Swedish weirdo electropunk label Trewetha Records has signed Hi-Fi'ss of the 90's and will be releasing a 3-track EP in the near future. Listen to samples: https://www.myspace.com/hifisofthe90s

The Moonbabies are now streaming four tracks at myspace from their excellent new album "At the ballroom": https://myspace.com/moonbabies

Hybris is offering up The Sweptaways' new single as a free download: https://hybrism.blogspot.com/2007/03/free-mp3-single-from-sweptaways.html
The song is a cover of Jenny Wilson's "Let my shoes lead me forward" and is my favorite cut from the band's record "Ooh ahh".

For the Eardrums interviews Tommy Haltbakk of Norwegian act The Royalties: https://eardrumsinterviews.blogspot.com/2007/03/eardrums-interview-royalties.html

Guitarist Tapsa has left Finnish punk act Endstand and the band will continue on without him as a four-piece. In other news, the group has severed ties with Lifeforce Records and returned back home to Combat Rock Industry. They will record a new album in June for release this fall and will be touring Europe in support.

Cold Meat Industry has posted details for a few upcoming releases:

Stormfågel - Ett berg av fasa CD (CMI.171)
Rome - Confessions d'un Voleur d'Ames CD (CMI.172)
Desiderii Marginis - Seven Sorrows CD (CMI.173)
BDN - 1890 LP (vinyl only) (CMI.169)
All My Faith Lost... - The Hours CD (CMI.174)
v/a - Cold Meat Industry Live in Australia digi-DVD (CMI.170)
Sturmast - Ibis redibis nunquam in bello peribis CD (CMI.175)

Rome isn't Scandinavian, but they're awesome so they stay. Go here for more: https://www.coldmeat.se/

Updated US dates for Finnish singer/songwriter Astrid Swan:

03/22 - Tangier, Los Angeles, CA w/Tobias Fröberg
03/27 - Hotel Cafe, Los Angeles, CA w/Kate Havnevik
03/31 - Borders (in-store) Wheaton, IL
04/03 - Uncommon Ground, Chicago, IL
04/04 - Subterranean, Chicago, IL (Minty Fresh Records Night)
04/19 - Rossi's, Minneapolis, MN
04/20 - Rossi's, Minneapolis, MN
04/21 - Rossi's, Minneapolis, MN

This week's Swedish student radio top 20:

01. (01) Arctic Monkeys - Brianstorm
02. (NY) Shout Out Louds - Tonight I have to leave
03. (08) Maxïmo Park - Our velocity
04. (19) The Honeydrips - (Lack of) Love will tear us apart
05. (05) Vapnet med Jens Lekman - Håll ihop
06. (NY) Bloc Party - I still remember
07. (03) Kings of Leon - On call
08. (06) The Moonbabies - War on sound
09. (04) The Kooks - Ooh la
10. (13) Pelle Carlberg - I love you, you imbecile
11. (11) Lily Allen - Littlest things
12. (NY) The Ripps - Loco
13. (02) Asha Ali - Coward heart
14. (NY) Bonde Do Role - Solta o frango
15. (NY) Familjen - Kom sager dom
16. (07) Maia Hirasawa - And I found this boy
17. (NY) Oi Va Voi - Yuri
18. (18) Tingsek - Proud to be part of these days
19. (NY) Common & Will.I.Am - A dream
20. (15) Jamie T - If you got the money

Leaving the chart:
Badly Drawn Boy - A journey from A to B
The Ark - Absolutely no decorum
Korn med Amy Lee - Freak on a leash
The Long Blondes - Giddy Stratospheres
Sahara Hotnights - Cheek to cheek
Tokyo Police Club - Nature of the experiment
Joss Stone - Tell me about it

Swedish rockers Sugarplum Fairy and Molotov Jive on tour in Germany:

03/23 - Grünspan, Hamburg (GER)
03/24 - Alter Schlachthof, Lingen (GER)
03/25 - Bolckwerk, Cologne (GER)
03/27 - Centralstation, Darmstadt (GER)
03/28 - Elserhalle, Münich (GER)
03/29 - E-werk, Erlangen (GER)
03/30 - Kalkscheune, Berlin (GER)
03/31 - Moderne, Bremen (GER)
04/01 - The Atelier, Luxembourg (LUX)

PopMatters on the US release of I'm From Barcelona: https://www.popmatters.com/pm/music/reviews/10242/im-from-barcelona-let-me-introduce-my-friends/
Unless they throw together some US tourdates, I doubt that most people will care about this record since it's already been talked to death over the last year or so.

This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart:

01. D.D.E. - No går det så det suse
02. Jonas Fjeld og Chatham C. - Amerikabesøk
03. My Midnight Creeps - Histamin
04. Christel Alsos - Closing The Distance
05. Askil Holm - Harmony Hotel
06. Silje Nergaard - Darkness out of blue
07. King Midas - Sorry
08. El Caco - From Dirt
09. Erik og Kriss - Gull og grønne skoger
10. Skambankt - Elixir
11. Sivert Høyem & The Volunteers - Exiles
12. Vamp - I full symfoni (med KORK)
13. Malin - Malin på månen
14. Sondre Lerche - Phantom Punch
15. Bjørn Eidsvåg - Nåde
16. Ole Ivars - Jag trodde änglarna fanns
17. Ane Brun - Live in Scandinavia
18. William Hut - Nightfall
19. Tungtvann - 96% Tungtvann
20. Øystein Sunde - Sundes verden

Largehearted Boy is starting to compile various live recordings from SXSW, including many Scandinavian artists such as Mew and Peter Bjorn and John: https://www.largeheartedboy.com/blog/archive/2007/03/2007_sxsw_live.html

MIC Norway on Original Silence, an international all-star group put together by renown drummer Paal Nilssen-Love: https://www.mic.no/mic.nsf/doc/art2007032211384030410162

Also at MIC Norway, a piece on the Sondre Lerche/Thomas Dybdahl tour: https://www.mic.no/mic.nsf/doc/art2007032215292148819409

Finnish skweee artist Mesak has made a video for the track "Popkumm": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0x7IYaGRSVo