Modern synthpop pioneers Camouflage are back. They've signed with Virgin and their new single "Thief" was released on July 12. Those of you who were disappointed with their latest studio album, "Spice Crackers", should be delighted to hear that the new single is in the old style of more straight forward (synth)pop. It contains four versions of "Thief" and a new instrumental track called "Isolation".
An album entitled "Sensor" is planned for a later release, but no date is set since Virgin wants to see the reactions on the single first.
Oliver Kreyssig, who was an original member of Camouflage, has also re-joined Marcus Meyn and Heiko Maile, so expectations are, to say the least, big, on the new record. /Niklas Forsberg

Everything but the Girl's new album scheduled for September 27

Everything but the Girl will release a new album, "Tempermental", on September 27. It's their first real album since their hugely successful "Walking Wounded". /Erik Almgren

Cat Rapes Dog's Annelie Bertilsson joins And One

Photo by: Release.

Longtime member of Cat Rapes Dog, Annelie Bertilsson, has joined And One as a fourth member. And One claim they won her in a game of poker.
Annelie will remain in Cat Rapes Dog. The new album "People as Prey" is in the final mixing stage, but will not be released until October 18. This date is shared with Covenant's new album "United States of Mind" (on the same company).
And One's new album is heavily delayed until early 2000. But that might in fact be something good - let's not rush things like last time, shall we? The delay is due to extensive syntheziser collaboration with Siemens.
Joke Jay of And One is also working on an interesting solo project in the industrial genre.

Squarepusher EP on July 19

"Maximum Priest" will be Tom Jenkinson's, a k a Squarepusher, follow-up to his spring-release "Budakhan Mindphone". The format is EP and the release date is set to July 19. /Erik Almgren

Another successful year for the Arvika Festival?

This year's Arvika Festival in Sweden will probably be sold out and a success once again. This weekend Paradise Lost, Das Ich, Project Pitchfork (pic), lots of other artists and about 10 000 people head for Arvika. As well as Sussi Pettersson, Johan Astemark and Peter Åstedt from Release. Check out the report at On Stage next week.

Leftfield back after four years

It's been about four years since techno/dub act Leftfield released their successful debut album "Leftism". But now they're back with a new, much anticipated, album called "Rhythm and Stealth". It hits the stores on August 6. /Erik Almgren

Statemachine delay

Rickard Gunnarsson of Statemachine live at Virtual X-Mas in Lund, Sweden, 1998.
Photo by: Anders Ekne.

The release of the new Statemachine album "Short and Explosive" is likely to be moved to 2000.

The latest on Rational Youth

The new Rational Youth album "To the Goddess Electricity" was mastered on July 13 and is scheduled for a September release.
The band is also working on a limited edition re-release of their old, hard-to-find, EP "Rational Youth", which will include several extra tracks.
Two Rational Youth tracks also appear on the new October compilation "Shot 99" - an impressive live version of the old song "Holiday in Bangkok" and the latest single track "Everything Is Vapour". /Niklas Forsberg

Blast First re-releases second Suicide album

Following up the successful rerelease of legendary electropunk outfit Suicide's debut album last year, Mute sublabel Blast First has now re-released their second album as well. Entitled "The Second Album+", it comes as a double CD, featuring the A and B sides of the "Dream Baby Dream" single and as 45 minutes of previously unreleased material from 1975.
Suicide vocalist Alan Vega has teamed up with a former Alterd Images guitar player to form Revolutionary Corps of Teenage Jesus. They recently released their debut album on the small Scottish label Creeping Bent. /Kristoffer Noheden