"Happy New Year" with ABBA

Everything about my year is listed here.
And I mean everything!

Happy New Year, all imaginary readers of this blog!
I have great expectations for 2006.

XXX

Keep readin’
Tomorrow’s a new day and a new song.

Song of Today: "Happy New Year" with ABBA

"I Should Be So Lucky" with Kylie Minouge

Yesterday it was exactly 18 years ago since Kylie released "I Should Be So Lucky".

Wow, time travels fast when you’re having fun!
And tomorrow another year is over.
Wired.
Really wired.

Keep readin’
Tomorrow’s a new day and a new song.

Song of Today: "I Should Be So Lucky" with Kylie Minouge

"Rythm Divine" with Bodies without Organs

The day when the snow hit Gothenburg, the day after it was announced that Bodies without Organs will be jokers in "Melodifestivalen" next year (yeah!) - and the day when you get a sneak peak of the nominations for some of my Best Music 2005 Categories which will be presented at New Years Eve in my Swedish blog.

With reservations for late coming changes I give you:

ALBUM of the YEAR:
Brokeback Mountain Original Soundtrack
Come and Get It – Rachel Stevens
Confessions On a Dancefloor - Madonna
Drama – Bananarama
Electric Blue - Andy Bell
Playing the Angel – Depeche Mode
Sleeping in the Nothing – Kelly Osbourne
Taller in More Ways – Sugababes
X&Y - Coldplay
You Could Have it So Much Better with - Franz Ferdinand

SWEDISH ALBUM of the YEAR:
Alla Vill till Himmelen Men Ingen Vill Dö - Timbuktu
Du och Jag Döden – Kent
The Hjärta & Smärta EP - Kent
In Orbit – September
Jag Ångrar Ingenting - Lena Philipsson
Prototype - BWO
Robyn – Robyn
Rush – Jay-Jay Johanson
Tacking – The Embassy
To Die Alone - Moneybrother

SONG of the YEAR (SINGLE):
Crazy – Andy Bell
Dare – Gorillaz
Don’t Cha - Pussycat Dolls
Do You Want To – Franz Ferdinand
Hung Up – Madonna
Precious – Depeche Mode
Push the Button - Sugababes
The Importance of Being Idle – Oasis
They – Jem
Walk Away – Franz Ferdinand

SWEDISH SONG of the YEAR (SINGLE):
Alcastar - Alcazar
Be Mine – Robyn
Den Döda Vinkeln - Kent
Kall Stjärna - Mauro Scocco
Live Tomorrow – Laleh
Oh Lord - Nouveau Riche
Sunshine in the Rain - BWO
They are Buildning Walls Around Us - Moneybrother
We’re from Barcelona – I’m from Barcelona
Shoreline - Anna Ternheim

SONG of the YEAR (NO SINGLE)
Cry for You - September
I Said Never Again – Rachel Stevens
Let it Will Be – Madonna
Love Never Loved Me - Geri
Love Oneself – Andy Bell
The Maker Makes – Rufus Wainwright
Mannen i Den Vita Hatten (10 År Senare) - Kent
One – Mary J Blige feat. U2
Sorry – Madonna
‘Til Kingdom Come – Coldplay

The BEST MELODIFESTIVALEN SONG 2005:
Alcastar - Alcazar
Gone – BWO
Håll Om Mig - Nanne
Kom Var Mig Nära – Cecilia Wennersten
Om Natten – Jessica Folcker

The winner (and the runner up) will soon emerge in the other blog!
...and the song of today is just a celebration of the Melodifestival-joker...
...and one of the best Swedish albums this year...

Keep readin’
Tomorrow’s a new day and a new song.

Song of Today: "Rythm Divine" with Bodies without Organs

"A Big Hunk O Love" with Elvis Presley

Back in Gothenburg and time to summarize 2005.
I just love this time of the year when I get to do “Best of the Year”-lists of everything!!
My blog in Swedish will be filled with these lists the upcoming days (today there is a "My 2005 in Pictures" as a warm-up) and I might do some previews here in this blog!
Tomorrow I will try to present the best Swedish and foreign albums, singles and songs of 2005... ...but today it is another very important category:

2005’s Hunk of the Year!!

...and the nominated are...

Björn Christiernsson (Snickar-Björn)
Chris Evans
Jake Gyllenhaal
Tobias Hysén
Wentworth Miller


The winner (and the runner up) will soon emerge in the other blog!

Keep readin’
Tomorrow’s a new day and a new song.

Song of Today: "A Big Hunk O Love" with Elvis Presley

"Snön Föll" with Peter Jöback

The snow just kept falling down yesterday - today it is about 15 centimetres of snow outside…and it keeps falling down – and last evening the electricity went away for about an hour and it went completely dark.
Right now I’m just hoping the train won’t get stuck anywhere on my home later today…but I guess that’s too much to hope for.
I’m afraid it will turn into one of those "no train but bus and three to four hours of delays" kinda trips.
*sigh*

Keep readin’
Tomorrow’s a new day and a new song.

Song of Today: "Snön Föll" with Peter Jöback

"White Christmas" with Bing Crosby

Boxing Day…and I’m totally knocked out.
Hung-over as hell.
Can’t hardly stand up.
Feeling sick.
Anxiety attacks.
It clearly feels like I missed one day today.

…but ironically enough the weather has changed and snow has fallen all day and outside my window it’s white and beautiful.

Tomorrow I step on the train back to Gothenburg again.

Keep readin’
Tomorrow’s a new day and a new song.

Song of Today: "White Christmas" with Bing Crosby

"Jul, Jul, Strålande Jul" with Peter Jöback

Christmas Day; More food but better weather.

Since this is a blog about music (nah, really….it was the purpose at the beginning) I use this day to list some important Christmas Music for me.

The Best Christmas Album Ever: "A Christmas Gift for You" from Phil Spector (purley Christmas Classics)
The Best Swedish Christmas Album Ever: "Jag Kommer Hem Igen till Jul" by Peter Jöback (have some of the best "modern" Swedish Christmas Songs ever written – like "Snön Föll" and "Varmt Igen" – and a beautiful simple arrangement through the whole record)
Other Modern Christmas Classics: Wham’s "Last Christmas", Mariah Carrey’s "All I Wan’t for Christmas is You", Band Aid’s (the original of course) "Do They Know its Christmas" and a so on
Best Classic Christmas Songs: "Oh Holy Night", "Silent Night", "White Christmas" and another bunch which I don’t now the English name for.
Crappiest Christmas Album: "Slitz X-mas Dance Party" (ten "models" "singing" classics….)

Keep readin’
Tomorrow’s a new day and a new song.

Song of Today: "Jul, Jul, Strålande Jul" with Peter Jöback

"Nu Har Vi Jul Här i Vårt Hus" with Agnetha Fältskog & Linda Ulvaeus

Christmas Eve – the most important day of Christmas in Sweden:

Chocolate & a "King Magazine" in a stocking when I woke up * checked out another episode of "House" * got text messages from almost all my friends during the day, wishing me a Merry Christmas * had two walks with my sister (even if the weather suced…rain, rain, rain and about five to ten degrees Celsius), during the second one we spot a Santa walk into a house and scaring a small child * started to read the new book by Brett Easton Ellis called "Lunar Park" * ate loads of Christmas food (this year the official soundtrack was the Christmas CD by Peter Jöback…as it also was last year by the way) looked at the Disney Extravaganza at 15.00 as everyone does every year…but it’s only the first small film with Santa Clause and all the toys that’s funny….and maybe the one with Chip’n’Dale…and Snow White and…well…I guess I know why we’re sitting there with our glögg every year * Ante called (with a very angry Elsa in the background in the middle of "Karl-Bertil Johnsson", but I still managed to hear all the classic lines * got loads (actually 15….and we hade 62 presents under the Christmas tree…for four persons…we’re mad) of nice Christmas presents – probably one of the best years since the average standard was very high – like a yoga-mat, a Pilates ball, four sweaters, a book with short-stories by Colum McCann, a new phone for my flat and trimmer for my ear&nose hair! (I also got a "stavmixer" but I have no idea how to translate that right now) * ate porridge at about eleven o’clock PM * read until it became Christmas Day.

Keep readin’
Tomorrow’s a new day and a new song.

Song of Today: "Nu Har Vi Jul Här i Vårt Hus" with Agnetha Fältskog & Linda Ulvaeus

"One" with Mary J Blige feat. U2

As I wrote in the Flip/Flop this week – in UK the most important song of the year is the one that’s number one on the charts at Christmas…
I don’t know if that’s the case with my chart (since this is its first Christmas), but I do know it’s a wonderful song – actually one of my favourites – that has got a new life in this new version, and it is an excellent song to listen to at Christmas.
Go Mary! Go U2! (The band who has dominated this blog its first year.)
The second newcomer is Amy Diamond…and artist who I earlier despised (I can’t stand singing children), but whose latest hit has grown and grown on me…and now it’s on the chart.
The third one is the best song from the latest Girls Aloud album (the girls actually leaving the chart with another song), a song you really can’t resist when Cheryl shouts out "Daaaarling, we’re in fashion, don’t you know!?" in a very British AbFab kinda’ way somewhere in the beginning. As gay as it gets…and as good as Girls Aloud gets (I actually think that it was this single phrase that made the magazine Attitude give their album a five star rating….)
Madonna is still going strong on my chart, by the way.

Tomorrow it’s Christmas Eve – be nice children!

01/NE/01/01/Mary J Blige feat. U2 - One
02/02/02/02/Rufus Wainwright - The Maker Makes
03/NE/03/01/Amy Diamond - Shooting Star
04/01/01/04/Franz Ferdinand - Walk Away
05/NE/04/01/Girls Aloud - Models
06/07/06/02/Gustavo Santaolalla - The Wings
07/05/01/04/Nouveau Riche - Oh Lord
08/03/03/03/Coldplay - Talk
09/08/01/11/Madonna - Hung Up
10/06/01/07/Madonna - Let It Will Be

Keep readin’
Tomorrow’s a new day and a new song.

Song of Today: "One" with Mary J Blige feat. U2

"Going Home for Christmas" with Chapman Steven Curtis

In three hours I’m hopefully on a train on my way to Karlskrona for some Christmas celebrating.
I’ve been runnin’ around like crazy all morning packing, wrapping presents and doing the laundry…but now it seems to be all done.
So, whats the expectations for this Cristmas?

Hmmm…
It’s not the presents as it used to be when you was a child…now it’s more an urgent need for some relaxing, meeting my sister and my parents and (hopefully) Daniel (my oldest best friend)…and maybe to get some perspective on the "moving to Stockholm"-thingie that includes leaving my safe world of Fredrik, Johan, Andreas & Co and start something new.
…and of course I will complete my "Best of the Year"-lists and make a NewYearsEve-quiz as usual…

But at first I will look at just one more episode of House.

Keep readin’
Tomorrow’s a new day and a new song.

Song of Today: "Going Home for Christmas" with Chapman Steven Curtis

"JCB Song" with Nizlopi

In Great Britain the most important single of the year is the one on the top of the charts at Christmas.
This year the chart-fanatics where afraid the top spot would go to Crazy frog or the Pop Idol winner – but it turned out to be a low key folksong called "JCB Song" by a group called Nizlopi.
Of course that’s the last flip/flop of the year (or forever? Stockholm is getting close).

D-man: Flip
I like it. Have never heard it before. It sounds just like my old favourite Tikka-Tikka-Bam-Bam-Raaas, bet ya know her too? The lyrics were diluted. Something about driving around in a kung-fu man and then sitting in a toolbox. Or perhaps I'm just wicked?

E-man: Flip
Ahh, nice! Starts slow. Smooth guitar, slow but distinct drums. Nostalgic text sung with a rough but competent singer-songwriter voice. Even allows himself a touch of an accent, which is rare (or at least difficult to get away with). The last third picks up the pace and goes all confused, love it! Is that a banjo?
Even gets a touch of Christmas somehow. Well, that could be me longing for Christmas vacation, of course. Me like. With the risk of sounding a thousand years old, it was way too long since anyone made a song like this. Did I mention I like Tracy Chapman?
Flippety-doo-yah!

K-man: Flip
I get a huge Tanita Tikaram-vibe of this song (and in the opposite of the D-man I actually know the works of Tanita and is a huge fan) and that’s a good thing for sure. Still, I think it is a bit boring… Not much happens and even if the lyrics are cute there not much of originality here is it? Normally I’d flop this, but what the heck. It’s Christmas…and it might be the last Flip/Flop ever. Who am I to grudge?

A Christmas flip it is!

Keep readin’
Tomorrow’s a new day and a new song.

Song of Today: "JCB Song" with Nizlopi

"Laughing Gnome" with David Bowie

I just translated my favourite Christmas candy...
...and it turned out to be a perfect name of a band.

Skumtomte = Foam Gnome

It’s up for grabs!
I give it away for free.
Just thank me on your first album.

Keep readin’
Tomorrow’s a new day and a new song.

Song of Today: "Laughing Gnome" with David Bowie

"Doktorn" with Agnetha Fältskog

New week.
New obsession!
TV-tip of the day: House, M.D
A fabulous mix of CSI and ER, and with one of the most unlikeable TV-characters I’ve ever seen in an American TV-show: Hugh Laurie’s Doctor House.
In every episode Dr House and his expert team tries to find the diagnosis for a new patient with some strange disease – preferable for Dr House without meeting the patient at all. "Patients lie, symptoms tells the truth!"
It’s interesting, it’s well played, it’s exciting – and it is a total disaster for me to see since I’m a complete hypochondriac…
…but I just can’t stop watching!

Soon my poor friends will find me blabbering about mystical worms in my brain and unknown viruses…

Keep readin’
Tomorrow’s a new day and a new song.

Song of Today: "Doktorn" with Agnetha Fältskog

"Sunday" with Stakka Bo

The day started with a sever hang-over from last evening’s Christmas-party at Sjömagasinet…
…but as the Sunday went by it turned out quite well with a wonderful walk in the cold, sunny weather, a nice pizza followed by ice-cream, and the discovery of a very good TV-show ("House, M.D") that I hadn’t seen before.
Everything in the company of my fabulous friend FF.

Damn, how I will miss you when I go to Stockholm, gubben!!

Keep readin’
Tomorrow’s a new day and a new song.

Song of Today: "Sunday" with Stakka Bo

"King Kong Song" with ABBA

Hmmm.
Yesterday I saw "King Kong" – the new movie by Peter Jackson.
A short review: It’s too long (some kids left the cinema after 1½ hour, when the big ape really hadn’t emerged from the jungle yet), it has to many dinosaurs for my taste (even if they look way more cool than in either "Jurassic Parc"-movie), and…well…it’s not The Lord of the Rings. But the gorilla is beautiful and every scene with him and Naomi Watts is pure movie magic. Kong is clearly one of the biggest CGI achievements ever, and the scenes from New York in the 30’s are also spot on.
So, to summarize I would give it a very strong 6 out of 10. If Peter Jackson had allowed Kong to spend more time in NYC and with his lovely girl, and less time chasing big insects on Skull Island, the grade would have risen.

The song of today is given. Not one of ABBA's proudest moments though. ;)

Keep readin’
Tomorrow’s a new day and a new song.

Song of Today: "King Kong Song" with ABBA

"The Maker Makes" with Rufus Wainwright

I’m completely captivated by the soundtrack to the "Brokeback Mountan"-movie. I would never have thought that I would spend a week just listening to Country-music… But hey, I guess I still can surprise myself. The two best songs (oh, how I adore Rufus Wainwright by the way….this songs feels like this years best Christmas song, without being a X-mas song) are new on this week’s chart. "The Wings" is the first instrumental song to hit the chart, and it’s the movie’s main theme by the composer Gustavo Santaolalla.
The other album I discovered recently are Franz Ferdinands "You Could have It So Much Better with Franz Ferdinand". Clearly one of the top 10 albums this year….and I understand that now? Their new single takes the top spot, anyway.
Coldplay and Lene keeps climbing…it’s the sad songs that dominates in time of stress and rumbling thoughts, I guess.
Madonna’s "Hung Up" spends it tenth week on the chart! If that’s not the single of the year (soon my "Best of the Year"-blogs will dominate my Swedish blog) I will eat my….*something disgusting to eat*.

This Week/Last Week/Peak/Weeks on Chart/Artist - Song

01/02/01/03/Franz Ferdinand - Walk Away
02/NE/02/01/Rufus Wainwright - The Maker Makes
03/06/03/02/Coldplay - Talk
04/05/04/04/Lene Marlin - Leave My Mind
05/01/01/03/Nouveau Riche - Oh Lord
06/04/01/06/Madonna - Let It Will Be
07/NE/07/01/Gustavo Santaolalla - The Wings
08/07/01/10/Madonna - Hung Up
09/08/05/04/Girls Aloud - Biology
10/10/03/04/Tiga - You Gonna Want Me

Keep readin’
Tomorrow’s a new day and a new song.

Song of Today: "The Maker Makes" with Rufus Wainwright

"See the Day" with Girls Aloud

Since Stockholm is getting closer the Flip/Flop-sessions might soon come to an end…but I guess they at least will manage to survive through 2005. Let’s see if the same thing goes for the new single from Girls Aloud: "See the Day".

D-man: Flop
Boring. Doesn't do anything for me. I could imagine it being dull store music while shopping even duller x-mas gifts at Kappahl (which I don't). :(
Play some Ray Charles x-mas tunes now, will ya? :)

E-man: Flip
Yes yes, very nice. Flippetyflip. Oooooh..

K-man: Flop
I really love my Girls Aloud…but not this loud… Why?? I understand the importance of the "X-mas Number One" in Great Britain…but this is soooo boring. Nothing special at all…and I really don’t now if the video will help this time around either. Release "Models" as a single right now instead!

I guess we have to change the E-man soon…
Not only because he have the wrong opinion every week, but we really need some one who can take two minutes off from their busy and important work and write something more inspired than different sounds for our final sessions if we should try to go out with a bang…
…but I guess bang is sort of a sound?

Anywho.
Girls Aloud get their first flop here.
Gör om och gör bättre!

Keep readin’
Tomorrow’s a new day and a new song.

Song of Today: "See the Day" with Girls Aloud

"Varför är Bussar Så Långa" with Doktor Kosmos

The same week as England takes away its famous double-deckers from the streets of London (Bye, bye! I’ll miss you next time I’m in London!) the city of Gothenburg decides to make something about its problem with over-crowded buses:

Yes. This is for real.
Apparently they haven’t been to London...
It will be fun to see these buses in traffic in two metres of snow. Especially in reverse in case of a stop or a sudden redirection since no bus-driver I’ve ever been transported with has had the slightest idea how to drive the current busses that way...
I feel that it might be a good time to leave for our capital in so many non-expected ways right now...
Keep readin’
Tomorrow’s a new day and a new song.

Song of Today: "Varför är Bussar Så Långa" with Doktor Kosmos

"Santa Lucia" with Tremoli

This day is so filled with words that I don’t know how to translate...so I guess I don’t.

Lucia
Tärna
Stjärngosse
Lussekatt
Staffan Stalledräng
Strutmössa
Lusse Lelle
”fålar fem”

Have a nice Lucia!

Keep readin’
Tomorrow’s a new day and a new song.

Song of Today: "Santa Lucia" with Tremoli

"Strange Day" with The Cure

Very strange day at work...
The project got even more complicated (I guess this is the biggest mess I’ve been a part of in my whole career...and I have nothing to do with it...but have to solve it) and my boss offered me the easiest way out:
Move to Stockholm and start working with something completely different!
It’s a big leap.
Just now I really don’t know what to do.
I will miss my friends. My workmates. My everyday life.
At the same time 2006 might be the year to try something new...
...and the work situation as it is now is clearly unbearable.
*sigh*
I’m not good at big decisions.
Not good at all.

Keep readin’
Tomorrow’s a new day and a new song.

Song of Today: "Strange Day" with The Cure