This week I’m starting with a tip about the band RA, hailing from Malmö, and their debut album “Scandinavia”, which was released in March. RA is exploring the darkest corners of post punk with massive guitars and an ominous atmosphere. This is for those who are not afraid of screaming guitars that jump out of the speakers threatening with chaos and doom. Here are two songs from the album:

RA’s site – on Facebook – on Spotify – on Wimp

The band Skilla, hailing from Malmö, released a new two-track single this week, with the languorous indie ballad “Soon I’ll Dance”  as the first song.

“Soon I’ll Dance” is a straight forward plead to one’s own persistant and restless heart. A caring but serious talk to oneself.

Skillas site – on Facebook – on Spotify – on Wimp

Today Marigold release their second album “Allt kommer bli bra”, and album with lyrics in Englis, even if the title suggests otherwise. I have presented some of the singles from the album before, among them the title song, which I think was one of the best pop songs in 2014. I think this is a solid album which quite lives up to my expectations, and which elaborates further on their sense of sweet pop melodies. To me it feels like the album stands on a firm seventies-pop ground where bands like Supertramp and ELO come to mind. Add to that a touch of the large rooms from the eighties and grand, melancholic choruses. Here are a few of my favorites from the album, including the title track which you really shouldn’t miss.

Marigolds site – on Facebook – on Spotify – on Wimp

Here’s a new single from Adam Chiapponi & Fabriken, “Gryningen” (“The Dawn”). “Gryningen” is an uptempo indiepop track with a dark undertone which tells a story about being invisible, happy and angry, all at the same time.

Adam Chiapponi & Fabriken on Facebook – on Spotify – on Wimp

Tomorrow The Leather Nun are releasing the anticipated album “Whatever”, the first album in 24 years. In the eighites the band was the coolest thing you could see on a stage, where they performed a dark, pumping, punk-inspired rock, at least the way I remember them. The first single “Just Like a Dream” from February, was a great track and contained both heavy rock and dreamy parts with strings, so I was quite curious which way the the album would take us.

Whatever starts out, though, with a heavy, raw rock’n’roll, massive guitars and a dark ambience which makes me understand that Jonas Almqvist and company are not going to compromise for a second. Various references pass through my mind as the songs pull off in different directions, like the spririt of both Tom Waits and New Orleans in “Red Hot Gwen”, David Bowies “Beauty and the Beast”-album in “Outside My Window” and Lou Reed’s seventies-rock in for example “Star”. Everything cooked over an open fire together with post punk vibes and hard, dark, rough rock. My favourite song is probably the fifth track “Godtherapy”, which manages to trigger the tempo even more, serving us the most interesting arrangement on the album and a sense of glammy hard rock. On the three finishing tracks they slow things down from the Lou Reed-tinged ballad “For the Love of Your Eyes” to the beautiful but a bit ominous “Another Rainy Day” to the ending track “Candyass” which ties it all together with a guitar explosion as the album’s final comment.

It’s an excellent album which arrives at a good time as the interest in dark rock, post punk, noise rock seems to be on the rise these days. This is not just a one-time stunt according to Jonas Almqvist; you’ll be able to see then band on stage soon, and the next album is already being planned. And yes, I do want to hear more from them. Here’s “Outside My Window”:

The Leather Nun on Facebook – on Spotify – on Wimp