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Mikael
Kahrle
Albums
Kent: "Tillbaka till samtiden"
I simply can't grasp how Kent manage to stay at the very top. And as iceing on the cake they chose to go electronic.
Rome: "Confessions d'Un Voleur d'Ames"
Finally a really strong and mature neofolk album.
The Birthday Massacre: "Walking with Strangers"
It's all in the mix - eighties pop, EBM, darkwave, goth, metal - you name it.
Emmon: "The Art & the Evil"
I have never even enjoyed Paris but when Emma Nylén aims at synthdisco, I surrender to all the catchy and cool tunes.
Mr Jones Machine: "Återvändsgränd"
An album the Swedish pop eighties missed. Kids, watch the elegance and style.
Necro Facility: "The Room"
I hate to confess that this little Degerfors duo's second album is actually better than the latest Skinny Puppy AND Front Line Assembly.
Siouxsie Sioux: "Mantaray"
This lady is still going strong after several decades.
Mind.in.a.box: "Crossroads"
These Austrian nightowls know their way around their machines.
Ashbury Heights: "Three Cheers for the Newlydeads"
Magic and cool debut bursting with melodies which makes me recall the days when I first started listening to synth.
Onetwo: "Instead"
One part OMD and one part Propaganda 2007 might sound tired and pathetic. Or beautiful, sad and absolutely wonderful. Synthpop for grownups.
Songs
The Birthday Massacre: "Goodnight"
Behold: the sheer power and complexity.
Die Krupps feat Client: "Der Amboss"
A killer track for any party or club.
Nine Inch Nails: "In This Twilight"
A mesmerizing gem on a slightly uneven album.
Roisin Murphy: "Overpowered"
Moloko vocalist stops being pretentious and weird in a laidback, cool and sexy robodisco track that sticks.
Rotersand: "Lost"
In this one Rotersand hits the spot. Noise EBM with neither brains, nor soul: die die die.
Live
artists
Nine Inch Nails
It's nice to be 35 and still have bands like this one to experience live for the first time.
Kent
The second, sharp concert in Gothenburg sent shivers down my spine and made me cry.
Legendary Pink Dots
Even if their newest recordings aren't totally my cup of tea, I still play the old classics and gladly salute their hypnotic concerts.
Newcomers
Ashbury Heights
Young, fresh, shameless with irresistable tunes mixed by John Fryer, put a smile to my face.
Emmon
A girl and her synthesizer wakes us up from the coma induced by the endless row of boring, "competent" male synthpop acts with little or no personality.
Rupesh Cartel
More Sweden. These lads will not knock you down but it's a, uhm, competent debut..
Artists
Nine Inch Nails
The metal part of Reznor is more or less gone but the sharpness is still there. And hell, he's productive too.
Einstürzende Neubauten
I resist the temptation to include them in the album list just because they're legends but they deserve the artist spot for sure.
Alan Wilder
All's said so, one word and one word only: respect.
Mattias
Huss
Albums
Threshold HouseBoys Choir: "Form Grows Rampant"
Sleazy still knows how to scare the shit out of you. Spine chilling stuff, electronica as made by ghosts.
Einstürzende Neubauten: "Alles wieder Offen/Jewels"
One solid user friendly album and some alluring dream sequences to go with it.
Sister Vanilla: "Little Pop Rock"
Enjoy the relaxed mood here instead of making comparisons. Jim and William never sounded so happy without Linda.
Throbbing Gristle: "Part Two: The Endless Not"
I like this all the more for having very little to do with TG as they were.
Tujiko Noriko: "Solo"
Songs like cocoons to hide in from the world.
Rome: "Confessions d'Un Voleur d'Ames"
Rome is rapidly raising the standards of martial neofolk. Muffled growls and quoting Crowley is no longer enough, folks.
Recoil: "Subhuman"
Alan Wilder finally takes a headlong dive into the blues waters he has been dipping his toes in for decades.
Michael Cashmore: "The Snow Abides"
It's hard to get enough of Antony Hegarty, especially in this serene nocturnal setting.
Songs
Emily Jane White: "Wild Tigers I Have Known"
A haunting song I can't seem to get rid of.
Der Blutharsch: "I Sailed a Sea of Blood"
Powerful and hypnotic drone piece.
M.I.A: "Jimmy"
When M.I.A. slows down her relentless barrage of beats a little, beauty spills forth.
PJ Harvey: "When Under Ether"
A woman under the influence, a gripping narrative.
Live artists
Yamantaka/Yamatsuka Eye
Part animist ritual, part Nintendo Wii gadgetry, the stunning and primal performance by Boredoms mastermind Eye in Västerås was the best thing I've seen on a stage for ages and ages. It makes rock concerts seem hopelessly redundant.
PTV3/Psychic TV
At what was tragically the last gig before Lady Jayne's passing, PTV blew our minds by morphing, incredibly, into the quintessential 70:s rock band of our dreams.
Cleaning Women
Only true Finns can pull off dressing up as a cleaning ladies and conjuring Russian style rock'n'roll mayhem using chopsticks on washing equipment.
Newcomers
Von Südenfelt
Mark E. Smith and Mouse on Mars is just about the last collaboration I could have thought up, but this is the kind of surprise I like. Nice beats and tons of attitude.
Emmon
Outrageously catchy and damn stylish.
Artists
Marc Almond
Just try to make it to Stockholm next time, OK?
Aube
The world's most low key artist with the world's longest discography.
Niklas
Forsberg
Albums
Ashbury Heights: "Three Cheers for the Newlydeads"
A breath of fresh electropop air in a desperate genre.
Kent: "Tillbaka till samtiden"
The lads finally embraced their electronic side.
Mind.in.a.box: "Crossroads"
Electronically and technically the best album of 2007.
Lakeside X: "Exit:Nowhere"
Breathtaking Czech fusion of Depeche Mode and Placebo.
Rupesh Cartel: "The Disco and the What Not"
How this flawless gem has managed to get overlooked has left me dumb founded.
Mr Jones Machine: "Återvändsgränd"
Fulfilling the promise of their first born.
Raindancer: "Response"
Synthpop for ALL dancefloors.
OneTwo: "Instead"
Humphreys + Brücken = true!
The Birthday Massacre: "Walking with Strangers"
Power-electro-goth bursting with hit potential.
Terror Punk Syndicate: "Extended Playtime"
Harsh electronic music with a soul. It IS possible!
Songs
Rotersand: "Lost"
The futurepop corpse moves!
Sista mannen på jorden: "Släcka månen (Du får inte glömma)"
Low-key space pop, magnificently executed.
Pride and Fall: "I Wither"
Gorgeous, bottomless darkness.
Kent: "Ensammast i Sverige"
Another epic album epilogue.
Mr Jones Machine: "Vilda drömmar"
Contrasting cold and warmth beautifully.
Live artists
Kent
A grand show, living up to all expectations.
Anders Eliasson
Credit to anyone who wears a kilt on stage.
John Foxx
A vital old-timer performing powerful, hard versions of his classics.
Newcomers
Familjen
Things are starting to happen for this clever technopop project.
Arvid
Simply irresistable for fans of the first Ratata album (=me!).
Onetwo
Why not a combo of Ion Javelin and Vince Clarke next year?
Artists
Kent
Reinventing themselves for the umpteenth time.
Marsheaux
Taking their sexy machine pop from native Greece to the world.
Mr Jones Machine
The Ollila brothers on a mission. German next time?
Johan
Carlsson
Albums
IAMX: "The Alternative UK"
Freshly rerecorded version of one of the best albums ever, giving it a bit more edge.
Foo Fighters: "Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace"
More melodic rock'n'roll from Grohl.
Kent: "Tillbaka till samtiden"
They can do no wrong. A more electronic sound this time, and it works too.
Radiohead: "In Rainbows"
A return to form.
Nine Inch Nails: "Year Zero"
Trent is more electronic than ever, and is all the better for it.
Trentemöller: "The Trentemöller Chronicles"
OK, some material was released on last year's "Last Resort", but a lot of new stuff is on here. And it's all brilliant!
VAST: "April"
Dark, brooding and simply beautiful music.
Sista mannen på jorden: "Tredje våningen"
Contains some of the best stuff SMPJ has ever done. Which says a lot!
VNV Nation: "Judgement"
Yeah, they still sound the same, but hey, it's a lot better than the last album.
Mr Jones Machine: "Återvändsgränd"
Superb retro flavoured synthpop album.
Songs
Kent: "Columbus"
Cold Stockholm poetry with the catchiest chorus this year.
Jokke Ilsoe: "Feeling Good (Trentemöller remix)"
Cold, plastic, kinetic, dramatic.
Sista mannen på jorden: "Ingenting"
Simply fantastic.
Cryo: "Freedom"
The perfect marriage between Jean-Michel Jarre and body music.
Robyn feat. Kleerup: "With Every Heartbeat"
Beautiful and eerie.
Live artists
IAMX
The gig at Arvika was phenomenal. I'm usually pretty laidback at concerts, but this time the guards warned me because I jumped too much.
Front Line Assembly
Impressive energy from beginning to end. Plus I got to meet the guys.
Kent
Fabulous music as well as a beautiful stage show.
Newcomers
Terror Punk Syndicate
Old-school Wax Trax industrial. Which is nice.
Familjen
Apparently Sweden's current favourite, as suddenly everybody loves Familjen. And there's a reason.
Artists
IAMX
Chris Corner is simply better than you and me.
Radiohead
Interesting career choices, and music that sounds a lot better than their latest output.
Kent
What else is there to say that hasn't been said? They haven't made a bad album yet, and they're as good live. |
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Sussi Pettersson
Albums
Rome: "Confessions d'Un Voleur d'Ames"
Together with the two previous releases ("Berlin" and "Nera") this album makes your record collection complete. This extraordinary music has to find its way through to you.
The Threshold HouseBoy Choir: "Form Grows Rampant"
Twisted, exotic and soulful.
Einstürzende Neubauten: "Alles wieder Offen"
Still going strong.
Necro Facility: "The Room"
Recycles, rearranges and turns something old, into something (not new, but) good.
Dave Gahan: "Hourglass"
From a lousy debut to an excellent follow-up.
CocoRosie: "The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn"
More polished than before, but yet eclectic and clever.
Siouxsie Sioux: "Mantaray"
Feisty.
Interpol: "Our Love to Admire"
Best within the genre, as always.
Sista mannen på jorden: "Tredje våningen"
THE pop album of the year.
Der Blutharsch: "The Philosopher's Stone"
Finishes their career with style, even when playing rock'n'roll with just a touch of neofolk.
Songs
Rome: "Querkraft"
Industrial sounds, acoustic guitar, martial percussion turned into a pop melody.
Stormfågel: "Az Idegen Jövö"
Grandiose.
Coph Nia: "Religion"
Dresses up Front 242's 14 year old song into a beauty.
Kent: "Ingenting"
A gem!
PJ Harvey: "The Mountain"
Flowing and growing into something big.
Live
artists
Emmon
Bubbly and energetic!
Nine Inch Nails
Touring like there's no future.
Newcomers
Tearwave
Like a breath of fresh shoegaze.
Siouxsie Sioux
An old pro in mint condition.
Artists
Rome
Neofolk, apocalyptic folk, martial industrial; call it whatever you want. Jerôme Reuter is a genius and CMI's biggest pride and joy.
Throbbing Gristle
Seemingly always present; after three decades (and counting) both the band itself as well as band members on their own, are still producing music and art.
Peter
Marks
Albums
Individual Totem: "Mothfly"
Ten years of silence. Need I say more?
The Threshold HouseBoys Choir: "Form Grows Rampant"
Sleazy ventures out on his own with phenomenal results.
Recoil: "Subhuman"
Alan Wilder shows the world how it is done. Prost!
Deine Lakaien: "20 Years of Electronic Avant Garde"
What can you say about two decades of sublime brilliance? You make a double album/triple DVD.
Download: "Fixer"
Amazing simply amazing.
Phillip Western: "4am"
This man will someday be regarded as a visionary.
Einstürzende Neubauten: "Alles wieder Offen"
Berlin's finest remind why they are still with us.
PJ Harvey: "White Chalk"
The woman is a maelstrom. A vertiable force of nature.
The Angels of Light: "We Are Him"
M. Gira, a fellow I have grown up with and continue to be impressed by.
Mentallo and the Fixer: "Commandments for the Molecular Age"
All the more reason to stay tuned in. Don't ever count this act out.
Songs
Leaether Strip: "Sedated Nation"
Striking terror into the hearts of kiddies everywhere.
Portion Control: "Onion Jack IV"
One of the more wild rides in 2007, the continuation of excellence in electronics. Machine Code awaits.
Duran Duran: "Box Full O Honey"
Heart-rendingly beautiful, Save A Prayer for an entire new generation of fans to swoon to.
Substanz-T: "Glow"
Late night carousing, sleekly detailed cars prowling the after-parties with their passengers eerily awake.
Mark Knopfler: "We Can Get Wild"
An intimate portrait of young love, the determination of a would-be couple's bond cast against the expectations and prejudices of a heartless world.
Live artists
David J
Dr. Crocodile came. He conquered. He signed my records.
Digitalism
When one thinks of the new acts out there, this one always put a smile on my face.
Newcomers
Tonikom
She effortlessly blends multiple genres, bending them to her will, her filter setting being brilliance.
Cosmic Dennis Greenridge
From the boys in Mordan Music comes an artist unlike any I've dealt with. Strange things are afoot at Tesco's.
2 Bit Pie
Fluke are dead long live Fluke. Infectious on levels heretofore unknown to human kind.
Artists
Alan Wilder
If you have to ask why it is I have him in my list twice then you clearly haven't been paying attention and need your ears re-possessed.
Parade Ground
The enigma of the Pauly brothers unleashed in full-tilt nihilistic glory for 2007. The reward for an endless wait. Don't fade away.
God's Bow
Poland's leaders of darkwave. The duo who labour endlessly to bring us work which not only is from their heart but becomes part of ours.
Mike
Whyte
Albums
Felix Da Housecat: "Virgo Blaktro & The Movie Disco"
Still humming some of those tunes!
Illkinski: "Let's Zoom In"
A great collection of tracks.
KMFDM: "Tohuvabohu"
Pure raw power.
Underworld: "Oblivion with Bells"
What a way to return to CD. Legends.
M.I.A.: "Kala"
An accomplished follow-up to her debut.
Klaxons: "Myths of the Near Future"
Signified what 2007 was all about.
Radiohead: "In Rainbows"
Revolutionary marketing concept, and a great album too!
Battles: "Mirrored"
Maybe the best album of the year.
LCD Soundsystem: "45:33"
Unique, Inspired, Great.
Songs
Björk: "Earth Intruders"
Weirdly anthemic.
Battles: "Atlas"
Simply great.
M.I.A.: "Paper Planes"
Pop in the most experimental sense of the word.
Live Artists
Battles
Every time you see them, you know there will be something special.
Newcomers
Bonde Do Role "
Some of the most exciting music I heard this year.
Artists
Radiohead
Revolutionised the way we buy music with their latest release.
Battles
One of the best bands around at the moment.
M.I.A.
Really came into her own this year.
Tobias Eliasson
Albums
Mr Jones Machine: “Återvändsgränd”
It’s in Swedish, sounds like 1982, but it’s brand new. Of course I have to love it.
Onetwo: “Instead”
Finally a reunion where the new stuff is just as good as the old. Propaganda vs. OMD and the result is laid-back synthpop for the future.
She Wants Revenge: “This Is Forever”
The new Joy Division continues with the dark, mellow mood from the debut.
“Mute Audio Documents 1-4”
The greatest record label ever starts to sum up their history; a must in any collection.
Kent: “Tillbaka till samtiden”
Just when I thought they couldn’t get any better they release this.
Die Krupps: “Too Much History”
A nice collection from a band that seems to have found new energy.
Terror Punk Syndicate: “Extended Playtime”
Impressive debut from a project that might go far.
Backlash: “The Shape of Things to Come”
Great produced album that deserved more attention.
“Svensk postpunk”
Collecting a lot of rare stuff some of us have been missing for years now. Will 2008 be the year when these bands re-unite?
Northern Kind: “53 Degrees North”
Some great songs on this debut; modern synthpop but with a retro touch.
Songs
Die Krupps: “Der Amboss”
Finally available for the masses: this Visage-cover done together with Client will move any dance floor.
Mr Jones Machine: “Stjärnornas musik”
Very nice salute to old heroes.
Dave Gahan: “Kingdom”
Why couldn’t the whole album sound like this?
Sista mannen på jorden: “Allt är klart”
Eddie Bengtsson still got it, an instant classic.
Kent: “Min värld”
You got to love a band that still delivers great B-sides.
Live Artists
John Foxx
60 years old and still in the lead, as he mixes old and new to create music stuck in time.
Pet Shop Boys
Filling the largest stage at Hultsfred with a minimal stage show creating a great focus on the songs.
Erasure
Andy Bell owns the stage when we travel to miniature Las Vegas-glamour together.
Newcomers
Arvid
Great voice and as close to Ratata as I’ll ever see on a stage.
Northern Kind
Impressive synthpop with female vocals that could go very far.
Onetwo
Great to have two legends back; this sounds promising for the future.
Artists
Erasure
With their new CD, great tour and a live DVD coming up a lot is going on in the world of Erasure.
Kent
Of course. No 2007 list would be complete without them.
Lustans Lakejer
Following the re-releases of their old albums with a new collection, and a re-united band on stage. |
