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.


Get connected with Hanne Kolstø: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Soundcloud

Thelma & Clyde | Back2Black

The Norwegian electropop duo Thelma & Clyde is back with a new single - Back2Black.

Released on the 18th of May, therefore about 1,5 years after their last release - their debutrecord White Line, the new single Back2Black gives a flavour of what might await us on the sequencing record.

One and a half year is quite some time to wait for something new, but Back2Black stands out with a dancable, resounding rhythm, catchy lyrics and a slight touch of the 90s. This makes the single suitable for both being played in a club as well as on the radio.
Not surprising either is the quality of the song itself - the way it is mixed and the particular elements and beats are put together. Just like you're used to it from previous Thelma & Clyde songs.

I can imagine well how the new album will be built around the sound of Back2Black. Just can't wait to hear more of the new material!!



Thelma & Clyde single Back2Black released on the 18th of May 2012 with Karmakosmetix Records. Music written and produced by Hanne Kolstø and Trygve Tambs-Lyche.
Follow Thelma & Clyde on Facebook and Twitter for more updates.

You can stream Back2Black on Spotify, Wimp, SoundCloud or YouTube.
Or buy the song on iTunes or Platekompaniet.

A band to recommend!

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 !!

Autumn mood!

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

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.

Guide to win the Eurovision Song Contest!

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!! :)

Thelma & Clyde - White Line

"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

POST (music video)

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!!

What music is making me do...

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!

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.... 

:)

How to start?

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!