Pitchfork says the new Raveonettes album "Lust lust lust" is their best yet: https://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/48756-lust-lust-lust

New arrivals in the mailorder department:

Ef - Give me beauty... or give me death!
Immanu El - They'll come, they come
Ef - I am responsible

Copies on-hand are limited, so if you've been waiting for these I advise you to act fast.

Norwegian doom act Sahg will support Chicago-based legends Trouble on tour in Europe:

04/08 - Estragon, Bologna (ITA)
04/09 - New Age, Treviso (ITA)
04/10 - Rohstofflager, Zürich (SWI)
04/11 - Biebob, Vosselaar (BEL)
04/12 - Turock, Essen (GER)
04/13 - Markthalle, Hamburg (GER)
04/15 - Musikzentrum, Hannover (GER)
04/16 - Batschkapp, Frankfurt (GER)
04/17 - Roxy, Saarbrücken (GER)
04/20 - Dingwalls, London (UK)

Danish artists and "Reader's companion" alums Munck//Johnson will travel to Toronto, Canada to perform at NXNE in June. Look for additional Canadian dates to be announced as well.

Finnish electronic/multimedia artists Pink Twins will be participating in a group exhibition of Finnish artists at the MoMA affiliated PS1 in New York City, set to open this coming June. The Pink Twins contribution will be a multi-channel video installation. Other museum installations in the Pink Twins' future include something at Repeat All at El Museo de la Imagen y del Sonido in São Paulo, Brazil this April as well as a Helsinki City Art Museum exhibition set for August.

Pain is keeping a tour diary and if the pictures they've posted are any indication of what to expect, it's gonna be interesting: https://www.pain.cd/ontour/

Muxika 77 aka Musika 77 are currently at Kepner Treg Studios in Göteborg working on their third album with engineer Per-Ola Eriksson (Boy Omega, Björn Kleinhenz).

Finnish artist Jimi Tenor and West-African musicians Kabu Kabu (as heard together on the "Joystone" album) will perform together at Cargo in London on March 20 as part of the "Karen P presents... Broad Casting" series put on by Red Bull Music Academy Radio.

There's a new Pinto single available for free download entitled "The dream is over". Get it here: https://www.pinto.se/

The new Markus Krunegård (Laakso) solo single "Jag är en vampyr" is streaming at myspace along with a few other tracks: https://www.myspace.com/markuskrunegrd

Lords of Metal interview Swedish hardcore act Meleeh: https://www.lordsofmetal.nl/showinterview.php?id=1980&lang=en

PopMatters reviews Sambassadeur: https://www.popmatters.com/pm/music/reviews/54000/sambassadeur-migration/

Diamond Dogs will be touring Europe as part of the "Homewreckers & Heartbreakers Tour" alongside UK act The Quireboys and Americans Dan Baird & Homemade Sin, each one taking a rotating headline spot. Dates:

05/12 - Moshulu, Aberdeen (UK)
05/13 - Cathouse, Glasgow (SCO)
05/16 - Academy 3, Manchester (UK)
05/17 - Academy, Newcastle (UK)
05/18 - Rios - Leeds (UK)
05/20 - Barfly, Birmingham (UK)
05/21 - Spring And Airbrake, Belfast (IRL)
05/22 - Barfly, Cardiff (UK)
05/23 - Garage, London (UK)
05/27 - Z7, Prattlen (CH) 05/28 - Gaswerk, Winterthur (CH) 05/30 - tbc, Stockholm (SWE)

Bonnier Amigo Music has signed Anna Maria Espinosa (Moder Jords Massiva, Club Killers) and will be sending her into the studio with producer Jari Haapalainen (The Bear Quartet, Laakso, etc.) to record her debut album. As for the actual songs she'll be doing, she's lined up an illustrious cast including Ellekari Larsson (The Tiny), The Concretes, The Plan, Mattias Hellberg, Andreas Mattsson, Moder Jords Massiva, Nicolai Dunger and of course, the aforementioned Jari Haapalainen. Expect a fall release.

Swedish shoegazers Sad Day for Puppets are confirmed to release their debut EP "Just like a ghost" on April 9 via HaHa Fonogram (Radio LXMBRG). Hear samples at myspace: https://www.myspace.com/saddayforpuppets
Reminds me a bit of The Sundays, but with a bit more fuzz layered on top.