Last To See

Vi snakker bare norsk! Del 3.5

2012-01-24T02:33:00.002+01:00

...og da snakker vi enda mer norsk! And it's interesting how much one can learn in just some time and how four months can appear so much longer. And suddenly is course no. 3 over (well soon - after the written and oral exams on Wednesday and next Monday) and soon I'm going to write about course no. 4!

When I think back on the topics we went through since October it actually seems to be a lot we learned. It wasn't much of new grammar we learned, actually. Sure, some new vocabulary, but that came quite automatically when learning about a new topic. But most of all it was probably a progress in the way we express ourselves in this language - the way we talk, the way we write.

Selv-evaluation?! Hard to tell. Of course I notice that the texts I write now sound, let's say, smarter than those I wrote in previous courses (doesn't mean though, that I'm not making any mistakes). But I definitely feel more comfortable writing in Norwegian! Understanding spoken Norwegian got easier. Speaking myself?!? Mhm... it's something I should do more often, I guess!

The third course now was definitely more challenging in its tasks and demands but on the other hand it was filled with interesting literature and discussions. Have you ever read "Den misunnelige frisøren" by Lars Saabye Christensen? I loved it. It's just a short novel but very nice to read. Christensen has a fantastic style of writing!! (That's a recommendation!!) Or you could read Norwegian fairytales - it's a beautiful kind of language: "Til værs, til værs, over mønsås og kirkespir, over land, over vann, over berg, over dal, til min kjæreste som venter meg i fjellet i natt." (--> taken from one of my favourite Norwegian fairytale "Følgesvennen") And what about "Lukten av propan om morgenen" by Levi Henriksen!? Very visualizing!! Or stories by Jon Fosse if you're into Nynorsk.

Oh, the "new Norwegian" - that actually goes hand in hand with dialects and slang. This is something I love to learn about. Kinda important, too. Most of the time I understand my Norwegian friends (thinking of the stuff they're writing) but have you ever met a person writing in a Trøndersk-dialect? Or just in Nynorsk? And it's a comfortable feeling to know a couple of "slang" expressions. Although I understand that certain expressions just can't be taught in a course. Hehehe... thank God for having helpful friends! :)

But no matter how interesting or challenging a topic is, it often depends on the teacher. The teacher I have (now since October) seems very dedicated to his job and is doing a lot to make the lessons as interesting as possible - that's the impression I got. Fortunately (or unfortunately?!) that makes it difficult to grouse when we get lots of homework. Well, I would get a bad conscience knowing that he'd invest lots of time in all his preparations and corrections. All in all, I think there should be more teachers like him.

In addition to all that: Over the past months I came to realize more and more that the Norwegian language is making me happy. Just the language. I start to grin as soon as I hear Norwegians talking to each other. I could jump of happiness when I meet Norwegians (doesn't happen too often, though). It's fun to write in Norwegian with friends. And going to the course is usually the highlight of the week. Isn't that a bit funny?! :)

That's how studying for norsk looks like.

Top 5 Norwegian Releases In 2011

2012-01-24T00:43:00.000+01:00

I know, I know, I'm late!! I apologize but here we go again! Another year is over and... WOW, wasn't 2011 a fantastic year considering all the Norwegian releases?

And indeed we find many jewels among the releases this year and it's difficult to put them in an order, especially if you're trying to pick the 5 most exraordinary ones. However, tastes differ but you should definitely make sure to check out these Norwegian releases from 2011!

1. Hanne Kolstø - Riot Break

Combine a fantastic singer/songwriter, a sunny summerly day where one's playing acoustic guitar, the gloomy atmosphere an empty street gets during the night and lyrics to sing along and to listen to closely with bells, claps, keys, effects, guitars and some orchestral-like arrangements. What you get is this album. A great debutalbum. What makes it so good is that the songwriting itself as well as the music around was done so extremely well. Not to forget Kolstø's ability to play with the moods, not only from song to song but also during particular songs.
And it's not surprising that this album got so many good reviews: "Riot Break turns out to be both irresistibly playfull and extremely sophisticated at the same time" writes Musikknyheter. "She's one of the greatest vocalists in this country, with a husky, powerful and unique voice that itself sounds more seductive than the most things in this world" said NRK Lydverket.
If you want to read an extended version of what I'm thinking about this album, you can read my "review" on my blog. I just can say that I'm deeply in love with Riot Break!

Released: 16th of September 2011 with Karmakosmetix Records
Listen to the album on Spotify. It can be bought on CDON.eu (physically as CD or vinyl) and on iTunes (digitally).

2. Jonas Alaska - Jonas Alaska

The young talent with the great lyrics!! Spellemann-awarded as newcomer of the year. And indeed there was a lot in the press and media in general about this 23-year old boy from southern Norway. Just listen to the lyrics - I need to put preassure on that! The music is embracing the texts. It's a sensitive and genuine style of music. A sort of pop mixed with country - lots of acoustic guitar in the main-appearance of the songs combined with decent and modest percussion, drumming, keys and harmonica. Liverpool-style!! You see, Jonas is a songwriter. Maybe he's not making people aware of critical aspects of life or politics or whatever BUT he's telling stories.
All in all a good and solid debutalbum. I recommend to listen to "October" even though it might break your heart a little.
PS: I can't even tell how happy I am to have seen him live once!
Norway can be proud of Jonas!!

Released: 23rd September 2011 with Jansen Plateproduksjon
Listen to the album on Spotify. It can be bought on CDON.eu (physically as CD or vinyl) and on iTunes (digitally).

3. Lama - Endless Repeats

I have heard of Lama before. Listened to a couple of songs. It would be hard to criticize them because musically seen, they're quite flawless. Fine rock music. But, for me, the music couldn't light a fire.... until I heard Endless Repeats!! It blew me a bit away. And, personally, I think it's the whole package that has taken on me: the style - this very "clear" kind of rock with the adequate amount of guitars, drums and keys. This kind of minimalism (thinking of their album cover, for example) - you get what you need and the album won't overflood you. I must also mention their music video to "Flashes" at this point: I love it!! Just as the music or their CD-cover, the video is clear and not too much! And "Flashes" is a killer-track.
A bit oddly actually that my favourite track on the album is "One Million Times" - must have heard it a million times actually!
A fantastic and surprising album! Many thanks to you six guys in Lama!!

Released: 30th September 2011 with Spoon Train Audio
Listen to the album on Spotify. It can be bought on CDON.eu (physically as CD) and on iTunes (digitally).

4. Team Me - To The Treetops

They're young, they're loud, they're happy and they're energetic!! And what a cool debut album they released there in 2011. To me they appeared out of nothing. Suddenly they were there - a band I really just discovered last year. What I love about their music is that they create an interesting mix of pop - pop orchestral sound, actually - with parts from rock, alternative, post-rock and fill it up with bells, lots of drums and keys. This music is sooooo rich in its sound, you'll get the feeling of listening to a whole freaking orchestra even though the band is just consisting of six - still, during concerts, those six people are moving more on stage than a whole orchestra, as a matter of fact. It's a rainbow of music (or something like that) and it makes you move.
You should definitely check "Weathervanes and Chemicals" as well as "With My Hands Covering Both Of My Eyes I Am Too Scared To Have A Look At You Now" (what a title!!).
Good debutalbum with rich and energetic sound - very unique!!!

Released: 14th October 2011 with Propeller Recordings
The album can be bought on CDON.eu (physically as CD or vinyl) and on iTunes (digitally).

5. Bernt Moen - Closure

Jazz?! Now we're talking!! "Closure" is one of the three studio albums Bernt Moen (aka Massive Skills) released in 2011. Bernt Moen is a pianist with heart and soul (this can actually be heard when listening to his music). And already being this solo-pianist he has those abilities (superpowers?! something in the Norwegian water?!) that will leave you breathless and stunned. But the reason I picked "Closure" is because I really, really like this interaction between keys and drums & bass. It can be wild, it can be tender but never boring. It's the things you could always imagine but never heard. This album should be way more known, I say!!I have actually a couple of favourites on this album: Open Water, Fluid Dynamics, Transition and Momentum (---> mind-blowing).

Released: 26th August 2011 with BAM Records
Listen to the album on Spotify. It can be bought on iTunes (digitally).

Apart from the jewels I spoke about above, here a couple more albums you should check out:
Nils Petter Molvær - Baboon Moon ("Mercury Heart" is one of the most beautiful and brilliant tracks I've ever heard), Jarle Bernhoft - Solidarity Breaks (nice tracks, good album but Jarle's speciality is probably to play them live - that's what's special about him), Valkyrien Allstars - Ingen hverdag (as the previous albums is this one full of norsk-sounding fiddle music - a must have!!), Splashgirl - Pressure (check "The Other Side" - fantastic track, good album), Petter Carlsen - Clocks Don't Count, Honningbarna - La Alarmane Gå, Oslo Ess - Uleste Bøker Og Utgåtte Sko, Bernt Moen - Solopiano Vol. 1 & Solopiano Vol. 2, Ane Brun - It All Starts With One,...

A movie to recommend!

2011-12-15T00:59:00.014+01:00

Last weeks highlight was a Scandinavian-film-evening!! Four movies in four different languages (with subtitles, thank God). There was an episode of the tv series "Riget" (The Kingdom, Danish), the off-road movie "Nord" (North, Norwegian), the documentary "Draumalandið" (Dreamland, Icelandic) and one more film, in Swedish, I can warmly recommend: I rymden finns inga känslor!

There are no feelings in space - as the title would be literally translated. But the English version is simply called "Simple Simon". Roughly, this movie could be categorized into romantic comedy with a touch of drama and seriousness. So what I'm recommending here is not a movie like all those romantic comedies starring Hugh Grant. It's more of the smart kind. So you get this feeling of "awwwwwwwwwww!!" and "sigh!!!" but it gets you also thinking and leaves this warm, tingly feeling in your body.

Now what's this movie about? It's about Simon. Simon is a 18-year old boy having this affection with space, he is smart, he is playing drums, he doesn't want to be touched and he doesn't like changes.... - he is having Asperger's syndrome! Although this disorder makes it difficult for others to live with him he's moving to his older brother, Sam, and his brother's girlfriend. Harmony doesn't last too long and the girlfriend leaves! But who's doing the dishes now?! So a new girlfriend for Sam must be found and Simon is doing his best to understand what a relationship needs, what his brother's girlfriend should be like. Should she be just like his brother or the complete opposite?! Looking for aspirants, Simon gets to meet Jennifer who seems to be chaos itself.... and so on - I don't wanna spoil the fun and tell everything!!

I'm not sure if there will be an Enlish-dubbed version of the movie (it was dubbed to German, btw) but even if you have to watch it with subtitles - it's worth it!! One of the best movies I've seen in long time and definitely one of the best Swedish movies I know. Just extremly funny and sweet. And you get to hear, among others, a Lykke Li song, which is being part of the soundtrack - nice!!

BTW: Funny actually to watch a Swedish movie after knowing/learning Norwegian for a bit more than a year. I couldn't understand everything through but quite a lot! Proud!! :)

PS: Dear Swedish-lecturer of the Scandinavian institute, TUSEN TACK for choosing this movie!! Best choice ever!! :)

A band to recommend!

2011-12-10T15:16:00.002+01:00

Once more I must recommend a band coming from cold, cold Norway. I actually haven't been knowing this band for long and I don't recall how I came to listen to their music. Have I heard people talking about them? Did I read reviews or recommendations? And how come I had some of their music on my computer?
Probably just mystic cricumstances that made me check out and listen to Team Me!!

Without thinking much, it seems I've put their song "Weathervanes And Chemicals" in my autumn playlist. So repetitively sounding from my loudspeakers it was growing on me! This very catchy and energetic tune!

I should feel ashamed not knowing much about them, but the fact that the band is consisting of six young, clever, talented (and good-looking) Norwegians who got together to make music. Simple as that. Their music could be described as pop-orchestral tunes with influences of post-rock. So when you listen to a song you'll most likely hear lots of drums, keys, bells - energetic, powerfull sequences and noisy but tender parts. It's a fantastic combination!!

Photo by Team Me // Bjarne, Marius, Uno, Simen S., Synne, Simen Sch.

When I heard they would play a gig in Vienna I was playing with the thought of going. Actually I've been thinking: It's not happening too often that a Norwegian band or musician is playing in Vienna (or Austria, in general), so I should be going. I owe it to the Norwegian music industry!
They played in a tiny, tiny location in Vienna, with a even tinier stage. While I was waiting for them to arrive, maybe four or five other people were waiting. So I wasn't sure how this gig would end up being like because the success of a concert often depends on the quanitiy and mood of the audience, right?!

Team Me @ rhiz in Vienna, 28th of November 2011

But the band came, arranged themselves on that tiny stage and suddenly the room was full of people. The gig started. People were singing along, tried to move (which was difficult because of the lack of space), to jump to clap or at least to shake their heads to the music. Seeing Team Me live is like a hurricane of joy that lifts your body and a far nicer experience than just listening to their music with headphones.

"With My Hands Covering Both Of My Eyes I Am Too Scared To Have A Look At You Now" by Tem Me

What I wanna say is, that you should see them live, you have to buy their EP and their album and at least you should check their music!!

Here's all you need to know:
Here you find the website of Team Me as well as their Facebook, Twitter and Urørt page.
The EP which can be found on iTunes, Spotify and CDON.eu !!
And the album "To The Treetops" that can be bought from CDON.eu !!

Vi snakker bare norsk! Del 3

2011-10-11T18:11:00.002+02:00

Fortsettelse!! I started learning Norwegain in October 2010 and within this last year I had two Norwegain courses - beginner and intermediate, you could say. Yesterday, the third course started with some new challenges and expectations.

If you know in advance that you're going to have a new teacher you step into the classroom with mixed feelings. In a way, you expect the worst. And you feel relieved when things seem to be good and the teacher is welcoming you in a friendly way to the course.
This new teacher is also from Norway, from Oslo to be specific. And he started to talk Norwegian right from the beginning and introduced himself, told about the things we'll be doing in this course and so on. I can say he made a nice impression in this first lesson.

But in a way it is strange if you're met by this kindness from a teacher or professor here in Austria. And thinking of my last Norwegian teacher, Anita, who was really a blessing, who was very helpful, encouraging, humorous, kind and honest I came to wonder if all Norwegian teachers are like that. Seriously, if only a fourth of their teachers are like that, students in Norway must love to go to school.
I know, learning smth can't always be fun and exciting but having the right teacher is probably always a good start, even for subjects you don't like, right?

Now back to my Norwegian course. This time it seems there's going to be a lot of texts like novels, articles and poetry. In addition to that presentations and written exams. It sounds challenging and maybe learning a new language should be a challenge to a certain extend but I am confident in managing all these tasks.

BTW, I was quite happy yesterday I could understand my teacher so well - well, he's also using all kinds of gestures if he is sensing there's a word we don't understand, but actually I thought I forgot everything after a long summer break where I only wrote some Norwegian to my friends. And I was surprised I could understand that spoken Norwegian. That was new to me. :)

"Til ungdommen" by Nordahl Grieg

This here is a part of the poem "Til ungdommen" ("For the youth") by Nordahl Grieg. It's what we read and learned about in yesterday's lesson in connection to what we spoke about the terror attacks in Norway this summer. A difficult topic. Also this poem is difficult to understand (although you get the meaning of it) but very beautiful. I recommend to watch this sung version by Ingebjørg Bratland.

Next lesson is tomorrow and will be still about 7/22 including one of Jens Stoltenberg's speeches. Got some homework to do now. Ha det!

Hanne Kolstø - Riot Break

2011-09-18T21:53:00.000+02:00

I'm not sure when exactly I started to listen to Hanne Kolstø's music, but it must have been in connection with Thelma & Clyde playing from my loudspeakers in February 2010. I guess there is no need to explain that Hanne is filling the Thelma-part of the widely known electropop duo. But besides of two more bands (Love:Fi, POST) she is also making music on her own behalf - her soloproject, so to say. And on Friday, 16th of September, her debut album "Riot Break" was finally and officially released. Big day!!!

Hanne Kolstø, Photo by Kjartan Bjelland // fvn.no

But before I start telling you what I like about this album I should explain how I came to listen to her music and how things developed. Back then (in Feb. 2010, as mentioned above) I listened to the solo-recording of "A Long Way" (a song she later released with POST) which I found and downloaded from her Urørt page. I would lie if I'd say I was fascinated and stunned at first sight. It was after all the only song I had known, besides of the 5-6 Thelma & Clyde songs. But I liked Hanne's voice, it's very pleasant to listen to and found the song interesting. And just thinking that the Thelma-stuff is one of the best things I've ever heard, made me curious to find and hear more from Hanne self or "In the Basement" as she called her soloproject back then.

A long search on the internet provided me a couple of clips. Some live performances which I downloaded wisely thinking in advance because the page I took them from was deleted some time ago - it was some Norwegian page with lots of live performances and couple of muisc videos mainly from artists from southern Norway. However this way I got a preview of the things I could expect, sort of. And first and foremost I could see how she is performing the songs. Her voice, a guitar, a loopstation and some other unimposing utilities - not much more needed to make the songs sound complete and unique. And that truely impressed me.

So now the album is out and it's hard for me to stay objective - therefore I can't write a proper review (or I won't do that here on my private blog). But if you don't mind a personal opinion about "Riot Break" you can continue reading - otherwise I recommend the reviews from Norskmusikk.org and Musikknyheter.no !!

"Riot Break" albumcover by Erik Pirolt

"Riot Break" is not only title of the album but also of the song I had known the longest and which is based on voice looping and the sounds of a little keyboard. It's the coolest song on the album and interesting in the way it is put together. The other song I had known some time already is "What The Wind Can't Carry" - it starts so calming, kinda melancholic with a heartbeat-like rhythm. But by the end the song goes over into an orchestral-like explosion. "Clandestine" is of a similar kind - not that sad though. It's funny that this song wasn't much of my taste first but made me get up again at around 4 o'clock in the morning just because I had to listen to this song once more and another time, and another... It's now one of my absolute favourites of the album as well as "Black Hand" which I love because of the lyrics and this really nice guitar based melody underlined with some e-guitar.

"Dead Seat" was probably the song I've been looking forward to the most since it was put out as teaser for the album and it's satisfying to hear how the full version turned out to be. The first track on the album "Don't Wan't To Be Happy In The Moment, I Want It To Last" I had known for several months and I was sceptic first of all but came to like it really, not least because of its lyrics: "Nobody can leave me, I'm already alone. I'm fine on my own, I don't need anyone. [...] If we don't know ourselves how can we be ourselevs? [...] If you don't like yourself than be someone else." These lyrics will just stick to your head and leave you pondering.

I was also sceptic about "Simca" which consists of drumming and Hanne's voice forming the melody in addition to guitar and some claps. It's maybe not the best tracks on the album but it belongs to the album just like the others. And on the other hand - some of the songs on the record are extraordinary good - just like the killer-hit-single "The City" - this beautiful, unique song starts quite gloomy but turns into a comforting popsong making you sing, dance and clap along. It's magical and a good choice for the music video which was released just about a week ago.
"Hide And Seek" makes the impression of a very honest and grounded song played on acoustic guitar with solid lyrics. The album is ending with "Dear Friend" - a, on a sweet guitar melody based, track awaiting an equally sweet song, but it gets a bit twisted in the middle just where you don't expect it.

All in all you get sweet melodies, cool loops, playful but carefully placed effects on Riot Break which are carried by Hanne's voice and underlined by the lyrics. If I had to express my feelings about the album in figures (like it's common in reviews), I'd give the album 5/6! And if I could recommend just three songs of it, I'd mention: Clandestine, What The Wind Can't Carry and The City.

Riot Break was released on the 16th of September 2011with Karmakosmetix Records. The album (vinyl!!!) can be bought via CDON.eu or Platekompaniet (if you live in Norway) and downloaded from many music stores. You can also listen to the album via Spotify or WIMP.

Links to connect with Hanne Kolstø: Webpage | MySpace | NRK Urørt | SoundCloud

...men hvorfor norsk?

2011-09-15T23:31:00.000+02:00

It's now almost a year ago since I started to learn Norwegian. I enjoy it!! I can read and understand normal texts, messages, articles and translate them for myself. When possible I try to write to my Norwegian friends in Norwegian. And I come to understand more and more when I listen/watch Norwegian radio and TV - that's actually the most difficult part for me - understanding spoken Norwegian. The same goes for speaking the language myself. Sometimes Norwegian dialects and Nynorsk (since I only learn Bokmål) are giving me riddles, but I'm confident in learning them. And luckily I can see a positive progess in my skills.

And it's funny because everytime I tell that I'm learning Norwegian I get to hear the same question over and over again: But why Norwegian?! Why not Swedish or Danish instead? And in fact around three years ago I had a bigger connection to Sweden and Denmark - mainly because of my friends and music. That was back then but time passed. I got to know more Norwegian bands. Gained friends in Norway and grew on the thought of visiting that country once.

I listened to interviews in Norwegian and thought this language is sounding funny in a way, kind of cute. It reminded me of a mixture of English and German with Austrian dialects - and I was not that wrong about that: There are a couple of words being pronounced exactly the same way in some Austrian dialects. I found that aspect interesting. The similarity to German is in general quite interesting. Furthermore I found out that my favourite fairytale when I was a kid, is in fact Norwegian. And just the thought of interacting with Norwegians made me happy - always had good experiences.

Picture from my Norwegian textbook "Et år i Norge"

That's how it started and now after a year I know why I'm still so eager on learning the language. I've been in Norway last November. Met many people, saw some of the culture of the customs, ate Norwegian food and spoke some Norwegian as well as understanding it - all that together was the best thing I ever did. It's a wonderful country which I'm deeply missing, every day!

I like Norwegian dialects. Well, sometimes I don't notice them and sometimes I have to distinguish them from Nynorsk or just a common youth language or special expressions. I often ask friends to explain me certain things - especially when it comes to idiomatic skills. It doesn't give me headaches - I love to learn about them.

Recently I started reading a book with Norwegian fairytales (the book is in German though). I read them afterwards in Norwegian on the web but I'm just so stunned how many of these fairytales I had known in their German version and others are completely new to me with trolls and huldras. And they sound so beautiful in Norwegian that I can't keep myself from reading them loud for myself. :)

The fact that I've never ever been more fascinated by a language, country and culture tells me that I made the right decision. HURRA!! :)

K-town is The City

2011-09-15T19:30:00.000+02:00

Kristiansand, Norway. Summer 2011. Empty streets make this city in the very south of Norway appear like a small village were everybody knows each other. Its inhabitants: a bunch of people that couldn't differ more from each other. It's a special atmosphere - odd but familiar, controversial but interesting, excentric but magnetic. And in the middle of all this: Hanne Kolstø.

The City is the first single of Hanne Kolstø's upcoming album "Riot Break". It's a nice grounded pop song of the gloomy kind and at the same time embracing - especially the samplings in the background. Tommy Olsson writes in Morgenbladet: "[...] I can't possibly be alone to have noticed this seldom quality of a feeling as if someone's caressing my hair and saying that everything's going to be okay [...]" That description suits the song pretty well I think.

And now the music video to The City is released. Directed by Fred Arne Wergeland who already directed a video to one of Hanne's songs some years ago: Slow Song by POST (one of the bands Hanne is working with). As I'm a person who loves good music videos and who loves videoediting, I come to say that I like the way the video was cut, the slight vignetting and lighting.
But you better watch for yourself and stay tuned for the album release on the 16th of September 2011.

Be the city with all the lights that never ever sleeps at night & ENJOY!!

Autumn mood!

2011-09-15T18:58:00.002+02:00

One of the best and most inspiring things I can think of is sitting on my balcony and watching the weather and the nicely colored leaves on trees moving with the wind. Or watching the moon and the stars during night. There'd be pillows, blankets and candles around because evenings and nights are getting cooler now. But no matter how cold or windy or rainy it is, it becomes the most enjoyable feeling when listening to music.

And this autumn there is lots of Susanne Sundfør, Susanna Wallumrød and Love:Fi on my playlist. Watching the stars while listening to The Brothel by Sundfør or to Love:Fi's album 18 during thunderstorms is just magical. Gloomy. Pure. Honest. And soooo inspiring.

In addition to that I recommend to watch Sundfør's "kontorkonsert" here. Wow. I'm so stunned the songs she is performing here sound like studio recorded versions but as a matter of fact is her voice just so flawless.

A concert with Frida Ånnevik

2011-09-15T17:05:00.000+02:00

Recommendation coming up: It is one of the finest concerts you'll ever be able to enjoy on your computer screen and great pastime for everyone loving smooth going and grounded music.

This little intimate gig took already place in February and contains the songs from Frida Ånnevik's debut record Synlige hjerteslag. A record I warmly recommend. The music is a very genuine mixture of pop and jazz - you'll hear that their is not too much jazz in it, neither too much pop. The lyrics are in Norwegian and although it's very difficult for me to understand it's something I very much appreciate about this album. But I think most of all I like how the album and the songs are presented: In a solid way, not fancy or glamourous, just music performed by great musicians.

And besides of Frida Ånnevik we find many known musicians on stage (or at least their names are known to me): May K. Kaspersen & Carina Moen (vocals), Elisabeth Nesset (percussion & drumming), Torjus Eggen (bass), Mads R. Johansen (drums), Andreas Mjøs & Haldor Røyne (guitars) and Einar Næss Haugseth (keys).

Follow this link to see the whole concert filmed and provided by NRK.

The one with the recording studio!

2011-09-12T03:52:00.002+02:00

"I'm actually a fan of the Lodge on Facebook!!" - I said while Morten looked at me quite puzzled for some moments.

I am still asking myself if that was the most clever sentence I could come up with when I met Morten Martens after the Thelma & Clyde album release in Oslo, Norway in November 2010. But of course no matter how many stupid things I've said that evening I was glad I could shake his hand and say hello.

First time I read his name must have been in connection with Themla & Clyde in February 2010. And back then I had a HUGE impact when it comes to Norwegian music. I was a bit surprised to read his name among the line-up or producers of so many bands. I started to wonder about who he is. Does he really play bass and keys in so many bands? Is he the only bass player they have in Norway? And does he really own a recording studio although he seems to be so young? How can he be so good when it comes to recording and producing?

Photo by Arild Danielsen / Absolutt KRS

I always liked to meet, read or write about interesting people and to hear about their stories and habits - that inspires me. I usually can't tell what exactly makes them so fascinating but I always thought that Morten Martens is one of those interesting and inspiring people others should write about or make TV-reports or write blogs about.
And now just a couple of weeks ago I read this article about him in Absolutt KRS: Mystiske Morten Martens ("Mystical Morten Martens"). "Jaaaaaaaaaaa, endelig!! Flott!!!!" - I thought when reading through it.

Long article, yes, but worth to read. And we get to know a more private side of the, in 1982 born, musician/producer. He learned to play guitar at a young age. And being the second guitar player in a rockband he switched to bass - due to the higher archieving guitar player in the band (isn't it always like that?).
The Lodge is his very own recording studio where he is producing, mixing, playing and sleeping when there is lots to do. And over the years he was able to work with many different artists and bands such as: Love:Fi (one of my absolute favourites), Salvador Sanchez (I loved his latest album Happy Daze, btw), Kjetil Grande (some of the finest music), Hanne Kolstø (solo but also with Thelma & Clyde), Tenderleaves, Davy Jones' Locker.... etc. He was even awarded a Spellemannpris - Norwegian Grammy - for his collaboration with Sanchez. Furthermore he believes in "arguing at frist sight" and will become a professional Angry Birds player if is career as musician stops. James Blake's selftitled album inspired him to work on his solo project but he fears to put it out because it might reflect a part of his soul and who he is.

In the end the Absolutt KRS article didn't make him appear less mystical but maybe more understandable. So I really recommend to read it.

Morten is cool.

And if you want to see some of Morten's abilities as musician live on stage you should check these videos with Kjetil Grande, Salvador Sanchez and Thelma & Clyde.

Links: The Lodge on the web, Facebook and MySpace. And Morten Martens on MySpace.

Guide to win the Eurovision Song Contest!

2011-05-14T18:14:00.008+02:00

Once every year we Europeans - as we love to compete - love to get together in one city for a big event we call Eurovision Song Contest. We arrive with cameras, weird costumes, crazy dancers, journalists, critics and singers in order to perform in a music-competition. For the one country collecting the most votes from their competitors this event ends in a glorious way. Others leave the place in shame. We laugh, we clap and in the end we stay friends but since this is still a contest, ones aim should be to WIN.

Every year I try to stay away from this circus but I tend to fail. Same this year. Yet once more I got soaked into this crazy world. Got even more enthusiastic by reading the blog of a friend (Elin Synnøve Bråthen - a talented and ambitioned musician from Norway) who has been reviewing all the entries and making good predictions. And I saw them all, I watched both semi-finals and I have my favourites. And in less than 6 hours we'll know in which country ESC 2012 is going to take place. Personally I want to wish all the best of luck to Switzerland, Ireland, Finland, Serbia, Aserbaijan, Denmark and Sweden. But away from personal preferences, while looking through the entries I asked myself if it would be possible to write the perfect song for ESC. Is there smth like a recipe one could follow? In a way of: Take a lot of talent and mix it with a voluminous voice. Add a flavour of charm and pour some sparkles over it. To finish, make it enter the ESC for about 3:30 minutes. Or is it all just a matter of luck and good timing? Well, I came to the following conclusions for those planning to participate the next year...

Starting with the song. The basis for everything should be a song with a good melody and suiting lyrics. More than three chords or different notes could be an advantage and everything that can be composed within 5 minutes and a computer programme should not be the chosen. On the other hand, this doesn't mean the song has to be complicated and arranged with thousand different instruments. The right mix of complicated and simple will do. Think of a song you would wanna listen to on the radio and which you can't get out of your head after hearing once.

It's the same with lyrics. If they are too complicated - for example about politics or the situation in your country, no one else in Europe has a clue off - or too simple - like singing about blue skies, white clouds, green fields or about tiny rabbits having tiny noses and tiny kittens having soft paws - won't get you further in the competition. If people remember some of the lyrics they will also remember the country or artist.
Of course it costs an effort to sing in your own language because many won't be able to understand them. But by doing that you clearly represent the country you're from and a lot of people have a favour for that.

Pick something different. Something that Europe didn't hear before on ESC. Over the past years we had many ballads, pop, folk and syth-pop songs. Nowadays it seems that Europe is craving for new stuff. Rock, hip-hop or even influences of metal were sent out and shown the last couple of years. Just think of Lordi who won in 2006!!

Entering the ESC with something new like a fancy song, extraordinary costumes or funny hairstyles will make people talking about you even before they heard your song. Being media's favourite is ALWAYS good - whether you get good or bad critiques. I remember well seing reports about Lordi, Lena Meyer-Landrut or Jedward long before the actual show. So if you see journalists with cameras you gotta jump right in front of them for an interview or performance. Promotion is half the battle.

But don't be different at any cost!!! And don't rely on previous trends - just because it was a boy with a violin who won in 2009 doesn't mean we'd love to see artists using violins on stage in the following years.

A lot of good impressions can be gained with a good performance on stage. Every year we have pretty chicks wearing only a tiny glittering piece of cothing, guys in white and partly unbuttoned shirts and females in long, because of a wind-machine, flowing dress. As contrast to these you will also find groups of people in weird, colourful clothing jumping from one end of the stage to the other. And aren't we a bit tired of these? Again it is about to figure out the right mix (and that should also be some kind of clothing/choreography suiting to the song)!! And just because you can only have six people on stage doesn't mean you need them. Sometimes it looks quite stupid if you have a singer on stage, four dancers and one person doing background vocals standing somewhere offside without being included in the choreography, right?!

It is said that Eastern countries tend to vote for Eastern countries of similar language or heritage. This is true to a certain extent. So you might be advantaged if you come, for example, from Norway and you were born in Belarus. ;)

Now if you're lucky, after getting to the final, your country will perform in the last third of the show. While the die-hard ESC-fans will know weeks ahead whom they are voting for the average ESC-viewer will decide in the last couple of minutes. And they might vote for an artist they can recall easily. Recency effect in other words!!

Okay, all these tips might not guarantee you the first place but at least you won't embarrass your country. Try it - see you next year on stage then.
And now - let the show begin!! :)

Black.Blue.Darkness.

2011-03-02T02:06:00.001+01:00

Like a city that never ever sleeps I can't find any sleep now. Just an hour ago I was drop dead tired, ready to go to bed and happy about the fact that I could sleep more than the usual five hours during nights. Awake. What now? I feel like smiling. The urge of going outside right into the dark, cold night. Wanna absorb it.

What happened? I stumbled over the first single of Hanne Kolstø's debutalbum just a bit more than an hour ago. The track is called "The City" and is the first part of an album I have been looking forward to, probably even before it was recorded and definitely before it became what it is now. A view videos and articles about Kolstø that praise her as solo-artist is all that can be found on the world wide web. The in Kristiansand (=melting pot for good Norwegian music) living artist probably is one of Norway's greatest, untouched and secret talents though widely known there.

I can't deny that I appreciate all her projects and bands (-those who are reading my blog regulary might have noticed that) - and what I love about her music is this huge amount of concentrated creativity that can be signified with her name. Perfectionalism. The music will embrace you and you just want to drown in it. Thrilling and piercing, all at the same time.

I am longing for more and I can't wait to listen to every track on the album (which she'll release in April) - this one surpassed my expectations.

Hanne Kolstø: MySpace | Website

Austria's back in Eurovision

2011-02-26T17:13:00.001+01:00

Already some months ago it was announced that Austria would come back to the Eurovision Song Contest and, being Austrian, from that moment on this thought made me rack my brain.

Austria's history in ESC is after all not that glorious: once winner, several places in the last third of the ranks, sometimes we were last or didn't even get into the finals. And the songs we were represented with?! Yeah, better not talk about that.

But after three years of not participating we're back. And could this have something to do with the fact that Germany won last year?!?! Well, that was my first thought - we love to compete with the Germans. And when it comes to sports, this works out fine for us - but music?! Okay, we're known for good music and great composings - no, wait, that was a couple of centuries ago.

Anyway - of course I would have wished for a good song that might have a chance to win to represent our country. But taking a look at our competiors in recent years I just wished for the least embarrassing one.

After a while, when the possible acts were announced I was surprised to find some good and solid artists and musicians among 30 songs/bands/musicians who were chosen by a jury. People could then vote via SMS for their favourites.

Of course one of my favorites were Excuse Me Moses which is a grounded and quite popular rock band from Vienna. Their song "Way Out" is a very nice rock tune and shows that it definitely is possible for Austrians to make good music on a professional level that you could bring abroad.

But I also took a listen on the other participants (some where completely unknown) and then I found this gentlemen here, a real jewel as it turned out: Axel Wolph (and The Feeltank Orchestra) with the song "My Little Reminder". A nice song, one could be proud of being Austrian.
But in first place I'm so stunned by Axel Wolph's voice and talent - he's a multi-instrumentalist, producer, singer- and songwriter. One of Austria's best and budding, probably.
Check out his cover of Johnny & Mary, which is, if you ask me, better than the original, or one of his own songs, like this one: Gravity. (BTW: Besides of his abilities as musician he's also looking smoking hot, I think!!! ;D )

But neither Excuse Me Moses nor Axel Wolph got into the TV-final which was held yesterday. Ten artists could proof themselves live in front of an audience and people in front of their TV-screens. Again, people could vote for their favourites and those ten artists were yet downsized to three: Trackshittaz, Klimmstein feat. Joe Sumner and Nadine Beiler.

I think in case of the Eurovison Song Contest, people should vote for something that could actually win this huge competition. It should be about personal preferences rather about something the whole Europe could like. And, honestly, it's not that hard to predict which song is going to win in this year's ESC: It's going to be something new, something pushing, something innovative, something fresh, something we haven't heard before.

And a perfect match to that would have been "Paris, Paris" by Klimmstein feat. Joe Sumner!! A funny song, easily to sing along, making you wanna move, sounding fresh and new and sung in English, Austrian dialect (which sounds actually quite charming) and partly in French. THE PERFECT song to represent Austria because of its connection to the country (due to the language the song is sung in) and its chances to win.

But have a listen for yourself and watch its official video:

When the host announced yesterday that they made the 3rd place in the pre-selection "Guten Morgen Düsseldorf" I was first of all deeply disappointed and started to send prayers to heaven so the Trackshittaz wouldn't make it!! About this constellation I can only say: They seriously make me wanna drown them in the Danube!!!!

And not sure if my prayers would help I started to think of a clever way to overwrite the nationality in my passport. Trackshittaz made the second place - so Nadine Beiler won and will represent Austria in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011! This is indeed better than Trackshittaz but her song "The Secret Is Love" is a ballad - one like we heard it many, many times before in ESC. So even if we make it to the final in Düsseldorf (we of course have to pass the semi-finals first) we will probably stick to our somewhere-in-the-last-third-rank.

Why, Austria, why?!?!?!

Winter taking its last breath?

2011-02-06T21:44:00.001+01:00

Oh, how much can one be longing for sun? Not that I would be very fond of summer, heat or tanned skin, but a litte bit of sunshine would be nice as well as a litte bit of warmth.

As a student you don't have too much time to let your thoughts drift away. There is always something to do. And when it comes to myself - I love to keep myself busy. There is always a project going on I could work on and I can put my heart into and that is just fine. Now I appreciate the moment because my work for today is done and now that I had some time to think I came across the thought of how much I'm missing spring.

And not only that it was ridiculously warn these days it has also been quite sunny outside. Although we have February for God's sake, I am more than happy for every piece of sunshine I can get.

Now I'm sitting here, eating jelly crocodiles, looking at the candle on my window board, listening to my favourite song of "The Litte Hands Of Asphalt" - just thinking and saying a good bye to winter. Winter, I liked your darkness and melancholy the last months but now I'm ready for something new.

It seems like Winter is listening to me, trying to make the nights as cold as possible, JUST one more foggy morning, icy street or ice-cold wind blowing before it would give up and make place for spring.

And even the layer of ice that surrounded some small dreams seems to melt. Ready for some action?! Yes. Let's start again to work on the fulfilling of some dreams.

Let me tell you, the music by "The Little Hands Of Asphalt" is something you want to hear on a nice spring walk, where waterdrops would drop from tree branches and the warm sunshine would glance through the first tiny leaves on those trees. And if you like soft indie pop with a touch of folk and a charming songwriter/singer/guitarplayer, you gonna love the album "Leap Years".

For the very curious ones - my favourite song here - Oslo by The Little Hands Of Asphalt:

And it seriously reminds me a lot of Oslo, the town. How much I miss that place and the people there. Coming back for some days would be good for me - so there is another dream to fulfill.

I'm in the mood!!! I'm in all kinds of moods.

Fashionably Late!

2011-01-16T18:37:00.007+01:00

What? Last time I made a blog entry was in 2010?

Hehe, last chance to get rid of some "new year" jokes. Like saying two minutes after midnight on the 1st of January: "I'm starving - last time I ate smth was last year." or "I think I need a shower - last time I had one was last year." And aren't we all doing these jokes, although no one of us really fancies them?! Still it's some kind of trend, isn't it?

Anyway! I've been very busy these days but I came to tell you about an amazing Norwegian artist I recently discovered: Lucy Swann. I don't want to explain in long sentences what I like about her music or how I discovered her BUT want you to show her music video to "Fashionably Late".

I love this video. The idea and the way it was realised. It's probably one of my favourite (Norwegian) music videos in 2010 and Lucy Swann is definitely an upcoming artist with high ambitions.

BTW: If you live in Oslo (or plan to visit Oslo in February) you shouldn't miss a festival for new music called by:Larm with Lucy Swann and other fantastic artists like Thelma & Clyde, Honningbarna, Jonas Alaska, Tôg, Frida Ånnevik, Oslo Ess, Cold Mailman and many, many more.

That's it for now.... Now, be a good blog-reader and WATCH THIS VIDEO!! :)
Find Lucy Swann on MySpace, Facebook and NRK Urørt.

Top 5 Norwegian Releases In 2010

2010-12-11T22:10:00.003+01:00

Still around 20 days to go until 2010 is over. But since people already started to post their favourite albums, songs, tv-moments, movies, books, vacations and whatever, I will follow this trend and present you now the five most special and extraordinary album releases from Norway (as you might have noticed: I love Norwegian music!!) of this year.

And remember that Christmas is coming soon, so maybe you find a nice gift among these CD's. To your luck, all of the albums are available on CDON.com (where you can order from many European countries). Anyway.. here we go. My favourite Norwegian album releases.

1. Post - Common Rand Of People

After listening to this record several times during the last months and writing a enthusiastic review on my MySpace page (BTW: MySpace started to suck!!) it's probably not surprising that Common Rand Of People made a high rank in my listing. It's the way they put their songs together, the controlled chaos and the wide range of instruments used that make their sound so unique.
You will just feel the urge to replay the album over and over again without really knowing why - and this is what I love about it so much.

Common Rand Of People consists of ten piercing, thrilling and electronically flavoured pop songs and is at the same time the debut record of Post. The record can be bought on CDON.com and on iTunes.

Released: 27th of September 2010 with Karmakosmetix Records

2. Thelma and Clyde - White Line

Another debutalbum I can't get enough of. Finally hearing the songs of the Norwegian electronica / electropop duo I've been waiting for so long. And they didn't let me wait in vain. Now, just about a month ago they came up with this (as the Norwegians would say) "kjempeflott" album. Think of all you always wanted to hear and all you didn't know you wanted - you'll find it on White Line. Perfectly mixed by Jan Bang and Erik Honoré and enriched with lots of samples the album will make you dance and shiver with the lyrics and beats while you get soaked into this mysterious and gloomy bubble.
If you read my blog regulary you might have noticed that I also wrote a more extended review about the album - it's because it's really good, cool and new.

Put White Line on top of your wishlist, you won't regret it. And don't be surprised if you crave for more once you listened to the full record. Buy the album on CDON.com or iTunes.

Released: 8th of November 2010 with Karmakosmetix Records

3. Anne Lene Hägglund - Bird Cherry Grove

I bought this album although I had heard only one song of it ("Big Men") - therefore I didn't know what I would get. How I would describe the sound? It's a combination of bitter-sweet reality and fluffy fairytales. It reminds me a lot of.... of circus music: These pop-flavoured songs are enriched with violins, organ-sounds, glockenspiel, bowed instruments and percussion full of cymbals and drum rolls and lead to thoughts of red-yellow striped tents, dancing elephants, fire-breathers and sword-swallowers - that makes it so special.

I've never heard something like this and even listening to the album up and down won't make me get tired of it.

Buy Bird Cherry Grove on CDON.com or iTunes if you're in mood for odd and twisted fairytales.

Released: 11th of January 2010 with Swingaround Records

4. Grande - You Are The Night

It's some of the finest music you'll get to hear from Norway. A travel in time. Cigar smoke in a piano bar where men would wear suits and women pearl necklaces, scotch and brandy would be served or a car chase on the high way. Grande is everything between the glorious 30s and 70s. The guitar, drumming, piano, bass playing blues and rock - all at once. Grande has some great skills as guitarist and songwriter and with his unique sound this album shouldn't be left unnoticed.

The music on You Are The Night will catch you - so you'll even feel nostalgic when you grew up in the 80s. Buy the album on CDON.com or iTunes.

Released: 19th of April 2010 with Fabuloso Records

5. Elin Synnøve Bråthen - The Anchor And The Dream

What I love most about this album is that you can concentrate on the individual instruments or Elin Synnøve's voice that is capable of high and low pitches. The piano comes with crystall clear sound as well as the percussion and drums. The lyrics are tender and thoughtfull and combined with the music it creates a visual atmosphere. I think a great job has been done on arranging the songs on the album. And the most precious song (at least to me) is "My Honesty" - even after hearing the song countless times my heart would stop beating because of the drums, the piano makes me shiver and Elin's voice and the male choir gives me goosebumps.

So if you favour jazz flavoured pop, make sure to buy The Anchor And The Dream on CDON.com or iTunes.

Released: 8th of March 2010 with Curling Legs

A tribute to Ronny!!!

2010-11-29T16:01:00.001+01:00

Back from Norway!

2010-11-29T00:01:00.006+01:00

Now I'm already back in Vienna for a bit more than a week after a couple of wonderful days in Norway. It was so much better than I could have ever expected. I was in Oslo and in Fredrikstad.

Oslo is a great city to spend some time in. I saw all the sights I wanted to see like the opera house, the city hall, the harbor, Aker Brygge, the royal castle and Karl Johans Gate. I liked Aker Brygge in particular with its wooden panels as flooring. I was walking (and jumping) up and down on them just because I liked the sound so much the wooden panels made. I guess, people thought I was weird. And they had so many nice little restaurants - people would sit outside even if it's freaking cold. The place there is rustic and romantic at the same time. Water was around me all the time and I met so many cute seagulls - gave them all names: Kjell, Thor, Trygvald, Kåre, Anders, Kjetil, Magnus, Bård, .... after a while I run out of names so I called them Kjell II, Thor II, Trygvald II, Bjørn, Blomst, Fugl, Ikkemat.

BTW: Do your animals in Norway speak Norwegian?! I'm not sure cause I met many seagulls, police-horses and ducks and I was like: "Hei du!! Hva heter du? Jeg heter Marion. Du er søt. Vil du ikke komme med meg?" - AND NO REACTION AT ALL!!

Aker Brygge

One of the best evenings in 2010 I had when I went to the Thelma & Clyde album release gig on 13th of November at Blå. The show was mindblowing. The music, the costumes, the video visuals in the background, the way they moved to the music. And I think I'm in love with those disco ball tiles they glued on their hoodies.

I also bought their album White Line there (of course I did!!) - and I love it, listening to it non stop now for a couple of days.

But the whole night was great because I met so many nice and interesting people - which was really inspiring!! Jan (and his wife) from Karmakosmetix Records, Hanne and Trygve of Thelma & Clyde, Gunnar who plays drums in several bands I like, the famous Ronny who is a restless multitalent, Morten the very cool bass player and owner of his own record studio in Kristiansand. All of them great people! And both, Trygve and Gunnar gave me a beer each. :D

But seriously, I gotta practice on my pick-up phrases next time I come to Norway. ;)

sculpture by G. Vigeland

I loved the Frognerpark/Vigelandpark with all the sculptures. I must have spent almost three hours there studying every sculpture. It was very quiet there. Not many people. I should probably mention that the weather was not too good. Cloudy and cold and temperatures around zero degrees (we had around +18° when I left Vienna). But the fact that not many people where there made me enjoy that place a lot. I was very relaxed. And in the end I got some sunshine. Fantastic day!

very peaceful day in Frognerpark

another sculpture by Vigeland

There is much to see in Oslo. Many cute hidden places to discover. And shopping?! Shopping might be expensive but who wouldn't pay almost any price for something you desired for such a long time?! Means of course I went shopping to Platekompaniet!! Heaven on earth for me. I saw so many records of all the artists/bands I love. I bought myself then four CD's: Bird Cherry Grove by Anne Lene Hägglund, Earthly Things by Eliksir, Floriography by Moddi and You Are The Night by Grande!!

Speaking of shopping. I probably found the most awesome product I had ever seen: LICORICE FLAVOURED CHEWING GUM!! I had sparkles in my eyes when I foud it. "I AM MOVING TO NORWAY FOR GOOD" - I said over and over again. Austria is more or less a licorice-free country - so hard to get good stuff here. And for someone addicted to licorice like me this is one of the greatest inventions ever.

old town of Fredrikstad

Fredrikstad is a nice, little and quiet place. I visited a friend of mine there who lives just next to the water. And let me tell you, seeing the sun glittering on the water is not the worst thing to wake up with. And I had fish for breakfast. It was some kind of marinated fish - tasted sweet and salty. Funny combination but veeeeery delicious (another reason for moving, if you ask me).

The old town of Fredrikstad is kinda cute. You find all those red wooden houses there you usually see on postcards.

Norway was so nice to me. I've never been that relaxed and never felt so much like home. I do miss Norway already. And all my friends there. The friendliness of the people, the licorice flavoured chewing gum, my new seagull-friends, Oslo, Fredrikstad - I miss all that and I want to come back as soon as possible.

sunset in Fredrikstad

Thelma & Clyde - White Line

2010-11-28T02:28:00.003+01:00

"When you walk, I'm right behind you; Don't know what I'm getting into" - It's a line of Ice, I'm quoting here. The first track on Thelma & Clyde's recently released album White Line. When you listen to the songs you can try to catch every soundsample, can try to catch the sense of the lyrics and you will get close to its meaning. But still... you won't know what you're getting into.

There is probably no other Norwegian electronica duo that has aroused as much interest as Thelma & Clyde during the last weeks. Now their debutalbum was just released and more and more people get soaked into this whole new universe. The duo, consisting of Hanne Kolstø and Trygve Tambs-Lyche, clearly differs from other electronica/electropop constellations and come up with their very own sound and style using elements from trip-hop, rock and hip-hop.

Photo by Per Sveinung Larsen

They create a gloomy and mysterious atmosphere with their songs. And you will notice that within the first 3:46 minutes of the album. The lyrics of Ice are well thought-out, the samples and programming elaborated to perfection. At this point should be mentioned that the album was mixed by the renowned producer duo Jan Bang and Erik Honoré (except for track no. 3 which was mixed by Thor Kvande) who took all the good material that has been recorded with Thelma & Clyde and transformed it into something stunningly great. And that kind of perfection can be heard on every track.

If you had known Thelma & Clyde before; if you already know the tracks they had on their EP you might feel a little overload in all the electronics, samples and synths for a moment but then you get carried away by the very powerful tracks Lockstitch, Hibernation and Crosscheck (featuring a rap by Salvador Sanchez known from Darkside Of The Force). Just go with the flow and the beats! ;)

Worth mentioning is also their first music video to Lockstitch. Directed by Per Sveinung Larsen. Great atmosphere in the video and suiting well to the song.

I absolutely recommend to listen to the whole album twice or more before you judge it. It grows! Take your time, lock yourself in a room, close the shutters in front of your windows and simply concentrate on the music, on Hanne's voice and the lyrics. Seperate the beats from the samples; the percussion from the synths; the keys from the bass. Enjoy every bit of it and the whole mix. It is worth it.

White Line comes with great lyrics. Some will make you shiver others will make you sing along. Some lines you won't be able to get out of your head again. "Big surprise; You were made out of worries and lies" - Bubble, Ice, Wicker, Sleep Slow - strong lyrics that will make you ponder for a while. In any case do the lyrics suit to Thelma & Clyde's style.

Also their live shows shouldn't be missed. A great example is the live video of Elusive Girl that can be watched on YouTube. The live shows are arranged in details: Matching tracksuits with glass tiles on the hoodies, lots of choreography and dancing, video visuals in the background, Hanne's pink wig, Trygve's glass-tile-glasses....

On White Line you get 11 electronica-tracks that will make you want to hear more of Thelma & Clyde. You will dance along, sing along.... and if you feel the urge to buy a pink wig or to smash a disco ball to glue its tiles on a black hoodie of yours - that's normal. By the way, the record is also available on vinyl for the special audio experience.

Thelma & Clyde's debut album White Line was released on the 8th of November 2010 with Karmakosmetix Records. All songs can be bought on iTunes.

www.thelmaandclyde.com

Album cover by Per Sveinung Larsen

Elusive Girl

2010-11-10T17:43:00.000+01:00

A bit of a foretaste of what I can expect on the upcoming Saturday.

Thelma and Clyde performing a song of their recently released album "White Line" at Sørlandets Kunstmuseum in Kristiansand. Visually and acoustically a top act.
Their next gig is this Saturday at Blå in Oslo, Norway. Be there!!!

Making plans!

2010-10-23T17:16:00.002+02:00

Today it hit me like a thunder stroke when I realised that I'm already supposed to be in Norway in exactly three weeks. I'll be in Oslo and around for a small trip I had already planned to do months (!) ago.

Now, it's about to make some plans!!!!

Basically I haven't arranged anything yet but the flight. And since already this flight is making my wallet appear as thin as a piece of paper I will be very limited in my expenses there. No idea where I should sleep or how I actually should get to Oslo from the airport with a very little amount of money only. (And Norway is expensive!!)

Plus: I need to save some money for at least one concert ticket and one CD, I'm planning to buy there. BTW: How crazy is it to travel to Norway for a concert?! Hmm, actually I don't care 'cause I know it's worth it.

But besides of the concert I'm also planning to do some sight seeing. My plan is to see as much as possible in the less time. For this occasion I bought one of these city-tourist-guide-books (including a map of Oslo). So if you see someone weird-looking with a city map in the hands running though Oslo - that's me!

And of course I will spend some time on meeting some friends there or gaining new ones maybe. That reminds me of something else now: I need to learn some pick-up phrases in Norwegian. Something like: "Er du sliten i bena? Du har vandret rundt i tankene mine i hele dag."

So folks, contact me if you want to give me some shelter while I am in Oslo, or if you have some tips for me about what I should see in Olso, or if you want to teach me some pick-up lines. And if you're a cute guy, don't forget to leave me your telephone number. Thanks. ;)

POST (music video)

2010-10-22T22:17:00.002+02:00

A common rand of people and fun in the pool with POST.

I once told about my perfect "soundtrack" for this October before: Post's album "Common Rand of People". Listening to this album is a great pleasure and good treatment for wellbeing, as I think. And I was quite successful listening to it pretty much every day. Now they came up with some visual backing for their song "A Common Rand of People".

It's a nice video. Simple but sincere and slightly touched by synchronized swimming. The video suits the song by all means. But watch for yourself!!

Tíminn og vatnið

2010-10-22T20:56:00.005+02:00

The Time and the Water
by Steinn Steinarr

Time is like the water,
and the water is cold and deep
like my own consciousness.

And time is like a picture,
which is painted of water,
half of it by me.

And time and the water
flow trackless to extinction
into my own consciousness.

I stumbled over this poem while I was looking through the pages of a book about the history of Scandinavia's literature. It's the first part of Steinn Steinarr's "Tíminn og vatnið" (=The Time and the Water). He was an outstanding and great Icelandic poet. I like these words a lot and Icelandic is a beautiful though difficult language. Iceland might not be one of the biggest or richest countries but they brought us many great artists also beside of Steinn Steinarr, right? :)

What music is making me do...

2010-10-11T16:32:00.000+02:00

Sometimes I'm listening to music and I enjoy it. Music does many things to us - we become happy; we become sad; we start to sing and to dance. But sometimes (and this is what I love the most) music, songs, bands and artists can be so brilliant that you would get outside to feel the wind circulating around your body. When music is piercing every cell of your body so you just feel like a pile of molecules. I love it when music makes you get up at 3 a.m. in the morning to listen to that one song again you can't get out of your head. Losing a feeling for time. Or when you feel the urge to jump into a lake with all your clothes. When you would just stare at the ceiling while you would just feel the goosebumps all over your body. When you don't care taking the longer way home just in order to be able to listen to the music coming from your MP3-player longer. Brilliant music will make you dance in the rain half-naked and will make you touch concrete ground just to feel the hard, cold and rough reality. The feeling you get when you close your eyes pretending there is nothing but YOU! And when you can't help listening to one and the same song again for several hours. I love what music does to me...

High expectations!

2010-10-09T16:02:00.003+02:00

Music, bands and upcoming albums. It can be a good or a bad thing to have high expectations in albums. For some albums you wait a long time and you end up disappointed because they didn't meet your expectations others will surpass them.
This year I experienced both: Some albums were more brilliant than I expected them to be while others should have been better. But no matter what, the last weeks before a new record is released are always quite exciting, especially when you get to hear the first streams of the songs.

Thelma and Clyde will release their album "White Line" on the 8th of November. Now that I spend several hours (!!) listening to 30 seconds of each song (-> here!) I can say I'm very satisfied. I already knew most of the songs and of course it's not possible to judge the album by these little sound-files, but still....

:)

Vi snakker bare norsk! Del 2

2010-10-08T01:04:00.003+02:00

Had my second Norwegian lesson yesterday; now we're talking!! Hva heter du? Og hvor kommer du fra? Hvordan har du det? Vil du ha en kopp te? Infinitiv, Presens, Preteritum, Perfektum.... og så videre.

It's great fun so far. Probably because these things aren't yet very challenging and isn't it always exciting to learn something new?! :) The more I learn the more confident I get when I have to talk Norwegian myself. And I just can't wait to prove my skills when I get to talk to my Norwegian friends. ;)

Speaking of my Norwegian friends - Some of them are already speaking ONLY in Norwegian to me, completely resisting to talk English. It's fun and a good way to get used to the language.

Actually I think I would be a bit lost if I didn't knew already a phew phrases. From beginners to experts you'll find all sorts of students in our course and I guess it's a bit difficult at the beginning - especially when it comes to the 'odd' pronunciation. At least it would be difficult for me.

Well... I got some Norwegian home-work to do now. Sooo... ha det!! :)

Vi snakker bare norsk!

2010-10-04T17:12:00.002+02:00

I had my first Norwegian lesson today. Our teacher started to talk Norwegian right away welcoming us to the course. After talking about some administrative matters we got asked if we'd already understand a few words. Most of the students were shaking their heads while (brave me)...... was almost hiding under the table thinking: Jeg snakker INGEN norsk. :o)

Some of us introduced themselves - since we're around 60 people in the course only a few had the chance to talk. And I almost fell off my chair when one of the students revealed that she is from Oslo!! OMG, I'm going to look so much like a loser in comparison to her - I was thinking. Some of us spent some time in Norway and could already speak a little bit norsk. I enjoyed a lot to listen to the language thinking how long it would take until I can talk that fluently. And although there might be so many who are already able to speak Norwegian, I'm not too worried because there are others in the course to whom this language is completely new.

Our teacher is from Norway and when she told a few things about herself I was quite happy to be able to understand her (since I thought I could only understand Norwegian when it is written down - it seems the countless hours watching interviews/TV and listening to radio programmes in Norwegian finally payed off ). :)

We spoke about our reasons for learning Norwegian and our teacher told us about a student in the advanced course who started to learn norsk because of her favourite band: Kaizers Orchestra. I had to laugh; once more I'm soooooo busted. ;) Although the fact that I love so many Norwegian musicians/artists is only a small part for my reason to learn norsk.

Some minutes of the lesson we spend with learning a few things like saying/asking for the name or where someone is coming from and the pronouns (but that wasn't new to me).

Next lesson is on Thursday and I got some homework to do. I'm looking forward to learn something new. :)

Autumn is on its way...

2010-10-01T18:46:00.007+02:00

October 1st: Colored leaves are falling, it's getting colder outside and the days are getting shorter (well, they still last 24hrs - but you know what I mean). The new academic year at the university has started today while lectures will start the upcoming Monday. Shops started to sell candies and chocolate for christmas (yeah, we're still talking about autumn, I'm sure). And there is a cute raccoon living in my garden these days - I called him Bjørn Magnus.

After an exciting summer with some cool concerts and festivals I'm now looking forward to a peaceful fall. But there is so much cookin' and since I am having some plans (traveling! and more concerts!!) I need to figure out and organize I won't have much time to rest.

But I already found the perfect soundtrack for October: POST's debut record "Common Rand Of People" which was just released a couple of days ago (available on iTunes). I wrote a small review of the album on my MySpace page and I would recommend you to listen to the tracks the album. It's dreamy, piercing, strong and creative.
And you should absolutely check out this video of Hanne Kolstø, who is a member of Post, performing their song "Broken". This song is simple but so beautiful - I can't help myself clicking the reply button over and over again.
BTW: My review has been posted on the Facebook pages of both, POST and their label Karmakosmetix Records. (Ahhhh! - the sweet taste of fame!! ;) )

And now... enjoying the last bits of warm sunlight.

How to start?

2010-09-29T21:06:00.005+02:00

How is the first post of a blog supposed to look like? How do I start? Do I have to introduce myself? Do I have to welcome you? I'm saying "You" - is there anybody reading this anyway?

Since I signed up here I've been wondering on how I should start this blog.... I still do not really know. I could tell you who I am but I'm sure you already noticed this little introduction about me just below the title of my blog and my picture - and since I don't want to scare you away I will stick to this little biography of mine.
(BTW: I'm still figuring out how everything is working here and I'll probably post more stuff about me within the next few days.)

Speaking of my blog's title - Last To See. I've chosen this one because it was, first of all the only option I typed in and that still was available, and on the other hand it's also the title of a song I like. "Last To See" by Love:Fi is probably one of my favourite songs ever.

Ahhhh, music. I guess I will write a lot about music (like I already did on my MySpace page) since music is my biggest passion and inspiration.
Blogs are cool. You can write down everything you like when you feel like you want to share something (like music) with the whole world and you don't want to bother your friends with the same story another thousand times. :)

Anyway... Welcome!