Swedish retro/psych-rockers Siena Root will be heading out on a European tour this coming March: http://www.sienaroot.com/home/ ?page=shows In somewhat related news, similarly minded act Three Seasons -- the band of ex- Siena Root member Sartez Faraj -- will also be touring in March: http://www.threeseasonsmusic.c om/shows.php
And now, continuing on in our series of interviews with independent record labels, the madmen who run them and their mad quest to bring us the best music. How did you get started running an independent record label? Well, I have been releasing records from the early 90's, but Transubstans is the first serious label I run. I started to work at Record Heaven in Sweden back in [...]

Come with me, oh waverider , into Professor Racer's incredible, stupendous wayback machine. That's it over there, the one shaped like a road-worn blue and white VW bus, but trust me, that's all part of the ambiance of where we're going. Today, we're turning the dials way to the left, scooting right past the eighties all the way to the seventies. And just for the fun of it, let's give it a little extra turn and see where that lands us. I'll tell you where, smack dab in the middle of the amazing world of [...]
Here's the playlist for this week's radio show: 01. Familjen - Det snurrar i min skalle 02. TALK 1 03. QGMR - Pre-emptive retaliation 04. Theresa Andersson - God's highway (ft. Tobias Fröberg ) 05. Mental Overdrive - Europa 06. TALK 2 07. Siena Root - Time will tell 08. Marybell Katastrophy - Lost ship 09. José González - Crosses 10. TALK 3 [...]
When it comes time for me to reflect back on my favorite releases of the year thus far, my prime criteria is always which albums I've listened to the most and I have to say, I don't think there's been any other record that's come close to Siena Root 's "Far from the sun" . I think we (my wife + I) actually wore out the CDR promo we played it so much. No matter, I just figure that's a better excuse for me to grab a copy of the gatefold vinyl and seriously, is there a better [...]
Siena Root is the kind of band that forces me to involuntarily break into air guitar heroics every time I hear them. I swear that I try my best to remain skeptical of retro rock like this, but I can't help it. Shit is irresistible! They bust out mad pentatonics ala Black Sabbath 's Tony Iommi , but instead of the doom and gloom most people (wrongly) associate with that band, the music is incredibly catchy and even kinda glorious when you get down to it. It manages to tap into this weird false nostalgia for a [...]

Here's your Lazy Sunday Mix : 1990s - You're Supposed To Be My Friend The Polyphonic Spree - Running Away (via Stereogum ) The Mary Onettes - Lost (via Pitchfork ) Bloc Party Vs. Coldplay - Hunting For Witches In My Place (via Pitchfork ) Cuba Missouri - Lover's Leap [...]