Happy New Year / Gott Nytt År 2023!

Dear All,

Year 2022 ended bad, 

for the world with increased war-mongering, increased oppression against innocent civilians, a continued ruthless Russian war against Ukraina, and with the privatized power and electricity sector and many other greedy sharks getting filthy rich on everybody else’s increased costs for heating and living. The shame, the shame, the shame.

Personally 2022 ended with a bad flu (but luckily not covid, tested negative). 

And even the weather has been bad, dark and rainy, today. But better weather is expected for tomorrow.

And, let's all hope, for a dawn of a better year. 2023. 

Year 2023 just must be a better, fairer, more equal and free, democratic, climate-smarter, healthier, and much less greedy, year, than the year that we tonight are gladly leaving.

År 2022 slutar illa, med krigshets och ökat förtryck mot civila i världen, med ett fortsatt skamlöst ryskt anfallskrig mot Ukraina, och med att den privatiserade kraft- och el-bolagssektorn och andra giriga hajar skördar förmögenheter på alla andras ökade uppvärmnings- och levnadskostnader. Skammen, skammen, skammen.  

För mig slutade 2022 med en rejäl flunsa (men lyckligtvis inte covid, jag har testat negativt). 

Till och med vädret är sk-t i dag, mörkt, grått och regnigt. Men bättre väder väntas i morgon.

Och låt oss hoppas på en bättre gryning också för år 2023.

År 2023 bara måste bli ett bättre, rättvisare, mera jämlikt och jämställt och fritt, demokratiskt, klimat-smartare, friskare och hälsosammare, och mycket mindre girigt år, än det år vi i natt är glada att lämna bakom oss.

Men, år 2022 hade åtminstone en hel del fina ögonblick inom populärmusiken.

However, Year 2022 had at least some great moments in popular music 🎶 

Here are some of them. 

Best Song and Box sets are presented in English, Bästa album presenteras på Svenska.

Bara för att det råkade bli så, just because it happened to be this way.

Enjoy - and Listen!  🎶  Njut - och Lyssna!

To All of You from All of Me - Till Alla Er från Hela Mig:

Happy New Year! Gott Nytt År! Onnellista Uutta Vuotta! Frohes Neues Jahr!

Best song 2022: 

Nie Wieder Krieg (No More War) by Tocotronic, on a wonderful album with the same title. Iconic. Majestic. Beautiful. And unfortunately so very current in 2022. A few other (well, around 10) favorite songs from 2022 are included in the New Year playlist you find below. 

Best Box Sets 2022:

The Flaming Lips: Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots (6 CD) (20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition).

Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots was Album of the year in 2002. Not only for me, but for most serious popular music critics. An instant classic. Now, 20 years on, The Flaming Lips published a great 6 CD-box set with a multitude of great music, the full classic album, two full major cd-singles, demos, non-album tracks, rarities, radio sessions, two full concerts, and even some more live stuff. Amazing! Plus a nice booklet and a small poster. The band has made many great albums and fantastic songs, but never surpassed the career high of Yoshimi. Six cd:s with material from that period is a music treasure. A must hear. And a given Best box set of the year (vinyl version will be out in 2023).

Die Toten Hosen: Alles Aus Liebe (4 LP)

The Vinyl box set of the year. Die Toten Hosen updated their 30-year anniversary box to their 40-year anniversary this year. Still going strong. Four great LP:s with both classics and newly remixed classics, and a few new versions. Great compilation of a great Punk Rock band, with some catchy Power-pop melodies and great ballads in-between. Not to forget that the limited box set comes with a signed card by the band members! And a great booklet. Superb bonuses to a superb box set.

Bästa album 2022 (utan inbördes ordning):

Waving The Guns: Am Käftig Rütteln (2LP)

Årets hiphop-album. Hörde dem första gången på skivtallriken i Hanseplatte i Sternschantze, Hamburg, i våras. Och det räckte med ett spår från Am Käftig Rütteln för ett direkt köpbeslut. Man Tut Was Man Kann (feat. Fatoni) och Coldplay & Nazis tillhör årets bästa spår. Waving The Guns svänger fett, och samhällskommenterar fränt. 

Jan Delay & Disko No. 1: Earth, Wind & Feiern - Live Aus Dem Hamburger Hafen (2LP+7")

Årets soul-pop-disco album. Grymt drag när Jan Delay och hans disco-orkester drar igång, live i hemstaden Hamburg. En riktig sommarpärla, som också ger vinterfesten sommarstämning. Eule, Oh Jonny... Alle tanzen!

Tocotronic: Nie Wieder Krieg (2 LP, 45 rpm).

Albumet med årets mest angelägna låt och albumstitel, Aldrig mera krig! Men Tocotronics senaste håller för hela slanten och inte bara ett singelspår. Helgjutet album med många höjdare och en fantastisk ljudbild, eftersom lp:n är utgiven som två plattor i 45-varvsversion. Starkt.

Joakim Berg: Jag Fortsätter Glömma (2LP)

Årets mest efterlängtade comeback. När Kents musikaliska hjärta Joakim Berg äntligen ger ut egen musik efter Kents avsked, är det något alla Kent-fans drömt om och längtat efter sedan 2016. Ett riktigt bra album, dessutom, som tar vid ungefär där Kent slutade, utan att alltför övertydligt låta Kentskt. Inledande Barn av vår tid är en av årets bästa låtar. Bara det. Berg kopplar greppet direkt.

Wolfgang Flür: Magazine 1 (LP)

Wolfgang Flür var en av de fyra klassiska medlemmarna i den legendariska uppsättningen av Kraftwerk, och den som har hållit lägst profil musikaliskt sedan dess. Magazine 1 ändrar det utgångsläget. Högpresterande Karl Bartos får ursäkta, men här är nog det bästa albumet med ny Kraftwerk-kopplad musik på flera år, med aktuella höjdare som angelägna Say No!, Zukunftsmusik och Billionaire. Ett album i tiden. Alla som längtat efter ny Kraftwerk-musik medan Ralf Hütter & co varit upptagna med oändliga nya versioner av gamla klassiker får här ett helt album som andas Kraftwerk, av en tidigare Kraftwerk-medlem. Kraftwerk-referenserna är särskilt närvarande i Night Drive, en 2020-talskusin till Trans-Europa Express och Autobahn, där några toner härmar Europe Endless. Utmärkt. Efterlängtat.

Die Fantastischen Vier: Für Immer 30 Jahre Live (3LP)

Det största hiphop-bandet i Tyskland firar 30 år med en trippel-live, inspelad i Köln inför en jublande arenapublik. Ett fint live-dokument över en strålande hiphop-kvartett. Underbara versioner av Krieger och Zusammen, för att bara nämna två. Har köpt några till av kvartettens klassiska album i år, och den här konsertinspelningen visar att de fortfarande är relevanta och i högform live.

Lars Winnerbäck: Själ och Hjärta Del (1)-2-3 (3x10").

Första delen utkom redan till julen 2021, därför inom parentes, men de två övriga tio-tummarna i trilogin utkom i år. Hela albumet finns även samlat på cd, men 10"-versionerna är förstås mycket coolare (och oerhört mycket dyrare, tyvärr). Har också ett limiterat, signerat exemplar av Del 1, ganska nice. Men: Del 3, med höjdare som tragiskt aktuella Skjutna stad (även om LW inte direkt kommenterar gängvåld och mord så fattar man ju poängen) och Släpp det där mörkret, är bäst, om man bara måste välja en tredjedel. Men 3x10”, tillsammans, är starkare.

PLAYLIST FOR NEW YEARS EVE 2022-23

Nie Wieder Krieg/Tocotronic

Say No!/Wolfgang Flür 

Barn Av Vår Tid/Joakim Berg

Fur Immer Solidarity (7”)/United Sound Crew

Perlen Vor Die Säue-Das Muss Eine Demokratie Aushalten Können/Waving The Guns

Reeperbahn ´90 (Live 1990)/Udo Lindenberg

Utan Dig/Miss Li

All The Good Times/Angel Olsen

Man Tut Was Man Kann/Waving The Guns feat. Fatoni

Rohdiamant (7”)/Alder Ego

Ich Gehe Unter/Tocotronic

Släpp Det Där Mörkret (10”)/Lars Winnerbäck

Anyplace, Anywhere, Anytime/Nena

Das Ist Der Moment/Die Toten Hosen

Bad Times (Remix)/The Narcissists

Oh Jonny (Live 2022)/Jan Delay & Disko No. 1

Nuori, Moderni (Konservatiivi)/Miljoonaliiga

Defonce/Brezel Göring

Zukunftsmusik/Wolfgang Flür feat. U96

Krieger (Live 30 Jahre)/Die Fantastischen Vier

Armutzeugnis/Waving The Guns feat. Pöbel MC

Expensive Being Poor/TV Smith

Billionaire (Symphony Of Might)/Wolfgang Flür

Skjutna Stad (10"B)/Lars Winnerbäck

Hoffnung/Tocotronic

Starkare/Miss Li

Zusammen (Live 30 Jahre)/Die Fantastischen Vier

Do You Realize?? (Live on KEXP 2002)/The Flaming Lips

Enjoyable Live Night: Sundström & Grillijono

In the normally dull city of Vaasa in the dullest period of the year, yesterday evening was a musical blast. Two surprisingly great gigs from two bands in form, performing in two different inner-city venues. Stefan Sundström med band at Ritz and Grillijono K.O. at Leipätehdas.

Sundström, a Swedish veteran musician, mostly well-known as a gifted singer-songwriter and solo performer, but also a rocker with a strong punk DIY-attitude, perform on this short Finland tour with a great five-person-band, including bass legend Nicke Ström. Yesterday, Sundström and his solid tour band gave a fine, pulsating rock concert, ending, perhaps surprisingly, with a well-performed, driving cover-version of Fri Sprit och Taxi Hem (Free booze and taxi home). A rather short concert, around 1 h 20 mins, but with no fill-outs, just great fun. A warm and energetic performance. I would certainly enjoy  a live album with this band.

Sundström performed so early that there was also good time to catch Punk band Grillijono K.O. at another venue, doing a quite rare performance in home town Vaasa. 

Grillijono has only made one album thus far, but a very fine one, and yesterday they also performed a great sample from a coming album. I certainly await that album, it is on the shopping list when published. The new song also went down well with the audience. As did the older songs, a favorite being Fuck Me Up Before You Go-Go. Energetic, fun, tempo-driven music and a high-toned main vocalist brings Offspring to mind. Yesterday was the first gig I have seen with Grillijono K.O., that are known nationally, but less so in their own, conservative home town. They are the next generation Klamydia, for a long time and still the most famous band from Vaasa. Both are punk bands singing in Finnish. Watch Grillijono K.O.!

Great gig, yesterday, I can’t understand why they are not a festival band here. 

Vaasa Festival, take note!

So,

A great night out enjoyning two bands in great form, in two different venues. I felt truly energized afterwards. About 5-10 people enjoyed both concerts, genre-hopping and proving that good music is good music irrespective of genre. Period.

Looking forward to see gigs by Stefan Sundström band and Grillijono K.O. again, soon. 

Yesterday You Both Rocked! 

I like.

🎶👍

End of an Era - Rest in Peace Queen Elizabeth II

Today U.K. and the world took a final farewell of Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-serving monarch in British history and a constant in a turbulant and transforming world since the early 1950’s.

She has always been there, come rain or shine, for seven decades as Queen, and now she is gone. Having followed CNN and BBC from Queen Elizabeth’s death until now, her funeral day, it is evident that this has been the biggest news topic in the anglo-american world.

Queen Elizabeth leaves a strong legacy. She was the very long-serving head of the Commonwealth and is said to personally have met three million people during her long rein. She took her duties very seriously, but did not necessarily take herself seriously. She even surprised everybody participating in scenes with James Bond (Daniel Craig) and Paddington. So cool, so fun. 

Elizabeth has been such a highly loved monarch, which the masses of hundreds of thousands of mourning citizens is clear proof of. And 2000 guests participate in her funeral today including many heads of state, including presidents Niinistö, Biden and Macron, the monarchs of Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Holland, Spain and Japan, and prime ministers of Australia, Canada, New Zealand. To name but a few. And about one million are expected on the London streets today to take a last farewell of the Queen.

A very beautiful and deeply touching burial ceremony.

The national anthem of U.K. is now, after 70 years, God Save The King.

An era is over. 

Rest in Peace, Queen Elizabeth II.

End of Cottage Season 2022

Alas, another Summer is already gone. 

Formally.

This weekend End of Cottage Season was celebrated here in western Finland and smaller parts of eastern Sweden.

Weather played its part too. Friday was probably the last warm day of the year, plus 23 or more, sunny and full summer. Saturday, the End of Summer season celebration night, started fine, but from mid-day it started raining and it just continued, slowly, all night. Sunday had ok weather but clearly chillier, around 17 degrees. The first day of Fall, just as Friday was the last full day of Summer. And in between the End of Cottage Season celebrations on Saturday.

Timing is everything.

We chilled, and had real good food, but no party this year. But of course music was part of the celebrations, as always.

Villaavslutningen är firad, sommaren 2022 officiellt avslutad, och det är klart att vemodet infinner sig med höstmörkret. Minns de finaste, varmaste sommardagarna och -nätterna, och se framåt, hösten har också sina vackra, stämningsfulla stunder.

Remember the best days of Summer 22, and enjoy the beginning of Fall season 22.

END OF COTTAGE SEASON 2022 Playlist

Express Yourself (Cd-s)/N.W.A. 

Pretty Vacant/Sex Pistols

Barn Av Vår Tid/Joakim Berg

Waiting For A Superman (Xfm Live Session)/The Flaming Lips

Where The Streets Have No Name/Can’t Take My Eyes Of You (Live in Mexico City)/Pet Shop Boys

Die Kleine Stadt/Udo Lindenberg

Jam Of The Year/The Symbol (Prince)

Stand By Me (Cd-s)/Oasis

Empathy/LBJ

Solregn (Live)/Dan Hylander & Orkester

Vielä On Kesää Jäljellä/Mamba

Chillaa Meiä Kanssa/Seremoniamestari

Wrongs Of Fall/Sad Rockets

Sex In The Summer/The Symbol (Prince)

Putoan/Kaemo

A New Life/Pet Shop Boys

Vrid Tiden Tillbaks/Noice

Drömmar Av Guld/Eva Dahlgren

Låtsasvärlden/Joakim Berg

M (Cd-s)/Kent

Venus In Fur (Acoustic edit 1965)/The Velvet Underground

When The Smoke Is Going Down/Scorpions

Get Up Offa That Thing (Live In Tokyo 1980)/James Brown

Bayern (Tipp-Kick Version)(Cd-s)/Die Toten Hosen

Ja Vill Inte Va (Som Alla Andra) (Demo 1979)/Noice 

Stay (Live 1979 No Nukes Concerts)/Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band

Go West (Live In Mexico City)/Pet Shop Boys

Höstvisa/Tomas Ledin

Drei Alben des Jahres

Jan Delay, Toten Hosen und Waving The Guns. Three albums (one box) of the year - thus far - are German.

Ja just det, tre av årets album är tyska.

Värda att kolla in. 

Worth checking out.

Jan Delay & Disko No. 1: Earth, Wind & Feiern - Live aus dem Hamburger Hafen

Årets partyplatta. Det svänger, öser, rockar, och blir stundtals känslosamt. Dansgolvspärlor och Disco för 2020-talet, hela vägen. Titeln är ingen slump, yes, tänk Earth, Wind & Fire, lite mera fest, och på tyska.

Alle tanzen!

The party record of the year, not least for the summer season. Magnificent disco and dance grooves for the 2020’s. The title is an homage to Earth, Wind & Fire, of course. It’s party time, in German. Alle tanzen!

Waving The Guns: Am Käfig Rutteln

Tung hiphop med härligt drive. Starka texter och ett beat som får varje ben i kroppen att röra sig. Känn rytmen!

Great drive and beat in this wonderful hip hop record, that makes every bone in the body move to the rhythm.

Die Toten Hosen: Alles Aus Liebe 40 (4LP)

The German Punk legends have made many albums over the 40 years, including many live albums. Here is a celebratory box set with old classics, a few brand new songs and some great new mixes of old classics. Plus a handsigned card by all members of the band. The music is great, Toten Hosen are 40 but the music is Now. This may be the box set of the year, at lest for the first half of the year. Sensibly priced too, at 60+ euro, it is well worth buying and not overpriced like unfortunately so many other box sets are. Great box, Toten Hosen!

Prisvärd box av punkikonerna Die Toten Hosen, 4 lp och signerat kort, och många fina spår med klassiker, några nya låtar och ett antal fräscha remixar av gamla klassiker. Ett tungt, högklassigt paket av de 40-årsjubilerande veteranerna. Bästa boxen hittills i år.

Did not include songs from these albums on Summer Vacation playlist because you should hear the full albums. Låtar från de här plattorna finns inte med på semester-playlisten, för de här albumen förtjänar att höras i sin helhet.

Viel Spass!

Summer Vacation - Playlist

The Finnish Summer is short. We are already past the brightest lightest summer nights of 2022 and nights are slowly getting duskier and soon darker.

But,

It is still full Summer, in the Vacation month of July, when most of Finland is enjoying the Summer. Today is sunny and warm, and we understand to appreciate that, because it won’t last.

Enjoy the Summer vacations and/or Summer days & nights, where ever you are.

Here is a Summer Vacation playlist, to chill to, dance to, just to be to, inspired by some new finds I did during my last journey, this time to Stuttgart and Frankfurt. 

Enjoy.

SUMMER VACATION PLAYLIST 2022

Time To Start/Blue Man Group

So We Won’t Forget/Khruangbin

Tag Am Meer/Die Fantastischen Vier

Tag Am Meer (Jaeger & Sampler Rmx)/Die Fantastischen Vier

My Love Is For U/Break SL

Sing Along/Blue Man Group

Kirchturmkandidaten/Jan Delay

Ich Weiss Was Was Du Nicht Weisst/Sportfreunde Stiller

You Got The Magic (7”)/John Fogerty

Antinazibund/Sportfreunde Stiller

Sad While Reggae/Placebo

Gold Gegen Blei/Von Brucken

Mach Dich Frei/Die Fantastischen Vier

Immerhin (fur die Tauben)/Von Brucken

Norden/Sportfreunde Stiller

Time To Start (Alternate German Version)/Blue Man Group

Relax (b island remix)/Frankie Goes To Hollywood

Can’t Stop The Music (Special Long Version)/Village People

Play It For The World/Carlos Malcolm

Too Hot/Coolio

Chicago/Clueso

Blue Blue Moon/The Boppers

Pohjanmaalla (Wanaja Live)/Klamydia

Living In The City/Hurray For The Riff Raff

Miss Decibel (Live Allsång 2022)/Medina

Visa Vid Vindens Ängar (CD-ep)/Håkan Hellström

Midsummer Sunday

During midsummer weekend 2022 weather is a Nordic summer at its best. Yesterday was another beautiful day.

Another midsummer weekend playlist. 

Enjoy Summertime!

MIDSUMMER SUNDAY 2022 PLAYLIST

Awake (2021 Mix)/Assemblage  23

Willkommen/Rozenstolz

Alles Gut (7”)/Jan Delay

Melody Of Love/Hot Chip

Slobo Day/Peter Green

Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City/Grady Tate

Love Is All/Liverpool

Uberdosis Fremdscham/Jan Delay

Es Tut Immer Noch Weh/Rosenstolz

Redan Idag/Raymond & Maria

Early In The Morning/Little Stalin Band

Never Let Me Down Again/The Penelopes

Personal Jesus (Live Singles Tour 86/98)/Depeche Mode

Turlich, Turlich (Live)/Jan Delay & Disko No. 1

Ich Falle Noch/Clueso

Jag Väntar Vid Min Mila (7”EP)/Hootenanny Singers

Palkkasoturi/Hector

All You Fascists Bound To  Lose/Ghetto 84

Wunder Geschehen (New Version)/Nena

Niemals Dran Gezweifelt/Udo Lindenberg

I’ll Be Missing You (CD-s)/Puff Daddy & The Family feat. Faith Evans & 112

Take On Me (Unplugged Live)/A-Ha

What A Wonderful World/The Flaming Lips

Kung Av Sand (Live)/Gyllene Tider

Walking In My Shoes (Live Singles Tour 86/98)/Depeche Mode

Sad White Reggae/Placebo

Mein Body Und Ich/Udo Lindenberg

Wordplay (Justus Köhne Remix)/Malou

Una Y Otra Vez/Sergeant Garcia

Feel (12” Club Mix, Test Pressing)/M

Go Now (7”, White label)/The Moody Blues

You Can’t Run Away/Udo Lindenberg mit Freundeskreis & Gentleman

See You (Live 1984)/Depeche Mode

Back In The City/The Wave Pictures

St. Pauli (Live)/Jan Delay & Disko No. 1

Over The Rainbow/Fläskkvartetten