Tag Archives: Record Store Day

Blues rock and Jazz in Swedish

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Record Store Day is tomorrow August 29, 2020. We pay tribute to record store owners, who supply us listeners and collectors with not only the vinyl, as a media, but also the intense joy attached. To visit  a local record store is great fun. Always a good cup of coffee and a nice talk about a new release or an upcoming concert (these days mainly digital).

For a continued support of the musicians, we would like to strongly recommend Larkin Poe‘s latest album Self Made Man (Tricky-Woo Records, 2020). The two sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell are so greatly talented, that we have to apologize for not discovering their music until only recently. The blues rock coming out of the speakers is heavy and joyful. We are on our way to listen through and collect their previous albums.

Sky High, from Borlänge (SE), founded by Swedish guitar legend Clas Yngström celebrates 40 years with the gatefold double album 20 från 40 (Pike Records AB, 2020). A bit in the same style as Larkin Poe and the comparison is fun. Long experience contra not so long, but both bands sound so well, are fully comparable and world class.

A summer not like other summers with the home, as the base and with only day trips in the local area. In a way really nice, since it has led to a slower pace, more spontaneous meetings and nice talks…still with two metres distancing. I took the opportunity to read Trummslagarpojken (the Drummer boy, freely translated) by Anders Johansson (Bokfabriken, Malmö, 2017). Anders is one of two sons of legendary Swedish Jazz pianist Jan Johansson. He sadly died in a car crash 1968, when Anders was 6 and his brother Jens 5 years old. Jan Johansson’s Jazz på svenska together with Georg Riedel (AB Megafon,1964) is a rarity, found on a flee market trip this summer. Piano and base only, so balanced and simple and the starting track Visa från Utanmyra moves us back to our early years during the 1960s. Anders and Jens are today highly respected musicians. Anders: Yngwie Malmsteen, Hammerfall, Manowar and more. Jens: Stratovarius, Rainbow, Dio, Yngwie Malmsteen and more. Anders has formed and now runs the power metal band Tungsten together with his two sons Karl (bass guitar) and Nick (guitar), and Mike Andersson (song). The book, in case you are fluent in Swedish, is highly recommended. Anders here tells unbelivable stories from the co-operation with Yngwie Malmsteen. How can so good music come from so rowdy circumstances? Great fun!

Keep an eye on the Record Store Day drops 2020. There are a lot of interesting objects for an extended collection and a really great and joyful time!!

Swedish energy for Record Store Day

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Record Store Day is here today, Saturday April 13, 2019, and we must take the opportunity to pay tribute to a couple of current Swedish hard rock-and metal productions. The Vinyl has become the natural choice for us when buying music and we would like recommend 6 albums, which are with Swedish origin.

Thundermother, Thundermother (Despotz records, 2018), formed by Filippa Nässil in Växjö 2009. A new and cruel line-up was formed in March 2017, which is right now harvesting on hard work on a tour in Europe.

Tribulation, Down Below (Century Media Records Ltd., 2018), formed in Arvika 2005. This and the previous album ‘The Children Of The Night’ (Century Media Records Ltd., 2015) voted Best Metal albums in their respective years of The Close-Up Magazine. More material on Tribulation from last summer is to be to found at this site.

Candlemass, The Door to Doom (Napalm Records Handels Gmbh, 2019), formed in Upplands Väsby 1984. The album is definitely a candidate for best metal album this year. With tracks like ‘Black Trinity’ and ‘House of Doom’ fantastic energy is created.

VA Rocks, Pull No Punches (Blackstar/Epiphone, 2016), Ida Svensson Vollmer, Klara Wedding and Frida Rosén had played together for 10 years when their first album was released in 2016. Their home base is Lund. Also now touring Europe adding massive groups of new fans with their AC/DC inspired sound and energy. Why not visit http://www.varocksofficial.com

Soilwork, Verkligheten (Nuclear Blast Gmbh, 2019), an all through metalsouth favorite, one of the reasons to start this site, with its roots in the next door village, Glumslöv. Started as Inferior Breed in 1995 and name changed to Soilwork 1996. ‘The Nurturing Glance’ and ‘Stålfågel’ kicks you right into this fantastic album.

Skraekoedlan, Eorpe (Fuzzorama Records, 2018), formed 2009 in Norrköping, the stoner influenced sound in theme produced albums has proven a success. The album needs to be listened through from first to last track…some knowledge in the Swedish language will help to get the story, but the music itself stands perfectly well!!

Have a great Record Store Day and buy buy buy!!

Record Store Day – April 19, 2014.

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Why buy a record, a CD or a vinyl, when you can subscribe to a streaming supplier like Spotify or Google Play Music free of charge (including commercials) or pay SEK99 per month for a premium version which is commercial free??

I say that there’s definitely room for both kinds of media. I pay the SEK99 per month, but use the streaming possibility to listen to new music and test new bands and new releases I have heard or read about. It has also been perfect for playlist of graduation-and jubilee parties in our home. When DJ’ing at my wife’s birthday party I never forget the question: ” Is it possible to wish a song” and the natural answer was: “Sit here yourself and play your own favorites for a while”. This led to that everything from country to modern house to heavy metal was played and raised the temperature in the house. A perfect party in many senses and the music was commented positively by many!!

Still, the visit to a record store, today often with used records, is a positive and genuine experience. Usually the staff is so knowledgeable that the musical experience from buying a record is sweetened with some valuable facts. I reward myself every Friday lunch a visit to Roadhouze records in Helsingborg. Normally, a couple of CD’s have been picked out for me by the staff from incoming collections during the week. It’s great! I meet a person who knows his/her stuff. I get to talk shop with someone for a while. I get my compact product, with the booklet, lyrics, stories and photos and not to forget I get the songs presented in the order of the artist. Normally, the artist/the band has an idea with the order of the songs and I still always mess up how songs are played when I use the streaming suppliers. It’s so much more to this than just downloading a song, consume it and throw it out. The music and the records is a life style and the best way to meet the artist/the band without really and actually meeting. In this sense even the vinyl is an even better experience!!

Record Store Day started in 2008 and is celebrated on the third Saturday in April. New record releases are made this day. Artists/bands are performing in record stores all over the world. On Saturday April 19 is time again. Due to Easter holidays this coming weekend the celebrations will in Sweden instead take place next Saturday April 26. Our small contribution to Record Store Day will be, of course, to buy a couple more records, but also to here recommend a few related records stores in the metalsouth region. Please, check these three out. Pay them a visit or contact them for orders.

http://www.roadhouze.se (Roadhouze Records, Helsingborg, Sweden)

Latest buys:

LOK: Naken, Blästrad och SkitsurLOK: Naken, Blästrad och Skitsur (Sonet, 1999)

“Naked, Blastered and Pissed off”. Swedish brutal powerful metal worth listening to, although you don’t get the full meaning of the Swedish brutally lovely lyrics. (SEK79)

 

20497088-origpic-e0997c[1]Janne Stark: The Heaviest Encyclopedia Of Swedish Hard Rock and Heavy Metal Ever (Premium Publishing, Stockholm, 2013)

An unbelievably valuable book for any hard rock and heavy metal fan…not only Swedish ones. It’s all in the English language and it answers all of your questions you can ever think of on Swedish bands in the genre. It’s great and weighs a couple of kilos. (SEK449)

http://www.sexbeatrecords.dk (Sex Beat Records, Copenhagen, Denmark)

One of the few stores around, which sells new releases. Normally connected to making a one day trip to wonderful Copenhagen. Great experience. Great knowledge!

Latest buy:

Soilwork: A Predator’s Portrait (Nuclear Blast Records, 2013)1000x1000[1]

A new release of the album from 2001, digitally remastered and with three bonus tracks. Just awesome!!!

 

http://www.repeatrecords.se ( Repeat Records, Lund, Sweden)

A fantastic record store in central Lund with an enormous collection of used vinlys! Good prices and a really good time can be spent in there.

Latest buy:

Frank Zappa: Chungas Revenge (Warner Bros. Inc.,1970)images[4]

This vinyl purchased for SEK200 made my road to a complete Zappa collection of vinyls slightly shorter.

 

Finally, we make a reference to the Swedish Rock’n’roll Magazine (http://www.rocknrollmagazine.se/) and the issue #6 2013 in which a great Record Store guide (Sweden) is published.

KEEP THE MUSIC-, CD-, VINYL- AND RECORD STORE BUSINESS ALIVE AND VISIT A RECORD STORE TODAY, ON RECORD STORE DAY AND ON ALL OTHER DAYS!!