PB&J, Teddybears, Miike Snow launch label
Peter Bjorn and John, Miike Snow and Jocke Åhlund (Teddybears) have joined forces to start a new Stockholm-based label under the name : https://peterbjornandjohn.com/blog/2011/07/gimme-some-ingrid/
Tag: General
New music from James Ausfahrt
James Ausfahrt (aka Åke Strömer of Love is All) has a new solo album up on Bandcamp called "Emptying the fridge with friends and family": https://jamesausfahrt.bandcamp.com/album/emptying-the-fridge-with-friends-and-family
Stay safe Oslo
I hope that everyone is okay! A good summary article on today's bomb explosion can be found here.
Spotify in the US: first impressions
First of all, it sounds good and works more or less as-advertised aside from a few small hiccups. The ads are minimally intrusive and I can easily see how nice it would be on a mobile device, though I'm not a gadget guy by any stretch of the imagination. On the other hand, I find it incredibly annoying that I can't search by label. Unless there's something I'm missing? It's also annoying that a Sweden-based music service would be so lacking so much classic Swedish music (examples abound, but Ebba Grön is notably absent for one, along with much of Popsicle's discography), but of course that's the fault of short-sighted major labels, not the service itself. Overall I'd say the experience is good though, despite my complaints. The Bear Quartet's entire catalog is available along with most everything else from every other decent current Swedish indie label. Can't beat that. Will I shell out for the premium service? Eh, doubtful but we'll see.
Jens Lekman confirms new EP, tour
Jens Lekman has confirmed that his new EP "An argument with myself" will be released on September 20 via and will be followed by an abbreviated US tour. Get the full details here in this republished interview he did with the Walla Walla Washington Union Bulletin: https://secretlycanadian.com/blog/2011/07/jens-lekman-announces-new-ep-tour/
New Code 64 EP in August
has announced that Swedish/Norwegian EBM act Code 64 will be releasing a new EP called "Deviant" on August 16. Said EP will feature five tracks total including three versions of the title tune (a radio edit + two remixes) as well as a metal cover version by Greek act Sorrowful Angels and, to top it off, a new version of the song "Oblivion".
XO Records to release Finnish hip-hop retrospective
will be releasing a compilation in August called "Rappiotaidetta" showcasing the early days of Finnish hip-hop, as compiled by Finnish rapper Paleface. Full tracklist here: https://www.exogenicmusicgroup.com/news/?id=72
New Agent Side Grinder comp
French label has put together a 2CD set of music from Swedish industrial act Agent Side Grinder featuring one disc of their best studio tracks from both albums and the 2nd featuring their excellent live cassette-only release "Industrial beauty". Full details: https://www.manicdepressionrecords.com/artists.php?id_artiste=42&lg=uk
New Bastard Priest coming in time for Kill-Town Death Fest
The new Bastard Priest LP "Ghouls of the endless night" has been confirmed for release in time for Kill-Town Death Fest which is happening in Copenhagen September 2-3, which the band will not be playing. Said album will be released in two editions, one limited with a gatefold sleeve and color vinyl.
Early Radio Dept. gets vinyl treatment
For vinyl nerds who like their shoegaze dreamy and underwhelming, has reissued the first three albums from The Radio Dept. on 180g vinyl: https://www.labrador.se/shop.php3
Champagne Riot, the greatest there never was?
Not sure if this means Champagne Riot are done, but it's worth checking out for some insight into the trials and tribulations of being a blog-hyped band and what that really means: https://champagneriot2.blogspot.com/2011/06/read-through-for-your-download.html
Grande Roses sign with Captiol/EMI
Grande Roses have been officially picked up by / and will be releasing their (excellent!) new single "Go home" (as posted for preview yesterday) on July 11 with the new "Hide EP" following on August 24. Best of luck to those guys reaching a larger audience, I've been a fan from the beginning and am happy to see their talent get validated.
Stereogum says Iceage is best of 2011 (so far)
Stereogum lists Iceage's "New brigade" as their #4 album of the year so far: https://stereogum.com/734031/stereogums-top-20-albums-of-2011-so-far/franchises/listomania/
For the record, I have to say that I agree with that Austra album being highly ranked as well -- not Scandinavian, but worth checking out.
Skrammel's Missbrukarna LP set for late August
As mentioned in February, is releasing a compilation LP of rare and never-released material from classic Swedish punks Missbrukarna and it's now confirmed that said collection will be called "Zooma in en zombie" and it will be released on August 30 and will feature 30+ tracks plus extensive liner notes. Download a sample tune: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/15455672/Missbrukarna%20Du%20%C3%A4r%20inte%20du.mp3
Immanu El announce new album, tour
Swedish postrockers Immanu El have announced that they will be releasing their new alb "In passage", their third overall, on October 14. will handle things as usual in Sweden with doing an Asian release and handling vinyl. The band will once again be touring extensively in support and preliminary dates can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/notes/immanu-el/new-album-in-passage-release-october-2011-releasetours-in-europe-asia/10150300809333825