This week's MTV UpNorth video chart:

01. Midnight Monkeys - Monkeys On Attack
02. Division Of Laura Lee - Dirty Love
03. Apulanta - Pahempi Toistaan
04. Darin - Why Does It Rain
05. Peshi - Hush Hush
06. JR Ewing - Fucking & Champagne
07. Hellacopters - Everything's On TV
08. Jori Hulkkonen - Lo Fiction
09. Lene Marlin - How Will It Be
10. Röyksopp - Only This Moment
11. Östermalm - Le Åt Allt
12. Soak The Sin - Hands Up
13. Cheek - Liiku
14. Lilyjets - Going Blind
15. Madrugada - Stories From The Streets
16. Robyn - Be Mine
17. Movies - The Fool
18. Jim Stärk - Going Down That Lonely Road
19. Timbuktu - Det Löser Sig
20. Håkan Hellström - Dom Kommer Kliva På Dig Igen

Challengers:
01. TwoPointEight - Red Eye
02. Shout Out Louds - Very Loud
03. Briskeby - Miss You Like Crazy
04. Venke Knutson - Just A Minute
05. Looptroop - Chana Masala

Go here to vote for your favorite: https://www.mtve.com/article.php?ArticleId=4753

Fluxblog posts a track from Jenny Wilson: https://www.fluxblog.org/2005/07/lost-in-cracks-between-paving-stones.html

Dusted reviews the new Ulver album: https://dustedmagazine.com/reviews/2295

The video for the new Stratovarius single "Maniac dance" has been posted online: https://www.streamingkit.de/player/sanctuary_records/maniacdance2.asx

Not that it really changes anything, but Opeth decided to close their Ultimate Metal web forum following the leak of the new album "Ghost of reveries". So while you may not be able to find direct links to mp3s on that site anymore, they are definitely out there floating around somewhere.

Finland's Swallow the Sun has confirmed "Ghosts of loss" as the title for their next album. It comes out August 24 via Firebox Records.

The new Embassy single "Some indulgence" comes out August 31 via Service Records.

Also on the way from Service is a new album from Erik de Vahl. Look for it this fall, probably around September.

The German webzine Sellfish has relaunched with a new user-friendly GUI and plenty more of the usual Scandinavian music reviews and interviews. Recently added pieces include a review of the new Karl Larsson (Last Days of April) album "Pale as milk" and an interview with Anders Wendin of Moneybrother: https://www.sellfish.de/

Canarie Records, home of Grapefruit and Bodybuilding, Cyndee LeeHulko, Kirsten Bride and more, now have a proper website online: https://www.canarierecords.com/

I hear that the new Alice in Videoland album will be out on October 5.

After many delays, the new "Speed on future" 7" from Ikaros is out from Strange Fruit. Only 500 copies, so act fast if you want one.

Today's Friday classic tune comes from Fireside, one of my long-time favorite bands. They're one of the main reasons I got excited about Scandinavian rock in the first place - I knew from the very first time I heard them that I needed to track down their entire discography and have been following them ever since. I bought all of Kristofer's solo albums. I started tracking down all of the albums that guitarist PMA recorded that I could find and got introduced to even more great stuff. And so on and so forth, right? My level of infatuation has calmed down quite a bit since then, but I still love the music. I even adore the much-maligned "Elite" record, but I'll save that for a different post some later day. Today's track first appeared on the 1996 EP "Left rustle" which I believe is long out of print, but it can still be found on the "Hello kids" EP and b-sides comp. Check it out.

Preview the new single "No fear" from The Rasmus at their website: https://www.therasmus.com/

Sondre Lerche posts his first web diary entry as a newly married man: https://www.sondrelerche.com/diary.asp?id=70