There's a brand new Ariel Kill Him song available for streaming on purevolume: me.com/arielkillhim" target=_blank>https://www.purevolume.com/arielkillhim

Fluxblog posts a track from Danish act Figurines: ml" target=_blank>https://www.fluxblog.org/2006/01/strange-towns-where-we-will-party.html

Norwegian rockers The Tennessee Beats are back with a revamped lineup and a new website: m/" target=_blank>https://www.tennesseebeats.com/

The musikbyrån website has now posted a hi-res version of the Robyn/Jenny Wilson performance of "List of demands" along with new videos from Dub Sweden, Stacs of Stamina and The Kid: musikbyran" target=_blank>https://svt.se/musikbyran

Swedish lofi pop collective models Inc. have released a new album entitled "Season's greetings from models Inc." more info and samples: modelsinc.tk/" target=_blank>https://www.modelsinc.tk/

marcus Jidell (Royal Hunt, The Ring) has a new website for himself: marcusjidell.com/" target=_blank>https://www.marcusjidell.com/

Closer
Tokpela EP
Closersounds

Avi likes these Swedes a lot. To be completely honest, this time at least, he is right. Closer combine a few different influences in a melting pot that ends up being better than what their influences have churned out in recent years. There is a bit of Tool, QotSA and a more melodic aspect that reminds me of a few melodic-metal bands of the mid-nineties (Only Living Witness and Chum for example.) Probably not conscious but I find that they resemble 1995-98 Anathema in mood and arrangements while being significantly more up tempo. This EP has me wanting more, can't beat that.
- Simon Thibaudeau

Magnus Eliassen
Second grace
Monomegamy Music

Lovers of the world, listen up. Norway's romantic troubadour, magnus Eliassen, has just made a singer/songwriter opus that's about as filled with sweet, melodic, achingly lovely odes to matters of the heart as any record you've ever heard. And I'm not gonna suddenly get cynical or poke fun at it, either. The 11 tracks on this debut CD comprise a truly poignant, haunting song cycle that should connect emotionally with anyone who has ever been in love (or fearful of losing it). With a gentle voice that recalls Sondre Lerche (and occasionally Even Johansen/magnet, minus the latter's weariness) and a singularly romantic aesthetic, Eliassen offers warm, folksy guitar strumming and touches of poppy electronics here and there over which he delivers one sparkling tribute/confession of love after another. "I wanna fight for you/But I don't wanna win/If I'm not the right for you/And if I am I always spin/I can't lose you," goes a verse in the largely acoustic "Grace." Eliassen's falsetto on "Falling in love" is exquisite, and sentiments like "You're so beautiful, I go crazy" that would come across as cliched or sappy in the hands of a lesser artist resonate with emotional purity here. "Write back," the paradoxically bouncy "Weakness," the closing "Until we meet again" with its intimate half-whispered vocal: they're all beautiful songs. In the melodic, jaunty number "Follow me," Eliassen repeatedly sings "Are you with me?/Will you come follow me?" You bet we will, magnus, my friend--as long as you keep making exceptionally pretty, heartfelt recordings like this.
- Kevin Renick

I Love You Baby!
Mondegreen
Trewetha Records

I Love You Baby! is one of these projects that is just impossible to define, there is so many styles of electronica in there that you can't really categorize anywhere. There is IDm, Industrial, Hardcore-Techno to minimalism and each done very efficiently. The common thread is that it all sounds like it was produced in the early eighties by members of Skinny Puppy, and, to me, that's a good thing. A bit like Foetus challenged any categorization, ILYB! do it within the span of an album.
- Simon Thibaudeau

God Damn Trio
God damn promo EP
self-released

This is two of the dudes from female-fronted pop-rock act Kordon doing something a tad more hard-edged than what they'd get away with in their other band. It's still very pop-oriented, but with more distortion and a bit more kick. When vocalist Thomas Hellgren starts to croon, I start to cringe because it's a little too close to Alice in Chains for my tastes, but the overall musicianship of the group is unfuckwithable. They're so tight, they're waterproof. The drumming is especially laudable - Calle Bäckström is an absolute monster behind the kit. His playing is incredible without being overly showy, a trait similarly shown in Kim Wennerström's guitarwork. Song-wise, I have to say they're only so-so, but I'd still go see 'em live just to watch Calle.
- Avi Roig

Nils Petter Molvaer
ER
EmArcy

I hate this. I have seen this band live twice and just can't figure out their name. To make the story short, the montreal International Jazz festival has tons of free outdoor shows and one of the bands that has done such shows in the past is an acoustic house-jazz band that was actually very good at what they do. The combination of house music and jazz isn't such a stretch as house artist have been grabbing samples out of classic jazz albums for years. Well Nils Petter molvaer does something very similar with some miles Davis inspired solos backed by house and downbeat rhythms. The result is some very easy listening that would find a place in your favorite $12-martini yuppie place. Nonetheless, the music is intelligently structured and could very well help you succeed with your next schmooze operation.
- Simon Thibaudeau

September
In orbit
Catchy Tunes/Family Tree Music

Anything reminding me of Paul Oakenfold this morning is certainly not my idea of a nice wake up call. I'll admit that September don't go the trance route, but have enough of the house staples to lose me in a second. Back when I had friends dragging me to dance clubs I was hearing this crap all the time. Despite the fact that September actually has a singer that has a nice melodic sensibility, the music is about as much fun as a root canal done by an Abu Grahib guard. Not my idea of a good time.
- Simon Thibaudeau

Shoot the Breeze
Rock out with your cock out
self-released

I'm pretty sure these dudes sent me a older CDR demo a long time ago and if I remember correctly, it was fairly unremarkable. Not bad, but nothing special either - exactly the kind of thing that reviewers dread writing about. However, this new one is quite good. The recording is still obviously demo quality, but the songwriting has come a long way. most bands playing similar 80s arena-style hard-rock tend to play up the dumber aspects of the genre (sex! drugs! rock'n'roll!), but Shoot the Breeze is surprisingly refreshing in that they take themselves seriously enough to do it well. Think about the sort of stuff that made old Def Leppard great (don't argue!) - tasty riffs, triumphant melodies and huge hooks. StB still needs to work on their vocal arrangements before they attempt a real recording, but overall I say good job.
- Avi Roig

MP3: Circle Six - Broken

I've been doing a little trolling around on myspace trying to discover new bands and while, for the most part, I'm not really uncovering anything incredibly exciting but they are definitely a few diamonds in the rough. One such disovery was Circle Six, a doom band from Linköping. I'm not sure that I'd consider most of the bands following in the footsteps of Isis to be worthy of the doom title, but Circle Six knows what's up. Not only are they incredibly heavy, but they are slow. Agonizingly slow. So slow that the cymbal ring almost completely decays between drum hits. It's like being bludgeoned to death in slow motion. most of you probably think that sounds perfectly awful, but I'm sure that any aficionados of the genre are stoked by that description. It's also worth noting that instead of the more typical death-metal growls (ie. Skepticism) or hardcore-style shouts (ie. Cult of Luna, Isis), the vocals are a crusty black-metal rasp. Just the way I like it: kvlt and evil. Sometimes "brutal" is a positive adjective, y'know?

Circle Six - Broken

I've been doing a little trolling around on myspace trying to discover new bands and while, for the most part, I'm not really uncovering anything incredibly exciting but they are definitely a few diamonds in the rough. One such disovery was Circle Six, a doom band from Linköping. I'm not sure that I'd consider most of the bands following in the footsteps of Isis to be worthy of the doom title, but Circle Six knows what's up. Not only are they incredibly heavy, but they are slow. Agonizingly slow. So slow that the cymbal ring almost completely decays between drum hits. It's like being bludgeoned to death in slow motion. most of you probably think that sounds perfectly awful, but I'm sure that any aficionados of the genre are stoked by that description. It's also worth noting that instead of the more typical death-metal growls (ie. Skepticism) or hardcore-style shouts (ie. Cult of Luna, Isis), the vocals are a crusty black-metal rasp. Just the way I like it: kvlt and evil. Sometimes "brutal" is a positive adjective, y'know?