Med Denna Verkliga Kniv...

Vacum - Rädd För Tystnaden LP 1980

2009-02-01T12:14:00.003+01:00

"In 1977 Stephan Segermark and Mats Hammerman became classmates in the first year of high school. The had been childhood friends and found each other at once. The dinosaurs and Airfix models in scale 1:72 was now replaced by music by bands like The Saints, Wire and Sham 69. It did not take long before they started talking about forming a band. In 1978 the formed The Blank Generation which tried to rehearse three times but the drummer never showed up as he was more interested in driving his moped. The only thing they ever did was a badge.

Then they heard or a female drummer, which Nicke Hasselberg had played with in his first punk band, and Stephan and Mats called her at once.

The first rehearsal with Cathrine Fandén was on the 14th of January 1979 and it worked at once. Then they convinced Stephans neighbour Lars Holma to join on bass and on the 23rd of March they had their first concert under the name of Smudge with a repertoire of Three girl rumba (Wire), No heart (The Vibrators), Louie Louie (the Stooges version), Last Orders (The Fall), Sunday Morning Nightmare (Sham 69) and six self penned songs. On the next gig all the covers were gone and the band changed name to Vacum. On the 12th of August the band went to Gävle and during a few hours recorded and mixed six songs for their own Ep and also the track Svartvitt for The Sundsvall Punk Ep. Soon after that Cathrine moved to London to be au pair but Stephan and Mats did not give up and instead convinced another childhood friend Anders Olsson to join in on bass and also found drummer Sank Sankqvist who just got kicked out of Pizzoar.

Just 3 weeks after forming this new entity, the band had their first concert and after that things moved rapidly. The Maskerad single was recorded and made it to single of the week in Expressen (the most important music pages at the time) and when Cathrine came back from London she joined in on vocals since the drum chair was occupied.

The first album was recorded in spring 1980 and during the recording they discovered that Cathrine also could play the piano, and had real talent for it, so soon after the release of the first album a synth was bought and Vacum had found its form. Most of the material was based on ideas of Cathrine that all the others contributed too. The first album opened a lot of doors and the band started touring a lot and the second album was recorded in MNWs studio in Vaxholm. They pride themselves of writing a lot of material which resulted in about 150 songs. The aim was to have a new song on each local gig which resulted in long long rehearsals and to top that a lot of gigs which started to wear the band down.

After the recordings of the second album Den Sista Vintern, Cathrine and Sank left the band and was replaced with Magnus Lindh (who been assisting engineer during the recordings of Den Sista Vintern and had played in Rasta Hunden) on vocals and keyboards and Patrik Högl on drums. Cathrine formed synthpioneers Dockhuset and Sank went to USA to become a drummer for Richard Lloyd and later became a well known producer producing Thåström, Killing Joke and Paradise Lost among others.

The new version of Vacum had a period of long synth based songs which gradually changed to shorter and much more snappy songs and the single Dagar i Morgon was that version of the band at its best. Magnus background as an actor also added to the band resulting in better live shows. The band toured a lot and the third album Flugor och Rosor was recorded at extreme speed.

After the recordings of the third album Stephan moved to Stockholm and Magnus to Karlstad and after a while even Patrik moved to Stockholm and the band that used to rehearse for days suddenly had a problem to get together. The last recording to the compilation album En samling Rock från Sundsvall 1985 shows a band that had lost direction and focus. When a tour was booked in April 1985 Anders suddenly said no. He refused to go on tour unrehearsed and the tour was cancelled. Vacum made their last gig in June 1985. One of their best gigs ever.

The band has been resurrected twice. Both for rock club Pipeline jubilees. 1993 the 1984 version of the band played and in 1998 the original version played. The year after they also recorded one song "Scream" for Massproduktions 20 years jubilee -CD - Were only in it for the Money. "

Information taken from their excellent myspace page. this first record of theirs is a bit too stumbling-punk to be of real interest, but theres some excellent ideas floating around through the whole album and the lyrics is right on the spot sometimes. the only real flaw i can think of is mats hammermans vocals, which isnt very good. but considering this is a real punk record and that it was their first, all in all its an intriguing album well worth a listen or five.
LEGALISERA DÖDEN

Bitch Boys - Continental LP 1981

2009-01-10T16:39:00.003+01:00

Bitch Boys started out as a standard punk band somewhere around 1977 in stockholm, releasing a bunch of singles and one LP with snotty punk in the sex pistols vein. Then came a change in musical direction and this LP was recorded with another singer than the one from the punk years. If im not mistaken the singer here, Max Lorentz IV (!), was a judge on the swedish version of tv program Jeopardy for a couple of years.
The music is similar to ultravox, japan and the whole new romatic-package which were so popular in those days. I cant begin to imagine why they changed their style so dramatically, perhaps with the wish of greater commercial success? also, i guess all of you who enjoy "minimal synth" will like this one as theres some hints of those things. still, its not a bad record.
LEBENSRAUM

Fahrenheit - Vi Har Sprängt 7" 1984

2009-01-07T18:52:00.003+01:00

This second, and sadly last, single of theirs is a bit darker than their first, with more of a aggressive take on the vocals as well as the harsher bassline and repetitive drums. its quite hard to find a band that sounds like fahrenheit... maybe if simple minds had played no wave, like on the a side? not forgetting the brilliant orential-influenced song on the b-side. what i cant understand, though, is why they never released more material than the two singles, considering the fantastic quality of their music. enjoy this one and see to it that theyll be remembered.
VI HAR BLIVIT GALNA
VI HAR SPRÄNGT VÅRT RUM

Fahrenheit - Mysterier 7" 1983

2009-01-07T18:44:00.003+01:00

Sometime between Schnabels last single and this one, they decided to change name to Fahrenheit, and switched drummers from Lennart Holmström to Johan Schjelderup (at least i think they were drummers, but please correct me if im wrong, the sleeves tell nothing about any line up at all). the music also changed a bit, but kept the intense new wave of say, the best parts on the "pop-job" sampler, and took it to new levels of great music. the surrealistic lyrics of "Under skydd av det vackra" gets to me each listen. also, i must say that the vocal parts are much better in fahrenheit than in schnabel. this is a great, and somehow forgotten, single.
UNDER SKYDD AV DET VACKRA PROMENERAR JAG IDAG

apologies my brothers

2009-01-07T18:41:00.001+01:00

for not posting for so long. during my absence from this blog ive been painting and i have watched almost every episode of the x files. im at the middle of season 8 for the moment. but since the end of all things draws near i guess ill have to share more of those secret treasures that i keep in my drawers, hopefully ill start posting more on a daily basis now. we'll see.

V/A - Pop Job LP 1980

2008-11-19T22:46:00.003+01:00

This was the first LP to be released on Klas Lundings legendary Stranded Rekords, a label that started out as a fanzine but eventually merged into a successful record-company (the peak being reached when the major label Polar bought the entire Stranded-roster). on this fine sampler we can hear four young bands (and one really bad one) in the start of their musical career. two of them would gain national fame and one would suceed all others and live on in the 21th century, its such a shame.
Lustans Lakejer started out as a mediocre new wave-band, as can be heard on this record with two very early songs. eventually they became pop-heroes and sold quite a lot of records, always with a kind of distance to everyday life, taking the new romantic movements dreams of a life in luxury and blending it with some james bond-style of dekadence. does it sound good? decide after youve heard the songs. johan kinde, the singer and lyricist in LL, have, i must say, one of the dullest voices ive ever heard (think of david sylvian/ferry meets a politician) AND he wrote (and still writes. the mans been writing a book now!) the worst lyrics of all time. at least from my point of view. LL is still around today, and even appeared in the swedish schlager-festival.
but putting Lustans Lakejer aside for a moment, the other bands are great. Kai Martin & Stick!, the other band that got some kind of fame and released four fantastic records, also just started out as a band and the tracks here lacks some of the great majestic nature of what they would perform later on. still, theres some excellent ska-pop in them.
Schnabel which youve heard from my previous posts appears here with two equally fantastic songs. a bit darker than their singles, possibly a hint of what would come next in their evolution.
N-Liners came from Uppsala (Kai martin were from Gothenburg, the others from Stockholm) and released one single in 78 but at that point they played punk-pop. for this release they have matured into a great jerky organ-driven fast-paced pop-band much alike that of say, XTC! its a shame they didnt release any more stuff than this one and two more tracks on another compilation.
finally Studio Sex, the worst of these bands. ive never liked their two mod-rock bits and i doubt that i ever will. despite some low marks though, this is a great compilation of the swedish new wave. enjoy!
SÅ LÄNGE DET FINNS LIV FINNS DET HOPP

Schnabel - Herre Med Portfölj 7" 1980

2008-11-18T23:02:00.002+01:00

For me, this is a giant leap in their musical abilities. where the previous single was rather dull, this one hits all the right buttons and delivers two fantastic, unresistable pop tunes! this single was one of the first to be released on the now legendary Stranded rekords, and apparently only 50 copies were sold with a cover (large, fold-out poster-cover) so its a sort of rarity. after this, as i said, they changed their name and got really interesting. more of them soon. meanwhile, enjoy these two a-sides.
HAN ÄR INTE FRISK

Schnabel - A Fairytale About A Furry Tail 7" 1979

2008-11-18T22:51:00.002+01:00

As i understand, Schnabel formed in the late 70's as Panic performing at a legendary concert in Medborgarhusen together with the Stoodes (a gig that ended in a riot, right?). After that they eventually changed the name to Schnabel, adopted a more mod-pop-punk style and released two excellent pop-singles before changing the name again and reinventing their style yet another time. this is their first record, released on their own Clean Records ("Hygienisk pop!"). theres nothing groundbreaking in it, but some great pop-songs!
A FAIRYTALE ABOUT A FURRY TAIL

Citizen Kane - Förlorad 7" 1981

2008-11-16T21:57:00.002+01:00

Its rare to hear a good power-pop-band, but this single is so catchy i cant resist it. Unfortunately i dont have any information about them, except that they were from Örebro and that this single was scheduled to be released on Stranded Rekords, but somehow saw the light of day through the small label Image Records. Excellent pop melodies with 60's style organ!
JAG ÄR FÖRLORAD

ABC 80 - Svära & Svika 7" 1982

2008-11-11T15:00:00.003+01:00

Another excellent band from Karlshamn. ABC 80 formed from the ashes of local punk-bands and released one powerpop single called "Pop i radion" before the release of this one. Im not so fond of their first, but this one is great! Slightly dark, but still poppy, post-punk with a surprisingly good production. Apparently they knew how to get great sounds down in Karlshamn, and from what ive read they had a strong scene with loads of great bands, many of them found in the 3 Lp-set "Rockslaget" which will see the light here some day.
JAG KAN INTE LITA PÅ DIG

Storebrors Fabrik - Storebror 12" 1984

2008-11-09T13:59:00.003+01:00

Heres another one of those rare obscurities that i know next to nothing about. The only clue i have is that it was released on Jörgen Sangstas Urania-label and mixed by Henryk Lipp in his music-a-matic studio. The band were probably from gothenburg and this was their only release, though i seem to recall to have seen a 7" single for sale with the two tracks on the b-side. Any information about this band would be much appreciated. The music is great minimal synth with that special 80's touch of saxophone, a real killer for those of you who love this sort of thing. Storebror, or "big brother" in english, is of course taken from Orwells novel, and its quite perfect that this single was released in 1984!
PÅ STOREBRORS FABRIK BLIR DU ALDRIG RIK

22 För Många - Tokfansmännen I Luftballongen Unreleased LP 1983

2008-11-06T21:22:00.004+01:00

"en Kropotkin release av...

22 För Många - Tokfansmännen I Luftballongen (1983, Outgiven Vinyl):

1983 var de tre För Många, Henrik Franzén, Mickael Söderlund och Catarina Silverforsen
med trummis (sorry inget namn, Putte tror jag. De bytte en del lirare)
i Mistlur-studion för att generera sitt 5:e alster.
Innan produktionen var avslutad hann gruppen, av olika anledningar, besluta sig för att skiljas åt.
Kvar var en 'master-press' av plattan, som anförtroddes en utomstående att bevara LPn åt folket.
En gång tidigare har den varit spelat för folk, utlånad till P3 hösten -83

"- Om inget händer innan, se till att folk kan ta del av den om 20 år eller så..."
20 år senare, men inte för sent... här är den, 'digitally re-mastered'!!!

10 låtar - 320kbps:

01 - Heligt Svor Jag
02 - Som Det Förgångna Spott
03 - Titel Okänd
04 - Nattfösaren
05 - Ord Att Presentera
06 - Tokfansmännen
07 - De Överflödiga
08 - Den Sista Sången
09 - Moralens Katedraler
10 - Den Elfte Sången

3 omslagsfiler - 150dpi (från den handskrivna original innerpåsen med Henriks skrift.):
back
cd
front

Diskografi:
Kassett-LP 1 -81
Kassett-LP 2, "I afton trans" (tfm 01 -81)
LPn (futurax, fut 22 -82)
EPn (futurax -83)
Tokfansmännen I Luftballongen (Mistlur -83)"

Thanks to UffePuff a whole new generation can enjoy 22 för mångas last record, that was scheduled to be realeased on Mistlur. Its quite rare to hear a new wave-band actually getting better and better for each record, but i must say that this one is their best. its a shame it never got a proper release, but i guess 20 years is acceptable if the music is this good. enjoy!
"Och avslutningsvis i sann punkanda.
SISTA PLATTAN."

Dansdepartementet - Verklighetens Dag LP 1988

2008-11-05T22:38:00.004+01:00

Ive never met anyone who agrees with me, but i think this is Dansdepartementets best work. The heavy goth-influence of their earlier work may be gone, but somehow this one seems a lot more depressing to me. The reason is mainly Mikael Syréns songwriting. I must say, as usual, that these are brilliant lyrics, to every single song. Ive never heard someone describe the initial phase in a relationship so honest and passionate as Syrén in "En flicka simmar". or his rendering of a miserable alcoholic in "bara jag och sprit". and the music manages to bring his words in such a context that the whole album drips of melancholy and the beauty of life and all its surroundings, even though the production is a bit too late 80's. its another one of those albums you can cry out to, or just brood in your depression and/or happiness - its the whole spectrum of emotions in one album. sadly, after this lp Dansdepartementet split up. read a bit more on them (in swedish) here. and yes, Micke Kjell, bassplayer in the legendary Ståålfågel, joined Dansdepartementet for this album, as well as Petter Brundell who acted as producer.
FLYTTA DIG MED SOLEN ÄLSKLING

22 För Många - I Afton Trans TAPE 1983

2008-11-05T21:25:00.003+01:00

The first side of this second cassette of theirs is a bit hard for me to understand. But if i see it correctly its a sort of drama about a man trying to get a call to a swedish radio program called "Ring så spelar vi", and we follow his attempts to secure a short time in the ether, eventually resulting in him murdering his neighbour and sending the corpse to the show. correct me if im wrong here. anyway, its a great "record", no surprise there. and my favourite songs is of course when catherine sings. especially "moralens katedraler" sends a shiver down my spine everytime i hear it. its so good. or "historien om historien" where Henrik really hits the nail on the head lyricwise. yak yak, just get this now.
SÅ SÄG MIG, FINNS DET NÅN MENING MED LIVET?

22 För Många - EP 7" 1983

2008-11-05T21:17:00.003+01:00

Sadly, this was the last vinyl appearance of the brilliant group 22 För Många. But what a "last record" (they released another cassette and recorded a second Lp as well) it is. my favourite track is Hökens ålder as im quite fond of Catarinas voice, but the rest of the EP is great as well with its dark and pretentious lyrics and mix between new wave and... well, and what? Re-release this now, henrik!
DET SVINISKA GLINET

22 För Många - ST LP 1982

2008-10-23T23:03:00.003+02:00

Vad kan man säga om en skiva som har allt? Inte mycket, förutom att den måste avlyssnas. En dag hittade jag den här skivan i en affärs femkronorsback. Jag hade hört talas om bandet men aldrig hört dem och med tanke på omslaget hade jag skyhöga förväntningar. Efter första lyssningen fattade jag ingenting. Efter andra tyckte jag den var tråkig. Efter tredje började det gå upp för mig. Det genialiska. Efter en fjärde lyssningssession, då utan textbladet (det har jag nu, med lite promomaterial), tyckte jag mig förstå. Jag slogs till marken av atombombsskräcken i Armageddon / Bomben, aldrig har någon lyckats skildra möjligheten av ett slutgiltigt krig så klart som 22 för många. Det kan hända när som helst, tillochmed när man går som vanligt på gatan. För att inte tala om Till Elvorna som jag hade inspelad på band och lyssnade sönder totalt. "Prometheus modiga barn, vad skall vi tända med den eld som vi har stulit?". Människans inneboende möjlighet i all dess nakna ärlighet! Eller "Vad skall det bli av oss" som nu ljuder i mina hörlurar. Eller varför inte den avslutande Nånting Annat, där Catarina sjunger så vackert att det gör ont. Må så vara att det kan tyckas svårt att sätta sig in i Henriks tankeverksamhet, men är inte det tjusningen med riktigt bra lyrik? För att inte tala om Catarina Silverforsens underbara röst, som påminner om en mjukare Nico. Detta är ett av den svenska musikhistoriens stora monument. Förvalta det väl.

No words for this fantastic record. Poetic, simply beautiful and definetly original. One of the best of all time. get this now.

ALL KONST HAR SITT URSPRUNG I FANTASIN, SOM ÄR HELT PERSONLIG

22 För Många - First TAPE 1981

2008-10-23T22:37:00.002+02:00

Grisen Skriker was one of swedens first punkbands, along with their friends ebba grön they played tons of gigs around the suburbs of stockholm, often in silly costumes or as at their last gig - completely nude. but where ebba grön continued to evolve into swedens version of the clash, Grisen disbanded due to their singer being forced by his parents to travel to usa. without the aid of a singer, the rest of Grisen skriker became Raketerna, a catchy pop-band with swindling guitars, a sort of distant cousin to U2. the singer, however, eventually came back to sweden and started his own, new band together with two friends and a drummer. the singer was and is Henrik Franzén, the two friends were Mikael Söderlund on guitar and Catarina Silverforsen on bass and vocals. i have no idea who the drummer was. the band was 22 För Många. the rest should be history, but no. although recieving a bit of attention through fanzines, national radio and performing theatrical gigs no one seem to remember them these days and no reissues have been made, even though their entire output has been circulating on torrentsites. 22 för många had and still have a genuine form of expression that no swedish band could or can match. perhaps their audience didnt understand them then, but there is so much to understand from their music. the melodies swell with concealed treasures, storms the mind with its lush, pleasing poetry. mr franzén often focused on that he was an artist, and that everyone is uniqe and artists too. anyway, this is their first tape-LP, self-released in 1981, filled with great songs about life. no cover, sadly, help anyone? enjoy.
JA DET ÄR SANT OCH VI KOMMER FRÅN SIRIUS

Memento Mori CD!

2008-10-21T18:29:00.003+02:00

Memento Mori recently released a wonderful CD compiling tons of great stuff from their all too short career. More info can be found on their MYSPACE. BUY OR DIE!

Mögel - ST MP 1980

2008-10-21T18:14:00.004+02:00

Following their two tracks on the Slicksampler, here's Mögels only release: a Medium Play issued on the brilliant Slick label. I recall that this one was recorded in france under supervision of some hot producer, but i cant remember which one. its great though, a defenitive version of the Slits in swedish. natural rhythm-music! and yes, mögel were an all-girl band (a promo-sheet included with the release of this record claimed that the band had gone to bed with lots of people to manage to record this release. obviously a joke, but many critics didnt understand the irony).
SOMLIGA GILLAR LIV, JAG GILLAR BARA DATA

VA - Mun Mot Mun Metoden TAPE 1982

2008-10-06T11:53:00.004+02:00

Heres another excellent tape, a sampler from Slick records based in stockholm, documenting the big names in new wave/postpunk at the time, even though the focus, quite naturally, is at the scene in stockholm. all of the songs are exclusive to this release. apart from the names you should know by now there are some interesting stuff, like Dokuments synth-based postpunk, or Nej Tios riot grrl-esque feminist synthpunk. ståålfågel, the best band ever, does two tracks of splendid synthrock and other slick rosters like Kommo and Mögel (swedens Slits!) participates with great songs. the vocals on Mögels songs are just fantastic, the idea to blend in swedens "landskapsblommor" (i dont think theres an english equivalent) is just too much. theres lots to be said about each band so it would take up a whole page of this blog, but if you look close at the coverart i think you can figure out some of the connections between these bands. for now, lets leave it to say that this is a fantastic compilation.
KORSFÄST KVINNA HÄNGER PÅ MITT RUM

Unter Den Linden - Gud Skapade Även De Löjliga TAPE 1987

2008-10-05T18:08:00.004+02:00

Thanks to Anonymus Donor heres UDLs last record for us all to enjoy. a self-released tape issued in 1987 that apparently sold quite well, but never got the attention it so well deserves. this must be their best work ever! somehow they managed to maintain the fantastic songwriting of their previous work, but to increase the dose of cynisism so that the obsidian black lyrics makes this one of the most in-your-face-records ive ever heard. forget about all hc and goth, this is as black as it gets. and what must be the best part is that the music is a perfect equivalent to the lyrics, music and choruses that sticks in your head like spikes. a perfect pop soundtrack for those who dont love life as much as other people or perhaps music to laugh at life to. why isnt UDL one of swedens most acclaimed bands? why hasnt this been released on cd? just download this. now. i cant express how great this is. DO NOT MISS THIS!!! etc.
TA BETALT! TA BETALT! ANNARS ÄR NI LIKA DUMMA SOM JAG OCH TRO MIG: JAG ÄR SKITDUM!!!

Dansdepartementet - Catch As Catch Can 7" 1986

2008-09-11T15:42:00.004+02:00

For their third single Dansarna settled for the english language, for some reason. perhaps due to a need to break new grounds internationally. personally i think this one is a bit more bleak than their previous work, although the b-side bears some hints of TC-matic's weird-funk. its still a great record, though, so if you loved their previous material just get this. soon to follow is their third LP, where they changed their musical direction in quite a funny way... enjoy!
I DONT CARE MUCH FOR SINGING

Dansdepartementet - Niagara LP 1986

2008-09-11T15:32:00.003+02:00

With their second LP Dansdepartementet took hold of the style they created on the previous records, and pushed it further into magnificent goth-territory! although not many bands in sweden at that time had the influences Dansarna had, those band existed but never managed to make something great out of gothness. however, dansarna is the perfect example of "goth" that is so much more than bleak landscapes etc. this is very hard-hitting post-punk, filled with personal lyrics, great, catchy synth parts and a fantastic rhythmsection. the only band i can think of that managed to do something equally brilliant with their KJ-obsession is polands Siekiera. and i must say that this should be highly ranked on the international scale, possibly even higher than most of KJs own albums! in the nineties nonstop-label released a sort of best-of compilation with most of Dansdepartementets material, but i cant find their website and so cant direct you to a place to buy it. so i guess youll have to settle for this rip, but what a fantastic record this is.
DET FINNS INGET ANNAT ÄN DANS

Dansdepartementet - Wankers 7" 1984

2008-09-11T15:23:00.004+02:00

This must be the best goth produced in sweden ever. As you could hear on their first Lp posted a while back, Dansdepartementet were very inspired by killing joke, and their heritage can be heard on this one as well, but now Dansarna managed to blend in their own style and create something that quite hadnt been done before. this was their greatest "hit", if you could talk about hits with a band like this, but i believe even a video was produced, so they must have gotten some kind of recognition. this is great stuff, in the vein of killing joke, siekiera etc.
DU HADE EN PLAN FÖR MIG

Unter Den Linden - Vända Inåt 7" 1982

2008-09-08T14:34:00.004+02:00

UDLs first single could almost be taken from their split LP or should i say an early version of Joy Division? nonetheless, this is great post-punk in the JD-school, which not many bands in sweden could match or can match today. i especially like the bass-line on Vända inåt... if you understand swedish theres an excellent page about UDL at punktjafs, with discography, history etc. or just download this piece of musical history.
JAG KAN INTE SE DIG I ÖGONEN LÄNGRE

Unter Den Linden - Utom Våra Liv LP 1984

2008-09-08T14:15:00.005+02:00

Im sorry for the lack of posts recently, so i suppose its time for a big one today: the most requested album on this blog, utom våra liv! after their first lp together with att som, udl started to play harder punk, sometimes in the realms of contemporary HC-bands (just check their Motstånd i Läder 7", avaliable at killed by death) but what makes them stand out from the boring, one-note trash mayhem of most hc-bands is their overwhelming nihilism. the lyrics are so full of hate, anger, knife-sharp social criticism that its hard to see how any of them lived through the eighties. it could, of course, be a distanced outlook on society and how we behave, but every time i play this one the words stab at me with their fierce darkness. and yes, theres music as well, mostly fast punk with a strong experimental edge, as in the closing, 7 minute track Survivors, the only song thats vaugely remenicent of their first album. but make no mistake, this is an album for both kbd-freaks and goths. and if you understand swedish, just listen to the lyrics! this is great stuff...
JAG VILL INTE DANSA PÅ GATORNA, SOM I GREKLAND

Martin Rössel - Kär 7" 1990

2008-08-16T11:50:00.004+02:00

I could say a lot of things about martin rössels late eighties solocareer, but i wont. lets just say that he released three solo LPs and a lot of singles. one lp on gothenburg alternative label Radium Records and the other two on one of the majors, CBS. this single, however, taken from his last LP, Resan, is an excellent exercise in silly pop music. i first heard the title track in frispel, a weird program on the swedish national radio, and looked for it for many years until i found out he was a member of a early eighties band and finally i managed to find this record. its so silly its brilliant! the b-side is quite good as well, a bit synth-flavoured and all.
SVEN, TJENA!

Lars Cleveman - 100 Wars Of Jesus Christ 7" 1986

2008-08-15T12:35:00.003+02:00

Second single from Cleveman's solo career (although most of Dom Dummaste plays on this record), with a remake of what would have been their biggest "hit", jesu kristi 100 krig. this time in english and with a new arrangement, leaving a bit of the pure synth joy that was the original and updating it to 1985. the b-side shows cleveman at his most john cale-ish, drenched in traditional blues, something im not especially fond of but overall its a great performance. also, its produced by one of the best producers in sweden, johan vävare. if you like DDs vision of the world theres no turning back now, get this as well.
I KNOW WHO YOU ARE

Lars Cleveman - Cleveman LP 1985

2008-08-14T17:51:00.005+02:00

If you loved Lars Clevemans single or his parts on Revolverkäke youll love this as well. another slice of minimal synth goodness that, as usual, should be selling on ebay for 100000000$, but as its been almost forgotten since its release i guess its no surprise most people havent heard this. So, this is great synth-based heaven, with Lars voice as good as it always is. Sometimes, though, he fumbles a bit with the english language, but its ok, since hes such a great singer. The music reminds me a bit of Cluster and similar kraut-electronica at times, but also of DDs contemporaries of the time. Just like Martin Rössels solo-LP this was released on DD-records and recorded in Martins private studio. Do not miss this, its GREAT!
MY BEST FRIENDS ARE THOSE WHO DIED

Lars Cleveman - The Ghost 7" 1984

2008-08-03T15:05:00.004+02:00

Up for grabs today is Lars Clevemans first solo output, a single released on Dom Dummastes own label DD records. this should please all minimal synth collectors with its mellow synths and lars' great vocals. the b-side is a remake of the title track off Revolverkäke and i think it beats the original many times over. also, ive just heard that a book is in the making, in time for DDs 30th anniversary, so stay tuned for more information on that or check their site again. more cleveman coming soon...
BARNEN SÖRJER VID HANS GRAV

Martin Rössel - För Mycket Tid LP 1983

2008-07-27T13:00:00.003+02:00

If you liked martins side on revolverkäke youre in for a treat here, as most of the material here is in the same vein. from the funny, country-parody "vardagsproblem" to the haunting "nina" (a sort of remake of lilla fågeln on revolverkäke, dedicated to his sister), expressing a mature depth in songwriting that he never really managed to live up to on his later recordings. mostly its brilliant in its lush pop-format, expressing a wide range of emotions. theres even a fine cover of satellite of love, another wink to his ancestors, lou reed and the velvet underground. highly recommended!
KLOCKORNA DOM BARA RINGER

Martin Rössel & The Dum-Dum Boys - Pablo Picasso 7" 1982

2008-07-26T13:45:00.004+02:00

For some reason Martin Rössels first solo-single (if you could call it that, as i guess most of the other dom dummaste most likely appears here, although under weird pseudonyms) was released on Pulsating Beat, a label managed by a fanzine from Linköping called Jörvars Gosskör (most famous for spawning popular culture-tabloid writer jan gradvall). nevertheless we get two great covers of DDs favourite artists, pablo picasso originally by jonathan richman and heartbreak hotel in a version much more a cover of a cover, namely john cales version of elvis classic hit. and as you can see from the fantastic cover its a great one, with dark synths and even a guillotine played somewhere along the lines.
P-P-P-PABLO PICASSO

(M Som I Maskin, Mördare M.M. CD-R 2008)

2008-07-26T13:24:00.005+02:00

Ok I promised the guys in this band to publish their new album on this page, so if youre just interested in the old quality stuff scroll up and download martin rössels first excellent single. but if you want to hear some new sounds from my hometown you could always try to listen to a few tracks on this release. if you can get past the horrible vocals and lack of structure i think theyre quite ok, heavily influenced by the golden years 77-83 and all. with drum machines, vintage synths and very odd production. apparently they inprovise all their songs live in the studio! and if you happen to like some of this im sure they will be glad to hear it from you, just visit their myspace (or leave a comment here).
M SOM I MASKIN, MÖRDARE M.M.

Dom Dummaste - Revolverkäke LP 1984

2008-07-25T15:32:00.005+02:00

What a beautiful cover, dont you think? Second LP by DD, and yes its a great one. For this they dropped most of their more majestic moves on the previous lp and returned to the more minimal approach to synths and organ - much like that on the debut cassette. again, this should be one of those records that fetches silly sums on ebay labeled minimal synth. but it doesnt. and again, martin rössel shows his skills as a writer, mostly on the sweet "lilla fågeln" and "hösten stannar kvar". clevemans side is also filled with classics, such as "fast i skallen" and perhaps "psyke" (a song he wrote while in his first band, Blomsterunge, more on them later on). both sides are filled with synth galore and john cale is thanked on the innersleeve which is very appropriate as clevemans more mellow bits is filled with nico/cale influences. and theres even a great cover of cales classic "king harry" translated to swedish. sadly this was dds last record for almost a decade, as martin and lars focused on their solo careers... more of them coming soon. please, make this one of those legendary records that everyone just got to have. pump the price up on ebay so to force martin and lars to release this on cd so that more people can enjoy this. and for gods sake visit their website and tell them you love this, i know you will. enjoy!
JAG SÅG MÅNGA HUS, I ETT AV DEM HÄNGDE EN MAN

Dom Dummaste - Sympati För Djävulen LP 1982

2008-07-24T21:00:00.006+02:00

Time for Dom Dummastes first LP and it is quite hard for me to say much about it so lets deal with the players first. Of course we have Martin Rössel and Lars Cleveman, the two pranksters with a more deep side, something that will get apparent here. their songwriting is just great, from such beautiful lyrics like "går min väg" or "sympati för djävulen" to the fast cohen-inspired song "smycken" or the dark as blackest night Våroffer where Cleveman puts his operatic skills inte full action, and of course Rössels masterpiece "hymn för oktober". i always start each fall with hymn... its a perfect review of the year thats gone by. additional players is also Henrik Stawe (from guds barn), Anders Hernestam (ståålfågel, commando m pigg, now in weeping willows), ralf nygård (from boojwah kids), håkan soold (from guds barn, now in the plastic pals) and olle schedin (from cellskräck, guds barn, later in all-starband global infantilists). a large collective of musicians producing great popmusic with depth. just listen to the closing track, Schedins Psalm. its so beautiful it hurts. get this.

MEN VART KAN DU FLY? DU KAN INTE FLY

Dom Dummaste - Julsingel -81 7" 1981

2008-07-12T16:42:00.003+02:00

Second release and the first appearance of Dom Dummaste on vinyl. On this christmas single, released just in time for the holiday shopping in 1981, DD moved out of the EMS studio and went for a sound more like that of their live shows. A thing i forgot to mention is that they seem to divide the writing duties on each album, so that on this, the A-side is written and sung by Lars Cleveman, while the b-side is by Martin Rössel - an approach they used for most of their albums. This is great stuff, the dark synth-parts on jesu kristi and the neat zappa-esque pop of borta. An essential classic!
100 WARS OF JESUS CHRIST

Dom Dummaste - Lars Cleveman, Martin Rössel & Dom Dummaste TAPE 1980

2008-07-11T21:21:00.004+02:00

Although mutant sounds posted this fantastic cassette a while back i might as well post it here so that more people have a chance to hear the magic that is dom dummaste. dom dummaste's history is a long one, they still exists to this day and performs sporadically, but it all started at a late night party where Martin Rössel met then (and still is) opera-singer Lars Cleveman. they shared a love for bowie, eno and especially iggy pop with his 77-album the idiot, where one of the songs, dum dum boys, gave them their name, roughly translated to swedish as Dom Dummaste. with absurd humor as one of their main strengths coupled with a mad sense of absolute reality they wrote songs, and started performing live together with some friends, but during their long existence lots of people have mingled among their ranks and the only two people thats always remained as the main core is Martin and Lars. This fantastic tape was recorded in the legendary swedish EMS-studio, a sort of focus point for the experimental electronic music in the 60-70s, where the two took lectures in electronic composing. when the studio was emptied at night, they snuck in and recorded this mass of electronic absurdity. needless to say it is unique in swedish contemporary music, and dom dummaste have never really managed to record something like this again, even though their following albums are great. listen to "labyrint 1" (a track not included in the 90's reissue) and drift away to the magnificent piano only to be struck down to earth by the harsh utterings of a military experiment gone wrong, or "ståltråd åt grabbarna", one of my favourites, where lars belches out all that is wrong with our society. this is truly genius at work. and id better label it minimal synth, as well, since it reaches those goals, but this is so much more. as i said, dd still exists to this day, and even have a very nice website which youll have to visit.
KAN JAG FÅ EN MER DETALJERAD BILD AV OMRÅDE 1

Artificial - Bilder 7" 1984

2008-07-07T18:06:00.005+02:00

I found this rarity while browsing a fine recordstore in stockholm. dont know much about the band though, only that its another fine effort from my hometown umeå. five guys playing a slight commercial new wave with hints of soul but doing it very well. i especially like the cool sleeve. any information about this band would be appreciated, as always.
PICTURES

Digital Terror - ST 7" 1981

2008-06-22T17:48:00.003+02:00

Well, i think this is as rare as it gets in sweden. Three guys in a livingroom somewhere in Helsingborg borrowed a tape recorder and recorded this wonderful mix of the residents plain-weird structures and swell maps DIY-estethics. apparently the group disbanded even before this release and makes a statement on the insert that they couldnt stand the music anymore. at least one member of the band played in helsingborg band dehex a year later. is this minimal synth? avant-jazz on "radarstrumporna..."? post punk? well, you decide. highly recommended!
RADARSTRUMPORNA ANFALLER

Abcess Exil - För Fulla Segel LP 1984

2008-06-21T14:15:00.003+02:00

First lp by abcess exil, somewhat commercial sound but with most of their early sound intact. sadly the cures influence isnt as strong as in their first singles. after this they released one more album and two singles, but i dont think theyre interesting enough to upload here as they are too far out on the pop-spectrum. sebastian öberg, famous celloplayer appears on one of the songs.
MAKTLÖSHETENS GLADIATORER

Abcess Exil - Igår 7" 1983

2008-06-20T18:21:00.003+02:00

Second single by Abcess Exil, still remaining a great new wave-band much similar to the cure, but perhaps with more personal lyrics than robert smith. after this one their search for commercial success damaged the sound, rendering it quite blank and boring, but they managed to keep a bit of originality for their first album, which will follow soon.
YESTERDAY

Abcess Exil - Varför? 7" 1982

2008-06-19T18:44:00.003+02:00

Abcess Exil where from gothenburg and were one of the major new wave-bands of the city, at least they should have been as they shared many performances with the majors of the town, like cortex and viva, and they also participated on a great compilation with four great gothenburg bands that you can download HERE. most of the members came from seminal punkbands, Yogi Gran from knugens håf, Ruby Berner from Aptit and Julle Aurell from Abstract and as punk moved towards new wave and post-punk so did they and formed Abcess Exil with music that reminds me of the Cure from about the same year. this is their first single released on Slick records based in stockholm and its a great one. highly depressive lyrics, just as its meant to be.
WHY?

Tredje Mannen - Blå Drömmar LP 1983

2008-06-06T16:34:00.005+02:00

The second LP saw tredje mannen moving away from the definitive darkness on their first lp, adding a slightly more commercial sound to their dark mix of despair while still containing much of the loneliness of their early work. a third man, Christian Callert, joined the duo for the release of this LP and Peripetie posted earlier, providing percussion and real drums instead of the drum machine they used for their first works. this of course adds a bit more standard eighties sound to their music but i believe they still capture that feeling of teenage angst in such a way that this, as well as their first records, should be rediscovered and hyped-to-death in the way most of the bands from the same scene has been in recent years. this is essential stuff that should be legendary but isnt. its a mystery. please visit their myspace and give them the credit they so well deserve.
BLUE DREAMS

Tredje Mannen - Péripétie 7" 1983

2008-06-05T18:16:00.006+02:00

Even if you dont like Japans sleazy new romantic or ultravox experiment pop youve got to yield to tredje mannen. this is their third single and the first one to include two non-album tracks. and well, its probably the best synth-pop record released in sweden, or perhaps the world. i simply cannot express what this two songs manages to say in standard pop-format. just listen.
ÄNTLIGEN FALLER ALLT IHOP

Tredje Mannen - Cul-De-Sac LP 1982

2008-06-04T17:28:00.005+02:00

I cant really describe this music, nor the impact this record has made on me ever since i bought it one hot summer evening. Lets just say that tredje mannen made the best synth-pop in sweden to this day and possibly for this millenium as well. perfect pop songs, largely inspired by joy divisions barren landscapes and the doors swollen romanticism, with very pretentious lyrics about the meaningless idea that is love and other hazards. find out a bit more and listen to some more on their myspace, and demand a reissue of this great band. get this now and collapse like thin cardboard walls from the majestic force of väggen, mörk romantik, sailor etc. etc. this is a definitive classic!
SÅ HANN JAG IFATT DIG TILL SLUT

Mojo Sect - In This Dream 7" 1984

2008-06-02T11:32:00.004+02:00

Got this beauty in the mail today and its something so odd as a band from my hometown, Umeå! mojo sect consisted of three people, with various guitarists playing for them live and in the studio. they only released this single, but i think two of the members eventually ended up in swedish pop group komeda. this is great post-punk wave with female vocals, highly recommended!
MOJO SECT

Viva! - Dreams Be Quiet! LP 1985

2008-06-01T18:28:00.005+02:00

I remembered this album as a bleak almost ambient synth-lp, but now that i gave it a spin it turned out to be so much more. on this third album viva manages to get hold of the spirit their second album just showed a hint of, a mellow but sharp wave of mood-driven songs with a slight nod to simple minds or rather ultravox at their most laid back moments. its a great album, possibly better than their second and highly original in both nordic circles and anywhere in the world really. not made to be chart hits but rather to leave a lasting impression when the needle is off. the norwegian label Uniton released it, and its fit right into their catalouge of unsettling mystery that they released through the eighties. when will they release this great music on cd?
DREAMS BE QUIET!

Zzzang Tumb - ST LP 1983

2008-05-31T12:23:00.004+02:00

A record for your summer parties. We all know where the phrase zzang tumb comes from, but the band formed in the early eighties by Latte Kronlund, in stockholm, who played around in a studio with a drum machine and funky rythms from his bass. from this lineup a whole band soon emerged with among others iodine jupiter from porno pop moon family, soon to be in kitchen and the plastic spoons, sisters idde and irma schultz and a bunch of other people. they developed lattes ideas about a funky new wave band and grew very tight as a performing entity, so on this record, they play great funky wave with loads of slap bass and rhythm. somewhere on the road they managed to get hold of siouxsie and the banshees guitarist john mcgeoch and made him come and produce the album. included here as a bonus track is the b-side for their second single, a cover of bowies andy warhol.
VEM HAR LAGT RYTMEN I EN BOX?

Ocal Waltz - The Ocal Waltz 7" 1986

2008-05-20T19:32:00.003+02:00

Dont know much about this band either. they were from or around gothenburg and released this single and a lp on radium, both displaying excellent gothic post-punk with lots of weird touches and beefhart-esque rythmpatterns. the a-side on this is fantastic with its melodic clarinet parts and powerful backing vocals. ill post the lp as soon as my stereo is ok again.
HOO HOO HA HA

IS9 - Röda Hjärtans Extas 7" 1983

2008-05-19T17:01:00.003+02:00

Great first single by gothenburg band IS9. after this they released one lp and the single i posted a while back. smart arrangements and a slight nod to gang of four or echo and the bunnymen. released by vinylbolaget, a label from borås i think, that also released their other albums and some other stuff that arent worth to mention. get it.
RED HEARTS EXTACY

Mats Olofsson - Raket, Raket 7" 1981

2008-05-07T19:09:00.003+02:00

Second release from mats olofsson. not as essential as the first but still some good minimal moments. i think the best part of this is the perfect front cover. he also released a cassette which i dont have, entitled "kulturen är död". it would be great to hear it so if anyone is willing to contribute it would be very appreciated.
ROCKET, ROCKET

Mats Olofsson - Rekordmagasinet 7" 1981

2008-05-06T13:26:00.004+02:00

A deep breath... wow. this is THE minimal synth single from sweden. mats olofsson started out as drummer for then punkband docent död, but left after their second single to pursue a solo career. in 1981 he released two brilliantly poppy synthsingles and one cassette (if anyone have that, please share!). rekordmagasinet were a magazine directed to pre-teenage boys published in the 40s and 50s in sweden dealing with sports, football, hockey etc.mr olofsson really captured the feel of 50's style schlager pop on both these wonderful tracks. the b side is a cover of swedish "dansband" Sven-ingvars great hit but he turns them into smart, synthpop that should have got more recognition in those days. i believe the commercial success didnt really catch up with his output. nevertheless this single should be selling on ebay for insane sums, but it dont and that is a mystery to me.
TOSSTEN TEGNER

V/A - Batongen TAPE 1986

2008-05-04T18:28:00.002+02:00

Excellent compilation from small swedish industrial label omnium gatherum, who released at least three cassettes in the late eighties (sadly just recently gone out of print). this is "thee" first tape in the series, displaying what went on in the very interesting swedish industrial scene in the mid-late eighties. skuggan rukar gives us three fantastic minimal synth-tunes, apparently compiled from some of the rare tapes they released on their own. i dont know much about the band, though, but i think one of the two members later joined swedish industrial pioneers en halvkokt i folie and nowadays works with various swedish comic books. he said that there were plans to release a vinyl edition of their cassettes, so stay tuned for more info on that. among the other artists we find arvid tuba, famous industrial/synth-pop/drummachine-poet, who released a lot of tapes of his works which i havent heard. bilaffären does two tracks of silly, but charming punk-synth bits with loads of humor. they also released at least one cassette which ill be getting in the mail soon. no surprise in seeing halvkokt i folie on this sort of compilation but they display their usual silly cut-up humor. but the real weird thing about this is that swiss band young gods is included with two tracks from their early period. i wonder why they were included in a swedish industrial compilation. still, the songs are really good and just dont miss this.
BATONGEN

Memento Mori - Pulserande Väggar 7" 1983

2008-05-03T17:27:00.004+02:00

After MM was credited as best band of 83 in swedish rockmagazine Schlager (swedens NME?) pseudo-big record label MNW approached them and wanted to release their records, resulting on this co-production with Mementos own Pippaluck label. Here we can hear their transgression into a more rhytmic form of post-punk retaining all the angst from their first album. this is their second single, the first one just included two tracks from the first album. i just discovered a funny thing, the first lines in pulserande väggar is a translation of talking heads memories cant wait. tom holmlund also nicked some lines from birthday party on the first lp.
PULSATING WALLS

Memento Mori - Jag... ...Snäll LP 1983

2008-05-01T16:00:00.003+02:00

Memento Mori started out as Tom Trick in eskilstuna playing quite standard punk, after this they took the direction of most smart punkbands and evolved into a very nice post-punkband influenced by talking heads etc. with a more funky approach to depression and teenage angst. tom holmlunds lyrics deal with search for approval as a young man and capture the feeling quite well, at least thats what i felt in my teenage years. this is the first album, released on their own Pippaluck-label, recorded in mistlurs newly built studio in stockholm. they got a lot of praise in those days, and mostly for their live shows as they were a tight, funky band later to have sax and a lot of rythminstruments on stage and on their next record. from what ive heard they sounded great live (live cassette-split with camouflage coming soon). as for this album i think its their best work, with hard punky bits still intact and of course their lyrical abilities. the last track is a music adaption of a poem by famous poetess edit södergran. great stuff!
apparently the band newly reformed, plays live occasionally and plan to release a kind of best-of cd soon. check their myspace HERE.
JAG... ...SNÄLL

Ratata - Ögon Av Is 7" 1982

2008-04-30T10:59:00.003+02:00

A highly underrated single. Ratata started out as a very charming synthpopband in the early eighties, later to evolve into a boring slab of mainstream music. but the two first singles is a real treat, here is their second and best work ever. ögon av is (eyes of ice) is a great song with some great guitarwork possibly falling into the minimal synth genre. the b-side however features great vocoder voice and silly, silly lyrics about a young man who thinks hes seen all the world has to offer. ignoring this gives you a fantastic song which should dwarf their later work and give them somewhat of a cult status. it does help that the single is produced by johan vävare.
JAG RÄKNAR MINA DAGAR: EN TVÅ TRE

Viva! - Flykten LP 1982

2008-04-26T15:40:00.003+02:00

On this, their second album, viva drifted towards a more atmospheric sound, relaying more on synths than smart guitarwave. perhaps mikael fölschs technical fascination is to "blame" for this. however, it is a very nice album with moody textures which still reminds me of simple minds but also ultravox and similar bands. i cant say that its an absolutely original album but no other band in sweden or even north europe encapsulated the sound produced by ultravox et al. and viva didnt even have a top-producer like contemporaries strasse had in midge ure. a great effort!
VIVA

Mercedes Prata TAPE 198?

2008-04-24T19:55:00.003+02:00

To follow up my post with their fantastic 7": heres the tape! a fantastic excursion into no wave territories with a cheap drummachine and four people playing weird, weird music. a pity if you dont know the swedish language as the lyrics featured here is great. did anybody say dada? i have no idea who these people were so please, any information would be much appreciated! and as you can see theres no date on the tape (no cover either). almost 40 minutes of brilliant post-punk-jazz-wave-experiments!
STALON KRAPP

V/A - Cosa Nostra TAPE 1981

2008-04-22T17:09:00.004+02:00

Another rare as hell obscurity! This tape is a fantastic oddity in the swedish history. not to be mistaken for an ordinary compilationtape, as a fantastic bonus henrik franzén (from grisen skriker, 22 för många) reads small spoken word bits between each track as to present them. short totally weird utterances about him working in a museum where each band performs, all in line with his poetry at the time. theres even two commercial jingles for local stores that helped produce this tape! but when you get to appreciate these little odd touches you can start listening to the fantastic music. i mean, with bands like odd stories, kitchen and the plastic spoons, di leva, dom dummaste etc. it cant go wrong. most tracks are exclusive to this release, but sadly not the kitchentrack as it also can be found on the dansa med fig lp. however, the more unknown band here are really great. schnabel released two singles of powerpop then changed name to fahrenheit and released two more, here playing a song inbetween both stages in the bands transformation. döende dandies plays a fantastic cold wavetracks (any info would be appreciated). i think jack mazo were the bassplayer in kitchen and the ps, but im not sure. this is essential stuff for minimal synth, postpunk, coldwave etc collectors. DO NOT MISS THIS!
and yes, i didnt want henriks spoken bits disrubted so i ripped it as two files, side A and B.
COSA NOSTRA

Gregor Samsa - Sexplosion 7" 1986?

2008-04-19T15:07:00.003+02:00

I love the sleeve for this one. Gregor Samsa probably formed in the mid-eighties in the stockholm area and only released two self-financed singles and at least one demotape (if anyone have the tape please contact me!). they took the name, of course, from the character in one of kafkas most famous works and played excellent post-punk/goth. in this, their first single, they probably listened to brända barn a lot and so their influence is very strong. the b-side is great and probably has the best title ive ever heard. im not so sure about the date as its not written on the cover and the labels are white, so if anyone can pinpoint the date for this release it would be great, im guessing 86. this is great stuff!
HERE

Stjärnfångarna - Svarta Hajar 7" 1981

2008-04-15T11:59:00.003+02:00

Another obscure swedish band that i know next to nothing about. all i know is that they were from Kalmar, only released this single and two tracks on a pang-compilation. the reason i bought this is that the great Henrik Venant produced the single! so the three members in the band does their best to imitate henriks sound in tt-reuter, the singer really tries to sound like venant and the bass player tries to get the same sound as peter ivarss. although its quite silly with a group trying to be somebody else i think they did a great job, both tracks portraying excellent wavepunk. i also included the two compilation tracks in the archive. and yes, jimmy cyklon from cosmic overdose designed the labels for the single. enjoy.
HERE

Viva! - I Splitter Av Ljud LP 1982

2008-04-14T11:37:00.004+02:00

I had not listened to this for some years now and i gave it a spin yesterday. what a record! on this album viva! managed to take all the great stuff simple minds did and take the sound to a new and unique level. this is high class new wave with fantastic songs. i especially like "du som ingen förstod", which they released as a single as well. apparently they got quite a lot of critical acclaim for this record and were praised as a new swedish musical hope, and i can understand why. sadly, after this release they never got the big commercial break and remained in obscurity. i guess this was their artistic and commercial peak. and by the way, dont miss the new blog with radio recordings of swedish bands, where you can get a fine liveshow with viva.
VIVA!

Stormavdelningen - Stormavd. 12" 1987

2008-04-13T19:33:00.005+02:00

Another band i dont know much about. I think they were from stockholm, formed in the mid eighties and only recorded two singles and two tracks on a compilation. Stormavdelningen played hard hitting post punk in the same regions as killing joke, almost bordering on metal. but they did it quite well, as you can hear on this, their debut 12" ep. four tracks with slashing guitars, smart basslines and lyrics about a cold society. and yes, if you like this, im selling one on ebay right now. what a coincidence!
YEAH

Mercedes Prata - Hemmen Får Impulser 7" 1984

2008-04-10T12:48:00.004+02:00

Heres a really rare one! I dont know much at all about this band, four people and a drum machine playing what must be considered no wave or free jazz into post punk brilliance! the lyrics are great and must be either improvised or heavy dada influenced, with lines like "jag är en jordgubbe!" (I am a strawberry!). the weird thing is that this single was released by danish postpunklabel replik muzick, although the band was swedish. i have no idea why denmark saw this music more fitting than the swedish labels at the time. they also released a cassette which will follow soon. any info about this great band will be much appreciated. fantastic stuff, dont miss it!!!
HERE

Viva! - Delfiner 7" 1981

2008-04-07T13:42:00.003+02:00

As requested, heres swedens answer to simple minds: viva!. viva formed in the late seventies in gothenburg, gigged a lot and built up quite an impressive sound that owed much to simple minds and similar bands. this is their first single, released on stranded rekords. apparently they had plans in 1980 to release a single with their track "tysk höst" but i suppose they never got round to it. this is the only viva-release where Peter Stridh does the vocals, as he after this one tried to go solo and released a silly, silly album of bad eighties sound. this however is two fantastic tracks of new wave brilliance, with the b-side as the best track. after this they released four lps and a bunch of singles, possibly to follow soon.
HERE

COMMERCIAL

2008-04-06T20:27:00.004+02:00

Sorry for this, no retro-stuff this time. Its the first release of a band im managing and i think the poster says it all. if anyone outside sweden is interested just drop me a mail.
KÖP KÖP KÖP (BUY BUY BUY)

Stadion - ST LP 1983

2008-04-06T16:28:00.004+02:00

And finally Stadions first and only LP. here they continued the great standard of their early work and took it to a new level. some tracks have that certain pop-sensibility of the early eighties and other track broods with cold landscapes and desperate relationships. i believe this is the perfect soundtrack to a visit to swedens capital, Stockholm, as it perfectly sums up all the cold and warm life in a major city. i dont really know what happened to stadion after this release, but i can assume they split soon after the recording of the lp. a pity, they were such a good example of great emotional music, and with an almost original sound too. get this
HERE

Stadion - Kan Inte Se 7" 1982

2008-04-05T12:45:00.004+02:00

Yes, its another one of those BEST RECORDS EVER MADE! as i said, stadion der jugend dropped the der jugend and became stadion, switched vocal duties between the drummer and singer and made Bosse Löthen (now a radiohost in swedish national radio) singer. a very wise choice i believe as he has that cold touch to the words that fits so well into stadions quite cold wave-music. this is their first effort as stadion, and what a single it is. kan inte se has wonderful slabs of electronic cello and modern synthflavours but what makes this a real stunner is the b-side alaska. funky, electronic and one of the best choruses ive ever heard. its amazing that this record never got the attention it so well deserved. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
HERE

Stadion Der Jugend - Väktare Av Mörkret 7" 1982

2008-03-28T21:26:00.003+01:00

Stadion Der Jugend formed from the ashes of several punkbands from the stockholm underground. Bosse Löthen and Nils Fagerberg previously played in legendary punkband Skabb and later joined the loose collective Psynkopat together with, among others, Petter Brundell (ståålfågel) and Hans Thunberg (elegi). Psynkopat released one lp and a single and then disbanded. After that Bosse and Nils started Hjärnstorm with Jan Bergstrand and Bengt Lilja, recording one 12" and participating in recording some songs with solo artist Johan Lindell. I guess hjärnstorm eventually developed into stadion der jugend, adding celloplayer sebastian öberg. having an electronically treated cello instead of guitar gave them a totally unique sound, a desperately cold air well displayed here on their debut single. one of the top gems in swedish music history. after this release they dropped der jugend and became stadion, releasing even better music which will soon follow. enjoy
HERE

VA - 37 Minuter I Stockholms City LP 1982

2008-03-19T14:39:00.004+01:00

As requested, heres the 37 Minuter i sthlm city compilation released in 1982 on the infamous Stranded Rekords. This shows some of the more wave-oriented acts on the Stranded label, most famous for bringing Lustans Lakejer to a swedish public. Zzzang Thumb does two great pop tracks, a quite large band with, among others, the two twins Idde & Irma Schultz, later to have solocareers in the 90s (boring, ofcourse), Iodine Jupiter (from Kitchen and the PS etc.) and Latte Kronlund, which i think were the mastermind of the group. They play a funky take on new wave with almost nonsense-lyrics about military actions. They also released three singles, a 12" and a quite brilliant LP produced by John McGeoch from Magazine! Helikoptern only released one single besides the track on this comp. Standard new wave pop in the same vein as Reporter, also presented here. And then Kitchen & the Plastic Spoons, who dont need any introduction. They play their best track ever, Filmen, with Iodine Jupiter on vocals and its just fantastic. Silhuetterna is also an unknown new waveband, a bit charming but bordering on the standard take on wave. Demian D is an interesting figure, he released a single, also on Stranded, and then changed his stagename and musical output to a more traditional songwriter-take. He now performs as Lars Demian and has become quite famous thorough the country. Mockba Music were Tom Wolgers of Lustans Lakejers' soloproject. the track presented here is a charming instrumental track from his first single. its good but the rest of his recordings are endlessly dull. Finally, Tango, were Iodine Jupiter and Johan Vävare, the stockholm super-producer, doing a song about a modern city cowboy. iodines voice is very different and i find it very interesting. all in all a great compilation, showing what was going on in stockholm at the time of its release.
HERE

VA - Dikt & Lögn TAPE 1984

2008-03-15T21:12:00.004+01:00

Fantastic cassette-compilation from 33-45, a music organization based in Malmö. They organized concerts and once a year released a tape with various bands from the south of sweden. this is the best of the five tapes they released, with wonderful contributions from great bands. Ulf Bergström kicks it off with a wonderful spoken word piece with nice synthsounds in the background. the majority of the bands plays great wave/postpunk, with Tibet as a standout. they really sounds like TT-Reuter, or at least the singer tries to imitate Henrik Venant. great track though. Nyfiken Gul also released a single on Pärla records, which isnt as great as the track presented here. Unter Den Linden does an unreleased track live, with a more hardcore feel, which they developed after the first LP, still great though. Bullshot babies, from Lund, plays quite mediocre music but still gets me interested. they released an mp on their own label. i cant decide if its crap or great. ill probably have to post it here so you can decide for me. Besökarna, of course, fronted by the great Stry does a live track of Can-Can flickor which he later recorded with Garbochock. fantastic bands. the other bands is all unkown for me. le cadavre also appears on one of the other 33-45compilations, with the same track as this one but that one is a live recording. all is summed up by Svappavaara Homofilharmoniska, silly name and silly music indeed. dont miss this, its one of the best swedish tapecompilations!
HERE

Zon 6 - Som En Tiger 7" 1983

2008-03-09T16:32:00.003+01:00

I think this is as close to no wave sweden got. Zon 6 were a kind of follow up to Elegi, a fantastic female-fronted jazzpostpunkband from Stockholm and Uppsala. Make sure you download their only LP from tystforfan HERE. This single were the bands only release and its a shame because its a great postpunk brew of freejazz, some nice synthplaying and more 80's standard rock. Hans Thunberg (who produced Unter Den Lindens debut LP, also in Elegi) later formed Underland, a more banal history... Marie Samuelsson, also from Elegi, would after this single concentrate more on her work for dance productions and studies on composing. An often ignored gem of the postpunk era:
HERE

Kabbala Kitsch - 3 X Herman Hesse 7" 1981

2008-03-08T11:57:00.004+01:00

Kabbala Kitsch were another great band from Malmö. Heavily inspired by the late magician Aliester Crowley and in their own words played "magic shit". Formed in 1977 as Skunk, then played as Zakkes Armé until 1980 when they changed their name to Kabbala Kitsch. This single is interesting in many ways. First its three takes on poetry by Herman Hesse, and it was released by now famous litterature publishers Bakhåll, being the second release of music by that "label". And of course its great dark punk with some leanings to more traditional rock. Get it
HERE

Biljardakademin - Fallbilder 7" 1984?

2008-03-06T19:57:00.004+01:00

Ok, time for some promotion. Biljardakademien were a band from Gotland, an island off the east coast of sweden. They existed in various loose constellations thorough the eighties being the brainchild of Niklas Söderberg and Kjell Hägglund. They were heavily inspired by the more poporiented scene of the post punkscene with bands like Monochrome Set, Dilocation Dance and even Burt Bacharach and its kind of fun to watch the new indie bands of today and realize Biljardakademin did all that 20 years ago. This single were given away for free with malmöfanzine iD in about 1984 i think and is one of the best popsongs ever. I dont think ive ever heard a band like this. Now for the promotion: they have a CD out with material from their entire career. buy it! get more information about that on their myspace HERE. then you can read a short history about them, in swedish HERE. and after youve done that you can also support me by buying this wonderful single HERE. and of course you can download these two of-the-best-pop-songs-ever-tracks
HERE

Klinik - Östern Är Röd 7" 1979

2008-03-06T19:35:00.003+01:00

Here's another obscure minimal synth rarity from sweden. I dont know anything at all about this band, save that they also released at least two self-produced cassettes and this fantastically weird single. Strange, instrumental blip-blop with cheap drummachine and a nice communist china-title, just the way you like it. If anyone have their two cassettes or any information about them, do tell me.
HERE

VA - Dansa Med Fig. 13. LP 1983

2008-02-19T11:31:00.004+01:00

I just won this on a swedish auctionsite so lets celebrate! This is THE rare swedish minimal synthcompilation, a fine selection of stockholms undergroundscene at that moment. Released on Kitchen & The Plastic Spoon-member Iggos Castor Records in 1983 in perhaps 300 copies, although i read somewhere that it was pressed in a larger amount but most of the copies were destroyed in a fire. Im not sure if thats true.
To start everything off Johan Vävare, one of the best and most underrated producers, does a little synthjingle, maybe owing a little to tuxedomoon. Vävare were involved in most of the electronic scene in stockholm and produced loads of that great stuff. Elektriska Cellskapet does a great synthwave tune but i have no idea whos behind the band, help appreciated. Then theres Salaligan, which were a band of criminals ravaging sweden in the 1930s or a great synthband doing a fantastic song about swedens own natives samerna. The lyrics to this song is too great. "Jag är i stockholm för att äta edra barn. Årstider åtta ska jag bo och verka här. När jag är färdig skall ni veta vem jag är!". Its kind of apocalyptic about a magician from the north coming to stockholm, dancing in nightclubs and ensnaring people with his magic. It cant be described. If anyone knows more about this fantastic band please tell me. Ah and then theres a weird one, Theyr from iceland somehow got into this compilation. They're great (ha-ha..). I have no information on Indikation, as well as Autonom 82 or Zoo although there was a band called Zoo releasing a few singles in the late eighties. Perhaps its the same band. Kitchen and the Plastic Spoons does The Poet, their best song, or is Filmen their best... I love the insane laughter in the middle. This incarnation of the Kitchen saw Iodine Jupiter on vocals and i think its their best period. He does a solonumber on this as well, a sort of spoken word piece which is great. Nowadays hes a mad magician doing gothcabaret and occult poetry. Carl Myrén is a weird guy, an upper class twit that somehow got to record an album for Stranded Rekords. The song he plays here was his single "hit" and a sort of uptempo madness about how great life is. Kind of weird to have that song among the more dark wavebands... Cortex with the great Freddie Wadling does a Dr John cover and wonderful as always. Its a shame they didnt record an Lp during this, their best period somewhere around 82-84. Finally Temp does a great song and they also released an album about 85 i think, but that one is quite boring and the cover is dreadful. Ok loads of nothing about these bands... just listen to this great compilation. I had to split the folder in two parts but i hope thats ok:
HERE part 1
HERE for part 2

GPJ - Tristess No 3 7" 1979

2008-02-06T20:36:00.000+01:00

Heres another fantastic and fantastically rare minimal synth gem from the swedish underground. I dont know much about the band, all bandmembers having strange stagenames, but what i do know is that they released this single on EFMD (Enad Front Mot Disco = "United Front Against Disco") based in Vänsterhaninge just outside Stockholm. Great synth, drummachine and guitarplaying, the a-side being HEAVILY inspired by Tuxedomoons "Everything you want" (the best song ever made), its practically the same song but with different lyrics. The b-side is even weirder. Dont miss this one.
HERE

Pillisnorks - 4 Visitors 1980

2008-02-04T19:24:00.000+01:00

Pillisnorks were Thomas Dilevas first band, a year before the group evolved into Modern Art. They were based in Gävle, in the quasi-north of sweden, and were very influental in the local punkscene although they didnt play punk. Instead we here can hear great DIY-type postpunk with scratchy guitars and a nice sax-bit in some of the songs. Its a fantastic Ep and if you liked the modern art single you will love this. At least i do. Nowadays Thomas is a sort of jesus-type-figure and still does music, more of that on his website. In a way hes still true to his punkbackground... i actually liked his latest single "vad är frihet (what is freedom)". But this is his best work ever:
HERE

Cosmic Overdose - 4668 LP 1981

2008-02-02T21:52:00.000+01:00

Finally their second and last LP where they continued to develop their nordic, mystic sound. This album is a bit darker and moodier than their first and also more menacing in the lyrics. A sort of bleak fog hangs over the tracks, possibly aquired in their more prog-days but with an almost Suicide-feel with the drummachine (apparently the pattern used for most this LP were nicked from a suicide song, cant remember which one). Its a great album and its "darkness" really gets to me, mostly in Liten Storsint, Hissen and Nina Fontanell. It could be Dans angry vocals or the slightly more cold wave-orientation. When looking upon the scenes in scandinavia its possible to point out some bands that had a distinctly nordic sound, like Cosmic Overdose: Scatterbrain from denmark, Beranek from norway... (If anyone knows more bands that sounds like this, do contact me!). But ive never heard a band that sounds quite like this. And look at the cover, it speaks volumes of the sound found inside. Again, you need this!
HERE

Cosmic Overdose - To Night 7" 1981

2008-01-30T21:38:00.000+01:00

COs second single, now aiming for the international market which they did quite well. It got a top position in sounds, or was it nmes, futurist-synth-toplist and lot of attention abroad. In old swedish magazines they say that they had intentions of releasing their material in english through an american recordlabel, but ive never heard of that record so i guess the plans didnt work out. Great cosmic-spacepunk:
HERE

Cosmic Overdose - Dada Koko LP 1980

2008-01-27T23:40:00.001+01:00

Why Cosmic Overdoses records dont sell for hundreds of dollars on ebay is beyond me. Their music have all the great ingredients for a minimal synth-classic and even the great cosmic guitarplaying that would satisfy krautrockers as well as post-punknerds. This was their first album, recorded with extra member Regnmakaren on drums synths etc. and it has so many great tracks. Turs, about unearthly love, Puppan, the rants of an outcast, Vit Yta, an artist stuck with his white canvas and so on. The image of Hugo Ball on the cover makes some sense when you hear the semi-dadaistic lyrics. All neatly produced in the silence studio. You need this.
HERE

Cosmic Overdose - Observation Galen 7" 1980

2008-01-27T23:30:00.000+01:00

While im still at it, i might as well start to publish Cosmic Overdose's great catalog. Formed in 78 by Dan Söderquist(previously in Älgarnas Trädgård and Ragnarök) and Terminalkapten Gasleben (from Anna Själv Tredje) they played great spacepunk, punksynth, punk etc. with a very distinct nordic sound. This is their first single where the space in punk isnt fully developed yet, although their dadaistic approach to music is here allright. After two albums and two singles they continued as Twice A Man. Visit their myspace here. In my humble opinion the b-side is marvelous.
HERE

Odd Stories - Hjärtan Av Glas 7" 1981

2008-01-26T01:12:00.001+01:00

Okay you all better thank me for this! This single is so rare that in my years as a collector of great swedish music i have never seen this for sale once! So to my surprise i aquired this for a reasonable sum and got it in the mail today. This is maybe the best minimal synth-single from sweden ever, in parts it beats even Kitchen & The Plastic Spoons. The drummachines, the minimal guitars, the lyrics, everything is just right for a definitive classic. I have no idea who the two people behind the band is though. Iggo from Kitchen is thanked on the back cover and I guess they were from Stockholm and had some connection to Kitchen and that scene. I would be thankful for every information! But now let the music speak for itself, every one of the three songs a little masterpiece. Ah!
HERE!!!!!

Svart - Sår 7" 1980

2008-01-25T00:14:00.001+01:00

Svart were from Uppsala and were the brainchild of Jan Svenungson and Caiza Almén. They were heavily inspired by Souxsie and the Banshees but doesnt really sound like them, rather like great wavepop with pretentious and at times strange lyrics. On this release they were backed up by two members of local ska-punkband N-Liners, Peter Eriksson (bassplayer on track 2 & 4) and Peter Eriksson on drums, later found in Webstrarna, and Henrik Flygare who were part of Svart at this time on bass on the rest of the tracks. Jan nowadays is an acclaimed artist and you can visit his page here. Also make sure you check out their great and only album at mutantsounds. The Man Rayadaption on the cover is priceless and oh this ep was released on the famous Stranded label and also co-produced by labelowner Klas Lunding.
HERE

Aptit - Han Vågar Inte 7" 1982

2008-01-25T00:05:00.001+01:00

This has been a male dominated blog so maybe its time to see some women in action. Aptit were from Gothenburg, with bandmembers including Annica Blennerhed, later in Cortex and a solo career with a whole LP dedicated to Dorothy Parkers poems, and Ruby Berner later and at the same time a member of Abcess Exil. They played great moody postpunk/wave with sweet singing and lyrics about violence against women (Han vågar inte) and equality and the hottest topic around that time: being unique and oneself. Great band, a shame they didnt release more records than this single.
HERE

Vivante - Drömmaren 7" 1983

2008-01-18T20:46:00.001+01:00

Here's a real rare one! I had never heard of them until i saw the cover in a recordshop and decided to listen to it there, and to my surprise it was really good new wave with a stomping bass through both songs. Sadly i have no information about them, the single is self-released by the band, apparently located in Malmö. Ok, the lyrics are crap but just listen to the bass and the singing. It should have been a hit back then but now it can be:
HERE

Guds Barn - Maskin 7" 1980

2008-01-18T20:38:00.001+01:00

Another Heartwork release but this time with a band from Stockholm. I dont know much about them and they only released this single, its a shame because they had a really unique sound with punk blending over to art with trombone in the setting and songs about devious politicians and being oneself. Olle Schedin, who played piano, saxophone and sang in Guds Barn, previously played in Cellskräck and were later found in stockholm "supergroup" Global Infantilists with Mare Kandre. Also, Håkan Soold later played in Dom Dummaste and nowadays plays in the Plastic Pals. Great single, especially the track "Maskin". Get it:
HERE

A-Stat - Livsgnistan 7" 1983

2008-01-17T21:39:00.001+01:00

Second and last single by great "lunda"band Anti-Stat. I dont know much about this band, and it took me a while to find their records. Mr Zetterberg had a few left in his store but, sadly, its closed down now. Anyway its more swedish postpunk:
HERE

A-Stat - Drakdans 7" 1982

2008-01-17T21:18:00.001+01:00

Anti-Stat were from Lund but formed in the second wave of punk, so they were taken under the wings of the elder musicians in town. Mats Zetterberg of fantastic band Fiendens Musik acted as their manager and put out their two singles on his own label Tredje Tåget. This is really great angstridden post-punk with bleak lyrics, especially on the track Döfödd. I walked the streets of Lund with that tune in my ears. Now you too can experience the antisocial message:
HERE

Dansdepartementet - ST LP 1984

2008-01-11T21:48:00.001+01:00

More from swedens only gothband, at least theyre the only band that captured the gothic tendencies that international bands, say from UK or Middleeurope, used so well. The rest of the swedish post-punk leaned more towards an unique swedish feeling that cannot be heard from any other country. Not to say that Dansarna were poseurs or unoriginal, they did great music but i cannot see the distinct swedish quality about them. At least not on this album. This debut-LP was recorded live with songs from their early years. You can still feel the Killing Joke inspiration but also bits of the "batcave"scene in London and the lyrics is almost painstakingly gothic, with titles like "Cancerstad (Cancertown)", "Hennes Mörka (Her Dark), "Svarta Brev (Black Letters)" and so forth. My favorite line is "Jag kan få döden att skratta åt sig själv (I can make death laugh at himself)". Fantastic!
HERE

Danse De Partement 1 - Besserwisser 7" 1983

2008-01-11T01:44:00.000+01:00

Swedens own version of Killing Joke: Dansdepartementet (here knowns as Danse De Partement 1, if pronounced in swedish it forms the word Dansdepartementet). They were from Jönköping and, unlike other postpunk bands in sweden, lasted quite long. They called it quits in 1989 and produced three LPs and a bunch of singles. All of them will appear here sooner or later as theyre all great. A funny thing though is that singer Mikael Syrén nowadays runs a comedyshow in sweden, which is kind of weird considering his gothic lyrics:
HERE

Avant Gaam - Våra Kamrater 7" 1982

2008-01-09T23:42:00.000+01:00

Avant Gaam were from Sundsvall in the north of sweden and only released this single and one track on a compilation that i dont have. As you can see the sleeve design is wonderful, and done by the bassplayer and singer Per Kraft who designed several covers for the local recordlabel Massproduktion, a very underrated label that released several classic records in their time and continued to do so to this day. Visit their website where i think you still can buy this single and support the independet life of sweden. Anyway the music is great Gang Of Four influenced post-punk and a real swedish classics. All classics:
HERE

IS9 - Att Söka Sitt Träd 7" 1985

2008-01-08T18:38:00.001+01:00

As some of you might have noticed the chronological order is cast aside in this blog, I just put up whatever feels right for the day. So heres an EP from 85 by IS9, i think they were based somewhere around Gothenburg and released their records on Borås-label Vinylbolaget. This is their last release, which followed their first single and an LP. I have the LP as well and didnt quite like it when i bought it but so i was surprised when i listened to this in the shop. Its brilliant new wave with both english and swedish lyrics, of course with the middle-eighties feel but i think they managed to do something good with their sound. The title means "To search for ones tree", search it:
HERE

Rädsla - Mannen 7" 1980

2008-01-07T23:07:00.001+01:00

Another great band from Lund and as usual on the Heartwork label. Rädsla (meaning Fear) were fronted by "Lunds only skinhead" Tham, existed for about three years and were one of the backbone band of the whole Lund-scene even if their sound didnt quite match the darkness of TT-Reuter or Garbochock. Instead they played slightly catchy powerpop but with a dark edge, mostly found in their lyrics. The lyrics to Mannen is a perfect portrayal of teenage angst and depression in a seemingly meaningless world. I love it. A footnote is that wonderful singer Kai Martin does background vocals on mentioned "Mannen", so the sound you hear towards the end that sounds like a saxophone is in fact Kai and his falsetto. Their MP will follow soon, until then:
HERE

Unter Den Linden / Att Som - ST LP 1982

2008-01-06T18:45:00.001+01:00

To follow up on the Att Som post here's the LP they recorded together with Unter Den Linden. Its a weird collaboration really because its not a split LP, the members of the two bands just played their instruments and material together so i guess the two bands morphed into a whole. This is another one of those "best records of the world ever" and i just love the heavy Joy Division influence that surges through the whole album. The production is great as well, as its produced by Hans Thunberg (member of Hjärnstorm, Elegi etc), and i find it very hard to point out a track that stands out from the others. Theyre all great! You all better learn swedish fast so you can dive into the black metaphors of the lyrics, with themes about death, love and accidental murders. The track "Att döda ett barn" is a musical adaption of the great swedish author Stig Dagermans short story with the same name. More Unter Den Linden coming soon but until then make sure you listen to this album many times:
HERE

Dada 36 - Korpen Och Narren 7" 1983

2008-01-05T22:44:00.001+01:00

Mutant Sounds posted their first single "Här i fabriken" a while ago and so here is their second and best single "Korpen och narren". They were from Landskrona, also in Skåne a region in the south part of sweden, and released a chameleons-inspired LP as well as the two singles. I had their LP but i lost it with my wife and my life. The b-side is a fantastic song about guilt and paranoia so if you dont know swedish its too bad. Its a great single though, sort of gothic new wave and im sure youll like it:
HERE

V/A - Punk Är Trevligt Jazz Är Farligt LP 1980

2008-01-04T20:52:00.001+01:00

Todays offering to the gods is another compilation from Heartwork. The title means something like "Punk is nice, jazz is dangerous" and compiles a lot of great bands from the Lund/Malmö area in the south of sweden. TT-Reuter with singer/guitarist Venant does two great tracks, one livetrack from their first album, and one you dont find on any other album. The other songs is unique for this compilation as well. Another of Heartworks greatest bands, Garbochock, does two fantastic tracks and the first one is a real killer. Martti LeThargie in a pre-Blago Bung constellation also does two great tracks of minimal synth equality. The rest of the bands are quite obscure, except for City Kent, D.Kon were from Lund i think and existed only for a little while. Soldat Opiat were from malmö and i dont have any information about them at all. Both Hemliga Bosse (Secret Bosse) and Robert Widén released records on Heartwork but the tracks presented here are much better than their singles (though Widéns LP is really god pop-punk and will appear here later). Finally R. Metzenger where some of you might recognize Henrik Venants highly original vocals, i think it was a one-time band that only played a few concerts and then evolved into another loose band centered around Venant. All in all its a fantastic compilation, i mean, all the songs are pure masterpieces. Enjoy it:
HERE

V/A - Heartwork Live Klubb 2000 MP 1981

2008-01-03T13:20:00.001+01:00

This compilation is, again, one of the best records in the world. I will be saying that a lot since so many great bands came from sweden and recorded so many great albums and singles. Being another release from the great Heartwork label it contained many bands from the local scene in Lund with Svart as an exception, they were from Uppsala. The whole record is recorded live at the club 2000, located in the basement of students home Malmö Nation in Lund. Blago Bung does another great song, TT-Reuter fronted by labelboss and magic songwriter Henrik Venant plays a stripped-down version of their hit Ökenliv, Stry from Garbochock reads a poem to open up the record and then implies that the people present should consider if the world around us really is all that there is, City Kent plays their best song ever, a long brooding track about goverment control in the modern world, Svart's song is about a destructive relationship, "Ta alla mina slag!", and then... Vision does one of the best tracks ive ever heard. The bad part is that i dont have an information about them at all. If anyone knows anything about this fantastic band - contact me! And then... enjoy this fantastic compilation:
HERE

Blago Bung - Kärleken & Döden MP 1981

2008-01-02T03:05:00.000+01:00

Okay, now were getting serious. Today i am speechless but ill tell you about this anyway. This record were released by Venants Heartwork label based in Lund. Martti LeThargie (or Martti Soutkari, his real name) were an old friend of Henrik and played together in a couple off bands. After a sort of solo offshoot under his own name (single coming soon!) he started Blago Bung together with Jan Fornell and Kamilla Lindström although i guess several others played as they went along, among others one Träfrack (if anyone have some info about this guy id love to hear it. was he even real?). This was their only recording and its one of the best records ever. I bought it directly from the label when i started discovering the swedish new wave and was blown away by the beautiful music. The bass-synths and the quirky, original guitarplaying! This is a total unique effort in the history of music! Just listen to the track Förruttnelsen, a sort of cover but a cover of a poem by swedish author Erik Johan Stagnelius, a grim tale of one mans longing to be cast from this world into the arms of death and decay. And Soldis, about life in the summertime. Maybe some of you will find it to pretentious but thats the beauty of it. Blago Bung also have some songs on compilations wich i will post soon, and they actually recorded another album but due to record labels ignorance it never came out although Heartwork made some of it avaliable on their great weekly mp3 handout on their website. Enough said, for gods sake listen:
HERE

City Kent - Blixtar 7" 1981

2008-01-01T17:30:00.000+01:00

Yes today I offer City Kents second single. They started out as a great punkband in Lund and later began to play a sort of post-punk mixed with influence from Black Sabbath but still within their punk roots. Their records were released on swedens best label ever, Heartwork, run by Henrik Venant, one of the few geniuses in the swedish music scene. Expect more Heartwork releases in the near future. Anyway, back to City Kent, their first single, Cancer, recieved great reviews from the punk press but this single were ignored and got bad reviews and i think they split short after. Still, this is a great record with some great swedish lyrics. I especially like the "chorus" in Blixtar: "Allt, allt är strålskyddsbehandlat!" which means something like "Everything, everything is radiationproof". Told you my english sucks.
HERE