Danish buzz band Under Byen--Rolling Stone's ace underground chronicler and Nordic rock connoisseur David Fricke called them "the best band in the world" -- play magnificent shuddering sheets of sound that should well please fans of Mogwai or Bjork's more outre tracks. Their slow-burning crescendos mutate via cunningly understated dynamic shifts, building brooding atmospheres that pull you into Under Byen's seductive sonic world.

Following in the tracks of her compatriot Jose Gonzalez, Frida Hyvonen is pegged to be the next breakout singer/songwriter from Sweden. Her piano-based approach has drawn enthusiastic comparisons to such artists like as Laura Nyro or Joni Mitchell (in her Blue period) with its passionate bite and penetrating icy vocal style.