The Competition:
Stop Us Not is a relatively new London based Swedish music blog. Swedish bands often play London first or make repeated trips their before crossing the Atlantic. This blog mainly recounts and previews these live opportunities.
Sweded:
I saw the Dark Knight this weekend like every other red blooded American. And while I liked it, it was flawed in several ways. The story had holes, the pacing was odd at times, and while the character of the Joker was all that, we came to see the Batman and only at the end did we get a fair dose of him, his strengths and his weaknesses.
A small film that will stay with me longer than The Dark Knight is Be Kind Rewind with Mos Def and Jack Black. Its take on the creative process is one of the best I’ve ever seen. In the film Jack Black’s character erases all the vhs tapes in a small video store. To solve the problem of the blank tapes Mos Def and Jack Black enlist the odd folks from around the neighborhood to re-shoot the films. They film them in their own odd way and then rent the remake. This process they call “Sweded” after the country of Sweden (I’m not sure if they ever say why?!). Anyway that’s the connection with Sweden, it’s very minor but it gave me the chance to recommend this excellent movie.
Sofia Talvik:
Sofia Talvik and her management are trying hard to make her a star. It’s borderline obnoxious. But I shouldn’t hold her plans for world domination against her shimmery, well produced singer/songwriter pop. Sofia’s playing Lollapalooza this month, but she’s also playing a more intimate show at The Swedish American Museum in Andersonville on July 31 at 7:30 PM. Call the museum for more info – (773) 728-8111.
First single off the upcoming album Jonestown – “As Summers Pass”