Finnish assassins of the light The 69 Eyes are currently hard at work on their tenth studio album in Stockholm, Sweden. The new album will reference the band’s trademark "goth’n’roll" sound best exemplified on the albums 'Blessed Be' from 2000 and 'Paris Kills from' 2002. "The last album was recorded in Hollywood adding that special L.A. glam flavor to our sound," states vocalist Jyrki Linnankivi (aka Jyrki69). "Now this time – as this album is our 'Made in Sweden' record – our melodic, Scandinavian melancholy side is rising to the top!"

Morning Parade's new single "Headlights" is a beautifully-composed alt-pop gem that is filled with a hefty dose of melancholy and longing that has the power to pull all the right heartstrings. Remixer James Nije expertly extracted the song's potent and...

Critically acclaimed singer Ghostpoet (Obaro Ejimiwe) has signed a worldwide deal with Play It Again Sam Records. The label will help with the development and recording of his sophomore album, which is due out next year. Originally signed to Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood Recordings, Ghostpoet's first album, Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam , was nominated for a Mercury Prize in 2011. Tour Dates 16/05/12 - Botanique at Chapiteau (Brussels, Belgium) 19/05/12 - Liverpool Sound City at Kazimier (Liverpool, UK) 25/05/12 - Villa Inrock (Cannes, France) 26/05/12 - Art Rock Festival (St-Brieuc, France) 02/06/12 - Titanic ...

The Swedes are poppy, the Danes are laid back – but Norwegian musicians embrace the darkness Anyone who became hooked on Danish-Swedish crime series The Bridge knows its theme tune set a perfect mood for the gruesome, dark and grainy drama. Back in 2010 , I described Hollow Talk by Danish act Choir of Young Believers as "a melancholic Fire">Arcade Fire doing the soundtrack to Wallander" (I used them as an example of a band that made beautiful music, but couldn't or wouldn't do self-promotion on social networking sites). Seems I was just wrong about which crime series the ...

Ghostpoet has signed a new deal with Play It Again Sam and kicked off work on his second album. With his bittersweet lyrics and forward thinking, almost jazz-like production Ghostpoet's debut album 'Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam' won over almost everyone who heard it. A beautiful, at times moving, record it seemed to speak eloquently on behalf of anyone who was young, British and being left behind. Scooping a Mercury nomination, Ghostpoet took his live show out across the country and beyond. Collaborating with Brownswood, the rapper has now decided to pen a new deal. Ghostpoet has hooked up ...

Detroit quartet Fawn (members of the Von Bondies, Thunderbirds Are Now!, Child Bite, Javelins and more) have released a brand new video for "No Wave," the second single off of their debut Coastlines LP, out on June 12th with Quite Scientific Records (Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., Chris Bathgate). Directed by band members Christian Doble and Alicia Gbur, "the concept of the video/song is based on the feeling of living your life under water. People are talking all around you but it's all muffled. Maybe you're surrounded by a party but you've never felt so alone. The ...

We premiered the dreamily melancholy title track from Fear of Men’s Green Sea 7″ single... Read more »

Smoke Fairies – even the name itself conjures up something mystical. It actually alludes to the summer mist collecting in English countryside hedgerows. Best friends at school, Katherine Blamire and Jessica Davies grew up in Sussex in the UK, and you can see how this influence reaches out through their music. Blood Speaks is a rich mixture of folk, blues and eerie lyrics. They have actually been around since 2009, and through a tough but creatively fruitful year in Canada, and working with PJ Harvey producer Head they caught the attention of Jack White. Yes, that Jack White, who seemed at ...

There's a fine line between melancholic and morbid, a light division between pulling at your heartstrings and simply going too far. Thankfully, Funeral Suits know how to tread this line. A Dublin oriented four piece, the band's output thus far has been epic in size, scale and construction with famed producer Stephen Street on hand to lend them a few tips. Not that they need it. Funeral Suits come buoyed with the confidence of a band who simply know where their limits are - and how to brush past them. Debut album 'Lily Of The Valley' is set to ...

Millencolin's new album "The Melancholy Connection" , can be streamed in its entirety here .

You can stream *Millencolin* (http://www.absolutepunk.net/millencolin)'s The Melancholy Connection here (http://www.punknews.org/article/47404).

Today, we're stoked to bring you an exclusive stream of Millencolin 's new release The Melancholy Connection . Due out May 29, 2012 , the album coincides with the 20th anniversary of the long-running Swedish skatepunks and sort-of follows 1999's The Melancholy Collection . It will feature two brand new songs and twelve rarities from the Pennybridge Pioneers sessions.

“The Stars Above Looked So Bright And Green” by Swedish band Let’s Say We Did is a play on opposites, a bittersweet tune that effortlessly blends joy and sorrow. Sunny pop melodies back pleasant, melancholy vocals. It’s all a bit comforting, the sway that’s borderline jangle yet contemporary to modern Swedish indie pop, the soft guitars and playful percussion, the harmony vocals that chime in during the chorus. Let’s Say We Did is poised to release their sophomore LP, and this is its first single. “The Stars Above ...

The Tivoli - Tue May 15 Sam Lawrence opens tonight’s show with a set of heart-on-the-sleeve piano ballads; this is not the last time he will appear tonight, as he lent his vocals to Kimbra’s debut album, and will return later to assist her in the encore. Next up, however, is Daniel Merriweather. Merriweather is in melancholy indie troubadour mode tonight, and he plays a stripped-back set, backed by two acoustic guitars and joined by a keyboard player midway through. His soulful tenor vocals are ...

An abundance of Triangles. Art school heritage. Songs with names like 'Fitzpleasure'. You'd be forgiven that Alt-J were one of those fictional bands that troll social networks making satirical remarks about their marketing plans. Yet, pleasingly, the quartet transcend their early hype-wave caused by run-away smash 'Breezeblocks' with An Awesome Wave , a stunning debut that deserves at very least a cursory listen from any music fan; even if you were into them before they were cool. The first thing that stands out above all else on this collection of 13 tracks is Joe Newman's voice. It's not ...