This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart:
01. Kari Bremnes - Ly
02. Skambankt - Hardt regn
03. Frøya - Jenta fra landet
04. Kristin Asbjørnsen - The Night Shines Like the Day
05. Sie Gubba - Hemafrå
06. Marit Larsen - The Chase
07. Ida Jenshus - Color of the Sun
08. Bugge Wesseltoft - Playing
09. Tommy Tokyo feat Starving for My Gravy - Smear Your Smiles Back On
10. Vamp - St. Mandag
11. I Was A King - I was a king
12. Karpe Diem - Fire vegger
13. Maria Mena - Cause & Effect
14. Ane Brun - Changing Of The Seasons
15. Odd Nordstoga - Pilegrim
16. Erlend Bratland - True Colors
17. Ole Ivars - Platina
18. AF1 - Alle For En
19. Torstein Sødal - Torstein Sødal
20. Rita Eriksen - Hjerteslag
MIC Norway profiles hype act Casiokids: http://www.mic.no/mic.nsf/doc/art2009020615394851354543
Look for an IAT interview with them early next week.
Danish indie act Green Concorde will release their new album "Down the corridor to the exit through the gates out into safety" on March 9. Stream the lead single "Miami" at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/greenconcorde
It's not quite the same level as Ola Salo doing "Jesus Christ Superstar", but Danish artist Jomi Massage will be performing a starring role in the musical "Bag 7 Døre" being put on by the theater group Kaleidoskop. Read more (in Danish) at Gaffa: http://gaffa.dk/nyhed/31008
Via Aversionline and Killing the Legacy, two of my favorite hardcore-oriented blogs, comes word of Bring Honour or Walk Away. Head there now for a ton of Finnish hardcore demo downloads from bands such as Cutdown, Breamgod, St. Hood and more: http://thosewhofeartomorrow.blogspot.com/
Watch a video of Ane Brun performing "Lullaby for Grown Ups " at Black Cab Sessions: http://www.blackcabsessions.com/sessions.php?id=1233311055
In other news, fellow Scandinavian artist Teitur will be supporting her at Union Chapel in London on February 26 and then both Rebekka Karijord (NOR) and Jennie Abrahamsson (SWE) will be joining her for the gigs in Manchester, Glasgow and Birmingham (02/24,27,28 respectively).
Can't let this one slip through the cracks! Oskar Schönning plays the kind of pop-oriented jazz befitting of an era when tracks such as "Take five" would actually chart. His compositions are concise, the melodies memorable. Nowadays a great majority of the jazz conversation seems oriented towards freeform freakouts. That's fine- there's room for both, but this is way more my style. One of the best things about a lot of Schönning's work is also how joyous it sounds, both for the listener and the performers. I can't hear those handclaps on the intro without breaking into a smile and I suspect that neither can they. Or at least I hope so. Jazz will always remain a live art form and there's few things finer than witnessing class act musicians who appear to be genuiney stoked on what they're doing. I don't have the DVD that accompanies the album "Puerto", but I see them in my head and that's how I want it to be.
Oskar Schönning - Faustine
This week's top 20 Swedish album chart:
01. A Camp - Colonia
02. Scotts - På vårt sätt
03. Laleh - Me and Simon
04. Anna Ternheim - Leaving on a mayday
05. Freddie Wadling - The dark flower (den mörka blomman)
06. Deathstars - Night electric night
07. Jill Johnson - Baby blue paper
08. Veronica Maggio - Och vinnaren är...
09. Stockholm Stoner feat. Mats Ronander - Stockholm Stoner
10. The Soundtrack of Our Lives - Communion
11. Bullet - Bite the bullet
12. Magnus Carlsson - Re:collection 93-08
13. Timo Räisänen - ...And then there was Timo
14. Daniel Lindström - D-Day
15. Fredrik Swahn - Ut i livet
16. Mojje - Popcornfrisyr
17. Kent - Kent box 1991-2008
18. ABBA - The albums (9CD box set)
19. Sebastian Karlsson - The most beautiful lie
20. Frida Hyvönen - Silence is wild
As promised, the new Peter Bjorn and John video for "Nothing to worry about" is now online: http://www.1000apor.se/tv/ny-vaerldspremiaer-pa-1000apor
At their best Holmes sound like the dour Swedish Americana of Amandine crossed with the poetic melancholy of The Book of Daniel. At their worst, well... that sound can be pretty damn boring and it does get that way after a few songs. But one at a time? All good.
Living like I do in the cold, wet Pacific Northwest, I feel a kinship with the people of Göteborg and their similar grey existence and likewise, I can appreciate the temptation to subsist on music that befits the climate. Art is supposed to reflect your surroundings, is it not? This is the sound of walking down by the water at night in a light drizzle. Of sitting by yourself with a beer in hand, trying to clear your head. True, quiet melancholy; reflective and regretful, but resolved. Honestly, I think it's a beautiful thing and I wouldn't trade it for anything. Though to be sure: moderation is key. A little goes a long, long way.
Holmes - The arms of someone else
Smalltown Supersound will be releasing the debut album "Desire lines" by international act Meanderthals, a collaboration between Norwegian artist Rune Lindbaek and UK act Idjut Boys. Go here for the full scoop: http://www.residentadvisor.net/news.aspx?id=10189
Julian Brandt (ex-Bobby, The Paper Faces) solo debut "Looks and talent (don't always go together)" is now officially confirmed for release in May. Samples at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/julianbrandt
The new Kristofer Åström album "Sinkadus" has been assigned an official release date of April 8 with the first single "Twentyforseven" coming out later this month.
UPDATE: Luger screwed up. The song is called "27", according to the artist himself.
Sally Shapiro will be releasing a new album later this year. Read preliminary details here: http://www.johanagebjorn.info/sally-2009.html
Finnish indie act Regina is now streaming their new album "Puutarhatrilogia" at myspace in its entirety: http://www.myspace.com/reginaxxx
I can't say that I'm crazy about it as a whole, but there are definitely 3-4 standout tracks.