Top 5 Norwegian Releases In 2012

VG did it. Dagbladet did it. Also NRK P3, Musikknyheter and even Gaffa and Trønder-Avisa. So Marion does it as well (talking about myself in the third person - I'm the personified modesty!!). Like in 2010, like in 2011 and now 2012. The best Norwegian releases in 2012!!

Looking through the lists of those big newspapers there are a couples of names mentioned you can't fail to notice: Susanne Sundfør, Karpe Diem, Highasakite, Sweden and I Was A King. The Norwegian press seems to agree quite much on their choice of 2012s best records. And even though I do agree with them to a certain extend, I think they forgot a couple of releases in their selections. And I must say it was difficult to pick a favourite for this year - and I guess my first two ranks never were that close, and I never felt like putting any other two records on first rank... both!!



1. Hanne Kolstø - FlashBlack

She had me with her debutrecord Riot Break. And now I'm all tied up to FlashBlack. It's a mixture of styles, stealing freely from different genres, putting the unusual together, the mood is changing like the weather, creativity in chaos, uniting the opposites. It's a perfect mess - overwhelming at first but when you notice that every single word and tone was precisely placed on purpose you just want to let the album embrace you.
The Norwegian newspaper Nordlys wrote about Hanne Kolstø: "The most gripping thing Norwegian music got to see in a very long time." And I just couldn't agree more with that!!

Most recommended are the tracks: Carousel which also has a great music video (the best music video of the year if you ask me - Norway in a nutshell - watch the video here!), Pretty Veil, The Scoop and Far Ahead. NB: Read a full review of the album in my blog --> Hanne Kolstø | FlashBlack

FlashBlack was released on the 14th of September with Karmakosmetix Records. The album (even vinyl) can be bought via CDON.eu, Platekompaniet or directly from Karmakosmetix Records and downloaded from several music stores. You can listen to the album via Spotify and Wimp.

Rating: 5/6



2. Susanne Sundfør - The Silicone Veil

Pure Susanne Sundfør experience on this record. Similar to The Brothel we find here piercing synthesizers, roaring basses and drums but also smooth piano and string arrangements. All combined with Sundfør's matchless voice. What makes this music so special is the way Sundfør is putting her songs together. They could sound sweet and innocent, yet the songs theme is rather tough and serious which is reflected in the well thought-out lyrics.

Most recommended are the tracks: Rome (exceptional in its beauty and setup of tension; my favourite), The Silicone Veil - with the music video that was described as "Sundfør surprises with sex-video" by Dagbladet (serious journalism here.. *harrumph*... better get your own opinion), furthermore recommendable are When and White Foxes.

The Silicone Veil was released on the 23rd of March licenced by EMI Music Norway AS. The album (even vinyl) can be bought via CDON.eu, Platekompaniet or directly from Sundfør's webstore and downloaded from several music stores. You can listen to the album via Spotify and Wimp.

Rating: 5/6



3. Tone Jorunn Tveito - Vindlaus

Imagine traditionall music mixed with elements from electronic and jazz. Many tried to combine those and ended up being sneered at. Not Tone Jorunn Tveito. It's just the perfect mixture of old and new elements and influences and Norwegian lyrics. The tracks are partly quite mysteriously, whispered others are energetic and impulsive in their beats. Right now I can't think of any other artist that could be a better ambassador for Norwegian music than Tveito. Can't think of any other album sounding that Norwegian and reflecting the country's lifestyle that much. Tradition meets nature. Nature meets music. Music meets modernism. It's like a postcard set to music.

Most recommended are the tracks: Håret likar å strukje seg mjukt, Ho heve han i hugjen, Bergtekjen and Ingen Veit.

Vindlaus was released on the 3rd of February with Circle Media. The album can be bought via CDON.eu, Platekompaniet or directly from Tone Jorunn Tveito and downloaded from several music stores. You can listen to the album via Spotify and Wimp.

Rating: 5/6



4. Kate Havnevik - You

Finally the long-awaited follow up for Melankton was released. And Havnevik follows the track of her first album with popsongs ranging between jazz and electronic. Although the songs on You sound much more optimistic and lively with lots of drumming. Something that is really nice about the album are the richely used jazz elements like the useage of brass instruments which reminds me a bit of Nils Petter Molvær. Or more specifically: Imogen Heap meets Nils Petter Molvær. All in all, an enriched and danceable electronic-pop fusion - with the conclusion that Havnevik should be way more popular.

Most recommended are the tracks: Castaway, Disobey (with a very clever, catchy and interesting signature), Halo and Soon. 

You was released on the 10th of February with Continentica Records. The album can be bought via CDON.eu, Platekompaniet or directly from Havnevik's webstore and downloaded from several music stores. You can listen to the album via Spotify and Wimp.

Rating: 4,5/6



5. Anne Lene Hägglund - Onboard

While Hägglund's debutalbum was very playful and reminded very much of circus music is this album of a quite different character. Tranquil. A singer & songwriter's album including everything from indie to pop. Lots of guitar, lots of percussion (talking about cymbals and jazz brushes). It leads me to think of Ane Brun for example or maybe Ingrid Olava. But what the album misses is something that could make it exceptional, that has never been there before. Still it's a very nice and cosy album. Suitable for rainy days, reading, autumn walks and so on.

Most recommended are the tracks: Daylight, Put Your Feet In Front Of Mine, Follow, See Me While Hiding.

Onboard was released on the 13th of January with Swingaround Records. The album can be bought via CDON.eu, Platekompaniet and downloaded from several music stores. You can listen to the album via Spotify and Wimp.

Rating: 3,5/6



Now, as a bonus, my TOP 10 NORWEGIAN SONGS FROM 2012
[aka. songs I didn't get tired of after hearing 200+ times each]:

1. Maylen Rusti - Posters
2. Thelma & Clyde - Back2Black
3. Hanne Kolstø - Carousel
4. Susanne Sundfør - Rome
5. Kate Havnevik - Castaway
6. Mikhael Paskalev - I Spy
7. Hanne Kolstø - The Scoop
8. Kaizers Orchestra - Begravelsespolka
9. Susanne Sundfør - White Foxes
10. Moi - Syng meg i søvn


Other Norwegian albums from 2012 you definitely shouldn't miss:

Phone Joan - +47 91799466
Oðeon - Beauty In Bloom
The Little Hands Of Asphalt - Floors
SalmeKlang - Himmelveg
Kaizers Orchestra - Violeta Violeta Vol. III
Susanna - Wild Dogs
Kråkesølv - Alle gode ting
Oslo Ess - Verden på nakken, venner i ryggen
Gift - Mann i gata EP
Thom Hell - Suddenly Past
Highasakite - All That Floats Will Rain
Mikhael Paskalev - Mikhael Paskalev EP


Which albums I'm looking forward to in 2013 - at least hopefully (!!!): Jonas Alaska, Maylen Rusti, Hanne Kolstø, Frida Ånnevik, Mikhael Paskalev, Post, Grande, Salvador Sanchez, Silje Kåfjord, Machine Birds,.....

Anbefalingsbonanza!

Hmmm... jeg er kanskje ikke altfor up-to-date men her kommer det noen anbefalinger av noen fine ting jeg har oppdaget i løpet av de siste ukene:


1. Jeg starter med et band jeg så live for bare en uke siden. Nemlig Oslo Ess. Et rock/pønk band fra Oslo (Haha, hvem kunne ha gjettet det?!). Ihvertfall skriver de fine tekster og fremstår som et veldig tøff gutteband - selv om de egentlig er utrolig søte (skulle kanskje ikke si det høyt?!). Og, som sagt, kom de til Wien og holdt en dødsfet konsert. Kjempestemning (Se på meg! Jeg bruker ungdomsspråk!! Så tøff, jeg er!!) - til tross for at det var bare få mennesker i publikumet (og jeg tror, ca. 60% av de som dukket opp var norske).
Så det anbefales å se Oslo Ess live hvis man får mulighet til det.

Oslo Ess under konserten i Wien @ Arena, 29. nov. 2012

2. Denne uka hadde vi en skandinavisk filmkveld på universitetet. Det vil si, fire filmer i fire ulike språk. Den norske filmen vi så var: Hjem Til Jul. En litt ukonvensjonell julefilm som består av flere små handlinger som knyttes sammen til slutt. Så morsom og så rørende med litt gåsehud-feeling her og der. Men samtidig ikke altfor søte og "christmassy". Og denne blandingen av humor, fine dialoger og noen rørende scener likte jeg ganske godt. Se traileren her --> Hjem Til Jul.
Så hvis man ikke har sett filmen til nå, er det på tide å se den. Snart er det jo jul osv.. :)

3. Innenfor norskkurset måtte vi lese Kjersti A. Skomsvolds debututgivelse: Jo fortere jeg går, jo mindre er jeg. Hun skriver om en gammel dame og tankene hun har. Historien selv er egentlig trist og melankolisk fordi boka handler mer eller mindre om ensomhet og også om døden. Men det som er spennende er at Skomsvold pakker historien inn i vatt. Hun bruker rimer og det hun skildrer virker ikke så trist enn det egentlig er. Og det er noe jeg har alltid likt godt - når jeg leser, ser på filmer eller hører musikk - når forfattere, musiker osv. pakker et tungt tema i humor og myke toner.
Jeg vil si at Skomsvold kanskje er skrivekunstens Susanne Sundfør. Derfor må man lese denne boka.

4. Brille - det er ikke bare et optisk instrument for å forbedre synet (og som gjør menn mer attraktiv, faktisk) men også navn på et av NRKs TV-programmer. Her har vi norske komiker som svarer på vitenskapelige spørsmål. Og jeg sverger, jeg har aldri sett noe så morsomt og informativt på samme måte. Og programmet får to ekstra poeng fordi man kan se det også utenfor Norge og det kommer med norske undertekster (som er praktisk når man lærer norsk)!! Hurra!!
Dette er uten tvil verdens beste TV-programm og må ses. Og det KAN ses her --> NRKs Brille.

5. Til slutt så vil jeg gjerne anbefale bloggen til en av mine venner som flyttet denne sommeren fra Østerrike til Bergen. På bloggen hennes finnes det masse deilige matoppskrifter, det hun driver med i Bergen og litt tull da også. :) Bare skjekk bloggen og ser på all de fine bilder av maten hun har laget. Njam, njam!!

Hanne Kolstø | FlashBlack

It feels like I've just put down the record player's needle (good old vinyl records, huh?); the vinyl would still feel warm from playing it; and I'd just told the world about Riot Break. Yet it didn't even take a year to release the follow-up for Hanne Kolstø's debutrecord.

FlashBlack provides ten popsongs. Partly very complex and gloomy and light and danceable on the other hand. In contrary to Kolstø's first record Riot Break the songs don't have their climax in a orchestral sphere rather in a landscape with all kinds of sounds and noises. The album is provoking curiosity as well as satisfying it - it's the 2nd of a record-triology; adding another piece to the puzzle.

Pretty Veil was the first song that was released due to the "alternative christmas calender" in 2011. It's rather trivial in its arrangement but is riveting at the same time. Gloomy but honest. Suitable to the darker and cold season of the year.

After lots of touring including gigs in Norway and abroad, the summer came. And along the first official singlerelease: La-la-la-la Lovesong. "I lay awake at night, I'm not myself. So sick and tired of La-la-la-la Lovesong." Hanne's anti-lovesong quickly made its way to Norwegian radio stations and P3 ranges it among the Best Norwegian Songs in 2012. The soundrange for this one reaches back to 80s syth-pop elements. Casio-tunes, muted strings and rich cymbal work creating the rythm. Watch here the offical video for La-la-la-la Lovesong.

It got a bit quiet around Kolstø until September came and FlashBlack finally was released. Many songs remind of Depeche Mode, late Tears for Fears, Radiohead or maybe even a mixture of it all. Especially The Scoop could be ranged into the 80s with its steady and danceable beats.

"FlashBlack" albumcover by Erik Pirolt who also did the cover for "Riot Break"

Other tracks like "Not Looking For Us" (--> goosebumps!!) and "Far Ahead" (--> watch here a live version of Far Ahead recorded by P3) mostly remind of the debutrecord. They are carried by guitar chords and bring Hanne's (and choir) voice into focus. "Sizzly" is of the same playful character as "The City" but could have very likely been released by POST [--> A pop-orchestra of four members including Hanne; they released their debut album "Common Rand Of People" in 2010; as far as I understood they're now focusing on writing their lyrics in Nynorsk instead of English, which is very cool; Nynorsk is cool].

Quite doubtless is "Carousel" the track that might leave the most impression to the listener. It's so full of engergy that it's difficult to stay seated while listening to it. It makes you dance, hop around and gets you into a good mood. Very suiting to it is the music video which just fully captured my heart. It was directed by Fred Arne Wergeland who also directed Kolstø's video to "The City" and POST's "Slow Song". Furthermore the video features drift champion Fredric Aasbø and was filmed at several locations in Norway. To me it's the best music video of the year. Best described in a way of: Hipster meets Bunad. 

All in all is FlashBlack a good follow-up to Riot Break and preview for Blue Anger (the record yet to come). It features more electronic elements than Riot Break and might require a few listenings to really grow on the music. But generally it's a good mix of soft tunes, playful chords and drums, thrilling beats and piercing Casio-sounds. Most recommended are the tracks: Pretty Veil, Carousel and The Scoop. And I would give the album a 5/6 rating.

FlashBlack was released on the 14th of September with Karmakosmetix Records. The album (even vinyl) can be bought via CDON.eu, Platekompaniet or directly from Karmakosmetix Records and downloaded from several music stores. You can also listen to the album via Spotify and Wimp.


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