Danish act Nephew to collaborate with Timbaland? Read more: https://gaffa.dk/nyheder/view.php/news_id=17107 (in Danish)

marching Band (nee Second Language) on tour in South Africa:

02/14 - Zula Bar, Cape Town
02/15 - mystic Boer, Stellenbosch
02/17 - Lack Bull Festival, Stellenbosch
02/17 - The Indie Armchair Theatre, Cape Town
02/18 - Fogey's Railway House, Cape Town
02/25 - La Terrasse, muldersdrift
02/27 - Tings 'n Times, Pretoria
02/28 - Bean Bag Bohemia, Durban
03/02 - 88, Johannesburg

Helena Sundin of Cake on Cake is recording some guest vocals for Samarkand's new album "Japan was just a fairytale".

The new Black Belt album is available for streaming at last.fm: m/music/Black+Belt/Two+minutes+to+midnight" target=_blank>https://www.last.fm/music/Black+Belt/Two+minutes+to+midnight
I've listened to it twice and am underwhelmed. It's not bad by any means, just very mediocre.

Sahara Hotnights now have a photo blog: m" target=_blank>https://saharahotnights.blogspot.com

The winners of this year's Swedish Radio P3 Gold Awards:

Best group: The Knife - "Silent Shout"
Best female artist: Anna Ternheim - "Separation Road"
Best male artist: Timo Räisänen - "I'm Indian"
Best newcomer: I'm From Barcelona
Best song: mando Diao - "Long Before Rock'n'Roll"
Guldmicken (Best live act): mando Diao
Best pop:: Studio - "West Coast"
Best hip-hop/soul: max Peezay - "Discokommittén"
Best rock/metal: Cult of Luna - "Somewhere Along The Highway"
Best dance: The Knife - "Silent Shout"

Danish rockers The Royal Highness are adding tracks from their new album to their myspace profile for previewing: myspace.com/theroyalhighness" target=_blank>https://www.myspace.com/theroyalhighness

In other news: guitarist Karl Ander has left Hemstad and the band is seeking a replacement. Think you're up for it? They're holding "open auditions" in the Göteborg area so contact them at hemstadhemstad[at]gmail[dotcom] to set up a date. Otherwise, check out their myspace page for a new song clip: myspace.com/hemstad" target=_blank>https://www.myspace.com/hemstad

MP3: The Bear Quartet - The lost kid office

This week's Bear Quartet post comes to us from the other Penny Century, now known as Little Big Adventure:

"Guess every fall has its storm / but it's not knocking on my door / as you used to"

I would like to favouritize the latest album "Eternity now" and it's outstanding track "The lost kid office".
At first I thought I should say something about "Suits on for Sandi". Something about how beautiful the lyrics, with its suppressed darkness and sadness, is. With its romantic nostalgia. And the light, but heavy guitar-structures. Ugly but beautiful. Like always with this band. Just in the middle of the best record The Bear Quartet has released. The best song in the trilogy about Sandi.
But then I listen to "The lost kid office". The sound is strange at first. You don't know if it's your speakers that are broken or your ears. maybe it's supposed to sound like this? Like something coming out of a can. Wet and smeary. It sounds like the song is about to explode, but something is holding it back.
The vocals is so light. So high and wobbly.
You expect matti's voice to crack at any time. Everything will fall apart.
Soon.
But then something happens. The song explodes. Everything is everywhere. And at that moment I realize that no other song before or after this will ever be so beautiful. So heartbreaking and intelligent. At that moment, this is the best song, the best sound, ever that has come out of a pair of speakers. Everything else falls apart.

I would like to favouritize "The lost kid office".
I would like to.
But I can't.

For more on Little Big Adventure, including free mp3 downloads, go here: www.littlebigadventure.se

The Bear Quartet - The lost kid office

MP3: Ghost Brigade - Based on you

This will be my last Friday post looking back at 2006 artists/tracks I missed the first time 'round. Next week: back to trudging through history for older songs worth highlighting. moving on...
It's not clear to me exactly how Finland's Ghost Brigade slipped through the cracks. I'm pretty sure I downloaded their demo the first time that Teemu from mizdat.info/" target=_blank>Lupatarkastaja recommended it, but I guess I must've not listened very hard because they never stuck. Eventually I decided to revisit the band after hearing about their signing to Season of mist and - holy shit - I knew immediately that I blew it. I've had the song I'm posting today, "Based on you", on regular repeat in my mp3 player for at least a month now. I just love the way the rhythm section pulses steadily like a machine; in this case, a bulldozer that you just know is ready to flatten you. There's tons of tiny little flourishes in the way the band locks together on fills, the mark of true professionals and a high attention to detail. Not a single note is wasted or out of place. The way the verse gradually reintroduces the main riff flows perfectly, too. They get a little 'metal-by-numbers' (m/watch?v=chiVmrWmHko">"This is the gay part / with melody!") with the choruses at times, but it's forgivable. If that's their only shortcoming, it's certainly no deal-breaker. It's just that I find that frontman manne Ikonen lacks the pipes to truly pull off 'clean' singing. His gruff-styled vocals are far more powerful.
Since I know that the metal genre is imposing to a lot of people, consider the following: Ghost Brigade might be extremely heavy, but they are also very melodic and very much rooted in pop song construction. If you can get into stuff like Queens of the Stone Age or even Alice in Chains, there's no reason you shouldn't also be able to appreciate this. It's all just rock'n'roll, y'know?

Ghost Brigade - Based on you

Announcing the It's A Trap! Record Club! Either m/index.php?d=1152">read monday's post on the subject or m/store/product.php?productid=383&cat=1">go here to join up! Act fast as my super-cheap introductory offer of $10/mo won't last.

Smalltown Supersound will release their new "Sunkissed" mix CD on January 20 in Norway, may elsewhere. Artists contributing include Erot, Lindstrøm, Prins Thomas, Serena maneesh (Riton mix), 120 Days (mental Overdrive mix), Rune Lindbæk, Kango, DiskJokke, Bjorn Torske and more.

Hello Saferide's superb "Introducing..." album has been licensed for release in Japan via the label Handcuts. It comes out on march 14. Don't forget you can still buy it on 12" vinyl and CD from me m/store/search.php?mode=search&substring=Hello+Saferide&extra_fields[1]=on" target=_blank>right here.

In related news, Hello Saferide will be playing the Absolut Swedish music Festival at The Village in Dublin on march 3 along with moneybrother and Taxi, Taxi!. Other artists set to appear at the festival include Zeigeist, Samuraj Cities, Consequences, Juvelen, I'm From Barcelona and Salem Al Fakir.

morningside Records has confirmed that the new Speaker Bite me album "Action painting" will be released on march 19, on both CD and vinyl (w/free download included). The first single "Teach me tiger" will be out soon.