"Dirty tender love" will be record number three for the band Pen Expers and, as before, this newest album features dark rock á la Sweden, meaning gloomy and depressing. Pen Expers really have the ability to influence the mood of the listener with their music, so it might not always be the most fitting choice as it will ruin your day. maybe this is a feature that comes with good, honest music, however, I often find that Pen Expers leave their genuine sound for more stereotypical dark rock'n'roll during this record. At times the desperation fromAlexander Arvman's vocals seem borrowed. This is doubtless good music though and Pen Expers is a good band -- they truly shines through on the track "Don't you wanna kiss me anymore?" -- but they are also good enough to make their own genre rather than trying to fit into already made-up categories. - Morten Frisch
Swedish psychrockers Siena Root are heading to Spain in November:
11/11 - Gruta 77, madrid
11/12 - Zeppelin Rock Bar, Sevilla
11/13 - La Ley Seca, Zaragoza
11/14 - Jimmy Jazz, Vitoria
11/18 - Dom Pedro, Gijón
11/19 - La Cueva del Jazz, Zamora
11/20 - Sala mogambo, San Sebastian
11/21 - Taberna Belfast, León
Despite what Adventure Ofmight temporarily convince you, brat doesn't come in as many flavors as one might think. mining the well of youthful indiscretions that make The Tough Alliance tick, there isn't a synth, horn, or sentiment on "malaika" or "Jehovah" That hasn't been done before. However, even while busy basking in the glory of its own electro retread, there are still enough guilty pleasures to get your ass out on the dance floor -- and clean out all trances of cynicism along the way. Not bad for a pair of singles.
Case in point? The particularly amusing, The Killers referencing, "Jehovah" b-side "Soul little body". "I've got soul and I am a soldier."my knee-jerk cynical response? "Congrats dude, you've just lapped Brandon Flowers in the Narcissism Olympics! Yea!" my actual response after the horns, monotone delivery, and tropical sentiment had time to settle in? Somewhere between elation and awkward head-bobbing. Point: Adventure Of. "A fluke!" the cynic might cry -- quick to mention The Embassy has been kicking around the same passive-cool beats for a while now. But perhaps the band says it best in "Anno domini": "If you're special then I'm special too." While it seems unlikely Adventure Of will be able to parlay their well-worn routine into anything more that a few high-energy quips, they'll have you believing the hype as long as the record spins. - Laura Studarus
Swedish experimental label has announced the following releases for later this year:
Neghantil - tba (2xCS/box) Jasper TX - The black sun transmissions (CD/mp3) The Cray Twins (SCO) - The pier (CD/mp3) I Am A Vowel (UK) - Body curves 7"
There are other 7" projects in the works as well, along with an album from international artist Paul Baran and a new Göteborg-focused cassette compilation.
I can't think of any notable ska/rocksteady coming out of Sweden in recent years except maybe Club Killers, but this new Jasmine Kara single, the 2nd off her forthcoming record "Blues ain't nothing but a good woman gone bad" (due out July 28, the day after she appears on "Allsång På Skansen"), mops the floor with 'em. most of her tunes are on more of a retro Sharon Jones/motown-revival tip, but this one brings the island flavor and does it amazingly well. Seems kinda like an odd stylistic choice considering her obvious mainstream pop aspirations, though it's not as if I'm complaining, I'm just hoping she can pull it off. And with her autobiography ("Hälsa henne att hon ska dö") coming out in August as well, we'll just have to wait and see how it all plays out. Best of luck!
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Finnish punkrockers Wasted will be releasing a new EP in September called "modern world is dead", their first new release since 2005's "Heroes amongst thieves".
Pen Expers
Adventure Of