'roll cliché? Just as they were getting ready to take things to the next level with their first-ever performances in the US, the entire backing band has quit. Why? Rumor has it that frontman David Fridlund's girlfriend Sara Culler has become the band's Yoko Ono, but no one is willing to go on record to explain their side of the story. This is not the first time that such rumors have circulated as I have heard similar things in the past with regards to previous band defections.
I sincerely hope that David and the guys will somehow be able to rectify the situation, but I am not optmistic. I imagine he'll recruit a new batch of ringers and the show will go on, in one way or another. But hey, feel free to prove me wrong! Also, since I am aware than many parties involved are readers of this site, you are all invited to m/contact.php">send in any official response or statement to the situation which I will publish unedited and without response.

Asombria, the Swedish electropop project consisting of 2/3rds of the now-dormant band EnCounter, has posted their entire new album "Base II" free download on their website: mbria.com/" target=_blank>https://www.asombria.com/
Fans wanting to support the band are encouraged to purchase physical copies of said album for a small fee.

Check out Peter Bjorn and John's in-studio performance and interview on AOL's 'The DL': m/2007/02/06/the-dl-peter-and-bjorn-answer-your-questions/" target=_blank>https://www.spinner.com/2007/02/06/the-dl-peter-and-bjorn-answer-your-questions/

Dungen talks to Filter about their forthcoming album, now titled "Tio bitar": mag.com/filter/2007/02/first_impressio.html" target=_blank>https://blog.filter-mag.com/filter/2007/02/first_impressio.html

David Byrne's latest Internet radio show is a special feature on Nordic music: m/radio/index.php" target=_blank>https://davidbyrne.com/radio/index.php
Unsurprisingly he tends towards the more ethereal end of the musical spectrum, covering artists such as Stina Nordenstam, Under Byen and Anja Garbarek.

Pitchfork reviews Loney, Dear's SubPop debut "Loney, noir": media.com/article/record_review/40934/Loney_Dear_Loney_Noir" target=_blank>https://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/40934/Loney_Dear_Loney_Noir
Stylus weighs in as well: magazine.com/reviews/loney-dear/loney-noir.htm" target=_blank>https://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/loney-dear/loney-noir.htm

MP3: The Rooph - Silver street

The Rooph sound like the Norwegian equivalent of Placebo, minus the drugs and the danger. Not that Placebo sounds all that doped-up or dangerous anymore, but hey - neither does The Rooph. What remains: an androgynous vocalist fronting a melancholic rock band with a slight propensity towards noisy, distorted guitars. Once upon a time, Placebo could conjure up almost Big Black-levels of screaming guitar intensity and I think The Rooph aspires towards that, but falls short. It's a common complaint with Scandinavian music - there's nothing obviously wrong about The Rooph, they are simply a less-exciting copy of a more successful act. It's too clean, too perfect. They lack the willful abandon that so often is an integral part of quality rock'n'roll. maybe they come across better in a live situation. On record they register a "meh". It's especially frustrating because I have a feeling that if they really were on drugs, they'd probably be awesome.

The Rooph - Silver street

I'm From Barcelona
Live @ ULU, London, 01/24/07

They were much better than when I saw them last year at the Emmaboda Festival in Sweden, that's something I can't lie about. But even though I love their recorded music, I just can't stand them and their hippie ways of conducting a live concert. It's like a constant cringeworthy moment to observe them slaughter their songs on stage. Their stage show makes me feel like crawling into my backpack and chewing my ears off. I seem to be in a minority though, most people tonight at ULU were happily singing along and going "mental" when confetti and other horrible antics were unleashed upon them. I don't mind the odd bit of crowd participation, and I'm definitely against any Sonic Youth-like snobbery were bands might as well play in another room, but in my humble opinion, I'm From Barcelona are just taking it too far, and it makes me sick, sick to the bone!
- Simon Tagestam